In the thinking of the ancient Hebrews, a
person’s name was bound up with that person’s existence. Parents gave names to
their children based on their hopes and aspirations for that child. A change of
circumstances or a change of character often called for a new name to express
the change that had taken place, as in the case of Abram to Abraham and Jacob
to Israel. The name could, in fact, stand for its owner to such an extent that
it could become a concept interchangeable with him.
Dr.
Martin Luther King, Jr. was not born with that name. He was born Michael King,
Jr. on January 15, 1929. His father, however, being a Baptist minister,
understood this Hebrew concept of the significance of names; and through an
unexpected providential set of circumstances, he was led to give his five-year-old
son a new name that defined his life and work. It happened like this.
In
1934, Dr. King’s father, Rev. Michael King Sr., travelled with a group of
Baptist pastors to the Holy Land and then attended a week-long Baptist World
Alliance conference in Berlin.
While
in Germany, King and others visited many of the religious, historical sites
related to Martin Luther and his work of Reformation. They saw, for example,
the Wittenberg church where Luther boldly nailed his 95 theses, an act by
which he challenged the oppressive papal system and ignited the Protestant
Reformation.
King
was greatly inspired by Luther’s life, work, and courage. He was so inspired, in
fact, that upon returning home he changed his name to Martin Luther King, Sr.
and changed the name of his five-year-old son to Martin Luther King, Jr. The
rest is history.
Those ancient Hebrews were obviously much wiser than they are given credit for in the modern world. Just ask Dr. King!
Those ancient Hebrews were obviously much wiser than they are given credit for in the modern world. Just ask Dr. King!
This article was derived from the Preface of Dr. Eddie Hyatt's book, The Charismatic Luther. To view the numerous books he has written on church and spiritual awakening, visit Amazon and his website at www.eddiehyatt.com.
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