Have you ever carried a label that was never yours? In Part 1 of our Identity series, we look at Jabez, Hosea’s children, and Mephibosheth to see a truth that runs through all of Scripture: God has the final say over who you are.
▶️ Watch this teaching — and be encouraged that God still has the final say.
▶️ Listen to this teaching — and be encouraged that God still has the final say.
What Does the Bible Say About Identity?
Some labels are blessings, but the negative ones tend to stick. Left unchecked, they begin to shape our choices, our reactions, and how we see ourselves, and sometimes they keep God at arm’s length. In this teaching, we see that Jabez did not let a name meaning sorrow define him, that God changed the names of Hosea’s children from judgment to restoration, and that Mephibosheth had to accept grace before he could sit at the king’s table. Through each story, we see that God sees you, God knows you, and God has the final say.
Core Scripture
But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];
I have called you by name; you are Mine! — Isaiah 43:1
I thank God for every message that He sends to us. I thank Him for every teaching we have shared together here at Ecclesia. Truly, without His leading, His direction, His guidance, I am lost. I could never do these on my own. Today’s message is no different.
I usually have some idea of the next topic or the direction God is leading me to before the previous teachings are even finished. However, this time, I didn’t know. I tried not to stress over it, reminding myself that He has never let me down, has always brought something, and has never left me hanging to fend for myself in this area. Then it happened. He showed me. My problem was that I had not been paying attention. It began when Lydia shared her Identity in Christ Spoken Word video. Then God revealed to me the identity I had unknowingly carried — one that changed me many, many years ago. And again, in our Stepping Out meeting, when Janine mentioned the labels we carry. It didn’t fully hit me until the following day, when I was working on social media content. As I said, God answers; we just have to pay attention.
Sit with this for a moment as we step into this series.
In case you haven’t guessed yet, our topic is identity.
Let’s look at a couple of scriptures as we begin:
Genesis 1:27
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So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them.
Psalm 139:14
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I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well.
Jeremiah 1:5
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“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [and approved of you as My chosen instrument],
And before you were born I consecrated you [to Myself as My own];
I have appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Have you ever carried a label, walked in what someone else called you, or felt the stigma that someone placed on you for various reasons? Have you resented that? Did you even realize you were doing that? I realized I had done just that, for about 30 years. It all began innocently when I was spending time with my husband one evening, when I did and said something that shocked me. Something that I had not thought of in, well, a very long time. To say I was stunned is an understatement. I told my husband that I didn’t react in certain ways because I’d been called needy, didn’t want to be labeled that way, and had completely changed my personality because of it. I hadn’t gone back to that part of my life in a long time. It was ancient history as far as I was concerned. But after that comment, it got me thinking. How many other labels had I changed myself for? How many other labels had I carried, knowingly and unknowingly? How many things in my life have I done or not done because I didn’t want a label placed on me?
I really think we can all relate to those questions. Some labels can be good. They can be blessings. But it is usually the negative ones that stick. Almost as though they taint and stain us.
As we go through this series, I pray that you spend time with God. Ask Him to help you see, with eyes wide open, any label that you have accepted and walked in that does not line up with Him or His Word! And then, pay attention!
We all have titles. Some we like: mom or mum, grandma, nana, nona, aunty, wife, fill in the blank. Some come from our jobs: nurse, doctor, counselor, pastor, minister, teacher, social worker, physical therapist, consultant. We all have names: first, middle, more middle, last, or even multiple last names. And then we have our nicknames, the names someone lovingly came up with for us… which can be good and sometimes not so good. lol
Where I live, names matter, but the meaning behind the name does not matter nearly as much as it once did and still does in some areas. I think for some people, knowing what their name means encourages them; they take pride and try to stand for what their name represents. While others want nothing to do with what their name represents, or feel it is a curse. Look at Jabez, for example:
1 Chronicles 4:9-10
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Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my border [property], and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” And God granted his request.
In his time and in his culture, a name represented much more than just a name; it represented the person, their character, their personality, their way of life. In other words, it represented who they were.
While this scripture itself tells us what the meaning of Jabez’s name is: labor in pain, Strong’s adds even more insight. It defines his name as “to grieve” or “sorrowful”.
