What"s in a Name?
A question I am still searching for an answer to...Why do we call Jesus by his name, Satan by his name, but we call God by his title? Why don't we call him Yahweh, or AM, the names he gave to the Isrealites. I feel this name conundrum limits my understanding of the intimate nature of Yahweh. He desires to be my living friend, like Jesus, he's not dead, nor is he remote, so why are we so impersonal? Is it just a comfort issue? Like when people call Yahweh daddy, that is just a little wierd. What do you think?
Me, I'm gonna start a revolution to call him Yahweh.
posted by Adam Wolfgang @ 12:59 AM
3 Comments
3 Comments:
I hear you. I think God is the "Christian" name we have given Him.
I suggest you read, if you haven't already, Praying the names of God by Ann Spangler.
I have never been more challenged to speak the true names of God when praying to Him.
For me He is Elohim, Creator. Sometimes I call to El Roi, the God who sees me, because I cannot hide from Him.
When I talk to teens, I tell them to remember, "It's YAHWEH, not MYWAY."
Peace.
johno~
Hey Adam. This is a really interesting thought (I don't think I've ever thought about it before)...now my mind is ticking. I guess it makes sense that if we're going to be good friends with God, we should call him by his first name, just like everybody else. Since I don't really have much else to contribute to this conversation, it was nice to see you at life group tonight! See you in a few days.
Jessica
One of the biggest reasons that we don't call on Yahweh is because the Jews refused to utter the divine name. It is too holy, to be spoken by human lips, they say. Since Christianity is an offshoot of Judaism we kept the same practice.
I do think that Jesus gave us another way to call on Yahweh. The one who's name is too holy to be spoken is our Father, our Abba.
I have a professor who says that in the Old Testament Yahweh is the name of God, but in the New Testament God is given the name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This emphasizes the relational nature of God who wants to be intimately involved in our lives and the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit each work toward making that intimate relationship possible.
What I wonder is when did the Jews get all scared to say: Yahweh? Adam and Abraham and Moses and Gideon and David and Isaiah all used God's name. So it probably had to be after the OT was written. That's weird to me.
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