What’s in a Name

Sometimes I think about how ordinary, common things tell secrets about big, invisible things. For example: I have three different unrelated “Smith” lines in my family tree.

And if I’m honest, I butt heads with my Smiths a little (a.k.a., a lot) because though I pay lip service to the idea of loving a good challenge, privately I like it to be a solvable challenge. I poke at my Smiths and feel my own intellectual laziness poking back. So many leads … If you’ve researched any Smiths — and I suspect most genealogy buffs do eventually — then you know all too well. It’s a difficult name to track.

This is hard to admit.

I felt that same intellectual laziness recently, when a friend, Bible communicator Deanna Davis, said something so profound during a recent lecture. “Can you name your biggest spiritual struggle?” she asked. “And if you can’t, how will you master it?”

The point being, there’s power in naming things.

I recognized this as important — and even told her as much later on. “I need to chew on that,” I said.

See, there’s a whole theme in my book wound up in names, particularly those of girls and women, so easily lost within a few generations. Sisters and daughters disappear into marriages; mothers’ and aunts’ maiden names fade from memory after decades of marriage. I already knew that names matter in terms of identity, but here loomed a deeper truth.

But I got lazy.

Then, last Saturday …

I was doing my normal daily Bible reading. I studied Isaiah in depth a couple years ago, and now I’m going through it again, revisiting old notes and transferring those I want to keep close to the margins of my study Bible. Prompted by the workbook for this study, I said an extra prayer first that God would show me why this text at this time.

And wouldn’t you know it, He showed up in a big way.

“I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images. -Isaiah 42:8

“But now, this says the Lord, your Creator, O Jacob,
And He who formed you, O Israel,
‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are Mine!'” -Isaiah 43:1

“Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
And gather you from the west.
I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
And to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring My sons from afar
And My daughters from the ends of the earth,
Everyone who is called by My name,
And whom I have created for My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” -Isaiah 43:5-7

“This one will say, ‘I am the Lord’s’;
And that one will call on the name of Jacob;
And another will write on his hand, ‘Belonging to the Lord,’
And will name Israel’s name with honor.” -Isaiah 44:5

These verses impressed my heart with the connections between His name, His glory, and His ownership.

Weighty Matters

Now, “glory” is a funny word, often talked about and seldom defined. The Hebrew kabowd as its used in Isaiah 42:8 means honor, and it derives from the verb kabad which means to be heavy or to make heavy. Makes sense, right? When you glorify something, you give it weight, although the idea is not that you bestow weight. Rather, you recognize it.

Here is where I think that naming is a shadow and a copy of a spiritual thing. When we discover the names of our forebears, we acknowledge their lives, their intrinsic importance. When we name our spiritual struggles, we recognize them and bring them into a position of subordination, where they can be owned and mastered. When we create things, we have the right to title and name them, because they belong to us.

All the same things happen when He names us. Our “intrinsic” importance comes from Him. We come under subordination to Him because He is sovereign. He created us and we belong to Him.

It’s a big topic. Like my Smiths — so many leads. I’m sure I’ll visit it again, yet for all there is to say about what’s in a name, nothing could be so important as Peter’s summary of the Gospel:

“… let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead–by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief corner stone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” -Acts 4:10-12

Bringing Things New and Old Out of Your Treasure

COINS
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It’s an exciting moment of Bible study when a verse from a familiar passage lands on my heart in a brand new way. I know I must have read it before — maybe a dozen times or more! — and yet there it was, seeming for the life of me more like a personal note stuck between the pages of my Bible than a line in an ancient text.

Those fresh insights don’t come all the time, but when they do, I have to marvel at God’s goodness. And so I did on a recent trip through Matthew 13.

I had already concluded, although somewhat vaguely, that Jesus’ method of teaching through parables is instructive for Christian fiction writers. Storytelling is our ministry, after all. This is worth examining in depth (future post, perhaps?), but just to hit a few high points, Jesus’ stories are loaded with symbolism, subtlety, and cultural relevance. The Bible records His miracles of feeding the crowds of 4000 and 5000 men, not counting women and children. I’m speculating here, but can you imagine how great He must have been to listen to, if that many people had rather hang on His words than go home to feed themselves?

But back to the stories. I read the familiar words of the parables of the good soil, the wheat and the tares, the pearl of great price and others.

Then Matthew 13:51-52 hit me right between the eyes.

“Have you understood all these things?” They said to Him, “Yes.”

And Jesus said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is like a head of a household, who brings out of his treasure things new and old.”

What a fantastic word for those of us who have turned our creativity over to our Creator! When we have understood His Word, when we have accepted His lavishing on us the riches of His grace (see Ephesians 1:7-8), we can bring out of our treasure things new and old.

My thoughts on how this works:

1. Write what you understand. The old line, “Write what you know,” gets recast in a new mold when Jesus’ question is applied. Have you understood all these things? Have you not only knowledge about your subject, but wisdom? Proverbs 3:13-14 says, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold.”

