Worshipping, praising, or calling upon the Name of the Lord is worshipping, praising, calling upon the Lord Himself.  The Lord revealed Himself to Moses as “I AM WHO I AM,” and added, “This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations” (Exodus 3:14-15). This name for God is spelled YHVH in the Hebrew Bible, four consonants with no vowels, and is often referred to as “the tetragrammaton.”  YHVH is based on the Hebrew for “to be” and conveys the meaning “I AM,” implying “the Eternally Existent One.”

Several hundred years before the birth of Jesus, Jews, in order to insure not taking the Name YHVH in vain, began never pronouncing it even when reading Scripture.  When they came to YHVH they pronounced “adonai,” the word that means what we mean by “Lord.”   Modern Hebrew Bibles combine the consonaunts YHVH and the vowels of “adonai,” producing “Jehovah.”  Though used six times in the King James Version and for every occurrence of YHVH in the American Standard, and though it is especially touted and venerated by “Jehovah’s Witnesses,” Jehovah is not a correct pronounciation of YHVH and is not even a possible Hebrew word.  Almost all modern translations use “Lord” in small, all capital letters when YHVH occurs, which lets the readers know YHVH is the word in the text.

The Hebrew word translated “God,” is elohim.  Elohim is a plural word, properly translated “gods” when it does not refer to YHVH.  Various theories are advanced to explain the use of the plural for the one God.  I believe the plural elohim, and God saying, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:27), reflects the plural name of the Godhood; what we refer to as “the Trinity.”

Sometimes YHVH is “God the Father,” distinguished from “God the Son.”  For example in Psalm 110:1, YHVH speaks to His Annointed, the Messiah, God’s Son,  whom David calls “my Lord” (see Matthew 22:41-45).  On other occasions, YHVH is the Son.  For example the inspired Hebrews writer quotes Psalm 102:24 which speaks of YHVH and applies the Psalm to Jesus, the Son (Hebrews 1:10-12).  John’s gospel says “the Word,” who is Jesus the Son, is God (John 1:1).  Jesus, therefore, is both YHVH and “elohim.”

This helps explain His claim to the Pharisees when they questioned His pre-existence, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58), one of the ways He claimed to be both “elohim” and YHVH.  The Pharisees denied His claims, but recognized their gravity, accused Him of blasphemy and took up stones to kill Him.  Paul would later say, “For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily” (Colossians 2:9).  Though fully Deity, He became a fully human man. No person fully understands that, but Bible believers accept it.  As the song, “In Christ Alone,” notes, “In Christ alone, Who took on flesh, fullness of God in helpless babe!”

Because Jesus is God, He is worthy of our worship and obedience.  He became a man so that “By the grace of God, He might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9).  “For our sake He (God) made Him (Jesus) to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (II Corinthians 5:21).

If you have not fully trusted in Him, “Now why do you wait?  Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on His NAME” (Acts 22:16).

 Cecil May, Jr.