What does God really want us to call Him? This question has been a controversial flash point in the body for some years now with a wide spectrum of emotion attached ranging from studious curiosity to factionalism. However, it really is a simple issue. It came home to me in Jerusalem.
Our visiting professor of linguistics at the Jerusalem University College was put on the spot over pronunciation of the Name. It was the mid 1990s and in the Hebrew course I was taking we had a guest speaker who was a linguistic scholar of notable standing. A student almost immediately asked the question of how to pronounce God’s name.
The professor’s reaction was one of mild irritation, however he answered so beautifully it needs to be relayed. He related what most of us already knew, and that is that no one really knows exactly how to pronounce the four letter name of God recorded in the Scriptures “Yod Heh Vav Heh”. “But,” he said, “If you want me to pronounce the way they would most likely be, it would be something like Ya-ho-wah.” The deflation of the student was almost visible. He was expecting something else.
The fact of the matter is that the Name of God is really transcendent. The four letter name is the perfect combination of past, present and future tense of the verb “TO BE.” It would be impossible to really pronounce that. In fact, the modern Hebrew language does not use the verb ‘to be’ in present tense at all. It is conspicuously absent. One says, “I go to the store” instead of “I am going to the store.” When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, the ones leading the mob were temple guards and temple police though they had some Roman soldiers with them. They were Jewish, Hebrew speaking guards and police. It makes no sense that he would speak to them in Greek. His answer, “I am He,” knocked them all down backward. Something more than meets the eye was going on. The man with all the power had just pronounced the Name of power.
Hebrew did not always have vowel markings. The continuous presence of Jewish people in the Holy Land guaranteed the language would stay pure. However, Roman destruction came in waves between 70 AD and 150 AD. When it came time to put vowel markings to Hebrew so the Jewish people would not forget how to pronounce the language (at the Roman occupation of Israel, destruction of Jerusalem, renaming the holy city Aelia Capitolina and driving the Jews from the city and many from the country), they chose to use the vowel markings of the word Adonai (Master or Lord) with the four letters of the Hebrew name – whence Yahweh came into being (Jehovah being a Greek pronunciation). But, that is not the pronunciation of the four letter name. So, we are in trouble when we cross scholarly lines as laymen and proclaim to know that name.
What about names?
God revealed Himself by many names in the First Covenant, one of which is my favorite. “Jealous.”
“For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God.” Exodus 34:14. God is interested in relational intimacy with His followers. Jealousy is such an ungodly emotion, yet, God Almighty declares His name to be Jealous. I’m loving it.
So, let’s take the issue to Scripture. Jesus revealed the extent of that intimacy with his life and death. Just before his crucifixion, in such great duress in the garden that he was sweating great drops of blood, he addressed God intimately. His choice of names is astounding; Jesus called Him Abba.
Three verses reveal that intimacy in increasing degrees of importance:
Mar 14:36 And he said, Abba, Father, all things [are] possible unto you; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but your will.
Jesus himself leads our way into the arms of our heavenly Father with the child-like label: Abba.
Rom 8:15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
Who is the Spirit of adoption who also causes us to cry out like Jesus, Abba, Father? The next usage in the New Covenant tells us.
Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
The final word on the Name of God is coming from God himself via His Spirit who dwelling in the depths of our spirits, cries out Abba, Father. The place to really have this branded on your soul is the everyday streets of Jerusalem where small children are heard everywhere crying out: “Oogah Abba!” i.e., “Can I have some cake Daddy?”
So, in the controversy, I choose intimacy. I understand that God is loving, tolerant, and eternally interested in us. And it may come as a surprise to some that Jesus will have a new name that has not even been revealed yet according to the book of Revelation.
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