What’s your name?
It’s a simple question. You’ve probably asked it hundreds of times because learning someone’s name is the first step in getting acquainted.
But moving beyond acquaintance to friendship involves the gradual discovery of what a person’s name represents; their character, their values, the roles they fill, and the things they do. The deeper the discovery, the more intimate a relationship grows.
That is what happens when we ask that same foundational question about God… “What is His Name?”
The Bible is full of people who dared to inquire, like a man named Agur who asked,
“Who has gone up to heaven and come down? Whose hands have gathered up the wind? Who has wrapped up the waters in a cloak? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is the name of his son? Surely you know!” | Proverbs 30:4 (NLT)
We can know, because the Creator of the universe responds to the desire of people who really and truly want to know Him. God said it Himself, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) God actually wants to be found. He wants to be known. He wants to be known by you.
So He revealed Himself. Within the pages of Scripture, there are nearly 1000 names, titles and descriptors that reveal the unique and intimate identity of God, His Son and His Spirit. Some are very familiar. We know the Rock of Ages, the Bread of Life, the Almighty, Creator, the Way, the Truth and the Life. Each of these names is precious and reveals more about our God – but so do the many other names that may not be familiar to us.
Let’s look at three more names and what they reveal about God and His heart for you.
His name is Ezer
Do you love to talk about Jesus? So did an old Indian chief who talked of little else. When a young tribesman asked why the old chief silently gathered some sticks and dry grass and formed them into a small circle. Into the center, he placed a caterpillar and lit the sticks and grass on fire. The two men silently watched the fire trap the caterpillar that frantically looked left and right for a way of escape.
As the fire advanced ever closer, the caterpillar finally lifted its head up. At that moment, the chief reached down from above and rescued the helpless worm. Setting the caterpillar down safely the old chief said, “That is what Jesus does for me. How can I not tell of His goodness?”
King David experienced the help of God so often that he also talked of little else. His psalms, and those of the other psalm writers, are full of declarations about God who helps the helpless.
“Our soul waits for the [Yahweh]; He is Our Help [Ezer] and our shield.” | Psalms 33:20
“I raise my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? My help [Ezer] comes from [Yahweh], Who made heaven and earth. | 121:1-2
“Our help [Ezer] is in the name of [Yahweh] the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” | Psalm 124:8
When Israel’s back was against the wall, God was their “ever present help times in trouble” | 46:1
Not because they deserved it, but because they were His people. He said to them,
“You are My servant, I have chosen you and have not rejected you.
Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not be afraid, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you, I will also help you…
For I am the Lord your God who takes hold of your right hand,
Who says to you…Do not fear, you worm Jacob, you people of Israel;
I will help you.” | Isaiah 41:9-14
God who helped helpless Israel is God who helps us. Though weak and lowly as a caterpillar, those who walk humbly before Him need never worry about the odds faced or the resources needed. “We can confidently say, ‘The Lord is My Helper, I will not be afraid.’” (Hebrew 13:6) His name is Ezer, Our Help.
His Name is Yahweh Bana
In 2007, an EF5 tornado leveled the little town of Greenburg Kansas, destroying 95% of the structures and killing 11 residents. Though it would have been more expedient to simply abandon the decimated town of 740 people, the Greenburg City Council voted to rebuild – under one condition. The new Greenburg would have to live up to its name, only being constructing using the highest-rated standards for green design. Today, the rebuilt Greenburg, Kansas is often referred to as the “greenest town in America” and is seen as a template for other cities to follow.
Rebuilding better than what came before is exactly how God approaches the task of reconstructing broken-down places. Jerusalem is a model example. Unlike Greenburg, the Old Testament inhabitants of God’s holy city brought a storm on themselves and were given plenty of warning that it was coming.
For more than 100 years God spoke through His prophets calling His people to repent of their evil and return to Him; but in time, God’s patience came to an end and He sent invaders to destroy the city. The Temple complex was incinerated. The walls were torn down. The homes were pillaged and burned. Those not taken captive were killed in the city. What an tragic end for the city of which God once said, “I have chosen Jerusalem for my Name to be there.”(2 Chron. 6:6) Surely it would have been better to just abandon the broken down capitol altogether – but God is a rebuilder. Before the judgment even fell, God declared He would build back even better.
“In that day I will restore David’s fallen shelter—
I will repair its broken walls
and restore its ruins—
and will rebuild [bana] it as it used to be,
so that they may possess the remnant of Edom
and all the nations that bear my name”
declares the Lord, who will do these things. | Amos 9:11
The “nations that bear my name” referred to the Gentiles who would one day turn to God because of what Messiah accomplished in that city once rebuilt. What was a place broken down by sin and unfaithfulness, God rebuilt better as a place His Son would bring salvation to the world.
For the LORD [Yahweh] will rebuild [Bana] Zion and appear in his glory. | Psalm 102:16
There is nothing that has been broken that God cannot restore. He is Yahweh Bana – The Lord Who Rebuilds.
His name is El Naham
When parents use the “I’ll count the three” method of discipline, it is what happens between two and three that determines the outcome. If there is no repentance and change of actions, discipline commences. But, if the child changes his behavior before the final count, he is spared the consequence.
No child would complain about a parent who responds to a change of heart and withholds the promised punishment – but that was a complaint made against God by a man named Jonah. His story is one of Sunday School lore, as he runs from God’s instructions to warn a city that judgment is coming. He ends up on a boat, thrown overboard at sea, and then swallowed by a whale.
Why didn’t he just obey God and warn the city of Ninevah? In his own words, he told God,
“I fled to Tarshish, since I knew that You are a gracious and compassionate God [El], slow to anger and abundant in mercy, and One Who Relents [Naham] of disaster. So now, LORD, please take my life from me, for death is better to me than life.” But the LORD said, “Do you have a good reason to be angry?” | Jonah 4:2-4
Jonah hated the people of Ninevah because they were long-time enemies of Israel. He hated them so much, he didn’t want them to receive God’s mercy. Jonah was only interested in God’s justice on the Ninevites. Not so with God. He is always interested in bringing about righteousness. He can do that through the judgment of sinners or by bringing sinners to repentance that trust in His righteousness. Consistent with His merciful character that Jonah knew well, God was willing to relent when sinners repent. And He did, even for cruel Ninevah who heeded His warning and humbled themselves before Him.
Still today, “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not willing for any to perish, but for all to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
If God’s mercy on sinners sparks our indignation, like Jonah, we have forgotten the very mercy we have received from El Naham, God Who Relents of Disaster. And if you need his mercy, remember His count has not run out on you yet.
The names of God are more than mere titles. They are doors we can enter into a deeper relationship with Him. He is Ezer, our Help in times of trouble. He is the Lord Who rebuilds what has been broken in our lives; And the merciful God Who Relents of Disaster and welcomes the repentant home. What name do you need to call on today?
To learn more of the many names of God and deepen your relationship, listen to the God Revealed podcast and discover hundreds of other names God has revealed. You check out an episode below. ⬇️
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Kim encourages others to live faithfully and purposefully as they follow Jesus daily. For more encouragement, follow Kim on Instagram @everydaykim_ .
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This really spoke to me today — thanks for sharing! “There is nothing that has been broken that God cannot restore. He is Yahweh Bana – The Lord Who Rebuilds.” AMEN!