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Proverbs 22:1 A good NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold.

Does God Know Your Name?

Nearly every translation I looked at of this Bible verse supplies the phrase:

A GOOD name, or
A GOOD reputation

However, the word “GOOD” is not actually in the original language of the Scripture. The King James shows this by italicizing the word“good”. Solomon wrote in another place:

Ecclesiastes 7:1 (KJV) A GOOD NAME {ṭôḇ šēm} [is] better than precious ointment; and the day of death than the day of one’s birth.

It is important that a person have a “GOOD NAME”, or a good reputation among people. It is possible this is what the text means. However, I believe that the Lord left the word good out of the text here for a reason. The next verse reads:

Proverbs 22:2 The rich and poor meet together: the Lord is the maker of them all.

God is the Maker of both poor and rich, both famous and obscure. God is the Maker of everyone. I think what verse 1 is declaring – and I’ll put it in the form of a question – “Since God makes EVERYONE, does GOD KNOW YOUR NAME?”

Yes, it’s a great thing to have a good reputation among people. But does God know WHO YOU ARE? He made you. Does He know you?

Let’s take that italicized “good” out of there, and read it again.

Proverbs 22:1 A NAME {šēm} is rather to be chosen than great riches…

Does God know your name? You can be the richest man in the world. You can be Elon Musk, with a net worth of $342 billion. Or Larry Ellison, who has a net worth of $373 billion. Or you can be famous like Taylor Swift. But if God doesn’t know your name, it counts for nothing whatsoever. I often encounter people who say,

“I’ve been a member of such and such Church all my life.” That’s wonderful. But does God know your name?

“Well, I sing in the choir”. Great! Does God know your name?

“I tithe regularly”. Wonderful! Does God know your name? Have YOU enjoyed the GRACE of GOD? Have you come to Jesus Christ in faith, following Him in love? The second part of the verse speaks of “LOVING FAVOR” …

Proverbs 22:1 … and LOVING FAVOR {ṭôḇ ḥēn} rather than silver and gold.

Word Study: The Hebrew ṭôḇ ḥēn {pronounced tobe khane} literally means “loving GRACE”. The first time the word ḥēn {pro. khane} is found in the Bible is in:

Genesis 6:8 But Noah found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in the eyes of the LORD.

God knew Noah’s name – and through Noah God saved the world from destruction. When Joseph was sold into slavery to Egyptian traders, and was later unfairly cast into prison, the Bible says:

Genesis 39:21 But the LORD was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] …

Because God knew Joseph’s name, he became the right hand man to the King of Egypt. Through Joseph God saved Israel from destruction, and grew it into a mighty nation. When it came time for Israel to leave Egypt, God raised up Moses, and told him:

Exodus 33:12 … I know thee {Moses} by name, and thou hast also found GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] in My sight.

God knew Moses’ name. Everyone God ever used, He knew their name. God knew Charlie Kirk’s name. God uses those whom He knows.

We are known of God when we call upon Him, pleading the Blood of Jesus on our lives. God is the Giver of Life, the Giver of Eternal Life, the Giver of GRACE. The Bible says:

Psalm 84:11 (KJV) For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield: the LORD will give GRACE [ḥēn {pro. khane}] and glory: no good [thing] will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.

The greatest thing in life is not fame or riches. It is not health and home. It is that God knows your name, that your name is written in the Book of Life!

Bridges wrote in his commentary:

“While it is true that reputation and the affection of others are more desirable than great riches, we must not forget that they may be in themselves vanity and a snare …. The only honor that is safe is that which comes from God.”

Does God know your name? Have you received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior? God has made everyone, and gives life to all. “With God is the FOUNTAIN OF LIFE” (Psalm 36:9). Only by receiving Jesus Christ can we be known of God. The Apostle said,

1 John 5:11-12 (ESV) … this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

When Jesus sent His disciples out to minister and heal others, the Bible says:

Luke 10:17-20 (ESV) The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

Some people place much emphasis on the statement, “My name is in the Church Roll. I’ve been a member of Riverview Baptist for years”. That is a fine thing. But does God know your name? Is your name written in Heaven? If not, there will come a day of reckoning. Jesus said:

Matthew 7:21-23 (ESV) Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

If God doesn’t know your name – If Jesus doesn’t know who you are – if you have never called on Him and surrendered to Him for salvation by Grace – then whatever you have in this life is worthless. I’d rather have a nickle and Jesus, than billions without. I’d rather be an unknown servant of Christ, than we famous without!

