Let us begin to wind down our studies in the names of God, recalling a couple of things from the beginning of our study. First, a “name” is a reference to the person. The name is descriptive of the person; it stands for the person. Second, these names of God attach certain truths to Him. Some names were attributed to God by people, such as Hagar who knew the God who sees me (El Roi). Other names are revelations by God Himself, such as God Almighty (El Shaddai) and YAHWEH.
We study the names because it teaches us about
God. But, of course, knowing about God
is not the goal of life. We long to know
God, and to know Him deeply. In the NT
we speak of Christ this way: we, like Paul, desire to know Him and the power of
His resurrection and fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His
death (Phil. 3:10). We long to know
Him that we might be like Him.
In the OT the fundamental command to God’s
people was to love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your
soul, and with all your strength (Deut. 6:4). The most repeated words in this command are “all”
and “your”. As we grow in the knowledge
of God, “all” continues to grow. The
more we know of God the deeper the love for Him. And the change is coming within us. My heart, soul and strength must fully
embrace the continuously growing truth of who God is! The change is in me, not in the unchangeable
One.
How does my love for God grow? Certainly, my mental focus on Him is a key factor. I need to be renewed in my mind. But the renewal of the mind must lead to
faith, trusting God in specific situations related to who He is. Take Abraham, for example. Abraham, after Gen. 15:6 (when his faith was
counted for righteousness), had ups and downs.
But at the end of Gen. 21 there was a key moment, when he came to fully
embrace the idea that he was a sojourner on this earth. He would not experience the fullness of God’s
promise to him in his lifetime; it was a promise to Abraham and his
descendents. Thus, Abraham planted a
tree, and called on the Eternal God (El Olam).
Having come to peace with the promise of the land, Abraham was now ready
for the greatest test of His life, being at peace with the promise of a son/Son
(Gen. 22).
We may be moving through a difficult time in
life. But that difficult time is the
perfect time to grow in the knowledge of God, to exercise faith in new ways, and
to grow in my love for God. Allow me to
use myself as an example. I have worked
through this study several times over the years. Each time I learn more. The name of God that has most impressed me
this time is YAHWEH-Nissi, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. The reason is because of my current
context. We have just been through
another presidential election; we are still in the aftermath of charges of
fraud and seemingly endless court cases.
Further, we are in the midst of the famous pandemic of 2020, the
coronavirus. I am finding it quite easy,
in practice, to constantly raise the banner of political conservatism, the foolishness
of lockdowns, and the inefficacy of masks.
I find it easy because it seems that whatever conversation I am having,
one or more of these subjects becomes the primary topic. But what YAHWEH-Nissi tells me is that the
LORD, and specifically the Lord Jesus Christ, is my banner. The people in my community need the gospel,
whichever side they are on politically or pandemically.
Which of the marvelous names of God has been
impressed on you? In the next few posts
we will conclude this study by considering numerous passages that show us in
practical (behavioral) ways how to honor the name of God!
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