Vs3b:”he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.”
By name. Jesus knows my name. There is a ton of comfort in that and just a little bit of scariness as that also means he knows my bad side as well.
Here is what David Haight had to say about these verses:
David B. Haight
“Some time ago, as I was convalescing from a serious operation, I received an unusual card that caused me to ponder upon the majesty of life and immortality. The card featured an original painting by Arta Romney Ballif of the heavens at night with their myriad golden stars. The message, taken from Psalms, read: ‘Praise ye the Lord: . . . He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. . . . His understanding is infinite’ (Psalm 147:1, 3-5).
“As I lay in the hospital bed, I meditated…’He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.’ I was then—and continue to be—awed by the goodness and majesty of the Creator, who knows not only the names of the stars but knows your name and my name—each of us as his sons and daughters.” (A Light unto the World [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1997], 3.)
David Haight was the oldest member of the quorum of the Twelve in the Church of the Latter-Day Saints and died in 2004. An extremely powerful man in the LDS church, he is the grandfather of John Huntsman, Jr and his writing and leadership are a heavy influence in the current Republican candidate for president, Mitt Romney.
In Hebrew scripture as well as Egyptian writings, the NAME was a powerful tool. For good or bad. In order to work magic, the Egyptian mages had to know the ‘true’ name of someone or something. Even in today’s world, Jewish boys and girls are given their ‘regular’ name and then their Hebrew name to be used on in sacred situations like Bar Mitzvahs, weddings, ordinations, and death.
For God to know our name, to know the names of the stars (that they even have them is fascinating to me!!! or maybe it shouldn’t be since I name my chickens….),
Serena on the left and the oh so wicked Arista on the right.
and to be able to distinguish us one from another is wonderful, powerful, and a testament to his great love and wisdom.
This is the reason why Moses wanted to know God’s name, why David calls upon ‘the name of the Lord’, why the Pharisees got so mad at Jesus for calling God “Father”. Names are powerful.
And so are labels.
You cannot read the commentaries on our OT scripture without having to read about David and Jonathan’s ‘relationship’. Me, I am far, far, far more worried about Saul and Jonathan’s relationship than the whole homosocial/homosexual/intimate friend thing between David and Jonathan.
Psalm 115
If this psalm sounds different, it should. This psalm is part of Hallel, the 6 psalms (113-118) that are recited or sung on holy days except Purim, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur for observant Jews. It is a psalm of praise and is not an individual prayer but corporate one of thanksgiving. Taken as a whole, these 6 psalms tell the glory of God, his great feats, and his wonderful and mighty characteristics. Maybe we need to do some Hallels ourselves in the Christian church every now and then.
Just as an aside, the last line of the psalm “Praise the Lord” is actually Hallel Jah in Hebrew. Hallelujah.
Learn something new every day.
No comments:
Post a Comment