The "virtuous woman" of Proverbs 31 is renowned for her many excellent qualities. Far less memorable than the Proverbs 31 virtuous woman is the “stupid man” of Proverbs 30:
Surely I am more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man. Neither have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. (Proverbs 30:2-3)
Nevertheless, this man lacking wisdom asks a very important question in the very next verse!
Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His son’s name? Surely you know! (Prov. 30:4)
Not only does that man want to know God’s name, but he also whets our appetite to learn more about the Son of God.
Implications of the Question “What is God’s Name?”
When missionaries have gone into the world, many faced a similar challenge. In various faith systems—even animistic or polytheistic ones—a High God often exists. Can its name be used to refer to the God of the Bible? Or is that name so associated with antibiblical meaning that it would create too much confusion to use it? Others wonder: could that name of the local high god be redeemed and used to refer to the biblical deity?
Our focus at Global Initiative is making the good news of Jesus known to Muslims. One common question in research and witnessing is: Do the Bible and Qur’an point to the same deity? On one hand, both faiths are monotheistic in that they profess faith in one Creator God. Would not these, then, be the same deity? But since Islam denies that Jesus is part of the Godhead, how could they be referring to the same God?
How about the Arabic word or name “Allah?” Both Arabic Christians and Arabic Bibles use “Allah” to refer to the God of the Bible. Is this the same deity as Allah of the Qur’an? Or are they two beings simply being referred to by the same name?
Finally, the Jewish people in biblical times considered the name of God so holy that they would not say it. Even today, they may simply write it as G-d. Since Hebrew, like Arabic, features a script in which short vowels are generally not written, even the pronunciation of God’s name became a mystery.
Moses also asked the question about God’s name. Exodus 3 describes God appearing to Moses in the burning bush, and then sending him to liberate his people, Israel. Moses foresees that his kinfolk will ask him about God’s name:
Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:13-14)
The name “I am who I am” is based on the Hebrew verb “to be.” It is often rendered as “The Tetragrammaton,” YHWH, which is sometimes pronounced “Yahweh.” While this could be a long discussion and study, another prism to the diamond appears in the New Testament.
As we can see, there are a lot of questions pertaining to "What is God’s Name?"
Jesus, the Saving Name of God
As God prepared to enter space and time in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ, the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary with his Annunciation. Then an “angel of the Lord” appeared to Joseph, since Joseph did not know the best way to respond to the scandal of his virgin fiancé being pregnant:
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt. 1:20-21)
Couples typically enjoy picking out baby names. Mary and Joseph did not have that experience since the angel told them what to name Mary’s baby. The name Jesus is from the Hebrew Yeshua, meaning “God saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.” He was named for a specific purpose, to save His people from their sins.
Circling back to our original question of God’s name, we observe that God’s emphasis is on saving souls. When God visited the earth, He took on the name Jesus, that is, God saves. People might argue about the number of angels that can dance on the head of pin, but God’s concern is how many souls can be won for eternity.
Praise God that many Muslims are coming to faith in our generation. Thanks to all who are praying for Muslims. May all hear the Good News: God’s saving name is Jesus!
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