What's In a Name?

When my wife Dare and I were expecting each of our children, we spent a great deal of time considering and praying over their names. Naming our son was a lot easier, because we named him Lawrence O’Donnell IV, really after my grandfather and father to honor the two men who I greatly admired and dearly respected, and who had done so much for me. I have been honored to share their great name, and I have endeavored to carry forward their outstanding reputations and legacies of utmost integrity. Naming our daughter Linley was more challenging because we were starting from scratch, and we wanted her name to reflect how special we knew she would be to us (little did we know when we settled on her name before she was born that she would suffer a tragic medical accident when she was 2-months old that would leave her with mental and physical disabilities. Linley is certainly special!)

I’m sure any parent has similar stories of agonizing over their children’s names. Names have great power and importance in our lives. It becomes part of our self-identity, and when someone forgets our name, it stings a little.

If we consider our names to be important, it is nothing compared to the unimaginable value of God’s name. Did you know God’s self-revealed name, “Yahweh,” was considered too holy to be spoken out loud by the Israelites? The Hebrew language of the Old Testament did not have vowels and was written as YHWH, which is translated as “I AM”. In Exodus 3:14, “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.”’ God’s name is a reflection of who He is, the only self-existent or self-sufficient Being existing from and into eternity.

While “Yahweh” is the most personal name for God, the Bible has many, many different names for God, each describing a different aspect of His character. Our God is so amazing that one name could not possibly describe Him!

Over and over, the Bible instructs us in the incredible power, majesty, and importance of God’s name. A great focus of study in the Bible can be looking at the names of God and what they teach us about Him. His name is something we overlook, or worse, treat flippantly.

In the Ten Commandments, God specifically admonishes us to not use His name in vain, promising He will not leave anyone unpunished who abuses His name.

Our culture certainly has abandoned this commandment. We hear God’s name used as profanity every day in music, movies, in sports, and even in regular conversation. It’s so commonplace that sometimes we don’t even notice it, but as God’s children, this should offend us deeply in our heart.

Maybe you’re even guilty of using the Lord’s name lightly. Have you ever sent the texting abbreviation “omg” or used a phrase like “Oh my G__” or “Good L--d?” These types of phrases may have crept into your vocabulary without you even realizing it. Sometimes we need to be reminded of the severity of dishonoring the name of God in our speech.

When we think about the Lord, His majesty, and how He loves us, we ought to desire to praise and bless His name. We should want to lift His name up with the highest esteem. If we treat the names of our children with such care, how much more should we cherish the name of our Lord?

Today, consider how you can better honor His name. Perhaps you need to repent of taking His name lightly or pay attention to how often His name is defiled in your home through your entertainment or in daily conversation. Take time to praise His name today.

Sing to God, sing in praise of His name,
extol Him who rides on the clouds;
rejoice before Him—His name is the Lord.
- Psalm 68:4

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