On approaching this most sublime subject of the name of the Almighty, I do so with some misgivings; it seems too high, too unknowable, and almost too unthinkable for a poor mortal whose breath is in his nostrils, to approach such a matter, If we meditate upon God at all, what He is, and what He is to us, and how dependent we are upon Him for all we have to sustain us in life and being, and also to bear in mind that it is in His power to withhold all things, even to stop our breathing in a moment; it should take away all the importance which we sometimes so foolishly attach to ourselves.
It must seem to many (whether Bible students or not), a marvellous thing for the name of the Great Supreme to be made known to the inhabitants of the earth. It should be a matter of the highest interest to know what the name of this great being is.
It is not a name such as we have, our names are more for convenience, to distinguish one another by. Our names are mostly without meaning to ourselves, but they are often worse than that, undignified, heathenish, and insulting. It will not always be so brethren. As Dr. Thomas says, a new name of glory honour, incorruptibility, life and power will be written or inscribed into their (the saints) new nature.
It would be unseemly for the divine name to be anything like our present names. If His thoughts are as much higher than our thoughts as the heavens are higher than the earth, so also must His name be eminently higher, and nobler, and exquisitely more dignified than anything we could conceive of. It would not be fitting for His name to be of such an inspired type as those given to us; it would not be becoming His greatness, His divine majesty.
The family name of the Royal Household is to some extent suppressed. It would be too familiar for the subjects, the people, to fraternize with the head of the nation. What would have been the effect upon the people of this country, and the peoples of its dominions, if the late King Edward VII, had been addressed or spoken of as Edward Wettin instead of King of England. There must be a head for a nation to look up to, there must be authority, there must be power.
But what can be the name of this Supreme Being, the number of whose years cannot be searched out, “This High and Lofty One, who inhabiteth eternity,” “ who dwelleth in light unapproachable who no man hath seen nor can see,” “whose voice is spoken of as the thunder of His Excellency,” “whose eyes are purer than can look on evil?”
Everywhere present, who sees, and knows and made and sustains all things, in whom we live and move and have our being. The sun, moon and stars, He made, He made the earth also; and keeps all things in their places.
What is the name of Him who exists of Himself and .gives being and existence to others? Sufficient in Himself, this all powerful one, this most High who dwells in the heaven, what is His name?
It is not much use talking about Greek and Hebrew to the multitude. Nothing can be plainer or simpler than His own designation in Ex. 3-13, 14-15. ‘And Moses said unto God, Behold when I come unto the Children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I am that I am : and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I am hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thy say unto the children of Israel, “The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God o f Isaac, and the God of Jacob hath sent me unto you; this is my name forever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” When God addressed Moses at the bush, He said His name was I am , if He spoke now it would be I am , when He speaks again it will be I am. I am from everlasting to everlasting. The Apostle Paul says, He that cometh unto God, must believe that He is.
Associated with this simple designation of the divine name, is divine power, almighty power, supreme power, yes everything that is supreme.
When we read of the divine name as I am , we naturally ask, I am, what?
Isa. XLVIII. 8.— The Lord.
Mal. I. 14— A Great King.
Isa. XLVII 4— The Lord of Hosts.
Ex. VI. 3— God Almighty.
Jer. X. 6— Thou art great, and thy name is great in might.
Jer. XXXII. 18,19— The great, the mighty God, the Lord of Hosts is His name, great in counsel, and mighty in work.
Pas. CXI. 9— ! am holy and reverend, that is my name.
Ex. XXXIV. 6— I am the Lord, the Lord God, merciful, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth.
Ex. XX. 5— I am a jealous God.
I John IV. 8— God of Love.
God’s name expresses what He really is, everything that He is as revealed in the Scriptures.
It is a name of Glory, honour, power, dominion, wisdom and holiness.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One