called by my name

[KarenE]

Hello! I was wondering about the verse in Isaiah 43:7 where it says "... called by My Name."
Which Name of God does this refer to? These words grabbed my attention and I would like to understand better what God is saying. :)

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Hello! I was wondering about the verse in Isaiah 43:7 where it says "... called by My Name."
Which Name of God does this refer to? These words grabbed my attention and I would like to understand better what God is saying. :)
Hi Karen, :yo:

Welcome to our forum.

:welcome:

I can't think of any reason the name would be anything other than the Tetragrammaton - the name of four letters, YHVH.

All the best,

Richard

[KarenE]

Thank you Richard, for the warm welcome and for answering my question. :)

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Thank you Richard, for the warm welcome and for answering my question. :)
You are welcome! :yo:

Where are your studies taking you today?

[Mike]

Harvey


Hello! I was wondering about the verse in Isaiah 43:7 where it says "... called by My Name."
Which Name of God does this refer to?

[Richard Amiel McGough]

Harvey
Dude! I've can't believe you would make such an absurd assertion.

Everyone knows his name is Smedley!

[Unregistered]

I did a search on "called by my name." The English Standard Version uses it 13 times as follows:
2Sa_12:28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name."
2Ch_7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Isa_43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isa_65:1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that was not called by my name.
Jer_7:10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'—only to go on doing all these abominations?
Jer_7:11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.
Jer_7:14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.
Jer_7:30 "For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the LORD. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.
Jer_25:29 For behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of hosts.'
Jer_32:34 They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.
Jer_34:15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,
Amo_9:12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," declares the LORD who does this.
Act_15:17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

Notice that the temple, Jerusalem, the nations (which is what the Jews called the Gentiles), Israel, and the Gentiles are said to be "called by my name." In most of these passages the point being made is that they are God's temple, God's people, God's city, etc. The temple is God's temple--not Molech's or Baal's. Israel is God's child as opposed to being the child of Molech or Baal. They are God's not in the sense that he possesses them but in the relationship sense. An example of relationship is that of parent and child. My son says I am HIS father. I say he is MY son. Similarly in Song of Solomon, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." Hence "my" is in the relationship sense and not the possession sense. What the person's actual name is is immaterial. Notice that I didn't not tell you above what my name was or what my son's name is. Yet he is "called by my name."

Let me know if I'm wrong on this; but I think the tetragrammaton is God's name. All the other "names" such as God, El, El Shaddai, Johovah Nissi, etc. are not names. Instead they are titles describing something about him. A parallel example would be the Pharaoh of Egypt. Exodus calls him Pharaoh which basically means "King." The Pharaoh's name during the Exodus might have been Raameses II or Amenhotep, etc. Pharaoh would be his title. In the United States we have "President" for a title and Bush, Obama, etc. for the personal names of two of our presidents.

Finally, you mentioned Isa 43:7. Go back to Isa 43:1 where God says to Israel, "...I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." Here God does NOT say "by my name" but instead "by name." What name did God call him by? Looking up two lines we see he called him by his name Israel and his name Jacob. He didn't call him by the tetragrammaton because that belongs solely to God.

I have a thick skin (and I might not know what I'm talking about anyway); so let me know if you disagree.

[Richard Amiel McGough]

I did a search on "called by my name." The English Standard Version uses it 13 times as follows:
2Sa_12:28 Now then gather the rest of the people together and encamp against the city and take it, lest I take the city and it be called by my name."
2Ch_7:14 if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
Isa_43:7 everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made."
Isa_65:1 I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me. I said, "Here I am, here I am," to a nation that was not called by my name.
Jer_7:10 and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, 'We are delivered!'—only to go on doing all these abominations?
Jer_7:11 Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, I myself have seen it, declares the LORD.
Jer_7:14 therefore I will do to the house that is called by my name, and in which you trust, and to the place that I gave to you and to your fathers, as I did to Shiloh.
Jer_7:30 "For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the LORD. They have set their detestable things in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.
Jer_25:29 For behold, I begin to work disaster at the city that is called by my name, and shall you go unpunished? You shall not go unpunished, for I am summoning a sword against all the inhabitants of the earth, declares the LORD of hosts.'
Jer_32:34 They set up their abominations in the house that is called by my name, to defile it.
Jer_34:15 You recently repented and did what was right in my eyes by proclaiming liberty, each to his neighbor, and you made a covenant before me in the house that is called by my name,
Amo_9:12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name," declares the LORD who does this.
Act_15:17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things

Notice that the temple, Jerusalem, the nations (which is what the Jews called the Gentiles), Israel, and the Gentiles are said to be "called by my name." In most of these passages the point being made is that they are God's temple, God's people, God's city, etc. The temple is God's temple--not Molech's or Baal's. Israel is God's child as opposed to being the child of Molech or Baal. They are God's not in the sense that he possesses them but in the relationship sense. An example of relationship is that of parent and child. My son says I am HIS father. I say he is MY son. Similarly in Song of Solomon, "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine." Hence "my" is in the relationship sense and not the possession sense. What the person's actual name is is immaterial. Notice that I didn't not tell you above what my name was or what my son's name is. Yet he is "called by my name."

