Names are interesting. In Bible times, if a baby was ugly, his parents were likely to name him “Ugly.” Modern parents, ever mindful of the fragile egos of our wee ones, steer away from descriptive names and instead usually go for the trendy or traditional. But even kids with normal names are sometimes saddled with nicknames that can dog them their entire lives.
While traveling through another state, for example, I saw campaign signs for a sheriff’s candidate named Chester “Pudge” Richardson.
Why on earth, I wondered, did this guy hang onto a nickname like “Pudge”? Maybe it started back when Chester was a cute little baby, but c’mon — no one has to carry a name like that into manhood. Especially not someone who wants to be sheriff. Bet no one ever called Wyatt Earp “Pudge” and lived to tell about it.
Newspapers also occasionally print crazy nicknames, like Jimmy “Dogface” Roberts, Leroy “Prune Man” Jones, Henry “Fat Boy” Smith, or Juanita “Train Wreck” McCloskey. The actual, published nickname of a lady arrested in a recent drug bust was “Truck Stop.”
Nicknames always make me wonder, “What’s the story there?”
What nicknames might people come up with for you if they had the inclination and the nerve?
For me, maybe “Spot” (I have lots of freckles), “Salt ’n Peppa” (referring to my hair color…or lack thereof), “Gimp” (too many knee surgeries), or even “Little Hitler” (I sometimes like to be in charge). If that sheriff’s candidate is willing to share, “Pudge” might work for me, too.
Actually, I have acquired a few nicknames in my life (thankfully, not any of the above). Some of my family members still call me “Murr” – a moniker left over from childhood when my little brother couldn’t pronounce my name.
Some neighbor kids started calling me “Mo” for the same reason. Mary Ann is apparently a mouthful for little ones. (I choose to believe it’s NOT because I bear any resemblance to Mo of “Three Stooges” fame – nyuck, nyuck.)
When I was a little kid, a friend’s older brother called me “Harry” – not because I was unusually woolly, but just because it rhymed with Mary and annoyed me.
A former coworker always called me “Cruuuuuummmmmmm” because my last name reminded him of a character in the movie, “Conan the Barbarian.” (I choose to believe it’s NOT because I bear any resemblance to a barbarian.)
Sometimes names mean something; sometimes, thankfully, they don’t.
But when we’re reading the Bible, we need to pay close attention to the names God called Himself. They always mean something.
Here is just a small sample: El Shaddai—The All-Sufficient One; El Roi—The God Who Sees; Jehovah Mekaddishkem—The Lord Who Sanctifies; Jehovah Tsidkenu—The Lord Our Righteousness; Jehovah Shalom—The Lord Is Peace; Immanuel—God With Us; and Abba—Daddy.
The “nicknames” God gives Himself in the Bible each reveal something fascinating, winsome and awesome about His nature. To discover some of them, you have to use the original Hebrew language of the Old Testament. It takes some digging, but there are reference books and computer programs available to guide you and there is gold waiting at the end of your search.
Check it out. Let it make you so curious about God that you won’t stop until you know Him. That is, after all, why He created us.
“Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” — Psalm 9:10