God reveals Himself to mankind through the names of Himself that He has given to His saints. The nature of those names is seen in the three-fold character of this particular form of self-revelation; that is, His names are personal, anthropic, and analogical. By personal, the meaning is that they can be understood and accepted in such a way that one can actually know Him intimately. By anthropic, the meaning is that His names can be described in human language rather than just with figurative expressions. By analogical, the intent is to suggest that His names possess similarities, but are also different, names which are suitable for drawing analogies. God's names for Himself are very limiting when only used by themselves. Yet, each name by itself still provides a piece of true knowledge or information about Him. They demonstrate His initiative in making Himself known, and they also provide non-Christian cultures with a glimpse of His true nature.
Mr. Erickson points out the importance of Hebrew names. According to him, Hebrew children were carefully named because of the perceived significance of the name, plus that of their life. These people believed that a person's name said something about the person. Some clear examples are Joshua which means "Yahweh saves," John which means "Yahweh has been gracious," Noah which means "rest," and David which means "well-beloved." In various ways, each of these four individuals lived a life which was consistent with the meaning of their name. The same is true of God. Through His many different names, an individual can catch a glimpse of Him, plus know some of the different aspects of His true character. The name, El Shaddai, for example presented God as the Almightly and as the all-powerful One. Yahweh was the par excellence name for God which was given to Moses in Exodus 3:15. And to Abraham, God revealed Himself as his Yahweh Jireh, in Genesis 22:14, or as the God Who provides.
Each of the above names for God, as well as the others which have not been mentioned, demonstrates the three-fold character about them which was just discussed. Each name is, first of all, personal because it describes a God Who can be known and experienced. When Abraham was about to offer his son, Isaac, he could take tremendous comfort in Yahweh Jireh, Whom he knew and Who also was able to meet the needs of that hour. God's names are anthropic because they signify certain aspects of His relation to His Creation. For instance, Israel could rejoice and take comfort in their God, El Shaddai, because His name taught them that they would be victorious in all matters when He was on their side. And they are analogical in that one can make analogies about each name which demonstrates a key truth. As El Qanno, the jealous God, He is seen as the God Who wants our complete devotion, like one person might be who is jealous over another, while at the same time, He is also seen as the God Who loves us and is jealous on our behalf because He wants the best for us. Consequently, through these three aspects to His names, a person can gain a good understanding of the Lord.
Tom of Spotswood "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
Lesson 8 - Five Of The Names For God
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