The name of God – Part I

08 / 30 / 08
(Comments in parentheses and emphasis are mine)

REMINDER:

These devotions are my attempt to share with family, friends, and acquaintances what my family and I are studying. We are always searching for new truths in our desire to walk through life as our Savior did. Different topics, may, at times, offend some people. We, too, have been offended many times by truth we have found or someone else has brought forward to our attention. Yet, we all have a choice, to either humble ourselves or remain hardened as each truth is revealed by His Spirit. I pray that we all stay moldable in the hands of our Master as our goal is to be like Him. Our goal should NOT be to be like a “Jew” or to remain a staunch “church-going Gentile”. Our goal should be to become more like the Israelite, those who believe, that our Creator intended us all to be. May we be found faithful and searching for His truth when He returns.

This devotion is the first in a series to share our latest walk which we feel is just as huge as anything else that we have learned thus far. Our Father says that we are not to “add to it or take away from it (His Word).” (Deuteronomy 12:32). In light of this verse, I was astonished when I recently found out that nearly 7,000 words in our Bibles have been removed and / or changed to different words! (And I don’t just mean translating from one language to another) Talk about suppressing the truth!

WHAT IS THE NAME OF OUR GOD?

Jeremiah 10:25 (NASB) “Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You and on the families that do not call Your name; …”

His wrath is coming on unbelievers who do not know Him or acknowledge Him (We kinda already knew that, right?). I began to tremble, though, when I realized who the next group of people receiving the SAME wrath as unbelievers are: Those believers or family members who do not call upon His name! So, I asked myself, what exactly IS His name?

Before we begin, let us read the following command in Exodus 20:7:

“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”

Note: some versions have “take in vain” for misuse, but let us look at some of the meanings of these words: to desolate, to ruin, to rush over (as to make common).

To keep from misusing the actual name of the God of Israel, the Jews do not say the name. This practice began even before the time of our Savior. Instead, they call Him names such as Hashem (meaning “the name”), Adonai (meaning “Lord”), etc.. Although the intention of their hearts may have been right, it appears that they did precisely what they did not want to do – instead of protecting it, they took His name in vain. We will study this over the next few weeks and end up by tying in the Father’s name with the Son’s.

FIRST, THE ACTUAL NAME OF OUR CREATOR IS NOT:

God, G-d, god, GOD (or even elohim – Hebrew for god) … the word “god” can be used to refer to ANY god. Thus, we need to identify which god we are speaking of. Such as: The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; the God of Israel; ‘my’ God or ‘your’ God, etc. God is simply a title (like Dad is one of my titles, but can be used for ANY father / dad).

Lord, L-rd, lord, LORD, , (or adonai – Hebrew for lord or master) … Again, the words lord or master can be used to identify ANY lord or master. Thus, we need to identify which lord, whose adonia, or whose master … since these are all titles.

Hashem (again, meaning “the name”). I have “a name” and you have “a name”, so really, by calling Him “the Name” we still have not identified what name we are calling Him.

By putting a word in all capital letters is not raising it to another level either. LORD still does not identify which LORD? How common is that? It is NOT that we must always use His real name, but that we must identify which god when we are with others. When we are alone and praying, He is, as our Savior taught us, our Father. Matthew 6:9: “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” To members of the family of Israel, intimately, we can call Him “Father” (Again, this is NOT His name, but a personal title unlike God, GOD, G-d, LORD, or Hashem. Just like Dad, or Daddy is more intimate to me, than having my children call me Kyle. Let me give you an example of how this looks:

My name is Kyle. I have six children and these six children are the only ones who can rightfully call me Dad, Daddy, Father, and I especially love when my daughter calls me Abba. No one else rightfully can. When they are speaking to each other and are referring to me, they most likely will speak using one of these personal titles. For example, “Dad said that we need to ___”. The same is true with our Creator who became our Father. But what about when my children are out in the world and speaking about me? One of my sons works with me in the company. Many times when speaking to a customer regarding something I said, he will say, “Kyle designed it with ____” The customer realizes WHO is being spoken of. My son did NOT misuse my name or take it in vain. Now if my son said, “Kyle told me it was to be done this way” and was actually lying to save himself … he misused my name and took it in vain. What if my son said to a customer, “Dad said that this is the way it is to be done”? The customer has no idea WHOSE Dad is being spoken of. (Or, the customer would have to find out “who is my son’s Dad?”)

