You shall name Him… וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמֹ֜ו

You shall Name Him…

Have you ever named something? A child, or a pet? It’s an important task. Yeshua’s mother, Mary, didn’t have to agonize over the right name to give her child. He already had a name assigned to Him:

Luke 1:26-33

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favoured one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and was pondering what kind of greeting this was. 

And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favour with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

This was the famous announcement that the angel Gabriel made to Mary… you shall name him Yeshua (meaning, salvation). Women were the primary name givers. Although naming wasn’t exclusive to women, it was more often than not that the mother was tasked with naming the child. For example:

• Lot’s daughters named their sons, Moab and Ben-ammi (Gen 19:37-38)
• Leah (wife to Jacob) named her sons Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun (Gen.29:32-33, 34-35; Gen.30:18, 20). She named her daughter, Dinah (Gen. 30:21)
• Leah also named Gad and Asher (sons of Jacob and his concubine-wife Zilpah) (Gen. 30:11-12)
• Rachel (wife to Jacob) named her son Joseph (Gen.30:22) and, on her death-bed, she named her youngest son, Ben-oni, but his father renamed him Benjamin (Gen. 35:18)
• Rachel also named Dan and Naphtali  (sons of Jacob and his concubine-wife Bilhah) (Gen. 30:3-8)
• Judah’s Canaanite wife named their three sons Er, Onan, and Shelah (Genesis 38:2-5)
• Pharaoh’s daughter named the boy she drew out of the water, Moses (Exodus 2:10)
• Manoah’s wife named her son Samson (Judges 13:24)
• Hannah named her son Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20)
• Phinehas’ widow named their son, Ichabod (1 Samuel 4:21-22)

It’s not surprising, therefore, that Gabriel told Mary (not Joseph) what she should name the child she was expecting. To Joseph, Gabriel announced that the people would call this child, “God with us” (Immanuel) which was the term prophesied by Isaiah (Isaiah 7:14), but it was Mary who would agree to the name Yeshua (the Hebrew form of Jesus) for her child. This was the name she would use when calling Him home for supper, or when she kissed Him goodnight, or greeted Him when He returned home from His many travels. This was the cherished name she gave to her son, and it meant “salvation”.  Yeshua lived up to the meaning of His name.

In the Tanakh it was occasionally YHWH, not the parents, who named the child. The angel of YHWH/YHWH  told Hagar to name her son, Ishmael (Genesis 16:11), and God also told Abraham and Sarah to name their son, Isaac (Genesis 17:19). 

YHWH named the second son of Isaiah and his prophetess wife, Maher-shalal-hash-baz (meaning, “swift is the plunder, speedy is the prey”) as a prophetic announcement of the coming Assyrian attack. YHWH also named Hosea’s children with a prophetic message. 

YHWH’s choice for the names of Hosea’s children is very interesting. Hosea’s first son was to be named Jezreel, a place associated with the fall of the kingdom of Israel. The second child, a daughter, was named Lo-Ruhamah (meaning, no pity) because God would have no pity on Israel, but He would show mercy to Judah. The third child, a son, was to be named Lo-ammi (meaning, not my people). YHWH would not recognize Israel as His people because they no longer recognized Him as their God (Hosea 1:2-9).

However, the prophecy ended with hope:

Hosea 1:10-11

Yet the number of the sons of Israel will be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or counted; and in the place where it is said to them, “You are not My people,” it will be said to them, “You are the sons of the living God.”

And the sons of Judah and the sons of Israel will be gathered together, and they will appoint for themselves one leader, and they will go up from the land, for the day of Jezreel will be great.

The Living God would bring Salvation by walking amongst the living! YHWH would send an Anointed One (a Messiah), one leader, to bring His people together!

His Name will be called…

This Messiah, sent as a child, would bear many names: 

Isaiah 9:2, 6

The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them…

…For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called [wai’yi’kra sh’moh וַיִּקְרָ֨א שְׁמֹ֜ו] Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.

But the name that YHWH chose for Him, as announced by the messenger Gabriel, was Yeshua (Jesus), meaning “Salvation”… because He came to walk amongst us and save us. He came as a human so we could see Him face to face. 

Yeshua’s name tells a beautiful story. But you are also part of that beautiful story. You, YHWH’s child, are redeemed, and He knows your name:

Isaiah 43:1

[YHWH:] “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name [v-shim’ka בְשִׁמְךָ֖]; you are Mine!”

Never forget that you are YHWH’s beloved child and you are held in high esteem! He knows your name and He loves you!

For more on the Hebrew word for NAME (Shem) check out the original posting below: 

 NAME

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