Key Verses: 1-2 "(1) I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods I will sing praises to You. (2) I will worship towards Your holy temple, and praise Your name, for Your loving-kindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name."
Spurgeon Insights: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but the Divine Word will not pass away. It is His Word which creates, sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts. As a Word of command it is supreme; and in the Person of the incarnate Word it is set above all the works of God's hands."
There are movements today that make a big deal out using particular names for God when we speak of Him. The Jehovah's Witnesses and others say for example that we must only use the name "Jehovah" for God. Interestingly enough the name Jehovah isn't found in the Bible. For the name of God in the Old Testament the letters YHWH are found. The vowels that go between these consonants are unknown. The reason for this is that the Jewish people and scribes believed God's covenant name which He revealed to Israel was too holy to be pronounced out loud. Scholars decided to add the vowels from Adonai, another name for God in the Bible, in between the consonants YHWH. Doing this they came up with the name Yahweh.
When the Bible was translated into Latin Yahweh became Jehovah. In Latin the letters y and w don't exist. Their Latin equivalents are j and v. Thus, the Hebrew name Yahweh became Jehovah, and this is the rendering of this name that most English speaking people have adopted. But here's the point: Whether you say Yahweh or Jehovah you are calling God by a name that is only speculative. We aren't even sure that Yahweh is the Hebrew pronunciation of that particular name of God, let alone it's Latin counterpart, Jehovah! Clearly God would've made sure that the exact pronunciation of His name was recorded in the inspired Scriptures if He was really that concerned about us getting every single letter and accent of this particular name right!
Another problem with the idea that we must call God one particular biblical name is that He refers to Himself by many names in the Bible. Yahweh, Elohim, and Adonai are just a few. The biblical names of God communicate to us truth about His essence. What is important above all is that we trust in the God of the Bible. The only name we are commanded to be specific about in the Bible is the name of the Savior, Jesus (Acts 4:12). Whether you call Him by His Hebrew name Yeshua, or His Latin name Jesus, You must trust in the Son of God and call upon Him by name to save you. Yet even in this case, to believe in the name of Jesus is to believe in the person and character of the Jesus of the Bible. We must assign the name Jesus to the biblical Jesus, and choose Him as the object of our faith if we want to be in a relationship with God. Why? There is no other God. If someone wants a relationship with me they must come to this Kellen Criswell. If they want a relationship with God they must go to Jesus Christ.
After all this we see even more in the above verse. The Psalmist says of God, "You have magnified Your Word above all Your name." God is far more concerned that we know His character, nature, and means of saving us than He is that we pronounce His name in a particular dialect, or whatever. If my daughter slightly mispronounced my name when she tells me she loves me I wouldn't get upset and punish her. I would be happy that she knows me, loves me, and trusts me, even though she can't pronounce my name with exact annunciation. God is the same way with us. We should honor God's name in all it's biblical forms. They are each important. But above that we must obey His Word and know Him personally through faith in the Son of God, Jesus Christ, or if you rather, Yeshua Messiah.
Father, teach us to trust in You. Help us to focus on Your character, love, and means of salvation. Help us to focus on knowing You, not just Your titles. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.
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