Our Father's Name

Names are actually very important to people. People like it when others “remember” their name or say it. When we hear our name, we turn our heads to see who is calling our name. If my name is Debbie and someone tries to get my attention by calling me Judy, I am not going to turn my head to see who is trying to get my attention. It is not my name. If I realize they are trying to get my attention, I will correct them and tell them my actual name. If they continue to call me Judy, it would upset me because Judy is not my name.

Why do we think our Heavenly Father is any different?

Here are some questions to consider:

• Does He like it when people say His Name? We do. We like it when people say our name.
• Does He like it if we were to call Him, Zeus? If my name is “Dynah,” I would not like being called by the name, Judy. I especially would not like being called by the name of my husband’s previous wife or lover.
• If we call Him by a different name that does not belong to Him, would He even realize that we were talking to Him? Would we get His attention?

If we are serving a Living Creator, why do we treat Him as if He isn’t real or alive? Why do we fail to show Him the same respect as we do other people when using their names? Restoring the Name of our Father is important! When someone introduces themselves to me and tells me their name, I call them by the name they have given to me. All of us do this. Our Father has given us a plethora of Names to use in His Word. Doesn’t it seem reasonable and appropriate to use the Names He has given us?

These actions communicate reverence to an earthly King and Queen. There are protocols regarding names as well. Here is a question-and-answer segment on an article discussing the etiquette when meeting the King of England.

The only time it is appropriate for someone to say the King’s name is when he invites them to do so. The preference of the English monarchy is to be called “Your Majesty” or “Sire”. What would King Charles do if someone called him by another name like “George”? He would likely be offended.

Our King is not quite like the King of England. He has His own protocols for approaching Him and His Throne. We obtain those protocols by following the instructions in His Word. Here is testimony regarding some of His protocols when being in His Presence.

The protocols for meeting the King of Kings mentioned in this passage include the following:

• The preparation to meet the King of Kings requires three days.
• People must wash their clothes.
• They and the priests must set themselves apart.
• Men and women cannot be intimate with one another.
• They cannot even touch the base of the mountain where He sits. If they do, they will die.

Earthly Kings have their protocols; the King of Heaven has His protocols. His Presence is marked by thunder, lightning, fire and earthquakes. Trumpets sounded and smoke filled the air. The people trembled in fear. When they heard Yahuah speak the Ten Messages (Ten Commandments) in His own Voice, they said the following to the Prophet Moshe (Moses):

The people thought they would die if they heard His Voice again. It is for this reason, Yahuah uses prophets to speak on His behalf. The Prophet draws near to Yahuah Elohiym which means he must fulfill the protocols to be in the Presence of the King of Kings. Yahuah speaks to His Prophet and the Prophet speaks the message from Yahuah to the people. The Words of His true Prophets are His Words, not theirs.

Based on this evidence, it is apparently a frightening experience to be in the Presence of Yahuah Elohiym. People think they are going to die when they come near Him. This is called the “Fear of Yahuah” also known as the “Fear of the Lord”. This is another necessary protocol when meeting the King of Kings.

When the Prophet Moshe spent a great deal of time in the Presence of Yahuah, his face glowed like the sun which caused the people to be afraid, even the Aahron the High Priest was afraid of him.

Moshe put a vail across his face when he was with the people so they would not be afraid of him. It is this “fear” that causes us to give honor, respect and reverence to those in authority including Yahuah. This is a quality found in leaders who represent Yahuah including Prophets. They are to be highly revered and respected.

Moshe (Moses) chose men who “feared Elohiym”. Fear and reverence are strong feelings that motivate us to perform a certain set of actions. If we are afraid a thief will try to take our snowboard in the backseat of the car, we lock the doors to our car. The fear caused us to lock our car doors or to throw a blanket over the top of the snowboard to conceal it.

