The Names of God reveal who He is...
“His name shall be called
Wonderful, Counselor
Mighty God, Everlasting Father
Prince of Peace for all eternity, oh oh
His name shall be”
His Name Shall Be, Matt Redman
“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Isaiah 9:6-7: (ESV)
Throughout the Bible God had many names. They mean and have meant a great many things to many different people in many different situations.
These names, throughout the Scriptures, reveal to us individual aspects of the Infinite and Almighty One. In the Old Testament these names served to summarise and share the Hebrew people’s experience of their God.
Although not all, but any of these names - like El-Roi and Jehovah-Jireh - were names given to God by those He revealed Himself to, and not names that God gave Himself.
These names serve to reveal specific attributes of God to His people.
When Moses asked God for His Name He simply said: “I AM!”
All the other names we find in the Old Testament build on this.
Jehovah-Rapha, for example, is not so much a proper name but rather a specific attribute of God.
Basically, “I AM, the God who heals you.”
The Names of God are important because they describe who God is. It gives us more detail about the One Who Is.
In the New Testament, however, we are given a new Name. The Name Above Every Name
The prophet Isaiah tells us of the Coming Christ. He tells us of the Child that will be born - and how all authority will be given to Him.
He then lists some attributes -His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
If we are to look at this verse rationally we come to the conclusion that Jesus the Christ and God the Father are one and the same. That is to say, Jesus is God the Father revealed in the flesh.
Colossians 2:9: tells us that all the fullness of God is revealed in the human body of Jesus.
The fullness of God - and with that, all the attributes of God.
As we read the Gospels we see Jesus as God in the flesh - the God who sees (El-Roi), the God who fights for us (The Lord of Hosts), the God who heals (Jehovah-Rapha). We see, in the story of the loaves and the fishes, the God who provides (Jehovah-Jireh). We see our Good Shepherd (Jehovah-Ro’i) (John 10:11-16).
He is the One who gives us His peace (Jehovah-Shalom) (John 14:27). He is our sanctification and our righteousness (Jehovah-Tsidkenu, Yahweh Mekaddesh).
And the list goes on.
Jesus is, for all intents and purposes El-Shaddai, the All Sufficient One.
In Him the fullness of God is revealed.
May God reveal Himself to you more and more through the mighty, powerful and wonderful Name of Jesus.
Prayer: Oh Lord, I call upon Your Name today - the Mighty Name of Jesus. The Name Above Every Name. What a privilege it is to know Your Name - the Name above sin and shame, the Name above addiction, the Name above sickness and infirmity - no matter my circumstances there is a solution in the Name of Jesus. I pray Lord, that as I call upon You today, that You will reveal Yourself to me, more and more. That I will get to know You like never before. God with us, revealed in Jesus Christ. In Your Name, the Name of Jesus. Amen.