Hey Truth Seeker!
What is the name of the LORD?
The Bible teaches us not to take the name of the LORD in vain, and that we should honor the name of the LORD… But what does that mean, exactly if we aren’t sure of His name?
We use names to identify each other, and God is no different. If we are talking about a person we use their name to ensure we’re talking about the same person.
In this post, we will explore the name of God, and learn more about who He is in the process.
The Name of the LORD
Moses asked God to show him His glory, and God’s response was that His goodness will pass by, and He will proclaim the name of the LORD.
The above scripture is Him proclaiming His name, which is His glory.
Immediately, we notice that God’s name is His glorious character, and who He is.
If His name was simply “God” that would be confusing, because Spanish speakers call Him “Dios”, and in Hebrew it is “El”. Greek is “Theos”. If His name was a simple word, like how my name is Ken, it would just become too confusing.
But for His name to be His character and glory means that He can be known by it in any language, and any time period.
The Name of God is Eternal
Anytime you see in the bible “LORD” in all capitals, it is actually “YHWH” in the Hebrew.
An over-simplified, basic lesson of Hebrew is that it is written in consonants, and no vowels. So while in Hebrew it would be “YHWH” in English letters, it is mostly agreed upon that it is “Yahweh”.
The name of God being “Yahweh” is really close to the Hebrew word for “I AM / I WAS / I WILL BE”. He is the eternal God who is outside of time itself. He is the “One Who Exists”, and was never created.
God does not change, and He begins His name with this fact. He is the YHWH. The One Who Is, and Has Been, and Always Will Be.
**This is the most important point, because all of the following attributes are unchangeable.**
Mercy and Grace
In this part of His name, we see that He is full of mercy and full of grace.
Mercy is taking what is deserved, and holding it back. We deserve punishment for our unrighteousness, but He holds it back, and is merciful.
Grace is receiving what is undeserved. We do not deserve God’s riches, or to be a part of His kingdom. Yet, He invites us anyway, and is full of grace in His free gift of salvation.
He is Slow to Anger
The Hebrew for “longsuffering” literally means “slow to anger”.
He is divinely patient with mankind. Our unrighteousness offends the righteousness of God, but He is slow to anger, and patient. Full of mercy. And thank God!
He is not like mankind, who is quick to anger, and quick to serve justice.
If God was like us, and quick to anger in my life, I would have been struck down a long time ago.
People talk about the Old Testament being “fire and brimstone”, and the New Testament being full of grace, but just on these first points we can see that is not true at all.
God never changes. The God of the New Testament is the same as the God of the Old Testament.
Abounding in Goodness and Truth
Abounding
To “abound” means that you are completely full of something to the point of overflowing.
These two qualities of “goodness and truth” means that He is goodness, and He is truth, and these qualities overflow from Him all the time.
Goodness
This Hebrew word “cHesed” doesn’t translate well into English, but here it speaks of the favor of God. It speaks of His mercy and His love. He is abundant in love and grace and favor for people. 1 John talks of this, and says “God is love”.
Truth
God is truth, and overflowing with it in abundance. He is the only One that is solid, and truly real.
This word also can mean “faithful”. He is the only One we can depend on.
There is only One other that ever dared call themselves Truth in this way, and that is Jesus of Nazareth.
The Name of the LORD Keeps Mercy for Thousands
The name of the LORD keeps goodness for thousands. This word “mercy” is the same Hebrew word above “cHesed”. Not only is He abundant in mercy, but He keeps mercy for thousands.
Thousands of what? People?
No. Thousands of generations.
This is an expression of innumerable generations.
He Forgives Iniquity, Transgression, and Sin
The LORD is a forgiving God to these thousands of generations. Only a Holy and Righteous God of love could forgive such things.
Iniquity is the depravity of mankind’s mind. It is the perverse twistedness, and can also be described as wickedness.
Transgression is any time we break the Laws of God. When we transgress against God, it is a specific act that He said is wrong.
Sin is an archery term. If we are aiming for the bullseye of a target, and we miss, it’s called sin. It is any time we don’t do the exactly, perfect right thing. This includes inaction.
God forgives all of these things, because He is a God who loves.
However…
He by No Means Clears
Many translations add “the guilty”, because this word used is a legal term meaning “to make innocent”.
The Hebrew does not contain “the guilty”, but I do believe God is saying that while He is a forgiving God of sin and iniquity, He does not erase the consequences.
Adam and Eve fell in the garden, and we are still experiencing the consequences of those actions to this day.
If you robbed a bank today, and tomorrow repented, and became a part of God’s forgiven family, you would still have to pay for your crimes. There is a consequence that is not cleared.
He is the Personal God Who Visits All Iniquity
I want to begin by saying I underlined “upon”, because I don’t know if I fully agree with that translation.
Visiting the iniquity of the fathers
God visited with the iniquity of the fathers in time. Adam is the father of all mankind, and his depravity was visited by God.
“Visit” can mean punishment, correction, and attending to. I believe God is saying He met with the father of mankind, and those fathers after Adam, in a personal way. The way that they needed.
God met with Adam in the garden, and dealt with iniquity, and then again with Cain and Abel, and dealt with Cain’s iniquity. He visited them with encouragement, correction, and punishment, as needed.
Down from the fathers, to the children, and so on, forever
This word “upon” can also be translated “down to”.
I firmly believe God is saying He is a personal God for all generations. That He visits every person in their iniquity, and deals with it accordingly.
He didn’t just deal with the fathers, and then let the children only have the fathers examples. But that God visits each generation continually.
“To the third and to the fourth” is an expression meaning forever.
Conclusion
So there you have it! The name of the LORD is His character and His glory.
He is…
…the One who Exists forever, and does not change.
…merciful and gracious.
…slow to anger.
…abounding in love and truth.
He keeps love for thousands of generations.
…a forgiving God.
He allows consequences to happen.
…a Personal God for all generations.
If you want to experience God’s forgiveness, love, mercy, and grace. Please go to this page, and read what it means to become a part of the kingdom of God.
God Bless You!
Ken
