CORE
Bible Concepts “The names of God in the Bible� BibleClass.com.au Teaching Series Series: Core Bible Concepts Part: #4 Main Scripture: Selected Scriptures Teacher: Dr Paul Iles Date: 27.02.2013
Inline, direct scripture quotes are italicised. Block quotes are indented. The New King James Version is used unless otherwise stated. This transcript has undergone minor editing to ensure readability.
The MP3 audio of the study upon which this transcript is based and a learning guide are available from http://bibleclass.com.au/
Page 1
Why Study the Names of God? In our Core Bible Concepts series, we are currently looking at the Biblical concept of the revelation of God. This study will examine the revelation of God from the point of view of His names; the words that are actually used in the Bible to represent God. Proverbs 30 3 I have not learned wisdom, nor have I knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!
John 17 6 “I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world.
O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known 25
And the Lord certainly did make His name known even more in the resurrection.
The point is this: A name identifies a person. More than that, a name tells you something about that person. A name conveys some idea to you about the person that is being spoken of. Their name gives you a reference point whereby you understand who they are. In Genesis 32, you find that Jacob is wrestling with a man. He is by the river Jabbok: And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered.” 24
Jacob asked the man what his name was, for he wanted to know something about who the man was. He realised that this was no ordinary man as soon as the words of verse 28 were spoken. This is why we are looking at the names of God in the Bible. The names of God can be divided into three categories: In the first category, we will consider names with the prefix “El,” including: • • • •
Page 2
El Elohim Elyon and Adonai for reasons that will be explained.
Then we shall look at • El Shaddai Then we will look at • YHWH / YAHWEH (Jehovah) They are in those groups, because when examined in that order you can discern an unfolding of the revelation of the character of God.
El El is a prefix conveying the idea of being first, mighty, strong and powerful. When you think of God as the “El” He stands supreme. Strong, mighty, powerful and first, with absolutely no peer and none to rank alongside Him. Everything and everyone is inferior to Him.
Elohim Fear The suffix, “ohim” introduces the idea of one who is to be feared. God is therefore the strong and mighty one who is to be feared. This is one aspect of God that has become very blurred in our thinking. There is no fear of God in the eyes of our society, and sadly that will rub off on the Christian as matters of worldiness often do. We see God as one of grace who is interested in blessing us and helping us. That is very, very true. But in that understanding, we must never lose the proper sense of the almightiness of God in His supremacy and power as one who is to be feared. Indeed, the whole world will one day discover this when the day of grace comes to a close and God moves in judgement. The one characteristic of God that men will finally experience is a sense of fear. The scripture tells us of them calling to the mountains and the rocks to fall on them in order to hide from the face of the One who sits upon the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. Plurality This is a plural word. In the original Hebrew, when something was put into the plural, the idea was to intensify or emphasise the thought. Not just to be feared, therefore, but to be greatly feared. Great is the Lord and greatly to be feared.
Elyon The suffix here is from a root that means to be exalted. This name emphasises God as the high and exalted one who is lifted up. It is used frequently in the scripture in situations of poetry or song.
Page 3
This name is often and best translated, “the most high God.” Melchisedec was said to be “priest of the most high God” in Hebrews 7:1. Lucifer, tragically, in isaiah 14:14 said, “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” He is saying, “I will be like Elyon.”
Adonai This is very much related to the “El” names. It contains the idea of God being a judge and a ruler, with everyone and everything else existing to serve Him and Him alone. God is the almighty ruler to whom everything is subject and to whom man is related, but as a servant. He rules, He judges and He is to be served. This name is often the one used by Israel in the translation of the scriptures, because they didn’t want to use the name YHWH, as that name struck fear and awe into their hearts - it was the unique and singular name of the true God Himself. All of these names that we have mentioned so far are actually used solely in speaking of our God. They are used in other places in reference to pagan deities, for example in the Psalms1 from time to time. They are also used of great men: rulers2 and judges3, for example. These names also refer to God in Himself and in His character as the one who stands alone in almighty power as absolute ruler. He is also the God of no boundaries nor peer and to whom no others are to be compared or related.
