How important is God's name?

Who has a really good friend of whom he does not know the name? So it's only logical what Irina from Bulgaria says about a friendship with God: "You can't be close to God if you don't know His name." Fortunately, as stated in the first article, God desires us to get close to Him, and that is why He introduced Himself to us in the Bible, so to speak: "I am Jehovah. That is my name" (Isaiah 42:8).

In the Bible, God has introduced Himself to us, so to speak: "I am Jehovah. This is my name" (Isaiah 42:8).

But does God place any value at all on our knowing and using his name? The part of the Bible originally written in Hebrew provides a clue. In it the name of God - the so-called Tetragram, consisting of 4 Hebrew consonants - occurs about 7,000 times. As often as no other name in the Bible! Isn't this clear evidence that Jehovah wants us to know and use his name? *

Usually, at the beginning of a friendship, one learns the other's name. What is God's name?

However, some find it inappropriate to mouth God's name because God is so holy and all-powerful. Of course, it would be wrong to treat God's name disrespectfully. After all, one would not allow oneself to do so with the name of a close friend. But what does Jehovah himself desire? He wants his name to be special to all who love him, and for them to make him known (Psalm 69:30, 31; 96:2, 8). Jesus, after all, taught his disciples to pray, "Our Father in the heavens, let your name be hallowed." One of the ways God's name is sanctified is by letting others know it. And that's also how you get closer to God (Matthew 6:9).

The Bible says that God is especially responsive to those "who remember his name," that is, cherish him (Malachi 3:16). Jehovah promises to be there for such a person: "I will protect him because he has known my name. He will call upon me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in tribulation" (Psalm 91:14, 15). So if you would like to be a close friend of God, it is important to know and use His name.