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His Name Is Good


I will praise you forever for what you have done; in your name I will hope, for your name is good. I will praise you in the presence of your saints. (Psalm 52:9) 

        Have you ever met someone whose name didn't fit? The name mismatch that comes to my mind wasn't for a person. It was for a dog, and I was responsible. I got a collie puppy, and thought "Lassie, big, bold, courageous, British," so I named him Excalibur. Mind you, I loved Cal, but he was loving, gentle and shy. That's not exactly the image created by the name Excalibur. I'm not sure I was any wiser in naming Grace. Grace seems to me to refer to something calm, fluid, and gentle. She's more likely to have me say, "Oh my goodness, Grace-ious!" with her vast stores of energy and stubbornness. 
        God's names aren't like that. Did you know God has more than one name? Did you know He has more than three or four? God has lots of names. I have a book that discusses many of them (at home.) I started working on a list from memory the other day, thinking ahead for material about which to write. Like ancient Jewish names, each name had a meaning that is true of God. Today's passage has, and doesn't have, a name of God. It says "for your name is good." It doesn't say "for your name is Good," but goodness is one of God's attributes, so we'll come back to that.
        God's name is also good in that He has a good reputation and a reputation for doing good, being effective (good batteries have a charge.) His reputation among the nations was as a God who did mighty things on behalf of Israel, unlike the gods of other nations who tended to not do anything. God gave His people hope. Other gods didn't offer hope, at least not to the commoner. 
            This is one of the reasons we shouldn't take God's name in vain, or use it carelessly. We especially shouldn't use it to curse others or for evil purposes. His name is good.


 

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