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In Summary The revelation of the Name of God in the Old Testament has frequently been a key to unlocking peoples and cultures throughout the history of frontier mission. It also has profound meaning for today's plans, methods, and strategies.

Many books have been written concerning the various revelations of God's names in the scriptures. While there is a wealth of knowledge in these volumes to encourage the individual believer to walk closer with the Lord, very little is said concerning God's purposes for His self-revelations. Yet, it must be evident that God reveals Himself because He wants to be known. If He wants to be known, then any revelation of Himself must be cause for mission. Such a God deserves to be known and to have His fame spread among all of humanity. This article will examine some of the possible motivations and significance behind God's revelations of His name.

God makes Himself known

God's universal claims are laid in the creation accounts which commence the book of Genesis. He is and always will be the God of all the earth, of all lands and of all peoples. Beyond these universal claims of the creation story, there is another fundamental principle being revealed which also has great significance for mission: God wants to make Himself known. As throughout redemptive history, God initiates His pattern of self-revelation in creation, and because He is only good, this is not an egocentric act of a tyrannical despot, but the act of a loving Life-giver. He wants creation to acknowledge Him for who He is and what He has done. From this knowledge will flow the best results for all of humanity and the rest of creation. The acts of sacrifice and risk taken by the Creator in revealing Himself implicates the objects of His divine disclosures in this plan of making Him known. Thus begins the drama in Genesis of God's plan of self-revelation and the ensuing responsibility of the recipients of holy insight for mission.

What's in a name?

Many have written of the significance of a name in the days of the patriarchs. A person's name did more than serve as a convenient means of identification since it represented his or her character, lifestyle and lineage. "In Scripture, a name is much more that an identifying tag. It denotes the essence and character of a person or thing." "In the Bible the name is often equivalent with the person. But it refers to a special aspect of the person. God Himself associates His person with His name and He, personally, is the one who effects our salvation." Thus, Abigail could say of her husband, "Pay no attention to this man, to this worthless (lit. man of Belial) man, Nabal, for as his name is, so is he. Nabal (man of Belial) is his name and folly is with him" (I Samuel 25:25). Other examples are common, both for good and bad: Naomi, Ichabod, Joshua, Manasseh, Ephraim, Abraham, Israel, Peter and Jesus. The Hebrew word for name also gives the idea of memorial, renown and fame. (See Isaiah 55:13 and Zephaniah 3:19,20.) Therefore, when God chose to reveal Himself in a new way, He often used names to give his revelations permanence and significance for the ancient mindset. 'There are many names for God for no one name could express all that He is, in Himself, and in His grace toward erring men." How then did God choose to identify Himself?

Several scholars have suggested that the first occurring and second most frequently used name of God, Elohim, may not be a name at all but rather a title. Elohim conveys the meaning of divine ruler, almighty, sovereign, covenant-giver and the "putter forth of power." This seems to be more of a definition of the divine being, rather than a revelatory statement of His name and character. This suggestion seems to be borne out by Exodus 6:3 where God says to Moses, "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai), but by My name, LORD (YHWH), I did not make myself known to them." While there is some question to the meaning of this statement since YHWH is used prior to Moses, if we accept the inerrancy of the Old Testament, we must attribute this to the date of the recording and the manner in which God made Himself known. Thus, God seemed to have a special purpose in mind when revealing Himself by name to Moses. As Elohim, God, the Creator has identified Himself as uniquely relevant to every member of creation. Yet a fuller revelation of Himself which would give further hope to all of humanity was in the process.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob

Before we examine God's name as YHWH, let us examine His identity prior to that important event. In coming to deliver the Israelites, Moses is to announce to them, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has appeared to me saying, I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt'" (Genesis 3:16). Over 30 times in the Bible, God identifies Himself with these three Patriarchs. Why are these three chosen? Certainly there were some more outstanding candidates for faithfulness and devotion to God than these three: Abraham the idolater, Isaac of no special acclaim and Jacob the swindler.

There are a variety of possible reasons that God chose to identify Himself with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but I would like to suggest three that would be especially significant for mission. First, as we see in Joshua 24:2, God chose an idolatrous man to make a covenant with rather than, say, the righteous Melchizedek. But such a selection would signal hope to all those who cared to find out about this peculiar God. By identifying Himself with such a man, even as Jesus identified with the less-than-desirable elements of the religious community, any idolater might hope that this God of all Creation would accept him or her if they turned with all of their hearts. Second, if we examine the call of Abraham, God told him to leave his land and go to a land which he would be shown. This contrasted with all of the other tribal deities who were linked with a specific geographical location. This God was itinerant and not tied to a particular place! Finally, only to these three Patriarchs did God reiterate this covenant: "I will bless you and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed." Perhaps God was saying, "I choose to be identified as the God who will ultimately redeem all of humanity." These three were the only recipients of such a covenant which promised blessing to all peoples. Thus, I believe that God deliberately identified Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to show that He was and is a Redeemer of all who are in spiritual darkness and bondage, is not tied to a specific locality but an exportable commodity and is, by covenant, planning the inclusion of the families of the earth in His demonstrative goodness. Israel certainly did not go to any great pains to make Him known, but what a beacon of hope such an identification with humanity this must have been for those who saw in His association with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the ray of redemption. God chose His identity in such a manner to communicate concern to all those hearts who might seek Him. God's name thus implied mission from His first associations with His chosen people.

The Name above all names

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Curt Chanda, a student of and mobilizer for frontier missions, serves with the Rocky Mountain Center for World Mission in Denver, Colorado.


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