Have you ever considered what’s in a name? What does your name mean? Parents have many different ways in naming their children. Some are generational—naming after family members. Others look at it from a Biblical perspective—naming after people in the Bible they would hope their children will be like. Some name their kids after trends. But names have meaning. And we often turn out like our names. We named our youngest son Christian because we dedicated him to the Lord the night he was born and we wanted to make sure he never forgot who’s he was. My name, William, named after my grandfather, means strong willed and protector. And that I am. But what of the name that gives eternal life?
God has many names that describe His glorious attributes and how they were experienced. The Name El Shaddai is equated with God’s provision and sustenance in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Name YHVH (Yud-Hey-Vav-Hey [ADONAI, LORD]” (from Exodus 6:2-3)) appears to be a play on the Hebrew verb hayah (“to be”), indicating that God is hayah hoveh ve’yiyeh, the One who is, the One who was, and the One who will be, the King of the Universe and source of all being. In Exodus 6:2-9:35, the Name YHVH accompanies the revelation of the four verbs of redemption: “I will free…deliver…redeem…take you” and indicates the direct experience of YHVH’s power, glory, and compassion
The forefathers of Israel had received a covenant from the LORD that they would become a nation and inherit land. Neither of these promises happened in their lifetimes, the families of the patriarchs at the close of Genesis were only about 70 people, and they were still in Egypt. But Israel grew into a nation, and God commissioned Moses to bring His people back to the land. YHVH in this instance means, He is the God who acts mightily in history to fulfill His promises! We see “the greater might” of YHVH—the signs and wonders, first Aaron’s staff turned into a snake and swallowed the Egyptian magician’s staffs. God then sends seven plagues upon the Egyptians. None of these plagues affected Goshen, where the Israelites lived. God redeemed His people with a mighty outstretched arm and led them out of bondage.
God’s name embodies all that he did and does. When we call on the name of the LORD and believe, there is redemptive power in that name. Eternal life. In Revelation 2:17, Christ says that to him who overcomes, he will give “a new name.” Isaiah 62:2 says, “you shall be called by a new name, which the mouth of the LORD shall name.” Throughout scripture, God has renamed people. Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel, Simon to Peter, Saul to Paul, to name a few. God will rename us according to who we are and what He meant us to be. This reflects the transformation in our relationship with God who has the authority to redefine our identity and purpose to align us with his divine plan. It is also reflective of believers being new creations in Christ, whose name Yeshua in Hebrew means salvation. Now you know what’s in a name.