In Bible times a name often represented your character:
1Samuel 25:25 “Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this man of Belial, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal [fool] is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send….” – Abigail pleading with David on behalf of her husband.
Your name also represented your reputation:
Genesis 18:19 “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD, to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.” – The Lord discussing His assessment of Abraham
Having a name backed by a strong testimony is a precious treasure. It needs to be valued above all else:
“A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving [favor] rather than silver and gold.” (Prov. 22:1)
Quite literally, a good name can be a life saver:
When God was preparing to rain destruction down upon Sodom and Gomorrah for its sin, He sent two angels in ahead of the disaster to warn Lot so he could in turn warn his family. (Genesis 19)
Genesis 19:12-13
(12) And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place:
(13) For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the LORD; and the LORD hath sent us to destroy it.
Lot took the men seriously. Unfortunately for Lot, no one took him seriously:
Genesis 19:14 ”And Lot went out, and spake unto his sons in law, which married his daughters, and said, Up, get you out of this place; for the LORD will destroy this city. But he seemed as one that mocked unto his sons in law.”
In the end, Lot lost all of his extended family and his wife. He also lost his daughters to incest, and in Scripture he is forever remembered as the man who vexed his righteous soul. (2 Peter 2:7-8)
Had Lot invested more in his name and reputation and less in his earthly prosperity, he would have been able to keep the things that were most precious: the lives of his loved ones.
So the question is this: If your reputation is on the line, what kind of influence would you have?
Grace in Waves 