31 Days of Christmas – Day #20

What’s In A Name

We don’t pay much attention to names today. They hold very little significance for us. They identify us, but they don’t describe us. We can know a person’s name without having the slightest idea what that individual is like.
But the Hebrews believed that the name was an important part of a personality. It spoke of character. If they heard someone’s name, they knew what kind of person he or she was.
For instance, the name Jacob indicates that he was a devious person, a trickster who could not be trusted. Barak means lightning. He could strike anyone without warning. Deborah means bee (you know, the insect!). She could be as sweet as honey, but she never lost her sting!
In the same way, the name of a place describes its outstanding feature. Carmel was a garden land. Gibeah was a hill. Horeb was dry. If a Hebrew knew the name of the place, he knew what to expect when he got there.
So you can see that the name chosen for God’s Son was important — so important that it was determined in the councils of heaven. And lest there be any doubt about His name, it was revealed to both Joseph and Mary, separately.
Today, there is no name in the world so widely known and honored, no name so often remembered or so greatly loved. There is no name more precious to young and old alike.
That name means Deliverer, Rescuer, Savior, Angel-sent. (Matthew 1:25 – “He called His Name JESUS.”)