What is in a name? If your name is David, it's a Hebrew word that means "beloved". If it's George, that's a Greek word that means "farmer". I know a David or two that's not beloved, and I've only met one farmer named George. Right now the #1 name for baby boys in the United States is Noah (which means "comfort") and for girls the #1 is Emma (which means "universal") While an infant can be comforting, a 2 year old is much less so, and "universal" is a difficult reputation to live up to.
Biblically speaking, a person's name means "Everything" The Hebrew word for name is שֵׁם "Shem" which can also mean designation, reputation, fame, glory, memorial, and monument just to name a few meanings. God has numerous names and each name describes an attribute of His majesty.
When confronted by a situation, any situation, call on God's name. His name is a strong, protective tower that the righteous run into and find safety (Proverbs 18:10), His name is holy and awesome (Psalm 111:9). God has many names and no matter what situation we face at least one of God's names reveal a characteristic we need to cling to.
The first name of God we see in the bible is אֱלֹהִים which is pronounced Elohim. We see it right at the very beginning of the book
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
What more can we know about God? We know that he is separate from creation, In the beginning He created everything, HWe know that He is outside of time because in creating everything He also created time. We know He is triune because Elohim is a plural word, but it's used as a singular proper noun, which makes Him a relational God, which is why He created us as relational beings
Elohim is the all powerful aspect of God, first he created everything, the light, the sky, the Earth, and then He had to fix the Earth. Genesis 1:2 says the earth became void and without form, I'm not going to speculate on how the earth became void and without form (I'm going to ask when I get to meet Jesus). but we know God doesn't create a wasteland so it had to become a that way for some reason:
For thus says the LORD, who created the heavens (He is the God who formed the earth and made it, He established it and did not create it a waste place, but formed it to be inhabited), "I am the LORD, and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18)
Elohim created everything with a command (Hebrews 11:3), the utter mind numbing power and majesty that He showed is impossible to comprehend yet when we consider that He did it all for us it becomes much more wonderful to imagine. When David compared himself to the power and majesty of Elohim he recognized his dependence on God and how important we are to the God.
3 When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained; 4 What is man that You take thought of him, And the son of man that You care for him? 5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God, And You crown him with glory and majesty! 6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet, 7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, 8 The birds of the heavens and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. 9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:3-9)
Therefore we should revere God's name, not use it as an expletive when we hit our thumb with a hammer. Many people use God's name in vain, which strips away all the glory and meaning of His name and it's something that God really doesn't like
You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. (Exodus 20:7)
As Christians, we should never use God’s name in vain, nor should we ever forget that His name reflects His holy, powerful character. When we realize how big God is, we realize not only how small we are but also how important we are to the God who created us. Let’s join David and magnify God’s name, making His name bigger in our minds and hearts as we worship Him and learn about His holy character.
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