Wednesday What’s His Name?

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
(Psalm 91:14)

To know the Name of the Lord, is to know Him. For several days I’ve been thinking how we as Christians say that we must have a personal relationship with Jesus. Is it a “relationship”? I can have a relationship with a person. So from that perspective, it could be a relationship, yes. What about the divine nature that makes Jesus unique? Are we in relationship with G-d in the same way as we are in relationship with a friend or a lover? Enquiring minds. . .

We also hear a lot about Jesus as our friend. There’s a song, “What a friend we have in Jesus.” Jesus did call his disciples friends, too. “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15) Yet those disciples had followed Jesus around Israel for nearly four years. Only after that intense discipleship were they were referred to as friend.

How did the disciples see Jesus before they were told they were His friends? They’d heard about Jesus—that He was the One foretold to be the King of Israel. They didn’t call Him King, though; they called Him Rabbi, which means teacher or scholar of Jewish Law.

“Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” John 1:45-49

“And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.” Mark 8:27-30

“After this many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” John 6:66

“When someone uses our name we know they know us. The tone they use when they say it indicates how well they know us. The facial expressions someone uses tells us what they think of us when they say our name, the number of times they use our name tells us how important we are in any particular conversation. This is where the true power of someone’s name can be found.” From The Power of Using Someone’s Name

What is the Name of the Creator of the Universe?
“Then Moses said to God, ‘If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, “What is his name?” what shall I say to them?’ “

“God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am.’ And he said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “I am has sent me to you.” ‘ God also said to Moses, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: “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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’ “ (Exodus 3:13-15)

Matthew Henry comments:
“Formerly Moses thought himself able to deliver Israel, and set himself to the work too hastily. Now, when the fittest person on earth for it, he knows his own weakness. This was the effect of more knowledge of God and of himself. Formerly, self-confidence mingled with strong faith and great zeal, now sinful distrust of God crept in under the garb of humility; so defective are the strongest graces and the best duties of the most eminent saints. But all objections are answered in, Certainly I will be with thee. That is enough. Two names God would now be known by. A name that denotes what he is in himself, I am that I am. This explains his name, Jehovah, and signifies,

1. That he is self-existent: he has his being of himself.

2. That he is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, today, and for ever.

3. That he is incomprehensible; we cannot by searching find him out: this name checks all bold and curious inquiries concerning God.

4. That he is faithful and true to all his promises, unchangeable in his word as well as in his nature; let Israel know this, I am hath sent me unto you. I am, and there is none else besides me.

All else have their being from God, and are wholly dependent upon him. Also, here is a name that denotes what God is to his people. The Lord God of your fathers sent me unto you. Moses must revive among them the religion of their fathers, which was almost lost; and then they might expect the speedy performance of the promises made unto their fathers.”

Reverence for the Name of the Master of the Universe. . .

For those of us raised Catholic, whether Roman, Orthodox, or Anglican (Episcopal), grew up with a sense of the reverence toward GOD that can be our own stumbling block in preventing intimacy. For those who came to know Jesus in other, more direct ways, an irreverence bordering on flippancy may develop. I think here of the Papa God thing that was prevalent some years ago.

Peter puts his arms around Jesus, takes him aside, and rebukes him. . .

Papa God. . .

Fear led to no longer referring to GOD by His Name, but using pronouns exclusively. H’Shem, literally, The Name, is encountered in Judaism today, as is using LORD, Adonai.

“Then The Divine kissed Humanity and walked among us. . . Gave us a better way to relate to the Master of the Universe in Y’shua (Jesus), Who by sacrifice destroyed eternal death for those who would believe in Him. And we can know His Name. . .,” wrote someone, though whom I now have forgotten.

“What did You and Adam talk about,” my friend Rocky once asked of GOD.

Once I wondered what GOD said to Rocky. Once I wondered what else Rocky and GOD talked about. They had their relationship, based upon Rocky having been redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb Jesus, and able to stand in the presence of a HOLY GOD.

Preachers often like to say we all will stand before GOD in the day of judgement. If we know His Name, He will know us. In our time on Earth we have the opportunity to get to know our Heavenly Father, and to know His Name.

LORD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Wednesday, “Who am I?”

