The Significant Name of God (30) - Praise Him!

Let us do what we say and sing

André H. Roosma
30 April 2026

Today I want to talk about what we say and sing. To that end, first two examples of songs from the Bible. Years ago, I already discussed Psalm 113 on the Dutch version of this site. :

Psalm 113

The pattern here is that the writer calls for praising YaHUaH, provides reasons for doing so and says something about the how and where, and then actually proceeds to do so.

I have also discussed Psalm 92 (in Dutch) before. I will now quote a limited number of verses from this beautiful song set to music:

from Psalm 92

This Psalm, this song-set-to-music, has been written to praise YaHUaH¹ and to honor His Name. The writer does this in various words as well. First, he says that it is good for one to praise YaHUaH and sing His Name with music; in verses 2 and 4, he adds when, what, and how. And in the following verses, he actually praises YaHUaH and His Name. This is a pattern I encounter in several biblical songs.

However, it strikes me that many songs we sing nowadays, just like the songs above, call for praising God's glorious Name... But, unlike these songs, those contemporary songs subsequently fail to do so. Just a few examples from songs in the Dutch revival tradition: There is a song: Lord, our God, how glorious is Your Name; but God's Name, YaHUaH, does not appear in it. Another song: From where the sun rises, to where it sets, let the Name of God be praised; but God's Name, YaHUaH, does not appear in it. The 3rd stanza of another song says: ... Praise His Name, glorify Him ...; the 1st stanza of another song: ... heaven and earth praise His Name ...; still another 4th line: ... Praise His holy Name ...;² and: Great and mighty is He ... Praise with me the Name of God ...; but God's Name never comes into the picture... We sing that He is worthy to sing and praise His Name, we sing that we want to or will do so, but we do not. Actually, that is a bit strange, isn't it?

And this does not only apply to contemporary worship songs. It is the same in the classic rhymed Dutch Psalms, for example Psalm 66 (new rhyming version): Rejoice, earth, to praise God's Name; ... Let all people ... sing Your Name to Your glory. And God's glorious Name Itself remains unmentioned...

Sometimes it seems as though God's Name is about to be mentioned, but He is arbitrarily replaced again by that meager little word Lord. I am thinking, for example, of Psalm 68:5 where the Bible states: Sing to God, sing His Name with music, prepare the way for Him who rides through the plains, Yah is His Name; rejoice then before His face. But the old versification says in verse 2: Raise joyful psalms to God; Exalt, exalt the way before Him; ... His Name is Lord of lords.

We find the same in classical hymns as well, for example the Hymn (Dutch LvdK '73 no. 434) Praise be to the Lord, the almighty King of glory ... Come all together, sing psalms to the holy Name, let all that breathes praise the Lord. Or Hymn 132 (LvdK): We praise You, O God, we glorify Your Name; ... Throughout Your whole Church, up there, down here, in struggle and triumph, Your great Name is continually confessed. But in large parts of that Church, God's true Name YaHUaH is not even known, let alone that He is confessed and praised...

So, I suggest: Let us start doing what we say and sing! YaHUaH we exalt Your Name, for like You, YaHUaH, there is no one else! Your love, YaHUaH, and Your lovingkindness are so great. Your majesty, YaHUaH, is so exalted! ... And we could go on like this for quite some time!

The Bible, God's Word, is very clear about this: we are called upon to call upon our God YaHUaH directly by His glorious Name and to actually sing His glorious Name.³ YaHUaH and His glorious Name are very explicitly due *all* praise, from all people on earth in all ages. Can we then justify continuing to keep His Name unmentioned?

Hallelu YaHUaH !

Notes

1	The glorious Name of God I represent here as accurately as possible from the oldest Hebrew original, instead of replacing this grand personal Name of The Most High by a common word, such as ‘Lord’. For more background information see: André H. Roosma, ‘The wonderful and lovely Name of the God Who was there, Who is there, and Who will be there’ , extensive Accede! / Hallelu-YaH! study, July 2009. See also the other articles on the significant Name of God, on the articles page here.
2	Just an example: In our house we sing (a Dutch version of) the Graham Kendrick song, with the glorious Name and more personally directed towards Him (I translate back from Dutch): We praise You, YaHUaH You alone are the generous God Robed in majesty We come and bow down And praise Your holy Name We bring to You now As an offering A fragrance sweet All the prayers of our Heart to Your throne Give You thanks and honor YaHUaH Shaddai Your love endures forever Your grace and mercy Ever sure Your power will never fail or falter And Your Love remains!
3	See e.e. part 4 in this series The Significant Name of God: Call on God’s glorious Name יהוה - YaHUaH; where do I find that in the Bible? (7 May 2020)

The unfamiliarity with the glorious Name of God the Father, YaHUaH, is particularly distressing, especially against the backdrop of the fact that this Name appears nearly 7,000 times in the Bible (compared to Jesus’ Name less than 1,000 times)! Songwriters, too, appear to be unfamiliar with what the Bible says. This causes some songs to go a step further than simply not singing about God’s glorious Name. They completely deny the glorious Name of God the Father! For example, the song: "No other name than the name of Jesus." As if the glorious Name of God the Father does not exist! This is diametrically opposed to the Bible!
See, for example, what is written in Joel 2 (verse 32 was quoted by Peter in Acts 2):

23 And you, children of Tsion, shout and be glad in YaHUaH, your God, for He gives you the Teacher of righteousness [or: a refreshing rain]; yes, He sends down streams of rain for you, early rain and late rain, as before. 24 The threshing floors shall be full of grain and the vats shall overflow with new wine and oil. 25 I will repay you for the years when the locust devoured everything, the devourer and the stripper and the gnawer, My great army that I sent against you. 26 You shall eat abundantly and to your satisfaction, and you shall praise the Name of YaHUaH, your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; My people shall never again be put to shame. 27 Then you shall know that I am in the midst of Isra’el, and that I, YaHUaH, am your God, and no one else; My people shall never again be put to shame. 28 Afterward it shall come to pass that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy; your elders shall dream dreams; your young ones shall see visions. 29 Also upon the servants and upon the maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days. 30 I will give wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and pillars of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness and the moon into blood, before the great and dreadful day of YaHUaH comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls upon the Name of YaHUaH shall be saved, for on Mount Tsion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as YaHUaH has said; and among the escaped shall belong those whom YaHUaH shall call.

Jo’el 2:23-32

Note verse 26 and 32! If - according to this Bible-passage there is one Name that is important, one Name worthy to be praised, one Name to call on, then it is the glorious Name of God the Father: YaHUaH!
From what Paul writes to the church in Philippi (Phil. 2:9), we know that the Name of Jesus (Yeshu‘a) is also important, more important than that of all others walking or who have walked in this world. So there is not one, but there are two extremely important Names!

Reactions

Your reactions (questions, notes, suggestions) are welcome via e-mail !

home

,  news index

,  articles index