My Name

I know I have posted once already, but in writing a note to my grandmother, I related this story to her:

I was a bit early to church this morning. Sleep eluded me, and while I could have attended the early service, I would have missed some newly-minted friends who usually attend the middle one.

I arrived early to the second service on account of my sleeplessness and amused myself some at looking at the Bibles they have for the taking. They had a couple pocket-sized New Testaments, and I pulled one off the shelf.

It had a bookmark in it, an empty cross with the words to Job 19.25:

For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.

This verse has a special significance to me, because it is related to my name.

The three children in my family—my brother, me, and my sister—all have names that start with the letter E. My father's love of classical music met his love for the Lord in Handel's master piece, The Messiah, known mostly for the Hallelujah Chorus.

The Chorus is written in the key of D, music's key of majesty. I suppose it is the usual key designed to give you goosebumps at the movies. After he finished the chorus, Handel started to write based on that same verse from Job that I found on a bookmarked tucked in a Bible.

We understand that Handel could not denigrate the Hallelujah Chorus; it was magnificent. He could not make it less majestic than it was, and he should not have. Yet the resurrection demanded something better, more regal, more triumphant. Handel chose to use the key of E to quote the book of Job. He upped the ante, if you will.

This is how Dad decided that we should all have names that started with E. He didn't stop there. He wanted our names to mean something, too. (I suspect part of the reason we were born further apart was because it took him awhile to plan this.)

My name means, "Who is steadfast like the Lord." I think it is a question, not a statement; but I like to hope he chose the name so that I would grow into it. Dad would often admonish me sternly, "Remember what your name means." It was an injunction he gave to all of us often, normally as we walked out the door to the bus.

This has been a safeguard for me amid so many of life's troubles. The past few weeks have not been pleasant ones, and as I lay awake very early this morning, unable to sleep and wrestling with sorrows, I found no comfort. As soon as I saw the bookmark, I was cast immediately upon the faithfulness—the steadfastness—of our Lord.

It is what I guarded myself with when I left home for a far-away job. And today, it guards me against those sorrows that "like sea-billows roll." He is faithful to us and keeps us always.

The One Who Is

I had opportunity yesterday to speak with a friend whose persuasions concerning the faith are rather independent. He is a sincere and good man, and I trust a brother in the Lord. As we drove to an appointment together, we spoke some of the faith, particularly concerning the deity of Christ. He is not strictly a trinitarian, but I am at somewhat of a loss to describe what he really believes.


Regardless, it reminded me of one of the great things about being able to look carefully at the Scriptures. Certain sects declare quite vehemently, and against orthodox doctrine, that Jesus Christ is not divine—that is, that he is not the same God revealed in the Old Testament. They invent all sorts of means to counter it, and succeed in persuading themselves that Jesus really did not claim to be God.

For a moment, though, let us consider the text of Exodus 3.13,14:

13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?

14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

This is the first time in all of history that God reveals his covenant name to his people.¹ It is variously rendered Jehovah or Yahweh, to mimic the four Hebrew letters that are used in its construction.

The Apostle's Bible, a translation of the Septuagint², renders 3.14 thus:

14 And God spoke to Moses, saying, I am THE BEING. And He said, Thus shall you say to the children of Israel, THE BEING has sent me to you.

But the Greek here reads, "EGW EIMI hO WN"—I am the being one, or, as we see it rendered elsewhere, "I am the one who is."


Why is this important? Because this is precisely what Jesus says about himself in Revelation 1.18:

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending," saith the Lord, "which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

The Greek here is identical to the language in Exodus 3.14, though there are a few words in between in Revelation. It must be understand that the one who is to come is Christ (Acts 1.11, among many others), and he therefore is also "the one who is." He is God who identifies himself in Exodus 3.14 as the I Am.

Redemption is built around the trinity. The death of Christ means nothing if he is only a man. He is my kinsman by birth—he is a man—and so he has claim on me to redeem me. But his life is worth nothing as just a man, exalted or otherwise. He cannot fulfill the law in all its aspects, both in keeping it and taking its punishment, if he is not also God.


[1] It's worth mentioning that God gets a new name in three significant spots in the Scripture. The first is here, when he reveals that he is the one who is. The focal point of history, the cross, reveals God as Jesus Christ (Jn 17.6). At the final bookend, we see that Jesus Christ is given a name that no one else knows (Rev 19.12). I do not think this should be overlooked.

[2] The Septuagint (LXX) is a Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament. The name stems from the number of translators, who according to tradition paired off in twos, translated the OT, and returned to quorum with exactly the same translation. It is used most famously by the Eastern Orthodox church. The NT writers more often quote from the LXX than any other OT source. Some others prefer it, believing that later texts have been corrupted to remove or alter Messianic references. (Interested students will hopefully realize that Wikipedia is not the most authoritative of sources, but it is a good place to start.)

Prayer and Suffering

Dan Phillips of Pyromaniacs fame had a fantastic post on prayer today.

It touches on the theme of suffering and God's sovereign purposes, and it's really a good read. It comes amid some of my own difficult times, and quotes a passage of Scripture in which I delight so much (Ps 103.1-5).

Give it a read.