THE NAMES OF GOD
PROVERBS 18:10 COMMENTARY (Click picture for beautiful song “The Names of God“): Proverbs 18:10 states that
“The Name of the LORD (Jehovah) is a strong tower.
The righteous runs into it and is safe.”
The Hebrew word for “safe” is “sagab” which more literally means lifted up or set on high, e.g., as an “inaccessible (sagab) city” (Isa 26:5) the same word Pr 18:10 translates “safe!” What a picture of the position of the righteous man or woman who “runs” into the truth about the Name of Jehovah– the storms of life may (probably will!) still be present, but the believer’s “lofty” position provides protection and perspective in the midst of the trials, temptations or afflictions! In another passage we read of Jehovah’s promise that “Because he holds fast to Me in love (Is this not a way to “run into” His Name, recalling that Jesus equated obedience with love? Jn 14:15-Spurgeon sermon), I will deliver him. I will protect (sagab [click 7x in Psalms) – NAS renders it “set him securely on high“) him (WHY?), because he knows My Name.” (Ps 91:14ESV-note) The Hebrew word for “know (yada)“ speaks of intimate acquaintance with His Name (cp Jn 17:3-Spurgeon sermon)! Doesn’t this truth alone motivate in you a desire to study His glorious Names, so that you might intimately, experientially “know” Him by His great Names?
C H Spurgeon said “If we come to the bottom of things, we shall find that the basis of the security of the believer lies in the character of God.” The Names of God stand for His Person, His character, His attributes. But even all His great names are but “the fringes of His ways and how faint a word we hear of Him!” (Job 26:14) And yet as you seek to know Him better through His many Names, you will be rewarded by manifold benefits and blessings: Specifically you will be better able to praise His Name (Ps 113:1-note), to give thanks to His holy Name (Ps 106:47-note), to trust in the Name of Jehovah (Isa 50:10-Spurgeon sermon), to love the Name of Jehovah (Isa 56:6-Spurgeon sermon), to glorify the Name of Jehovah (Isa 24:15) The Spirit writes through the Psalmist that “Our Help is in the Name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth” (Ps 124:8-note). And so we run to “take refuge (“trust” in KJV, NIV, NLT) (Meditate on the 24 uses of this great verb in the Psalms) in the Name of Jehovah” (Zeph 3:12).
Summary: God’s Name is His (1) Self-revelation, (2) His invitation, in a sense, to know Him more intimately (3) and is a progressive revealing of His infinite character. The better we know His Names, the better we know Him and the more we trust Him as “Abba, Father” (Mk 14:36, Ro 8:15-note, Gal 4:6-Spurgeon sermon). The more we know Him through His great Names, the sooner and more often we will “run into” the truth of His trustworthy character and His “precious and magnificent promises” (2Pe 1:4-note) which are “Yea and Amen” in the Name of Jesus (2Co 1:20KJV-Spurgeon sermon).
“Bless the LORD, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His holy Name “Jesus” that matchless Name which is above every name, for there is no other Name under heaven which has been given among men, by which we must be saved from sin and death.” Amen (Ps 103:1-Spurgeon sermon, Php 2:9-note, Acts 4:12-Spurgeon sermon).
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