I once thought seeking experience would broaden the depth of my writing — but if I fail to derive understanding from those experiences, writing fictionalized versions of them leaves me little better than a dishonest reporter. To increase the storehouse of treasure from which you will be bringing out things new and old, seek understanding of Biblical principles as well as the significance of facts, experiences, and emotions.

2. Think about what it means to be a head of household. If every scribe who has become a disciple of the kingdom of heaven is to be “like a head of a household,” then that’s like authority and power, right? Hmm, not exactly. According to Holman Bible Dictionary, “‘Household’ or ‘house’ … may point to the property or the management of the affairs and belongings of a family or clan” (673). Furthermore, “Next to the state, the household was the most important unit in the Greco-Roman world, largely because of its role as a guarantor of stability in society” (674). The head of a household is a position of responsibility. With the authority to make “withdrawals” from the store of treasure comes the duty to spend it wisely. Does my treasure go toward contributions to my family’s wealth? Am I creating assets, or liabilities?

3. Define “things new and old.” A new premise folded around an old message. A new insight into Scripture played out in a retelling of an old story. A speculative interpretation of things unseen. A love story laden with symbols of the Almighty. Creativity and truth are not mutually exclusive, and that our Creator God allows us to partake in creative efforts amazes me.

A humble example: my grandmother once told me about her grandmother, saving string for a second use and crocheting it into dishtowels. Likewise, when story and theme are skillfully woven, something old becomes something new, reminiscent of salvation and of Christ’s ultimate victory. As recorded by John (who was not a fiction writer!) in Revelation 21:5, “And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’ And He said, ‘Write, for these words are faithful and true.'”

A True Knowledge of God’s Mystery

I just finished reading a book that spelled everything out.

It was a cozy mystery in the romantic suspense subgenre — the type of book that’s meant to carry the reader out of their world of problems and worries for a little while and into an imaginary world where characters with double lives and double dimples battle the forces standing between them and the happily ever after that is rightfully theirs. This book did a good job of being what it is.

Nonetheless, I had trouble enjoying it. It seemed to me that everything was overstated. Nothing was chanced that the reader might miss it or fail to follow the character’s train of thought in the discovery of clues or developing emotions. The book had no expectations of me as a reader.

I’m not criticizing people who appreciate that type of book, by any means. I know people whose position is that their daily lives present plenty to think about, and they prefer lighter entertainment that does not propose heavy or ambiguous issues. I say so because I really don’t want to come down on the wrong side of the “intellectual snobbery” line. I’m just saying that I didn’t prefer having all the clues and conclusions drawn for me. There was hardly room to think about the mystery between the leading questions and characters’ “A-ha!” moments.

Nonetheless, I can appreciate the fact that there are different types of mysteries for different types of readers. Some want the story revealed to them, others want to ruminate on the clues. A few might even eschew a clear-cut tale with all loose ends tied, preferring open-ended questions left in the tale.

One amazing thing about the Bible is that it speaks to all kinds. It has a straightforward message of salvation, open-ended questions, and the promise that what we now see dimly we will one day see face to face and what we know now in part we will one day know fully. (See 1 Corinthians 13:12 for reference.)

Paul wrote in Colossians 2:1-3, “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” In short, this mystery should be known!

Even so, it’s only through the Spirit of God and not the perception of man that this wisdom comes, as evidenced in 1 Corinthians 2:6-10: “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory, the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, ‘Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.’ For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.”

To Argue or To Agree–THAT is the Question

A long long time ago in 1994, the title No Need to Agree really piqued my contrary adolescent interest. The Cranberries had released their sophomore album, and I was already a fan of the singles from their first. I asked for and got the cassette tape version for Christmas. (For the record–pun intended–CDs existed and were popular. I’ve always been a late-adopter of the latest greatest. So now you know.)

I wanted it solely based on the fact that it was The Cranberries’ new album. I hadn’t read about it or heard anything on the radio about it yet, but I’d seen the cover art in stores. If you’re familiar with the album, you know the title is shown in a tight handwriting-like script, and you may have already seen where I’m going with this.

I didn’t realize my mistake until I actually listened to the entire thing and got to the title track at the end.

The title track was actually No Need to Argue. As a teen, that was not a sentiment I wanted to embrace at all. Some days, I still prefer the first idea: no need to agree. I have my way and there’s nothing else to talk about.

There’s a world of discussion about which Scriptures matter. Is it important to study prophecy? Or Old Testament law? How do you know what’s meant literally and what’s figurative language? Sometimes when I read, I have to remind myself that “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (see 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

His Word can shape my heart and mind. God didn’t bring me on the team as a critic, but to agree with Him and say, “I have considered my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies,” as in verse 59 of Psalm 119. Further down in verse 89, it says “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven.” There’s no need to argue Scripture with Him.