Why Does It Matter That God Has a Name?

Exodus 3 and the God who makes Himself known

By Pastor John Erickson

How many names do you have?

For me, there's John. That's the name on the paperwork. But there are also people who call me Dad. Some people call me Pastor John. Each name tells you something about the relationship.

Imagine someone says, "Did you hear what John said?"

If you're sitting with a group where everybody knows the same John, that's probably enough information. But if you're talking to a complete stranger who knows a dozen Johns, that name doesn't help much at all.

In college, I had two friends named Sam who lived together. There were several other Sams in our class too, so using a first name did not get you very far. We ended up using nicknames to make it clear which Sam we meant. One became known as Bagpipe Sam. Nobody had to ask which one we were talking about.

Names help us know who we're talking about. They also help us understand who we're talking to.

And this becomes really interesting when we open Exodus 3 and discover God revealing his name to Moses.

God Isn't Just a General Idea

Moses encounters God in a burning bush and receives an enormous assignment: go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

Moses isn't exactly volunteering for the job. He has questions. He has concerns. One of them is surprisingly practical: what happens when the Israelites ask for the name of the God who sent him?

In the ancient world, people worshiped many different gods. So saying "God sent me" didn't automatically settle the question.

In Exodus 3:14, God answers, "I AM WHO I AM." In the next verse, He tells Moses to speak in the name of the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The divine name represented by four Hebrew consonants, often written YHWH, is commonly rendered Yahweh.

This is more than an identifying label.

It's an invitation to know the God who has been acting in the history of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-the God who has seen the suffering of his people and is coming to deliver them.

Moses isn't being sent by an anonymous force somewhere in the universe. He's being sent by a God who makes himself known.

A Name Reveals Character

Think about the people you know really well.

You don't only know their names. You have stories with them. You know how they respond when something goes wrong. You know whether they keep their promises. You know what they're like when nobody's watching.

That's what makes a relationship different from simply knowing information about somebody.

The Bible repeatedly describes the character of Yahweh. God is merciful, faithful, patient, and just. Those aren't qualities he turns on for special occasions, as if he's playing a part.

They belong to who he is.

I can act lovingly in one moment and selfishly the next. I can make a promise with the best intentions and still fail to follow through.

God's character isn't unstable like mine.

When he tells Moses that he will be with him, that promise rests on who God is, not on how impressive Moses happens to be.

And thank God for that, because Moses wasn't feeling particularly impressive.

The Name Was Treated with Deep Reverence

As Israel came to know Yahweh, the divine name became deeply sacred to the Jewish people.

You may have noticed that some English Bible translations print the word LORD in all capital letters. Frequently, that's how translators indicate that the Hebrew text has God's personal name rather than an ordinary title.

Over time, many Jewish communities avoided pronouncing the divine name aloud out of reverence, using titles such as Adonai, meaning Lord, instead.

The name wasn't meant to become a casual slogan.

And yet, in the first place, God had revealed it because he wanted his people to know who was speaking to them.

I think that's a beautiful tension: God is worthy of awe, and this same God makes himself known.

Jesus Brings Us Near to the God Who Is

There's another connection worth noticing.

Jesus' name comes through Hebrew forms associated with the confession that the LORD saves. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus reveals the Father's character, and Christians confess that God has come near to us in him.

In John 14, Jesus tells his disciples that knowing him is connected with knowing the Father.

We sometimes approach our relationship with God like we're trying to solve a puzzle. If we can collect enough facts, master enough theology, and memorize enough terms, maybe we'll finally understand him.

I'm a theology guy. I love studying those things.

But information is not the destination. Relationship is.

The point of studying the name of God isn't to show off that you know how to pronounce an ancient Hebrew word.

It's to grow in your knowledge of the God who has revealed himself.

What Name Do You Call Him?

When you're in trouble, what do you believe God is like?

When you're ashamed, do you imagine a God who's eager to reject you, or the God whose faithfulness continues through generations?

When you pray, are you speaking toward some distant religious idea, or drawing near to the God who knows you?

We cannot fully comprehend God. There's always more to discover. But he isn't unknowable.

He told Moses his name. He showed his people his character. And through Jesus, he has invited us into relationship with him.

That's where learning his name should lead us: not merely to knowing more about God, but to knowing God.