07-23-06-What's In A Name
Every man, woman, or child has a name assigned to them at birth. When parents are expecting a child, they will pull out the book of names and look for just the right one for their unborn child. But what’s in a name? Some names are famous and others are infamous. If I were to mention the name Hitler, there is no doubt that all of us would immediately think of an evil man. If we say the name of Einstein, we picture a genius who developed the theory of relativity. If Mother Theresa’s name is mentioned we think of a kind gentle woman who has given her life to save children in India. Name the name of any historical person and we will instantly recall what we learned about that person as far back in school as our memory will allow us to.
So when we think about the Bible there are hundreds of names that we have learned about: Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Esther, Ruth, Isaiah, Jeremiah, John the Baptist, Jesus, Peter, Paul, etc. But there are also names that the Bible uses to describe our God: LORD, Jehovah, Elohim, Yahweh, El-Shaddai, El-Gibbor, etc. We have a banner (tapestry) on the wall that has many of the names of God and what I want to do is to begin to look at the names and what they mean.
The purpose of this study is not to fill our heads full of a lot of Hebrew words—although you will learn some—but to allow us to learn more about who our God is through the names that He has chosen to give us. Each name reveals a different part of the character of God. These are not just titles of God, but actual descriptions of His nature. The fact is that if God did not reveal to us who He is by His names, we would have no way of knowing what His character is and the relationship He has to mankind. So as we study the names of God, I hope that we will get a much greater picture than what we have at this moment of who He is. Not only will we expand our view of who God is, but it is my prayer is that we will experience Him in a greater way as we truly get to know Him better.
The scripture tells us that there is a name above all names—Jesus.
¨ Phil 2:9-11 (NIV) Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It is by the name of Jesus that we have been given salvation, righteousness, authority over the enemy, victory, healing, etc. So not only will we learn about the Old Testament names of God, but we will find their fulfillment and completeness revealed to us in our wonderful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
I want you to think about what picture you have in your mind about God in the Old Testament. (survey the congregation) How did you get that picture? What was it that formed that image in your mind? Now think about what picture you have about God in the New Testament. How did you get that picture? What was it that formed that image in your mind?
We must first understand that the God of the Old Testament is the same God of the New Testament and today. Often times we think or say things that seem to indicate that God was a holy judge in the Old Testament and a loving Father in the New Testament. It is sad that we have bought into this lie of the enemy, because my Bible says that God never changes and He is always the same.
¨ Malachi 3:6 (NIV) I the Lord do not change. . . .
¨ James 1:17 (NIV) Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
It is because of the unchangeableness of God that we can have confidence in His Word. Imagine if He treated some people fairly, but others unfairly. It would be great if you were one of the ones being treated fairly, but horrible if you were being treated unfairly. What if He was moody and changed His mind every day? You would never know if He was having a bad day, and with all the power that He has, what if decided to seek revenge on us rather than forgive us and show us mercy (I’m talking from a human viewpoint, not truth). How could you ever trust a God like that? But the scripture is clear that God never has played favorites and never will—His ways have always been and always will be righteous and true (Rev 16:7).
If it is true that God never changes then any revelation of His character in the Old Testament must be the same in the New Testament. Hear that clearly, if God chooses to reveal to us in His Word a characteristic about Himself in the Old or New Testament, He is giving us a special revelation of His unchanging character.
For example, God is a covenant making and covenant keeping God in both the Old Testament and New Testament. God’s very nature is to make and keep covenants. He chose to cut covenant with Adam, Abram, Noah, Moses, and David in the Old Testament. In the New Testament, Jesus said that He was making a new covenant. That is a primary characteristic of God that never changes. There are different covenants and different dispensations, but it is still a basic part of God’s nature that He is a covenant making and covenant keeping God.
Another example is the revealed holiness of God in the Old Testament. Through the tabernacle/temple and the priesthood God very clearly establishes His holy nature. There can be no confusion in reading the Old Testament that God is a holy God.
