Discussion Questions

In Proverbs 18:10–11 the speaker contrasts “the name of Yahweh” as a strong tower with riches as a “high wall in his own esteem”; where do you see your own reflex to trust in “high walls” of security that feel like safety but aren’t, and what would it look like to actually “run” to God’s name instead? JumpstartAnother way to ask: Where do you tend to trust “high walls” (money, plans, status, control) that feel safe but really aren’t? What would it look like for you to run to God for safety instead?

The speaker insists Psalm 8:1 (“O LORD, our Lord”) is not a “foolish repetition” but hides Yahweh’s personal name; what changes in your view of God when you read “Yahweh, our Lord” and treat God as a person with a name rather than mainly a title? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does it change the way you see God when you read “Yahweh, our Lord” and think of God as someone with a personal name, not just a title?

In Exodus 3:14–15 the speaker emphasizes God’s “I AM” as self-existence and non-dependence, then connects it to Yahweh (YHWH); how does God’s refusal to “give an account” for His origin confront modern assumptions that God must be explainable, manageable, or justifiable to us? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How does God saying “I AM” (not depending on anything) challenge the idea that God must be fully explainable or under our control?

The speaker proposes reading Exodus 3:15 like “Yahweh, God of your fathers” (with a mental comma) and says hiding God’s name can erode “intimate personal reality”; in what practical ways might a title-only habit (“Lord” without awareness of Yahweh) subtly shape the way Christians relate to God—warmly, distantly, casually, or transactionally? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If you only think of God as “Lord” and not as Yahweh, how might that quietly change your relationship with Him (more close, more distant, more casual, or more like a deal)?

In Exodus 6 the speaker highlights a covenant connection to the name—God says He didn’t reveal Himself to the patriarchs “by my name Yahweh”; how might early covenant believers have heard “name” as relational access and obligation, and what does that suggest about the difference between knowing about God and belonging to Him? JumpstartAnother way to ask: How might Abraham’s family have understood God’s “name” as a real relationship with duties, not just information? What does that teach us about knowing facts about God versus truly belonging to Him?

When Yahweh “proclaims the name” in Exodus 34:5–10, the name is explained by attributes (merciful, gracious, long-suffering, forgiving, yet not clearing the guilty); which part of that self-description most resists your preferred image of God, and how does the covenant logic (“true to my covenant / turn against covenant-breakers”) challenge modern evangelical instincts about judgment, accountability, and assurance? JumpstartAnother way to ask: In God’s description of Himself (merciful, forgiving, but also judging guilt), which part is hardest for you to accept? How does His covenant promise-and-warning challenge how you think about judgment, accountability, and feeling secure?

The speaker reframes the third commandment as “You shall not bear/carry the name of Yahweh in vain,” tied to priests “putting the name” on the people; what would it mean in concrete terms for a church to treat God’s name as something it bears publicly—and where might Christians be bearing the name of Jesus “in vain” through misrepresentation of His character? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What would it look like for a church to “carry” God’s name in public through how it lives? Where do Christians today carry Jesus’ name “for nothing” by showing a false picture of what He is like?

The transcript claims the Jewish avoidance of pronouncing Yahweh’s name (possibly influenced by a Septuagint misunderstanding of Leviticus 24:16) replaced a name with a title; what do you think gets lost—or protected—when reverence turns into avoidance, and how does that compare with the speaker’s concern that people today “throw the name of Jesus around” lightly? JumpstartAnother way to ask: When respect turns into avoiding God’s name, what might be lost, and what might be protected? How is that like—or unlike—people today using Jesus’ name too casually?

The speaker argues Jesus doesn’t merely teach a pronunciation in John 17:6 (“I have manifested your name”) but embodies Yahweh’s character as “Yahweh in the flesh”; if “manifesting the name” means making God’s character comprehensible and reachable, what specific parts of Jesus’ life (mercy to outcasts, justice for oppressed, etc.) should most reshape what your community thinks “God is like”? JumpstartAnother way to ask: If Jesus “shows God’s name” by making God’s character clear and close, what parts of Jesus’ life should most change what your community thinks God is like?

In Acts and the epistles the speaker notes “faith in his name” is essentially faith in the person, not a “magic formula,” and suggests praying for protection by “calling on the name” rather than only “pleading the blood”; what patterns in your prayer life reveal whether you treat “in Jesus’ name” as a closing ritual or as actual dependence on His authority and character—and what would need to change to pray like the Scripture writers do? JumpstartAnother way to ask: What in your prayers shows whether “in Jesus’ name” is just a habit or real trust in who Jesus is and His authority? What would you need to change to pray more like the Bible writers did?