What’s In A Name, Pt 18: Hoshiah

Psalm 108:5-6                        5Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory be over all the earth. 6Save [Hoshiah] us and help us with your right hand, that those you love may be delivered.

Psalm 20:6-9                          6Now this I know: The LORD gives victory to his anointed. He answers him from his heavenly sanctuary with the victorious power of his right hand. 7Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. 8They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm. 9LORD, give victory [Hoshiah] to the king! Answer us when we call!

Hoshiah (m. Hoshia) is very relevant for believers today.  It is a compound name having two roots, the first being the verb yasha’ , meaning to set free, and the second yah from the Tetragrammaton YHWH, pronounced Yahweh.  In combination, YHWH Hoshiah means God who saves.  The noun form of yasha’ is Yeshua the Hebrew name of Jesus.

Before we consider Hoshiah we have to understand something about the ancient Hebrews.  They thought in concrete operational ways as opposed to abstract ways which was common in Greek thinking.  For instance, if an ancient Hebrew wrote ‘God is slow to anger’ as in Psalm 103 he would use the word for ‘nose’ in the place of ‘anger’.  Why?  Because when one is angry his breathing is elevated, and nostrils are flared.  So, an ancient Hebrew sees anger (abstract) as flaring of the nostrils (concrete).

The result of this is that save (Hoshiah) to the ancient Hebrew mind meant ‘save from danger’.  We, now, on this side of the Cross, see save in an additional sense.  But this additional component does not replace the concrete meaning of Hoshiah; it adds to it.  Our LORD God protects us from every sort of danger from the concrete image of an attacking enemy to the abstract image of Satan’s deceptions.  Also, we should understand that God’s desire to protect us, to save us, has nothing at all to do with our earthly station.  The rich, the poor, the mighty, the meek, the famous, and the humble are all subject to attacks and deceptions particular to themselves.

Just what does it mean that God saves us?  The common understanding is that when we are saved through believing in Jesus we are saved from hell.  That’s true of course but there is so much more.  Salvation is comprehensive.  When sin entered the world through Adam’s rebellion, fellowship between humans and God was lost.  When we are saved, that fellowship is returned.  Now we are lost, broken, and beaten down by sin, but salvation through Jesus covers every need of mankind.  This refers to every need at any time --- past, present, or future. 

So, if every need is covered then yes, the soul is freed from condemnation but also every aspect of the human condition is made free.  Also, salvation is a one-time event with continuing implications.  At the time of accepting Jesus as our Savior we are once and forever saved.  We can immediately trust that we will enter Heaven, meet Jesus in the flesh, and see all our loved ones who have preceded us. 

9If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ 12Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:10-12)

But after salvation, we have a responsibility to live a life worthy of the gift God gave us.  This is called sanctification and it refers to the constant and lifelong effort to put away the old way we lived and live in a way that reflects the glory of Jesus.

5Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. …… 8But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. 9Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices 10and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. 11Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. 12Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.  (Colossians 3:5,8-14)

But remember this one thing:  Jesus heals His followers of every sin they once committed, do now commit, and will in the future commit.  This includes failing to make the list of behavior changes listed in the Colossians verse.  If you don’t think you can stop swearing, or lying, or saying nasty things, or if you don’t think you can love someone you have a grievance with don’t worry about it.  There is a solution.  It’s called repentance.  This simply means that when a person realizes they’ve sinned, or they have hurt someone, they need only repent of that action and ask God and the person to forgive them for it.  Repentance is not the casual “I’m sorry,” but a deeply felt contrition for having hurt someone.  God will forgive every time, but please note that if the other party does not forgive that’s on them.  You have realized your sin and done everything in your power to make it right.  That’s all that is asked.

Believer, if you get anything from this message, get this:  God loves you and always will.  All He asks is that we come to Him when we have problems, repent of our part in them, seek His forgiveness, and change our ways.