MY SHEM (NAME) IS YAHWEH Earl Walters – 1-2015

Last week’s Parasha was Shemot which means “Names”. This is so appropriate to me since I have struggled with the discussion over the past few weeks regarding the Name of our Creator. I struggled with the prospect of creating division among the Believers by teaching on this subject. My heart is troubled by the fact that both Israel and Judah refuse to be called by His Name. Our Messiah said: Matthew 23:37 “Yerushalayim, Yerushalayim, killing the prophets and stoning those who are sent to her! How often I wished to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you would not! Matthew 23:38 “See! Your house is left to you laid waste, Matthew 23:39 for I say to you, from now on you shall by no means see Me, until you say, ‘Blessed is He who is coming in the Name of ‫” ’!יהוה‬

Today we are praying for the restoration of all things and the Master Himself has told us that our work is in vain until we realize that we have refused to be called by His Name. Only by doing teshuvah and turning from our evil ways of making His name equal with the idols can we see His face. You say you are not calling Him by the name of idols. All you have to do is spend some time searching the basis of the names many are using to call upon Him. He gave us His Name in this section of Scripture but we are not willing to accept His word. We have chosen to accept the words of non-believing scholars over the centuries such as the Hellenistic Jewish scholars who translated the Torah in to Greek or the Masoretics who established the vowel pointing for the Hebrew language. Exodus 3:15 And Elohim said further to Mosheh, “Thus you are to say to the children of Yisra’ĕl, ‘‫ יהוה‬Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Aḇ raham, the Elohim of Yitsḥ aq, and the Elohim of Yaʽ aqoḇ , has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and this is My remembrance to all generations.’

In this week’s parasha we find Yahweh clearly revealing His Name for the first time to His people. This Name is used over 6,823 times in the Scriptures. Since this is the first time it is actually revealed by the Father, this is the basis of the Name as He says, forever. Also note that there are an additional 134 instances where the Name is substituted as Adonai by the Masoretic translators. Therefore we must be very careful to dig back into the ancient records when we can to determine when to use His Name. As we will see, Adonai is not His name, it is a title. As He prepares to send Judah into Babylon as captives He again talks about His Name through the Prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah_16:21 “Therefore see, I am causing them to know, this time I cause them to know My hand and My might. And they shall know that My Shem (Name) is ‫”!יהוה‬

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There should be no confusion regarding the actual Name of Yahweh. Here at the beginning of His dealing with His people, Israel, He plainly states His Name and tells us that we are to use that Name forever in our communications with Him and about Him. The attempt by scholars to present the Scriptures in such a way that the Name of Yahweh would not be profaned has increased over the centuries. Today Judah does not pronounce the Name at all but simply use a title such as Adonai, the Lord, God, or some other substitute. Many even use the phrase “HaShem” which means “the Name”. In my opinion, the use of a title or substitute name is borderline to “making His name to Naught”. As we saw in the verse above, Yahweh was very specific in telling us His Name. In fact, when He spoke from the mountain, His first words were “I am Yahweh”. Exodus 20:2 “I am ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery. In Isaiah we read: Isaiah 45:5 ‘I am ‫יהוה‬, and there is none else – there is no Elohim besides Me. I gird you, though you have not known Me, Isaiah 45:6 so that they know from the rising of the sun to its setting that there is none but Me. I am ‫יהוה‬, and there is none else, Isaiah 45:7 forming light and creating darkness, making peace and creating evil. I, ‫יהוה‬, do all these.’

