Thanks for Names
“Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and her relatives heard that the Lord had displayed His great mercy toward her; and they were rejoicing with her.
“And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, after his father. But his mother answered and said, ‘No indeed; but he shall be called John.’ And they said to her, ‘There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.’
“And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called. And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, ‘His name is John.’ And they were all astonished. And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed and he began to speak in praise to God.
“Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country of Judea. All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, ‘What then will this child turn out to be?’ For the hand of the Lord was certainly with him.” Luke 1:57-66
There are as many as 3,400 names in the Bible. A name often carried a story, a prayer, a judgment, or a vocation. Parents, prophets, and God himself used names as compressed statements about who a person was, what had happened at birth, or what God intended to do through them.
Sometimes God changed a name to mark a turning of destiny:
Abram to Abraham — “father of a multitude”
Jacob the grasper to Israel — “the one who wrestles with God”
Simon to Peter — “the rock”
Saul to Paul
Hebrew culture treated names as very important. To know someone’s name was to know something of their place in His story.
John’s name, Yochanan, means ‘Yahweh is gracious’. It was not chosen by his parents. Gabriel announced it before conception. From an elderly, barren couple came a son. That is grace. John’s calling was to prepare the hearts of Israel for the greatest Gift to know Jesus, whose name means ‘the Lord saves’.
Grace first, then salvation. That is still how it happens. Each of us is brought to Jesus by grace before we fully know our need of the salvation only He can give.
So, the next time you reach one of those long lists of names, slow down. Scripture names names for a reason and that is worth thanking God for.
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Take care with love, especially His, from Darlene, who still prays for you each day.
PS: You can also find the devotions on line/ on your mobile phone here: www.weakdaydevotion.com .
NOTES: I choose to believe the Bible because it's a reliable collection of historical documents written down by eyewitnesses during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses. They reported supernatural events that took place before, of specific prophecies; and claim that their writings are divine rather than human in origin.
The Five Solas: Individuals are saved by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, as revealed by Scripture alone to the glory of God alone!
Find my full statement of faith: https://especiallyhislove.blogspot.com (where you will also find a series of Bible studies). For the books, go to Amazon books. For prayer requests/ updates, email: darlenerichard@gmail.com