One of the best examples I can think of from Scripture is when Moses was punished for striking the rock. I cannot think of another human who was closer to the Creator, yet WHY was he punished? Let us look closer: Numbers 20:12 … “But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.” There is the way we treat our Father in private, then there is the way we speak of Him in public. Let us go back to our Savior’s example (the second part in which He address His Father): “hallowed be your name”. This is where we have failed. Let us look again at the example of Moses. He did not honor His Father as HOLY in the sight of the Israelites.
We know the original letters of His name, as well as a good idea of the sounds. Again, my name is Kyle. If I go to another country, say Germany, how will they pronounce my name? It is STILL pronounced: Kyle. There is a huge difference between translating for meaning and transliterating for pronunciation sound (meaning, Kyle can be spelled Kile, Kiel, and Cyle in order to make the same sound, however we would NOT call me “a narrow peace of land” which is the meaning of my name) or Bob.

THE PERSONAL NAME OF OUR CREATOR / FATHER:

It is time that we look at the name our Creator gave us to use. We need not look any farther than Exodus 3:13-15 (Please read very carefully and then we will see the original words and use them!)

“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?’ 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.’’ 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.”

At first glance, “I AM WHO I AM”, or “I AM” seems to be His name. But upon further investigation, this is a descriptive name that HE uses for Himself, thus He uses “I”. He is describing Himself to Moses from the first person. We can NEVER use this name because we cannot speak in first person of our Creator. So, the next verse indicates the name that means the same, yet is what we are to call Him:

(This is how it looks in Hebrew and appears in the original text).

The SOUND of these letters are similar to YHVH or YHWH. Although we cannot be sure of the actual pronunciation, we can surely come close. Many believe it is “Yehovah”, “Yahweh”, “Jehovah”, , or “Yehowa”, etc.. I compare it to a foreigner trying to say my name and it sounds like Carl, Keel, or similar. Hey, I am fine with these attempts and I know that they are not taking my name in vain, but attempting to say it properly … This is a HUGE difference from simply calling me “Joe” (The common term for any unknown American).

Our English Bibles have taken away the name of YHVH and changed it to “The LORD”. (If you need further proof of what I am saying, you need look no further than the preface to your own Bible. Read carefully and you will find it “explained” there, as well.) Let us go back to Exodus 3:13-15 … “Say to the Israelites, The LORD … has sent me to you.” The original sentence did not say “the LORD”, but YHVH. Is this not adding and taking away from His Words? To actually CHANGE the name which HE gave us to use and remember forever? “This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” Can you see the error? “The LORD” is NOT His name to be remembered forever. “Hashem” is NOT His name to be remembered forever. (Note: When HE used elohim / god, He made it clear “whose” eleohim / god He was!).

VERSES THAT DO THE SAME AS THE ABOVE (The meaning is changed by taking the name that HE gave us and changing it to a common title.):

“he who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land– the LORD is his name” (Amos 5:8) “The LORD” is obviously NOT His Name (No matter HOW big we make the letters). It should read, “YHVH” (or “Yehovah” or another spelling that attempts to sound the same) is His name”. The way it reads in our English Bibles actually bears false witness because it say His name is “The LORD” and it also reduces His name to a common title – THIS is taking His name in vain.

“he who builds his lofty palace in the heavens and sets its foundation on the earth, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land– the LORD is his name.” (Amos 9:6)

“In that day you will say: “Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.” (Isaiah 12:4) If we do not say His name, then how are we to call on Him? I am proclaiming that His name be EXALTED. The original words of this passage are “Give thanks to YHVH, call on his name;”

“Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD– and rejoice before him.” (Psalm 68:4) Ouch. Makes you cringe now, doesn’t it?

LAST THOUGHTS:

“They think the dreams they tell one another will make my people forget my name, just as their fathers forgot my name through Baal worship.” (Jeremiah 23:27) This time we forgot His name through trusting in the traditions of those before us.

