“There are as many as 967 names for God in Scripture. . . . One dimension of spiritual growth is getting to know the names of God, which reveal the character of God. With each new name, we hallow His name a little more. But it’s not just knowing those names that transforms us, it’s trying them on for size.”- Mark Batterson
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “- Exodus 3:14 (ESV)
As Mark Batterson moves on in Chapter 7 of A Million Little Miracles, he reiterates a common mistake we make. Our ancient error? Making God in our image. We do so when we cut and paste the character of God. As a result, that leaves us with a caricature of God. Hence, that’s when and why we need to go back to the drawing board called Scripture.
Above all, a powerful pronouncement concludes the Aaronic Blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26. In verse 27 (ESV), this postscript packs a punch: “They will put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.”
Hence, Mark asks, how do you put a name on someone? It’s the same Hebrew word used to describe putting on clothes. Or putting a ring on someone’s finger. As Christians, God puts His name on us — Jehovah Tsidkenu. The righteousness of Christ.
At the burning bush, God revealed Himself to Moses. In English, we use three tenses related to time — past, present, and future. However, Mark points out, in Hebrew only two tenses exist:
- perfect tense – used of completed action.
- imperfect tense – used of incomplete action.
Most significantly, in Exodus 3:14 the name of God — Ehyeh — is in the imperfect tense. Thus, the literal translation of verse 14 = “I will be who I will be.”
In conclusion, Mark notes, many of us, the author included, tend to read the Old Testament as a collection of stories about heroes of faith. However, as Sally Lloyd-Jones observes:
“There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. Every story in the Bible whispers His name.”
Today’s question: What helps you follow Mark’s counsel about God’s names — trying them on for size? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our deepest longing – blessing”