The Joash Tablet was discovered on the Temple Mount and is written in paleo-Hebrew script.    It describes the repairs to Solomon's Temple ordered King Joash of Judah in the 9th century BC.

Notice  the divine name, YHWH, on the right of the bottom line of the tablet (enhanced).  In Psalm 83:18 the Psalmist says, “That they may know that You, whose name alone is YHWH, are the Most High over allthe earth.”  This is the personal name of God that He has declared we should use and make known throughout the earth.

In this age of religious pluralism it is important not only to realise, but also to proclaim, YHWH God is unique.  Yes!  There are many who would acknowledge Him amongst a pantheon of gods.  There are those who will tellus that He has revealed Himself in many different ways.  There are even spiritual beings, created by YHWH, who would like to be known as “God”.  But the plain fact of the matter is  -  there is only one God and His name is YHWH!  All othersw, by any name you like to chose, are false gods and are not to be worshipped or acknowledged.  YHWH said to Moses at the burning bush, “YHWH …. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.”  (Exodus 3:15)

The name of YHWH occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament!  This name far outnumbers any other title of word used to describe Him;  such as “Sovereign lord” or even “God” itself.  That means that, on average, for every 85 words in the English Old Testament one of them is !YHWH”.  Or, again on average, “YHWH” would occur in one out of every three verses!

For many people  -  and certainly in the Bible  -  a name is no mere label, it signifies the very real personality of the one to whom it belongs.  When someone puts their name upon a thing or another person that thing or person comes under the influence and protection of the person so putting their name upon them.

Unfortunately, by the time of Yeshua, the people of Israel had ceased to use YHWH’s name.  This was part of the Rabbis seeking to make sure the Law was not broken by placing a fence around it.  That basically meant that they had created a whole new set of laws, which if you kept you could not break the central Laws of God and Moses.

In many Dead Sea Scrolls texts the name of YHWH is distinguished by not being written in the familiar text of the time.  Instead we find the name of YHWH written in the paleo-Hebraic text highlighted on the Joash Tablet above.  This is not the ccase in the Isaiah Scroll where the more familiar Hebrew text of Second Century Judaism is used throughout.

 

 

The name of YHWH is highlighted on this picture of the Isaiah Scroll.  It is from line 18 of column 44, which contains chapter 53.  In our Bibles this is verse 10.

 

 

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Jerusalem, 1995 - 2006