I’ve been studying Knowing God by Name by Mary Kassian this fall. As I write this, I have not finished it, yet it has already far exceeded my hopes and expectations for knowing God more intimately. While I am enjoying all the topics of this study, there is one concept that keeps running though my mind. While God indeed knows us by name, He also wants us to know Him by name, and I find that concept captivating.
Moses asked God what His name was in Exodus 3:13-15(NIV) –
Ex 3:13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
Ex 3:14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”
Ex 3:15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.
In these verses we learn that God has a name that He wants us to know. This Hebrew word sounds like “I AM” and is translated that way in verse 14. However, in verse 15 we see the more usual reference to God’s name as LORD (the word lord in all capital letters). This came about due to the fact that the Israelites considered this name too holy to even say aloud, so whenever it was encountered in scripture, the word for Lord was substituted. This carried forward into our English translations with the difference between the two underlying Hebrew words marked by the capital letters. While the Israelite had the correct Hebrew word in front of them to remind them of God’s Holy Name, I have sometimes lost sight of this by seeing only the word LORD.
So, a couple of things occur to me, that help me widen my thinking. First, when I see the word LORD in all caps, I need to remember, this is the Name of God, not just a generic reference to a lord. It’s kind of like the difference between saying “the Queen of England” versus “Queen Elizabeth of England”. There is a personal reference there. I should remember that the author was making sure we knew exactly which God he was referencing. This is not someone else’s god, but the one true God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and He is being referenced by name.
Second, I am fascinated by the notion that God bothers to give us His Name. The sharing of names, takes us from strangers and the impersonal, to the overtures of relationship and personal knowledge. When you meet someone, one of the first things we do is share our names. It helps us to make a connection. Strong’s notes that God’s Hebrew name is often used in conjunction with covenant and personal relationship. I’ve often been told “LORD” is a reference to the God of Covenant. That makes sense, since when we enter a covenant or contract relationship, we give our name or signature as part of the pledge to honor the commitment. God has shared His Name with me to invite me into a relationship with Him, to know Him intimately as He already knows me. The tenderness of this gesture simply overwhelms me when I stop to think about it.
So, next time I read LORD in my Bible, I want to think of more than just Lord, I want to remember it is God, being called by name, so I will know who He is.
Choose Joy!
