Struggling With The Name (Controversy Warning)

From times, even before I became a believer in Yeshua as my savior, I have known about the struggle believers were having with the actual name of Avinu shabashamyim (our Father in heaven). I guess it first came to my attention when the Jehovah's Witnesses came to my door.  I was in total ignorance of what they were talking about. They tried to tell me that the Tetragrammaton, or  יהוי  (Yod, Hey, Vav [Wah for some folks], Hey) in Hebrew was pronounced Jehovah. I was totally ignorant about it at that time. I bought into it for several years.

 Having always been an avid reader, I saw many things written over time using the name Jehovah. So, I never gave it much thought. I just assumed they were correct, even though I did not agree with them in almost every area of doctrine. I left it at that. However, soon after I became a believer in Yeshua, things started to change. I started doing my own comprehensive research and discovered a whole bunch of controversy surrounding the actual name of Avinu shabashamyim. Long before I had ever stepped into a Messianic congregation, I became well aware of the use of the name Yahweh, Yehovah and the (supposed) certain curse upon you for using this name. However, nobody ever gives a second thought about saying Halleluyah!

It all goes back to the Rabbinical era. The ban was put in place, in order to prevent people, from using the LORD's name in vain. Because of this man-made tradition, many today are afraid to use His name for fear of pronouncing it wrong or using it irreverently. That, they believe would somehow displease the Almighty and he would curse them.

 Let me interject something right here which I believe is very important. In Hebrew, a name has much more meaning than it does in other cultures. It's much more than just a moniker, or identifier like Bill, Harry, or Steve. In Hebrew, a name is meant to portray a person's character or authority. It is their personal attributes which distinguish them apart from all others. It's who they are. It is much more than just how they are identified. Not only is it what they are called, but it is attributed to their character, their authority, or what they represent. So, if you are taking the LORD's name in vain, you are actually blaspheming His character and authority. Understand this. Whatever you do that is contrary to the character of our Father in heaven is taking His name in vain. It kind of gives it a whole new meaning.

Proverbs 30:8-9

King James Version (KJV)

⁸ Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:

⁹ Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

 Do you steal? Do you commit adultery? Do you lie? These are all against the character of our heavenly Father. So, we can be using the Almighty's name in vain, and never even speak it. It's all about our heart attitude towards our Father in heaven.

I am forced to ask some questions that should be obvious, but for some reason, they are never asked. Is יהוה our heavenly Father? If we believe He is our heavenly Father, do we really think He is going to be angry with us for not pronouncing His name exactly correct, especially if we are humbling ourselves before Him in prayer? I ask the fathers of little children. Do we become angry with these little ones because they do not know how pronounce names our correctly? My name is Barry. Do you think it upsets me one little iota if my little grand children call me Gram Pa Bowie? Do we really think that our heavenly Father is so stuffy that He is going to be angry if we don't get His name exactly right? Scripture cannot be any clearer that our Avinu shabashamyim wants us to call upon His name. Men's traditions have hidden His name and there are plenty of Scriptures that tell us that this is not pleasing to our heavenly Father. Here are just a few translated literally.

Ezekiel 39:6­–8;

"I will send a fire against Magog and against those dwelling securely in the coasts: and the nations shall know that I (am) יהוה. And my Holy name will I make known in the midst of my people Israel. And I will let not my Holy name be profaned anymore and the nations shall know that I (am) יהוה  the Holy one in Israel. Behold, it is come and it is done states ADONAI   הוהי; This is the day I have spoken."

Psalm 91:14–15;

"Because he has set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him."

Jeremiah 16: 19–21;

"O יהוה my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of distress, to you the nations shall come from the ends of the earth and say, Only lies have inherited our fathers, vanity, and in them is no profit. Can man make for himself gods? But they are not gods! Therefore, behold, I will make them to know, I will make them to know my hand and My might. And they will know that My name is יהוה ."

Jeremiah 23:25–27;

"I have heard what the prophets said that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed. How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart; Which to think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell to every man to his neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Ba'-al."

Notice: They have forgotten the name Yahweh יהוה for Ba'-al. Do we think Avinu shabashamyim meant for His name to be forgotten?  From reading these Scriptures and many more, (Psalm 72: 18 & 19, 2nd Samuel 6:18, 1st Chronicles 16:2, Nehemiah 9:5, Job 1:21, Psalm 89:15 & 16, just to mention a few) it should become clear that our heavenly Father never intended for His name to be forgotten. He never meant for His Holy name to be substituted with Ba'-al, LORD, Ha Shem, or God.

 He has a name. I don't believe He is all that critical if we pronounce it Yahweh, YeHoVeH, YaHaVaH, YaHuWaH or anything similar. Nobody knows the proper placement of the vowels, nor do we know exactly the proper pronunciation. Those who claim to know are fooling themselves and are themselves following after man made doctrines. They usually are especially adamant about this and usually create very much heat while giving off very little light.

 Avinu shabashamyim is concerned with the condition of your heart. Not the pronunciation of His name rolling off your tongue. The point is this. Do you have reverence for the name? The time has come in these last days that we start walking in the freedom that Messiah Yeshua has given us and put away the fears brought upon us by the doctrines of men. Show me the Scriptures that say I should not say the name Yahweh, or however you believe it is pronounced. I can't find any.

Shalom,

Barry W. Gaugler