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God's Name
(From Forerunner Commentary)

In Psalm 8:1, God uses two names for Himself: "LORD" is YHWH, the self-existent One, the Eternal, the name God frequently uses when He is emphasizing His covenant relationship with us. "Lord" is Adonim, a plural title indicating ownership—in this case He owns the entire creation! Both of these names are at times combined with other words to form even more specific descriptions of Him. The name most frequently combined and recognized is YHWH. Here is a short list of some of them: YHWH-Jireh—God our Provider—Genesis 22:14. YHWH-Mekaddishkem—God who sanctifies—Exodus 31:13. YHWH-Nissi—God is my banner—Exodus 17:15. YHWH-Roi—God our shepherd—Psalm 23:1. YHWH-Ropheka—God our healer—Exodus 15:26. YHWH-Shalom—God our peace—Judges 6:24. YHWH-Shammah—God is present—Ezekiel 48:35. YHWH-Zidkenu—God our righteousness—Jeremiah 23:6. Psalm 23:1-6—which more people claim as their favorite portion of Scripture than any other—is a brief expounding of these eight names of God! Though the names do not actually appear in the verses, the implication of how God serves us is. Verse 1 shows God's guidance (Roi) and providence (Jireh). Verse 2 speaks of Him giving us peace (Shalom), and verse 3, of Him restoring us (Ropheka) and leading us to righteousness (Zidkenu). Verse 4 reminds us how God is with us (Shammah). Finally in verse 5, He encourages (Nissi) and anoints or sanctifies us (Mekaddishkem). John W. Ritenbaugh The Third Commandment

Exodus 20:7  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The third commandment deals with God's name, His character, His office, His position as the great sovereign Ruler of the universe: "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain" (Exodus 20:7; Deuteronomy 5:11). In biblical terms, personal names have a meaning, for they usually describe some aspect of the person's character. So it is with God's name. The Bible reveals Him under different names, each given with a purpose: to set forth some distinct virtue or characteristic of His nature. In this commandment, the Hebrew word rendered "guiltless" may also be translated "clean." A person is clean or unclean according to how he uses the name of God, whether in truth or in vanity. A person who continually talks about God but denies Him in his daily life is unclean; he is guilty of breaking the law of God, a sinner. If we use God's name in a way that denies the true meaning and character of God, we break the third commandment. As we can easily see, God is greatly concerned about how we use His name. Martin G. Collins The Third Commandment

Exodus 34:5-8  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) God expounds eleven attributes: YHWH, El, the Merciful One, the Gracious One, the Longsuffering One, the Mighty One, the Kind and Loving One, the True One, the One who Preserves Kindness, the Forgiving One, and the Chastising One. God gives Moses, not so much a vision of His power and majesty, but of His love, of how He relates to His creation. The real glory of God is His character, His nature, especially toward His begotten children. His names are signposts of His nature, reminders of what we can expect Him to do as we live by faith. John W. Ritenbaugh The Third Commandment

Exodus 34:5  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) God was preaching him a sermon on what He is. The names of God describe Him. They tell us what God is, what He does, and what He will do for us. Richard T. Ritenbaugh Forbearance

Proverbs 22:1  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) All members of God's church have inherited a Family name far more valuable than any surname. We have an awesome responsibility to uphold and honor the nobility and dignity of the name of God. The reputation we create for our church, our businesses, or our institutions is the legacy we pass on to our brothers and sisters and our children. David F. Maas What's in a Name Anyway?

Daniel 11:32  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The word translated "know" (Hebrew, yada; Greek, ginosko) is foundational when considering God's sovereignty. Yada appears in Daniel 11:32: "Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery; but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits." "Know" indicates a close, warm, and even passionate intimacy combined with head knowledge that produces an "edge" in a person's life. This enables us to trust God and, at the same time, to perceive what He is doing. It is this factor that makes God's Word authoritative to us. This warm, close, and passionate relationship forms the very foundation of a true, working willingness to submit to His sovereignty. Do we really believe that, because God is holy, His anger burns against sin? That, because He is righteous, His judgments fall on those who rebel? That, because God is faithful, His promises of blessing or cursing are absolute? That, because God is omnipotent, nobody can resist Him? That, because God is omniscient, there is no problem He cannot master? "The people who know their God" do! Because God is what He is, we are seeing His prophecies of the end of this age being fulfilled in the world and in the church, and that translates into tumultuous, difficult, and sometimes scary and confusing times. John W. Ritenbaugh The Sovereignty of God: Introduction

Matthew 6:9  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) To hallow God's name means to make it holy or set it apart for holy use, respecting it greatly. We hallow His name by obeying Him in all our conduct. Conversely, prayer without obedience is a form of blasphemy (Matthew 7:21, Mark 7:6-7), as is praise offered to God in the attitude of rebellion against His way. It is vain or vanity—useless and contemptible. Martin G. Collins The Third Commandment

Matthew 28:19-20  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) The third commandment involves the quality of our personal witness of everything God's name implies. His name represents His position as Creator, Lifegiver, Provider, Ruler, and Sustainer, as well as His character, power, and promises. As Matthew 28:19-20 shows, "God" became our spiritual Family name upon begettal by His Spirit, and thus we have a responsibility to grow and uphold that name's reputation by bringing honor upon it by our words, deeds, and attitudes. John W. Ritenbaugh The Fourth Commandment (Part One)

Matthew 28:19  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Baptism serves to induct us into God's church and Family. We are literally baptized into the name of God. It becomes our Family name, and we have a great responsibility to uphold it (see Exodus 20:7; Proverbs 22:1). Afterwards, when a minister lays his hands on us, God gives us of His Spirit, and we truly become Christians, members of the body of Christ. And because we have God's Spirit in us, we become God's children and heirs with Christ of all things (Romans 8:14-17; Hebrews 2:5-13)! Richard T. Ritenbaugh Basic Doctrines: Water Baptism

John 17:6  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Notice that Jesus never mentions how to pronounce the Father's name. Salvation is not based on its pronunciation! Far more important is doing the will of God, an absolute necessity in truly fearing His name. The Father's name guards us from evil by the Word of God, which is truth. Martin G. Collins The Third Commandment

2 Corinthians 11:2  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) Jealousy has a well-deserved bad reputation because it is essentially self-centered. However, it has a positive aspect when the affection and passion that it contains are directed at upholding the well-deserved reputation of the one who is loved. The third commandment bears directly on this subject. It is a command that is easily and carelessly broken unless we are continually conscious of our responsibility to bring honor upon the name of God, which we will do if we love Him. We will be jealous to uphold the reputation of His name. John W. Ritenbaugh How to Know We Love Christ

Revelation 3:12  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) When God resurrects us into His Kingdom, He will give us names to designate our existence, nature, and responsibility in the Kingdom. We are assured of carrying God's own name if we overcome sin. What a tremendous reward to bear His name for all eternity! Martin G. Collins The Third Commandment

 

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