Day 3 - What Is God's Name?
- Pastor b.Side
- Jan 3
- 2 min read
“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but [by] My name LORD I was not known to them.” - Exodus 6:3
When we talk about “the name of God,” we’re talking about the identity, character, and nature of God. The Bible teaches that God reveals His “name” to us gradually. We can’t know everything there is to know about God. Remember, He’s the eternally self-existing, self-sustaining Creator and Controller of all things in heaven and earth, who uniquely joined Himself to the world by His covenants with Israel! Who can fully digest all of that?
“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty…”
When God spoke to Moses in Exodus 6:3, He indicated that He appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as “God Almighty.” The English phrase “God Almighty” is “El Shaddai” in Hebrew. When God told Moses that His name was “LORD,” He used a different Hebrew name to describe Himself—the name YAHWEH. Apparently, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t know God as “YAHWEH,” but only as “The Almighty.”
“But My name LORD I was not known to them…”
God is intentional about manifesting His glory. Everyone has access to some degree of God’s revelation. God determines the extent of revelation a person receives based on what He knows about their hearts. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses all received revelations of God’s glory, but in different ways, according to His understanding of their faith and how He would use them for His eternal and spiritually centered purposes. God operates in the same manner today with us.
Everyone gets a fair chance to know God to some degree. Still, God is the One who decides how we learn, at what pace, through what circumstances, and so forth. Our acceptance or rejection of that revelation ultimately determines whether we gain the benefits of knowing Him. Most people are familiar with the concept of God as Creator. How many of them want to know His “name” based on the revelation of His testimony, compared to creating a personal version of God in their minds? It doesn’t matter whether we know a lot or a little about who God is. What matters is that we faithfully receive and cherish whatever degree of truth God provides, just as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses did.
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, we’re thankful that Your position in heaven doesn’t keep You distant from us. We can see through the scriptures that You desire to connect to us by gradually revealing Your incredible glory to us. You know better than we do. We trust that You will provide us with the quality of understanding our purpose requires. Help us to believe the truth that You do provide to us. Help our faith direct the course of our lives. Use us as tools in Your hand to multiply the revelation of Your glory by upholding the integrity of Your Word in our speech, actions, and attitudes. It’s in the name of Jesus – the Name above ALL names – that we ask these things and pray. Amen.
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