Knowing God by His Name!

 Knowing God by His Name!

God is not someone who operates with strings to control people but would like to introduce Himself to ordinary people like us. There are various examples of people who got to know God by name in the Bible. Here are a few examples.

God and Abraham!

God revealed to Abram His Name: “When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God (EL SHADDAI); walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you and will multiply you exceedingly’” (Genesis 17:1-2). Every time when God introduces Himself, there is a promise associated with it.

Not only God revealed His name to Abram but He also changed Abram’s name to Abraham according to His covenant He made with him: “No longer shall your name be called Abram (“Exalted Father”), but your name shall be Abraham (“Father of a Multitude”); for I have made you a father of many (multitude of) nations” (Genesis 17:5).

Likewise, God changed Sarai’s name to Sarah: “Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai (“Contentious”) your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah (“Princess”) shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her’” (Genesis 17:15-16).

God even named the child of the promise to Abraham and Sarah: “Then God said: ‘No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him’” (Genesis 17:19).

Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac are a few people God named in the Old Testament, as a token of His friendship with the family.

God and Jacob!

God introduced Himself to Jacob for the first time after birth to prove what has been said of Jacob to his mother, Rebekah, at birth: “Then (Jacob) dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the Lord stood above it and said: ‘I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also, your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you’” (Genesis 28:12-15).

Some 20 years later, God changed Jacob’s name to Israel: “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking (dawn) of day. Now when He saw that He did not prevail against him, He touched the socket of his hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was out of joint as He wrestled with him. And He said, ‘Let Me go, for the day breaks.’ But he said, ‘I will not let You go unless You bless me!’ So, He said to him, ‘What is your name?’ He said, ‘Jacob.’ And He said, ‘Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (“Prince with God”); for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed.’  Then Jacob asked, saying, ‘Tell me Your name, I pray.’ And He said, ‘Why is it that you ask about My name?’ And He blessed him there” (Genesis 32:24-29). Israel is one of the God-given names in the Bible with an unshakable promise to Jacob and his descendants!

God’s Children with Heathen Kings!

The heathen kings did not know God, but they had their own gods. When they saw wisdom and excellence among the foreigners they dealt with, they called their names after their own gods. Here are a couple of examples.

Pharoah and Joseph!

Joseph’s wisdom marveled Pharoah that he named him after his god: “And Pharaoh called Joseph’s name Zaphnath-Paaneah (“God speaks and he lives”)” (Genesis 41:45). Joseph acknowledged that he was a father to Pharoah’s household: “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 45:7-8).

Nebuchadnezzar and Daniel!

Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, named Daniel after his god for his wisdom and excellence he found in Daniel: “I, Nebuchadnezzar, was at rest in my house, and flourishing in my palace. I saw a dream which made me afraid, and the thoughts on my bed and the visions of my head troubled me…But at last Daniel came before me (his name is Belteshazzar, according to the name of my god; in him is the Spirit of the Holy God), and I told the dream before him, saying: ‘Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, because I know that the Spirit of the Holy God is in you, and no secret troubles you, explain to me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and its interpretation’” (Daniel 4:4-5, 8-9).

It proves that the mighty men (and women) of God are known in a different name, after the gods of the heathen, for the anointing they carried with them!

God and Moses!

God called Moses by his name: “So, when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, ‘Moses, Moses!’ And he said, ‘Here I am!’… Moreover, He said, ‘I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God” (Exodus 4:4, 6).

Pharoah did not know God of Moses: “And Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go’” (Exodus 5:2).

Moses’ calling and God’s introduction of His Name: “So, He said, ‘I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.’ Then Moses said to God, ‘Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’’” (Exodus 3:12-14).

God revealed ALL His Redeeming Names when He showed His glory to Moses: “Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed before him and proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth’” (Exodus 34:5-6).