If You Know Jesus, He Will Make You
Both Wise And Rich!

Proverbs 22:3-4 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished. 4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are riches, and honor, and life.

Illustrate: Are You An Eagle, or a Crow? I love to read, and read about crows and eagles the other day. The crow is one of the smartest of all birds. A group of 15 or more crows is called “a murder of crows”. When it is cold outside, a murder of crows can be up to a thousand crows. When I first heard that, it made me wonder. “A MURDER of crows”? What a strange name. There’s a reason for it. Though crows are scavengers, when crows cluster together in a “murder” they will attack and kill weaker or sick birds. Crows will also protect their territory. One nature site notes:

“Crows are fiercely territorial and will attack eagles to defend their territory. They are very protective of their nesting areas and view eagles as potential threats. To maintain control over their domain, crows will team up and use clever tactics to fight eagles that wander into it. This behavior is a natural instinct for crows to ensure their safety and survival. … In their confrontations with eagles, crows use a strategy known as “mobbing,” where they group together and harass the eagle. They do this by flying around the eagle, cawing loudly, and sometimes even pecking at it. This tactic is effective because the noise and the number of crows in a murder can be overwhelming and intimidating for the eagle.”

How does an eagle defend itself against a “murder of crows”? It doesn’t fight the crows. The eagle takes off, and flies. The article went on to say,

“When crows chase an eagle, the eagle deals with it by simply flying higher. Eagles are capable of soaring to great heights where the air is thinner. This makes it harder for crows, who aren’t equipped to fly as high, to keep up.”

Christians – Disciples of Christ – Saints of God – are to be EAGLES, not CROWS!

Isaiah 40:31 (ESV) … they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

The Christ follower when attacked by the crows of this world HIDES by following Christ, by doing as God’s Word says to do. We do not wallow with the crows, eating carrion and garbage. We fly ever HIGHER, looking to God our Savior.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

Word Study: Those who are “SIMPLE” {Hebrew pᵊṯî, pro. Peth-ee’} or FOOLISH ignore the Word of God and the Spirit of God, and follow the ways of darkness. Becoming like the crow, they are punished. Hear me, professor of Christ. If you do not live for Jesus, you will bring your own punishment on yourself! Christ followers are to …

1 Thessalonians 5:21-23 (KJV) Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. 22 Abstain from all appearance of evil. 23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

My commentary notes: “foolish persons, devoid of the grace of God and the fear of him, go on careless and unconcerned in their sinful course of life, transgressing the law of God; they proceed from evil to evil, from lesser to greater sins; they go on in the broad road to destruction, and are punished with temporal judgments here, and with everlasting destruction hereafter.”

The believer and lover of Christ, like the eagle, does not waste time battling the murder. Instead we fly upward, looking to our God. We live for His glory.

Proverbs 22:4 By humility and the fear of the Lord are RICHES, and honor, and life.

We humble ourselves before our God, knowing that if we heed Him that, in time, we shall leave the crows behind. What is it that our Jesus told us?

Matthew 6:33 (ESV) … seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

The Psalmist David wrote:

Psalm 34:9-10 (ESV) Oh, fear the Lord, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack! The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

God looks after His children. He always has, and always will! Those who love the Lord will be blessed. But …

Proverbs 22:5 Thorns and snares are in the way of the FROWARD {ʿiqqēš, pro. ik-kashe’}: he that doth keep his soul shall be far from them.

Those who walk “in perversity, crookedly” will eventually find that their life has fallen into “THORNS AND SNARES”. Sin brings with it its own punishment. Those who are careful, who want to protect their soul, will stay away from perversity and lawlessness. The Scripture tells the believer to, as the Beloved of God, to be …

Jude 20-21 (ESV) … building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life.

My commentary notes:

“Jesus said, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few” (Matthew 7:13–14). The road that seems so easy is far from easy. Thorns and snares lie in the way, and those who choose to travel that route have no one to help them surmount the difficulties. Those who choose to follow the narrow way may find it to be a hard road, but Jesus leads the way and provides mercy and grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).”

Raise Your Children To Love The Lord

Proverbs 22:6 TRAIN up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Word Study: The reason why many children reach legal age, then leave the Church, is because parents did not do as this Scripture teaches. The word translated “TRAIN” is the Hebrew hanak which means “to dedicate”. The child is not dedicated in the way that they think they should go, but in the way that God wants them to go. God told His Israel:

Deuteronomy 6:4-8 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: 5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7 And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.

