Two names for salvation – Advent Psalm of Celebration, Part 1

I recently saw an interview in which a former coach and player talked about the impact playing professional football had on his family around the holidays. He would either have to be completely away from his family, or they would all be together in a hotel because he would have a game on Christmas Day in a faraway city.  He said that it was difficult because on holidays, and especially on Christmas, you want be home with your family. 

But there was a man on his team who would gather the team and their families together on Christmas Eve, and this would read…rather than me telling you, let me ask you, “What do you think the man would read?” 

I thought for sure the man read the story of the birth of Jesus.  That’s what my grandfather did every Christmas when our family got together.  But no, the man would read ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas, that famous story about the arrival of Santa Claus. 

The former coach and player was reflecting on how it was meaningful to him to have the little slice of tradition in what was a very nontraditional Christmas setting, a hotel.  He said, “it really put things into proper perspective.” 

I found that interesting. He talked about it almost religiously, spiritually. 

On the one hand, I agree that it is good to get people together, especially when all those people are far from home and family.  But though the former coach was speaking spiritually, what he said had almost nothing to do with religion.  

I get it.  As I wrote in the preview post here, there are many ways that God and Santa Claus are similar.  But there are some really important ways they are different.  At Christmas the most obvious way that God and Santa are different is that at Christmas, we celebrate God the baby. 

Here is where I would differ from what the coach said.  God the baby puts things into proper perspective.  This Advent we have been studying a variety of genres of psalms, and this week we study a psalm of celebration, Psalm 98, to help us learn how God the baby puts life into proper perspective.

We begin with Psalm 98, verses 1-3,

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things; his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.  The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations.  He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Did you notice the psalmist uses the word “salvation” three times in these verses.  The Hebrew Bible uses two words here, but they are from the same root word.  Both words are associated with names.  Verse 1 is the word or name “Hosea,” which refers to God’s assistance of his people that saves them. 

In verses 2 and 3 the Hebrew word for “salvation” is the word or name “Yeshua.”  Does that sound familiar?   If you watch The Chosen, it is the name they call Jesus.  “Jesus” is the Greek version of the Hebrew “Yeshua,” and that is the same as our English name “Joshua.”  Jesus, Yeshua, Joshua, Hosea.  No matter which one you go with, these words in Psalm 98 all have the same meaning:  God saves. 

But God’s salvation is so much more than a name. In the next post, we’ll see why the psalmist celebrates God’s salvation.   

Photo by Alex Shute on Unsplash