The Name of God

Much has been thought and said and written about the name of God. We will begin then with a consideration of this topic. The lessons we learn from studying God's name may seem a bit academic, but they will turn out to be a preparation for a much deeper understanding of the name of Jesus.

An obvious starting point is Exodus chapter 3 where Moses stands before the burning bush. For our present purposes we must look first at Exo 3:6 where God introduces himself with the words, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 'According to our human thinking we might have expected God to say, 'I am the all-powerful creator of the universe, all-wise, all-loving and all-knowing, and my name is YHWH'. This is the sort of way a missionary might try to introduce his concept of God to an animistic tribe. God, as we see, gave no description of himself and no name.

The only identification he gave was in terms of his followers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - people who exhibited at least in some degree his characteristics. This shows us the mind and nature of God. Words, names and descriptions are totally inadequate for him. He is both described and identified in his people, and most particularly in his son. To be understood, he must be seen in human form. He must be manifested in the flesh.

The Old Testament contains many names and titles for God. These include the Lord of Hosts, the God of Heaven, the Most High God, El Shaddai, and others. People have written good and instructive expositions of their meanings, but Jesus did not do this. Instead, he said, 'He that has seen me has seen the Father'. Descriptions are only necessary for what you cannot see. I could describe London to you, but if you really want to know what London is like, you would do much better to come and see!

Jesus did not need to describe God to people. He himself was the description. He was and is the name of God. You do not gaze at a photograph of someone when you are in their presence. You have something better.

We must return to the bush. After introducing himself as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, God commissioned Moses to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses then had two problems of identity: the first one, 'Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?'; the second, 'Who are you?'.

He said to God, "Behold, I am going to the children of Israel, and I shall say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may say to me, 'What is his name?' What shall I say to them?"

If we are to understand God's reply, we must first consider the background to Moses' question. Moses grew up in a polytheistic culture. People believed in many different gods, each of which had to have a name to identify him (her or it!). You can talk about 'the sun' or 'the moon' because there is only one of each of them. You cannot talk about 'the star' because there are millions of them, and each must have a name so that they can be distinguished one from another. The sun and the moon do not have names because they do not need them. Does God really have a name? Moses thought he did. Many people today think he has. Let us examine the Bible's revelation.

God's reply in Exo 3:14 is, 'I am who I am'. I believe we could paraphrase this 'I am myself'. In other words God is saying to Moses, 'Your question is wrong. I have no name. I alone am God and I do not need, and in reality cannot have, a name to distinguish me from other gods, because there are none. Neither can any name be found that will describe me adequately.' Jesus in his high priestly prayer said, 'I have manifested your name' (Jn 17:6) and 'I have made known to them your name' (Jn 17:26). This was the only real answer to Moses' question. Jesus himself in person was and is the name of God.

God continues by saying, 'Say to the children of Israel, 'I am has sent me to you. This does not make very good sense in English, and it is no better in Hebrew. The very awkwardness of it shows that God could not give a straight answer to Moses' question.

In the following verse God says: "Say this to the children of Israel, 'YHWH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you'. This is my name for the age and this is my memorial for generations of generations."

As I see it, God is saying: 'I have no name. Human terminology can never describe me. I must first be seen in flesh and blood, and then known in the spirit. Neither do I need a name to distinguish me from other gods, because there are none. Nevertheless for the present I will condescend to your limited understanding, and give you something that you can use temporarily as a name. You can be like the other people around you, each of which has a god. You can use the word YHWH to identify me.' The nature of our God - the only God - is to come down to us that he may bring us up to him.

Moses might have learnt from Jacob's experience. The story of Jacob's wrestling with the angel is recorded towards the end of Genesis 32. Jacob wrestled with a man, who finally asked him his name. 'Jacob', he replied. 'Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have striven with God and with men and have overcome,' said the angel.

Jacob now had a new identity and description. We, like Jacob, must have a new name. Jacob then said, 'Please tell me your name'. The angel's answer was only an evasion, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' Like Moses, he had asked the wrong question. He wanted to reduce the divine to the human.

Manoah, the father of Samson, received a visit from an angel who told him that his wife would bear a son who was to be a Nazirite. After listening to the instructions for the child's upbringing, Manoah asked the angel his name. He received the same sort of answer as Jacob did: 'Why do you ask my name, seeing it is incomprehensible?'

Next Part History of the Name