Honoring the Name (1)
“Proper prayer begins with a desire that the name of God be hallowed, to make holy, to set apart for holy use, to respect greatly… To hallow also means to magnify, to enlarge in significance, to esteem. We hallow the name by lifting it up, speaking it forth worshipfully and respectfully with its fullest meaning, reminding yourself of his glory.” (Terry Fullam, Living the Lord’s Prayer).
Much can be said about God’s revealed names in scripture. Names in the Bible are not arbitrary handles, but instead indicate aspects of the character of that person being named. Names are describers of that person’s personality and temperament. So God’s names are significant in that they give us peeks into who he is, what he is like. May the following names of God, his self-revealed characteristics, aid us as we learn to hallow and honor his name.
Elohim = God Creator; plural of El = mighty power, unlimited energy, tremendous strength; used exclusively in the creation story, Genesis 1:1-2:4; occurs 2,570 times in O.T.
2. Yahweh = LORD, God; YHWH = I am who I am, I am he who is, I am the one who exists; eternal and uncreated existence; occurs 6,800 times in O.T., starting with Genesis 2:4.
3. Adonai = Lord, master, owner, authority, sovereign, protector; plural; occurs 300 times in O.T., starting with Abram in Genesis 15:2.
4. El-Shaddai = God-Almighty; from shaddai (uncertain) = almighty, mountain; and from shad = breast, sufficiency, nourishment, sustenance, satisfaction; occurs 48 times in O.T., starting with Abram in Genesis 17:1).
5. El-Elyon = God-Most High; Elyon = uppermost; supreme to all creation; possessor of heaven and earth; used with Abram and Melchizadek in Genesis 14:18-23.
6. El-Olam = God-Everlasting; Olam = eternal duration; something secret and concealed; hidden yet infinite; occurs with Abraham in Genesis 21:33.
7. Yahweh-jireh = LORD-will-provide; jireh = to provide, to see to it; occurs with Abraham and Isaac in Genesis 22:13-14.
8. Yahweh-rophe = LORD-heals; Rapha = to cure, restore to health; occurs with Moses and the Jews in Exodus 15:26.
9. Yahweh-nissi = LORD-my-banner; nissi = battle flag, banner, pole, rallying signal; occurs with Moses and Joshua in Exodus 17:14-15.
10. Yahweh-M’kaddesh = LORD-who-sanctifies; M’Kaddesh = to set apart, separate, make holy, consecrate; occurs with Moses and the Jews in Leviticus 20-22.
11. Yahweh-shalom = LORD-is-peace; shalom = end conflict, restore harmony, bring wholeness, reconcile, bring forgiveness and blessing, cause to flourish; occurs with Gideon in Judges 6:22-24.
12. Yahweh-tsidkenu = LORD-our-righteousness; tsidkenu = righteousness, saving justice, truth and integrity; occurs with Jeremiah in Jeremiah 23:5-6.
13. Yahweh-rohi = LORD-my-shepherd; rohi = looking after, tending, feeding, leading, pasturing; occurs with David at beginning of Psalm 23.
14. Yahweh-Sabaoth = LORD-God of Hosts; Sabaoth = assemble a host of forces, muster the troops; almighty Lord of angelic warriors; occurs 260 times in O.T., starting with David and Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:45.
15. Yahweh-shammah – LORD-is-there; shammah = is present, is there, permanent presence; occurs with Ezekiel in Ezekiel 48:35.
16. Jesus = Yahweh-saves; Greek form of Hebrew name of Joshua = Yahweh-is-salvation; First time used is in Matthew 1:21: “That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
“When I tell you my name, I have given you a hold over me that you didn’t have before. If you call it out, I stop, look and listen whether I want to or not. In the Book of Exodus, God tells Moses that his name is Yahweh, and God hasn’t had a peaceful moment since.” (Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking).