THE NAMES OF GOD: HOLY, HOLY HOLY
Who is this King of Glory, How Shall We Name Him?
He is Emmanuel, the Promise of Ages. Part 1
by Barbara Wilhelm
assisted by J.P. Wilhelm
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty
Early in the morning Our song shall rise to Thee
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty
God in three persons Blessed Trinity!
Holy, holy, holy! Though the darkness hide thee
Though the eye of sinful man Thy glory may not see
Only Thou art holy There is none beside Thee
Perfect in power, in love and purity
Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty
All thy works shall praise Thy name In earth and sky and sea
Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty
God in three persons Blessed Trinity
Oh God in three persons Blessed Trinity!
I write this with trepidation, hoping that I convey the reverence and holiness that the topic is due. For this is no ordinary topic: this is about the Glorious Names of the Infinitely Holy Creator of the Universe, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, about He Who is Most High.
We can never understand the full nature of God because He is infinite and we are finite. Whatever we know about Him must come through the revelation of His Word. It is not just His power that prevents us from worshiping Him in adequate awe; it is His Holiness that is the barrier between Him and us. In the last decades the distance between Him and us has increased exponentially. There has been a subtle, stealthy movement to strip God of the glory, majesty and Holiness of His Name and Being. When I was a child I said, as most people did, the Name of God in church, with sweet reverence, and awe. Such is not the case now. Now it is the third word in an irreverent phrase used in jokes, cartoons, curses and in a glib, offhanded manner in TV and movies. The second Commandment is: “Do not Take the Name of the Lord Thy God in Vain
(Exodus 20:7). It is ironic that many other “religions” have “gods” but their names are never used irreverently. However, the Name of the One Who created all things and the One Who willingly gave His life for our sins is treated in the most demeaning manner imaginable. Yet Philippians 2: 6-9 describes how far He willingly humbled Himself for our sakes:
6 [Jesus] being in the form of God, did not consider it [a]robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name. (See also John 1: 1-5; Hebrews 1: 2-13; Revelation 1: 13-18)
We have two intimate covenant relationships in our lives: one is marriage with our earthly spouse, the other is the spiritual/marital covenant with our heavenly spouse. For those of
us in the earthly covenant it doesn’t take long before intimate names are exchanged between each other: dear, precious, sweetheart, darling, etc. (Ephesians 5:33). In the spiritual covenant there are significant and meaningful names exchanged too: child of God, beloved, son of God, etc. Most meaningful are those names of the Father and the Son now revealed to the new Bride. Each name describes the character of this Holy God. He has many names because He is a many – faceted God.
The Bible uses different names of God to convey specific, personal meaning and identity. There’s great power in a name. It says who we are. It’s what we are known by to all those around us. And there’s nothing so powerful as the name of our Lord God.
Isaiah 14:24-27 Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
The Lord of Hosts has sworn, saying, Surely, as I have thought and planned, so shall it come to pass, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand—
This is the [Lord’s] purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth and this is [His omnipotent] hand that is stretched out over all the nations.
For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who can annul it? And His hand is stretched out, and who can turn it back?
God’s character and God’s name remains the same through all generations. He is fully trustworthy, always powerful, forever loving, and constantly present with us. Studying what God’s Word says about all that He is can help us to understand His very nature and character even more.
If you need some extra reassurance today, find hope in His powerful name. He is the God of miracles and nothing is impossible for Him. He split the seas (Exodus 14 :21-22) and delivered His people straight through, away from all their enemies. He offered His protection through desert days, and lovingly led them in the wilderness to the promised land (Acts 7:36). He provided a way for us to be saved through His Son Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2: 4-5) and He gave us His Spirit to help us today (Acts 2:1-4). Don’t believe the lie that God is distant, too busy, that He doesn’t care about you, or that He is just waiting for you to mess up so he can tell you all you’ve done wrong. That’s not who His name says He is.
We hold the promise that His love is everlasting (Psalms 103:17), His mercies are new every morning ( Lamentations 3:23),and His faithfulness is great. Jesus told us to “love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and strength…” A good way to walk that out daily is to know God’s very character through the power of His Names.
Holding His Word Higher 