A Name Change

Names have meaning, especially in the Bible. So, when God changes someone's name, it's because something profound has happened.

“A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Well, sure, but the name “rose” captures that smell perfectly, doesn’t it?

You see, names matter. They aren’t merely random labels we attach to things, places, and persons. That kind of thinking has gotten us in deep trouble as a society!

I would suggest that one of the first symptoms of our societal decline is a failure to take seriously our power to name things, places, and people. When it became nothing more than “fashion” or “personal preference” disconnected from lineage and meaning, we started naming our children and places in ways that betrayed our disconnection with reality.

No, it is no mistake that one of the first jobs God gave Adam was to “name” things! Names reveal (or at least they are supposed to reveal) the thing named.

What we name, how we name, and who we name reveal a profound truth about what we think and value.

“What’s in a name?” A lot!