Nougat 15

Today’s Holy Nougat is YouVersion’s verse of the day, because I was totally struck by one concept. The Name. Reflect with me …

“The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.” ‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Safety in the Name

This isn’t about ‘name dropping’, which is the act of gaining social access by making reference to who we knew or know. While it has its merits (or so it seems), it isn’t guaranteed that who we know socially will secure us in times of trouble or distress. It may work most times, sometimes or none at all but this is different.

In French, when we are asked about our names, the sentence construction turns the act of naming to us. Thus, it reads

‘What do you call yourself?’, to which we respond, ‘I call myself …’

With the exception of Hagar, God seems to use this format. For God’s name is imbued with power and meaning. The name used in our nougat is YHWH, the name God shared with Moses at Midian, prior to Moses return to Egypt. Ironically, Moses asked God to give him a name by which God, Who presented to Moses as fire , should be introduced to the oppressive Egyptian regime.

Before rehearsing the story and the Hebrew meaning, I take the liberty to share the Arabic roots of YHWH: love, desire or passion (see article on The Torah https://www.thetorah.com/…/yhwh-the-original-arabic…). For me, this brings to minds the fierceness of a lioness or hen over her babies. I’ve read about lions, but can still remember being pecked by the hen when searching for eggs or venturing too near to her chicks. God’s name reveals God’s desires for us, and may be a shield like the wings of a mother hen protecting her brood from danger.

We understand that in Hebrew, however, the Tetragrammaton (ie those four letter sounds) suggests, ’I Am that I Am’. That’s constancy. Present continuous. Or rather, Eternal Continuous’. Hence Deuteronomy 33:27 tells us, ‘The Eternal God is our Dwelling Place, and underneath the dwelling place are the everlasting arms. He drives the enemy out before us and cries out ‘destroy the enemy’.’ That was Moses’s assurance to the children of Israel as they prepared to enter the Land of God’s Promise. The name of God is not only eternal, but God is also our secure bomb shelter and fortress.

The phrase can also be read to mean ‘that I Am you heard about, I am he!’ Remember Jesus’ response to the woman of Sychar in John 4:26? I am the Messiah was His response to her question-comment in verse 25, I hear that there’s a Messiah coming … For me, it offers memories of primary (elementary) school days when we’d box out and touch or sports days when we declared which house we represented. Rahab told the spies that her people feared the Israelites because they were under God’s protection and care (see Joshua 2:9). That’s the power of God’s name. The Jerichoites had only heard of the God of the Israelites, and were afraid.

Siblings, that’s the banner under which we travel. It’s possibly why we have the commandment that we must not call God’s name in vain (see Exodus 20:7). For calling God’s name invokes God’s presence, power and protection. Immediately

And using YHWH, the Warrior Title (for that was the name Moses was to give to Pharaoh and the magicians (Exodus 6:2)), means it’s rescue time; we’re ready to leave the oppressive regime of Egypt for God’s coverage.

Lastly, I am reminded that there’s a school of thought that says calling YHWH is as simple as breathing. It’s a full breath of inhaling and exhaling. A little more than a sigh. Little less than a cry. In the twinkling of an eye we can be under God’s anointing and protection. And since God’s Spirit is also breath, we recognize that we truly activate the protection of our Triune God. God’s name is our refuge – let’s seek shelter in The Name.

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May all we seek be found in Christ