Proverbs 18:10
THE BANNER OF HIS PROTECTION
Why study the names of God? Isn’t it enough that we know Jesus? It is true God has given us everything we need for life and godliness through the true knowledge of Jesus. But the Old Testament reveals a great deal about the essence of our God, what He is like and how He acts. God desires that we grow in our knowledge of Him.
Too many are satisfied to know Jesus as Lord and Savior without digging deeper into their Bibles and examining to see if there is any impact from the knowledge of who God is. This is the only verse in the Proverbs that mentions the phrase “the name of God.” Wise believers read and discover the value of knowing God’s names and running to Him.
We discover God is a place of safety and security for those who run to Him. Some ran to Him for salvation but forget to run to Him every day before the crisis hits. God desires to give more than protection. He also wants to give us perspective.
Solomon in this verse reveals that the name of the Lord is a strong tower. He is a place of protection from the enemy’s assaults and the storms of life. The more I know about God, the better I can stand in the day of battle! God has chosen to reveal Himself by many different names and each one teaches us something critical for our daily living.
Elohim reveals He is the God who creates. He can make something good out of our messes. Jehovah reveals He is the God who covenants. God makes promises and is faithful to His promises. His name is Adonai, the God who controls all things. When our world is falling apart, we look to His throne and know He is in complete control. These names provide a strong tower of protection.
God’s name also provides perspective. In His tower, we gain perspective on life. People ran to tall towers of refuge enabling them to get a better perspective on what was happening. We run to the tower and climb up. We understand life much better from a higher perspective. Too many know to run to Jesus but fail to don’t learn anything about who He is.
We need to climb the tower stairs and discover He is Jehovah-Jireh and learn how He provides. We must climb higher and discover His name is Jehovah-Shalom – the God of peace. We discover the peace of God that passes all understanding as we run to Him, rest on Him, and trust in His word.
These names help gain perspective on life, but only when we climb the floors of the tower. We are facing a crisis. We have an opportunity to run to the tower for protection trusting in His name. Our perspective will improve as we grow in our knowledge of our God and learn His names. We do so by faith, trusting in His revelation of Himself in His Word.
Pastor Chris Thompson