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The Name of God

In the book of Exodus we are introduced to many important elements that appear throughout the rest of the Bible. This is where we meet Moses, the first prophet sent to the nation of Israel. It is in Exodus that we first learn of the tabernacle and God's intention of living among his people. It is in Exodus that we witness the first Passover, which is the type of what is to come in Jesus. There are several other events that we could look to in Exodus, but there is one in particular that is very important that we have largely ignored; God revealing his name.

We typically only refer to God by his titles. We call him Lord, Father, Judge, King, and God (yes, God is technically a title). I would like to emphasize now that there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing so. In fact I would say that it is right for us recognize the power and authority of God in what we call him. What today's post is about is the fact that we have forgotten or even ignored the fact that God reveals his name in Scripture.

YHWH, The Name of God

In Exodus 3 God appears to Moses in a bush that is aflame yet does not burn. God commissions Moses to go to Egypt and confront Pharaoh for the release of Israel. Moses then asks God a very important question; what is your name? Remember that he was born and raised in a polytheistic culture with literally hundreds of gods, so it was important to know which god was speaking to you. God's answer is this.

"I AM WHO I AM."

As cool as this is to say, this is a situation where the original Hebrew nuances are lost in translation. Think about it. Where else in the Bible does this show up again as God's name? In most English versions the answer is never. We treat it like a one time announcement. In actuality this is just the beginning.

In the Old Testament alone God's name appears 6,807 times. In fact it appears nearly three times as much as the title of God! It wasn't until I started studying Hebrew that I even noticed just how frequently his name appeared. What is his name? God's name is YHWH (also spelled Yahweh, but since Hebrew doesn't have vowels I prefer YHWH to be more faithful to the original).

You may be wondering what the name YHWH has to do with God saying his name is "I AM WHO I AM." Well do you know what YHWH means? It means "I AM WHO I AM" or "I WAS WHO I WAS" or "I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE." You know how we sing that God is the one "who was and is and is to come"? Well that's his name. 

YHWH is from the same root word as I AM. They mean the same thing. The thing is if you read an English version of the Bible you will never see the word YHWH. Instead you will see a title; the LORD, in all caps. 

The reason for this change comes from Jewish tradition. In an effort to avoid breaking the commandment "You shall not take the name of YHWH your God in vain" (Ex. 20:7) the rabbis of old decided that the best way to do this was to never say the name YHWH; even when reading Scripture. So instead of reading the name YHWH they read the title "adonai" (which means lord) instead. By the time of the New Testament this practice was well ingrained in Jewish society. That's why the one time Jesus says the name YHWH the people try to stone him (John 8:58 "Before Abraham was, I AM.") 

Now I think the intention is a good one, but I also think that there is an unintended consequence. The term "lord" bears a meaning of distance. It signifies the guy who sits in a castle a long ways a way who tells us what to do. Now it is a title that is entirely appropriate for God; he IS the one with the authority over our lives. The Bible does refer to him as lord on numerous occasions. The thing is God is also personal. He wants to be close and involved with his people. That's why he revealed his NAME! 

Imagine reading the New Testament and instead of saying Jesus you said "the Messiah." Is that appropriate for Jesus? Absolutely. Jesus is in fact the Messiah. Does it make Jesus seem less accessible? Yes. There is a reason Jesus is called by his name so many times; we are invited to get to know him. The same applies to God in the Old Testament. We are invited to come to know him. 

One final thought; recognizing that the term the LORD means YHWH brings some clarity to the New Testament as well. Remember by this time they were never saying the name YHWH. They always used the term "lord" for that. Now, think of how many times Jesus is referred to as lord. The message is clear; the same YHWH who was with Israel from the beginning, who created the universe, he is Jesus. The same applies to the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 3:18 "For this comes from the Lord (YHWH) who is the Spirit."

Conclusion

I challenge you to go back and read the Old Testament out loud, and whenever "the LORD" shows up read YHWH instead. It changes the way you look at the Bible and God. It makes him more personal and knowable. This is critical in learning to follow God not just as King and Lord, but as Father.

One final item. From here on out whenever I quote a passage of Scripture I will be using YHWH instead of the LORD. I don't want anyone to be caught off guard with this, but I think you will find it stimulating and refreshing. Saying God's name where the Bible says it is an important way to know who God is.

Comments

  1. UnknownFebruary 24, 2016 at 9:22 AM

    Great information I never thought of! Since most of us don't know Hebrew we don't realize how many times God's name is used. In fact I have been in bible classes where the teacher said God only mentions his name Yahweh (YHWH) once in the bible......Interesting

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