In this study, I would like to examine the meaning of
"calling on a name" or "making a name", and the distinction
between the two. Lets start by seeing who called on the name of HaShem:
Bereshit (Genesis) 4:25-26 Adam
lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,
saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain
killed him." Seth also had a son,
and he named him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of HaShem.
The first person to call upon the name of HaShem, was Seth.
Seth began to call on the Name when his fist child was born.
Bereshit (Genesis) 12:7-8 HaShem appeared to Abram and said, "To
your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to
HaShem, who had appeared to him. From
there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel
and pitched his tent, with Bethel
on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to HaShem and called
on the name of HaShem.
Here we see that Abram called on the name of HaShem. Abram
did this when God promised him offspring and land.
Bereshit (Genesis) 13:1-4 So
Abram went up from Egypt to
the Negev, with his wife and everything he had, and Lot
went with him. Abram had become very
wealthy in livestock and in silver and gold.
From the Negev he went from place to place until he came to Bethel, to the place between Bethel and Ai where his tent had been
earlier And where he had first built an
altar. There Abram called on the name of HaShem.
Here we see that Abram called on the name of HaShem again.
Abram did this at the same place where God promised him offspring and land.
Bereshit (Genesis) 21:28-34 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the
flock, And Abimelech asked Abraham, "What
is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by
themselves?" He replied,
"Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this
well." So that place was called Beersheba, because the two
men swore an oath there. After the
treaty had been made at Beersheba,
Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the
Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk
tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of HaShem, the Eternal
God. And Abraham stayed in the land
of the Philistines for a long time.
God has changed Abram's name to Abraham. Abraham calls on
the name of HaShem after he made a covenant with Abimelech and planted a
tamarisk tree. What is the connection?
Bereshit (Genesis) 26:19-25 Isaac's
servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with
Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well
Esek, because they disputed with him.
Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he
named it Sitnah. He moved on from there
and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth,
saying, "Now HaShem has given us room and we will flourish in the
land." From there he went up to Beersheba. That night HaShem appeared to him and said,
"I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake
of my servant Abraham." Isaac
built an altar there and called on the name of HaShem. There he pitched
his tent, and there his servants dug a well.
In this passage, Isaac calls on the name of HaShem after he
has been promised an increased number of descendants.
Vayikra (Leviticus) 18:21 "'Do not give any of your
children to be sacrificed to Molech, for you must not profane the name of your
God. I am HaShem.
In this passage, God commands His people not to profane His
name by sacrificing their children to Molech. Again the name is associated with
descendants.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 18:1-7 The
priests, who are Levites--indeed the whole tribe of Levi--are to have no
allotment or inheritance with Israel.
They shall live on the offerings made to HaShem by fire, for that is their
inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; HaShem is
their inheritance, as he promised them.
This is the share due the priests from the people who sacrifice a bull
or a sheep: the shoulder, the jowls and the inner parts. You are to give them the firstfruits of your
grain, new wine and oil, and the first wool from the shearing of your
sheep, For HaShem your God has chosen
them and their descendants out of all your tribes to stand and minister in
HaShem'S name always. If a Levite moves
from one of your towns anywhere in Israel where he is living, and comes in all
earnestness to the place HaShem will choose,
He may minister in the name of HaShem his God like all his fellow
Levites who serve there in the presence of HaShem.
Here we see the Levites ministering "in the name of
HaShem" and it is related to their inheritance.
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 28:58-59 If
you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in
this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name--HaShem your
God-- HaShem will send fearful plagues
on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and
lingering illnesses.
Once again we see that revering the name of HaShem is
related to our descendants.
I Melachim (Kings) 18:18-39
"I have not made trouble for Israel," Elijah replied.
"But you and your father's family have. You have abandoned HaShem'S
commands and have followed the Baals.
Now summon the people from all over Israel
to meet me on Mount Carmel. And bring the four
hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah,
who eat at Jezebel's table." So
Ahab sent word throughout all Israel
and assembled the prophets on Mount Carmel. Elijah went before the people and said,
"How long will you waver between two opinions? If HaShem is God, follow
him; but if Baal is God, follow him." But the people said nothing. Then Elijah said to them, "I am the
only one of HaShem'S prophets left, but Baal has four hundred and fifty
prophets. Get two bulls for us. Let them
choose one for themselves, and let them cut it into pieces and put it on the
wood but not set fire to it. I will prepare the other bull and put it on the
wood but not set fire to it. Then you
call on the name of your god, and I will call on the name of HaShem. The
god who answers by fire--he is God." Then all the people said, "What
you say is good." Elijah said to
the prophets of Baal, "Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since
there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the
fire." So they took the bull given
them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. "O Baal, answer us!"
they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced
around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them.
"Shout louder!" he said. "Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep
in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be
awakened." So they shouted louder
and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their
blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic
prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no
response, no one answered, no one paid attention. Then Elijah said to all the people,
"Come here to me." They came to him, and he repaired the altar of
HaShem, which was in ruins. Elijah took
twelve stones, one for each of the tribes descended from Jacob, to whom the
word of HaShem had come, saying, "Your name shall be Israel." With the stones he built an altar in the name
of HaShem, and he dug a trench around it large enough to hold two seahs of
seed. He arranged the wood, cut the bull
into pieces and laid it on the wood. Then he said to them, "Fill four
large jars with water and pour it on the offering and on the wood." "Do it again," he said, and they
did it again. "Do it a third time," he ordered, and they did it the
third time. The water ran down around
the altar and even filled the trench.
