I. Intro
A. Have you heard the expression, “What’s in a name”? Historically, names were given based more on what parents hoped for their children, or as reminders or memorials to some event pertinent to the child’s family. Tonight we’re going to discuss what the Israelite culture thought of names, how that explained their theology, and what it means to the New Testament church.
B. This is taken from an article in the FaithLife Bible app
II. “The Name” Theology of the Old Testament
A. Bible Writers Conventions
1. “Yahweh” is referred to as “the Name” - a practice still used by Jews today
2. “The Name,” or ha-shem is used in place of “YHWH” (God’s special divine name), though it is used in the O.T. over 7,000 times, so it is not meant as a replacement
3. “The Name” is cast as an embodied person, not simply an idea, and OT writers used the phrase as an important part of Godhead thinking in ancient Israel
4. NT writers continue its use, applying it to Jesus and identifying Him with Yahweh
B. Old Testament Name Theology Illustrated
1. “Behold, the name of the Lord comes from afar,?
burning with his anger, and in thick rising smoke;
?his lips are full of fury,?
and his tongue is like a devouring fire;
?his breath is like an overflowing stream
that reaches up to the neck;?
to sift the nations with the sieve of destruction,?
and to place on the jaws of the peoples a bridle
that leads astray.” - Isaiah 30:27,28
a. The Name (usually described in our Bibles as “the LORD”) is used here in terms of personhood
2. “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
?Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
but we trust in the name of [Yahweh] our God.” - Psalm 20:1, 7
a. In personifying Yahweh, the psalmist encourages the Israelites to trust in Yahweh
1) Proclaims He is who He says He is
2) Claims He can do what He says He can do
3. “For the coastlands shall hope for me,
the ships of Tarshish first,?
to bring your children from afar,?
their silver and gold with them,?
for the name of the Lord your God,?
and for the Holy One of Israel,?
because he has made you beautiful.” - Isaiah 60:9
a. Both “the Holy One of Israel” and “He [who] has made you beautiful” are antecedent (refer back to “the Name of Yahweh”
4. Deuteronomy 12
a. Deuteronomy 12 calls for a central sanctuary and repeatedly refers to it as “the place where the Lord will choose to establish His name” (v.11)
b. In 1 Chronicles 22:19, at the commissioning of the temple, the author refers to the presence of Yahweh (who would reside in the Most Holy Place, or Holy of Holies, over the Ark) as the Name
5. “David again gathered all the chosen men of Israel, thirty thousand. And David arose and went with all the people who were with him from Baale-judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts who sits enthroned on the cherubim.” - 2 Samuel 6:1-2
a. Yahweh’s presence is identified with the Name when David tries to move the ark
b. Most translations read, “the ark of God, which is called by the name of Yahweh”
c. However, this kind of translation neglects to show the Israelite understanding of the Name’s relation to Yahweh
d. The word “Name” (shem) occurs twice, both times without a preposition; should read, “the ark of God, which is called the Name of Yahweh”
6. The Name of Yahweh also dwells with the Angel of Yahweh (the Angel of the LORD)—repeatedly identified as Yahweh in human form (Ex. 2:3-22, “The burning bush”)
a. “The Name” in the OT is both Yahweh and a representation of Him, depending on context—an actual being, not just a phrase
III. New Testament Repurposing of the Name Theology
A. The Name is Applied Directly to Jesus
1. John 17—In His high priestly prayer, Jesus uses a few phrases that link Him with the Name
a. “I have manifested Your Name” (v.6)
b. “…keep them [Jesus’ disciples, except Judas Iscariot] in your Name, which You have given me” (v.11)
c. “I have kept them in Your Name, which You have given me” (v.12)
d. “…just as You, Father, are in me” (v.21)
2. The disciples, as first-century Jews, would know that God’s name was Yahweh; Jesus is telling them that He IS God’s presence, and that God’s presence will continue with them after His death
3. The Father has given the Name to Jesus, showing the unity between the two
B. The same Name that revealed itself in the burning bush and in the Angel of Yahweh was in Jesus
1. While the Angel was the embodiment of Yahweh, Jesus, born of a woman, was the very incarnation of Yahweh Himself
2. Jesus is the Name living as a person, born of a person, not just a manifestation of a person
C. The Name is sometimes even used as a substitute for “Jesus” in the NT
1. “…and when they had called in the apostles, they beat them and charged them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. Then they left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the name. And every day, in the temple and from house to house, they did not cease teaching and preaching that the Christ is Jesus.” - Acts 5:40-42
2. “…because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ [Joel 2:32]” - Romans 10:9-13
III. Conclusion
A. Since “the Name” and “Yahweh” were interchangeable in Israelite theology, trusting in “the Name of Yahweh” meant trusting in Yahweh
B. Likewise, trusting in “the Name of Jesus” is trusting in Yahweh’s Name… or Yahweh Himself
C. God’s “Name” is His very presence and activity, not simply a label by which we refer to Him
D. Let this color how you think not only of the seriousness of God’s name, but the power of it—when we talk about the Name of the Lord, we are talking not simply about a title He goes by, but His very person
