THE NAME OF THE LORD

THE NAME OF THE LORD

What is the Name of the Lord?

Don't be too quick to answer that, for I know what you might be thinking. The name "Jesus" will not be a satisfactory answer, though I will not say you are wrong.

But, the Bible is what I call "self-contained", or speaking its own language. The language of the Bible is not necessarily English, Greek or Hebrew. It is a Spiritual language, and it is necessary for the Spirit to interpret that language. If we try to read it as an earthly language, we will most certainly miss the true meaning. We MUST have access to the Spiritual meaning if we are to have the proper understanding.

Let's go to the book of Exodus, chapter 33. Here is a record of Moses chiding with God-- telling Him that He has not adequately equipped him to lead the people of Israel. He needs to know more about the situation at hand, or he is not sure he wants to continue with the assignment.

Exodus 33:12 And Moses said unto the LORD, See, thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and thou hast not let me know whom thou wilt send with me. Yet thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray thee, if I have found grace in thy sight, shew me now thy way, that I may know thee, that I may find grace in thy sight: and consider that this nation [is] thy people. And he said, My presence shall go [with thee], and I will give thee rest. And he said unto him, If thy presence go not [with me], carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? [is it] not in that thou goest with us? so shall we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that [are] upon the face of the earth. And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name. And he said, I beseech thee, shew me thy glory.

Then the Lord JEHOVAH makes some commitments to Moses, one of which is to reveal HIS NAME to him. Moses went a bit further, and asked the Lord to show him HIS GLORY. But that request was a bit too much, though He would show Moses HIS WAY. (I take that to mean He would show Moses the "WHY" of "WHAT" He would be doing in and through Israel.)

Exodus 33:19 And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

The Lord told Moses to come alone to the top of the mountain first thing in the morning, and He would attend to the matter. Moses was to take two more tables of stone for the Lord to write upon, because he had angrily broken the first two. (Moses broke the law, and got by with it.)

But, let's listen to what the NAME OF THE LORD sounded like-- straight from the Lord Himself.

Exodus 34:5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation].

Needless to say, that got the attention of Moses, and he hastily "came to attention" right then and there. Exodus 34:8 And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshipped.

It should also command our attention, for there is much said about that Name throughout the scriptures.

The NAME was a description of the VERY NATURE of the Lord. HIS NATURE IS HIS NAME!

One that comes to my mind right now is found in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, as it was given to John on the Isle of Patmos.

Revelation 14:1 And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty [and] four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.

When we accept Him, He BEGINS WRITING HIS NATURE upon us (our forehead-- our mind-- the seat of our lives). It is not a "Once-‘n done" deal. Rather it is a progressive process which is accomplished by OUR CONSENT AND CO-OPERATION with His Spirit as He works HIS NATURE into our beings through the vicissitudes of our lives.

At some point, (and I can not say where it is) we can reach a stage of development in God where He looks at us and is satisfied with what He sees.

We will have HIS NAME upon our forehead.

It will be worth every ounce of determination and effort it will have cost us to have attained to that degree of Spiritual refinement and ascendancy.