Onomaticon: The I Am and the Wonderful Counselor
The I Am
Who is God? How is his identity defined? Perhaps we should look at the first name — the only name — He gives Himself: “And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). God called Himself the I Am. The Hebrew word hayah, meaning “to be,” is used here. Later writers derived the name YHWH from this word. The name is probably pronounced “Yahweh,” though most translations show it as “Jehovah,” the translator’s best guess at pronunciation. The name “Jehovah” literally means the God who Is.
But what does it mean for God to be the I Am? Again, we can turn to Him for explanation in John 8:58: “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.” The most important thing to know about God is this: that He exists. After all, if that were not the case, why should we believe in Him?
This concept is repeated many times throughout scripture. Visions of heaven speak of a God who is and was and is to come. Past, future, and present meet at the singular being who controls all three. He simply is; there are no dependencies in the identity of the I Am.
Wonderful Counselor
“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor…” –Isaiah 9:6
Some names do not establish identity: rather, they describe the character of what is named. We see this with Richard the Lion-Hearted and Cosmas Indicopleustes, the India-Sailor. It’s not enough to know who someone is; we also want to know what they’re like. Many names of God are descriptive. They let us know what His character and actions are like.
Here and in Isaiah 28:29, the prophet tells us that Jesus — the son given to Israel — is “wonderful in counsel.” James writes that God gives wisdom to all men liberally, and Proverbs tells us that wisdom is more valuable than gold. What a privilege it is, then, for us to have the Wonderful Counselor to turn to!
That is absolute truth! It covers everything in every way.
It’s refreshing to see young people who think for themselves but have the wisdom to let God direct that thinking.
I’m looking forward to everyone’s insights in the new series.