|
by
Doug Ward |
In the Exodus the children of Israel exchanged masters. They
went from being slaves of the Egyptian Pharaoh to being servants of the King of
the Universe. Yahweh, the God of Israel, signaled this exchange in a message he
conveyed to Pharaoh through Moses: "Thus says the Lord, `Let my people go,
that they may serve me' " (Ex 8:1).
Slaves
in the ancient Near East often were tattooed with the names of their masters,
and temple workers sometimes were branded with the name of the god they served.1
God did not tattoo or brand his people, but he did "place his name upon
them" through a special blessing pronounced by the high priest (Nu
6:22-27).
The
priestly blessing illustrates God's love for the Israelites, whom he called his
"treasured possession" (Ex 19:5). The Hebrew word for "treasured
possession," segullah, can refer to a
royal treasury (1 Ch 29:3; Ecc 2:8). Cognate words in
Akkadian and Ugaritic denote someone who enjoys special status with a king.2
God also called the Israelites "a kingdom of priests and a holy
nation" (Ex 19:6). He was setting them apart as his instruments in bringing
blessing to the whole world, continuing the plan that he had begun with their
ancestor Abraham (Ge 12:1-3).
|
The
Name Command |
At Mt. Sinai God revealed to Israel the Ten Commandments, giving
them the principles necessary for success in their special calling. One of the
commandments summarizes that calling: "You shall not take the name of the
Lord your God in vain ... " (Ex 20:7). We typically associate this
commandment with acts of speech, but it is much broader. The Hebrew word for "take,"
nasa, means to bear or carry. God's name had
been placed upon the Israelites (Nu 6:27), and they carried his name in the
world as his representatives. They were not to carry his name in a vain-i.e., a
useless-way. Their behavior would affect God's reputation in the world, and so
they were to live in a way that would represent him well.
Israel's
priestly calling was symbolized in the clothing worn by the high priest.
Fastened to the front of the priest's turban was a gold medallion engraved with
the words qodesh layahweh
("holy, belonging to Yahweh"). On his apron were twelve gemstones,
each inscribed with the name of a tribe of Israel (Ex 28:15-21, 36-37). The
high priest, carrying God's name and the names of the twelve tribes, was God's
representative to Israel and Israel's representative before God. Analogously,
Israel carried God's name in the world and represented God to the nations and
the nations before God.
The
Ten Commandments, along with additional instruction elaborating on those
commandments, guided the Israelites in bearing God's name in the promised land.
When Israel followed God's teaching they would prosper, and the peoples around
them would take notice (Dt 4:5-8). "Surely this great nation is a wise and
understanding people," they would marvel (v 6).
We
catch glimpses of this ideal picture during Israel's golden age under David and
Solomon. David envisioned building a temple, a "house for the name of the
Lord" (1 Ki 8:17), and construction was carried out under Solomon. The
temple was intended to be a witness to the nations (vv
41-43), so "that all the peoples of the earth may know that the Lord is
God" (v 60). Moreover, Solomon's wisdom was legendary, and rulers traveled
great distances to seek his counsel (1 Ki 4:29-34; 10:1-10,24).
After
Solomon's time Israel strayed from God and fell into idolatry and other forms
of immorality. Such actions "profaned God's name" (Lev 18:21; 19:12;
21:5-6; Pr 30:9). Israel's apostasy eventually led to
their defeat at the hands of foreign powers and exile from the land, causing
further damage to God's reputation (Eze 36:17-21).
However, a faithful remnant, people like Daniel and Esther, were effective
bearers of God's name in exile.
|
The
Perfect Name-Bearer |
The tendency of many Israelites to stumble did not abort God's
plan, which includes the solution to the problem of human weakness and sin. At
the optimal time (Gal 4:6) God sent Jesus of Nazareth, who is both a descendant
of David and a Son of God (Lk 1:26-35). An ideal Israelite, Jesus represented
God perfectly, giving a clear picture of God's character so that whoever saw
Jesus saw his Father (Jn 12:45). His atoning death and subsequent resurrection
brought reconciliation between God and man and the promise of eternal salvation
(Ro 5:10).
Jesus
trained a group of Jewish disciples. Empowering them with the Holy Spirit after
his resurrection (Lk 24:49; Acts 2), he sent them to make additional disciples,
carrying "the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit" (Mt 28:18-20). Their disciples soon included people from both
Israel and other nations, a development foreseen by the biblical prophets. For
example, Isaiah pictured a time when people would write Yahweh's name on their
hands and seek to be joined to Israel (Isa 44:1-5).
The
disciples of Jesus from Israel and the nations constitute a new people, known
like the Israelites as "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for
his own possession" (1 Pe 2:9). This people bears
the name of Jesus before the world and so has a responsibility to represent him
well (vv 11-12). They follow their Master in praying,
"Father, hallowed by your name" (Lk 11:2). In other words, "May
your servants represent you in a way that honors you and enhances your reputation
in the world." All of God's name-bearers strive to carry out the words of
that prayer.
1See for example Carmen
Joy Imes, Bearing God's Name: Why Sinai Still
Matters, InterVarsity Press, 2019, p. 85.
2Bearing
God's Name, p. 31.
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On 23 Jun 2021, 13:17.
