The name of the LORD is a strong tower.
We will trust in the name of the LORD our God.
People began to call on the name of the LORD.
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Whatever you ask in my name, it will be done for you.
Did you ever wonder why THE NAME? Why not say “the LORD is a strong tower,” “we will trust in the LORD,” and so forth? What’s in a Name? What’s in HIS name?
God told Moses that His name is “I AM”. Some translate it “The Being One” or “I Will Be What I Will Be.” Moses asked for His name, I suppose because there are so many gods in Egypt and there in Midian (where his father-in-law was a priest, remember). So Moses needs to know if this is perhaps Ra or Chemosh or some other local god. And if this was, in fact, Elohim of the Hebrews, Moses would be needing some miraculous assurance to bring to the elders. God’s answer was to tell Moses to go and tell the leaders that I AM has sent him to them. And because He is The Being One, anything that He says, He will do.
Knowing the name of someone is very important. Just ask Jacob! He wrestled with an unknown man and clung to him and asked him his name. The man didn’t give a name. Not then. But this day, God offers to provide His name to Moses.
God identifies Himself by several names in the books of Genesis and Exodus. Let’s see what each one reveals about His nature and His character.
YHWH Exod 4 The Being One. He is the One who exists beyond time, who created all there is and will be the culmination of all. If you rely on that name, then you are counting on God to be there. Being here. We count on His being. Always being. Always in the present tense. Never taken by surprise. He has lived in the past and in the future and is here today and always. That means he can say, “I have heard you,” (Gen 17:20) and we know that it is true. He can tell us that “God saw and knew” the suffering of His people (Exod 2:25), and we believe that He did, indeed. Be still. And know that I. Am. God.
El Shaddai Gen 17:1 I am God Almighty. There is nothing beyond Him. Nothing He cannot do. When He makes a promise, whether it be to deliver His people, to fulfill a dream given to a boy, or to fulfill a whole bucket full of prophecies that seem to be self-contradictory, He is able to pull it all off without a hitch, because He is Almighty.
YHWH Yireh Gen 22:13-14 The Lord will provide. Abraham learned about the character and nature of God the day that he was prepared to offer his son Isaac, and the LORD provided a ram instead. And so it became a saying, “On the mount of the LORD it shall be provided.” It was a saying back in Moses’ time, but that quote was meant for a later generation, when Jesus fulfilled the Ultimate Provision for all. He Provided forgiveness for all sin, past, present and future. He Provided deliverance from evil, from bondage, and from death. And He Provided the Holy Spirit to serve as our Comforter, our Guide, and our Empowerer. Provision is what the LORD does, for He is YHWH Yireh.
YHWH Rapha Exod 15:26 The LORD who heals. The situation was the bitter water at Mara, when the LORD tested the Israelites and then made the bitter water sweet again. Then He told them that if they followed Him, none of the diseases that He put on the Egyptians would be put on them, for He is the LORD, their Healer. Some diseases are plagues, sent directly from God. Some diseases are the result of poor lifestyle choices. And some diseases are simply part of being in a fallen world. But the LORD can heal us of all of them. That is His name. It is His will. It is within His power.
YHWH Nissi Exod 17:8-15 The Lord our banner. Israel had just fought their first true battle, in which Moses stood on a hilltop overlooking the battle, holding the “staff of God” in his hand. You know the staff, don’t you? It’s the one that God turned into a snake, that turned the water to blood, held back the Red Sea, and bring forth water from the rock. For good reason, Moses referred to it as God’s Staff. Well, for this battle, as long as Moses was extending the staff of God, the people of Israel prevailed. At the end of the day, Moses built an altar and he named it The LORD (is) our Banner. A banner is a flag, and in battle it unites and rallies the warriors. Especially in ancient times, it served as part of the communication system for the troops, because their simple objective was to protect the flag, which represented their people, their cause, and all that they were fighting for. To say the LORD Himself is the banner under which we fight is to say that He, and His name, is the rallying point, the center of their cause, and their protection. When they saw the banner (staff), they had victory. They learned to follow the LORD OUR BANNER, and that He would give them success.
All of those names also belong to Jesus, who is one with the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ is THE BEING ONE, having existed with the Father from before the beginning. Jesus of Nazareth is Almighty God, as it says, “And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, ALMIGHTY GOD, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.” There is nothing that Jesus cannot do. Jesus proved Himself to be The PROVIDER when He multiplied the loaves and fish, and when He brought miraculous catches of fish, and when He said, “Fear not.” Our Lord showed Himself to be HEALER when he told the paralytic man that his sins were forgiven, and then proved that He has authority to forgive sins by telling the man to get up and walk. Christ is our BANNER, as the only way to be saved. There is no other name given in heaven or on earth, or under the earth, who would have nearly as much power to unite and save all of God’s people. In the end, the saints overcome by being faithful unto death and holding the name and testimony of Jesus.
A name is earned by what someone does. Doing comes first, reputation follows, and a name grows out of that reputation. Jesus did the works and earned every one of these names: Eternal One, Almighty God, The One who Provides, the One who Heals, and the One who Gives Victory. At His name, raging seas are stilled, the sick are healed, the dead are raised, the demons flee, the saints conquer.
His NAME is His authority, His nature and character, and His will, all rolled into a single word: Jesus!
YOUR ENCOUNTER
Jesus said that we are to pray “in His name.” What does that mean, to ask in His name? That means that we are requesting, or commanding, that thing with the authority of Jesus Himself. If I come to you and say something like, “Stop, in the name of the Law!” That means I have the authority of the law behind my command, and that I can enforce my command. It also means I am saying something according to the character and nature of the one whose name I am using. God declares what is not as if it is. That is what He alone can do. Jesus gave the great commission based on Him having all authority in heaven and on earth. ‘Therefore,’ He said. Therefore - because He has authority, he is now giving a command.
In His name also means that I am saying something that is in keeping with the character and nature of the name that I use. This is why taking the name of Jesus/God in vain is so terrible. Taking God’s name in vain is the worst of curse words. Yet, we hear it so often that “Oh, my God!” seems to not be noticed at all. We hardly notice that someone just called upon the name of the Lord, but never respected the power and holiness of that name. So, what is God’s nature and character? God has all authority, but He also is all compassion. So if we ask or declare something that is not in keeping with that character, we are taking His name in vain.
In His name likewise means that I am saying something that He Himself would say. In other words, what I say in His name I am saying what is His will. Jesus said, Whatever you ask in my name, it will be done for you.” And sometimes Jesus said, Whatever you ask according to His will, or in keeping with His will, it will be done. In His name and in keeping with His will are the same concept. If I say something to you in the name of someone else, it means I am saying what that person sent me to say. It is the same with God.
It is what we mean when we pray “In Jesus’ name.” We rely on His authority, on His character, according to His will. Let us determine today to never again end a prayer saying, “in Jesus’ name,” without knowing full well what that means. Try asking for something in prayer, and instead of using the formula, use one of those phrases or terms above. See how it changes the consciousness of your request. Share your insight with someone, and write about it in your journal.