Names of God

In his book, Chuck Bentley writes:

There's a name for God that we seldom ever use. I know I don't use it very often. That name is Jealous. Sounds strange, doesn't it? When we call someone jealous, it’s usually to point out a character flaw. How can something we consider bad be attributed to God, especially one of his names? “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).

Back in the late 1960s, there was a popular TV western series called The Guns of Will Sonnet. Walter Brennan played the title role, a Scripture-quoting man with a reputation for unparalleled gun fighting skills. As the series progressed, viewers saw the wise old man avoid more gunfights than he got into the simple, truthful statement about his abilities: “No brag, just fact.”

God has the title of Jealous because he’s the only one worthy of all our affection and adoration. No brag, just fact. The complete worthiness of ultimate praise grants him and him alone the right to be the Jealous One. He’s God Almighty. He’s at the top of all Kings, all Lords, all gods, and all things. So jealousy is normative, if you’re God.

Residents of a sleepy central Virginia town were surprised in March by a coordinated campaign to identify and woo one of their local teenagers.

Carnival Cruise Lines first posted signs all over town, then augmented their effort with a gigantic rolling billboard on a truck. The sign featured a picture of "Chief Fun Officer" Shaquille O'Neal with the text "DOES ANYBODY KNOW DARIAN?"

The Darian in question was Darian Lipscomb, 15, owner of a Snapchat account with a distinctive handle: @CarnivalCruise. Lipscomb had previously been on several Carnival cruises, and had such a good time that he started a Snapchat account to document his adventures and share with friends.

Carnival representatives eventually found Lipscomb, and surprised him by offering, in exchange for the desirable Snapchat handle, an all-expenses-paid cruise to Barcelona for him and family aboard its newest ship, Carnival Horizon—a trip with a retail value of about $5,000.

"We thought this would be a fun way to claim our handle and reward a 'superfan' at the same time," said Robyn Fink, a spokesperson for Carnival, who also referred to the trip as "a once-in-a-lifetime experience."

Potential preaching angles: 1) Names have lasting importance and value. Carrying a name can confer power and authority if the name is significant enough. God's name is special and should not be treated lightly.2) Testimony; Witness - We should be as excited as Darian to "share" the Good News of our experience of salvation with others; 3) Seeking the lost. Christians are on a mission to seek and find the lost and offer them a personal invitation.

In 2012, a 19-year-old man from Washington state named Dakoda Garren was charged with stealing a rare coin collection worth at least $100,000. After Garren had completed some part-time work for a woman living north of Portland, the woman reported that her family coin collection was missing. Her collection included a variety of rare and valuable coins, including Liberty Head quarters, Morgan dollars, and other coins dating back to the early 1800s.

Initially, Garren denied any involvement, claiming that the police didn't have any evidence against him. But then he started spending the coins at face value, apparently unaware of the coins' worth. He and his girlfriend paid for movie tickets using quarters worth between $5 and $68. Later on the same day, they bought some local pizza with rare coins, including a Liberty quarter that may be worth up to $18,500.

The news article reported, "Garren has been charged with first-degree theft and is being held in jail on $40,000 bond. Which, technically, is an amount he could easily afford if the valuable coin collection were actually his."

Possible Preaching Angles: (1) Our Relationship with God—We honor God (or the things of God) when we treat him with the value he deserves. We dishonor the Lord—in our attitudes or in our actions, such as worship—when we treat God like an ordinary or even a cheap object. (2) Our Relationships with Others—In the same way, we dishonor other people (such as our spouse, our friends, our children, even our enemies) when we treat them as cheap objects. They should be treated according to the value God has placed on them. (3) The Importance of Rightly Setting Value on Everything in Life—We need to place ultimate value where it belongs, in the things of God that endure forever. The ability to discern true value is crucial, as seen in the story of Esau selling his birthright for a bowl of stew.

The following illustration shows how important names are to our identity, character, self-worth, and calling. It also shows why biblical names for God and Jesus reveal so much about God's character.

Based on a true story, according to court records filed in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, 44-year-old Mr. Gary Matthews petitioned the court to have his name legally changed to "Boomer the Dog." In his petition, Mr. Matthews stated, "I've been known as Boomer the Dog by friends in the community for more than 20 years. I want to bring my legal name in line with that."

Judge Ronald Folilno denied Mr. Matthew's name-change request, arguing that it would cause too much confusion. Judge Folino's decision included the following example:

Petitioner witnesses a serious automobile accident and [calls 911]. The dispatcher queries as to the caller's identity, and the caller responds, "This is Boomer the Dog." It is not a stretch to imagine the telephone dispatcher concluding that the call is a prank and refusing therefore to send an emergency medical response. I am denying the petitioner's request.

The judge concluded his memorandum by observing, "Although the petitioner apparently wishes it were otherwise, the simple fact remains that he is not a dog."

Set in A.D. 180, Gladiator tells the story of General Maximus Decimus Meridius (played by Russell Crowe), who was about to be given reigning authority in Rome by the aging emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Before this could take place, however, the emperor's son, Commodus, killed his father in order to establish himself on the throne. He then ordered the murder of Maximus and his family. Maximus escaped, and the movie follows him as he is sold into slavery, becomes a nameless gladiator, and finally seeks justice against wicked Emperor Commodus.

The turning point comes late in the movie. After Maximus wins a great battle in the Coliseum, Emperor Commodus decides to meet this unknown gladiator face to face. The crowd watches as the emperor in full pomp strides with his soldiers onto the sands of the Coliseum.

The emperor asks the simple question: "What is your name?"

Maximus, streaked with blood and dirt from the battle, takes off his helmet and says: "My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, general of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius, father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next."

The crowd erupts with a deafening roar, while the emperor visibly shakes under the weight of the true identity of a man he thought was a mere slave. The emperor flees the Coliseum, only to face defeat and death later at the hands of Maximus.

Elapsed time: 01:29:09 to 01:33:08 (DVD scene 16).

Content: Gladiator is rated R for violence.

In the classic Your God is Too Small, J.B. Phillips says we tend to give God many names which aren't actually his names: managing director, puppeteer, magician, resident policeman, fun-hater, pie-in-the sky, and others. Today we have added "health and wealth bringer" and others.