A charismatic brother told me the other day that my name, Robert, means “wisdom.” Therefore I must have much wisdom in me.

Actually, my name was given me by my mother who had a special feeling for a movie star of her day, Robert Walker.

But I got curious. I looked up the name Robert on the Internet. Every place I went to I was told that Robert means “bright fame.” Well, that might fit for Robert Walker, and a few other Roberts, but it is unquestionably not me and millions of men by this name all over the English-speaking world. To be specific, the Social Security Administration says there are 3,085,000 men named Robert in the United States. How many of them have “bright fame”? How many are wise?

Assigning spiritual meaning to one’s name is not a good practice. Every once in a while it fits. Of course, Biblically, names meant something in some cases, when the one doing the naming was full of the Holy Ghost at the time. How many moms and dads are filled with the Spirit when they name their child? Pagan children who later are saved still have a name given them in paganism. Like my “Robert” given because of Hollywood fame.

The apostle Paul’s mother was full of faith, I am sure, when she named her baby, “Saul.” But what was she thinking? Saul tried to kill the great King David. And her boy tried to kill followers of the Great Descendant of the great King David. God had to rename him as the little one, or Paul.