Nougat 25

Names matter, and even more so when we examine who gave us our name/nickname. What were you known by as a child or youth? Were any of those names significant, and did they have a special meaning? Consider Today’s Holy Nougat

“Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this—one in whom is the spirit of God?” Moreover Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah; and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.” ‭‭…” ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭41‬:‭38, 44-45‬ ‭NRSV‬‬

Whose Name?

A very impressive name was bestowed on Joseph. ‘The god speaks and he lives’ could refer to Joseph as the speaking living god in their midst; but it could also refer to the fact that God spoke through Joseph and God still lives amongst us today (well – in that day). In either case, we also recognize that there is an implied power in naming, that re/defines the named, ill-intentioned or not.

While Zaphenath-paneah was most likely intended as a high compliment, and underscored pharaoh’s recognition that God spoke through Joseph, it also was indicative of something more. Pharaoh was conscious of God’s Spirit abiding IN Joseph, but he has not necessarily got to the point of acknowledging YHWH God’s sovereignty. This wasn’t an experience like Daniel with Nebuchadnezzar or Belshazzar. For, pharaoh’s lens were still shaped by his own tradition.

And that’s why he insisted that Joseph marry HIS priest’s daughter Asenath. I’m not suggesting that she was adverse to worshiping Joseph’s God; but I am saying that the union was intended to merge spiritual forces. I also see the subtle similarity in names, and wonder whether ‘Neath’ or ‘Neith’ was an Egyptian god and what that role was. Or, if the name given for Asenath was more about the new role as wife of ‘the god who speaks and lives’. Scholars believe her name either means ‘beloved of Neth’ or simply ‘of Neth’ – who was an Egyptian deity).

Without a doubt pharaoh intended Joseph’s new name as a compliment, but let’s also recognize that the new name also signified a new identity. And this was outside of his God-given one. So we see that with the pharaoh’s promotion came a rebranding that had the potential to strip Joseph of his identity. God permitted it, as God had greater plans that included the rebranding, but there remains a cautionary note.

When we are renamed/named, we must understand the context and concept of the one who names us. We are branded in Christ for example, when we accept God’s offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ. In that instance, we receive citizenship for life beyond this life. God’s Spirit oversees the naming (rebranding), and we become the bride betrothed to Jesus. Would that our attitude reveals our new name … ‘belonging to Christ’.

What names have you carried? Who named you? Most of all, do we bear the title/brand ‘of Christ’, to the glory of God? Selah

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May all we seek be found in Christ