What's In A Name?

by Barbara Chadwick


We had a couple visiting in church. When I asked the man’s name he said, “ My name is Sam” and I thought, “Of course!” He looked like a Sam to me.

As pregnant mothers we often look in “Names” books for the best names for our babies. We want to know how the name feels on our tongues when we say it and we want to know the meaning of the name.

I was reading I Kings 5:5 in my morning devotional and was so interested to read that Solomon was going to build a house or a temple for the “Name” of the LORD. My thought was why wasn’t he going to build a house or temple for the LORD God or for Jehovah? Why was it to be for God’s Name? So I looked in the Preacher’s Commentary and found this:

“I propose to build a house for the name of the LORD …" Not for the Lord, but for the name of the Lord. The Hebrews reverenced the name of the Lord so deeply, they would not even speak it, substituting instead the word Adonai meaning "Lord." God's name was the manifestation of the divine nature in a visible sign as a pledge of His presence. They considered the name almost as sacred as God Himself, and to build a house for His name was tantamount to building it for God. Ancient cultures, including the Hebrews, believed that to know the name of a deity allowed the worshiper to claim the power of that deity.

After reading this portion this week I was wondering about my body being the “house” for my name. For our Bible study in Sunday School I’m supposed to be memorizing I Corinthians 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body.”

So, if I propose to “build” a place in my body for God’s Name or for the Holy Spirit to reside what will I do?

First and foremost I will confess my sins to God and ask Him to be my Savior. At that point the Holy Spirit will reside in me. If God, through the Holy Spirit resides in me I will want to do things that will bring glory to His Name. Things like, reading His Word, praying, fellowshipping with other believers. I will love God with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind; (Matt. 22:37) and I will love other people.

Reading about how Solomon made the Temple and the beautiful things he put in it made me remember that there are times I have put things in my mind that are not beautiful like books I’ve read or movies I’ve watched. Also, there are times when I let emotions that do not honor God control my mind.

Lord God, I pray that when people hear my name the picture that comes to mind will be a picture that brings honor to your Name. Also, I pray that I will not let my emotions rule my actions but that my actions will bring glory to Your Name.