The name of the Lord, translated JEHOVAH in Bibles is so sacred that Jews will not pronounce it. In fact they say that the true pronunciation of the Hebrew word is kept a secret by the Rabbis. However, there is no reason why we, as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, should not study that Name, and see whether there is some special truth locked up within its letters.
The Hebrew word consists of four letters, namely Y H V H and because Hebrew letters are also numbers, this can be written as 10 5 6 5. Now 5 is the number of GRACE in the Bible, and 10, whilst being a number of PERFECT ORDER is also the sum of two fives. And 6 is the number of MAN.
The Godhead is contained within this name. The two fives represent the Father and the Holy Spirit (the Mother), and ten represents the Lord Jesus, who has the attributes of both His Parents (5 + 5). Therefore the Godhead is dominated by GRACE. One may refer to a former chorus, written by C.H.M.Foster in the 1930s,
The Grace of the Lord, like a fathomless sea,
Sufficient for you, sufficient for me,
Is tender and patient, and boundless and free,
Sufficient for every need.
Titus 2:11. “For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men.” RSV.
Col 2:9 “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
But there is more to learn. As yet we haven’t mentioned the number SIX, sandwiched between the two FIVES. And six is the number of MAN. How come that Man should appear within the Holy Name of the Lord? This is also explained by FIVE, the number of Grace. Man is God’s special creation, the dearest of His own dear heart, and He loves man above all others. So much so that the Lord Jesus came to die for all men. And here, within the Holy Name, Man is found surrounded by GRACE, and God will not be satisfied until His grace has succeeded in bringing mankind back to Himself. The very fact that we, as human beings, should find ourselves expressed within the Holy Name is amazing, it is staggering, and just overflows with God’s love. What more can we say?
