The Significance of a Name

In this article, you’re going to discover why God had Adam name all the animals before giving him his mate, why that was important to God, and why every single person should apply this principle.

Now, Adam was building a serious, intimate relationship with God. It got to the point where God felt Adam was ready for something else.

Genesis 2:18-20

2:18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.

2:19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.

2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him.

Now, in verse 18 God said that it is not good that the man should be alone; He will make a help meet for him. Correct? Then right after that, in the very next verse, God has Adam naming animals. I don’t know about you, but that seems kind of peculiar to me. I mean, think about it; God just said that He was going to make a help meet for the man, but before God pulls woman out of man, He has the man naming animals. What’s up with that?

So, my question is this: Why did God have Adam name all the animals before giving him his mate? Why was this important to God?

What’s In a Name

To understand why God did this, we must go back and look at the culture of the time this book was written to understand the significance of the word “name.” In biblical cultures, a name did more than identify; it communicated something of the essence, the character, or the reputation of the person or thing named.

 When Adam named all the animals, he saw the essence (the very nature) of who they were, identified their character, and recognized their reputation.

In other words, he discerned who they were. (Hebrews 5:14)

There are a lot of you who desire to get married. And for the most part, you’ve already conceived in your mind your future mate’s character and appearance.

But ask yourself this question: is what I’m looking for in that other person from a surface or selfish point of view, or is it from God’s point of view?

According to the world’s customs, they say you need to look more at their physical attributes, how they have to look a certain way, what do they have to offer you, are they good in bed, etc. It’s more about you rather than what God desires and wants. Have you even thought about what God wants for you?

The Purpose for Naming

Listen, God had Adam to name the animals because He was teaching Adam how to operate in the Spirit by looking beyond the surface of their outward appearance and into the very nature of who they really are.

He was teaching Adam how to see and love like God sees and loves. Adam was training his soul to work in cooperation with God’s thought pattern. This is the way you look at life from the Kingdom of Heaven’s perspective

This is critical to learn because you must be able to see, know, and discern who your wife is when God puts her in front of you or who your husband is when God puts you in front of him.

Hebrews 5: 14 (AMP)

But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law.

Operating from a surface or selfish level is for children. In verse 13 of this Scripture, the King James Version calls them babes. God wants you to live your life as a matured adult by having your spiritual senses and mental faculties trained by the Holy Spirit to look beyond the surface and start looking at what’s at the heart of the matter.

What Are You Looking At?

Now this brings up our next question: What are you seeing in the people around you? Are you looking just at their personality and outward expressions assuming that’s who they are? Or are you looking at the inward motivation that’s causing their outward expressions? Are you seeking God to find out what’s happening inside of them and allowing Him to use you to help them become who God says they are?

You can learn how to discern by doing a Bible study on the issues you see them dealing with and by asking God to show you the true nature of the people around you. Going through our Online Bible Study class will help you hear God and increase your discernment. I also suggest you find other Bible studies and workshops that will teach you how to personally hear God and find out what hinders people from hearing God.

I began learning the different personality traits people have and the spiritual gifts God gave us. This helped me to, not only know and understand myself, but also why people act the way they do and how they should act. I also did an in-depth Bible study on God’s love.

Conclusion

In biblical times, naming something was more than just labeling it; it was about understanding its essence, character, and reputation. God wants to teach you how to look beyond the personality of a person and discern the true nature of the people around you. This is a skill necessary for recognizing your future mate.

Therefore, it is vitally important to develop a deep and intimate relationship with God. When you do that, you become satisfied with your Savior and at peace in your state of singleness. The more you build your relationship with Him, the more you’ll experience His awesome love for you. Then you’ll realize that, it’s all about Jesus and not about you.