Behind the name...

Noah Kaden Anderson (The Lesson in the name)

Liisa and I have wanted to name one of our boys Noah for a long time. It just seems like it never was the right time until now (especially when we had our girls). There are two people who we love with the name Noah. The first is, of course, the guy who built the ark. He was the son of Lamech and father of Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Noah is probably best known for the Genesis Flood but he also mentioned as the "first husbandman" and the inventor of wine. Some of the things we learn from Noah are: Plan Ahead (He had vision and patience to work towards the vision). Don't follow the crowd (everyone mocked him and no one believed in him and yet he pressed on). Have a vision beyond yourself (He didn't build a canoe to just save himself; he saved both his family and the animals). Covenant faithfulness (He, along with his family, entered into covenant with God). Don't give up (the rainbow is coming after the storm). Trust and obey (trust God and obey no matter what the cost). The wrath and justice of God (Though it is often thought of as a cute little Sunday School story the flood is about death and destruction and judgment and wrath. God is not mocked whatever you sow, that will you reap). Faith ("By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith" - Hebrews 11:7).

The other Noah we love in history is Noah Webster, who wrote the "Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language". Webster, who descended on his mother's side from Pilgrim Governor, William Bradford of Plymouth Plantation, made many important contributions to the American educational system. Noah Webster used the Bible as the foundation for his definitions. He has been called the "Father of American Scholarship and Education." His Blue-backed Speller books taught five generations of children in the United States how to spell and read. Webster was a very serious Christian. Webster considered "education useless without the Bible." He learned 20 different languages in finding definitions for which a particular word is used. He wrote this, "In my view, the Christian religion is the most important and one of the first things in which all children, under a free government ought to be instructed...No truth is more evident to my mind than that the Christian religion must be the basis of any government intended to secure the rights and privileges of a free people." Listen to his excellent definition of education: "Education comprehends...instruction and discipline intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give them a religious education is indispensable." I pray that God will give our Noah a destiny like that of these two historical Noah's.
What does Noah Kaden mean?

Noah: The name Noah, in Hebrew, means REST. Noah Kaden was also born Sunday - the Lord's Day. In our local church right now we are in the middle of a series of messages on the Sabbath rest. This study of the Sabbath has transformed the way we look at the Sabbath or Lord's Day. It has also brought a deeper meaning to our calendar. The Sabbath is an idea that not only effects families but also transforms the church and the culture. I believe as we begin to actually celebrate the Sabbath as God intended it there will be a radical change in our family. I want this name to be a symbol of the beginning of that change. Isaiah sums up the true meaning of the Sabbath Rest, “If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath, from doing your pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight and the holy day of the Lord honorable; if you honor it, not going your own ways, or seeking your own pleasure, or talking idly; then you shall take delight in the Lord, and I will make you ride on the heights of the earth; I will feed you with the heritage of Jacob your father, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isa 58:13-14) Noah Kaden reminds us that when we obey God He will cause us to ride on the heights of the earth (which is how I feel about having another son). The Sabbath is a feast day of celebration and Noah is definitely something to celebrate!

Kaden: The name Kaden means warrior or fighter. You may think this is the opposite of "rest" but when you understand the true Sabbath rest it fits in perfectly. The Sabbath was one day of rest out of 7 days of Kingdom and dominion work. Six days were to be for man's dominion in the earth. Every soldier needs rest. We have been given the victory in Christ. We shall inherit the earth. Christ is on the throne and He is in the process of placing all enemies under His feet. The Sabbath is a day to celebrate that victory and rest from it. Without understanding Kingdom dominion it is impossible to truly understand the Sabbath. As R.J. Rushdoony says, "To deny the Sabbath, and that the Sabbath was made for man to rest and enjoy his lordship in Christ, is to remove the future from man’s life. The Sabbath truly observed speaks of victories gained in the world to be conquered." He also said this, "Without that association of the Sabbath with work, salvation, and victory, it becomes a day of boredom and another step in a life without a significant future.”

We truly are blessed and thankful to God for our Noah Kaden Anderson!