Last week, on the Facebook page, I wrote about a discussion I had recently with a Jehovah’s Witness. The name of God inevitably came up. This issue has been done to death, I know, the usual texts thrown back and forth (what Doug Harris would call ‘Wimbledon witnessing’).
He came up with the usual argument from Matthew 6, the idea in the Lord’s Prayer that we should sanctify the name. I pointed out, as I always do, that Jesus didn’t use the name in praying, to which he replied:
‘You don’t use his name when you are addressing your father.’
I must agree with him. I never used my father’s name, neither have my children used mine in addressing me.
Jason Michael Learner, in the Facebook discussion, wrote:
‘To be fair, there are loads of names for God, Elohim, El Shaddai, LORD and each of these tell us something about His character and personal attributes. Abba is another example, it shows us something about the nature of God's character and the type of relationship that not only Jesus had with Him, but also the type of relationship we can have with Him, through Jesus.’
Michael goes on to observe the focus of Matthew 6 is how we live in relation to God, asking, ‘Is it for show, to make us look important and holy, or do we do our deeds in secret where only God will know about them - this is more pleasing to Him than trying to please or impress the world.’
It’s a great point and maybe sanctifying God’s name has more to do with how we live in His name in this world than whether we use his name in prayer, in conversation. Curiously, God’s words to Abraham and Moses confirm Michael’s point.
Moses
It is in Exodus 3 that God reveals his name:'This is what you are to say to the Israelites, ‘Jehovah the God of your forefathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.’ (Ex.3:15, NWT)
God goes on in Exodus 6 to say:
'I am Jehovah. And I used to appear to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but with regard to my name Jehovah I did not make myself known to them.’ (Ex.6:2-3, NWT)
To the patriarchs, then, God was not known as Jehovah but as ‘God Almighty,’ the Hebrew El-Shaddai.’
Abraham
In the Genesis account of Abraham’s call to sacrifice his son Isaac (Gen.22), you will remember, the LORD staid Abraham’s hand, providing a ram caught in a thicket for the sacrifice instead. Abraham went on to call that place, ‘the LORD will provide,’ in the Hebrew Jehovah Jireh Even earlier, in Genesis 15, God gives Abraham his name, ‘And the LORD said to him, ‘I am Jehovah who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans…’ (Gen.15:17, NWT)A Puzzle
We have Jesus in John’s gospel insisting he has made known God’s name, when in fact he never used the name. Now we have God telling Moses in Exodus that the patriarchs didn’t know God as ‘the LORD’ or Jehovah, when Abraham clearly knew the name. Two questions present themselves:Is there an explanation for these apparent contradictions?
How does it help us think about how we sanctify God’s name?
What's in a Name? (so much it turns out)
In Bible times names reflected character. Abraham means father of a multitude, David means beloved, Jesus is the Greek form of Yeshua, meaning ‘Yahweh (Jehovah) is salvation.’ The answer to our questions is tied up with the relationship of God with Abraham and with Moses respectively, how much of himself, or what part of his character, God revealed to each man.Alec Motyer, in his Bible Speaks Today commentary on Exodus explains:
‘Abraham and the other patriarchs knew Yahweh only as one way of identifying El Shaddai, but as yet no distinctive revelation of God had been attached to it. Its meaning was not revealed until Moses.’
In other words, for Abraham, Jehovah was the name of El Shaddai, God Almighty, but that name did not yet carry the significance it subsequently carried for Moses and Israel.
In Genesis El Shaddai, God Almighty, is sufficient to meet his people’s needs in particular circumstances.
In Exodus Jehovah is revealed as the God who goes with his people.
Motyer, again, explains:
‘In Genesis 17:1 Yahweh said to Abraham, ‘I am El Shaddai’ and this is typical of Genesis in that the God who is called Yahweh is known as El Shaddai, the God who is sufficient. Here (in Exodus), however, the situation is reversed and El Shaddai says, ‘I am Yahweh.’ (Ex.6:2-3) This sufficient God is about to redefine his sufficiency.’
Indeed, the name Yahweh is used only when the Bible is talking about God’s relationship with his people. The relatively remote God of Abraham, El Shaddai, the God who is God, becomes the relational God of Israel, Jehovah, the covenant keeping, unchanging God who is among his people. The God who is here.
Michael’s point is well made when he writes:
‘Abba shows us something about the nature of God's character and the type of relationship that not only Jesus had with Him, but also the type of relationship we can have with Him, through Jesus.’
It’s about relationship, who he is to us, who we are to him. Which brings me back to Jesus words in Matthew 6:9. The Jehovah’s Witness confidently asserted, ‘You don’t use his name when you are addressing your father,’ to explain Jesus’ use of ‘Father’ here. However, while it is true Jesus was addressing his Father in prayer on other occasions, notably John 17, here Jesus is teaching his disciples how they should pray, ‘This then is how you should pray, Our Father…’
When you have a moment you would profit from reading Romans 8:12-17
See also Sanctifying God’s Name on the Reachout website
In other words, for Abraham, Jehovah was the name of El Shaddai, God Almighty, but that name did not yet carry the significance it subsequently carried for Moses and Israel.
In Genesis El Shaddai, God Almighty, is sufficient to meet his people’s needs in particular circumstances.
In Exodus Jehovah is revealed as the God who goes with his people.
Motyer, again, explains:
‘In Genesis 17:1 Yahweh said to Abraham, ‘I am El Shaddai’ and this is typical of Genesis in that the God who is called Yahweh is known as El Shaddai, the God who is sufficient. Here (in Exodus), however, the situation is reversed and El Shaddai says, ‘I am Yahweh.’ (Ex.6:2-3) This sufficient God is about to redefine his sufficiency.’
Indeed, the name Yahweh is used only when the Bible is talking about God’s relationship with his people. The relatively remote God of Abraham, El Shaddai, the God who is God, becomes the relational God of Israel, Jehovah, the covenant keeping, unchanging God who is among his people. The God who is here.
Michael’s point is well made when he writes:
‘Abba shows us something about the nature of God's character and the type of relationship that not only Jesus had with Him, but also the type of relationship we can have with Him, through Jesus.’
It’s about relationship, who he is to us, who we are to him. Which brings me back to Jesus words in Matthew 6:9. The Jehovah’s Witness confidently asserted, ‘You don’t use his name when you are addressing your father,’ to explain Jesus’ use of ‘Father’ here. However, while it is true Jesus was addressing his Father in prayer on other occasions, notably John 17, here Jesus is teaching his disciples how they should pray, ‘This then is how you should pray, Our Father…’
When you have a moment you would profit from reading Romans 8:12-17
See also Sanctifying God’s Name on the Reachout website
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