is there any more
awkward moment when meeting a friend's new adorable baby and then trying to
cover the look of horror that flashes across your face when the mother reveals his name? and i don't mean a normal, or trendy, or old-fashioned kind of name-
i mean the name that is a collection of syllables with no recognized meaning or
spelling. or a normal name spelled
incorrectly (like, on purpose, incorrectly) or identical to a sibling's name.
or the dad's favorite model of firearm.
or a heretic. yes. oh, yes.
names have a huge
amount of significance in the Bible. very few of them were accidental or
meaningless. they bestowed blessings, or
memorialized the birth or lineage of a child or carried the parents' wishes for
his future. they marked places where
extraordinary or special events occurred or told who owned them. (side note:
i've frequently wondered when reading through the Old Testament what the
people did if 2 extraordinary events happened in the same place). but in any
case, whether it was to preserve a memory or make a point or even a pun, names
weren't generally given for no reason.
so when reading through stories, i've found it adds a layer of things to think about the use of names and
titles the author used- which is part of the inspiration from the Holy Spirit.
the past few weeks
have not been my favorite. i don't know
if i started this new year off much better than i did the last one, and if i
said i have any more of my life figured out than back then, i'd be lying. my favorite spot in front of the altar has
been soaked with tears a couple times already, and it's…. yes, i've made it
halfway through January.
but in the midst of
a list of burdens i have been "blessed" with, i have also made it
halfway through the book of Isaiah. and
just when i needed to be met with a reminder, a reminder came, in the form of a
wonderful, wonderful story, with some truly spectacular names.
it's been a favorite
story of mine for some time, and on a day when i so needed a "reset,"
i was met by the same God that the main protagonist was.
travel back in time
some 2700 (?) years or so- an age where indoor plumbing was inconceivable,
"rich" meant owning 2 whole cloaks, and when the biggest army with
chariots were all but guaranteed a victory.
the kingdom of Israel had split generations before into the kingdom of
Israel and the kingdom of Judah. the
kingdom of Israel spiraled downward into idolatry and sin of the worst sort and
was obliterated by Assyria, the people known for their delight in torture,
murder, and insanely cruel practices in warfare. the smaller kingdom of Judah hangs on,
because just enough of their kings have just enough obedience to God and
humility that they are simply teetering on the edge of destruction. enter onto the scene the last king who cared
about God, Hezekiah himself.
after inheriting a
kingdom in decline, with imminent doom forecasted by every honest prophet
around, the people within the city walls
of Jerusalem awake to the sound they had been dreading: hundreds of chariot
wheels and four hundred thousand-ish stomping feet of two hundred thousand-ish
soldiers. Assyria had come, ruled by
Sennacherib (see? i told you these names were awesome!) who clearly had enough
ego to feast on for a lifetime. Assyria,
because of its incredible army, was able to basically walk up and take over
many of Judah's fortified cities. now they had come for the capital city
Jerusalem and home of Solomon's Temple where Yahweh, God of Israel, dwelt above
the Mercy Seat.
in a world where
every human was aware of the spiritual world, this could not have been worse
news for Hezekiah. every kingdom had its
own deities, and it was common belief that if every there were a dispute
between two of them, the bigger and better god would win. as Hezekiah hears of
city after city being conquered by the approaching Assyrian force, he knows
that the odds are not in his favor. not any of the odds. barring a miracle, they're screwed. done for. toasted.
even worse, Assyria
knows it, too, and they give all the credit to their god (who, come to find out
later, is named Nisroch…. wth?!?!).
while the entire
city hunkers down in terror, the leader,
or "the Rabshakeh" of the army (these names just get better and
better, don't they?) delivers the ultimatum :
surrender, or die. he
"knows" what his god has helped their army do. he knows his army is
superior. and he also knows how to be a
jerk. to add insult to injury, the
Rabshakeh repeatedly refuses to recognize Hezekiah's title of king as well as
blaspheming Yahweh by comparing Him to all the other "deities" he has
beaten. throughout the entire dialogue, you can see the underhanded insults he sneaks in, as the two sides compare the
names of the other gods to Yahweh, and the names of the cities to Jerusalem,
the King Sennacherib vs. the King Hezekiah.
i think the worst
part would be that at least 75% of what the Rabshakeh said was true. on paper, Hezekiah has ZERO to boast
about. half his kingdom HAS been beaten. Assyria HAS won. Assyria HAS almost 200,000 soldiers right
there. those other gods LOST. they were TRAPPED. seriously, what response
could you give?
