Names and Titles

We've been considering the significance of names given in the Word of God. We've seen that a person’s names and titles in the Bible can reveal to us something about the person and also help us to get to know them. We considered several biblical names and observed some of the names changes in the Bible, but something else that's worth noting is that there are certain people in the Bible who have multiple names and titles. We’re just going to look at one example and that is David.

The name David means “beloved.” What does this tells us about David? Quite simply, it tells us that he was beloved. David was the youngest of seven brothers, and it doesn't seem that David was especially loved by his father as Joseph was, but David had a special loving relationship with the Lord. He was beloved of God. And if that wasn't enough, in 1 Samuel 13 Samuel is telling Saul that the Lord has rejected him from being king, and he says in verse 14 - "But now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you." Samuel says that God sought out for Himself a man after Gods own heart, and thus David has earned the title and is still referred to as "The man after Gods own heart."

The significance of having multiple names and titles is that it shows us the depth of someones character. To say that David is "beloved of God" is not the same thing as saying that he is "The man after Gods own heart."

In Proverbs 1:1 we read - "The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel." Here we're given a third title for David. He is called the "king of Israel." This simply communicates to us that David ruled on the throne of Israel. In 2 Samuel 19:21 and 2 Samuel 23:1 David is also called "The Lords anointed.” At first glance these two may seem to be the same but they're really not. There were several men who held the title "king of Israel" but David had a special anointing from the Lord to rule His earthly people. He was the one through whom God chose to bring His Messiah into the world.

With the four names and Titles we've looked at so far, each one of them introduces new information. And the characteristics that they describe were so pronounced in Davids life that he was given a special title pertaining to those certain aspects and characteristics of his life.

In 1 Samuel 18 as David was returning from fighting with the Philistines the women came out playing tambourines and singing "Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." Thus earning him the title "The slayer of ten thousands." Again, we have new information being relayed to us through this title. In other words, to say that David is "the slayer of ten thousands" is not the same as saying that he is "the king of Israel" or "the man after Gods own heart." He's given another title that reveals even more to us about who David is.

We know David as "the giant slayer" due to one of the most famous stories in the Bible. It's in 1 Samuel 17 that we're given the record of David killing Goliath.

In 2 Samuel 23:1 David is called "the sweet psalmist of Israel" due to the vast amount of songs as well as the quality of the songs that he wrote. You couldn't just write one or two psalms and be called "the sweet psalmist of Israel." His writings had to be so many and so consistently good in order for him to merit such a title. And we know of course from the book of Psalms that this is certainly the case, and David definitely deserves this title, "the sweet psalmist of Israel."

We know David as "the shepherd boy." due to the fact that he was faithful in shepherding his fathers sheep before the Lord called him to shepherd His people Israel.

In 2 Samuel 23:1, and other portions of Scripture David is called “the son of Jesse.” This is basically a last name, showing what family he is from and his position in society.

Without going into very much detail we can learn a lot about David through his various names and titles. These names and titles are not just repeating or emphasizing the same thing. They each show us different aspects of his life and character. David is the king of Israel. That's not the same as saying that he is the Lords anointed. Neither of these are the same as saying that he is the sweet psalmist of Israel. And even more is revealed about him with the knowledge that he is called the slayer of ten thousands. We're getting such a rich and full picture of David through these names.

Now, let's suppose that you come across someone who has very little knowledge of the Bible, and you mention to them something about David. It quickly becomes apparent that they have no idea who David is. Now you're charged with the task of helping this person know David. If you turn in your Bible and begin reading to them any one story of Davids life, something is going to be left out. With any single story of David your going to miss some aspect of his character. For instance you can read them the story of David and Goliath, or read about Davids conquest of the Philistines, but after this their opinion of David is that he is a bloodthirsty killer. Or you could read from the psalms and talk about how many psalms David wrote, and they can get a picture of David prancing through the hills of Israel playing a harp. With any single event your going to miss something about David. But if you say to them, "let me tell you some of the names and titles that David was given. He was "the man after Gods own heart." He was "the king of Israel." He is "the Lord's anointed." He is called "the shepherd boy, the slayer of ten thousands, the sweet psalmist of Israel, the giant slayer." In a relatively short amount of time this person can get a very full and complete picture of David based solely on the names and titles he was given. If we were to spend time to focus on any one event in David’s life we would miss some aspect of His character, but in just reviewing his names and titles we’re getting a very full picture of the complex man that David is. Isn’t it amazing how much information is conveyed in a person’s names and titles?

With just seven or eight names and titles of David we see what a complex person David was. But now let's consider the vast number of names and titles given to God in the Scriptures. It's a little difficult to count, but in the Bible God has somewhere in the neighborhood of two or three hundred names and titles. These are names and titles that don't overlap. In other words, each one reveals something new about our God. This is a study that's begging for attention. If David had just a few and his character was so complex, how unsearchable must Gods character be that He has revealed Himself in so many names and titles?