What’s in a name? Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet made this question famous. They fall in love before learning they bear the names of rival families. Romeo is a Montague and Juliet a Capulet. Willing to deny name before love, Juliet cries out, “Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name. Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” A few lines later, Juliet asks, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.”

In other settings, the family name becomes even more important. As a young boy, I watched my father endure the pain of a failed business that left my parents deeply in debt. Rather than declare bankruptcy, he went to each of his creditors and told them he would fully pay them back if it took the rest of his life. On his handshake and his name, each creditor took him at his word. He kept his promise, furthering his credibility and example of integrity in the business community.

The significance of a name was particularly true in Bible times. In both Old and New Testaments, names reflected personal experience or expressed character:

Jacob (GEN. 25:26). Jacob (which means “supplanter”) was so named because he would overtake his brother, Esau, in position and significance. This became reality as Jacob stole both the blessing and the birthright from his firstborn brother.

Naomi (RUTH 1:20). The name Naomi means “delightful one.” Upon her return from the land of Moab, how- ever, she changed her name to Mara, meaning “bitter.” Why? Because in Moab she had suffered the bitter loss of a husband, two sons, and a daughter-in-law.

Barnabas (ACTS 4:36). In the New Testament, we find a man named Joseph, who was so active in caring for people and encouraging others that he received a new name—a nickname. That name was Barnabas, which means “son of encouragement.”

While names were important to the people of the Bible, nowhere was this more significant than in Matthew 1:21, where we read the words spoken to Joseph:

She will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.

The name Jesus means “Jehovah our Savior.” It is the New Testament equivalent of the Hebrew name Joshua, Yeshua, or Hoshea. While others wore these names to honor God, Jesus bore His name as the Savior-God that the New Testament says He was. It’s important for us to see that the Scriptures honor the name Jesus for several reasons:

• It is the name by which we must be saved. “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (ACTS 4:12).
• It is the name that establishes the tone for everything a Christian does. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (COL. 3:17).
• It is the name at which, one day in the future, every knee shall bow. “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (PHIL. 2:10-11).

From the time of Jesus’ birth until now, many have missed or dismissed the significance of His name. In His childhood days, His neighbors knew Him as the son of Joseph the carpenter. In our generation, many know Jesus only as an expression of anger or profanity. Few under- stand the many additional names given to Him in the Bible. For that reason, we want to look at four significant names written in anticipation of a coming Messiah more than 600 years before the birth of Jesus. By discovering His names, we can be led deeper into an understanding of who He is and why He deserves our trust.

 

The Predicted Names Of Messiah
No Old Testament prophet had more to say about the promised Messiah of Israel than Isaiah. He described the coming Servant-Ruler as One who would bring a mysterious blend of power and suffering (ISA. 53; 61:1-3). The character of this coming Servant is most clearly stated in Isaiah 9:6, where the prophet declared:

Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Here, Isaiah said several things that remained a mystery until the coming of Christ. While it was clear that he was predicting a coming world leader and messianic age, what could not have been seen until after Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is that Isaiah was actually predicting the arrival of the Son of God. All of this we can now see packed profoundly into the series of names Isaiah used for the coming Servant of God.

Let’s review the scope of this amazing prophecy.

The Birth Of Messiah. “Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given …” Such prophecies infused generations of Jewish women with dreams of being the mother who would give birth to the promised and long-awaited Messiah. But it has since become clear that this prophecy anticipated far more than the birth of a world leader. We now see in the phrase “unto us a Son is given” the entrance of God’s own Son into the human race that He had created.

The Kingdom Of Messiah. “…and the government will be upon His shoulder…” These are words filled with both prophetic and practical significance. Prophetically, Isaiah saw the day when a son of Israel would bear the weight of world leadership. In chapter 2, Isaiah predicted that in the last days the house of the Lord would be established in Jerusalem. Revelation, the last book of the New Testament, agrees, saying that on that day an angel of God will declare, “The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ [or Messiah], and He shall reign forever and ever!” (REV. 11:15).

Those who have bowed their knee to this coming Messiah and Lord can find present encouragement in that future day. Our comfort is found in the reality that the shoulders that will someday carry the government of the world is large enough to bear any personal burden that we bring to Him now.

The Character Of Messiah. “…and His name will be called…” Hebrew names are often significant for defining character. Isaiah used four compound names to provide a full understanding of this coming Savior. Each name forms a different window through which to view the Son of God who became the Son of man. These four names shape our understanding of who God’s Messiah is—helping us develop a personal relationship with Him and showing us where to find Him in our moments of need. Let’s take these names one at a time.