How would you feel if your name meant something like that? Would it feel as though there was a black cloud hanging over you all the time? Would you feel capable of doing things that were kind, or even capable of seeking God? Yet, that is exactly what Jabez does! He does not claim his name and use it to define himself. We can tell that with the very first sentence in this set of scriptures. Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. Jabez made a choice. He chose to do good and to be honorable.
Yet, how many of us let certain labels, certain names, certain titles define us and define who we are? How many of us allow those labels to carry weight into our lives? Allow those labels to keep us at arm’s length from God? Keep us from family, from friends, and other loved ones? Jabez not only didn’t let his name define him, but he didn’t let it keep him from being honorable; he didn’t let it keep him from reaching out to God!
Honestly, if you allowed your name, the name that means pain or sorrowful or grief, to define you, would you feel comfortable seeking God? Would you feel like you had the right to ask God for what Jabez asked God for? Would you feel as though you had that authority? Which is a whole other topic, but does deserve its moment here…Or would you feel unworthy, unacceptable, undeserving of reaching out to God? Now think about the labels that have done just that in your life! What labels have you carried that made God feel unreachable? That kept God at a distance? What labels in your life do you currently carry that bring feelings and thoughts of deficiency, degradation, or as though there is a flaw in you?
Jabez received a reply from God in regard to his request. He received God’s favor and God’s grace in that request. God saw him; God saw that regardless of his name and what it meant, it didn’t define him.
Genesis 16:13
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Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?”
Psalm 139:1-4
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God’s Omnipresence and Omniscience.
To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
O Lord, you have searched me [thoroughly] and have known me.
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up [my entire life, everything I do];
You understand my thought from afar.
3 You scrutinize my path and my lying down,
And You are intimately acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before there is a word on my tongue [still unspoken],
Behold, O Lord, You know it all.
Hebrews 4:13
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And not a creature exists that is concealed from His sight, but all things are open and exposed, and revealed to the eyes of Him with whom we have to give account.
No matter how much we try to hide from God, no matter how much the label we carry and wear tries to keep us from God, He sees us. He sees you! Just as His eyes were on Jabez and His ears were attuned to Jabez’s prayer, His eyes are on you, and His ears are attuned to you.
So before we move on, let’s pause for a moment and ask a simple question: what does identity actually mean?
Identity, in Scripture, is rooted in the word shem:
Strong’s Concordance:
Shêm; H8034: an appellation, as a mark or memorial of individuality; by implication honor, authority, character: (in-) fame(-ous), named, renown, report.
It is the truth of who you are as God sees you.
Which really is an excellent question to be asking ourselves, and we will dig more into later, so keep that thought in mind.
And Isaiah 43:1 shows us that clearly:
Isaiah 43:1
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Israel Redeemed
But now, this is what the Lord, your Creator says, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you [from captivity];
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
One of my favorite things about Scripture is how practical it is. How it keeps speaking into our lives with such relevance, even now. And we see that again so clearly in the story of Hosea’s children. We read several times how God changes names. He changes the name to suit the person’s new calling or how the person has changed. Such as for Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Simon Peter, and Paul, to name a few.
Look at Hosea:
Hosea 1:2-9
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When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to him, “Go, take for yourself a wife of prostitution and have children of [her] prostitution; for the land commits great acts of prostitution by not following the Lord.” 3 So he went and took Gomer the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son. 4 And the Lord said to him, “Name him Jezreel; for yet in a little while I will avenge the blood [that was shed in the Valley] of Jezreel and inflict the punishment for it on the house of Jehu, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. 5 On that day I will break the bow [of the military power] of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”
6 Then Gomer conceived again and gave birth to a daughter. And the Lord said to Hosea, “Name her Lo-Ruhamah (not shown mercy), for I will no longer have mercy on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. 7 But I will have mercy on the house of Judah and will rescue them by the Lord their God, and will not rescue them by bow, sword, war, horses, or horsemen.”
8 Now when Gomer had weaned Lo-Ruhamah, she conceived and gave birth to a son. 9 And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-Ammi (not my people), for you are not My people and I am not your God.”
As we just read, each of Hosea’s children was given a name with deep prophetic meaning; names that reflected Israel’s spiritual condition at that time. These names weren’t random; they were intentional, symbolic, and full of meaning. God was making a point with their names:
Jezreel – God will scatter, as God talks about how Israel will scatter and live in many nations
Lo-Ruhamah – not shown mercy or not to be pitied, and God was showing Israel the judgment they would receive for their actions, the mercy that would be denied because of their continued rejection,
Lo-Ammi – not my people, as God was ready to renounce His covenant with them over their spiritual adultery. This is a hard one, as it would affect their identity itself; they would no longer belong to God, no longer have that relationship with Him that they once had.
