...for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the LORD.” [Numbers 3.13]
How many times do we see a phrase resembling the last phrase of the verse above throughout God's interaction with Israel? God repeatedly clarifies that He is the LORD following the use of a personal pronoun.
As I understand it, the use of "the LORD" in the Old Testament where "LORD" is presented in small caps signifies the Hebrew word YHWH in the text - the Name of God, "Yahweh" (as best we know to pronounce it).
As I am reading the OYCB this year, it is standing out to me that the use of "the LORD" is quite frequent. And, more specifically, God's use of His Name to be sure everyone understands Who He Is is nothing short of profound. I believe it is unfortunate that we have lost the full effect of the text in the translators replacing YHWH with "the LORD".
The point is, God's Name means something to Him and so it is worth considering that His Name therefore means something to us!
Father, although I am privileged in Christ Jesus to call You Father, I want also to glorify You in declaring that You are Yahweh!
No comments:
Post a Comment