June 26, 2026

When I was a kid and I heard my mom yell my name with either a serious or angry tone… I knew there was trouble brewing. (Though, to be honest, usually it was my brother’s name… but I digress). However, when I heard my mom yell my name twice in quick succession, my attention was turned to her with much more haste and anticipation. One “Nathan!” caused me to pause. But “Nathan… Nathan!” meant something seismic was about to go down.

Something they say about the Bible is that when something is repeated, it’s important. That’s not untrue of how we use repetition in language today. If something is really important and we want to be sure someone hears what it being said, we’ll repeat ourselves. Have you ever heard a test done by the Emergency Broadcast System on the radio? Other than the terribly annoying noise that is intended to grab your attention, there is something they repeat at least twice: This is a test. This is only a test…If it’s important, you say it twice!

We see this throughout the Hebrew portion of the Bible (the Old Testament) and the New Testament writers do it as well. You especially see this true when names are repeated. When a name is repeated in the Bible, this isn’t necessarily a way of showing impatience, rage, or impending doom (like a parent getting ready to lay down the law on a disobedient child). In fact, when we see a name repeated in Scripture it is intended to convey deep intimacy with that person. There is power, conviction, and attention-grabbing desire in the repeat, but it’s driven by intimacy and love.

Examples include:

·       “Abraham, Abraham… do not lay a hand on the boy…” (Gen. 11:11-12).

·       “Jacob, Jacob… I am God, the God of your father…” (Gen. 46:2-3).

·       “Moses, Moses… do not come any closer…” (Ex. 3:4-5).

·       “‘Samuel! Samuel!’… ‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’” (1 Sam. 3:10).

·       “‘Martha, Martha,’ The Lord answered…” (Luke 10:41).

·        “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.” (Luke 22:31).

·       “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Ps. 22:1; Matt. 27:46).

·       “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” (Acts 9:4).

So, when God repeats his name to Moses in Exodus 34, it means something significant.

“The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, ⁷ maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished; he punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation.” -Exodus 34:6-7

Notice the repeat? The Lord, the Lord… Or, as we talked about last week: Yahweh,

Yahweh--this name meaning being itself. 

When something is important you repeat it. God wants us to know his name! So, he says it twice. He is the God above all other gods and idols and priorities and hopes. Sometimes when we say the name “God” it can feel distant, rote, or even robotic. Perhaps that is why God tells us his name instead of simply a title. He isn’t a god who only wants to be feared or obeyed or who receives prayer requests and offerings alone. He is a God who loves, who desires intimacy, time, heart, passions, conversation—relationship. And at the same time, he is a God who holds all the cosmos in his hand. He is power and being and life itself. He is the eternally uncreated One. He is Yahweh and he is Father.

How you view and approach God determines your relationship with him. What you call him will form and shape your conversations with him, the way that you receive his love, offer him worship, and convey him to others.

Do you need a new fresh approach to God? What if you began to pray using his name? Imagining him saying it to Moses. To you. Contemplate the meaning of his name. The power and love and beauty that are behind it. He says his name twice. If it’s repeated, it’s important. Treat it as such.

For the love of Yahweh,

Nathan

Nathan Hinkle

Lead Pastor

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