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The Names of God in Holy Scripture: A Revelation of His Nature and Relationships Notes of a Course of Lectures
Excerpt from The Names of God in Holy Scripture: A Revelation of His Nature and Relationships Notes of a Course of Lectures
I believe, open something of the truth, which the varying Names of God, recorded in Holy Scripture, were intended to reveal to us.
The subject has long occupied my thoughts. I was led to it, many years ago, by noticing the four differing Names of God in the first two verses of the ninety-first Psalm. The study of these drew me further to other titles of the same One Blessed God. The Fathers on this subject helped me but little, at least directly. They rarely refer to the teaching of the Names of God, as given in the Old Testament. What I think I most learnt from them was the lesson of our weakness; for their conflicts with the Gnostics shewed, how much there is in God and man, which in its height and depth must be beyond us, or at least unspeakable, so long as we are still in our present bodies of humiliation. And this consideration made me feel, how much we owe to God for the Names under which He has made Himself known in Scrip ture, which tell us all that we can here bear to know of Himself, His nature, and relationships.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
I believe, open something of the truth, which the varying Names of God, recorded in Holy Scripture, were intended to reveal to us.
The subject has long occupied my thoughts. I was led to it, many years ago, by noticing the four differing Names of God in the first two verses of the ninety-first Psalm. The study of these drew me further to other titles of the same One Blessed God. The Fathers on this subject helped me but little, at least directly. They rarely refer to the teaching of the Names of God, as given in the Old Testament. What I think I most learnt from them was the lesson of our weakness; for their conflicts with the Gnostics shewed, how much there is in God and man, which in its height and depth must be beyond us, or at least unspeakable, so long as we are still in our present bodies of humiliation. And this consideration made me feel, how much we owe to God for the Names under which He has made Himself known in Scrip ture, which tell us all that we can here bear to know of Himself, His nature, and relationships.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
238 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 1966
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 20, 2020
It's worth your time.
If there is something that is essential in life, it is getting to know God better. (I keep thinking of that famous in "A Christmas Carol" where the benevolent ghost of Christmas Present implores Scrooge to "come know me better man" .). God actually wants the whole world to come know Him better. And that is done by the various names that God is associated with or linked to in the Bible. This book strives to show that God is complex, multi-facited, and never trapped by a very limited human imagination. If you don't like older forms of English expression you might be turned off by the style of the book. I thought the final chapter was an excellent summary of the whole book.
If there is something that is essential in life, it is getting to know God better. (I keep thinking of that famous in "A Christmas Carol" where the benevolent ghost of Christmas Present implores Scrooge to "come know me better man" .). God actually wants the whole world to come know Him better. And that is done by the various names that God is associated with or linked to in the Bible. This book strives to show that God is complex, multi-facited, and never trapped by a very limited human imagination. If you don't like older forms of English expression you might be turned off by the style of the book. I thought the final chapter was an excellent summary of the whole book.
December 12, 2020
I got the e-version of this book, because I am fascinated by the names of God and a friend recommended it to me. However, after reading just the first chapter or so, I realized it was full of error. Not only was the author convinced of Darwinian evolution, and the "gap theory," but he also misinterpreted several passages of Scripture. In one instance he actually claimed that "evil is working with the good" to recreate the universe from its ruined state (Juke's misinterpretation of the "formless and void" passage of Genesis 1).
I realized that, if there was this much nonsense in the first several pages of the book, the rest was going to be filled with more useless doctrine trying to reconcile the Bible with the false doctrine of evolution. I didn't want to fill my head with any more of this bad science or theology!
Save yourself the time and money; don't bother with this book. There are plenty of other good books about the names of God, including one by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Timothy Bott, which I am reading now.
I realized that, if there was this much nonsense in the first several pages of the book, the rest was going to be filled with more useless doctrine trying to reconcile the Bible with the false doctrine of evolution. I didn't want to fill my head with any more of this bad science or theology!
Save yourself the time and money; don't bother with this book. There are plenty of other good books about the names of God, including one by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and Timothy Bott, which I am reading now.
December 28, 2013
A good book, though it is dated in style. Jukes does what most other writers on the subject do (apart from writers of encyclopedias). He takes a few of the most important names of God and writes a chapter on each. He covers the root meanings of the Hebrew names and expands on the character of God behind the names. It will deepen your understanding of God and your faith in Him.
My biggest concern with books like this is that God is a personality; He cannot be dissected into a few names and crammed into a chapter per name. Sure it helps us to get the information into our heads, but we must get beyond this approach and get to know the God behind the names as the Divine Personality that He is.
My biggest concern with books like this is that God is a personality; He cannot be dissected into a few names and crammed into a chapter per name. Sure it helps us to get the information into our heads, but we must get beyond this approach and get to know the God behind the names as the Divine Personality that He is.
October 30, 2013
When we talk about the names of God, we are actually referring to His attributes and character.
