Exodus 6:3

"Handfuls of Purpose"

For All Gleaners

"And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them." Exodus 6:3 .

The different appearances of Jehovah. The marvellous fact that he has been made known by different names. This circumstance should put an end to all sectarian controversy. Religion is not a matter of mere name, but of spiritual reality. The word is unquestionably important, but only important as indicating something which is behind it, and infinitely greater than itself. Men know the Lord under different forms and representations. The thing to be remembered is that it is the same Lord. The particular point of this text is that the men themselves referred to knew God by different names. At first they knew him as God Almighty, but they had no knowledge of the name Jehovah. Does it follow, then, that the Lord was not Jehovah because the patriarchs did not know him by that designation? We grow in spiritual consciousness as we grow in grace and in knowledge. The mind seems to awaken to the power of describing God by new appellations, and worshipping him under enlarging and ennobling forms. God has many a name, and he reveals himself to men by what name he pleases to adopt. Jesus Christ has revealed himself to some thinkers as a man; to other thinkers he has revealed himself as God the Son. These views may be used in one of two ways either as beginning a controversy which can never end, or as suggesting the infinite fulness of the Being who can represent himself under names of limitation and names of infinity. Do not let us quarrel about the mere name. Many a man may be under the Godship of Christ, who is unable metaphysically to affirm the Godhead of the Son. Names and words in this connection must be thoroughly well defined and understood before they are turned into weapons of controversy and assault.