Cornerstone

The name of God in the Hebrew has no pronunciation. It is a word of all consonants. Without vowels it can not be pronounced. It is also made up of all the forms for being: was, is and will be. 

For the Jew, a name represented the essence of the person. It spoke of the history and the reputation of what it represented. Similarly we speak of a person’s reputation as his “good name.” God revealed this to Moses who trembled as he spoke to a burning bush. Moses wanted to be able to tell the Egyptians who had sent him. “What is your name?”, actually meant who are you, what are you like and what have you done? God said, “When they ask who sent you, tell them I Am, that I AM sent you.” In other words, God responded by saying an I am the God of eternity. This is also what the Hebrew writer was referring to when he said, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday , and to day, and for ever.” (Heb 13:8)

The ironic thing about the name of God is that it speaks of infinite potential for change. This seems paradoxical since it also seems to indicate stability. “Jesus Christ the same yesterday , and to day, and for ever.” How can He be always the same and have infinite potential for change? The answer to this question seems to lie in the fact that His character and His essence are solid in their absolutely, unshakeable stability. His creativity on the other hand has the elastic quality of continual possibilities. That God will never change does not mean that He has run out of ideas or that His infinite mind has crystallized. Our God can be counted on to never alter in the absolutes of His character from which we derive our value system. Our God can also be counted on to continue to act in creative ways as He assists us with the difficulties of our lives.

by Dr. Gayle Woods

Psalm 119:161-168 (163)

¹⁶¹ Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.

¹⁶² I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.

¹⁶³ I hate and abhor falsehood
but I love your law.

¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.

¹⁶⁵ Great peace have they who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.

¹⁶⁶ I wait for your salvation, O LORD,
and I follow your commands.

¹⁶⁷ I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.

¹⁶⁸ I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.

Some people don’t like going by the rule book.  The Psalmist tried to express his exasperation regarding this when he said, “Princes have persecuted me without a cause.”  Today we may shake our head in exasperation when we see someone making a left turn from the right lane of a four lane road.   We are disgusted when we see someone throwing trash from their car onto the side of the road as they drive by.  We may be angered during a board game when an opponent keeps coming up with their own “rules”.

A cubit may have meant one thing for Noah and another for his son.  If a cubit was the distance from the tip of the finger to the elbow then the length would vary depending on who you talk to last.  This is the reason that various countries developed a standard for weight and measurement which over time became accepted globally.  People realized that only when everybody followed the same set of rules could a sense of equity be determined.

This fact is one of the main reasons there is so much conflict in the world today.  Even though many have agreed to an international standard of weight and measurement for trade, they cannot seem to agree on a standard for moral conduct.  God has given us the rule book that must be followed if we hope to be delivered from sin, know the saving grace of Jesus Christ, and have a hope of eternal life.

Dr. Gayle Woods