My Name is Noel and I Am Born of God, and I Pray that You May Be Also
Disclaimer: This article is not about me. This is the first of five articles I have written on the Messiah’s name, “…you shall call His name Jesus… and they shall call His name Emmanuel.” Why was Christ given these two names and what it means to us?
Jesus said, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5)
When God ascribes a name to a person, He foretells either His purpose for that specific individual, people, or nation. God oftentimes reveals His heart through the person’s name born at that particular time.
We see this from the accounts of people in the Old Testament Scriptures as well as in the New. God even changes the person’s name to indicate His intention concerning that person, e.g. Abram to Abraham (Gen. 17:5–6), Sarai to Sarah (Gen. 17:15–16), Jacob to Israel (Gen. 32:28), and Simon to Cephas, (John 1:42; Matt. 16:18) or Petros (in Greek, meaning rock or stone) or Peter (as transliterated to English).
Within the Scriptures, people named their children after a certain event or situation in their lives, e.g. Jacob’s twelve sons (Gen. 29:32–35; 30:6–24; 35:18), Moses (Exo. 2:10), Samuel (1 Samuel 1:20), even Ichabod (1 Sam. 4:21).
Outside the Bible, children are named after famous persons, media, or sports personalities the parents like, or worse, idolize. And some parents name their children after themselves, their father or mother, or even a combination of both parent’s names.
So many ingenious ways they go about it. Relevant to this story, let me tell you my own.
My name is Noel and I am born of God
Let me explain what that means.
Coming from a nominal Roman Catholic background, never having read the Bible, an old friend led me to a Christian church. Shortly afterward, I was baptized, I mean buried or immersed in water. This was my second baptism. I was born anew.
My first “baptism” (sprinkled with water) while an infant and aware of nothing, took place in a Roman Catholic Church after which my parents received my “Certificate of Baptism” as proof that I became a member of the Roman Catholic Religion. More like the membership certificate one receives when joining a Social Club or an Organization. My name was then written on their register.
My second baptism, after having believed in Christ also made me a member. Not of any Religion or any man-made organization but a member of Christ Himself. I became part of Him, a member of His Body.
I must emphasize the difference because, in this membership, I need no certificate as proof. God knows me well because He was the one who ushered me into His Son. I believed in His word and just followed Him.
“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up in the last day.” (John 6:44,)
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.” (John 12:32)
And I greatly rejoice for I know my name is written in God’s book of life in heaven where Christ is (Luke 10:20). I was born from above where Christ is. As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “And He said to them, You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world.” (John 8:23,).
If I keep abiding in God and in His word, if I maintain my fellowship with Him day by day until He comes, my name will be there in the divine book of Life in that great day of judgment when He returns (Revelations 3:5; 21:27).
Several of my brothers and sisters in the church, whose names are not easily pronounced would adopt another name for themselves from the Bible once they believed and are baptized into Christ. Glory be unto our Lord!
I was not concerned about my first name and I had no idea how my parents came up with it. My father passed away long ago and when I asked my mother, she is not clear on how or where my father got that name.
However, a few months into my Bible reading, I came to the book of the prophet Isaiah. Reading Isaiah brought me such overwhelming joy as I began to grasp the salvation God planned for man. This great prophet of God impressed me so immensely that I began to seriously think of adopting his name for mine. I didn’t even know what the name Isaiah means, at that time. I learned later that his name in the original Aramaic language is “Yasha-Yah” which means Salvation of Yah. More of this in the next article.
Anyway, while I pondered about it, a question came to me.
“Why do you want to change your name? I gave that to you!”
Perplexed, did I just hear a voice? What was that about? Who gave me the name Noel? Then an instruction.
“Go ye and learn what that meaneth!”
That sparked in me a quest to learn how the names are given in the Scriptures and what they mean. Perhaps along the way, I’ll find out what my name means.
“The First Noel”
Perhaps, many of you are familiar with the Christmas carol “The First Noel.” So am I since childhood for I always hear it during the season. Most people I asked would say that this is about the first Christmas when the Savior was born. Noel is a French name, some say.
What was its origin? Etymology Dictionary says the name “Noel” means Christmas, of or born on Christmas.
While writing this article, I did a further search online. I’m getting sidetracked a bit from the topic but it is important for me to insert this testimony in the story.
Regarding that Christmas carol, this is what Wikipedia states:
“The First Nowell”, also known as “The First Noel (or Noël)”, is a traditional English Christmas carol with Cornish origins, most likely from the early modern period, although possibly earlier.
Further Wiki-search gives another source of how the song originated:
The First Nowell is a choral work for soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus, and full orchestra by English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams written in 1958 and completed by Roy Douglas following the composer’s death in August of that year.
The First Nowell was written to accompany a nativity play adapted from medieval pageants by Simona Pakenham. Pakenham recalled:
In early July 1958, I was asked by Austin Williams, the vicar of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, to persuade Vaughan Williams to collaborate with me on the writing of a nativity play. This was to be given at a matinee at Drury Lane Theatre on 19 December in support of the Ockendon Venture — a charity that was building a village to house refugee children. I hesitated to put this to Vaughan Williams because I knew he was always busy with the composition of the moment… I went to tea at Hanover Terrace on 6 July and I was astonished that he considered the idea at all. The mere mention of Christmas inspired him. He had a passion for carols. It was first performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 19 December 1958 with the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Concert Orchestra and Singers conducted by John Churchill, and produced by Noel Iliff and Geraldine Stephenson.
The above account gives us 6 July 1958 when the idea was first considered. The English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams began writing it but died the following August. His musical assistant Roy Douglas then continued and completed it.
When it was completed, the exact date was not told but this sequence of dates amazed me. Its first public performance took place on 19 December 1958. I was awestruck for this date was exactly a month after I was born!
My parents would not have any idea.
Going back to my time after I got that mysterious instruction. I had to go and learn what my name means. So I dabbled with the lyrics of that Christmas carol while studying the Biblical names.
Names in the Scriptures are mainly Hebrew, Aramaic, Egyptian, and Persian names. Names in the New Testament are Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and Latin.
Now, here’s the first stanza of the carol “The First Noel”.
The first Noel the angel did say
was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
in fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
on a cold winter’s night that was so deep.
Refrain:
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
born is the King of Israel.
“The First Noel… born is the King of Israel.”
So here is what I gathered to be the meaning of the name Noel. The hymn is not about the first Christmas but it’s about the firstborn Son of God, the Messiah, the true King of Israel. The title is about Him, the Firstborn of God. “The First Noel” refers to “The First Born of God.”
The Hebrew word for God is “El.”
What about the first syllable “No” in Noel, does it mean “born”?
With the help of some Hebrew friends who know Aramaic and Hebrew, I discovered that the name No-El is a shortened form of Nolad El or Norad El (spelling varies through English transliteration). What does that phrase mean?
Yes! It means Born of God!
HalleluYAH! My name is “Noel” and I am “Born of God!” Glory to God if you are also. If not yet, please read the next issue, and I pray that you may be born of God too.
Thank you for reading. This is just the first part of a series of five articles about the names Jesus and Immanuel. Why was the Messiah given these two names and what it means to us? I hope you will be with me throughout the whole study. Shalom!
Next: Thou Shalt Call His Name Jesus, They Shall Call His Name Immanuel — The Prophecy and its Fulfillment
This article was first published on Medium.
