The great thing about Jesus is...

There are so many great things about Jesus. They are innumerable. Today let's look at two passages, one from the Old Testament and one from the New. God isn't one way in the OT and another in the NT. The two testaments are linked and it is a unified whole. Both Testaments reveal the same God, Son, and Spirit.

In Numbers 6:22-27 we read,

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them,
The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the LORD lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace.
So shall they put my name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.

God told Moses to tell Aaron to bless the Israelite people with His name. What a great, GREAT thing, for the God of the universe to put His name on people! In the New Testament, John 17:12, Jesus is praying the High Priestly prayer,

While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.


God has given to Jesus His name, which in turn Jesus has kept God's people (protected from the world). Giving His name is such a gift. Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible explains,
Keep them through thine own name. That is, [1.] Keep them for thy name’s sake; so some. “Thy name and honour are concerned in their preservation as well as mine, for both will suffer by it if they either revolt or sink.” The Old Testament saints often pleaded, for thy name’s sake; and those may with comfort plead it that are indeed more concerned for the honour of God’s name than for any interest of their own

In the High Priestly Prayer we read that Jesus is the manifestation of God's name, in which he keeps God's people.

I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. (John 17:6).

I know that people are careful with their name. We protect our reputation, and if someone says or does something in our name or impugns our reputation of our name, we become angry. We're protective of our lineage, our family name. Imagine how God feels! His name is the highest name above all names! Yet He gave His name to His Son, to manifest to the people whom He elected, to share, and come under the family name. I'ts one of the reasons our ambassadorship is so precious. The God of all glory shares His glorious name with His Son, who He keeps us in the name, ns in whose name we will be brought home.

God is so great.


Comments

  1. You expressed that truth so well! Thank you.

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