"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain..."
~ Exodus 20:7a
It's such an interesting thing to wander through this world and hear people use the name of Jesus in such vast and varied contexts with such diverse and divergent meanings.
I used to be quite concerned about that, and I still don't love it, if I'm being honest.
(Side thought... You never hear the name of any other religious leader being used that way. Can you imagine?! How very disrespectful and unacceptable that would be. (Hmmm...))
There's something else that used to concern me greatly...
The fact that the Son of God is not a man named Jesus, and yet we call Him so.
You heard me right!
If this is news to you, I hate to break it to you, but the Savior of the world was not named Jesus.
The evolution of His name seems to have begun at some point during the second temple period, which only extends to 70AD, so it happened fast.
I have to wonder about that.
I have to wonder if God chose to protect His children through this almost inexplicable phenomenon.
The name of the Messiah was changed by man, and is known the world over as something it is not.
As I mentioned, I used to get quite fussy about people not calling Him by His proper name...
It's Yeshua, by the way.
Now, however, I find myself deeply grateful for the seemingly random, not so random name that is bandied about in all manner of ways, including as one of the most pervasive swear words we have in the English language.
Thank God, that "He works all things together for the good..."
Now, it doesn't seem to me like an accident.
Now, it seems to me perhaps the Creator of the universe was looking out for His kiddos, by ensuring the name that would be thrown about and abused as it is would not actually be the name of the Savior.
He's so good.
Jehovah Shammah,
Thank You for Your wisdom and protection.
Thank You for knowing us better than we know ourselves, and for making provision for our every misstep.
Thank You for helping us to have clean and clear hearts that the words that would pour out of us would be of You, whispered by the Holy Spirit.
We love You. We choose You. We trust You. We need You.
All this we pray in the name of Your Son, Yeshua,
Amen
"... For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks." ~ Matthew 12:34b
"The LORD will guard you from all evil; He will preserve your soul. The LORD will watch over your coming and going, both now and forevermore." ~ Psalm 121:7-8
"'And she shall bring forth a Son, and she shall call his name Yeshua, for he shall save his people from their sins.'" ~ Matthew 1:21 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English)
May the Good Lord bless you and keep you, friends... always, in all ways. Amen.
Bonus song of praise... ♥
********************* Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture citations are sourced from The Holy Bible, " Study Bible, BSB
Copyright ©2016, 2018 by Bible Hub
Used by Permission. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.