What’s in a name?

How important are they?

What do they stand for?

How influential are they….really?

James Patrick McDermott

That is my birth name. It is the name my parents gave me and I love the name!

I say it with the best Irish accent I can muster! It’s fun and I appreciate it!

But, yet I offered to change it, and change it I did.

Names are important. Scripturally, names are used to tell a person’s lineage.

The names have meaning and stood for something.

As far as influence, we see it all the time in society today. The name of business owners, politicians, and actors, there are people who make decisions that change the course of our society. Names that seem to have a minimal influence until a fateful decision one day changes their level of influence.

And then there’s the name of Jesus.  The name above all names.  The name that by grace through faith, we are saved.

In some translations, Genesis 49:10 uses the name Shiloh. This is part of Jacob’s blessing over his son Judah. It is a name used for our Messiah and stands for peace. It is the name of the city where the ark of the covenant rested. So it also means a place of rest.

There are times in Scripture where God changes the name of people.

We believe this is one of those times.

Shiloh!