Hello! My Name Is: Day 1

Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will show us any good?’ Lift up the light of your countenance upon us, O Lord! You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

Psalm 4:5-7 (NASB)

You are at a large party where most of the faces are unfamiliar. However, everyone is wearing a stick-on name tag—always helpful among strangers. A nice lady comes over and introduces herself and, as you catch a quick glance at her name tag, you notice: “Hi! My Name is Mary and I am generous.” What? You look around and notice, “Hi! My Name is Jim and I am kind and understanding.” And “Hi! My Name is Alice and I am Intelligent and Wise.” And so on…

Aside from the fact that such behavior hits somewhere between odd and boastful, there is another problem—and you may have already reacted to it. We don’t believe that someone is kind or wise based on what they tell us; we decide after they prove it by their actions.

In Scripture, it is different. If the Bible had a theme song, it might very well be “Getting to Know Me.” From beginning to end, the Bible’s purpose is to reveal God. One of the most important ways He showed Himself to His people, was by names that revealed some truth about His character. Often these names/character qualities were associated with an event that emphasized that attribute. Unlike the people at the party, you can trust what God says about Himself as the absolute truth.

Our three year-old grand-daughter loves “ta-da” moments. Completed tasks, little joys or new discoveries-- from a finished coloring page to spotting flowers on our walk—is a “ta-da” moment.

The seventeen names of God recorded in the Old Testament are the foundational truths about God that Scripture will build on until the final revelation in Jesus Christ. Like the unfolding of a bud, they are both glimpses and promises of all that He is. They are “ta-da” moments from God.

Nancy Shirah