A Unique Name
By David W Hall
When I was young we had neighbours who named one of their children William and another Bill. Another of our neighbours was called ‘Bubbles’. In the cases of William and Bill, the names were obviously chosen because of their sound, and in ignorance that Bill is generally a nickname for William. I can only guess at the reason for calling a child ‘Bubbles’. Many parents name their children after admired relatives or famous people. At the end of the Second World War there was a multitude of babies named ‘Winnie’ or ‘Winston’, after the victorious prime minister. Obviously, in our culture, the meaning of a name is of little importance compared to its sound or its emotional connection.
The Biblical concept of naming is vastly different from this. A name given by God does far more than just provide a distinguishing label. When God names someone He proclaims that person’s identity, uniqueness, nature, capacities, personality and distinctions. He also defines their work, destiny, pathway as well as their relational and geographic context, and their time and place in history – in fact, everything about them.
That is why, in so many cases, God specifically instructed parents to name their children by a specific name. That is also why He changed the names of various ones. Abram, whose name means ‘father’, had his name changed to ‘Abraham’, which means ‘father of a multitude’. Jacob, meaning ‘cheat’ was changed to ‘Israel’ which means ‘prince with God’.
You were named by God
It is wonderful to realize that, despite whatever name our parents gave us, God has already named each one of us. We know this because Solomon said, ‘Whatever one is, he has been named already, for it is known that he is man; and he cannot contend with Him who is mightier than he’. To Jeremiah God said, ‘before I formed you in the womb I knew you and ordained you.’ He did it all by name. Eccl 6:10.
Written in God’s book
Not only did God name us before we were created, but He also wrote that name in the book of life. King David said to God, ‘Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them!’ Psa 139:16. What a wonderful thought! Long before you were created the Members of the Godhead conferred together in great detail about you. They agreed together and rejoiced about you. Then the Father named the identity that would be brought forth from your mother’s womb. None of us is an accident, and none has a lesser calling or destiny than another. We are all called to be ‘sons of God’, each with a unique part to play in the family of God.
Now this raises an important question. If all our names were originally written in God’s book, why does the book of Revelation talk about people whose names are ‘not written in the book of life’? The answer is simply that the name originally written in the book must be received and lived out by the one thus named. The promise to those who overcome is, ‘I will not blot out his name from the Book of Life’. Rev 17:8; 20:12; 3:5.
