Part 2: Honor His Name

Honor His Name

YAHveh never intended for His name to be lost to a common title shared by other gods. He declares through His prophet Isaiah: “I am YAHveh; that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, …” (Isa 42:8). “… for YAHveh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God [He is jealous for His holy memorial-name!]” (Ex 34:14). In Exodus 20:24 we have a beautiful promise to those who revere His name: “‘… in every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.’”

Through the New Covenant, all people can speak and honor His name through the atoning blood of the Lamb—the Messiah of Israel. As His redeemed priesthood, we can speak His name with purified hearts and lips, and He will come to us personally and bless us.

In fact, in Deuteronomy 6:13 and 10:8 and 20 we read that the priests were commanded to take their vows and to bless Israel in YAHveh’s name. Because He is jealous for His name, He desires a purified and separated remnant—redeemed by the blood of the Messiah—to proclaim and bring praise and glory to His holy “memorial-name”.

Name above All Names

As the Old Testament Scriptures lead to and magnify the New Testament, so does YAHveh’s name lead to and magnify His Son’s name. The importance and sanctity of “the name which is above every name, …” (Php 2:9) is the major golden thread woven throughout the tapestry of the Bible. The most vital issue regarding the Son’s name will be explained later in great detail; however, a brief explanation here is necessary inasmuch as His original Hebrew name will be reinserted where it was originally written in the holy Scriptures.

The Original Hebrew Name of the Son Is YAHshua,

Which Means “YAH is Salvation”

In the English Bibles, the name of our Savior is rendered Jesus. This is an English/Latin transliteration from the Greek ‘Ιησους (Iesous), not the original Hebrew name of the Son. The name Iesous is a Greek word fashioned after the name “Joshua,” a corruption of the Hebrew YAHshua. The Greek name, Jesus, was not the name proclaimed to the Jewish virgin by the angel before Messiah’s birth. The Jewish Savior was named and called YAHshua, a very Hebrew name befitting the Jew of all Jews, the King of the Jews, the Messiah of Israel and all Gentiles who would come to receive, love, and worship Israel’s God and Savior..

During His sojourn on earth, YAHshua never heard himself referred to as Jesus. The rendering of YAHshua’s name as “Jesus” is man’s attempt to approximate a form of His Hebrew name in Greek. YAHshua means “YAH”—YAHveh—is “SHUA”—Hebrew for “salvation,” or “YAHveh saves.”

The Father, YAHveh, and the Son, YAHshua, are one both in essence and in name. The very fact that YAHshua said, “I have come in My Father’s name, and you do not receive Me; …” (Jn 5:43) is a perfect example of Israel’s erroneous tradition, which said that only the high priest could speak YAHveh’s name. To the traditional Jewish leadership, for anyone but the High Priest to utter YAHveh’s name was blasphemy.

YAHveh Proclaims the Essential Meaning of His Name

In biblical times, names were the embodiment of the nature and character of the deity or person. Thus, the name of the Mighty One of Israel is the very manifestation and embodiment of His character. Yahveh’s holy “memorial-name” was made known to Moses at the burning bush. In Exodus 6:2-8 “God spoke further to Moses and said to him, ‘I am YAHveh; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty [El Shaddai], but by My name, YAHveh, I did not make Myself known to them. … I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, “I am YAHveh, and I will bring you out … I will deliver you … I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am YAHveh your God, … And I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, I will give it to you for a possession; I am YAHveh.”’”

The “I AM” of Exodus 3:14 comes from the Hebrew verb hayah, meaning “to be” or “he will be.” HaYAH is the causative root of His name, YAHveh. His name is the embodiment of His character. His character and name are the manifestations of His sovereign promise to redeem His people from the hand of their enemies and to righteously judge all the enemies of Israel. YAHveh’s name implies that He is the covenant-keeping God. He will redeem Israel and all Gentiles joined with her through Messiah’s sanctifying blood.