"What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet..."-Shakespeare
When you think about it, Shakespeare asked a rather provocative question. What do names truly mean? Are they a sign of something's value and nature or simply a recognition of its existence?
As I was reading earlier tonight, I was struck by the constant focus on naming in God's Word. Even at the very beginning of time, God was busy naming things. He named the day, the night, heaven, the earth, and the seas (Genesis 1); he then named man "human" (or the Hebrew word for human, "Adam") (Genesis 2). But the process of naming continued from Genesis to Revelation and carries significant weight in Scripture. Here are a few helpful thoughts:
1. The one who names another is almost always in a position of power or authority.
Adam names his wife Eve, first calling her "Woman" and then Eve, which means "mother of all living". Later in Genesis, God renames Abram by calling him Abraham and renames Sarai by calling her Sarah (Genesis 17:5, 15). The fathers in the Bible are also given the responsibility of naming their children. In the New Testament, we see Christ giving Simon the new name of Peter (or "Cephas," which means "rock") (Matthew 16:17-18). Giving a name to someone within your care and protection indicated their purpose and their position in the system or family.
2. The names of places and people mean something extraordinarily significant.
a.Take, for example, the many names of monuments, memorials, and holy places in the Old Testament. Their names are crucial to the people's understanding of their significance: Beer Lahai Roi ("well of the Living One who sees me" / Genesis 16:13-14), YHWH-jireh ("The Lord Will Provide"/ Genesis 22:14), Gilgal ("rolling [away the reproach of Egypt]" / Joshua 5:9), and many others. In the New Testament, the same is true of place names: who can forget Gethsemane ("the place where olive oil is pressed") or Golgotha ("the place of a skull")?
b. People's names are even more crucial to understanding of the text. God continually reveals the identities of his followers and his enemies through the meanings of their unique names. God changes the name of Jacob (or "supplanter") to Israel ("who prevails with God"): this change happens after Jacob has already supplanted his brother Esau through deceit and directly after he wrestles with God and wins (Genesis 35:10). The names are accurate clues to Israel's identity, character, and history. God also gives Solomon (or "peaceable") the name Jedidiah ("beloved of the Lord") through the prophet Nathan (2 Samuel 12:24-25).
Calling something or someone by a particular name is an act of recognition and relationship. It displays an understanding of one's nature and uniqueness and role.
So, now I bet you're wondering why I've been thinking about this so much. Why bother looking into all of this? Well, there are two reasons.
The first is that I have been convicted so much lately by the Lord Jesus' forthright teachings in the Sermon on the Mount. He is boldly confronting the people with their responsibility to recognize and call sin exactly what it is. To paraphrase, You think looking over that sexy guy or girl you see in the room or on your screen is no big deal? It is a big deal: it's adultery. You think it's okay to harbor bitterness and hatred in your heart if you don't act on it? Well it isn't okay: it's murder. You think you can divorce and remarry when it's convenient for you? Think again; you and your spouse are adulterers. I wonder if we--if I--have completely lost the truth found in Christ's core teachings. Do we really examine our hearts and our steps to point out sin and repent of it? I know I often fail to.
What leads me to think that I can fail to recognize and identify the evil in my life with impunity? Am I truly aware of the holiness of the God I claim to serve?
The answer is a shameful no, most days. And when we will not confront the sin in our lives and in our world with honesty and Scripture and call it the names God has provided us with, it will conquer us. We will be defeated by an enemy we have not acknowledged...an enemy we have let sleep in our beds, roam in our minds, capture our hearts, and weaken our souls until we are powerless to fend it off.
The second reason I have been thinking about names is found in Isaiah 43, verses 1 through 7:
But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!
“When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they will not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched,
Nor will the flame burn you.
“For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I have given Egypt as your ransom,
Cush and Seba in your place.
“Since you are precious in My sight,
Since you are honored and I love you,
I will give other men in your place and other peoples in
exchange for your life.
“Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west. “I will say to the north, ‘Give
them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth, Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.”
I actually had to bow my head in worship as I read that passage...overwhelmed by the fact that the One who named the heavens and the earth, who formed the first man out of dust, knows.my.name. He calls me BY NAME. He recognizes not merely my existence, but my value. And more than all of that, He calls me His. "You are Mine!...My sons...My daughters...called by My name."
If we didn't know how much God has cared about names since the beginning of time, if we didn't understand the preciousness of a name that represents our character and purpose, then maybe this wouldn't be such a cause for wonder. We could scan over those words without much thought. But since we do know, the words of the prophet Isaiah resonate deeply in our hearts. The Holy One of Israel IS our Savior. OURS. And to Him, we are precious...honored. He loves us enough to give all.
I love you. It's so clear and simple. Yet we feel we need to tiptoe around the truth, call things by names that aren't real to somehow evade Him. Why?
Why don't we call pain, pain? It hurts and we're hurting and we can't make it better ourselves. Why don't we tell Him that? Why don't call our lust, lust, and our hatred, hatred, and our selfishness, selfishness? We say "we stumbled, we made a mistake, we slipped up, it was just a hard day for lots of reasons, he shouldn't have said that to me, what was I supposed to do," etc...always a euphemism or excuse, but never the name.
If it's true that God loves us and treasures us and honors us and calls us His (which it is), then why must we hide behind walls to relate to Him? We are sinners, we sin, and God knows we do. He calls us to recognize sin, repent of it, and return to Him. Constantly, daily, hourly even.
And, on the other hand, why do we feel we cannot rejoice in an intimate relationship with our Creator when that is precisely what He calls us to? We have been created for His glory, and He is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him (John Piper). Let's return. Let's worship. Let's rejoice in the fact that he
has called us by name; we are His! When we pass through the waters, He will be with us; And through the rivers, they will not overflow us. When we walk through the fire, we will not be scorched, Nor will the flame burn us. (Isaiah 43:1-2)