Oops … YHVH discovered it and is revealing the truth again: “If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?” (Psalm 44:20-21)

As for me and my house? We are now attempting to stop the suppression of His name and walk in the name of YHVH: “All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of YHVH our God for ever and ever.” (Micah 4:5)

The name of God – Part II

09 / 06 / 08
(Comments in parentheses and emphasis are mine)
(NIV used)

FEEDBACK:

This topic sure has people talking! I remember when I first started honoring the Sabbath and I was asked, “Are you a Jew?” I respectfully answered, “No”. Then they would ask, “Are you a Seventh Day Adventist?” Again, the answer was the same. Then they would ask, “What religion are you, then?” I humbly responded, “I am trying to be the Israelite that my God desires us to be.” People like to categorize each other. So, keeping with this trend, I am now being asked if I am part of the “Sacred Name” movement. (I had to check into this movement to find what I was being associated with since I follow no particular sect). Note: I believe the sound of the letters is: Ye-ho-vah. I am simply searching for the truth in my attempt to live the way my Heavenly Father desires His children to live. In other words, I am trying to be the Israelite that He intended.

CONTINUED STUDY REGARDING “The Name of our God”: Should we say it or suppress it?
(I have been sent numerous materials from both views … what an awesome study!)

Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that we MUST say the name “YHVH” every time we speak of Him (Remember, our Savior said to call Him “Father” when we pray, but DID say the name “YHVH” when He read the Word). Unlike what I have found that some in the “Sacred Name” movement say, I do not believe it is a sin to say Hashem, Adonai, Lord, Elohim, or God. We must be specific when using them, though. Here is a good example:

I was watching the Republican convention the other night and I was listening to the crowd say the pledge of allegiance: “… one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all”. At one point in my life, I would have thought, “YES, let them hear His name! Be bold!” Now, as I think about it, calling on “GOD” is really no problem for anybody (Muslims, Buddhists, or even Hindus included) except for the Atheists. The way this nation has become, it is politically correct now … just say “GOD”. For they just think it is THEIR god. Isn’t THIS taking the name of our God in vain (making it common)? We all know the intention of the pledge was the God of Israel, but just saying “GOD” can really mean ANY god. This would have been an excellent place to insert the God of Israel, or the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if our nation truly WAS united under the True God. Identifying “whose god”, is what causes an uproar. Notice that I did not say, “one nation, under YHVH, indivisible …” At LEAST, though, we need to strive to make known which god we are speaking of.

ADDRESSING SOME OPPOSING VIEWS:

First, let us simply think about this thought. A member of ANY religion could sing the following Psalm (This is just ONE example. There are numerous Psalms and passages that other religions could accept as their own because His name has been lowered to the common term “GOD” or “THE LORD”) “Every day I will praise you and extol your name for ever and ever. Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (Psalm 145:2-3). Changing “lord” to “LORD” is NOT properly identifying YHVH. The verse should read (and originally did): “Great is YHVH and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.”. Can you see that those trying to protect His name are actually suppressing or obliterating it? Again, good intentions, but carried away. Using His Name in worship or reading of HIS Word, is not taking it in vain. However, reducing His all powerful Name as it was originally printed in the inspired Scriptures to a common title like “Lord”, or “God” seems more like the definition of taking something in vain.

Some say that since we don’t know the exact pronunciation of His name, we shouldn’t say it. However, we don’t know how to obey the Sabbath perfectly either, nor any other of His Laws … Yet we know we must make our best attempt. (Remember: We are not saved by doing any of them). Practice makes perfect, though. For instance, with continued searching I learned they didn’t have the “J” sound in the past, so that eliminated a couple options on how to say His name. So, I am a bit closer now. Isn’t that what pleases our Father? I mean, when my children where young they called me “Da-da” for Daddy, and other such names. I smiled at their attempts. I picture my Father smiling as I try to say His name. I don’t believe this is taking it in vain (I could be wrong, as well.). Some say that they don’t think we should even attempt pronouncing it because our God / Elohim seems to be pretty firm about the consequences to those who misuse His name: “You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God, for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (Exodus 20:7). I don’t know about you, but again, I cannot honor the Sabbath perfectly, either. So does that give us the right to say it is no longer to be obeyed? And if you ask me, He sounded more firm regarding the Sabbath: “For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of rest, holy to the LORD. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day must be put to death.” (Exodus 31:15)

Question: IF we are not to use His name, why would He have given it to us? Why wouldn’t He have told Moses to tell the Israelites, “Tell them Hashem sent you” (Or any other title in place of His name: God of Israel, etc…)?

