As a young person, I didn’t like my name. No one else had it except the Borden company mascot used in advertising, a cow. She had long eyelashes, but she was still a cow. So I was teased in school. One boy who liked me and dated me, still called me Cow at times. Had that been anyone else, I’m sure I would have died of total humiliation.
After I became a Christian and discovered that names have meanings, I found out that my name is a derivative of Elizabeth and it means “consecrated to God.” At that, my attitude toward my name became much more positive.
People of other cultures often choose names according to what they want their children to become or and the names selected often seem to fit characteristics that show up in their adult lives. This was particularly true of Israel.
Perhaps this naming thing came from the way God revealed Himself in various names. Each one is descriptive of His character and what He does.
For instance, God is called Elohim. My Bible dictionary says this is a plural form (for the triune God), but can be treated as a singular noun representing one supreme deity. It is usually rendered ‘God’ in the Bible. Like its English equivalent, Elohim is grammatically considered as a common noun and conveys the idea of all that belongs to the concept of deity— in contrast with man and other created beings. This name is appropriate because there is only one supreme and true God. Since He is a Person, Elohim approaches the character of a proper noun, while not losing its abstract and conceptual quality.
My devotional verse today is Jeremiah 23:6. It says, “In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell safely; now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
The LORD is commonly used in the Old Testament for the name given to Moses by God at the burning bush. It was only four letters, so no one is totally certain how to say it or spell it, but it is most often rendered Jehovah. This name means “self-existing One” or the God who is. It was considered such a holy name, that the Jews would not say it, therefore the substitution in the Bible of the LORD, signifying Jehovah and God’s incommunicable name.
In Scripture, when this name is used in relation to created things, it expresses only some peculiar connection those things have with Jehovah. For instance, Exodus 17:15 says, “And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner” or Jehovah-Nissi.
This proper noun is also applied to the Messiah and when used that way, it expresses His deity. 1 Timothy 3:16 describes it this way: “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.”
This and other Scripture speaks of God and Jesus Christ as One, and the entire Bible is the story of how the triune God works in justifying His people. God does not wave a magic wand and make us into perfect people. Instead, He sends His Spirit to live in our hearts and in the mystery that is godliness, Jesus becomes our righteousness.
That is, I am still here without anything that merits the favor of God. But Jesus is here too, and when God looks at me, He sees me “in Christ” and having His righteousness. Any goodness, any godliness is not mine but His, as a gift to me and the Holy Spirit enables me to express that gift.
Today I was hoping for a practical answer to a question I have about life, and God gave me this. He wants to lift me above my question (for now) and think about what I have in Jesus Christ. He is my righteousness and today I will reflect on that and be grateful for who the LORD is and what the LORD has done.
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