What's In A Name

Phil.2:9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name.”

What is the importance of a name?

Throughout the Bible, we see how important names are. God named Adam, and then He told Adam to name all the animals. He knows every name of every individual who was or will ever be conceived. He knew every single detail about you from the very beginning. In fact in Jeremiah 1:5 the Lord tells Jeremiah, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart, I appointed you a prophet to the nations." This passage shows just how important each of us are in the eyes of God. In fact, in Matthew 10:30 Jesus tells us that the very hairs on our head are numbered.

As we read through the Bible we see that names have important meaning and describe an individuals character. For example, God chose a man named Abram to be the patriarch of His chosen people. In order to speak this into existence God changed Abram’s name to Abraham. Why? Because the name Abraham means "father of many".

Abrahams grandson Jacob was also subject to a Godly name change. At an important event in his life, Jacob's name was changed by God to Israel, which means "to wrestle with God". Israel became the name of the promised land which God would give to his chosen people for an everlasting inheritance. And as you read the story of the Jewish people and of Israel in the Bible, you'll see how the name Israel (to wrestle with God) manifests itself.

So as important as these names, and so many other are, how important is Jesus' Name? And what do the Name Jesus mean?

God told the prophet Isaiah that the One to come would be called Emmanuel, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. The prophet Jeremiah said He would be called the Lord our Righteousness. He told Daniel that He would be called the Son of Man and the Messiah.

He was called the Son of God, the Christ, Anointed one, Bread of Life, Light of the world, Living Word, Lamb of God, Savior, Redeemer, Lord, Master, Great Shepherd, Healer, King of kings, and Lord of lords, the Alpha and Omega, beginning and end, first and last, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and the great I AM.

So what is the importance of a name? What is the importance of His Name?

These are just some of the many Names of Jesus. And they all have important meaning to us. If you want to understand all that Jesus is and all that He does for us, search out the many meanings of His Name. His name tells us all that He is, all that He has done, all that He will do.

So what’s in a name?

His Name turned the world upside down!

Proverbs 18:10 tells us that the Name of the Lord is a strong tower where the righteous run in for safety. Anything and everything that we need or desire can be found in His Name. So seek Him out and take refuge in His Name.

And remember that there is power in His Name, and we have been given the authority to use His Name in our lives. So let’s get to know Him by all that is in HIS NAME!