What's in a Name?

Reflections on 2 Sam. 2:8-11

A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches,
and favor is better than silver or gold.
-- Prov. 22:1

After Saul was killed and Israel defeated on Mt. Gilboa, Saul’s cousin Abner (1 Sam. 14:50), who was captain of his army, regathered his forces at Mahanaim, a town east of the Jordan on the border between Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh (Josh. 13:24-31). There he proclaimed Saul’s son Ish-bosheth king over Israel, probably after he regained control of the territory west of the Jordan perhaps four or five years later. Thus, the civil war between the house of Saul and David would not have begun until David’s fourth or fifth year and ended with Ish-bosheth’s death two years later when David had been king for six or seven years.

THE SURVIVING SON. Ish-bosheth was not, of course, mentioned among Saul’s sons who were slain on Mt. Gilboa. Those sons were Jonathan, Malki-Shua, and Abinadab (1 Sam. 31:2). Surprisingly, Ish-bosheth does not appear in any other lists of Saul’s sons. In 1 Sam. 14:49, they are listed as Jonathan, Ishvi, and Malki-Shua. In 1 Chron. 8:33 and 9:39, they are listed as Jonathan, Malki-Shua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. The names of Jonathan, Malki-Shua, and Abinadab are consistent. Accordingly, it appears that Ish-bosheth was the same person as Ishvi and Esh-Baal because all include the same root “Esh/Ish.”

AN AMBIGUOUS NAME. Many suggest that Saul named his son Esh-Baal (Youngblood, 1992, p. 823). He probably intended the name to mean “Man of the Lord” as “baal” could mean “lord” as well as “husband” or “master.” However, “baal” could also refer to the Canaanite god worshipped in the region. In order to avoid that association, he was called Ishvi in 1 Sam. 14:49. Ishvi means “Man of Yahweh” (Nelson’s Quick Reference Topical Bible Index, 1995, p. 324). Ishvi would mean the same as Esh-baal, but it would not have the idolatrous associations of the latter name.

AMBIGUITIES MULTIPLIED. Ish-bosheth may have arisen in a similar way. In this case, scribes substituted “sheth,” meaning “shame,” for “baal” to show their abhorrence of anything associated with idolatry (Youngblood, 1992, p. 823). Ish-bosheth, therefore, would mean “Man of Shame.” On the other hand, some have suggested recently that Ish-bosheth means “Man of Strength” where “strength” refers to a divine attribute (Wood, et al., 1996, New Bible Dictionary, p. 518). Even if this were true, it would not have eliminated the ambiguous associations created by the name, but would have multiplied them: Esh-Baal would mean “Man of the Lord/Baal,” and Ish-bosheth would mean “Man of Strength/Shame.” Perhaps the ambiguity of his names suggests the weak, wavering character of Saul’s son who became king for two short years.

Today, the associations that gather around our names during our lives are more important than the meanings of the names themselves. We would do well to reflect on what people think when they hear our names.

Appearances

Reflections on 1 Sam. 16:1-13

Have you ever seen something and immediately known that you had to have it? Of course you have, but there is a problem with that. Appearances can be deceiving. Or as the old proverb says,“You can’t judge a book by its cover.” God is different than us. He can see what is inside the book. The difference between how we see and how God sees is emphasized in this story about the anointing of David.

NEW KING WANTED. Saul looked like a king. He stood a head taller than his fellow Israelites. The Israelites were looking for a king like the kings of other nations, and when they saw him, they were impressed (1 Sam. 10:23-24). They shouted, “Long live the king!” Sometime later, however, God became dissatisfied with Saul because he did not have an obedient heart. Accordingly, the Lord “sought out a man after his own heart” to be ruler of God’s people (1 Sam. 13:14 ESV). He tore the kingdom from Saul and gave it to a neighbor better than him (1 Sam. 15:28). Thus, the story of David begins with God sending Samuel to anoint a man whose heart was more pleasing to him than Saul’s heart.

APPEARANCE MISLEADING. When Samuel saw Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, he was impressed with what he saw, but God had rejected Eliab because He could see his heart as well as his physical appearance. In fact, God had not chosen any of the seven sons of Jesse at the sacrifice. When Samuel asked if there was another son, Jesse replied that there remained one, the youngest, who was tending his sheep while the rest of the family attended the feast. The word “youngest” might also mean “smallest” or “least important” (BDB, pp. 881-882). So unlike Saul or even Eliab, David did not appear kingly or important. But God, who sees the heart, had chosen him.

INNER BEAUTY. At Samuel’s request, Jesse sent for David. Soon David arrived at the feast, but though God had chosen David because of what He saw in David’s heart, David is introduced to us with a description of his appearance: “He was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome” (v. 12). The NKJV translates “handsome” as “good looking.” Somehow we are pleased that David was good looking. Appearance is not everything, but it is important, especially that appearance which comes from a beautiful heart and godly character. The beauty of Jesus, the one man fully after God’s own heart, came from the heart rather than from His physical appearance. Isa. 53:2 (ESV) says,

He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

ANOINTED. God chose this handsome shepherd whose heart was also tender toward God, and commanded Samuel to anoint him king with the sacred oil from the Tent of Meeting. Psalm 89:20 (ESV) records the event from God’s viewpoint:

I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him.

God originally limited the use of the holy oil to the anointing of priests and furnishings in the Tent of Meeting. This anointing signified not only selection but also consecration to serving the Lord (Ex. 30:22-33). However, in the days of Eli, the priests had made a mockery of their consecration to the Lord and failed to lead Israel properly.

Because the priests failed in their duty to God, God decided to assign a part of their role to another whom He would also anoint (1 Sam. 2:35; see Briggs, 1886, pp. 122-23). Thus, it happened that kings as well as priests were anointed and consecrated to serving God. God selected David to be king because He saw that David wished to serve Him with his whole heart. Centuries later, God would anoint David’s Son, whose heart was perfect before Him, as both priest and king.

CHOSEN AND ANOINTED. Like David, Christians are also chosen of God. After he cleansed our hearts, he consecrated us to his work. When people see us, they may not be impressed with our physical appearance, but they should see an inner beauty that makes our face shine with God’s love, joy, and peace.