A friendship with God reveals His goodness, mercy, and His Name to us in the way we have not known Him. Here in this instance when God proclaimed His name, “The Lord, the Lord God,” the Hebrew root word reveals ALL of God’s Redeeming Names in one setting to Moses! God’s glory includes God’s mercy, grace, all His Names and the intensity of His glory (His inner self)! Also, Moses was one of the rarest people to see a part of God when He passed by him!

God and Joshua!

On the eve of Jerico’s invasion, God’s Captain, the Angel of the Lord appeared to Joshua for his personal assurance, confidence, and strength: “And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, ‘Are You for us or for our adversaries?’ So, He said, ‘No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, ‘What does my Lord say to His servant?’ Then the Commander of the Lord’s army said to Joshua, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.’ And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:13-15).

God extended the honor of Moses to Joshua with a similar appearance and command, ‘Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy,’ to prove that God is no respecter of persons and He extends the honor of His friendship to whomsoever He has called!

God and Samuel!

God was very specific to bypass Eli, the high priest, and called on the young Samuel by his name: “…While Samuel was lying down, that the Lord called Samuel. And he answered, ‘Here I am!’ So, he ran to Eli and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ And he said, ‘I did not call; lie down again.’ And he went and lay down. Then the Lord called yet again, Samuel!’ So, Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you called me.’ He answered, ‘I did not call my son; lie down again.’ (Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him.) And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. So, he arose and went to Eli, and said, ‘Here I am, for you did call me.’ Then Eli perceived that the Lord had called the boy. Therefore, Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be, if He calls you, that you must say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears.” So, Samuel went and lay down in his place. Now the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, Samuel! Samuel!’ And Samuel answered, ‘Speak, for Your servant hears’” (I Samuel 3:3-10). This proves that even little children can hear the voice and the call of God upon their lives, when they are dedicated to God by their parents!

Jesus and His Disciples!

In spite of the signs, wonders, and miracles, a majority of the public in Jesus’ days did not accept Him as the Messiah, or even knew the significance of His Name, while the disciples did: “When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?’ So, they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Simon Peter answered and said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.’  Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ” (Matthew 16:13-20). With the revelation came to promise to Simon Peter that Jesus would build His church upon that revelation and that the gates of hell would not prevail against it!

Today, the Name “Jesus” is so repulsive to societies and nations that they have changed B.C (Before Christ) to B.C.E (Before Common Era) and A.D (Anna Domini) to C.E. (Common Era).

And yet, we know Him and know Him by His Name! Rejoice because God has called you and separated you to know Him by His name, even as He knows you by your name! Flesh and blood had not revealed but our Heavenly Father has revealed His Beloved Son to us so that we might not perish but have everlasting life. Let us also continue to pray for the revelation of God’s Name to those around us.

Jesus and Saul of Tarsus!

Jesus’ Personal Phone Call to Saul: “As (Saul) journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven. Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’ And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ Then the Lord said, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ So, he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’ Then the Lord said to him, ‘Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.’ And the men who journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice but seeing no one” (Acts 9:3-7). Saul heard the voice with the message directly from Jesus whereas the men who accompanied Saul heard only the sound but no voice. It was personal to Saul!

Likewise, God can and will single you out to speak to you amid a crowd to call you by your name and unction you with a burden, vision, calling, and gifting. Be open to hearing God’s voice and yield to Him with instant and immediate obedience to follow through His word, His personal word, to you!

God reveals His Name to His loved ones!

God changes the recipients of His Name with His Blessings, Promises, and His Nature itself!

We will be known even among those who have no knowledge of God’s Name as their own gods they look up to!

God builds His friendship with us on the Revelation of His Name!

Hear Him say, “I have called you by your name; you are MINE!”

Prayer

“Heavenly Father, I love You and adore You and bow down before You. Thank You, Lord, for revealing Yourself to me by Your mercy and grace. The world does not know You but I know You with all my heart, soul and being. Fill me, Lord, with Your Holy Spirit and transform me by Your grace to represent You to the world around me and to my own family and loved ones. Let them too, come to know You as I have known You. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”

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John Jeyaseelan

www.globalprayercenter.net