Apparently Yahweh wants no confusion regarding His Name. Isaiah 42:8 “I am ‫יהוה‬, that is My Name, and My esteem I do not give to another, nor My praise to idols. So there will be no mis-understanding, this teaching is not to contradict the teaching Yaakov gave a couple of weeks ago. The basis of his teaching is that we as Believers must be constantly aware of the sacredness of Yahweh’s Name. We must make sure that we do not make it trite by common use. His use of the bumper sticker story is a good illustration of disrespecting His Name. Today I beg of you, as those who claim to be His people, begin to shout His Name from the mountaintops. He is not “The Lord”, or Adonai, or God, Or HaShem. His Name is Yahweh. I know some of you would pronounce the name as Yahveh. That is not the point I am trying to make this afternoon, the point is that He is NOT God. If you have a problem with how the Name is to be pronounced, get upon you face before Him and spend time there until He reveals to you how it is pronounced. The pronouncement I personally use is based upon my calling upon Him over years of study and my spirit is at peace with the use of Yahweh for me. I am aware that when He gave us His Name we were using the Paleo Hebrew which does not have a “v” letter. What became the vav many years later was the WAW sound. There was also no “j” in Hebrew so the name Jehovah is not His name.

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The thing I am asking of you today is, stop calling Him be some title or nickname and begin to bless His Holy Name. In his letter to the Romans, Paul gives us some critical information regarding the Name. Romans 10:12 Because there is no distinction between Yehuḏ ite and Greek, for the same Master of all is rich to all those calling upon Him. Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the Name of ‫ יהוה‬shall be saved.” Romans 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without one proclaiming? As I listened to the news this week there was another incident of mayhem overseas where killers were shouting “Allahu akbar” as they slaughtered innocent people. The press translates that phrase as “God is Great” but that is an incorrect translation. They are saying Allah is great. You see, the pagans know the name of their god and make sure to use his name any time they are addressing him. Several times a day the faithful to allah are called to prayer in his name. Everything the faithful follower of allah does is focused on bringing glory to that name. Yet the follower of the Creator of the Universe is afraid to call Him by Name. I have come to understand that the most sacred thing is all the universe is not Torah, it is His Sacred Name which is given to us in the Torah. As I read the prophets and the writings it is clear that the idol worshipers knew the name of their gods. They were not called by titles or positions but rather by their names such as Murduk, Baal, or Ishtar.

Names are quite important in Hebrew thought. They are rarely random choices. Names reveal essential aspects of the object named. That’s why we must pay close attention to naming in the biblical text. A good example is Adam naming the woman Havvah. There is always a reason for a name.

Psalms 148:13 Let them praise the Name of ‫יהוה‬, For His Name alone is exalted, His splendour is above the earth and heavens.

This makes the statement of David even more important. We are not praising the Lord. We are not praising God. We are not praising Jesus, or even Yeshua. According to David, we are praising the only name worthy of exultation, that is, shem YHVH. But for many today this is a problem. It wasn’t a problem of David. He knew Yahweh’s name—YHVH plus the vowels to go with the consonants. But now many say that we don’t know the vowels. So we substitute Adonai or HaShem or LORD. While I am sure Yahweh knows what we mean, it must be disappointing to not actually use the name that alone must be exalted. I wonder if the Creator wouldn’t like to hear us praise His name rather than some substitute. How we got into this state of confusion is a long story, not worth repeating here. But that we are in a