I am NOT a Bible scholar nor well-versed in any theological study of Hebrew or the like, but it seems pretty simple. Is “the LORD” His name? (NIV, NASB, KJV) Is “Hashem” His name? (Using the Tanach). My Father does not play hide and seek with His children. We do not need to break down His Word and analyze it. Today, all one has to do is click on these words in the Strong’s computer program and find the original word (or close to it). His name (again, as close as I can get so far) is found in sound of the letters: YHVH (Yehovah or similar pronunciations) If we are not to say His name, then why does He say the following?

- “Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds — his name is the LORD– and rejoice before him.” (Psalm 68:4) (his name is YWVW)
- “… who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land– the LORD is his name” (Amos 5:8) (his name is YWVW)

We are to treat His name as holy (set apart, sanctified, distinct, and separated). Those who use the titles: “Hashem” or “LORD” can just as much misrepresent Him as someone using YHVH. (Just because you don’t say His actual name, you can STILL shame Him by using any other name). The fact is, it is LESS about saying His name incorrectly, and more about being careful HOW we use any name that we intend for Him. When using all the titles, we are to treat them just as holy as we are to treat His actual name! We are to set apart and sanctify “The God of Israel”, “The Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”, “King David’s Adonai” and any other way you identify YHVH without saying YHVH. BUT, we are NOT to wipe out His name like we are commanded to do with the other gods: “You shall tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and burn their Asherim with fire, and you shall cut down the engraved images of their gods and obliterate their name from that place. You shall not act like this toward YHVH your God.” (Deuteronomy 12:3-4 using NASB). God commands us to obliterate THEIR names, but are told NOT to do this to His. When in public and speaking of our God, we should ALREADY be speaking with reverence and fear (whether or not we use the name). Muslims have no problem using the name of their god, Buddhists have no problem using the name of their god, and so forth. Yehovah is my God and I am privileged and honored to say His name in reverence and fear (I am saved by faith, NOT by the way I pronounce His Name). How do we “hallow” His name? It is NOT by omitting it from our vocabulary, but by not using it in a common and every day sense.

Some say that if they (the Jews) were using “Hashem” or “Adonai” (or other titles for the God of Israel) during Jesus’ / Y’shua’s time, He would have corrected them if it was wrong. Again, it is NOT a sin to use these titles. Some say that these two verses mean that Jesus / Y’shua revealed the character of His Father and was not speaking of literally of names:

- “I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” (John 17:6)
- “and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26

IF … “I have made your name known to them” actually meant “I have made your character known to them”, then wouldn’t the third commandment actually mean: “Though shalt not take the character of YHVH in vain”? Maybe it IS speaking of the character, but it could just as easily be the name, as well.

LAST THOUGHTS:

By eliminating the Father’s name, don’t we sort of destroy His Son’s name and many of His spoken words? This is the topic of next week’s devotion and the end of this study, but it is written in Proverbs 30:4-6 … “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” Our Father just asked us a question. How can we tell Him His name and the name of His Son if we are not to say them? This is just a question but is one more reason that I am going to “at LEAST” put it back into the Scriptures that HE gave.

I have been fascinated by how our God has preserved little glimpses of truth throughout history (kind of like the Dead Sea scrolls being found). Here are a couple areas that have preserved His holy name so that it is not suppressed and obliterated (by not saying it at all):

- Did you know that Hallelujah (NASB) actually means “Praise ye Yah” (It does NOT mean, “Praise the Lord”). The “Yah” is the poetic short-form of Yehovah used in the Psalms. Throughout the world we have been actually saying His name, but most did not know it. He has been preserving it in places like the NASB with Revelation 19:1 … “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;” The meaning of Hallelujah is: (allēlouia / al-lay-loo’-ee-ah) of Hebrew origin; praise ye Jah!, an adoring exclamation: – alleluiah (This is AWESOME)
- Did you know that the KJV left the Name in Psalm 68:4? “Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him.” (We cannot suppress His name no matter how hard we try. The rocks will cry out if we don’t say it! There was no “J” sound in Hebrew so it is not Jah, but Yah. Maybe our Master allowed remnants of His name to be preserved so that His name would not be totally wiped away. The other English versions have changed it to LORD, or GOD. Just something to think about.)

