What's In A Name

Hosea 1:2-10

In my mid-20's my father told me the story behind my name. When I was born he and my mother decided to name me Randolph. In the discussion over that name they decided I would dislike it so much that I would call myself Randy. In order to bypass all the torment I might receive growing up they cut to the chase and settled on calling me Randy instead of Randolph.

The funny thing about this story is that as I was going through childhood if someone called me Randall I would politely correct them that my given name was Randy. However, if someone called me Randolph, well...let's just say that I'm glad my parents didn't give me that name. Maybe if my name meant salvation, like the prophet Hosea, I wouldn't have minded.

I find it interesting that God uses the names of people to portray what their lives, or the lives of those around them, may be like. Just for fun I searched what my name meant. (You can do the same here.) Apparently, depending on the origin of my name it either means the shield of a wolf, strong defender, or admirable. What's even more fun is I can see how, at times, I live up to my name.

Of course, what I did was for fun, but what God is saying through the prophet Hosea isn't. Israel is about to be destroyed and its people dispersed into a sort of wilderness. Through Hosea, God says that no longer will the people of Israel be saved by the sword or any other act of war. God goes so far as to say God will deny any knowledge of the people of Israel. God does all this through Hosea by having him marry someone outside of accepted society, giving them 3 children, then asking Hosea to give his children names which I'm sure they didn't like.

Here's where my thought takes me today: If God gives you an identity that you don't like, will you be able to live up to that identity anyway?

We are named by the identity we carry. If we identify ourselves as Christians, then we have to live up to what that name means.To be Christ-like is to be all-accepting towards all people, especially to those who stand outside the norms of accepted society. Christ was inclusive, and so must we be. Christ fought for justice and so must we. Christ's message was that the love of God must be more important than the rules about love made by man.

At the end of today's passage Hosea reminds the people of Israel that even though God has proclaimed all of these bad things were going to happen, God will not abandon them. There will be a time when God's presence will once again be known. Even though the message Hosea brings is one of doom and gloom, we see there is still hope.

My guess is Hosea is asked to do something he probably had a difficult time doing, but he did them anyway. He brings the message of truth and hope to God's people. In this way he lived up to his name.