What is in God’s Name
Names of God\
The birth of a child is a very exciting time in a family’s life. When my children were born, we didn’t have the technology to know the sex before birth. We had to plan a name for a girl and boy to prepare for the surprise. It was a totally awesome event.
When my son was born, we were thrilled after having two girls. The decision was made to name him after my husband, Joe. The dilemma was what to call him so we wouldn’t get the identity of the person mixed up. We decided to call him Jody.
When Jody began kindergarten, he came home one day and announced to his family that his name was Joe and he wanted to be called Joe. He said he had already told his classmates at kindergarten and they were calling him Joe. Whoa! Five years of Jody and he has changed his name. The transition was hard, but somehow we managed to call him Joe. There are still some family members that call him Jody which sounds funny after all these years.
THE CHARACTER IN A NAME
Genesis 35:10 NKJV, “And God said to him, ‘Your name is Jacob; your name shall not be called Jacob anymore, but Israel shall be your name.’”
In the Bible, most names had meaning. They usually meant the character of the person mentioned. God often changed names in scripture. One example is Jacob. The name Jacob means trickster or deceiver. He definitely lived up to his name. He tricked his brother and deceived his father. After many years and many struggles in life, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Israel meant prince of God. Jacob was no longer the deceiver. He had learned to revere God and seek His will and way in his life.
God’s name YAHWEH
I have read that God has more than 80 names thoughout the Bible. God shows us the aspects of His character and nature through the many names. However, GOD never changes. He is always the same. In the Old Testament, the most frequently used Hebrew word for God is YHWH. The word was so sacred to the Israelites that they would not even say the name. When reading your Bible, the word is translated LORD with all letters capitalized. Later vowels were added to read Yahweh. Yahweh means eternal and never changing.
God’s Name ELOHIM
Genesis 1:1 NKJV, “In the beginning God created the heavens and earth.”
Elohim is the second most used name for God. The word El means strong and Elohim is plural. Genesis 1:1 tells us Elohim created, but the Hebrew word is in plural form indicating God has more than one part of His being. God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit existed from the beginning. So that, we have one God in three persons.
I AM God’s Name
Genesis 3:14 NKJV, “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.’”
I AM is related to the Hebrew verb to be and implies the absolute existence of God. I wondered many years what does that mean exactly. For God to say He is I AM made me wonder. I wonder I AM what? Simply put – I AM is whatever you need. A few names of God are:
God of Peace -Yahweh Shalom
The LORD will provide -Yahweh Jireh
The LORD who heals -Yahweh Rapha
God Almighty -El Shaddai
God with us -Emmanuel –
Do you seek peace in the midst of your storm? Is there something you need in your life and you don’t know how it will be provided? Are you sick and need a touch from God? God is the answer to all your needs! He is with us and He never changes.
A NEW NAME
Revelation 2:17b NKJV, “To Him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone and on the stone a new name which no one knows except him who receives it.”
Isaiah 62:2 NKJV, “You shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD will name.”
When we get to heaven, our name will be changed. Yahweh will give us a new name. Our name will be in reference to the character of God. It will not be a name you have earned or feel you deserve. Nothing we have done or will do in our lifetime on earth identifies our character worthy of a name. It is only through Jesus Christ that we will receive HIS name.
FACE TO FACE
Revelation 22:4 NKJV, “They shall see His face and a his name shall be on their foreheads.”
What a day that will be when we will see Jesus Christ face to face. Because we are His, His name will be on our foreheads. Hallelujah! We will worship the King of kings and LORD of Lords.
Paula Wallace
Further reading:
https://www.treadingwatertiljesuscomes.com/2019/04/03/one-light-makes-a-difference/
Beautiful message on the names of God. I love that these names show different character traits that we can praise of “call out to” in times of need! Bless you Paula!