Do we smell of compassion wherever we go?

This aroma met Moses as he pleaded on behalf of the guilty Israelites in front of the righteous God. Moses was about to learn just how glorious, gracious, and merciful the name Yahweh should be to all of us. With Called to Compassion: Knowing God’s Name, Being His People, author Joseph Dodson explores what it means to know God first and foremost by the compassion He showers over His children. And, being the recipients of God’s unending compassion, it only makes sense that it becomes a part of our names too.

What’s in a name. Well, sometimes, a lot, especially when that name is how someone chooses to describe themselves. In modern western cultures, names still have meanings, but sometimes they are divorced from significance. Children are named by their parents, not necessarily because of what the name means, but for how it sounds or its uniqueness and originality.

But in the Bible, names often have a bit more significance to them. Isaac means, he laughs–––most likely a reference to the fact that both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the prospect of having a child (see GENESIS 17:17 and 18:12). And God has a lot of names in the Bible, monikers that people have given him after an encounter with the God of the universe, but there are a few places where God gives himself a name. When he does, it’s probably important to understand that name.

In the following pages, Joey Dodson explores God’s name that he gave to Moses. Discover what God’s name means and what it means for you.