Today's Scripture Reading (September 21, 2025): Psalm 50
I am fascinated by names. I
think there are basically four kinds of names; I really want to say two types,
but I will grudgingly acknowledge a third and fourth group. Actually, it is
probably the third and fourth category that engulfs most of our names. We
choose them because we like the sound of the name, or because we want to bring
honor to someone in the family. And in the process, we often overlook many
things that deserve more consideration. I once had a conversation about names
with a customer who was reconsidering the name she had given to her daughter;
to be clear, this was not a recent event, her daughter was in her forties, so
this woman had given her daughter's name combination a lot of thought since the
day of naming. This woman fell into the fourth category, names that honored
someone in her family. In this case, her mother's name was Mae, and her
mother-in-law's name was Patricia. So, mom decided to call her daughter
Patricia Mae. It was a strong name that honored two of the important women in
her life. However, unnoticed at the time but thought a lot about in the years
to come, this woman's last name was Steele. I am still unsure why no one
noticed that the full name, Patricia Mae (or may) Steele (or steal), might be
problematic. Patricia may steal is probably not the message mom and dad wanted
to send with a name, but it was a message that the daughter or her school
friends didn't miss.
There has been an increase in
recent years in parents naming their children Nevaeh. I have met quite a few Nevaehs
over the past few years. I admit it is a pretty name, and parents often quickly
point out that Nevaeh is Heaven spelled backwards. And I wonder if anyone has
really considered the meaning of Nevaeh? Wouldn't the meaning of Nevaeh be the
backward, or opposite, meaning of Heaven? Again, maybe a message we don't want
to send in a name.
The other two categories are "aspirational
names," or names whose meaning we hope our child will come to reflect, and
"functional names," or names that we choose as adults that reflect
who we are or want to be. The best example of this last group is often regnal
or royal names. The last two monarchs of the United Kingdom have gone by the
names they were given at birth, but Queen Elizabeth's father actually put a lot
of thought into the name he chose to rule by. Born "Albert Frederick Arthur
George," Albert never expected to be King. But after the abdication of his
older brother Edward VIII, Albert wanted a name that would indicate stability.
He could have reigned as King Albert I, but instead, he decided to reign as
King George VI, hoping that the people would be reminded of the stability of
the reign of his father, King George V.
The Psalmist opens up this
section with three names of God. Sometimes in our translations, we try to make
it one name, but that was not the original intention of the Psalmist. He calls
God "el," or simply God, or maybe Mighty God. The Psalmist follows up
with "Elohim," which counterintuitively is the plural of "el"
and a common name for God in the Hebrew Bible, and then finally "Yehova,"
which we often translate as Jehovah or Yahweh. Yehova is the Proper name of
God, and is usually replaced in the Bible with the term "Adonai," which
is translated as "the Lord."
In English, Yehova is always rendered as "Lord" using small caps.
The message of the Psalmist? I don't care what you might call
him. He is the Lord, the Mighty God, or just the God of Israel, and Yahweh is
his name. It is not an aspirational name; it is functional in nature. The name
of God is a clear statement of who He is.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Psalm 73
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