We can see BOTH view points on this subject. Should we say His name as much as possible? By no means. At the least we should put it back into Scriptures the way it was intended. How can you take His Name in vain by reading it aloud from the Scriptures that HE inspired? It would be HIM that is taking His own Name in vain then, wouldn’t it? Outside, in the world? I am, at least going to identify which “God” or “LORD” I am speaking of. So as for me and my house, at this point in our walk, we will no longer suppress His name. Instead, we will walk in the name of Y/H/V/H: “All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of YHVH our God for ever and ever.” (Micah 4:5) At our fellowship, some say “Yahway”, I say “Yahovah” and some still say “the LORD”. You see, at the beginning of our fellowship I will state that “any time you hear “the Lord” or “God” or any other title, it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob being referred to. Then we simply enjoy the attempts at pleasing God. But know this, when I say YHVH, I fear this name and, therefore, I use it with reverence and awe. I do not use it commonly but use it reading His Word and at set apart times. Next week, we conclude by tying the Son’s name to His Father’s, for the Son said, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.” (John 5:43) He could be speaking of the character of His Father, but sure makes new meaning by what we have learned, as well.

The name of God – Part III

09 / 13 / 08
(Comments in parentheses and emphasis are mine)
(NIV used)

FEEDBACK:

Many of God’s commands are general in nature. The specifics of how to apply them to daily life must be grappled with by each individual. For instance, we know we must honor the Sabbath on the seventh day. The command is to keep this day holy, rest and do no regular work, and to have a sacred assembly. However, what is considered work? How do we keep it holy? How many people constitute an assembly, and what exactly are we to do when we get together? There are many opinions and great traditions, but when these are put “in stone” as “must do”, they become a burden. The same is true with the third commandment:

- (Exodus 20:7) “You shall not misuse the name of YHVH your God, for YHVH will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.” (NASB and KJV translate “take in vain”)

I am simple-minded. I am fully aware that there have been “experts” and “well educated” theologians all studying the meanings behind each word of the Bible for 4,000 years. What I have come up with is not the final answer, nor am I saying “thus says the Lord”. I AM saying that as far as I can see, we don’t need “experts” telling us what our loving Father means (doesn’t His Spirit do that and not man?). It is fine to look at traditions for ways to live out a command, but we must realize that there are good traditions and there are bad ones, as well. I received a LOT of material to look at from my brothers and sisters from both sides of this topic. I have to admit, that I was over-zealous on the first devotion and more cautious on the 2nd. I am humbled by how some strive to live out the commands. I believe that NOT saying the actual name of our God in conversations is NOT a sin. If we do use it in conversation, though, we had better be careful and fearful as to not misuse or use it in vain. If we truly believe that the Bible is God’s actual inspired words then when we quote Scripture using the actual words which He spoke, we would not be taking His name in vain. (That is, if we are using His word respectfully and truthfully.) We must follow in the steps of our Master who seems to have spoken the name YHVH when reading Scripture, but was careful not to use it in casual conversation. Below are a couple examples in the New Testament which seem to show the use of actual name of God:

- Our Savior said YHVH when quoting Scripture (Matthew 22:44 quoting Psalm 110:1). Yes, we have to dig, my friends, to find the original word. The question is: Is it worth it? I know that “LORD” in our English vocabulary refers to the True God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (That still does not justify changing the actual name of God, though). I know that the tradition of the Jews (in order to protect the Name) is to not say it at all. However, would our Savior follow tradition in this case or read the verse as it was given by His Father?
- Our Savior also said YWVW before quoting Scripture (Luke 20:37).
- The angel said YHVH in Luke 1:15 (and this was not quoting Scripture).
- Zechariah said YHVH in Luke 1:68 when blessing Him before describing Him as “the Elohim of Israel”.
- Paul when rebuking non-brothers, used YHVH in Acts 13:10.