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state of confusion about the name of Yahweh reveals something rather troubling. You see, we have become accustomed to the substitutions, so much so that we don’t even think about Yahweh having a personal name. For us, God is God—and that’s all that matters. But in the ancient world of Scripture, there were lots of gods and they all had names. So it was vitally important to know which god you were talking about. To use the wrong name meant very bad things. In our world, we have adopted the Greek philosophers’ view of God. He doesn’t actually even need a name since there is only one of Him. He is no longer the Elohim in competition with all the other gods. He is God, end of story! Therefore, we think that addressing Him as “God” is quite sufficient. But I wonder if we haven’t done ourselves a disservice with this accommodation. A relationship with “God” isn’t quite as personal and intimate as a relationship with the person who is God but has a personal name. Imagine if you had a relationship with “wife” or “husband,” and that’s what you called them. Wouldn’t you feel as if there was still something missing? Sometimes I feel as if my relationship with “God” is like a relationship with the “President.” There’s a big difference between “Mr. President” and his name. I don’t want that kind of formal, status acknowledgement relationship with my Maker (another status word). I want to know Him! I want to be able to speak His name and hear Him answer me. “God” is nice, but it’s not who He is. “God” is what He is. On the other hand, keeping Him in that status box allows me to circumvent the commitments of a true, deep and real relationship with a person. Everything is just a bit more formal, and if I want to avoid personal expectations, then “God” will do nicely. It just leaves me wanting in those moments when I really need a Father’s touch. David wasn’t a man after God’s own heart. He was a man after the heart of Yahweh, and he knew that name. But you might ask; what about the Master Himself and His followers? Did He use the sacred Name as He taught the people? What does the Scripture give as the charge against Him and the reason for the death sentence? Are you aware that in the days of the Romans rule there was only one charge the Jews could bring against a person that required the death sentence and it was by stoning. That charge according to the Talmud book Sanhedrin 7:5 was blaspheming by pronouncing the sacred Name Yahweh. The Mishnah goes on to tell us that: “The blasphemer” is not culpable unless he exactly pronounces the (sacred) name. At Yahshua’s trial the rabbis asked Him “Are you the Messiah?” He responded, “I am.” Then He continued with a pronouncement that sealed His death sentence:

Luke 22:67 “If You are the Messiah, say it to us.” And He said to them, “If I say to you, you would not believe it at all, Luke 22:68 and if I asked you, you would not answer Me at all. Luke 22:69 “From now on the Son of Aḏ am shall sit on the right hand of the power of Yahweh.” ROSNB and BE editions Notice that the High Priest then rent his garment because this is the procedure required at a trial of blasphemy when the Sacred Name was actually uttered. Remember, according to Jewish Law in this period, the blasphemer was “not culpable” to receive the death sentence “unless he actually pronounced the Name.” It is interesting that rabbinical literature claims that Yahshua was both stoned and then hanged. 4

(B. Sanh., 43a. Also see B. Sanh., 107b) In His teaching Yahshua often quoted the Tanakh. Luke 4:17 And the scroll of the prophet Yeshayahu was handed to Him. And having unrolled the scroll, He found the place where it was written: Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of ‫ יהוה‬is upon Me,1 because He has anointed Me to bring the Good News to the poor. He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send away crushed ones with a release, Footnote: 1Isa. 61:1-3. Luke 4:19 to proclaim the acceptable year of ‫יהוה‬.”1 Footnote: 1Isa. 61:1-2. Do you think the one who spoke to Moses at the burning bush would avoid using the Name while here on earth? Would He have His Name used almost 7,000 times in His scriptures and then not use it while teaching His disciples? Would He make the first statement of the Ten Commandments given on the Mountain the proclamation of His Name and then refuse to use it while teaching His followers? Exodus 20:2 “I am ‫ יהוה‬your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Mitsrayim, out of the house of slavery. Ladies and gentlemen, you have been duped by the adversary. He is the one who wants you to never speak the Sacred Name. He understands the power of that Name. My guess is that most of you do not know that the rabbis who studied and taught the “secret teachings” or what is often called the Kabbalah used the Sacred Name. One of my favorite teachers is one called the Baal Shem Tov (Master of the Good Name) . He and others were given this designation because they used the Name in their prayers and blessings. Yes, the audience was limited but that was by their choice, not the Fathers. The use of the Name is why most of the rabbis discourage the study of the secret writings even today. But what about the followers of Yahshua? Did they use the Name? Remember Stephen? Acts 7:55 But he, being filled with the Set-apart Spirit, looked steadily into the heaven and saw the esteem of Elohim(Yahweh), and ‫ יהושע‬standing at the right hand of Elohim (Yahweh), Acts 7:56 and he said, “Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Aḏ am standing at the right hand of Elohim (Yahweh)!” Acts 7:57 And crying out with a loud voice, they stopped their ears, and rushed upon him with one mind, Acts 7:58 and threw him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their garments at the feet of a young man named Sha’ul. Acts 7:59 And they were stoning Stephanos as he was calling and saying, “Master ‫יהושע‬, receive my spirit.” Acts 7:60 And kneeling down he cried out with a loud voice, “Master (Yahweh), do not hold this sin against them.” And having said this, he fell asleep. They covered their ears in order not to hear Stephan repeat the Sacred Name. Translators continue to attempt to cover up the usage of that Name even today. Only a few translations use the correct name in these verses.

