A splash of pink has been added to a once all-blue home this morning as God has graciously and safely delivered to us our first daughter! God was exceedingly gracious to us and my wife was amazing. We are grateful for the many prayers lifted up on our behalves and are pleased to introduce to you…
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ….” —From Romans 5:1
What’s In a Name?
As with our boys, we have striven to give our firstborn daughter a name rich with meaning—one that is beautiful, will be an inspiration to her, and serves as a proclamation of those things which we as a family hold dear. Her name holds the following significations:
Shiloh
Shiloh is a name rich with meaning. It’s familiar in the Bible as the name of an ancient town wherein the Ark of the Covenant was first hosted before the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. It’s also familiar as the place where Samuel was dedicated to the service of the LORD by his parents and where he was first called by God.
Shiloh is also used in Genesis 49 during Jacob’s benediction to his sons where he states that “the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes.” Shiloh is a term used here to describe the Savior, Jesus Christ, and—derived from a root word most commonly interpreted as “peaceable”, “tranquil”, or “quiet”—the meaning ascribed is thus “Peace Bringer” or “Bringer of Peace”. Peace then in this sense is reconciliation, namely to a God against whom we have trespassed. Without the blood of Jesus Christ, there is no peace with God. Without His sacrifice, there is no reconciliation. He offers us both peace and reconciliation—but on His terms. Praise the Lord—the Prince of Peace—for reconciling us to Himself!
“For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.” —Colossians 1:20
“For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation . . . and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. —Ephesians 2:16,18
Lastly, Shiloh is the name of a town just 100 miles from here and the site of one of the most well-known and pivotal battles of the American Civil War, fought in 1862. We learned that we were expecting Shiloh on the sesquicentennial year of that battle. The battle is of particular significance to our family as our ancestors were owners of a portion of the land that was to become the site of the great battle, and men from both sides of my family were present and fighting there for Southern independence.
Faith
Shiloh’s middle name is Faith for it is by our faith in Christ Jesus that we are justified and reconciled to Him, and by which we are made at peace with Him:
“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand….” —Romans 5:1
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God…” —Ephesians 2:8
More than anything in the world, we desire that our children would submit themselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ—the Prince of Peace—and that He would grant them faith in Himself that they may live a fruitful life of service to Him, exercising great faith in Him, and living at peace with their Creator.