One of our members submitted this question: "Why were Abram and Sarai's names changed to Abraham and Sarah?"
In order to answer this question, we need to recognize that what happens to Abraham and Sarah is not unique to them. Rather, over the pages of Scripture, we see a number of different people whose names are changed. Jacob, for example, has his name changed by God to Israel. Jesus gives Simon a new name: Peter. The Lord assigns names to Isaac, to the children of certain prophets, and to Jesus Himself.
All the way back in the very beginning, we observe the significance of naming. God "called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." Then, a little later in the creation story, that naming responsibility is ceded to Adam: "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name" (Genesis 2:19 NAS).
We see, therefore, that naming comes with authority. The person who is in the position of authority is the one who assigns the name -- the identity, if you will. To have one's identify assigned by God is a beautiful and meaningful thing.
Furthermore, we observe that names in Scripture are often born out of experience. Ichabod's name comes out of his mother's bad experience, while Judah's name comes out of his mother's good experience, and Ephraim's name comes out of his father's mixed experience. And we discover along the way that people give many names to God coming out of their experiences with Him.
Finally, we recognize that naming is about identification. That seems most obvious, of course, and yet it's about more than just what goes on the name tag or the driver's license. In many instances the name is more intimately tied to the person's actual identity, much in the same way that nicknames or pet names function in our day. Eve, Jacob, Esau, Nabal, Malachi, Jesus: these are just a few of the people in Scripture whose names are closely tied to their identities -- that is, their roles, their attributes, or their natures.
Whenever we see the Lord change someone's name, therefore, we should understand it against this larger, three-fold backdrop. He can change the name because He has authority to name. The name He chooses may be tied to some experience (past, present, or even future, which is certainly the case with Abraham). And, most importantly, the new name represents a new identity, which is where the re-naming has a gospel feel to it. For we as Christians, you see, affirm and celebrate the truth that the Lord can give us a new name -- that is, a new identity, a new nature, and a new future.
In order to answer this question, we need to recognize that what happens to Abraham and Sarah is not unique to them. Rather, over the pages of Scripture, we see a number of different people whose names are changed. Jacob, for example, has his name changed by God to Israel. Jesus gives Simon a new name: Peter. The Lord assigns names to Isaac, to the children of certain prophets, and to Jesus Himself.
All the way back in the very beginning, we observe the significance of naming. God "called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." Then, a little later in the creation story, that naming responsibility is ceded to Adam: "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name" (Genesis 2:19 NAS).
We see, therefore, that naming comes with authority. The person who is in the position of authority is the one who assigns the name -- the identity, if you will. To have one's identify assigned by God is a beautiful and meaningful thing.
Furthermore, we observe that names in Scripture are often born out of experience. Ichabod's name comes out of his mother's bad experience, while Judah's name comes out of his mother's good experience, and Ephraim's name comes out of his father's mixed experience. And we discover along the way that people give many names to God coming out of their experiences with Him.
Finally, we recognize that naming is about identification. That seems most obvious, of course, and yet it's about more than just what goes on the name tag or the driver's license. In many instances the name is more intimately tied to the person's actual identity, much in the same way that nicknames or pet names function in our day. Eve, Jacob, Esau, Nabal, Malachi, Jesus: these are just a few of the people in Scripture whose names are closely tied to their identities -- that is, their roles, their attributes, or their natures.
Whenever we see the Lord change someone's name, therefore, we should understand it against this larger, three-fold backdrop. He can change the name because He has authority to name. The name He chooses may be tied to some experience (past, present, or even future, which is certainly the case with Abraham). And, most importantly, the new name represents a new identity, which is where the re-naming has a gospel feel to it. For we as Christians, you see, affirm and celebrate the truth that the Lord can give us a new name -- that is, a new identity, a new nature, and a new future.