The Name of Jesus
In the book of Numbers, Chapter 13, we find an interesting scene. Here it is written that Moses sent out twelve heads of the tribes, to search the land of Canaan. Moses chose one man form every tribe, but he was dissatisfied with the list of names.
The chosen one from Ephraim was a man named Oshea. Oshea in Hebrew is
Hoshea
and it means: deliverer. Moses new God intimately for a long time, and he didn’t accept the situation. He used his authority as a leader, and changed Oshea’s name: “And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua” (Numbers 13:16).
Now, this was acceptable. The meaning of Jehoshua is:
Yahweh the deliverer.
The greatest deliverer of all is always God, and it is better to have a name which glorifies God and not man.
We are talking about the man whom we know today as Joshua. His Hebrew name, Jehoshua became a known and popular name in Israel through many centuries, and some people in the Old Testament were also called by this name.
Close to one and a half Millennia later, a young man had a surprising experience. He was engaged to a girl, his thoughts were about a happy marriage, when on a painful day it appeared that the girl was pregnant. In all human consideration this meant breaking off the engagement and the cancellation of the wedding.
However, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, and said: “she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus” (Matthew 1:21). This is Jesus, our Savior, Redeemer, Deliverer and God. Jesus in Hebrew is
Jeshua,
which is the short form of
Jehoshua,
and means the same:
Yahweh the deliverer.
At this time Israel was groaning under the hand of the Romans. Of course they hated the oppression which was manifest in taxes, laws restricting their freedom, and everyday nuisances. The people were craving after the promised Anointed One, the Messiah, the son of David.
And the Messiah, the son of David came indeed. The Redeemer, Deliverer and Savior came to Israel and to the whole world. Almost everybody expected Him to shake off the yoke of the Romans from the back of Israel. But Jesus kept Himself at a distance from that issue. When they tried to involve Him into political matters, He gave spiritual answers.
But then what did He deliver His people from? We read: “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Jesus delivered His people from a bondage which was much worse than military and political oppression. He came to deliver from the worst slavery: from our sins.
Jesus is Deliverer, Redeemer, Savior and He is our God. In the Old Testament God was known as Yahweh, but we call Him Jesus. When we speak to Him, pray and call on His name, we call Him: Jesus, Yahweh the Deliverer.
And He is not just any kind of deliverer, but “He will save His people from their sins.” In Him the words of the psalm are fulfilled: “He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities” (Psalm 130:8).
Jesus is the One, who delivers us from all sins and iniquities. That’s why He came to Earth. “He that commits sin is of the devil; for the devil sins from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8).
So let us approach Jesus with this faith. When we go to Him, we go to the One, who delivers us from our sins. All our sins. He destroys everything in us, that the devil built up.
Dear Brother, Dear Sister, Jesus is your deliverer too. This is His will, plan and purpose for you. He came to destroy all the works of the devil in you and to deliver you from all your sins. Believe, that He does it to you. Jesus is your Deliverer.