Following The Ancient Paths
Friday, February 9, 2007
G-d and His Reputation
Posted in Working Out My Salvation With Fear and Trembling
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After spending some time in deep thought over the Name of G-d and all it entails, I thought I'd write a quick message about what I've been understanding. Remember, this is how I process things in my own head and my own life. I'm not writing to 'convict' anyone or tell anyone what to do. I'm writing to put things together for my own self and in my own life. (how'd ya like that disclaimer? LOL) G-d's Name - what is His Name anyway? Some say it's Yod-Hey-Vav-Hey, others say there are about 70 different names by which He is known or called. (note - 70 ring a bell? 70 nations? 70 offerings?) But what does it mean to call on His Name? How do we do that if there's so many and we don't speak Hebrew? How do we do that if the pronounciation of The Name is lost? Oh what is a person to do! First we need to look at "Name" in the Hebrew mindset and understanding. We have an understanding of a name and we tend to jump to that understanding when we read passages that talk about His Name. For example, my name is Lisa. When someone calls on my name, they say "Lisa". Or my kids will call me "Mom". That's what we think of when we read some particular Scripture verses. But is that what the Hebrew mind is thinking when the Scriptures are being written and read "in the old days"? I don't think so. There is another understanding of "name" that we have but it's not what we tend to think of at first. When one says, "I'm going to make a name for myself" they are meaning a reputation, they want to be known by their reputation. This is more like the Hebrew understanding of what "name" means. In Hebrew the name of a person says a lot about that person. Their name can tend to speak of their character, their nature, their occupation, or even the circumstances of their birth or where their parents where at the time of their birth. So what does G-d say His Name is? In Exodus 3:14-15 He says this: God said to Moshe, "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be]," and added, "Here is what to say to the people of Isra'el: 'Ehyeh [I am or I will be] has sent me to you.'" G-d said further to Moshe, "Say this to the people of Isra'el: 'Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh, the G-d of your fathers, the G-d of Avraham, the G-d of Yitz'chak and the G-d of Ya'akov, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. So He tells us two somewhat proper names and a LOT about His character. He tells us that He is consant, has always been and always will be, He does not change. Then He tells us that He is the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He says that He is to be remembered in this way forever. How was He known to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? He was known as the G-d Who keeps the covenant. Up till this time the relationship between Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel) has everything to do with covenant. Yes there were times when He was a personal kind of G-d but His steadfastness and greatness was revealed in His covenant. His reputation was that of a covenant keeping G-d who is holy and righteous. But we see in Exodus that He is going to be known by something new now, something not previously understood or known by Israel. We see in Exodus 34:6-7 that He reveals Himself to Moshe this way: ADONAI passed before him and proclaimed: "YUD-HEH-VAV-HEH!! Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh (ADONAI) is G-d, merciful and compassionate, slow to anger, rich in grace and truth; showing grace to the thousandth generation, forgiving offenses, crimes and sins; yet not exonerating the guilty, but causing the negative effects of the parent' offenses to be experienced by their children and grandchildren, and even by the third and fourth generations." So we see the Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh again which is intended to remind us of the Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be] that preceeded this name in the previous Exodus passage. But rather than write about how He is known by name (for example, He says His name is Jealous, Holy, etc) I would like to think more about how He is known, by reputation. At first He is known as the Creator of the Universe. Later He's also known as the Covenant Keeping G-d. Then He is known as the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. This is one and the same G-d. It is known at this time that He is all powerful, holy, righteous, soverign, and mighty. We already know by this time that He is the G-d who sees all and knows all and hears all. But in Exodus He reveals Himself as the G-d Who brings Israel out from bondage, the G-d who hears and sees and then acts on behalf of His children. From the time of the exodus till now He is known as the G-d who brought the children of Israel out of Egypt by His mighty hand and outstreched arm. His Name is recorded in this way in many, many places in Scripture. This is His reputation, this is how He is to be known and remembered. This is Who He is. As a side note, in the past I have written G-d and have used various other forms for His Name. At this point in time I will be returning to G-d and the titles ADONAI and LORD out of respect and honor. I will use G-d (with the dash) out of respect and to show that the G-d I am referring to is the G-d of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - THIS is the G-d I speak of. I will also use HaShem, meaning "The Name" as a title of reverence and honor. Now, a quick note regarding the whole sacred name thing. I don't agree that knowing some sacred pronouncation of Yod-Heh-Vav-Heh is all that important. The thought that needing to pronounce His Name properly in order to be saved or that His Name will bring power if spoken correctly is akin to witchcraft and is NOT the purpose of His Name. His Name is holy and sacred - set apart. What is the opposite of holy? Common. To use His Name in casual conversation is unacceptable, in my opinion. That then makes His Name common and unholy. My experience with people who are caught up