My hope is that this series will offer my readers a chance to consider the names, characteristics and descriptions of our God in the Word.
The remaining Names of God in this series might be considered descriptors, or characteristics of the Lord. We have reviewed the three primary Names of God, along with nineteen compound Names of God in our previous posts. As we venture through these descriptors of our God, I hope we will recognize all the many characteristics of our God that we tend to take for granted.
The Word is truly rich with descriptions of the Living God, and this effort of searching in the Word was quite illuminating. He truly is the ultimate subject of the Word, and His revelation of self-descriptions, or the accolades offered Him by His priests, prophets, kings apostles and faithful truly is a blessing.
May the Name of the Lord be praised, and by thinking on His name, may you have a blessed day.
| 101 |
| DESPISED BY THE PEOPLE |
| Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by mankind and despised by the people. |
| Our previous name of God was from Isaiah 53, describing our God as being despised and rejected. With this name, we get definition of who it is that is despising the Lord. Notice that the verse speaks of mankind scorning the Master, and that the people despised Him. Now, the question I have for you is this. Is the psalmist describing two different groups in this verse? In other words, are “mankind” and “people” synonymous? Could we read this passage interchanging these terms and be faithful to the text? This question arises in my mind as I understand that poetry in the Old Testament did not depend on rhyming words, as typical of simple poetry in the English language. You know what I mean with the child’s poem I heard way too often. Roses are red, Violets are blue; you look like a monkey, and you smell like one too. For the ancient Hebrew prophets, they often “rhymed” in thoughts instead of sounds. A good example is found in Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? The psalmist is saying the same thing, only using two ways of describing the same truth. If this form of poetry applies to the verse we are considering today, then I would agree that “people” and “mankind” are describing the same group that despise the Lord. The only reason I am hesitant to sign off on that, is the use of the term “people”, and the common association of this term with “God’s people”. No matter, for in the end, the cross shows us that we all have despised Him. Whether we were of a chosen class of humans or not, we are guilty of this attitude of despising the Creator and Sustainer. We are not deserving of any mercy, as we have despised the One who deserves so much! And yet He extends His hand to us, ever faithful in His care for us. Truly His is good, and He is good all the time! |
I would love to hear of your favorite name, characteristic or description of the Living God. Please leave me a comment, and I will include it in the list!
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4 responses to “Names of God – DESPISED BY THE PEOPLE – 101”
Thank you for sharing your insights. This series on the names and characteristics of God is truly enlightening. I appreciate the exploration of how “mankind” and “people” might be viewed in Psalm 22:6, especially in the context of Hebrew poetic structure. Your reflection on our collective human tendency to despise the Lord, despite His boundless mercy, is a powerful reminder of both our need for grace and His unwavering faithfulness. May we continue to seek a deeper understanding of His attributes and praise His name with ever-increasing reverence.
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I appreciate your comments and find I look forward to your thoughts.
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My pleasure. Keep sharing the Lords Words and Teachings.
God Bless You today and always.
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