A New Name Series

In the New Testament names were sometimes considered to reflect the character or destiny of a person. They believed that names had power, that names told you something about a person. This is especially true for God. In Scripture God has many names. Most of those names are not actually names but titles or descriptions of character and of who God is. They are proclamations of His divine attributes. Since they believed that names had power Jews would not speak the name Yahweh unless in direct worship for to do so was disrespectful. They believed that Yahweh I am who I am is the name of God so it must be treated with respect. When they talked of God they would use one of His titles such as Jehovah Jirah which means the God who provides or they would refer to Him as Adonai meaning Lord. But rarely would they use His true name Yahweh.

Now when a Jewish family picked out a name for their child this was extremely important. They did not just select a name the liked or they thought sounded cool, they made names out of words that already had their own meaning. For to them a name carried with it not just an identifying mark but also a statement of character. Jews believed that you could not even begin to know a person until you knew their name. So what is your name?

We can see the connection between a name and its meaning when we look at Moses. He is called Moses because his Egyptian mother found him in a basket and drew him out of the water, which is what his name means. The cool thing about this is that in a culture where names have meaning and they communicated something about the person, the name that God chooses for His Son is perfect. Jesus comes from the Hebrew name Joshua which means the salvation of Yahweh. His name is actually a description of what He was sent to do.

In a sense a name was as much a biography as it was a means for identification. You have your family name and then you have your own individual name. Just like one receives his or her genetic make up from their parents a child would also receive the reputation of their parents through their name. Being the child of a local hero would bring honor to you through your name. Being the child of a convicted thief would bring shame to you through your name. In fact Jews were often identified not only by their name but also by the name of their father. So my name wouldnt just be Tyler, I would be called Tyler bar-Dennis. You see to identify me you must know where I come from for that is an indication of my reputation. Why do you think Jesus was so found of the title Son of Man? If your name is a biography and a description of who you are, what is your name?

At this time a persons name being changed would mark a crucial turning point in the persons life. Look at Saul. When he was a Pharisee Saul was a great and passionate persecutor of the church. He had Christians arrested and killed just for being Christian. Then after God reveals Himself to Saul everything changes. Saul then becomes a passionate follower of Christ dedicated to the work of the kingdom of God. As he begins to serve and to invest in the church with this new life Saul decides he needs a new name. His old name was connected with his old faith and his terrible actions against God. So Saul changed his name to Paul which is I think is humorous because Paul means dwarfish.