Honestly, how many of us have placed these names upon ourselves as adults? Letting our actions, people, and thoughts shape the identities we claim. Could you imagine the weight these names carried for children? Is there a label, name, title, something placed on you that is heavy and you have yet to release it? A label or name that has weighed you down, and you are still walking in an identity that was never meant to be yours? Were you ever known as the screw-up, the lazy one, the disappointing one, or the difficult one? What about walking in the weight of your parents’ reputation, one that involves addiction, abuse, or dysfunction? Have you ever felt as though what they did somehow became part of your identity?
We don’t usually choose the labels placed on us. We don’t choose what people say, we don’t choose what people think, or even what they do to us. Hosea’s children didn’t choose their names. Yet somewhere along the way, we begin to agree with those labels. We claim them; we begin adopting them as our own. Is there a label in your life, an identity you are walking in that nobody is enforcing anymore, nobody is reminding you of except you?
Truth is, labels don’t always stay outside of us. If we hear them long enough, carry them long enough, experience them long enough, tell ourselves that is us often enough, we can begin to accept them as truth. And eventually, we stop seeing them as something that happened to us, and start seeing them as who we are. We make changes. We begin making decisions because of them. We react because of them. We begin living according to them. We start seeing ourselves through them, through that filter. So at what point did the label stop being something someone said and turn into something we believed and became? Something God never created us to be? Israel was walking away from God; there were consequences, there was judgment. They even had prophetic names spoken over them. Yet, that wasn’t the end of their story. It wasn’t the final say. God was not finished with them. That is something we must always remember!!! God has the final say. This is and will be a common theme in our identity, in who we are, in our character, and in what defines us. Not our thoughts, not other people’s words and beliefs, and not what we just assume is ours. But God’s thoughts, God’s Words. God defines us. Just as He had the final say in the prophetic change for Israel, as well as many other names in the bible.
Jezreel – went from God will scatter to God sows, as scattering seeds sows many plants. God is speaking of the future restoration that Israel will have one day.
Lo-Ruhamah – not shown mercy or not to be pitied, turned into the compassion God would once again have for them,
Lo-Ammi – not my people, would of course remain His people, and they would in turn declare that He is their God.
Hosea 1:10-11
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Yet the number of the sons of Israel
Shall be like the sand of the sea,
Which cannot be measured or numbered;
And in the place
Where it is said to them,
“You are not My people,”
It will be said to them,
“You are the sons of the living God.”
11 Then the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel shall be gathered together,
And they will appoint for themselves one leader,
And they will go up from the land,
For great and glorious will be the day of Jezreel.
Hosea 2:1
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“[Hosea,] say to your brothers, ‘Ammi (you are my people),’ and to your sisters, ‘Ruhamah (you have been pitied and have obtained mercy).’
Hosea 2:22-23
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And the earth shall respond to the grain and the new wine and the oil [which beg it to bring them forth],
And they will respond to Jezreel [My Israel, who will now be restored].
23 “I will sow her for Myself in the land.
I will also have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy;
And I will say to those who were not My people,
‘You are My people,’
And they will say, ‘You are my God!’”
What name, title, label, or identity have you been carrying that God is asking you to release to Him today? What new identity is He placing within you? Again, God has the final say! What changes can you make with God’s help, and turn back to Him and say He is your God, He is where your identity comes from?
Scripture gives us another powerful example of this! Not through prophetic names, but through a man who offered grace. A man after God’s own heart, showing us what God’s grace can look like in our own lives when we accept it:
2 Samuel 4:4
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Jonathan, Saul’s son, had a son whose feet were crippled. He was five years old when the news [of the deaths] of Saul and Jonathan came from Jezreel. And the boy’s nurse picked him up and fled; but it happened that while she was hurrying to flee, he fell and became lame. His name was Mephibosheth.