The Father’s name was changed to “Hashem” and “the LORD”, and the Son’s name was changed to “Jesus”. This is today’s topic. The name of the Son contains the name of His Father.

AS WE START DOWN THE TRAIL TO FIND THE NAME OF HIS SON, LET US LOOK AT THE POETIC NAME OF THE FATHER (Believe me, this was hard to do, since it meant digging through more than the top layer of dirt to find the original words and where they came from.):

After much study, we have found that the poetic form of His name that He gave Moses is “YAH” (or “YEH”):

- “Sing unto God, sing praises to His name: extol Him that rideth upon the heavens by His name JAH, and rejoice before Him.” (Psalm 68:4 in KJV) Again, we are attempting to sound it out and there was no “J” sound back then, so many today assume it was a “Y” sound: YAH or YEH.
- “After these things I heard something like a loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, saying, “HalleluJAH! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God;” (Revelation 19:1 in NIV and NASB. KJV has Alleluia) It is kind of funny that Hallelujah / Alleluia is one of the few Hebrew words that is still recognized and used by most Christians. I believe that it is because many think they are saying, “Praise the Lord”. Actually it is from the Hebrew word “ἀλληλούΐα” and sounds like: allēlouia (al-lay-loo’-ee-ah). Look at who we are praising by the definition: Of hebrew origin; praise ye Jah!, an adoring exclamation: – alleluiah.
- “I called upon the LORDH3050 in distress: the LORDH3050 answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORDH3068 is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” (Psalm 118:5-6) (Stay with me, here) Notice the Strong’s numbers on the first two “LORD’s” are H3050, but the last “LORD” is H3068! The first two are the poetic name, JAH, and the last one is the full name of our God, “YHVH”. So, the verse actually should read: “I called upon Yah in distress: Yah answered me, and set me in a large place. YHWH is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” This is NOT taking His name in vain or misusing it. These are His words and, I believe, how HE wanted this verse to read. Why? So that His name would not be forgotten and that we would know the name of His Son.

o H3050: yâhh (yaw), Jah, the sacred name
o H3068: yehôvâh (yeh-ho-vaw’), (the) self Existent or eternal

NOW FOR THE NAME OF THE SON:

I had someone ask me once, “When do you find the time to do all these studies?” We must all give an account of how we live this life. Getting to know our God should be a high priority on our list. “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)

In order to KNOW someone, don’t we start by knowing their name? I do. Before I ask someone over for dinner, I usually know their name. The above verse is clear. Part of eternal life is to KNOW the only true God AND His son. Part of knowing someone is knowing their name.

We must look at the original words that the translators had to choose from and the meanings of each word. The translators knew the Name of the Creator was YHVH, but used the tradition of the Jews and substituted His Name with “the LORD”. I use Strong’s concordance to do this type of a search. If I look up the name “Jesus” (The name that the Greek’s gave to the Son of God), this is where we will start the trail (believe me … it’s a trail):

- The Greek number for Jesus is G2424 (G2424 is Iēsous, or pronounced ee-ay-sooce’). Jesus (that is, Jehoshua). It is of the Hebrew origin from H3091. Let us go to that Hebrew word from which they transliterated the name “Jesus” (They were close with Jehoshua)

- H3091 (yehôshûa‛, or pronounced yeh-ho-shoo’-ah). (Note: This is the actual name of our Savior as He was called when on Earth) It is from H3068 and H3467; Jehovah-saved; THIS is the meaning of our Savior’s name: Jehovah-saved (Yehovah-saved)

o H3068 (The first part of our Savior’s name): (yehôvâh, or pronounced yeh-ho-vaw’). (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah. (So this is the first part of yeh-ho-shoo’-ah (Note: the first part of the Name of our Savior, the Son of God, is self Existent or eternal; Jehovah)

o H3467 (the second part of our Savior’s name): (yâsha‛, pronounced yaw-shah’). (by implication) to be safe; causatively to free or succor: – deliver (-er), help, preserve, rescue, be safe, bring (having) salvation, save (-iour), get victory.

