When coming up with a name for our daughter, my husband and I considered SO many. What was important to us was a name that not only did we like the sound of, but that also carried an important, biblical truth. Names in the bible are so significant – they can signify purpose, character, circumstances. They can also honour God.
Names in the bible are so significant. They can signify purpose, character, circumstances and give honour to God.
A fisherman called Simon (which means “he that hears or obeys”) became one of the first people to hear Jesus’s call to become his disciple. Jesus changed Simon’s name to “Peter,” which means “rock.” When Peter identified Jesus as the Son of God, Jesus blessed Peter and announced that “on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18).
When Mary conceived Jesus an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told Joseph to raise the child as his own. he was also told to name him Jesus “because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:18-21). The name “Jesus” itself means “saviour” and “deliverer.”
When God told Abraham at 100-years-old, that his 90-year-old wife Sarah would give birth to a son, both Abraham and Sarah laughed (Genesis 17:17). When Sarah then went on to give birth to a son, she named him Isaac, meaning “laughter”, because God had brought them laughter (Genesis 21:6).
Isaac grew up to have twin boys. The first of the sons was named Esau, which means “hairy” because of how hairy Esau was at birth (Genesis 25:25). The second of the sons was born grasping at Esau’s heel and was named Jacob, which means “he who supplants or takes the place of” (Genesis 25:26). True to his name, Jacob would go on to rob his older brother Esau of their father’s blessing of the firstborn (Genesis 27). Jacob would go on to wrestle with God and be renamed Israel, which means “wrestles with God” (Genesis 32:28).
Names have significance. In the end, we decided to name our daughter Noah Eva. Whilst most people know the name Noah because of the Ark, and whilst we love that story, that’s not why we named her.
In the bible, in Numbers 27, a time where women had no claim to their father’s inheritance, Noah and her sisters sort after an audience with the leaders of the nation to seek justice and equality. As a result, justice was won but not just for them. The law of the land was changed from that moment, so that justice and equal rights could be won for others without them having to fight for something that should have been theirs to begin with.
‘Noah’ means peace or rest. ‘Eva’ means life or life-giver.
‘Noah’ means peace or rest, and ‘Eva’ means life or life-giver, and that’s exactly what we are praying over her, that she would be a carrier of peace and life in a time when it’s so needed.
2020 was a crazy year for everyone, battling COVID, adjusting to a new normal and fighting against injustice, discrimination and inequality. We need peace makers more than ever. In Matthew 5, Jesus famously says “blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called children of God”. Peace is the heart of God and those who carry it carry something of God’s heart into the world.
8 traits of a peacemaker are:
1. Purity – striving for a life that is holy and blameless, and asking for forgiveness when we mess up.
2. Peace loving – pursuing peace wherever possible and spiritually growing in gentleness, patience and humility
3. Gentleness – in the way we interact with others, responding to opposition and challenge with a spirit of gentleness
4. Open to reason – standing on the truth of God’s word whilst being open to listen to others, seeking to understand
5. Merciful – showing love toward others by forgiving when wrong is done against is and kindness in the face of adversity
6. Good deeds – peacemaking is proactive, not reactive and is achieved through doing good to others
7. Fairness – showing no favourites or discrimination and treating everyone as equal, carrying the heart of God to all
8. Authenticity – there is so much inauthenticity and falseness in this world already, peacemakers are sincere in all they do, being open and honest
Pure, peace-loving, gentle, reasonable, merciful, good, fair and authentic. This is the character of a peace maker. And if we grow in these traits we will be known by all as God’s children.
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