¨ Leviticus 19:2 (NIV) . . . ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.’
In the New Testament, that same characteristic of holiness is revealed through Jesus Christ. In Christ we are declared to be the holy temples of God (1 Cor 3:15; 6:19) and we are commanded to be holy just as they were in the Old Testament.
¨ 1 Pet 1:15-16 (NIV) But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”
The New Testament tells us that God is our Father “Abba” (Rom 8:15). If God is unchanging then He must have also been a Father in the Old Testament. In fact, that is very true but often ignored or not taught.
¨ Deut 32:6 (NIV) Is this the way you repay the Lord, O foolish and unwise people? Is he not your Father, your Creator, who made you and formed you?
¨ Psalms 68:5 (NIV) A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.
¨ Proverbs 3:12 (NIV) because the Lord disciplines those He loves, as a father the son he delights in.
¨ Isaiah 63:16 (NIV) But you are our Father, though Abraham does not know us or Israel acknowledge us; you, O Lord, are our Father, our Redeemer from of old is your name.
¨ Isaiah 64:8 (NIV) Yet, O Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.
In the Old Testament, God chose a place to put His name. He did not allow His name to be used anywhere Israel wanted it to be, but He told them where it was to be placed. It was in that holy place that God said they were to come to worship Him.
¨ Deut 12:5-7 (NIV) But you are to seek the place the Lord your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; 6 there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 There, in the presence of the Lord your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the Lord your God has blessed you.
¨ Deut 12:11-14 (NIV) Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name—there you are to bring everything I command you: your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord. 12 And there rejoice before the Lord your God, you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own. 13 Be careful not to sacrifice your burnt offerings anywhere you please. 14 Offer them only at the place the Lord will choose in one of your tribes, and there observe everything I command you.
Why was it so important that they only go to a particular place where God chose to put His name? The answer is in the words “a dwelling” for His name. This is the place where God said He would live among His people. His name represents His presence and God desired a holy place to dwell in.
When we dedicated this building we asked God to write His Name upon this place. We have put His Names on the wall to remind us that this is a holy place dedicated to His Name. God has always been looking for a place to put His Name and in the New Testament, that place is found in the church. We are the place where He has chosen to put His Name and dwell among the world. We are the holy temples of the Holy Spirit of God where His Name can be proclaimed and worshipped. God does not dwell in buildings but in His holy people—the church—a set apart group of people that He has chosen as the place to put His Name. May He write His Name upon our hearts as we dedicate them to Him so that we can be a holy place for His Name to dwell.
We may wonder why God has so many different names. Just as I am known as Ron, Pastor, Dad, son, and by my wife by various love names—honey, etc—God has many names to reveal a different quality or characteristic about Him. The word “God” is so meaningless today, since there are so many gods in people’s lives. We worship rock stars, movie stars, sports stars, our jobs, money, fancy cars, big houses and many other material things as our gods. However, when we start to learn the different facets of God’s character that are revealed through His names we begin to see a greater picture of who our God truly is. We will see that He is our Provider, Healer, Deliverer, Rewarder, Sanctifier, Shepherd, Lord, King, Master, Intercessor, Rock, Strength, Peace, High Priest, Righteousness, Strong Tower, Savior, Hero, Lifter of our head, Shield and Buckler, Teacher, Guide, and Advocate (to name a few). The fact is that God is anything and everything that we need. The great I AM is all sufficient for any need that we have in our life and He has revealed that to us through His names.
So what’s in a name? The names of God reveal to us truth about Him that we need to know. But they also reveal more to us about God’s nature that we need to experience. I pray that as we discover more about Him through His names, we will fall more in love with God and worship Him in new and more meaningful ways. I pray that we will not only learn about His mighty power in our lives, but that we will actually experience it on a daily basis; and that experience will change our hearts and lives to make us more like the God we serve.