“The great purpose of man,
especially the believer in Christ, is to glorify God. ‘Whether, then, you eat
or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God’ (1 Corinthians 10:31).
Essential to our ability to glorify God is the knowledge of God and knowing Him
personally in view of that knowledge.”
– J. Hampton Keathley, III
Throughout the scriptures we see God addressed or referred to or
identified by different names. In the Old Testament, we find Adonai; Yahweh
(YHWH); Elohim (and its compounds, such as El Shaddai, El Elyon, and El Olam);
and in the New Testament we see Master, Father, Lord, and God. You may wonder
where “Jehovah” is. Very simply put, Jehovah is a translation for YHWH. We
won’t do it here, but a little research on how YHWH was translated into Jehovah
is a very interesting exploration. So all of those names you are familiar with
like Jehovah Jireh and Jehovah Shalom will be written Yahweh Jireh and Yahweh
Shalom in this teaching.
Regardless of which form of name a person chooses, the emphasis of this
study is knowing God and His attributes in order to glorify Him and relate to
Him based on who He reveals Himself to be. I have found in my personal life
that knowledge of God’s attributes makes me love Him more intimately and allows
me to address Him according to who He truly is. I first studied the names of
God through a Bible Study written by Kay Arthur entitled Lord, Teach Me to Pray
in 28 days. I would recommend this study to anyone. Through it, I became much
more sensitive to relating to God as the source of my peace, the source of all
provision, the One who defends me, etc. And my intimacy (closeness &
transparency) with Him has increased. So let’s look at the meanings of these
names…
Adonai – A plural of
Majesty. In the singular, it means master,owner.
Yahweh – To exist, to be.
Elohim – Strong one.
El Shaddai – God
Almighty
El Elyon – the
Most High God
El Olam – the
Everlasting God
Master (Despotes in Greek) -
Carries the idea of ownership.
Lord (Kurios in Greek and
equivalent to the Hebrew YHWH) - Stresses authority and supremacy. While it can
mean sir, owner, master, or even refer to idols or husbands, it is used mostly
as the equivalent of Yahweh of the Old Testament. It too is used of Jesus
Christ meaning (1) Rabbi or Sir; (2) God or Deity.
God (Theos in Greek) - Primary
name for God used in the New Testament. Its use teaches: (1) He is the only
true God; (2) He is unique; (3) He is transcendent; (4) He is the Savior. This
name is also used of Christ as God in various scriptures.
Father - A distinctive New
Testament revelation is that through faith in Christ, God becomes our personal
Father. As a name of God, it stresses God’s loving care, provision, discipline,
and the way we are to address God in prayer.
These names identify who God
is. Clearly we see His authority and power. When we look at the compound names
of Yahweh, we also see how He
operates:
Yahweh Jireh – The Lord will
provide.
Yahweh Nissi – The Lord is
my Banner.
Yahweh Shalom – The Lord is
Peace.
Yahweh Sabbaoth – The Lord
of Hosts.
Yahweh Maccaddeshcem – The
Lord your Sanctifier.
Yahweh Ro’i – The Lord my Shepherd.
Yahweh Tsidkenu – The Lord
our Righteousness.
Yahweh Shammah – The Lord is
there.
Yahweh Elohim Israel – The
Lord, the God of Israel.
Let’s chat about these names, their meanings, and how/if you experience
God in these ways. Have you experienced
an enhanced prayer life as you’ve engaged God in a distinctive way? Let’s talk
about it! Visit us on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Simply-Christian/370033686432368
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