Unto you, O Elohiym {God} do we give our thanks, unto you alone do we give our thanks because your wondrous works declare that your name is near. Psalm 75.1

He spoke the universe into reality. His words became living substance, moving breathing flesh, swaying trees and the roaring oceans. His utmost authority, His power, His supremacy created our world by mere and mighty utterance of His commands. He spoke, and the world was. He breathed, and clay became flesh.

He raised the mountains and formed all of nature. He set the boundaries on the oceans and put power into the planet's principles.

He stretched the spectrum and stitched together sound itself. He designated what colors would blend or could clash, what feelings could feel and what symphonies could soothe. He chose what would grow, what would gather, and what would stand or shrivel or walk.

 

It didn't have to be that way, you know. He didn't have to make color or curiosity.  He didn't have to make your tongue taste or lids on your eyeballs!  But He did!  And He did it ALL. 

Did you know..  Have you heard..  Has it ever occured to you..  that He introduced invention.  He invented imagination. He originated order and defined design and created creativity.

And to seal it with His signature - to really personalize His new masterpiece– to give it that final touch- He invented a gift that would define everything.

He created names.

The principle property of every creation. A unique identifying attribute for every plant and every type of plant. Every family and every individual. Every life and creature and every element of creation.  Every color, every creature, every micro-organism or cosmic choreography.

God gave everything –and everyone— an attribute of identification and individualization: a place, a space, to fill with a name. And He often filled that space Himself.

He named the stars—yes, all, each and every one of them! *Psalm 147:4 He created the light, and named it Day. He made darkness and named it Night. He formed places above and called it Heaven. He brought up land from the depths and named it Earth. The Seas He named, and the man He formed of dust… He named Adam.

All things of creation—including names– are wondrous. And all of God’s wondrous works –every creation, every creature, every invention and innovation, every magnificence of nature and miracle of life reflects the image of their Maker, the likeness of their Creator and the signature of their Creator. ALL of His wondrous works *Psalm 19 proclaim the presence and arrival and coming nearing of the greatest name of all:

His.

 

Find a Bible and Read Psalm 148

Praise YahWeh, Earth, Praise Him. Dragons and all deep places! Fire, Hail, Snow and Mist and Stormy Wind fulfilling His word: mountains and all hills, Fruitful Trees and all Cedars: Beasts and all Cattle; Creaping Things and Birds, Kings of the Earth and all People. All Princes, All Judges of the Earth; both Young Men and young women; old Men and Children: Praise the Name of YahWeh: for His Name only—His name alone– is excellent; His glory is above the Earth and Heaven.

Psalm 148:7-13

 

"And God said “Let us make mankind in our own image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, over the cattle and every creeping thing of the earth, and over all the earth.”  "

Genesis 1:28

Right from the start, God stated two intents for mankind: to be like Him, and to have dominion over all the things of the earth. The first is something He did.  He created mankind. The second He gave to mankind: responsibility and authority.

Having named Day and Night, Heaven, Earth and Seas, God filled each one with creatures and then gave Adam a project: to name the creatures. God, as Creator, named those five areas and designated mankind to have authority over them and name the creatures in them.

Man loved this new task, and has been at it ever since.

Adam named Eve, then all his many children. His grandson self-named his self-built city. And after six generations, 182-year-old Lamech longed for peace and named his son Noah—meaning “Peaceful.”

Today, we’ve named everything we can discover: from planets and galaxies to neutrons and vapors. And we place immense value on names. We buy Nike shoes and Lexus cars. The hotel we rent, or the stock we buy, cigarettes we smoke or the food we eat: it all is decided with names.

We can’t even pronounce the medicines we take, but we’ll trust those who prescribe them if a D and an R or a P.H.D. has been added to their name. Then there's Crest, Pepsi, Nasdaq, Ford or Microsoft: People gain or lose their jobs with companies that succeed or sink with their reputation and name.

 

Proverbs 22 is right to teach that a good name should be chosen above great riches. Sometimes it is because of their fame, or sometimes it is because of their skill. If Hershey Co. secretly put their chocolate into an unbrand, generic wrapper, their profits would drop like a rock. Hershey has built itself a name to identify the quality of their chocolate. They have built their reputation, their skills, and it has become their most valuable asset.

George Foreman sold the rights to his name for $137,500,000 so Salton Company could sell their grills with his name on them. Paris Hilton gets $15,000,000 annually for her "name brand" jewelry and fragrances. Michael Jordan pulls in $25,000,000 each year for permitting his name to appear on shoes and apparel from Nike, which brings them $500 million each year. Donald Trump makes more with his name than Foreman, Hilton & Jordan combined. After a line of Trump shirts, ties, vodka, bottled water and even ringtones for cell phones, Donald also says, "There are 42 buildings being built around the world that will carry my name -- just for that, I'm getting $240 million."

 

Names are of great importance, and can be of great value. While some names have been abandoned or abused, others are truly worth more than great riches (and often bring great riches to their bearers.) Ask the University of Jerusalem. Even though Albert Einstein was not wealthy when he died, he left his estate to them, and the copyrights on his photographs and his name bring in over one million dollars every year! Even today, it is the university's largest source of income.  It's amazing -astounding!- that that one person’s name and reputation could be worth so much.

It amazes me more that the tie, shoe, shirt, water & grill companies pay such exhorbitant prices just to print the letters "Paris Hilton" or "Michael Jordan" on the side of a box.  And the namesakes probably know absolutely nothing about making footwear or aroma chemistry.

 

And so here's my point.  If a Foreman or a Hilton or a Jordan or a Trump can be worth so much, what value do we put on the name of our God? What riches is Proverbs 22:1 talking about, that we are to let go of in order to choose a good Name?   Do we choose riches over the glory and benefit of being associated with the Name above all others?   Do we discreetly separate our lives and our business from any mention of our religious convictions or hopes of heaven? And should we be convicted of seeking the approval of men, trying to build up our own reputation, -our own name- rather than reflecting the Glory of the One Name that man never invented?

 

"I am YahWeh: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto YahWeh a new song, and his praise from the end of the earth..." Isaiah 42:8

Dear Reader,

 

I just can’t seem to get anything done today.  I misplaced my name this morning, during breakfast.  It was weird.  One minute, I knew who I was and what I should be called, and then BAMM!  No name.  I’m just lost without it!  I tried to check my bedroom for it, but no one could tell me which room was mine.  So I tried calling my mom, but she asked “Whose calling, please?”  And since I had lost my name, she thought I was a stranger!  I tried explaining I was her child, but she didn’t know which one I was.  She checked her address book, but my name wasn’t there either!  She checked my birth certificate and it just said, “Baby Individual”.  So much for the Individual part!  “Mom, it’s ME!” I pleaded, but she said “Who are you?” and I did not know!  What a hectic day!

 

I tried writing her on e-mail, but couldn’t remember my username.  I tried checking the mailbox outside, but I don’t know which letters are for me!

 

So I decided I’d go to the public library and look myself up, but they wouldn’t give me a library card unless I gave them my name!
I tried to go to the movies for a break from this mess, but they wanted a signature for my credit-card!  I tried going to the bank, but they wanted me to sign my check!

 

And on top of that, I got pulled over on the way home!  Then I was arrested for driving without a valid license (no name on that either) and jailed until they figure out if my name is on the list as a U.S. citizen!  There was also some mention of an invalid marriage license, an invalid social security card, and no family lineage or proof of children… I wonder if we can do DNA testing…

 

The officer called me to be released, but he didn’t know what name to shout…  They’re calling me “Doe”.  Please help me, Dear Reader!

 

Sincerely,

 

    ….    um...uh oh…