Note that many of the occurrences are found in the book of Jeremiah on Spoke 2 in alignment with Exodus which in Hebrew is called Shemot (Names) from the first verse:
Exodus 1:1 Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob.

It is interesting that the first occurrence of shemot is found in the second chapter of Genesis. There are many strong links to Spoke 2 and the symbolic meaning of the second letter Bet, as I discussed in my article called The House Called By My Name (http://biblewheel.com/Wheel/Spokes/bet_housename.asp):



Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, and walk after other gods whom ye know not; And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered to do all these abominations? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, saith the LORD.~ Spoke 2, Cycle 2 (Jeremiah 7:9f)


Jeremiah contains the highlighted phrase - ("house, which is called by my name") [Verify] (http://www.searchgodsword.org/desk/?l=en&query=%22house,+which+is+called+by+my+name%22&section=0&t=kjv&Enter=Perform+Search) - six times. It is found nowhere else in the KJV. This integrates two fundamental ideas relating to the Number Two and the Second Letter: House and Name.

The name of the second letter בית (Bet, House) is deeply integrated with the structure of Scripture. In first appears in the second chapter of three of the most significant alphabetic cycles (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Introduction.asp) revealed in the Bible: 2 Chronicles 2 (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/2Chr/2Chr02.asp), Isaiah 2 (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Isaiah/Isaiah02.asp), Matthew 2 (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Matthew/Mat02.asp) and John 2 (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/John/John02.asp).

Likewise, the first occurrence of the word שמות (Shemuth, Names) is found in Genesis 2 (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Genesis/Genesis02.asp), which integrates with the Hebrew name of the Second Book - Shemuth - taken from its first verse. All of this integrates with the ultimate meaning of the Number 2 and the Second Letter, which is found in the Second Person of the Godhead, as prophesied in the Second Psalm! (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Psalms/Psalm02_Exodus.asp) In other words, the eternal nature of God is revealed in the geometric structure of Scripture and its integration with the Hebrew alphabet! Endless Wonder! Praise God! (Cf. The Structure of Exodus (http://biblewheel.com/Wheel/Spokes/Bet_Exodus.asp)).

The word שם (Shem, Name) is also deeply integrated with Spoke 21 because Shem is Shin KeyWord. This manifests in the Divine Name אהיה (Ehyeh, I AM) as discussed in the article Called by Name (http://biblewheel.com/InnerWheels/Isaiah/Isaiah43_Shem.asp). This is an example of the infinitely intricate integration of God's Word - endless wheels within wheels! Such simple beauty a child can appreciate it, yet so deep the greatest minds will never see the end of it. Glory to God in the highest!

Note the exuberant praise of God that marked all my writings when I was a Christian. I still believe that the patterns revealed by the Bible Wheel are real and valid, but I don't believe in the God of the Bible anymore. It is a fascinating paradox.

As for all occurrences of the phrase "called by my name" - we find a couple more if we search for variations of the Hebrew phrase niqra shmi (called by my name):

Isaiah 41:25 I have raised up one from the north, and he shall come: from the rising of the sun shall he call upon my name: and he shall come upon princes as upon morter, and as the potter treadeth clay.

Zechariah 13:9 And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.



Let me know if I'm wrong on this; but I think the tetragrammaton is God's name. All the other "names" such as God, El, El Shaddai, Johovah Nissi, etc. are not names. Instead they are titles describing something about him. A parallel example would be the Pharaoh of Egypt. Exodus calls him Pharaoh which basically means "King." The Pharaoh's name during the Exodus might have been Raameses II or Amenhotep, etc. Pharaoh would be his title. In the United States we have "President" for a title and Bush, Obama, etc. for the personal names of two of our presidents.

There is a difference between names and titles, but I don't see that difference ever mentioned in the Bible with regards to the name(s) and titles of God. And we have a problem with the NT if we take your suggestion seriously. The OT states:
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Whereas the NT says:
Acts 4:10 Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

So I see no justification to nitpick over names. What is the purpose? It seems to only cause confusion and contradiction.

[Unregistered]

Richard, I just recently "rediscovered" my copy of the The Bible Wheel and have been using it along with my daily Bible study. I find it such a wonderful tool for helping me understand God's word. But when I read tonight (in your response to someone who wanted to know about God's name) that you no longer believe in the God of the Bible, I felt as if a knife had been stuck in my heart. You are such a brilliant man and your writing and insights are amazing. How could you have once had such a profound love of God and His Word and now not believe in Him? He loves you and still believes in you.
Emma