What’s in a Name?

“The name of the LORD is a strong tower;
The righteous man runs into it and is safe.” – Proverbs 20:10 ESV

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Think about your name. Where did it come from? What does it mean? Is there a story behind it? Why did your parents choose it for you? If you have children, why did you choose the names you chose for them?

We named our firstborn son, “Ephram,” because we were told Katie would likely never have children naturally. As He sometimes does, God reversed the natural order and granted us a son. As a testimony to His kindness, we chose the name we did based upon its Biblical meaning (see Genesis 41:52, “fruitfulness out of affliction”). It reminds us of who He is and what He did.

Our names are how we know one another…how we are known by one another. To know my name is to know something about me; to move one step closer to me, from the general to the specific. Our names, yours and mine, connect us – they are how we call and respond to one another. In short, our names tie us inseparably to ourselves and, through them, to others.

When Moses longed to see the Lord, he asked, “Please, show me your glory” (Exodus 33:18). The Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you my name.” (Exodus 33:19, emphasis mine).

And what is His name?

“The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 34:6-7).

When he heard it, Moses fell to the ground and worshiped (Exodus 34:8). Throughout the Bible, writers equate the LORD’s name with the LORD Himself. His name is His self-revelation. To know His name is to know Him. To exalt His name is to exalt Him. To despise His name is to despise Him. He is His name. Which is why we are taught to pray, “Lord, hallowed be Your name” (Luke 11:2).

Proverbs 18:10 contains the only reference in the entire book of Proverbs to the name of the LORD. The author compares it to a strong tower; an elevated refuge set above danger. This imagery is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe God Himself: “From the end of the earth I call to you, when my heart is faint. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, for you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the enemy” (Psalm 61:2-3). Scripture describes both the LORD and His name as ‘strong towers.’ The wisdom of Proverbs calls us to run into His name and to take refuge in it.

What do we find there when we run into the name of the LORD? What do we take refuge in? According to God’s self-revelation,

…we take refuge in mercy.

…we take refuge in grace.

…we take refuge in slow, patient love.

…we take refuge in covenant faithfulness.

…we take refuge in justice.

…we take refuge in hope.

If the name of God is who He is, then to run into the name is to run into God Himself…to find refuge in Him, and in all that He has revealed Himself to be for us. Here, and here alone, we are safe. Here, and here alone, we find refuge from sin, death, hell, and every evil power that seeks our ill. If we want to be truly righteous, we must take refuge in the name.

This isn’t the kind of refuge we usually seek, though. Left to ourselves, we are more prone to rely upon our own resources. One verse later, in Proverbs 18:11, we read about a contrasting refuge:

“A rich man’s wealth is his strong city,
and like a high wall in his imagination.”

Admittedly, I’m more prone to trust in my own resources than I am in the name of the LORD. I’m much calmer knowing my bank account has a cushion…it feels like a buffer against a world of chaos. But the wisdom of Proverbs calls my bluff: I might feel safe with money to spare, but the protection it provides is only imaginary. In a moment, it can all pass away (see Luke 12:20; Daniel 5:23).

To be sure, there’s nothing inherently wrong with earning a nice paycheck and having healthy balances in the bank. Indeed, the power to gain wealth and enjoy it is a gift from God (Ecclesiastes 5:19). Ultimately, the question is not a matter of wealth, but a matter of refuge. What do I trust in? Where does my confidence lie? “What will a man give in exchange for his soul” (Matthew 8:37)? The name of the LORD – alone – is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe. Will I trust in His Name, or mine? Only one is a strong tower in reality.

Ponder, now, this incredible grace: We are not simply invited to run into the Name. Rather, the Name came to us. The Name became flesh to establish refuge for us (John 1:14) and to show us the Father: “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me…I made known to them your name, and will continue to make it known” (John 17:6, 26). “There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven, given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). “He has bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).

The strong tower that we run into – the Name that is our refuge – is none other than Jesus Christ. In the incarnation, the Name took on eyes, ears, hands, and feet. He came to set up an eternal refuge for all those who would be counted righteous through faith in Him. In his resurrection and ascension, we are raised up and seated in the heavenly places – in Him, we are untouchable.

There is a prerequisite for running into this strong tower, this righteous refuge, this Holy Name. Proverbs 18:12 prescribes it: Humility. If we would take refuge in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we must abandon our own righteousness in favor of His. We must admit we need a savior and that Jesus is that savior, and then humbly run into the only real refuge provided to us. Here, alone, we find rest. The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.

He is our one safe place. In Him we sing: “Blessed be the name of the LORD” (Psalm 113:2).

– Cole McCollum

Cole and his wife, Katie, have been attending NAOBC since 2010. He serves as the Director of YC2 and on the worship team. The have been married for nearly 15 years, and have two children.