Praise, Worship, Prayer. . .
Self-Portrait by Terry Wil Robinson

Above all, put on love — the perfect bond of unity. And let the peace of the Messiah, to which you were also called in one body, control your hearts. Be thankful. Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
—Colossians 3:14-17

Pastor Thabo revisits the topic of who he is.

A previous blog of mine in which I explore Identity.

Wednesday Begins with “W”: When All Else Fails

“Amateur Radio (ham radio) is a popular hobby and service that brings people, electronics and communication together. People use ham radio to talk across town, around the world, or even into space, all without the Internet or cell phones. It’s fun, social, educational, and can be a lifeline during times of need.” —ARRL

ARRL provides a wealth of information about Amateur Radio, what it is, the services Amateur Radio Operators provide around the world, how to get involved, and more.

My introduction to Amateur Radio came through a neighbor sometime in the early 1970s. Talking to my father at some point I discovered that my Godfather was operated Amateur Radio, and that my dad had once learned morse code. It took a few years, but after a fair amount of studying electronics theory and learning morse code—today there is less intense theory and no code required for a license—I earned my technician-class license.

The first radio I built was a kit, a Heathkit HW8, which allowed me to operate using morse code. It didn’t take long for me to gain morse code speed, and pass the FCC code test for license upgrade to General Class. With the upgrade, I was allowed to operate on a larger portion of the radio spectrum, and to operate with voice communications, as well as code.

Over the last forty something years I’ve talked with people from around the world from home, from various vehicles I’ve owned, from my Semi, from my sailboat, and from park benches.

Today there is a growing number of Amateurs who operate from State Parks and from mountain tops. With the increase of restrictions for antennas in neighborhoods, operators have found open spaces to set up temporary antennas in parks and mountains. It’s an added challenge, too, to operate from a small battery and a low-powered radio, that often is carried in a backpack.

Amateur Radio has allowed me to be involved in Emergency Services. Amateurs train for services during disasters by providing communications for a variety of events, such as parades, marathons, bicycle races, and more. During disasters they provide critical communications for those assisting in recovery efforts.

Many Amateurs “check in” to nets, making friends over the air waves. Nets are general moderated round table gatherings of people who chat on a particular radio frequency and a specified time, daily or weekly.

While there aren’t a lot of Christian nets, there are enough to enable casual listeners to hear Christians sharing scriptures and experiences with one another. This is one form of evangelism aimed at the Amateur Radio Operator Community. It is also a time of fellowship between Operators. A few of the groups gather for a long weekend during the summer in which they can further their friendships.

LORD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .

Wednesday Begins with “W” Wander

In a hate-filled slur, the Jewish people have been referred to as “Wandering Jews,” even naming a plant as such. Oh, but you say, no one means anything by it. Maybe. Or maybe not.

I suppose the term comes from a misunderstanding of the forty years Israel spent in the Wilderness after our LORD extricated them from slavery in Egypt.

Moving on. Wednesday is a day to write from a word beginning with “W.” So how about Wander?

Our Jewish ancestors didn’t wander. (Gentiles are adopted into Israel. Remember, one tree, wild and native branches.) Wander means: to move about without a fixed course, aim, or goal; to go idly about, i.e., wandering around the house.

One might infer that to wander means more than having no destination, but also having no guide or guidance.

Recall Abraham. Long before Israel’s enslavement in Egypt there was Abraham, father of Israel as a people, a nation. “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan.” —Genesis 12:1—5

I like the word “sojourn,” for some reason. I’ve associated it with moving about, traveling, even wandering. Not necessarily so. Sojourn means a temporary stay. It may involve traveling to a particular place, but certainly not wandering. We see “sojourn” used in connection with Abraham going to Egypt for a time.

“Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.” —Genesis 12:10

Getting back on track. Forty years in the Wilderness. “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.’ ”

The LORD is the guide. His Word to and through Moses is the guidance.

Like they say in those silly commercials, “But that’s not ALL!”

But first, an aside. Even GotQuestions calls the movements of Israel in the Wilderness wandering. “He cursed them with forty years of wilderness wandering until the unbelieving generation died off, never stepping foot in the Promised Land.” —GotQuestions.org

Harrumph!

Anyway. “And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.” —Genesis 13:21

The LORD is the guide. His Glory in the pillar of cloud is the guidance.

No, wandering was not what Israel did in the Wilderness. Israel had a guide and a destination. There is a reason it took forty years. That’s for another time, though.

LORD Bless, Keep, Shine. . .