Yesterday's post reminded me of how many names God has to describe Himself. When I was in high school, I took several months to focus on studying the lion's share of the names of the Lord that can be found in the Old Testament. So over the course of the next few days I'm going to revisit some of that old terrain, and explore some of the Old Testament names of God.
One of my favorite names has always been Qanna, the Lord our God is a jealous God. Unlike some of His other names, Qanna is not a very commonly cited name among Christians. But it's such a beautiful name. The first reference to Qanna can be found in Exodus 20, when the Lord gave Moses the 10 Commandments. He is commanding the Israelites to have no other gods above Himself, because He is a jealous God. God doesn't like to share the spotlight with idols, and He takes that very seriously.
But what struck me as I investigated further, is that "jealous" is not the only translation for Qanna. It also means "zealous." And herein lies the beauty. God is not only jealous for your attention; He is also willing to fight for you. He will not stand idly back and simply watch you fall away from Him, watch idols and other loves take over your life. He wants you - all of you - and He is willing to zealously pursue you. Exodus 20 says that God will punish the sins of the parents for up to 4 generations; but He will bless for a thousand generations those who love Him.
In Bible times, names meant much more than they do nowadays. Names defined a person - they gave an insight into the kind of individual that person would be when they grew up. Names revealed their character. God's very name says that He wants you - all of you - and that He's willing to fight for you. Now how's that for feeling treasured and loved??
One of my favorite names has always been Qanna, the Lord our God is a jealous God. Unlike some of His other names, Qanna is not a very commonly cited name among Christians. But it's such a beautiful name. The first reference to Qanna can be found in Exodus 20, when the Lord gave Moses the 10 Commandments. He is commanding the Israelites to have no other gods above Himself, because He is a jealous God. God doesn't like to share the spotlight with idols, and He takes that very seriously.
But what struck me as I investigated further, is that "jealous" is not the only translation for Qanna. It also means "zealous." And herein lies the beauty. God is not only jealous for your attention; He is also willing to fight for you. He will not stand idly back and simply watch you fall away from Him, watch idols and other loves take over your life. He wants you - all of you - and He is willing to zealously pursue you. Exodus 20 says that God will punish the sins of the parents for up to 4 generations; but He will bless for a thousand generations those who love Him.
In Bible times, names meant much more than they do nowadays. Names defined a person - they gave an insight into the kind of individual that person would be when they grew up. Names revealed their character. God's very name says that He wants you - all of you - and that He's willing to fight for you. Now how's that for feeling treasured and loved??
Exodus 20:4-6
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments. 
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