One Name = Yahweh

Reflection: The people of Israel had many names for God but the most significant was the name revealed to Moses when he was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. As we saw in our reading, God told Moses to call him ‘I Am’ (Hebrew – eh-yeh) which became the proper name Yahweh*. This name was considered so holy that it would not be spoken and was usually substituted with other words such as Hashem meaning 'the name'. Even in many Bible translations today Yahweh appears as ‘The Lord."

There are many complexities surrounding the name Yahweh that are much debated by scholars. But in simplest terms, it’s God’s way of indicating eternal self-existence and sovereignty. God didn’t begin, and he’s not going to end. He just ‘is’!

One of Jesus’ most controversial acts while he walked the Earth was to claim this name for himself. In John 8:58 (NLT) Jesus says: “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I am!” The Jews wanted to stone him at this point, knowing he was claiming to be God. Not only did Jesus align himself with the name Yahweh, but he also invested this name with powerful meaning relevant to each of us. Again and again Jesus used the form of ‘I Am’ to explain who he was: I am the bread of life (John 6:35), I am the light of the world (John 8:12), I am the good shepherd (John 10:11), I am the resurrection and the life (John 11:25), I am the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), I am the true vine (John 15:1).

If we put these ‘I Am’ statements together, we see Jesus is the name through which we can find sustenance, light, protection, life, direction, and connection. Jesus transcends the unspeakable holiness of Yahweh and brings him close to us in everyday life.

One Name today: Which of Jesus’s ‘I Am’ statements are most relevant to you today? Look up the reference in John’s gospel and pray into this today. And if you want to further understand the link between Yahweh and Jesus, read Isaiah 44:6 and Revelation 1:17.

* In Hebrew, what we know as Yahweh appeared without vowels as YHWH. Scholars have reached consensus that this probably reads as Yahweh. An earlier anglicisation was ‘Jehovah’.