The Changer of Names

"I see the Stars. I hear the rolling thunder. The paths through out thy universe displayed. Then sings my soul, my saviour lord to thee. How great thou art; how great thou art. "

So lately I have been thinking about the concept of names in the bible. Especially in relation to the two most obvious cases where the bible starts out calling a person one name, and somewhere along the line the person comes to be known by a different name. Not too different, as we can easily see the derivative quality of Abraham from Abram, and that of Paul from Saul. Nevertheless, God changed the names of these two men. God did not change too many people’s names in the bible. David was always David, as Moses was always Moses, on and on it goes. Our lord Jesus Christ bore the glorious name Jesus from birth to death to resurrection; and the name Emanuel (God with us) was added to always remind us that our lord Jesus Christ Is indeed with us at all times.

God changed the names of Abram and Saul in order to signify a shift from the status quo, a change in their lives; a covenant that was made. In the case of Abraham, the covenant that would make him that Father of all nations, in reward for his steadfastness and obedience. And in the case of Paul, the name Saul was shed like a soiled cloth, as he was violently removed from a path of destruction on his way to Damascus, and put upon a path that has titled most Epistle’s in the bible: Paul’s letter to…

I do not know why God changed the names of these two men, as God could have easily changed their lives without changing their names. If the question here is why, then I believe we are asking the wrong questions. The mind of God is as infinite as the concept of time, deeper than the depths of the oceans. The bible has already told us that his ways are not our ways and his thoughts are not our thoughts. God does things that we will only come to understand when it is revealed to us by him, either in this life or the next. But even at that, I think that there is a deeper lesson to be learned here that superimposes upon the triviality of the whys. This is a lesson with the power to save the sinner and uplift the steadfast. And the lesson is this: No matter where you are on the journey of life, no matter how blessed or wretched you are, no matter how good or bad you are…God-can-dramatically-change-your-life-for-the-better!



Abraham and Paul are shinning examples. I will treat each case in turn.

ABRAM BECOMES ABRAHAM

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers”.
Abram fell facedown and God said to him “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You will be the father of many nations. No longer will you be called Abram; your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations”.
Genesis Chapter 17, Verses 1-5

I love Abraham! Even his name sounds strong and wise. Yes he was very wise. In a time when the world was still young, and many places like Sodom and Gomorrah turned away from God, Abraham was steadfast and obedient to God. He is the only one in the bible that I know of who was ready to sacrifice his only son for God. When we think of it immersed in the realization that God gave his only son for us, we begin to realize the love that Abraham had for God, and why God made him the Father of all nations.

But Abraham was blessed even when he was still named Abram. As we discern from the passage above, God did not change his name to Abraham until he was ninety-nine years old. And God visited him, and promised him a son even in he and Sarah’s’ old age.

And this is the counter point of the lesson to be derived from Abraham and Paul. Abraham was already a good man. He was already blessed, rich, had a wonderful wife and many possessions. But God still visited him in his old age, and dramatically changed his life by giving him a son and making a covenant with him! This shows us that you could have been good for so long that you cannot remember when you started being good, you could have been blessed so much that you cannot even count all of your blessings, but such is the power and love of God that he can dramatically change your life and make it so amazing that it is barely recognizable from what it was before in terms of it’s awesomeness.

Not only that, but because of your goodness and your steadfastness, God can also rapidly change the lives of those around you because of you. When I mentioned that God did not change too many names in the bible I was remiss not to mention another name that was changed. When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, he also changed his wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah! Because of Abraham, God also blessed her and made her the mother of many nations; the mother of Isaac.

Perhaps for so long a time you have done your best to do God’s will, perhaps you feel blessed beyond your wildest dreams, continue with God. Your perseverance will never grow stale. He can change your life amazingly and the lives of those you love.

WHEN SAUL BECAME PAUL

As he neared Damascus on his Journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
“Who are you lord” Saul asked
“I am Jesus whom you are persecuting,” he replied. “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do”
Acts Chapter 9 Verses 3-6

My friends I do not know about you, but when I read Paul’s letters to the Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Galatians, I cannot help but feel like I know this man personally. I can feel Jesus speaking through him. The power of his words, the conviction of his thoughts, and oh the encouragement; I never met the man but I know he is my brother from his words.

Certain portions of the book of Acts give one a true appreciation for just how cruel Saul was towards Christians. As a matter of fact, in Act’s Chapter 7 when the bible chronicles the stoning of innocent Stephen, the Chapter ends with one simple sentence…”And Saul was there, giving approval to his death”.

Now juxtapose this if you will with the wonderful works that God used Paul to do, and we begin to understand that no one is too “far gone” for Jesus. Paul was blind when he got up from his encounter on his way to Damascus. For three days he did not eat or drink, as he went into the city. When he arrived, Jesus sent his disciple Ananias to go and lay his hands upon Paul and restore his sight. In verse 15 the lord tells Ananias “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentiles and their kings and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.” The bible tells us that when Ananias laid his hands on Saul, something like scales fell from his eyes and he could see again, and was filled with the Holy Spirit. After that he was baptized.

Saul was as evil as men got in the bible, and Paul was as good and steadfast as you will find and suffered much on account of his calling. This contrast powerfully illustrates the truth that God can change our lives no matter how sinful we are; no matter how steadfastly we have persecuted him.

Have you ignored God all your life? Have you taunted and persecuted those who believe In God? Have you lived a life of sin? Have you merely been negligent to the message of Christ? Have you been through difficult times? Are you as blind as Saul? You need only look at the life of Paul, to know that Jesus can turn his worst enemy into his most obedient servant. There is nothing he cannot do.

THE CONCLUSION

So there you have it: Three names; belonging to 2 men and a woman.
God changed Abrams name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. Sealing forever his covenant with Abram, impressing upon us the reward of the upright upon them and them that they love, and stressing to us the truth that it is never too late for God to change our lives for the better, no matter how blessed or good we already are.

And Paul, whose letters and bravery before men and kings inspire to this day. Whose loyalty to God and care for God’s people superceded the wickedness of the Saul before him. The miracle of Damascus pleads us to see that God’s grace is sufficient even for the most sinful.

Again I say to you my friends…. No matter where you are on the journey of life, no matter how blessed or wretched you are, no matter how good or bad you are…God-can-dramatically-change-your-life-for-the-better! To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen.