by Dr. Walter L. Wilson
Meaning of Names
I N THE GIVING of names the Bible has some interesting truths to re veal to us, particularly in the Old Testament. Ordinarily, unlike today, people were given names which would describe the type of life they were expected to live. This was true with the names of the disciples in the New Testament. Simon meant “hear ing with acceptance.” Scripture says, “He that heareth my word and be- lieveth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life.” This is “hearing with acceptance” and typified Peter. James meant “supplanter” or one who takes the place of another. As a disciple, James, following the death, burial and resurrection of the Sav iour, sought to win others to the Lord. His life was given to do the work whereunto he had been called of God. John meant, “one whom the Lord loves.” How true this was of the be loved disciple. He leaned on Jesus’ bosom learning the precious secrets of His person. No wonder he was given such a tremendous revelation of the future. Andrew meant “a strong man.” This disciple was the one who went after his brother Peter. (How many of us have gone to seek out others for the Saviour?) Philip meant, “a man that loves.” How beautiful that is for there is a need for people to love the lost for Christ. It is easy to love those we like but how about those who are poor, beneath us socially and educa- cationally, or those whom we just don’t care for, perhaps because of the way they might have treated us. Matthew meant “a gift of the Lord.” What a precious name to have. God loves to give, which is revealed in the wonderful bestowment of His
Son, our Saviour. Matthew’s writ ings, in turn, are a gift to us. What blessings are there in store for us. Matthew was a politician. Sometimes we think that any man in politics has been consigned to the devil. This is not true. There are a lot of godly men in this field, and we need many, many more. Pray for those who are charged with the responsibility of running the affairs of life, whether it be in the city, county, state or fed eral government. Thomas was called Didymus. This meant “a twin.” We are to gather from this that the disciple had a brother or sister. We don’t have any specific information, however, to ar rive at any firm conclusion. It would appear that the other person was not interested in the things of the Lord. Thaddaeus meant “one who praises God.” What a beautiful name to carry through life. Regardless of what your given name may be, do people know you to be one who is always giving thanks and glorifying the Lord? When we come to Judas it gives us reason to pause and think of this
Dr. Samuel H. Sutherland (left), Biola presi dent, chats with Dr. R. C. Lee, speaker for Biola's recent graduation exercises. In the background is Dr. John Hunter of the Torch- bearer's Fellowship in England.
13
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker