“He counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name.”
Psalm 147:4
The people in charge do the naming. Parents name their children, and families name their pets. Inventors name their inventions and businessmen name their businesses and the products and services they provide. The covenant-keeping God of the Bible is also the sovereign King of Eternity. He is the Author and Sustainer of the created order (Colossians 1:15-17) and the Objective Identifier of every creature in the universe; He gives all things identity as they relate to His plan. At the dawn of history, for instance, God created both light and darkness. The light He called “day” and the darkness He called “night” (Genesis 1:5). The next day, God called the skies “heaven” (Genesis 1:8). On the fourth day of creation week God made the stars (Genesis 1:16), and according to today’s Scripture passage, God gave each of the stars a special name. It is positively astounding to think that the God who identifies and controls more stars than we can count also cares deeply for us (1 Peter 5:7). King David mused, “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, The moon and the stars, which You have ordained, What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?” (Psalm 8:3-4) Though we will never fathom God and all His ways completely, the Bible assures us that God loves us and desires we walk in covenant relationship with Him. When this happens, the One in charge is pleased to give us new identities, and new names. We see this in the case of Abram/Abraham and Sarai/Sarah (Genesis 17:5,9,15) and Jacob/Israel (Genesis 32:38). We see this also in the New Testament, where the Lord changed Simon’s name to Peter (i.e. a rock). Though Peter, like all of us, vacillated here and there, he finished his race strong, fully living up to his new name. As the Lord predicted (John 21:18-19), Peter’s witness to Jesus was bold and unstoppable, even up to his own martyr’s death. You and I who are living and walking in New Covenant relationship with our Lord and blessed Redeemer will also be given new names one day (Isaiah 65:15). Like our new, glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:38), our new names will be special and unique to us. May we all succeed in living up to the beautiful new name that God intends to give us, to the praise of His glory, now and forever. Amen and amen!
God bless to today dear saints,
Pastor John
English