Those who know Your name trust in
You, for You, O LORD, do not abandon
those who search for You. (Ps. 9:10)
What is it about God's name that makes it so
important? Throughout Scripture it becomes very clear
that God makes every effort to protect His name.
Definitely God's name is much more than an
arrangement vowels and syllables. We're not being
asked to trust in a name that's pronounced different
in the various languages of the world. What are we
trusting in? God's name represents His person. It's
what He's all about.
It's very interesting to note that God has chosen to
be known throughout the Scriptures by many
different titles. In fact there's more than a hundred
of them. Each of them reveals a unique facet of His
person. We're left standing in absolute awe of such
an incredibly awesome and powerful God.
God has revealed Himself by the title of Creator,
Sustainer, Provider, Deliverer etc. but what kind
of Creator is He? What kind of Sustainer, Provider
and Deliverer is He? What kind of heart heart makes
our God tick? It's really the heart God we need to
understand.
God's heart is revealed to us through His name.
God's heart is unchanging and when we grow in our
understanding of it we grow in our willingness to place
our full trust in Him. Pr. 18:10 - The name of the
LORD is a strong tower; The righteous runs into
it and is safe. (NASB)
The first full revelation of God's heart, His person, His
character, His nature, His name was given to Moses
in Ex. 34:5-7. What's so amazing out this revelation is
that it was in answer to Moses' request to be allowed
to see the glory of God. (Ex.33)
Ex 33:18,19 - Moses said, "Please show me
your glory." 19 And he said, "I will make all
my goodness pass before you and will
proclaim before you my name 'The LORD.'
And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious,
and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
(ESV)
Moses asks to see God's glorious presence and what
He's shown is God's goodness in the declaration of His
name. Notice what was revealed to Moses in Ex.34:5-7.
This is what we are to be trusting in. This is the heart
that never changes. This is what Jesus revealed the
people when He was on earth.
Exo 34:5-7 - The LORD descended in the cloud
and stood with him there, and proclaimed the
name of the LORD. 6 The LORD passed before
him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD, a
God merciful and gracious, slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and
faithfulness, 7 keeping steadfast love for
thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, but who will by no
means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers on the children and the children's
children, to the third and the fourth generation."
(ESV)
God's name is His goodness and it's also His glory. Yes there's a glory at is manifest through the appearance great light such as appeared on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before Peter James and John, but there's a majestic glory that is manifest through the actions of God towards people. God's actions through Jesus have made known more clearly to us God's heart, His person. This is what Jesus meant when He said in Jn.17:6 "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Then again in Jn 17:26 He says, "I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them."
We are able to find in Christ the Father's heart fully exposed to us. Clearly His name is above all names and His heart is definitely trust worthy. As we know His heart, we know His name and we're then able to run into it and find peace, safety and security.