Have you ever wished you could change your name? Perhaps you have a name from a hurtful past, or maybe a sinful past, that you would like to be rid of. In our Scripture passage today from the prophet Isaiah, we read how God can take a negative name that has been attached to us and give us a new, beautiful one.
God had chosen the people of Israel to be His special people, and bring His message to the world, and also to be the line from which the Messiah, the Savior of the world would come from. They weren’t chosen to just be a special pet of God, but instead, they were to be a light with which the Gentiles would see and be drawn to the Lord God (vs. 1-2). Throughout the Old Testament God had spoken of and used the analogy of the people of Israel being married to Him. One of the requirements of a marriage is that both parties are to be faithful to the other. God had espoused Israel to Himself, yet instead of being faithful to Him and worshipping only Him, the people of Israel were constantly running off and worshipping the false gods and pagan idols of the Canaanites and other nations around them. They were unfaithful to God, despite His faithfulness to them. Their unfaithfulness to Him led to many nations conquering their country, and finally their captivity to the Babylonians.
During this time, the people, especially in the city of Jerusalem, felt that their name was now “Forsaken” and “Desolate”. They felt like a wife who had been cast off, even though it was through their own fault. When the people turn to Him, when they accept the coming Messiah, God will give them a new name (vs. 2). The old name of “Forsaken” will be exchanged by Him for the name of “Hephzibah”, which means “My delight is in her”. The old name of “Desolate” will be exchanged for the new name of “Beulah”, which means “married” (vs. 4).
Sometimes when people make a big change in their lives they like to be called by a new name. We see this in the New Testament with both the Apostles Peter and Paul. Peter was originally named Simon. When he accepted the Lord Jesus, and His call upon his life, when Simon left his job as a fisherman and became His follower, Jesus gave him a new name, that of Peter. Paul was originally named Saul, and he was a devout Jew who violently persecuted the early church. On the road to Damascus the Lord Jesus came to Saul in a vision, and he accepted Him as his Lord and Savior. From that day forward he changed his name to that of Paul.
Occasionally today people who have been heavy into drugs or alcohol, or involved in gangs, when they come to Jesus and turn their back on their past lifestyle, they take a new name, one that is not associated in anyway with their past life. Sometimes if a person comes from a family with a rather infamous last name, they might choose to take a new, different last name, so as not to be associated with an infamous ancestor or other relative. In either case, it is a break with the past and the person they once were, or a relative they want no part of.
In the book of Revelation we see a reference to God giving believers that overcome sin and Satan a new name (Revelation 2:17). When we come to Jesus, and accept Him into our lives, we are now a new person. Most people still continue with their given names, but in the Lord’s eyes we are no longer “forsaken” or “desolate”. To Him we have become “Hephzibah” and “Beulah”. God says that we are also a crown of glory and a royal diadem (vs. 3). When I see photos of the Royals with the sparkling diadems upon their heads, I don’t think of myself as valuable or priceless like that. However, that is what God calls us here. We are His delight, His married one, like crown jewels to Him.
There is an old-time gospel hymn, written many years ago, that speaks of our getting a new name when we come to Jesus for salvation. The chorus goes: “There’s a new name written down in glory, and it’s mine, oh yes, it’s mine!” I can sing that song, and mean it. Can you?
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