The Importance of Names Part 3

Leviticus 24:16 says: "And he who blasphemes the Name of YHWH shall certainly be put to death, and all the congregation certainly stone him, the stranger as well as the native. When he blasphemes the Name, he is put to death." (ISR) What is the Name? The Name is YHWH. How serious is the Creator about His Name? Serious enough to command death to the one who blasphemes it. What does blaspheme mean? The Hebrew word is naqav and it means to puncture, bore a hole, or to pierce. The Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament describes the word as follows: "Elsewhere, Haggai (1:6) speaks figuratively of work which fails to honor the Lord, saying that the wages earned have been placed into a bag with holes." To blaspheme is to fail to honor the Name. Might I suggest, that to change the Name is to fail to give it the honor it deserves?

YHWH has placed great emphasis on His Name and the Christian church for the most part ignores the Name. How many times in the last month have you heard a follower of Yeshua refer to the true Name of the Creator? Does Leviticus 24:16 still apply? Nothing is more disrespectful than to call someone by a name that is not his or her name. It is insulting. The reader of the Hebrew Scriptures has been warned not to blaspheme the Name. The Creator, our Father in heaven, has a Name. It is mentioned over 6,823 times in Scripture. Our Creator has declared His Name in Scripture as seen in the following verse: "I am YHWH, that is My name; and My glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. (HRV Isaiah 42:8)If you call Him by another name, does that not cause you to fear the consequences of disobedience?

His Name is YHWH. It is not Lord, God, Jesus, Allah, or any other expression. If we want His blessings and not the curses, we should start with getting the Name right. Repeat the following: "I will not blaspheme the Name. His Name is YHWH. I will not give praise to graven images or man made idols. I will bless the Name of YHWH and ask Him to return blessings to me for His Name's sake."