In 1 Chronicles 16, we read of the thanksgiving psalm which David had written after the ark of the covenant was moved into jerusalem. And in it, 4 times was the name of God mentioned. Why did David call upon God’s name? Why did he give glory to God’s holy name? Why did give thanks to God’s name?
What was going on his mind when David said all these? If only we can transfer David’s memory to our head, we will be so overwhelmed by his memories, of goliath, of fighting the lion and the bear, of rising up and falling out, of facing the accusation of wicked people, of running away from Saul who sought his life, of heartbreaks and sicknesses, of sorrows and partings. Yet at that juncture, he was in the peak of his career, esteemed by people and approved by God. What do you think he was thinking? He gave thanks and all glory to God. He knew he couldnt have done all these things without God. He was reminiscing on God’s past graces to him. Being close to God, he knows God, he has both head knowledge and heart knowledge. And both sets of knowledge have to do with God’s name and character.
I would think knowing God is the chief duty of man. A chief duty for his chief end. If you do not know God, how do you glorify Him? If you do not know God, how do you enjoy Him forever?
Yet we have this difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge - More than once did i hear the comment that head knowledge is nothing if it does not sink to the heart - which i agree. But that does not mean head knowledge is in anyway inferior to heart knowledge.
In fact, the converse is equally true, heart knowledge is nothing when it does not rise up to the head.
Everyone can claim to have heart knowledge of an encounter with the spiritual world. It might be that one’s upbringing is such that continuing with what one is worshipping brings about a nostagia and thus comfortable feeling; it might be one’s perception and disposition is such that he is inclined toward a certain form or pattern of worship; it might be the influence of family and friends or contingent happenings that make one thinks one is experiencing a spiritual encounter. In all these cases, a person can claim that she has heart knowledge and totally refuse to explain or come to reasonable analysis of her faith. This is what i mean by heart knowledge that does not rise up to the head.
It is always said that head knowledge without the heart only puffs up; but again, the converse is also true. Heart knowledge without the head can turn into blind faith and can definitely puff up too, for it often shuts one out from one’s own rationality.
In short, both head and heart knowledge are important, and one cannot do without the other. We are to love our God with all our soul and might, and with all our hearts and minds.
As such, knowing the names of God is important both as head knowledge (theoretical) and heart knowledge (experiential). And when David praised God in His name, am sure his conviction had both the heart and the head as foundation of his peace, joy and hope.
As God’s people, we have his full revelation- the Bible. And when we raise up our Bible and put it near our heart, what is the feeling that we have? Heart knowledge definitely- if not we wouldnt place it near the heart in the first place; but we have to admit it is also the head; of every word that is recorded in God’s Word; of His promises and His love; of His righteousness and His wrath. Head and heart always go together.
Knowing God is like knowing anything or anyone, though definitely more tedious cos there are things we do not totally understand about Him, or i should say, there are things which He chooses not to reveal to us. But what was recorded in the Bible is more than enough for us to know Him.
Just like David can be known as a musician, a warrior, a king and a psalmist, and Jesus can be seen as a king, a servant, man and God, we can see God from different viewpoints. He can be Elohim (God), Jehovah (LORD or GOD) and Adonai (Lord). And then there are the El names (eg El Shaddai, El Elyon etc); the Jehovah names (eg Jehovahnissi, Jehovahjireh etc); and the analogous ones (Shepherd, High Tower etc.) In fact, if we are to list them down,there would be more than 150 names. All serve to shed light on Who God is, to help us understand the all-compassing nature of Him. All names are different yet the reference is the same.
This is familiar, isnt it? It reminds us of the Holy Trinity, though we are entering the ontological aspect of God when we talk about the latter, rather than the attributive and relational aspects. But we can draw the parallel and see the connection. More importantly, we can see how these different names go hand in hand with the attributes of God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit; and how all these names come together in the holistic understanding of God.
This richness in the knowledge opens up so much for us to understand; and perhaps it is natural many books were written on this topic. One example is andrew jukes’ the names of God, which looks at God from 4 different angles, targetting to provide and answer to how a loving God can punish; and how a righteous God can love. Though i do not totally agree with his understanding of the names, i must admit that this book did contain interesting and sometimes insightful views.
God reveals His names to us for a purpose - for us to know Him and for us to know ourselves. Without knowing the holiness of God, we wouldnt see how sinful we are; without seeing how glorious He is, we wouldnt understand how we had fallen short of His glory. More importantly, without showing how loving He is, we wouldnt want to grow in lovingkindness; without seeing His perfection, we wouldnt want to be perfect.
Going through the names of God in the Bible is like reminding ourselves of all that have happened in history and how God has preserved his own children graciously. Like probably what is going in David’s head when he wrote the thanksgiving psalm, it is the telling of the good old gospel story.
