What's in a name?

Recently I had to opportunity to take the youth group up to the Pacific Science Center and view the Dead Sea Scrolls. What a great experience it was. The Dead Sea Scrolls have been in Seattle for some time and will leave on January 8th.

It was a chance of a lifetime to see the ancient documents that Christ-followers hold dear. I have to tell you that I am not interested too much in archeology. But something about having the opportunity to see these ancient documents stirred excitement in me.

It culminated in when I entered the room with all the fragments in it. The lights were low. Eight cases of fragments positioned throughout the room. Beside each case was a banner that explained where the fragment was found and what the text was and a translation of the text.

I said a short prayer before I entered the room. What happened in the room, I was not ready for. It was truly a spiritual experience for me. Fragments with the text of the creation story made my heart and faith leap for joy. Seeing fragments with the words of the prophets on them made my devotion to God seem more real. Then I came to Psalm 119. The fragment had 8 columns, each column was missing about 7 or 8 lines at the bottom, but what a magnificent fragment. In the middle of the fourth column was the name of God.

I have read the Bible my whole life. I was raised in a Godly home by Godly parents and grew up going to Church in the Midwest. But as I just stared at the name of God written so carefully and reverently, it hit me--the name of God. Moses asked God at the burning bush God's name so the Israelites would know who had sent Moses. God gave Moses his name--YHWH. The Israelites reverenced the name so much that it was unpronounceable. They did not even want to accidentally take God's name in vain so they never said it. In the fragment, God's name was in a different font and size. I began to think about even in writing God's name there was reverence and respect and love.

I stood over the Psalm 119 fragment for probably 30 minutes just staring at the name of God. It was almost like I could feel God's presence in the written name. I don't know what to make of it, but I am beginning to believe God's presence was there in the written name. I spent some time in prayer asking God to forgive me of all the times that I have nonchalantly used his name then I asked God to grow in me a new kind of respect and reverence for him.

I mentioned I grew up with reading the Bible, going to Church and doing Church things, but maybe in all of that God had become a normal part of my life. Not saying that is all bad, but maybe I have been taking the LORD for granted. Maybe the LORD has become so "normal" in my life that when I got to the Psalm 119 fragment the LORD said I am not "normal." I am not to be taken for granted. I am always here but I am the LORD.

What's in a name? Everything. I have been thinking about this all week. It has also struck me that the LORD's name is not even pronounce able in human language. Maybe there is a reason behind that.

May we begin to recapture the reverence the name of God deserves.