Seriously, even writing this again makes me so mad.
FIRST OF ALL, just because Jehovah is not the way anyone said it thousands of years ago does not mean that that can't be used today. Or shouldn't even be mentioned. If the Almighty God really was concerned about the exact pronunciation of his name, wouldn't he have made sure some exact evidence was preserved in the scriptures on how to pronounce it to his liking? And what about different languages? If someone in Asia pronounces it "incorrectly" according to exactly how it was pronounced 6000 years ago, which no one is even sure of anyways, does that somehow offend God? Is that person's worship less acceptable because he uses his own native version of the only 4 letters God left for pronunciation? Wouldn't He care a lot more about how the person lived than spending their whole life dwelling on whether or not he is saying the name right? We DON'T KNOW HOW TO SAY "JESUS" EXACTLY HOW THEY WOULD'VE SAID IT AND YET NO ONE CARES ABOUT THAT. They're perfectly happy saying his name and associating it with some long haired bony and frail man. People don't not say God's name because they're concerned about the pronunciation, they don't say it because they don't want to be associated with the only ones who do proudly use it. So then, should we just conclude that the name is better left unsaid? The name is in the Old Testament over 6000 times. Why would Jehovah have put it in there 6000 times if it wasn't important? If He wanted us to call him Lord, why did he give his name in the first place? Why didn't he just say, My name is the LORD. That's what all the translators want people to believe he said, but the reality is he used his own name. And the reality is that he wanted his people to use his name and expected them to. Isaiah 42:8 - I am JEHOVAH, that is my name. What exactly do people want?
As for the second reason, that God does not need to be distinguished from any other 'gods' has to be about the dumbest excuse I have ever heard. Hindus have millions of gods. The Egyptians in the time of the Israelites had tons of gods for whom they believed created and controlled different elements of nature and such. WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE DOESN'T NEED TO BE DISTINGUISHED FROM OTHER GODS BECAUSE THEY DON'T EXIST? PEOPLE HAVE BELIEVED THAT THEY HAVE EXISTED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, OBVIOUSLY THE TRUE GOD NEEDS TO BE SET APART SOMEHOW. So he should be set apart by LORD? 1 Cor. 8:5 - there are many "gods" and many "lords". The scriptures hardly make sense to read without the use of some version of the divine name. Deut. 6:4 - LORD our God is one LORD. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart. It even sounds stupid. And more importantly IT'S NOT WHAT GOD GAVE THE ISRAELITES TO USE. He didn't give them a title, he gave them a personal name. One that they could attach to the one they were supposed to love with their whole heart, soul, and mind. And then people like to use the scripture in Deuteronomy where Jehovah tells his people not to use his name in vain, as if that is somehow a good reason to not use it AT ALL. Did he say, "You may not use my name, for it is too holy for you." or "You must not use my name in vain. In fact, just to be safe, I've changed my mind. Don't use it at all.".... or did he allow and ENCOURAGE (Deut 6:13 - it is by his name you should swear) the use of his name as long as it was not in vain, as long as it was used in an honorable and honest way? To say that the using of God's name was done away with before the Christian Era is just...unbelievable. CHRISTIAN. As in CHRIST...right? As in JESUS? AS IN WHOSE NAME MEANS "YHWH (Jehovah) IS SALVATION"? And who chose the name? An angel. Sent from God. In heaven. WHY WOULD GOD HAVE HIS SON NAMED AFTER HIM TO WHERE HIS NAME ACTUALLY INCLUDED HIS OWN IF HE DIDN'T WANT IT PRONOUNCED OR THOUGHT IT WAS TOO HOLY TO BE UTTERED WHILE JESUS WAS ON EARTH? Jesus used God's name...that in itself should be enough for anyone proclaiming to be a Christian. The fact is God never, in what is now 1700 pages of Scripture, told his people that they should NOT pronounce his name. He used it freely and so did every single faithful servant of his. It is TRADITION of people who arose after Jesus and his apostles that took it upon themselves to censor God's most holy name. It seems to be the only thing they are capable of doing considering they've been doing it since Jesus was on earth, (Matt. 15:3 - Why is it you overstep the commandment of God with your TRADITION?) and continue to do so.
And, as they say, the proof is in the pudding. Has the omission of God's name from people's Bibles and vocabulary enabled them to draw close to their Creator and heavenly Father? Or has it served to further alienate people from God himself and what he originally instructed to his servants in Israel and later reinforced through his Son Jesus? Who on earth comprehends the whole theme of the Bible and lives in accord with it's every command to the best of their ability? Who have set themselves as 'separate from the world' as Jesus commanded, taking no part in wars or political conflicts? Who refuses to take anyone's life, regardless of the supposed "necessity"? Who take seriously the Bible's crystal clear command to abstain from blood, regardless of endless ridicule by others? Who understands and has full trust in the Kingdom foretold throughout the Scriptures? Is it the ones who have followed tradition and refer to God Almighty as LORD?
NOPE.
"For all the peoples, for their part, will walk each one in the name of its god; but we, for our part, shall walk in the name of Jehovah our God to time indefinite, even forever." - Micah 4:5
No comments:
Post a Comment