What is GOD’s name?
How do we address the God of Israel, the God of our bible?
Most people I know, refer to our heavenly Father as GOD or The LORD. Many I know, including myself, address Him as ‘Father’ and refer to him as ‘our Creator.’
I know that people of Jewish ancestry don’t pronounce the name of our LORD but tend to refer to him as Adonai and write His name as G-d. I once read an explanation for this on a Jewish website which mentioned that God’s name is too holy for us to take in our mouth. In addition, if we don’t take His name in our mouth we cannot transgress the 3rd Commandment which tells us not to take the LORD’s name in vain.
The King James translators of the bible refer to our Father as ‘God’ and ‘The Lord’ and ‘the Lord our God,’ as do most other bible translations.
Most people I know don’t call their parents by their first name either but use the generic ‘mum’ and ‘dad’ out of respect. For this reason I never took issue with the fact that hardly anyone refers to our heavenly Father by His name.
What has the bible got to say about the name of our Father?
Quite a few references are made in the bible about the name of our Father. We’ll have a look at three of them. The first one is where GOD spoke to Moses out of a fiery bush. The second occasion we’ll mention is at Mount Sinai where GOD introduced himself to his people and the third occasion is where King David refers to our Father as Jah.
In the book of Exodus Moses asked GOD, ‘What should I tell people who ask me what your name is?’ This was an occasion where the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he when he looked, Moses saw that the bush burned with fire, but the bush was not consumed. When Moses turned to look closer as to what was going on, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And God said, take your shoes off because this is holy ground.
At the burning bush
And Moses said to God, Behold when I am coming to the children of Israel and say ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’, what should I tell them? And God said to Moses, Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh (I am that which I am), and He said, thus shall you say to the children of Israel, ‘Ehyeh has sent me to you’. And God said further to Moses, thus shall you say to the Children of Israel: ‘YHWH the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob has sent me to you, this is my name forever, this is my mention for every generation.
At Mount Sinai
If we look at how the bible translators dealt with what was said at Mount Sinai where our Father introduced himself to his people we notice that there are quite a few variations. Most translators translate as follows, ‘I am the LORD your God,’ others translated, ‘I am Jehovah your GOD’ and one translated as ‘I am Yahweh your God.’
Riding upon the heavens
Further on in the bible in the book of Psalms King David refers to our Father as Jah.
GOD’s name is important
Within history and the whole salvation story GOD’s name is important. We know this because it is referred to often in the bible in various ways.
When GOD himself places importance of his name, I sit up and listen.
When we address GOD and refer to him why don’t we call him by his name?
It doesn’t help matters much that some religious groups have kinda ‘hijacked’ the name Jehovah such as for instance the Jehova’s witnesses. By mentioning his name people may think that those who mention Jehovah’s name are associated with certain groups they may not necessary feel like they want to be associated with.
There are people who call God by his name and refer to The LORD as Yahweh or Jehovah. But if we want to call our Father by his name, it would be nice to know the correct name and how to pronounce it. How can we find out what God’s name is and how to pronounce it?
I have good news for you! Biblicar scholar Nehemia Gordon has done a study on just that.
Study on the name of the Most High by biblical scholar
The consonants of the name YHVH appear some 6828 times in the Hebrew text of Scripture, yet is hardly found in any bible; why is this so?
Biblical scholar Nehemia Gordon has done a study on this very subject and his study ‘The Pronunciation of the Name’ dismantles the ‘scholarly consensus’ that the name of God is ‘Yahweh’, and proves it to be ‘Ye HO VaH’ which is pronounced with the emphasis on the last vowel.
Nehemia says that, ‘When it comes to the name it is widely believed that the vowels were systematically replaced with the vowels of the word Adonai (Lord). So modern scholars deliberately ignore the vowels of YHVH which are actually written in the Hebrew text of Scripture and attempt to reconstruct what the “original” vowels were based on all kinds of external arguments and speculations.
As a result, scholars arrive at different conclusions as to how the name was originally pronounced. One of the most popular theories is that the name was pronounced Yahweh and there is a virtual scholarly consensus concerning this name. However, this consensus is not based on decisive proof. The Anchor Bible Dictionary explains: ‘The pronunciation of yhwh as Yahweh is a scholarly guess.’
If you want to know more about Nehemia’s study on this and other subjects you can visit him by clicking on any of the links provided. Thank you Nehemia for such an excellent study.
There are many differing opinions on the subject of God’s name and one more is referred to by Yahu Ranger below in the comments, but it is my understanding that the meaning of the name Yehovah is, ‘He who was,’ ‘now is’ and ‘is to come.’