El Shaddai This is a beautiful name. It is the name by which God revealed Himself to Abraham. It is translated in Genesis 13:1 as “Almighty God.” The idea in the root of Shaddai is “all poweful.” In this title, God is pointing out His inherent greatness, not in a sense that He is fearful, but in the sense that He uses all of that greatness as a means of blessing and comfort. The One who is far above all, the “El” is using all His might and power for our blessing and for our comfort. That is what God said to Abraham, “Walk before me and be perfect.” Inherent in the call was the revelation that God would use His might and power to bless Abraham. Especially with respect to the elements of the world and needs in the world. That would have been such a comfort to Abraham as he journeyed daily. He had a God who would shadow over him and protect him.
YHWH/YAHWEH (Jehovah) Note the progression so far: the fearfulness and greatness of God has developed into one who 1 2 3
Page 4
For example: Psalm 95:3; 96:5. For example: Genesis 33:10, Exodus 7:1. For example: Judges 5:8, Psalm 82:1.
uses all that He is in His greatness and fearfulness in order to bless His creatures. Now we reach a further revelation in the name, YHWH. We have now arrived at the most sacred name of God. This was the name that the Jews feared to use, because anyone who blasphemed this name was to be put to death according to Leviticus. That is why they used “Adonai” instead. God revealed this name in Exodus 3 - the story of Moses and the burning bush. Exodus 6 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.”
The name YHWH is translated in our English Bibles as Lord - all in capital letters.
Here God shows Moses very clearly that He is revealing Himself to Moses by another of His names - a new, significant revelation. Exodus 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” 4
And he said, “Here I am.”
Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. 5
God is about to reveal Himself to Moses in a grand and glorious way, by a name that will produce the comfort of His people for centuries to come. The amazing thing about this bush is that it is not being consumed by the fire. It simply continues to burn without being destroyed. You can imagine Moses wondering, “That bush is no less than it was a half an hour ago. Those flames are no less than they were a half an hour ago. Nothing has changed. The bush is not diminishing. The whole system is not changing in any way whatsoever.” God is showing in that symbol that He is an unchangeable God. Time puts no wrinkle on the brow of the Almighty. He is one who has continuing existence. More than that, He has self-existence. He relies on none and on nothing. He depends on absolutely nothing. He just continues, from within Himself, to exist. He never changes and nothing changes Him. He therefore stands alone in His supremacy and absolute uniqueness. God is the unchanging, eternal, self-existent One. Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” 13
Page 5
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 14
That name, I AM speaks of the fact that God continues to be what He continues to be and continues to be what He ever will be. He is immutable.
But just as we saw in the name, “El Shaddai,” that God would use all of His power and might for comfort and blessing, so we also see in this title, YHWH, that it is used more to indicate His unchangeableness with respect to His people - even moreso than the unchangeableness of His intrinsic character. Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 15
God is saying to Moses, “Just as I was with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, so I will also be with you.” He hasn’t changed, nor have His intentions, purposes, character or ways. The years may have rolled on - situations, circumstances and so forth - but God has not changed.
God told Abraham that He would protect and care. In the same way, He will continue to care for and protect His people. God told Abraham that He would make a covenant with Him by which He would bless all of His descendants. In the same way, He will continue now to be true to His promises and He will continue to bless. What God always was to their forefathers; what He said and covenanted to them - that is what He continues to be and how He continues to act. The name YHWH expresses the covenant nature of God. He never breaks His word. Now we are really beginning to see something of the character of God! Through the unfolding of these names, we’re ultimately seeing more and more that God is finally a God of grace. God who purposes to bless His creature and bless His people. This name is also unique in that it is only ever used of Israel’s God. It is used only of the one, true, living God; nobody and nothing else. Furthermore, the name YHWH is never used either as a plural or with a suffix. Recall that the plural form of a word was used in order to add emphasis. This name, YHWH, never needs emphasis or magnification. It stands alone, by itself with no scope for denigration or magnification. This is God in power and grandeur. With respect to the addition of a suffix, none is ever added to this name. A suffix is an extension that is added to a word in order to slightly alter its meaning. For example: • Sleep • Sleepless • Sleepy “Less” means without. So the addition of the suffix changes the meaning of the word. The addition of the “y” alters the emphasis of the word.
Page 6
The name YHWH does not allow, nor does it need any change in emphasis or meaning. It is His name par-excellence. In the next study, we will find that this name, “Jehovah,” is revealed in fullness in Jesus when we come to the New Testament.
Jehovah Titles The name “Jehovah” (YHWH/YAHWEH) is used with other words in scripture, as distinct from suffixes in order to emphasise various characteristics of God. These titles beautifully portray the attributes of God throughout scripture, especially with respect to certain specific situations in which that part of His character comes out.
Jehovah Sabboath • Meaning: The Lord of hosts • Reference: Psalm 24:10 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah 7
Jehovah Rophi
• Meaning: The Lord who heals • Reference: Exodus 15:26 and said, “If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.” 26
As part of God’s promise to the children of Israel, their health would be preserved. And so it was, because God had committed Himself to the protection and healing of His people.
Jehovah Nissi • Meaning: The Lord is my banner • Reference: Exodus 17:15 The Israelites were battling the Amalekites and the battle was going poorly. So Moses lifted up his hands to the Lord, and so long as his hands were lifted up, so Israel gained the upper hand and ultimately won the victory. THey called that place, “Jeohavh Nissi” because that is the name under which they fought and the
Page 7
name by which they could conquer their enemies. Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner. 14
Jehovah Shalom
• Meaning: The Lord gives peace • Reference: Judges 6:24 The Lord appeared to Gideon, instructing him to fight the Midianites. Gideon was afraid of what may become of him, but the Lord could tell him to be at peace. He had appeared, not to bring harm to Gideon, but blessing. So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. 24
Jehovah Jireh
• Meaning: The Lord will provide • Reference: Genesis 22:14 As Abraham laid Isaac on an altar to make him a sacrifice, the angel called out, “Do the boy no harm!” Within minutes, Abraham saw a ram caught in a bush and he was provided with something to offer in place of Isaac. He names that place, “the Lord will provide.” And intermingled with that is the incredible prophecy that he made shortly beforehand when he said, “The Lord will provide Himself a Lamb.” That was a prophecy that looked forward, all the way to the cross of Calvary - the Lord’s ultimate and great provision. And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.” 14
Jehovah Raah
• Meaning: The Lord is our shepherd • Reference: Psalm 23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2 He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. 3 He restores my soul He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
Jehovah Tsidkenu
• Meaning: The Lord is our righteousness • Reference: Jeremiah 23:5-8
Page 8
He is the One who makes us right with God. He is all the righteousness that we don’t have. He is the one God who, in all His strength and power has made us right with Himself. “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. 6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: 5
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Jehovah Shammah
• Meaning: The Lord is present • Reference: Ezekiel 48:35 ...and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.
These wonderful names each unfold to us more and more of the character of God and the grace of God. He reveals Himself to us as the God of greatness, the God of no limits, the God of no peer and the God above all others. Then we see that He moves out of grace. And His endowment of grace knows no limits, because He Himself is the God of no limits.
Christ’s Fulfillment of God’s Names We shall deal with this in more detail in the next study, but it must be mentioned at this point that the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilled the meaning of these names very beautifully. After He rose from the dead, the disciples were gathered together with the doors shut for fear of the Jews. Then the Lord appears in their presence and says, “Peace to you.” YHWH Shalom! Remember, in His ministry, He stood before them even before His sacrifice for sin, and said, “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” YHWH Raah! Remember, when He was on the Mount of Olives, as He was about to ascend, He lifted up His hands to bless them and said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit... And lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen.” YHWH Shammah! When John the Baptist saw the Lord walking along after His baptism, He called out, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” YHWH Jireh! The Lord has provided. Abraham’s prophecy was coming to fulfillment. Paul said, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” He is saying, YHWH Tsidkenu has come! As you put all of these names together, you must notice very definitely that it is all for us. God has used all that He is for our blessing, comfort and good. This is the God of grace revealing Himself.
Page 9
See you in the next study.
http://bibleclass.com.au/
Page 10