More about God's Name

I have published on the Name of the LORD before, once in an exegesis of Exodus 6:1-7 (God's Name revealed) and once in Hashem: What's in a Name?  This assignment was supposed to be on the names (plural) of God, but as usual I ended up focusing on 'the Name' because this really is it. God has revealed himself to us by one principal Name, and it is the only Name by which we may be saved!

What I really liked about this study was the Christology, the fact that Jesus has been given the Name above all names - not 'Jesus' (Saviour), but the Name of the Father. I've also discussed the important matter of having the Name removed from all our Bibles and replaced with the very bland "the LORD".

The cry of the crowds to Jesus at his final arrival in Jerusalem was a well-recognised Hebrew greeting reserved for the Messiah: בָּרוּךְ הַבָּא בְּשֵׁם יהוה (Blessed is he who comes in the Name of the LORD!) Ironically, though they acknowledged Jesus as YHWH’s Anointed One, they did not grasp the double entendre – he who comes in the Name of YHWH is YHWH.

I hope you enjoy this essay on this literally vital topic.

God's Name revealed

This paper is an exegesis of Exodus 6:1-7 in which God makes himself known by his name, YHWH, to Moses and promises that He will deliver this people from slavery under Pharaoh in Egypt...

The whole passage is dominated by God’s repeated self-disclosure: “I am YHWH”. This is one of the most significant events in the Bible for, though God has many “names” in the Bible, the others are really just titles and descriptors. YHWH, however, may be regarded as his unique, personal Name that is to treated as sacred and never used in vain (Ex 20:7; Dt 5:11). The Name is believed to be related to the verb הָיָה (haya, to be) and hence God’s earlier answer to Moses’ question, “If... they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?” (Ex 3:13). God’s reply was “I will be who I will be” or, “I am who I am” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה), and that “I will be”, or “I am”, is sending Moses.

For the full assignment, click here.

Hashem: What's in the Name?

Our church songs are full of references to the Name of the LORD, for example, "In your Name there is strength to remain...", or "The Name of the LORD is a strong tower...". We sing songs based on the Psalms proclaiming his Name; we are exhorted to trust in his Name, to take refuge in his Name, to believe in/on the Name. Has it ever occurred to you that this is not the way we express ourselves in daily language? Why don't we just "trust the Lord" instead of trusting in "the Name of the LORD"?