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We saw Paul tracking down and even killing the followers of Yahshua. But there was only one legal ruling that allowed the death sentence in that day. The saying of the Sacred Name. Therefore, Paul was tracking down and killing those followers who were using the Sacred Name openly just as Messiah Yahshua did.

Acts 26:11 “And punishing them often in all the congregations, I compelled them to blaspheme. And being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities. In his letter to the Galatians Paul said:

Galatians 1:13 For you have heard of my former way of life in Yehuḏ aism, how intensely I persecuted the assembly of Yahweh, and ravaged it. ROSNB and BE Why would Paul begin to use the sacred Name after killing those who had used it before? Look at the conversation between Yahshua and Ananias;

Acts 9:13 And Ḥ ananyah answered, “Master, I have heard from many about this man, how many evils he did to Your set-apart ones in Yerushalayim, Acts 9:14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all those calling on Your Name.” Acts 9:15 But the Master said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My Name before nations, sovereigns, and the children of Yisra’ĕl. Acts 9:16 “For I shall show him how much he has to suffer for My Name.” What Name is Yahshua talking about? There was no penalty for using the Name Yahshua but there was for using the Name Yahweh. We see many instances where the disciples use the Sacred Name and it is glossed over in the Greek translations.

Acts 15:13 And after they were silent, Yaʽ aqoḇ answered, saying, “Men, brothers, listen to me: Acts 15:14 “Shimʽ on has declared how Elohim first visited the gentiles to take out of them a people for His Name. Acts 15:15 “And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it has been written: Acts 15:16 ‘After this I shall return and rebuild the Booth of Dawiḏ which has fallen down. And I shall rebuild its ruins, and I shall set it up, Acts 15:17 so that the remnant of mankind shall seek ‫יהוה‬, even all the gentiles on whom My Name has been called, says ‫ יהוה‬who is doing all this,’ Acts 15:18 who has made this known from of old. After being taught by Yahshua, do you really think that the disciples would use such words as Elohim, or Adonai for the Sacred Name? When quoting the Tanakh, as they often did, they would have used the Name as recorded in the Word.

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For those who desire to spend more time studying the use of the Name, I recommend that you seek with an open heart. There is a lot of evidence that even as late as 300 CE the followers of Yahshua were using the Sacred Name. In the writing of the rabbi’s there are several cases where they are debating what to do with the writings of the Followers of Yahshua since those writings contained the Sacred Name. Because of that, the books could not be burned but had to be reverently buried. Is it important to be careful with the use of the Sacred name? By all means. But to let the adversary keep us from using that Name is to destroy your opportunity to be in an intimate relationship with Yahweh.

Source: Skip Moen – Today’s Word 12-27-2014 [1] If you want to know more about the name Havvah, you can read Guardian Angel or consult the proper verses on my web site. [2] Nehemiah Gordon’s recent book argues for specific vowels from certain ancient Coptic texts. The Sacred Name Yahweh by Qadesh La Yahweh Press The Restoration of Original Sacred Name Bible, containing Old and New Testaments. 5th Ed Missionary Dispensary Bible Research, Windfield, Alabama, 1976 ROSNB The Sacred Scriptures, Bethel Edition, Premier Publication. Assemblies of Yahweh, Bethel, Pa, 1981 BE

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