Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:19–21 NLT)
Repeatedly throughout the Bible we see examples of the importance of names as signifiers. Whether a name serves as a testament to God, like Samuel (“heard by God”), stems out of a description, like with Esau (“hair”), or acts as a prophecy, like Peter (“rock”), naming a child is considered an important and weighty decision.
The name Jesus (“Yahweh is salvation”) is all three: testament, descriptor, and prophecy. The name Jesus is a declaration that the Lord saves. Because He is Yahweh, His name is also describing His character and His attributes. Most poignant of all, His name is a prophecy concerning God’s plan of salvation. Peter summed it up best when he said, “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Sing a song of praise to Jesus for the salvation that is found in His name alone.