When I think of the way Yahuah descended upon that mountain, it causes me to fear. There were thunderings, lightnings, fire, smoke and loud trumpets sounding. The earth shook like an earthquake. If Yahuah descended upon the earth again, these same things would occur. This is not just a historical event. It describes what it would be like to be in His Presence right now. I can imagine what it might be like based on my personal experiences with these things. First of all, I don’t think I would be standing. I would be prostrate and I certainly would not call Him by any other Name than what He has given us. It is my fear of Yahuah that motivates me to restore His Name.

The “Fear of Yahuah” is the beginning of wisdom as declared by King David (Tehillim/Psalms 111:10). Testimony also says that Yahuah fulfills the desires of those who “fear” Him and He saves them.

The underlying Hebrew word in all these passages translated as “fear” is “yara”. It is defined by The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible written by Jeff A. Benner as:

Prophets, leaders and people who follow Yahuah Elohiym are afraid of Him. They have a dread inside of them when they think of being in His Presence. They do not want to offend Him. This “fear” motivates them to give Him the utmost honor and respect. They would never dream of calling Yahuah by any other name than what He has designated in His Word. The people were scared when they were in the Presence of Yahuah. What would have happened if one of them called Him by the name, Zeus, in that moment? They would not have dared to do such a thing. No one dares to call King Charles by another name in his presence and he is just a man. Why would we do this for the King of Kings?

The two-lettered root of “yara” is defined the following way by The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible as:

The letter “yod” is a picture of a man’s arm and hand and involves the functions of the arm and hand. Nearly every action done by a man or woman involves their arms and hands. In this definition, the focus is upon “throwing” something. But it can also be related to cause and effect. The “Fear of Yahuah” causes us to perform a certain set of actions (effect).

For example, I am using my arms and hands to type this study on a computer. People are going to read this study and it is going to affect them in a particular way and may cause them to change something in their life. Perhaps they share this study with someone else and it has a similar effect on them. The initial action flows like a river in society through a process of cause and effect. It is a domino effect. When one domino falls, they all fall. It is a chain reaction of events.

Here is another example. Two people decide to get married. They move into a house together and begin a life together. The “river” of their respective lives has changed course and is now flowing a different direction through a series of actions that would have not otherwise taken place if they remained single. The words and actions of an individual flows like a river.

People “feared” the Prophet Moshe (Moses) when his face shined. This caused them to stay away from him (effect). They didn’t want to get close to Him. This situation created a “cause and effect”. The people who stood in the Presence of Yahuah and heard Him speak the Ten Messages (Ten Commandments) from Mount Sinai did not want Yahuah to speak to them again. This led to the establishment of Prophets representing Yahuah Elohiym which has rippled across time like a river flowing down the side of a mountain. It is the “fear” that causes us to act which leads to more actions like it. Here is an illustration showing its relationship to a flowing river.

“Yara” is related to the word translated as “river”. They are in the same Hebrew word family. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible defines it as:

Here is a passage which translates it as “river”:

Rivers begin in the mountains and flow down crevices and valleys until they reach a larger body of water like the sea or lake. The river flows down the path of least resistance. It carves the banks of the river and changes course sometimes. This is a physical concept that relates to a spiritual concept. The mind of an individual is the mountain top. Our words and actions take the path of least resistance and flow from its source (mind) on a daily basis. Sometimes we do not even think about the things we are doing or the words we are speaking. They just flow. It is our words and actions that direct the course of our river or journey in life, like getting married, getting a new job, or starting a business. Here are the three ancient Hebrew pictographic letters expressed in pictures found in the Hebrew word “Yara”: Yod, Resh and Aleph.

In its simplest form, the word “yara” means “works of man that are strong”. Fear is a strong motivator that produces a certain set of actions as we have previously illustrated. That one incident at the base of Mount Sinai established the Prophet as a Messenger of Yahuah which has affected generations of people in a powerful way.

