 |
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
-32-
The God Who Is
Chapter 7
JEHOVAH —THE MEANING OF A NAME
God identified Himself to Moses by the name "Jehovah." In Exodus chapter 3, we read beginning in verse 11, "And Moses said unto God, `Who am I, that I should go unto Pharoah, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?' And he said, `Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.'"
"And Moses said unto God, `Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?'
"And God said unto Moses, `I AM THAT I AM:' and he said, `Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.' And God said moreover unto Moses, `Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.'"
The Purpose Of A Name
Names are used to describe. For instance, the name "Jacob" means "Trickster" or "Supplanter," and through craft and fraud Jacob defrauded his brother, Esau, first of the birthright and then of his blessing. Twenty years later, Jacob was so zealous for the Lord that God changed his name to "Israel," which means "Prince of God."
In ancient times, children were given names that meant something. This was true in Egypt, Babylon, Persia, as well as in Israel. Names carried great significance; so when Israel was carried away to Babylon, the Hebrew names which honored Jehovah were changed to honor the gods of Babylon. Today, parents often give a child a name for no other reason than that it is cute, or because it is different. What an abominable reason for choosing a name!
Sometimes a child's name may reveal the disappointment of their parents. For instance, the name "Charles" can be easily made "Charlotte," or "George" can be made "Georgia." The name "John" that used to be used as a boy's name has been given to girls and has been changed with the drop of a letter to "Jon," or changed to "Joni." Even the girl's name "Gail" has been fixed to boys, and the spelling changed to "Gayle."
Names in the Bible meant something; so the Greek name "Timothy" comes from "Timotheos," meaning "honoring God," and the name "John" means "Jehovah is gracious." Names should mean something.
Unlike the sons of men, God is the author of His name: He named Himself. Unless a man goes to court and changes his name, the name he bears is the name he was given at birth. It is not a name of his choosing.
The Name of God
In Exodus chapter 20, God instructed Israel, "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain" (verse 7). The Jews took this command very literally. In order to prevent a careless Israelite from taking the name of God in vain, the divine name revealed to Moses is recorded only as "YHWH:" it contains no vowels. No man is certain how to pronounce it.
First century Christians wanted to be able to pronounce the name of God, so they interpolated the vowels in the name "Adonai" which means "Lord," and called Him "Jehovah," which means, "I AM THAT I AM." It is the name by which God expresses His grace.
The Jews had such reverence for the name of God, that in copying Scripture when they came to the name, they discarded the pen they had been using and took a new one.
Names were given to describe the character of a person. Adam Clarke declares that the name Adam gave to each animal actually describes the animal. In his commentary on Genesis 2:20, Clarke says, "It is well known that the names affixed to the different animals in Scripture always express some prominent feature and essential characteristic of the creatures to which they are applied."
Therefore, in Exodus chapter 3, when Moses asked God for His name, he was not simply seeking a name by which to call Him; he was asking about the nature of Him who had called him to deliver Israel. And, what would better describe the Lord than "I AM THAT I AM?" Time has no bearing upon Him. There never was a time when He was not, and there will never be a time when He is not. He dwells in the eternal present, and although He is the Ancient of Days, He does not have a graying beard or white hair. "One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (II Peter 3:8b).
When Moses asked His name, he asked His nature. Plato, the old pagan philosopher, said, "Nothing can express His nature and therefore no name can be attributed to Him." Therefore, God named Himself: "I AM THAT I AM."
God is known by many names in Scripture. For instance, He is called "The Lord of Sabaoth," which translated means, "The Lord of the Armies of Heaven." It is the name by which He is known when He warns the wicked of their coming judgment. Here, however, He uses the name "Jehovah" to express mercy and grace.
"Jehovah"—"I Am He Who Was, I Am He Who Is, I Am He Who Ever Shall Be." It is impossible to understand the blessedness of God's promises until we understand the nature of God who made them. The promises of God are not relevant only for the time past; nor are they good only for the time being. God is able to fulfill His promises even though it be in the distant future. "I AM THAT I AM."