Word Study Wednesday: Name of the LORD

Psalm 113:3: "From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the LORD is to be praised."

Name (8034 Strong's Exhaustive Concordance - Hebrew) shem (shame): by implication honor, authority, character

LORD (3068) Yehovah (yeh-ho-vaw): Self-Existent or eternal; Jewish national name of God; Jehovah the Lord

Praised (1984) halal (haw-lal): Make a show to praise, give thanks, cheer, extol, to make one's boast (in the name of God)

My Take
I like the definition to "name." In essence, the name - the honor, the authority, the character of the LORD is to be praised. No matter what we are going through - good times or bad - we are to praise:

• His honor: He will not do anything or have us do anything that will bring dishonor to His name
• His authority: He is God - creator of Heaven and Earth. He is our creator
• His character: He has so many facets to His character - provider, healer, banner, shepherd (just to name a few)

How can we know the honor, the authority, and the character of the LORD? To begin with, we need to understand our relationship to God. He created us and we are His creation (Psalm 100:3). We need to know that God is love. I John 4:8 says that "Whoever does not love, does not know God, because God is love."

I also believe a good starting place is to know the many names of the LORD. Recently, some friends and I finished studying Kay Arthur's book LORD, I Want to Know You. In this book, Arthur explains the names of the LORD. This study reminded me of the many characteristics of our LORD. He is our Creator, Healer, Shepherd, Provider, and so many other things. Understanding these different aspects of God's character has made my praise, worship, and prayers more intimate. I not only praise Him as God, but I also praise Him as the LORD who is there (Jehovah-shammah) or the LORD who sanctifies me (Jehovah-mekkodishkem).

We need to praise God, not only for what He has done for us, but because of who He is. Whether we are experiencing great or painful times, scary or silly moments, the name of the LORD should be praised.