When parents and grandparents focus on dedicating their children to God while they are young, the seed planted in their hearts will bring them back to God when they reach maturity. Young Timothy was raised in a household where his mother was a believer, but his father a pagan unbeliever (Acts 16:1). When Timothy reached adulthood, the faith of his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5) led him to salvation. Paul told Timothy:

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV) … as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Live Like You Are Rich, Christian. Do Not Become Ensnared By The World.

Proverbs 22:7 The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.

At one time in my life I was over $18,000.00 in credit card debt. Yes, I was and am a Christian. But when I was in the military with a family, we were living in poverty. Our healthcare was covered, but enlisted military members were paid very low wages. We could eat, but my children didn’t have all the “perks” that others had.

So I foolishly used the credit card. When I left the military, I kept using the credit card. And every month I lived as a slave, a SLAVE to the credit card companies. About 20 years ago when I was pastoring in North Carolina the Lord enabled me to get out of credit card debt, and slavery. And I’m not going back!

What got me into slavery? I wanted what everybody else had for my family. I should have just trusted in the Lord. Once I got out from under the heel of the credit card companies, I have kept my trust in the Lord. Beloved, the borrower is servant to the lender. We should only serve the Lord!

“The rich ruleth over the poor”. Christians are rich because of what Christ has given us. One of my favorite verses is:

Hebrews 13:5-6 (NKJV) [Let your] conduct [be] without covetousness; [be] content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” [6] So we may boldly say: “The LORD [is] my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?”

Christians are RICH. In Jesus we …

Ephesians 1:7 (NKJV) … have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace

Let’s tie the RICHES we as Disciples of Christ have with the next verse:

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

Christ followers should not “SOW INIQUITY”. In this world we are going to be hated by the darkness, by the lost person. Yet when attacked we must remember that we are rich in Christ. We should not return tit for tat, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. This is an Old Covenant concept given to Israel under the Law of Moses. Jesus told us:

Matthew 5:38-41, 44-45 (ESV) You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ [39] But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. [40] And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. [41] And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. … [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, [45] so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

Jesus said that if someone comes to you with non-life threatening force, then as His children we are to “turn the other cheek”. We are to do good to those who do badly to us. Does this mean we cannot defend ourselves against deadly force? No! Jesus also said:

Luke 22:35-38 (ESV) {Jesus} said to them, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “Nothing.” [36] He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one. [37] For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about me has its fulfillment.” [38] And they said, “Look, Lord, here are two swords.” And he said to them, “It is enough.”

I heard one young man – Seminary trained – who told me that Jesus was telling His disciples to buy swords and – like dress up for Halloween – pretend to be transgressors so that Scripture could be fulfilled. This young man got this from Seminary, sad to say. Jesus was not saying “Let’s do Trick or Treat so we can look like transgressors”. He wasn’t asking the disciples to be “numbered with the transgressors”. The prophecy that Jesus was speaking of had yet to be fulfilled – just as He said. The prophecy was only fulfilled when Jesus hung on the Cross. We read in:

Mark 15:25-28 (KJV) And it was the third hour, and they crucified him. [26] And the superscription of his accusation was written over, THE KING OF THE JEWS. [27] And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. [28] And the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, And he was numbered with the transgressors.

The prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was nailed up between TWO TRANSGRESSORS. The Scripture is plainly saying this. Jesus did not ask His disciples to play dress up, to pretend to be transgressors! The Scripture doesn’t say that. What was Jesus saying when He said, “let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one”. He was saying:

“You have the right to defend yourselves against deadly attacks. The devil is going to put Me on display between two thieves, and justify My death by saying I and those who follow Me are evil. Some will see this and will bring deadly force on you. You do have the right to defend yourselves against deadly force.”

But we are never to attack others offensively. Jesus didn’t tell the disciples to ALL get a sword. When they said, “We have two swords”, Jesus said, “It is enough”.

Proverbs 22:8 He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.

If you sow evil, you reap nothing. Anger produces nothing. If you are going to follow Christ, expect to be maligned. Expect to be hated. Turn the other cheek. Love your enemies. There is power in love. But if a criminal breaks into your house, your Church, with the intent to do harm, you have the right to defend yourself and your loved ones. But ONLY for defense!

May God guide us to be better followers of Christ. Amen.