“The woman came and told her husband; she said, ‘A man of God came to me; his face was fearsome, like that of the angel of God. I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name‘.”-Judges 13:6
Yesterday, we explored the deeper meaning of the Hebrew word MAR’EH or מַרְאֶה.
I talked about how it doesn’t really mean “face” but refers to a being’s whole appearance from head to toe.
I gather most folks, especially if you’re not Jewish, have never heard of this word before.
However, today we’re gonna talk about a word everyone who is a believer has heard of but I betcha really doesn’t quite grasp in terms of its true Biblical meaning.
I’m talking about the word “name” or SHEM in Hebrew.
Notice Tzor‘ah’s wife when she returned home from her encounter with the mysterious visitor said “I didn’t ask him where he came from, and he didn’t tell me his name”.
Now I’ll tell you right now, if you’re a gentile, you do NOT really understand what Tzorah’s wife was saying when she said she didn’t get the mysterious visitor’s name or SHEM.
Because in the Biblical sense, one’s name wasn’t simply a label of identification applied to a person.
It went far beyond that.
In the Biblical era, a person’s name referred to a person’s reputation, what he stood for and his character.
It even spoke of one’s heritage…both physical and spiritual.
Take Avraham for example.
What pops into my mind when I think of him is a man of great faith, an adventurer who left his family and hometown to follow God and a humble man.
But those are just my subjective feelings.
But what does his name really mean in Hebrew?
It means a “father of a multitude (of nations)”.
And before he became Avraham, he was called Avram which just means “exalted father”.
Can you see how his name reflects the purpose and plans God had for him?
In the Bible, a name reflected one’s essence and his or her mission in life.
And this notion wasn’t restricted to the Hebrew culture.
The names of the various gods and goddesses in gentile cultures also reflected the spheres of influence they had authority over.
There were fertility gods (like Ishtar or in English “Easter”), gods who controlled the weather and gods of war who fought for the armies they sided with.
For an ancient gentile, it was very important to know the names of the gods because that was essential to knowing which god to pray to for whatever trouble or ailment one was dealing with.
So just understand that whether we’re speaking of gods or humans, a name spoke of one’s personality, his talents and abilities, his past history and his future mission.
For instance, a lot of folks misunderstand the New Testament when it tells us to pray in Jesus’ or Yeshua’s name.
Look man, we ain’t being instructed to actually say his name out loud in prayer.
It means we are to pray as Yeshua would based on his character and adopt the humble attitude he had…
Which also of course means to pray to the only one God, not make him the idolatrous object of our prayers.
I’m not saying it’s a sin or anything to end your prayers in Yeshua’s name, but it’s not at all what the Scripture intended.
It’s a tradition ancient gentile believers adopted who had zero understanding of Hebrew culture.
They interpreted the Hebrew word SHEM through the lens of Greek culture (which to a degree has become our modern culture) and mistakenly took it to mean just a label of identification for a person.
So there you have it.
To say prayers in Yeshua’s name means to pray as he did in accordance with his character, mindset and attitude.
It doesn’t mean to actually end your prayers by saying out loud “In Jesus’ name” or “In Yeshua’s name”.
I’m done.
I had never really thought much about it, having followed along with everyone else in the Messianic and Christian circles who have been using Yeshua’s name as a sort of calling card when praying.
It sort of reminds me of the old Speakeasy’s during the Prohibition days, when to gain entrance one had to use someone’s name.
I have written (more than once) about not praying to Yeshua, but in his name, and I have written (more than a few times) how the term “the name of the Lord” doesn’t have anything to do with pronunciation but, as you point out, reputation and renown.
And I have also written (maybe only once) about not praying using Yeshua’s name when all we are doing is thanking God.
But until I read your message, I didn’t associate those different topics as really being one, as you have tied them together for me with this message about the usage of Yeshua’s “name” when praying.
Thanks, Rich- this week has been a real eye-opener for me, and I have learned much from you.
Thanks for the warm words brother.
I agree with what you say here. I still end some prayers with “in Yeshua’s name”, but it is certainly not a requirement to get your prayer through. Some people use it that way – like a magic key to make it all work.
The point in ending a prayer this way is obviously because it is through the life, death and resurrection of Yeshua that access to the Father is possible. A great blessing to us all! As you say, the name/Shem is far more than just a sound we utter, Yeshua – meaning salvation, is what it’s all about and we have needed!!
Hey Marcus, I think you summed it up well when you said “the name/Shem is far more than just a sound we utter”. I like the way you articulated that. Be blessed.