Sounds like forever to me.
*
ABOUT THE CONTENT – All content on this website is copyrighted and you can read more about this here. Please also read the disclaimer about my authority and qualifications.
ABOUT THIS BLOG – We’re researching the truth of living forever according to GOD’s Holy Word; Sola Scripture. Popular opinion tells us that everyone who ‘believes’ and has ‘faith’ will go to heaven. Is this true? I decided to ask the prophets about the truth of it all.
ABOUT SCRIPTURE CARDS – If you want to send free Scripture Cards to your friends click here and if you want to buy hard copies of Scripture Cards you can click here. To download a free copy of my Story of Survival click here.
Yom Kippur is also called the Day of Atonement.
In 2015 Yom Kippur is celebrated on September 24 (if the moon is sighted on September 14, according to Karaite Jews).
it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.
In the bible in Leviticus 23 it is written that,
The Lord says, ‘these are my feasts.’
Concerning the feasts of the Lord.
Scripture states that Yom Kippur is concerning the feasts of the Lord. It does not say, ‘the feasts of the Jewish people’ and it does not say, ‘the feasts of the Christian people’ and it does not say, ‘the feast for followers of the bible.’ No, it clearly says, ‘Concerning the feasts of the Lord … these are my feasts.’
This means that anyone following the Lord, be they Jewish or Christian or followers of the bible are invited to celebrate these feasts. In fact even ‘strangers’ such as any people of any culture are invited to celebrate Yom Kippur as follows,
Most Jewish people celebrate Yom Kippur on the 3rd of October this year but the Karaite Jews, who follow the biblical calendar, have calculated that the Day of Atonement falls on the 5th of October in 2014. Keith and Nehemia were on an interesting trip where they didn’t quite reinstate the calculating of the biblical feasts according to the moon calendar, but they certainly reminded all of us how it is supposed to be done.
A statute for ever throughout your generation
Yom Kippur is considered one of the most important, if not the most important and holiest feast day of the year and is mentioned by the LORD as ‘a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.’
And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Also on the tenth day of this seventh month there shall be a day of atonement: it shall be an holy convocation unto you; and ye shall afflict your souls, and offer an offering made by fire unto the Lord. And ye shall do no work in that same day: for it is a day of atonement, to make an atonement for you before the Lord your God … Ye shall do no manner of work: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings. It shall be unto you a sabbath of rest, and ye shall afflict your souls: in the ninth day of the month at even, from even unto even, shall ye celebrate your sabbath.
On the 10th day of the Seventh Month (Tishrei) is the holiday known as Yom Ha-Kipurim (or Yom Kippur), “The Day of Atonement”. This is a day dedicated to fasting and prayer on which we ask Yehovah to atone for our sins. You can read more about Yom Kippur when you visit Nehemia’s wall and Hebrew4Christians.
A statute for ever
Note the words: ‘it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.’
If you chose not to be part of this feast, according to scripture, you chose not to be part of God’s posse.
Christians seem to argue that the feast days ‘have been done away with’ when Jesus was crucified. However none of my Christian friends have been able to point out where in the bible Jesus or his Father specifically mention that the feast days ‘have been done away with.’
What we do know is that the feast days are called the feast days of the Lord, and were instigated ‘for ever’ throughout all dwellings and this includes the dwellings of the stranger. From this it follows that anyone choosing to be part of God’s posse keeps the feast days as proclaimed. By not keeping the feast days one automatically chooses not to be part of God’s posse.
The other thing we know is that Jesus himself kept the feast days and we are supposed to follow him and walk as he walked.
Live for ever .. feasts for ever
On this blog we examine who is invited to live for ever. Yom Kippur is another one of Yehovah’s feasts to be ‘kept for ever’ and we are invited to attend. You can click here for a guide on how to celebrate Yom Kippur. Each follower can decide for themselves if they want to be part of this feast, or not.
all rights reserved copyright myemmanuel 2014
Mary and the alabaster box.
Her sins are forgiven for she loved much.
Some say that there are a couple of different eye witness accounts of the event of “Mary and the alabaster box” in the Bible. We think that there may be four versions. The first account is by Matthew, the second by Mark and we believe the third and fourth accounts are given by Luke and John. Have a read and see what you think for yourself.
Dr James Tabor who is Professor of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina (Christian origins and ancient Judaism) has an interesting blog post on Mary for those who like to read a more in-depth study on the different versions.
What we know is, that when Jesus says that we’ll be remembering Mary, he isn’t talking about his mother. Jesus is talking about another woman called Mary and he says that “her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much.”
