All Who Call Upon The Name of The Lord

How to have certain deliverance

And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Joel 2:32 (KJV)

Calling on the name of the LORD does not mean to recite the word Jesus or Yahweh over and over again. To understand what this really means, we need to know about the significance of a name in Biblical thought.

The Hebrew word for name in Joel 2:32 transliterated to English is shem, and is not just a word that someone is called by. Shem encompasses a person’s identity, character, authority, memory, and reputation; and that’s is how the Israelites thought about the word.

Here are some examples showing the importance of names in the Bible:

1. Jabez

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” Jabez called upon the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my border, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from harm so that it might not bring me pain!” And God granted what he asked.

1 Chronicles 4:9-10 (ESV)

The name Jabez sounds like the Hebrew word pain. Because his mother experienced some unusual pain during his birth, she called him, one who causes pain. Pain became tied to his identity. So every time his name was said, it was effectively a reminder he was, “one who causes pain …”.

Jabez made a prayer to the LORD for a “new name”. That name was a new identity, and a new destiny. One that would not bring him pain, and in which he was prosperous.

Side note: I love how verse 10 straightforwardly puts forth God granting what he asked. That’s the fruit of faith on display; simply believing that God hears and answers prayer.

2. Abraham

No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

Genesis 17:5 (ESV)

Abram means, “exalted/high father”, whilst Abraham means, “father of a multitude”.

For those who may not know about the story of Abraham, he is a man whom God told to leave his family and nation, in the land of what later became Babylon, and go to the land which today includes Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan, and more. Through his lineage came several nations like Israel, therefore, Abraham is known as the “father” of the Israelites. At the time recorded in Genesis 17:5 Abraham was 99 years old, his wife 90: and they did not have a single child yet.

Before God changed Abraham’s physical situation, by giving him a child, He changed his name.

God gave him a new identity.

And I see the same truth applicable in our lives today. Before we start to walk in destiny, we must first have a change of identity and character. A new name.

3. Daniel, Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael

Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah. And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego.

Daniel 1:6-7 (ESV)

Brief backstory on Daniel: Around 586 B.C, king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and the army under him besieged Judah - a city in Israel - and took it. Among the trophies he carried back to Babylon, he also took back young people from the royal family and nobility who were, “without blemish, of good appearance, skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace” (Daniel 1:3-4 ESV). Among those youths was Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The book of Daniel is about his life in Babylon.

Nebuchadnezzar wanted to turn the young Israelite men into Babylonians, who would be fit to serve him and his kingdom. He already chose the best of the best, so didn’t need to spend time having them trained to sharpen their skills. All he needed was to assimilate them into Babylonian culture and philosophy.

What’s the first thing he did? He changed their names. Because before there is a radical change in a person’s life, there must first be a change of identity.

Here are the meanings of their Hebrew names vs their Babylonian names:

Daniel (God is my Judge) → Belteshazzar (Bel protect the king/Bel’s prince)

Hananiah (Yahweh is gracious) → Shadrach (Command of Aku)

Mishael (Who is what God is?/Who is like God?) → Meshach (Who is like Aku?)

Azariah (Yahweh has helped) → Abednego (Servant of Nebo)

Nebo, Bel, and Aku, were all different Babylonian gods.

For Nebuchadnezzar to change the names of the four young men, he was communicating to them that he was permanently changing their identity. He wanted it such that their identity would no longer be tied to Yahweh, but to his gods. This was much deeper than a formality.

Thank God that the four young men hung on to their Biblical identity as the book of Daniel records.

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Connecting the examples given back to Joel 2:32, it is revealed to us that a name means more than just a title by which someone is called.

Therefore to call upon the name of the LORD means more than pronouncing His name in prayer. It means to call upon His character, identity, and reputation.

Let’s see some Scriptural examples of how this looks practically:

Daniel

I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, … O my God, incline your ear and hear. Open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city that is called by your name. For we do not present our pleas before you because of our righteousness, but because of your great mercy.

Daniel 9:4;18 (ESV)

Considering those words carefully, Daniel first appealed to Yahweh’s reputation as faithful and loving. As he presented his requests to God for the restoration of his people to their homeland, he then began to speak to God’s merciful character, trusting Him for an answer - not because Daniel was a morally perfect man, but because God is merciful.

This is a perfect example showing what it is like to put your trust in God, rather than in self.

And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.

Psalm 9:10 (ESV)

Moses

But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, “O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.’ ” And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.

Exodus 32:11-14 (ESV)

In this prayer to God, we see Moses make a plea to God’s faithfulness and reputation. I consider this story deeply significant because it brings to light the power of intercession - to go as far as to change the mind of God!

When the Lord delivered the children of Israel from Egypt, His miracles served to get Him a reputation amongst the neighbouring nations. Yahweh was so ‘famous’ that ~40 years after the events recorded in Exodus the hearts of the people who heard about what He did melted, and there was no spirit left in any man (Joshua 2:11).

The reason Moses presented before God as to why He should spare the Israelites from judgement, was His own reputation.

Additionally, Moses called upon the Lord’s commitment; the promise He made to the Israelites’ ancestors that He would give them the Promised Land.

A Leper

When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him. And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.” And Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:2-3 (ESV)

This can be seen as a direct fulfilment of Joel 2:32 as prophecy. The man with leprosy came before Jesus and appealed to His willingness to save.

I love this story because it reveals that God is willing to save. Chief among the questions we ask about this life is not whether God has the power to save, but whether He wants to.

The verses above show that it is God’s will to save us from sickness and reproach. And for those of us who have come to know Christ after His resurrection, our healing has already been given to us. What we need to do is to receive it by faith, by believing that what God’s word says is true.

So, next time you call upon the name of the Lord I challenge you to do more than just say call Him Jesus, but to bring to remembrance what is said about Him in the Scriptures and to present that before Him with a pure heart.