Psalm 99, The Wonder of the Name of God

We are preparing for a study of specific names of God, names He gave to reveal Himself to mankind.  In this post I would like to provide one more opportunity to meditate on Scriptures that tell us wonderful things about the name of God.  In the following Scriptures we are simply completing the statement, “The name of God is …”.  On some I will add comments related to the meaning of the Hebrew term.  Remember, when we speak of the name of God, we are speaking of God Himself.

·       Isa. 57:15: holy.  This means it is set apart, unique.  God’s name(s) reveal how He is unlike the gods created by men.

·       Deut. 28:58; Ps. 99:3; Isa. 63:14: glorious.  The root meaning is to be weighty or heavy.  God’s glory is “huge”.  In Ps. 99:3 the NKJV translates it great.

·       Deut. 28:58; Ps. 99:3; 111:9: awesome.  It is to be feared; we stand in awe of His name.  We cannot think of His name without being “stretched”.

·       Judges 13:17-18: wonderful.  It is incomprehensible and extraordinary.  We regularly meditate on God’s name because we never fully grasp it.

·       Prov. 18:10: strong.  It is a strong tower.

·       Isa. 42:8; Ps. 83:18; Zech. 14:9: unique.  My glory I will not give to another.  His name alone is the LORD.  Again, The LORD is one, and His name one.

·       Ps. 8:1,9: excellent.  It is majestic.  Think of the waves of the sea.  Or of a cedar of Lebanon (if you haven’t seen one of those, think of a giant redwood).

·       Ps. 48:10: omnipresent.  Think on this verse.  His praise is to the ends of the earth; His name is like that.

·       Ps. 52:9: good.  The Hebrew term speaks of all the aspects of goodness: it is pleasant, valuable, appropriate, better, kind and right.

·       Ps. 72:17; 135:13; Isa. 63:12,16: eternal.  God’s dealings with Israel were designed to make for Himself an everlasting name.  Our Redeemer from Everlasting is Your name.

·       Ps. 75:1; Isa. 30:27: near.  What an amazing thought: God is truly transcendent; but He is near to us.  And the Hebrew term can be used as near of place (not far away), of time (won’t take a long time for Him to help), and of personal relationship (like a close friend).

·       Ps. 138:2: magnified.  It is always growing in greatness and exaltation.

·       Jer. 10:6: great in might. It speaks of God’s deeds. Nothing will hold Him back.

·       Micah 5:4: majestic.  This term is also used frequently of the pride and arrogance of men.  God is the only One this term applies to consistently.

This study is an important one.  The name of God is never trivial.  That is why there was a specific command not to use it in vain.  May we live in a way that fits the name of God!