in the sacred name movement is that they have a tendency to be critical, harsh, and unloving. This is not what His Name (reputation) is about. To use the YHVH in private prayer is acceptable, in my opinion (which is always a work in progress, I am learning and growing), but everywhere else it must be regarded as special and sacred. As far as the Name of Yeshua - if Shaul didn't have a problem being known by his Greek name, Paul, then why would the Master? It was most common in the "old days" for Hebrews to have a Hebrew name and a Greek name. Greek was, after all, the primary language in the world at the time. Linguistics shows us how we get from Yeshua to Jesus and there isn't any legitimate argument that can linguistically link Jesus to the name of any pagan god. I simply use Yeshua because in my own life, I have found that the person I knew as Jesus is vastly different than the Person I know as Yeshua. There is a significant difference between the Jesus I grew up with in flannel graph stories and the Yeshua I find in Scripture. So, here's where I get on with my point. LOL If His Name is more about His reputation than a certain pronouncation or title, then what does that mean for us today? As children of G-d we wear His Name. We walk around wearing His reputation. Exodus 34:14 tells us that ADONAI - whose very name is Jealous - is a jealous G-d. What is He jealous of? He is jealous of His children and His reputation. He tells us in Exodus 20:5-7 (the 10 Commandments, mind you) that He is a jealous G-d who punishes the children for the sins of the fathers, like He said earlier in Exodus, but that He will show grace to the thousandth generation of those who love Him and obey His commands. He then goes on to say that we are not to use His Name lightly because those who do will not go unpunished. He is jealous of our loyalty and His reputation, His Name. When we walk around saying we are His children and act in ways that go against His character and His Name, we wear His Name in vain - dragging Him and His Name through the mud. This is simply not acceptable. We are to live according to His design, we are to become like Him in how we treat others, we are to acknowledge Who He Is and worship Him. We are to strive to be a holy people because He is holy. Of course we cannot be sinless, but we can live striving for righteousness and holiness. I sometimes have this particular vision: Something happens to me that makes me stop short and take notice. I look in front of me and see that He is not before me. Something has happened and I have rushed ahead and now My Master is behind me. How is it that I am leading? But look! My Master, My Savior, is bound and gagged and lying in the mud! Who would do such a thing!! Then I realize that the other end of rope He is bound with is in my hand. I have, by my choices, confined Him and tried to keep Him quiet and then I took off running. His pace for me wasn't to run but to walk in His footsteps. Yet I have run ahead and gotten off the path and He has suffered for it. He is now dirty, bruised and confined. What can I do?!? I am so ashamed. All I can do is unbind Him, unstop His mouth, wash His feet and tend to His bruises (that I have caused!). All I can do is ask humbly for forgiveness and be still until He begins to walk again. This time I follow. Do you know how often I need to check myself to make sure that I am following and not dragging Him through the mud again? Do you know how easy it is for me, personally, to knock Him back down and drag Him for miles without even thinking? Oh, how wretched I am! I wear His Name. He is the Creator of the Universe, the All-Powerful King of Heaven, the Covenant Keeping G-d, the Savior of Israel. I have chosen to come under His headship and through my faith in the Messiah, I am grafted into the lineage of Abraham. I am an adopted child of the King. Who am I that He would take notice of me?!? How blessed I am! Now with that said, here is something else. Because of this, I choose to accept the terms of the covenant He made with Israel at Mt. Sinai. I choose to agree to the conditions of the ketubah (marriage contract). I do not want to be a rebellious bride of the Messiah or child of the King. What are those terms and conditions? They are written in the Torah. They are known as "the law". I choose to adhere to these commandments and teachings out of my love for my King and my Master, my Father. Do I earn anything? Heavens NO! My obedience is not for my benefit but for His glory, because I love Him.! If I benefit from it, then that is an added blessing. But that is not my motivation. My motivation is to wear His Name in such a way as to bring Him glory, praise, honor, and joy. You see, Yeshua came in the Name of the Father. He came in the Father's authority and to represent His reputation. Why G-d, the Creator King, would allow Himself to come to earth as a lowly human and suffer for the sins of man as the Perfect Sacrifice is beyond comprehension. Why He would choose to send part of His unity, His oneness, to us and make a way of Salvation I simply cannot understand. It is one of the greatest mysteries! The only way I can understand this is love. He is Love. Who am I, that you should be mindful of me? But oh, how blessed I am! Blessed indeed! Yeshua's very name means "G-d is my salvation". When we call on the Name of Yeshua, we are calling to the very G-d of Heaven in the Name that recognizes "G-d is my Salvation". I long for the day when everything that has breath, when all of creation, praises and blesses the Name of G-d. I wait for the day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Yeshua the Messiah is G-d. Come quickly, LORD... May you, whoever you are who is reading this  , have a blessed Sabbath and may you wear His Name with dignity and bring Him joy!Shabbat Shalom! |
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Saturday, February 10, 2007 - G-d and His Reputation
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Posted by Anonymous Sunday, February 11, 2007 - Wonderful Post, Lisa!
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Tuesday, February 13, 2007 - Untitled Comment
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