Hezekiah
doesn't. he doesn't reply anything.
he leaves his
throne, puts on sackcloth and ashes, and walks straight over to the
Temple. he takes the Rabshakeh's
"love letter" and puts it down on the floor in front of his God and
says, "your problem now."
"O LORD of
Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, you are the God, you alone,
of all the kingdoms of the earth; you have made heaven and earth. Incline your ear, O LORD, and hear; open your
eyes, O LORD, and see; and hear all the words of Sennacherib, which he has sent
to mock the living God. Truly, O LORD,
the kings of Assyria have laid waste all the nations and their lands, and have
cast their gods into the fire. For they
were no gods, but the work of men's hands, wood and stone. Therefore they were destroyed. So now, O LORD our God, save us from his
hand, that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone are the
LORD" (Isaiah 37:15-20)
in English, the only
way to differentiate the names in Hebrew was to play with grammar. so every
time the name "LORD" is used in all caps, the Hebrew word is Yahweh-
the name He gave to His own people when He established His relationship with them. Hezekiah's response was to immediately go and
tell Yahweh just how lousy things looked from below while he acknowledged the
One who had a much higher viewpoint, at the same time as he boldly used the
covenant name that identified him with God, and God with His people. just like a kid in need of a parent, he
brings the words that mock and blaspheme and ridicule and hurt, and he
physically puts it on the ground in front of him and points to it in the Temple
and demands the help from the only One who could save them.
i have several times
felt the need to not just pray, but to follow Hezekiah's show and tell
example. there is something liberating
about not just saying words, but going through the action- of taking the paper
with a diagnosis, or the phone with a harmful text or post, a picture of an
unsaved person, a symbol of something you can't let go- and coming to the altar
and setting it down before Him. having
done this before, i can testify to the freedom and relief that comes from truly
releasing control and submitting to the all-powerful. i have been facing what feels like an army of
lies for too long. every time it looks
like it has retreated, it's only to surge back with reinforcements. like a stupid Rabshakeh behind my shoulder
whispering in my ear, a nonstop cycle of
partial truths and whole lies has been spinning around in my head. i'm under no illusions that i alone can
overcome the proverbial army facing me.
somehow, even though i'm 100% most of it is a lie, some of it
isn't. i have been struck down. i've hit
the floor more times i can count. i've
done more wrong than right, and have absolutely no excuse for the wreckage
behind me. "but God…" by
myself, there really is no hope. but when i come before the throne of grace and
call on the only Name i need, there is an overabundance of hope.
if Hezekiah's prayer
is my favorite part of the story, a close second is the ending. after humbly
praying for God's salvation, God replies. "watch this," He says. the next morning, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers
are dead. dear old Rabshakeh gets called back home and Sennacherib goes to his
own temple to pray to his own god.
seizing an opportunity, his own sons Adrammelech and Sharezer took him
out. i'm sure it had nothing to do with
being given such horrible names… or maybe a little. i wouldn't blame them. like they were nothing more than an
afterthought, God wipes away an army, sends their champion home in shame and
puts their blasphemously proud king six feet under. no name a man gives himself compares to the
only true God. His name is Yahweh, Adonai, Immanuel, El-Elyon, God Most High, Lord of hosts.
"Because he
holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; i will protect him, because he
knows My name. when he calls to Me, I
will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor
him; with long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation" (Psalm
91:14-16).
do you know this
name?