Knowing the names of God is knowing God, and knowing who God is, is knowing who we are.ii
In 1 Chronicles 16, we read of the thanksgiving psalm which David had written after the ark of the covenant was moved into jerusalem. And in it, 4 times was the name of God mentioned. Why did David call upon God’s name? Why did he give glory to God’s holy name? Why did give thanks to God’s name?
What was going on his mind when David said all these? If only we can transfer David’s memory to our head, we will be so overwhelmed by his memories, of goliath, of fighting the lion and the bear, of rising up and falling out, of facing the accusation of wicked people, of running away from Saul who sought his life, of heartbreaks and sicknesses, of sorrows and partings. Yet at that juncture, he was in the peak of his career, esteemed by people and approved by God. What do you think he was thinking? He gave thanks and all glory to God. He knew he couldnt have done all these things without God. He was reminiscing on God’s past graces to him. Being close to God, he knows God, he has both head knowledge and heart knowledge. And both sets of knowledge have to do with God’s name and character.
I would think knowing God is the chief duty of man. A chief duty for his chief end. If you do not know God, how do you glorify Him? If you do not know God, how do you enjoy Him forever?
Yet we have this difference between head knowledge and heart knowledge - More than once did i hear the comment that head knowledge is nothing if it does not sink to the heart - which i agree. But that does not mean head knowledge is in anyway inferior to heart knowledge.
In fact, the converse is equally true, heart knowledge is nothing when it does not rise up to the head.
Everyone can claim to have heart knowledge of an encounter with the spiritual world. It might be that one’s upbringing is such that continuing with what one is worshipping brings about a nostagia and thus comfortable feeling; it might be one’s perception and disposition is such that he is inclined toward a certain form or pattern of worship; it might be the influence of family and friends or contingent happenings that make one thinks one is experiencing a spiritual encounter. In all these cases, a person can claim that she has heart knowledge and totally refuse to explain or come to reasonable analysis of her faith. This is what i mean by heart knowledge that does not rise up to the head.
It is always said that head knowledge without the heart only puffs up; but again, the converse is also true. Heart knowledge without the head can turn into blind faith and can definitely puff up too, for it often shuts one out from one’s own rationality.
In short, both head and heart knowledge are important, and one cannot do without the other. We are to love our God with all our soul and might, and with all our hearts and minds.
As such, knowing the names of God is important both as head knowledge (theoretical) and heart knowledge (experiential). And when David praised God in His name, am sure his conviction had both the heart and the head as foundation of his peace, joy and hope.
As God’s people, we have his full revelation- the Bible. And when we raise up our Bible and put it near our heart, what is the feeling that we have? Heart knowledge definitely- if not we wouldnt place it near the heart in the first place; but we have to admit it is also the head; of every word that is recorded in God’s Word; of His promises and His love; of His righteousness and His wrath. Head and heart always go together.
Knowing God is like knowing anything or anyone, though definitely more tedious cos there are things we do not totally understand about Him, or i should say, there are things which He chooses not to reveal to us. But what was recorded in the Bible is more than enough for us to know Him.
Just like David can be known as a musician, a warrior, a king and a psalmist, and Jesus can be seen as a king, a servant, man and God, we can see God from different viewpoints. He can be Elohim (God), Jehovah (LORD or GOD) and Adonai (Lord). And then there are the El names (eg El Shaddai, El Elyon etc); the Jehovah names (eg Jehovahnissi, Jehovahjireh etc); and the analogous ones (Shepherd, High Tower etc.) In fact, if we are to list them down,there would be more than 150 names. All serve to shed light on Who God is, to help us understand the all-compassing nature of Him. All names are different yet the reference is the same.
This is familiar, isnt it? It reminds us of the Holy Trinity, though we are entering the ontological aspect of God when we talk about the latter, rather than the attributive and relational aspects. But we can draw the parallel and see the connection. More importantly, we can see how these different names go hand in hand with the attributes of God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit; and how all these names come together in the holistic understanding of God.
This richness in the knowledge opens up so much for us to understand; and perhaps it is natural many books were written on this topic. One example is andrew jukes’ the names of God, which looks at God from 4 different angles, targetting to provide and answer to how a loving God can punish; and how a righteous God can love. Though i do not totally agree with his understanding of the names, i must admit that this book did contain interesting and sometimes insightful views.
God reveals His names to us for a purpose - for us to know Him and for us to know ourselves. Without knowing the holiness of God, we wouldnt see how sinful we are; without seeing how glorious He is, we wouldnt understand how we had fallen short of His glory. More importantly, without showing how loving He is, we wouldnt want to grow in lovingkindness; without seeing His perfection, we wouldnt want to be perfect.
Going through the names of God in the Bible is like reminding ourselves of all that have happened in history and how God has preserved his own children graciously. Like probably what is going in David’s head when he wrote the thanksgiving psalm, it is the telling of the good old gospel story.
Knowing the names of God is knowing God, and knowing who God is, is knowing who we are.ii
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews