Monday, September 30, 2013


“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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