1. William Shakespeare wrote, "What is in a name? A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” This sentiment is true of many worldly things, but it is not true of most names in the Bible.

2. Consider a few examples of meaningful Bible names:

a. Adam – human being or humanity

b. Abram – exalted father; Abraham – father of a multitude (Gen. 17:1-18)

c. Isaac – laughter (Gen. 21:1-7)

d. Jacob – supplanter (Gen. 25:26-34; 27:1-41)

e. David – beloved (Acts 13:22)

1. The name Jehovah is from the Hebrew word YHWH (יְהֹוָה), which means "I am.” It is derived from the Hebrew verb hayah (הָיָה), which means "to be.”

a. This name is very fitting for God because it captures the eternal, ever-present, all-knowing, all powerful nature of Him.

i. Jehovah is omnipresent, for every place that exists is attended by the great I AM.

ii. Jehovah is omniscient, for everything that can be known is known to the great I AM.

iii. Jehovah is omnipotent, for every force in existence is subject to the great I AM.

b. No one else could use such a name, for no one else could make such claims.

2. Consider the history of the name Jehovah.

a. God revealed the name YHWH to Moses, and Moses revealed it to Israel.

i. Moses had fled from Egypt to Midian after he killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. For forty years, he dwelt there as a shepherd (Ex. 2:11-22).

ii. While Moses was in Midian, Israel was in despair because of the oppression of Pharaoh and the Egyptians (Ex. 2:23-25).

iii. While Moses was pasturing a flock at Mount Horeb, God spoke to him from a fire in the midst of a bush and commanded him to deliver Israel out of Egypt (Ex. 3:1-10). When Moses asked what he should say when Israel asked for God's name, God said, "I AM WHO I AM…Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you'” (Ex. 3:14). From this "I AM” (hayah) came the name YHWH.

b. Through the years, the Hebrew name YHWH has evolved into the English name Jehovah.

i. In Hebrew, YHWH is pronounced Yah'·weh rather than the name we pronounce as Jeh·hō·vä'.

ii. The reason for the difference is as follows. For centuries, the Hebrew language was written with consonants only, and the pronunciation of words was passed down by oral traditions. Often when reading the Scriptures aloud, the Jews would not pronounce the name YHWH for fear of using His name in vain (Ex. 20:7). Therefore, they would say the word Adonay (אֲדֹנָי), which means "Lord.” In the Middle Ages, Jewish scribes began to add "points” to the Scriptures, which were tiny notations above or below the consonants to indicate vowel sounds. When they came to the word YHWH, they added the vowel sounds of Adonay to remind the reader to say Adonay instead of YHWH. English translators combined the letters of YHWH and the vowel sounds of Adonay from these ancient manuscripts and formed the word "Yehowah.” The Hebrew letter for "Y” is often read in English or Latin as "J”, and likewise "W” is read as "V”. Thus, we arrive at the name Jehovah.

iii. Notice that "LORD” (capital letters) in the KJV, NKJV, and NASB is an interpretation of God's name YHWH, or Jehovah.

c. There is nothing wrong with using the name Jehovah in reference to God provided that we understand its meaning and have a proper reverence for His name.

1. Some of these names are Most High, Judge, The Eternal God, The Lord Provides, The God of Israel, God of the Covenant, The Holy One of Israel, etc.

2. There are many such names that could be listed, but only one – YHWH, Jehovah, or LORD – was specifically designated by God to man and used more than 6,000 times in the Old Testament to describe Him.

1. When the Scripture speaks of praising God's name, glorifying His name, or profaning His name, it is referring to God Himself.

a. God's name is not just a word, but rather it represents God and everything about Him.

b. We use the word "name” in this way regarding others as well. For example, a person who does good brings honor to his family's name. His good deeds have improved his family's reputation.

2. This is why man is prohibited from using God's name in a vain way or in an unholy way. A careless use of God's name by man is be a direct insult to Almighty God.

1. "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the LORD; the humble will hear it and rejoice. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt His name together.” (Ps. 34:1-3)

2. "Willingly I will sacrifice to You; I will give thanks to Your name, O LORD, for it is good.” (Ps. 54:6)

3. "The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will dwell in it.” (Ps. 69:36, referring to Zion)

1. "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.” (Ex. 20:7)

2. "Moreover, the one who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death; all the congregation shall certainly stone him. The alien as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.” (Lev. 24:16)

1. When Israel was defeated at Ai, Joshua saw how it would reflect on God's name: "For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land will hear of it, and they will surround us and cut off our name from the earth. And what will You do for Your great name?” (Josh. 7:9)

2. Isaiah recalled how God glorified His name when leading Israel in the wilderness: "As the cattle which go down into the valley, the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest. So You led Your people, to make for Yourself a glorious name.” (Isa. 63:14)

1. Seven times in these eighteen verses, God said, "I am the LORD” (or "I am Jehovah”).

2. In fact, the phrase "I am the LORD” appears 161 times in the Old Testament. It is especially prevalent in the books of Leviticus (49 times) and Ezekiel (66 times).

1. The repetition of God's name was a continuous reminder of who God is. It was the LORD, Jehovah, who was speaking, and His holiness demanded Israel's holiness (Lev. 19:2).

2. These commandments were to be obeyed because "I am the LORD.” Nothing more than "I am the LORD” needed to be said to make these commandments authoritative, for the Almighty Jehovah was the Lawgiver.

3. We might equate this on some level to a parent justifying a commandment to a child by saying, "Because I said so!” No further explanation is required.

1. Notice Hebrews 1:1-2 – "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

2. The same God who spoke to "the fathers” (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, etc.) and said repeatedly, "I am the LORD,” now speaks through Christ Jesus. Jehovah's message today demands our attention just as His message to Israel demanded their attention.

3. Today it is the Son of God who has all authority and is both Lord and Christ.

a. Jesus said, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matt. 28:18).

b. Peter declared, "Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ--this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36).

4. Notice that the name Jehovah describes not only the Father but also the Son.

a. In John 8:58, Jesus made this bold claim: "Before Abraham was born, I am.” The phrase "I am” was an obvious claim on Deity, and the Jews sought to stone Jesus for this.

b. Jesus could claim to be "I am” because He is God.

i. Notice John's introduction of Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1, 14; compare to Gen. 1:26)

ii. As a member of the Godhead, Jesus is equal to the Father is all things (Matt. 1:23; John 5:19-30; 2Cor. 4:4; Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9; Heb. 1:3). Indeed, He is Jehovah just as the Father is Jehovah.

c. In fact, the name Jehovah describes the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

1. Notice the broad commandment of Colossians 3:17 – "Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.”

a. When we do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, we speak and act according to the power, wisdom, glory, and authority of the person of Jesus Christ. All of these things are represented by His name.

b. The only way we may do all in the name of the Lord Jesus is to speak and act according to His will and word. We are not to do this as mindless robots, but rather we are to speak and act in obedience to Him with the divinely given goals of holiness, godliness, and love.

2. Speaking and acting under the constraint of God's will is the only way to submit to Jesus as Lord.

a. The term Lord is not merely a title, but rather it is a description (Matt. 7:21-23). It describes one to whom we are in submission. Words and deeds are in the name of the Lord only if they are done in subjection to Him.

b. The phrase "in Jesus' name” is not just a formal closing for our prayers, but rather it is a means of expressing conformity to Christ's will as our Lord in all things.