At the time of sacrifice, the prophet Elijah stepped forward and prayed:
"O HaShem, God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, let it be known today that
you are God in Israel and that I am your servant and have done all these things
at your command. Answer me, O HaShem,
answer me, so these people will know that you, O HaShem, are God, and that you
are turning their hearts back again."
Then the fire of HaShem fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the
stones and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench. When all the people saw this, they fell
prostrate and cried, "HaShem--he is God! HaShem--he is God!"
When Elijah called on the name of HaShem, fire came down
from heaven to perform what Elijah had requested.
Tehillim (Psalms) 116:1-19 I love HaShem, for he heard my voice; he
heard my cry for mercy. Because he
turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. The cords of death entangled me, the anguish
of the grave came upon me; I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Then I called on the name of HaShem:
"O HaShem, save me!" HaShem is
gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. HaShem protects the simple hearted; when I
was in great need, he saved me. Be at
rest once more, O my soul, for HaShem has been good to you. For you, O HaShem, have delivered my soul
from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, That I may walk before HaShem in the land of
the living. I believed; therefore I
said, "I am greatly afflicted."
And in my dismay I said, "All men are liars." How can I repay HaShem for all his goodness
to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call
on the name of HaShem. I will
fulfill my vows to HaShem in the presence of all his people. Precious in the sight of HaShem is the death
of his saints. O HaShem, truly I am your
servant; I am your servant, the son of your maidservant; you have freed me from
my chains. I will sacrifice a thank
offering to you and call on the name of HaShem.
I will fulfill my vows to HaShem in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the house of HaShem--in your
midst, O Jerusalem.
Praise HaShem.
Here we see that the fulfillment of vows seems to be the
reason for calling on the name of HaShem.
The statement: "I will lift up the cup of salvation"
seems to be related to havdallah. This is the name of the cup that is
lifted during the havdallah ceremony.
Yeremiyahu (Jeremiah) 3:14-18
"Return, faithless people," declares HaShem, "for I am
your husband. I will choose you--one from a town and two from a clan--and bring
you to Zion. Then I will give you shepherds after my own
heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. In those days, when your numbers have
increased greatly in the land," declares HaShem, "men will no longer
say, 'The ark of the covenant of HaShem.' It will never enter their minds or be
remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. At that time they will call Jerusalem
The Throne of HaShem, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of HaShem.
No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come
from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance.
This time, when God's people honor the name of HaShem, it is
related to their inheritance in the land, and to their relationship as the
bride.
Zephaniah 3:8-20 Therefore wait for me," declares HaShem, "for the day I will
stand up to testify. I have decided to assemble the nations, to gather the
kingdoms and to pour out my wrath on them--all my fierce anger. The whole world
will be consumed by the fire of my jealous anger. "Then will I purify the lips of the
peoples, that all of them may call on the name of HaShem and serve him
shoulder to shoulder. From beyond the
rivers of Cush
my worshipers, my scattered people, will bring me offerings. On that day you will not be put to shame for
all the wrongs you have done to me, because I will remove from this city those
who rejoice in their pride. Never again will you be haughty on my holy
hill. But I will leave within you the
meek and humble, who trust in the name of HaShem. The remnant of Israel will do no wrong; they will
speak no lies, nor will deceit be found in their mouths. They will eat and lie
down and no one will make them afraid."
Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem!
HaShem has taken away your punishment, he has turned back your enemy.
HaShem, the King of Israel,
is with you; never again will you fear any harm. On that day they will say to Jerusalem,
"Do not fear, O Zion;
do not let your hands hang limp. HaShem
your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you,
he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with
singing." "The sorrows for the
appointed feasts I will remove from you; they are a burden and a reproach to
you. At that time I will deal with all
who oppressed you; I will rescue the lame and gather those who have been
scattered. I will give them praise and honor in every land where they were put
to shame. At that time I will gather
you; at that time I will bring you home. I will give you honor and praise among
all the peoples of the earth when I restore your fortunes before your very
eyes," says HaShem.
Calling on the name of HaShem, here, is related to their
home (the land) and a restoration of their fortunes.
* * *
Now, lets see what happens when we look to our own
"name" rather than to call upon God's name:
Bereshit (Genesis) 11:1-9 Now
the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward,
they found a plain in Shinar
and settled there. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and
bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for
mortar. Then they said, "Come, let
us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we
may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the
whole earth." But HaShem came down
to see the city and the tower that the men were building. HaShem said, "If as one people speaking
the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will
be impossible for them. Come, let us go
down and confuse their language so they will not understand each
other." So HaShem scattered them
from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel--because there HaShem confused the
language of the whole world. From there HaShem scattered them over the face of
the whole earth.
Ok, so the end result of making a name for ourselves is
confusion! This is what the wicked do: They try to make a name FOR THEMSELVES.
The righteous call upon the name of HaShem to praise Him. When we acknowledge
Him, instead of ourselves, we acknowledge His preeminence. I think that I would
rather call upon the name of HaShem!!
This study was
written by Hillel ben David
Web page: http://www.betemunah.org/
with Gratitude to the WATCHMAN home page
Send comments to YaaKov at his email address:
