September 4 – LD 36, Day 2: The Revelation of God

Psalm 8:1a: "O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!"

At the foundation of the third commandment is the truth that the great God has revealed Himself to us by His name. Frequently in Scripture, emphasis is given to the name of God. To sing Psalm 81 is to express: How excellent is Jehovah, our Lord, as He has revealed Himself in all the works of His hands.

We read in Psalm 75:1, "Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare." There again the name of God denotes Him and His presence. It is the revelation of His divine Being.

To mention yet another text from the Psalms, Psalm 115:1: "Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake." Again, we who are the children of God acknowledge that all glory belongs to God alone.

That God's name reveals Himself is also evident in the New Testament with the name Jesus Christ. Think, for example, of John 1:12, which speaks of those elect whose spiritual birth would be seen not of men, but of God:"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name:" Clearly, the reference to believing on His name is a reference to believing on Him. God’s name JESUS CHRIST is the only name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

By His names God reveals Himself to us as the one only true God. He makes Himself known as the Creator. He alone is the Sustainer and Preserver of all His creation. To His people in particular, He reveals Himself in His name Jehovah or Yahweh, the I AM. Malachi explains that name so beautifully in Malachi 3:6, "For I am the LORD (i.e. I am Jehovah), I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." God reveals Himself in the name Jehovah as the God Who is unchangeably faithful to His covenant people. He will never fail us who are His. God is God alone.