Christmas Moments - #8 Christmas Names

Christmas names today on this bonus feature podcast for my wonderful loyal. I'm so grateful for you for listening to these Christian moment podcast on putting up his Christmas and this one special because it never went on the air is just some God gave me recently and I thought this would make a really cool bonus Christmas moments podcast Christmas names like I just started to think about all the names of the characters of Christmas and how God you chose those enabled those Howard worked in each individual case and why that was so significant and so the characters that Ron talked about that are obviously in this play.

If you would look at Luke chapter 1 and chapter 2 are John obviously being John the Baptist to his name. Specifically, in Jesus, Mary, Joseph, Zachariah, Elizabeth, Gabriel, so if we just go into those names for minute I have some really fun. I looked at him not only from the standpoint of in a what it sounds like an English but what it is in Hebrew and what that meant. In Hebrew originally and and also who were those characters that God was remembering as he remembered it very put his signature on this event so to begin with. We have John and I think of you pronounce that in Hebrew. It would be octant and I originally thought in a why did John the Baptist get the name John and thought perhaps it would be because David's best friend was John or you know, I know that the word means God is gracious in Hebrew. But why did he do that, specifically, was interesting. That is not Jonathan like would be David's friend but it's you, and you know it's it's got a different set of letters to it than Jonathan in is really neat version of the Bible called the Hebrew names version more you get that and so when you know when you look at that from the standpoint of second Kings 25 one or you find another character in the Bible from that same name. He was a warrior but he was also gracious when you think about you know when you think of somebody gracious I don't naturally just think of John the Baptist like you brood of vipers, but in a way gracious. Could it be that God gives us information that we can get on the right path and that he would use John to bring the hearts of the fathers to the children of the children to the fathers what the I mean when that be one of my most favorite things to do this Christmas. In the course of next and obviously focal name of the entire story is Jesus which you may have heard many times people refer to in Hebrew is Yeshua and and interestingly the word is almost synonymous with salvation, and so as I dived into that particular name. I expected to be, you know the essentially the version of Joshua.

But Josh was not spelled like Yeshua and so there's an extra letter in there that would be significant, so you should actually you'll find him in the Bible in a different couple places but the main Yeshua was yet to come. And when I look at those letters in Hebrew. It's like a many faceted diamond at and really where you kinda see it is that the burning bush, and you might go check that out an exit. This where what Moses saw was not just a burning bush, but he saw the angel of the Lord in that burning bush and the angel of the Lord you may know it in Hebrew is often you know a picture of Jesus.

So when you look at those letters that mean Yeshua you find this little spark of God and then fire and so when you see this burning bush and you see fire is kind of a neat thing that so often fire is used to make things pure and Jesus does that in so many ways were moving down we have Mary which you may know, in Hebrew is Miriam which actually means rebellion or a storm of water was clearly taken from Moses's sister and you may know that Moses's sister had what they considered to be Miriam's well which was the stone that followed them in the desert that she would sing to the corner Hebrew tradition in order to bring water what you think it was any accident that here is this prophetess that would sing to God and he remembered by making Mary, you know that name, which by the way, is today the most popular name in all the world and has been for generations and generations as God certainly was remembering his prophetess, but also the Mary that would be the first to see Jesus and his resurrection, and there are so many cool things that have to do with marriage when you look at the letters in Hebrew. It clearly is a picture of water because water is my medium. I believe it's been pronounced in Hebrew, but it's essentially just all that would be water is in that picture. And as you know, she would bring forth the living water, so it's a beautiful thing is just a devotional. It's unless we have Joseph which I'm really ever thought about the fact that Joseph was named Joseph as a remembrance of the Joseph that was you know, the 11th son of Jacob, and you might remember that his mother Rachel named him Joseph because she wanted another son, and so his name actually means to give in and she was asking God and she named Joseph to give her another son which and we got Benjamin, you know, God answered that prayer, but then you know Joseph would be such a giver. When you think about all the people that just were able to survive during the horrible famine of the original Joseph's life while how much did this Joseph bring to all of us through his protection and and what he gave to Jesus those are some thoughts on Joseph Zachariah was John the Baptist father and not coincidentally at all you know his name came from the Zachariah of the, the prophet that that that was but I love what his name means and it does through the letters and it it it it it just means God remembers, and so he remembered that this particular Zachariah was very much anxious to have a child and he was remembering the Zachariah that the lives there several Zachariah's in the Bible.

And so he's remembering all those people as he brings us together and are so much about what he did here. It Christmas that was showing that God remembered Miriam.remember you all these different characters is as he brings us all together now one of my favorite names. I discovered this that I wonder if you've ever heard. This is just absolutely beautiful is Elizabeth.

Well Elizabeth actually in Hebrew might be a list Shiva. She her name means God has sworn in that cool like that, you know, the spirit of Elijah, you don't turn the hearts of the fathers to the children. Mother is what a cool thing that her name goes so well with Zachariah, which means God remembers, but then the other really really beautiful thing. It just blows me away is that she was your very much listed in the genealogy as one of you know the tribe of Aaron will not only was she of the tribe of Aaron.

She had Aaron's wife's name that name in Hebrew, Elizabeth was the name of Erin's wife and and you may know that in Hebrew tradition. Aaron was a superduper amount of all his gifts. He was so good at helping people through their marriages and because of that it was. Aaron was one of the most common names is God was remembering so in Aaron's time because after he would straighten out their marriages or help them help God treat them out marriages. He was a light in Matt and his name means light then they would name their first child, Aaron will think what a role that Elizabeth played a matter of the elusive of that was actually Aaron's wife with Aaron's name being bring her of the light and a list Shiva means God has sworn in service. Just a beautiful picture of how God remembered all that and just to show you the validity of the book of Daniel, which I've heard people question at times. The next character in the last one will talk about today is Gabriel and Gabriel. Of course that name means mighty warrior you might know that Gabriel is the same name of Dane of Daniels angel you know in Daniel chapter 7 and I was thinking about that as a Christian Christmas devotional it and Daniel saw Gabriel who must be bad to the bone. I am out. He liked passed out fell down. He was like oh my gosh and in and of course UTC Gabriel tell Mary not to be afraid. At least Mary didn't go down for the kid that was there when Mary was get this message she didn't get it from a little, you know, cherub -like guy that was hey good news Mary Juergen have no I mean Gabriel himself. This mighty mighty warrior that would probably be fighting out phenomenal.

You know evil spirits in order to get down there to give Mary this message he shows up and while I mean it was like a double.

And it really gives the livid validity to really the whole story as we think that you know God remembered all these different characters like it if you see their stuff there. From Genesis their stuff there. From Exodus their stuff from Kings their stuff and chronicles their stuff from the book of Daniel, Zachariah and even Malachi right to the end of the Old Testament is all remembered and all these characters that make for a very rich Christmas for me as I ponder those think this is so phenomenal in this particular season where were duly colder than politics and always different stuff can't remembers all of our names, and he remembers all the things that are involved in our life and he is painting a picture that is be on magnificent and that magnificence of magnifying God all he is is one of the neat things we get to do it Christmas. I'm so grateful I get to share all this with you, my faithful Christian Car Guy podcast listeners which I would ask you to consider berating the podcast and sharing it with other people as clearly.

I'm so grateful for that. God gives me the stuff to share. And now he's given to you to also share whether that's by sharing this podcast are shipping it in your own words as a part of your normal conversation. It Christmas dinner whenever you're by a friend that you see could use some hope of bless and have a Merry Christmas