Mahershalalhashbaz—how would you like to have that name?
The prophet Isaiah and his wife choose this name for their baby boy. It means “Quick-To-The-Plunder-Swift-To-The-Spoil.” The birth of this son was part of a prophecy. Before the little guy could say “Mama” or “Dada,” Assyria was predicted to invade and punish Damascus and Samaria. The army from the north would be Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. (Isaiah 8)
I hope they called him Baz for short.
Names are important. It’s one of the biggest decisions parents make at the birth of a child. PB and I thought long and hard when picking our kids’ names. We gave each one a middle name that had family connections, but also sounded good should they become famous. Katie Sims. Samuel Bradley. Anna Somers. Jacob Daniel. (Not to be confused with Jack Daniels.)
Names in the Bible always mean something.
Nowhere is that more clear than in the first pages of Genesis.
The first ten generations that would become Jesus’ line of ancestry are listed in Genesis 5. Whoo-boy. In what looks like a boring list of weird names, there is a message that’s just too good to miss. Get ready for goosebumps.*
Here’s the list of generations in the family tree:
- Adam—means “human” or “man”
- Seth—means “appointed”
- Enosh—means “mortal”
- Kenan—means “sorrow”
- Mahalalel—means “the blessed God”
- Jared—means “shall come down”
- Enoch—means “teaching”
- Methuselah—means “his death shall bring”
- Lamech—means “the despairing”
- Noah—means “relief” or “comfort”
Now string it all together.
Man is appointed to mortal sorrow but the blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing relief and comfort.
That’s not a coincidence.
That’s Jesus, right there in Genesis 5.
That’s pretty wonderful.
“Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law.”
Psalm 119:18
*Thanks to “Bible Bookclub Podcast” for this insight.
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