Fear was the primary feeling that motivated me to restore the Name of our Creator. It was a very strong emotion that caused me to make this change immediately. I didn’t sit there and contemplate whether or not I should restore His Name. I said to myself, “He does not ever refer to Himself as ‘the LORD God’ in His Word and they do not describe any characteristics about Him. Can mankind really assign an arbitrary label to our Creator? Does mankind have the authority to ‘name’ our Father in Heaven?” From my perspective, mankind does not have the authority to “name” the King of Kings.

The other emotion that motivated me was “honor”. I see Yahuah as the King of Kings. I see the way people treat earthly kings, presidents and prime ministers. In my mind, we ought to at least honor our Father in Heaven the way we honor these earthly leaders. Yahuah tells His people to “honor their fathers and mothers”.

Our Creator is our Father. This instruction is telling us to “honor” Him. The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible defines the Hebrew word translated as “honor” the following way:

Modern-day kings, presidents and prime ministers are heavy in weight because they are considered important. If the opportunity would arise to meet them in person, we would all prepare ourselves by learning the protocols for that meeting. Yahuah Elohiym is the King of Kings. His weight is exponentially much higher than these earthly leaders. Messiah Yahusha says it this way:

Leaders of the world have the power and authority to preserve life or take it away. But they do not have power over the grave. Yahuah Elohiym is our Creator. He fashioned us from the dust of the earth and it is by His Word that we return to the dust of the earth. It is by His Word that we are resurrected and it is by His Word that we will perish again. Earthly leaders are also subject to Him. He can destroy them, establish them, cause them to return to the dust of the earth, resurrect them and cause them to perish again. Yahuah is the King of Kings. He is the Judge of all the earth and its inhabitants including our leaders.

The two-lettered root of this Hebrew word uses the letters “beyt and dalet”. It is defined the following way in The Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible as:

Yahuah is our Eternal Father. He sits alone at the door of His tent watching over His Household. Fathers are important. They are the leader of their household from an ancient Hebrew nomadic perspective. Their responsibility is to protect and provide for the members in their household. Without the father, they are vulnerable.

The letter “kaph” at the beginning of “kabad” is a picture of an open palm. This has the meaning of “tame, submission, bent to another’s will, allow”. “Kabad” essentially means “bent to the will of the one who sits at the door of the tent”. Here are the pictures representing the word “kabad” using the ancient Hebrew pictographic language:

Yahuah Elohiym is our Father. His hands are filled with food and we are the little bird that feels comfortable enough to land on His hands and eat the food inside. He is sitting at the door of His tent watching over His Household. The bird is not attacking Him or ignoring Him. The bird has become tame enough to come to Him and eat from His hand. This is what it means to “honor our father and mother”.

We approach our fathers and mothers. We eat from their hands meaning we listen to their wisdom and apply it to our lives. We do not ignore them or attack them. Leaders of nations are the fathers and mothers of the people they lead. It is good and right to give them “honor” as well even if we do not necessarily agree with the wisdom they impart. They have been placed in these positions of authority by Yahuah Elohiym. “Honoring” them is akin to “honoring” Him.

Yahuah Elohiym gives His Prophets authority to speak on His behalf. He has placed them in these positions of authority as well. Their words spoken on His behalf is His Words. They provide the spiritual food that sits in the hands of our Creator. Eating from their hand is the same as eating from the hand of Yahuah Elohiym. “Honoring” them is akin to “honoring” Him.

We restore our Father’s Name because we “fear” Him and we “honor” Him. He is a great and mighty King. He is the King of Kings. He is our Creator who fashioned us from the dust of the earth. He is our Intelligent Designer who gave us life. He deserves honor and respect just as we give honor and respect to earthly Kings.

From my perspective, He deserves far greater honor and respect than earthly Kings. I will not call Him by a name that He has not sanctioned in His Word in the underlying Hebrew. He discusses His preferences in His Word. Those names assigned to Him by men and women will not be uttered from my lips in reference to Him or be used in anything I write. I do these things because I “fear” Him and I “honor” Him.

The Fear of Yahuah is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the set-apart is understanding.

MISHLE (PROVERBS) 9:10