God has a name.
Did you know that God has a name other than “God”, “Lord”, “Father”, “Almighty”, or “I Am”? Jesus Christ declared God’s name to his disciples. “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them” (John 17:26).
King Solomon mentioned it in a Proverb by asking, “what is His name and what is His Son’s name, if you can tell?” See Proverbs 30:4.
God’s name frequently occurs in the Bible. The original Hebrew letters, יהוה, form a Tetragrammaton appearing about 5,410 times, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. The exact pronunciation of the Tetragrammaton has been debated by scholars. The actual sounding of YHWH might have been lost after the Jewish people stopped saying God’s name out loud because of superstition associated with the commandment given to Moses and recorded in Exodus 20:7, “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD (YHWH/יהוה) thy God in vain”.
According to the Encyclopedia Americana, because the form of the letter “J” was not known in any alphabet until the 14th century, the letter “I” was used in its place. However, over time the adopted use and pronunciation of God’s name in the English language is Jehovah.
Why then is the true name of God so important to know? Joel 2:32 explains that “all who call upon the name of the LORD will be saved”. Jesus Christ, when explaining to his disciples how to pray, begins the prayer by saying, “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9 KJV). If God’s name were, “Father”, “Lord”, “Almighty”, or “I Am”, why would Jesus Christ ask for those titles to be ‘hallowed’? He doesn’t. He asks for the name of God to be honored.
Study 05: God’s Name
Exodus 3:13-14
The Almighty God first revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM”. Which, is only a title, and not an actual name.
John 10:32-38
This proves that God and Lord are only a title because men can make up a name for a god. Many names for gods exist in history of different cultures. Jesus Christ is quoting the verse from Psalm 82:6 to explain to the Jewish leaders that he did not call himself the Almighty God. This helps to support the concept that “god” is a term used to describe something different than the one Creator of all things who has a name.
Exodus 6:2-3
God’s name is revealed to Moses as YHWH/יהוה. Please read other translations, such as the King James Version, Interlinear Version, and Tanakh. The name, “Jehovah” is mentioned in some Bible versions but most do not mention His true name.
John 17:6, 25-26
Jesus declares the name of God, and here he is praying to his Father. When you have a relationship with someone, then you know their name. Similarly, when praying to God, then you would call upon Him by name.
1 Corinthians 8:5-6
Men have created names of other Gods, but there is only one true God who has a Son by the name of Jesus Christ. And, by reading the prior scriptures in the Old Testament, we have just learned that Almighty God also has a name. Lord, Father, El Shaddai, and God, are titles to describe a being, and are not the actual name. What are other names for gods? Allah, Buddha, Zeus, and hundreds of other names in other religions and mythologies. “Lord” and “God” is a title, but a name is different because it has significance in its meaning.
Psalm 83:16-18
Eventually, all men will know the one true God. Where “LORD” appears in all capital letters, it means that in the original Hebrew text the name (YHWH/יהוה) of God was written.
Malachi 3:16
God does have a name. Once you have learned God’s name: Use it. Think on it. Revere it.
To view a more exhaustive explanation about God’s name, visit: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H03068&t=KJV
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