Mary and the alabaster box
We love the story about Mary and the alabaster box so much that we decided to do a song about it. Years ago when we started to read the Bible in earnest we were so excited to discover GOD’s rule book. As in, pfew … there are indeed standards in place that we are supposed to live up to as lovers of GOD’s Word. And we were no less excited to find that, hey, there is forgiveness if you do the best you can and yet occasionally muck up.
Mary and the alabaster box
lyrics from Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
She put the ointment of spikenard very costly.
She put it on his body for his burial.
Mary wrought a good work on Jesus.
Let her alone.
She done what she could.
Mary wrought a good work on him.
An alabaster box of very precious ointment.
She poured it on his head as he sat at meat.
She done what she could.
She wrought a good work on him.
Mary wrought a good work on Jesus.
Let her alone.
She done what she could.
Spikenard very costly.
With her hair she wiped his feet.
She did it for his burial.
It’ll be told for a memorial.
Matthew’s version
She hath wrought a good work upon me.
Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat. But when his disciples saw it, they had indignation, saying, To what purpose is this waste? For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, Why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me. For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always. For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done, be told for a memorial of her.
Mark’s version
Let her alone; why trouble ye her?
She hath done what she could.
And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head. And there were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor. And they murmured against her.
And Jesus said, Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying. Verily I say unto you, Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she hath done shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.
Luke’s version
Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much
Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat. And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner. And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.
There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.
And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet. My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.
Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little. And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven.
And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?
And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.
John’s version
Mary anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair.
The poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. (It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)
Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.
Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.
Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor? This he said, not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein.
Then said Jesus, Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she kept this.
For the poor always ye have with you; but me ye have not always.
Jesus reiterated what the prophet Ezekiel told us centuries ago.
Scripture tells us about GOD’s grace and His forgiveness and long-suffering nature. On the Sabbath yesterday we listened to another excellent Torah Pearl hosted by Jono from TRUTH2U Radio with guests Keith Johnson and Nehemia Gordon. And one of the references which was mentioned with regards to God’s forgiveness is in Ezekiel where we are told that what counts is the actions we take today. What matters is not where we were or what we did in the past. What matters to the Creator of Heaven and Earth is who we are today. And the actions we take this very day is what determines our destiny.
Jesus prophesied that Mary’s actions would be remembered.
Jesus said, “this, that this woman hath done, shall be spoken of for a memorial of her.” If we assume that the four different versions mentioned above all relate to the same event, then Jesus spoke about Mary the sister of Lazarus when he said these words. Jesus did not say that we’ll be remembering and honouring his mother who was also called Mary.
I want to make this distinction because I was raised a Catholic. As a Catholic I was taught to pray to Mary the mother of Jesus. This meant for me that I kneeled down in Catholic churches in front of mother Mary statues. As a child, on my way to school, I would often walk into the church, light some candles in front of a mother Mary statue and kneel down on a pew before I’d say my ‘Hail Marys’. This is all right and proper according to the Catholic faith.
During my childhood after we’d been to ‘Confession’ we were told by the priest to say a certain amount of ‘Hail Marys’ and ‘Holy Fathers,’ in order for our sins to be forgiven. The amount of these prayers depended on the multitude and size of our sins. I was educated by nuns. My sins were many, as you can imagine for any primary school aged kid, and therefore my affinity with Mary with the alabaster box great.
What did Jesus say about Mary?
What I am interested in today is not what the Catholic church says about who to remember and how, but what God’s Word and particularly Jesus himself says about remembering Mary (and the alabaster box). Jesus does not tell us to kneel in front of a statue of his mum and pray to her. Jesus tells us that we’ll remember Mary the sinner, a woman who made mistakes, just like I did as a child, and most of us still do a lot of the time.
The good part.
The great part about this event described in Scripture is that Jesus tells us that Mary did a good work, that she did what she could. and for the people around her to leave her alone and not criticise her actions. Mary is called a sinner, which shows us that she mucked up, and probably more than once. Yup, I can relate.
And this Mary anointed Jesus ahead of his burial, and kissed and washed His feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.
Jesus says, don’t trouble this woman, she has done a good work on me.
We’re told by Jesus that we’ll remember a Mary who made mistakes but also loved much and had faith. She simply did what she could. And we’re told that because of her good work, love and faith, her sins were forgiven and Jesus tells her to go in peace.
That means there is hope for all of us. And I reckon that is good news, if ever I heard any.
Song of Mary and the Alabaster Box – lyrics by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – Sung by babes and little children
composed for people is grass – all rights reserved – copyright Elias label – myemmanuel 2010