2 Samuel 9:1-8
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David’s Kindness to Mephibosheth
And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” 2 There was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, so they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?” He said, “I am your servant.” 3 And the king said, “Is there no longer anyone left of the house (family) of Saul to whom I may show the goodness and graciousness of God?” Ziba replied to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan, [one] whose feet are crippled.” 4 So the king said to him, “Where is he?” And Ziba replied to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, in Lo-debar.” 5 Then King David sent word and had him brought from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, from Lo-debar. 6 Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to David and fell face down and lay himself down [in respect]. David said, “Mephibosheth.” And he answered, “Here is your servant!” 7 David said to him, “Do not be afraid, for I will certainly show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and will restore to you all the land of your grandfather Saul; and you shall always eat at my table.” 8 Again Mephibosheth lay himself face down and said, “What is your servant, that you would be concerned for a dead dog like me?”
There are actually a few things in this scripture, and for time’s sake, we might pick up parts of it next time. One of the things I would like to highlight is: did you notice Mephibosheth’s comment about himself? Because of what happened to him, because of that accident, his life changed. So much so that he found it hard to accept someone’s grace and compassion. He felt that his injury was what defined him, when it didn’t! He felt that he couldn’t be cared about, shouldn’t be cared for because of what he looked like, what he was no longer able to do. My guess, too, is that he looked down on himself because he could no longer do what men do. He couldn’t provide for a family, he couldn’t go into battle, he couldn’t live as a “normal” man would. How many of us have placed these kinds of labels upon ourselves? Yes, others may help influence that, as the world expects people to be a certain way, though more on that point next week, but what are we limiting ourselves to by taking and accepting these identities? How often do we sit in a pity party of sorts that lasts years because of something that happened or something that was said, then live according to that? And then are you rejecting kindness and compassion? Are you rejecting God’s grace? We can often block healing, relief, restoration because we are scared to leave that identity behind. It has become such a part of us that we don’t know who we are without it. We forget Who’s we are!
2 Samuel 9:9-13
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Then the king summoned Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “I have given your master’s grandson everything that belonged to Saul and to all his house (family). 10 You and your sons and your servants shall cultivate the land for him, and you shall bring in the produce, so that your master’s grandson may have food to eat; but Mephibosheth, your master’s grandson, shall always eat at my table.” Now Ziba had fifteen sons and twenty servants. 11 Then Ziba said to the king, “Your servant will do according to everything that my lord the king commands.” So Mephibosheth ate at David’s table as one of the king’s sons. 12 Mephibosheth had a young son whose name was Mica. And all who lived in Ziba’s house were servants to Mephibosheth. 13 So Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, for he always ate at the king’s table. And he was lame in both feet.
Whose table are you eating at? Who is shaping your identity? And Whose cup are you drinking from? Mephibosheth sat at the table with the king’s sons and was treated as one of them. He learned to accept King David’s love, compassion, and grace. In that acceptance, he flourished! He had a son of his own! Doesn’t that speak to God’s blessing in his life? What blessings are we rebuking and pushing away by continually walking in and with an identity God never meant for us to have? Have you accepted God’s love into your life? Have you let His light and His word shine upon parts of your life or walk that He is trying to get you to leave behind? Mephibosheth was trying to survive while in hiding at someone’s home. King David found him anyway. Though he didn’t just find him, he sought after him. That is exactly what God does to us. He searches for us. As Psalm 139 states, there is nowhere we can go where God cannot find us. He knows us, He loves us, He wants to offer His grace, His love, and His compassion to us. He wants us to eat at His table just as His son does! And isn’t that great news for each one of us, as God is still seeking, still restoring, still calling people by name and still has the final say! What an amazing and compassionate God we serve!
Psalm 139:7-13
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Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there;
If I make my bed in Sheol (the nether world, the place of the dead), behold, You are there.
9 If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
10 Even there Your hand will lead me,
And Your right hand will take hold of me.
11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,
And the night will be the only light around me,”
12 Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You,
But the night shines as bright as the day;
Darkness and light are alike to You.
13 For You formed my innermost parts;
You knit me [together] in my mother’s womb.
If something in this teaching stirred up more than you expected, we would love to pray with you. You can send a private request on our Prayer Requests page.
Join us for Koinonia & Communion to hear the next part live. See the Calendar for dates.
Reflect and Pray
- What name, title, or label have you been carrying that God may be asking you to release?
- Is there an identity you are walking in that no one is enforcing anymore except you?
- Whose table are you eating at, and who is shaping your identity?
- What might change if you believed that God has the final say?
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