CAN YOU SEE THAT IT IS IMPORTANT TO PRESERVE THE FATHER’S NAME? (We must not abuse it or misuse it, but certainly, at the least, let us continue reading it from Scripture as is and not suppress it. These are HIS words being read aloud.) BY SUPRESSING IT, MANY WILL NOT UNDERSTAND THIS RIDDLE:

Step one: “Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Who has gathered up the wind in the hollow of his hands? Who has wrapped up the waters in his cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and the name of his son? Tell me if you know! “Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, or he will rebuke you and prove you a liar.” (Proverbs 30:4-6) What is the name of the Creator who has gone up to the heavens and come down? What is the name of His Son? Why would He ask if we are not to say it? Many are answering it: LORD and Jesus … or Hashem and Y’shua (that would be half right!).

Step two: We have seen that the Son of God’s name is a part of His Father’s name: yeh-ho-shoo’-ah which means Jehovah (or YWVW)-saved . So when our Master says, “I have come in my Father’s name, and you do not accept me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him.” (John 5:43) there is beauty and literal meaning in the verse. I understand that this could mean that He meant “in the character of the Father”, or that He is representing the Father … these are also true. However, it is also clear that He literally means, “IN His Father’s name”. For it is written MANY times that “salvation comes from YHVH”. It is in His Father’s name that our Master came and we see glimpses throughout Scripture:

- “May your priests, YHVH Elohim, be clothed with salvation, may your saints rejoice in your goodness.” (2 Chronicles 6:41) (This verse has more meaning when we use the words that HE gave us. His Son, the WORD, is salvation from YHVH.)
- “YHVH is my light and my salvation– whom shall I fear?” (Psalm 27:1) I put back the original word “YHVH”, since that is how it was originally given. Now it makes even more sense! The Son Is YHVH. They are one. And He is BOTH the light AND salvation.
- “May your unfailing love come to me, YHVH, your salvation according to your promise;” (Psalm 119:41)
- Isn’t the Son of God “the promised seed?”
- “Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. YHVH, the Elohim, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.” (Isaiah 12:2) The NIV translates this: “The LORD, the LORD, is my strength…” However, these area actually two different words in the original. Thus, the translators have taken the name of YHVH out of God’s Word and changed it to “the LORD”.
- As many of us, including those who wrote the Psalms, obey our Father’s commands and laws as we wait and long for His Salvation, we should be saying what David said:

- “I wait for your salvation, YHVH, and I follow your commands.” (Psalm 119:166)
- “I long for your salvation, YHVH, and your law is my delight.” (Psalm 119:174)

LAST THOUGHTS:

Now that we can see that our Savior’s name contains part of His Father’s name, my question is: Why do those who do not say the Father’s name have no problem saying the Son’s? I say, yeh-ho-shoo’-ah (the Son) and yeh-ho-vaw’ (the Father) are ONE. Let us treat BOTH names with reverence and fear, not taking EITHER in vain or misusing them.

Check this one out: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the NAME of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Mathew 28:19-20) Notice that it says “name” (singular). We have grown up baptizing with the words, “in the name of the Father, the name of the Son, and the name of the Holy Spirit.” That would be THREE names, or THREE titles we are baptizing someone in. There is only ONE name that they all share, which appears to be Yeh-ho. The first part of the Names of the Father and the Son and whose Spirit is sent in His Name (John 14:26).

Can we say the actual name correctly? No. Can we do our best as we do with all the other commands and depend upon HIS mercy and grace for salvation? Yes. I have changed my zeal since I first started this devotion (as many can tell). I want to thank each of you for sharing your opinions and findings. May we all remain moldable in His hands.

CONCLUSION:

“I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.” (John 17:6)

“and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” (John 17:26)

“All the nations may walk in the name of their gods; we will walk in the name of YHVH our God for ever and ever.” (Micah 4:5)

This name is sacred and holy. My conclusion: We cannot take this name in vain if we read the words He gave us to read in Scripture. As far as in common / every day speech amongst ourselves? Let us be careful, verrrrry careful. For it was not common for our Savior or for those who walked with Him to use the Name in their everyday vocabulary. We must NOT do away with the name, though. For if we do, we lose the meaning of Scripture AND the meaning of His Son’s name – YHVH’s Salvation.

Just something to think about.