God gives himself a name so as to make it possible to address him.
God does not wish to remain incognito. He does not want to be revered as a “higher being” that is merely sensed or surmised. God wishes to be known and to be called upon as someone real and active. In the burning bush God reveals to Moses his holy name: →YHWH (Ex 3:14). God makes it possible for his people to address him, but he still remains the hidden God, the present mystery. Out of reverence for God, the name of God was not (and is not) spoken in Israel; the title Adonai (Lord) is substituted. This same word is used by the →NEW TESTAMENT when it glorifies Jesus as true God: “Jesus is Lord!” (Rom 10:9).
