YAHWEH OUR MASTER

“Hear, all you peoples! Listen, O earth, and all that is in it! Let the Lord GOD be a witness against you, The Lord from His holy temple.” (Micah‬ ‭1:2‬‬)

As we conclude our study of the names of God found in the Old Testament, we consider the Hebrew word Adonai. In the English translation it is differentiated from Yahweh by being rendered with lower case, “Lord,” in contrast to, “LORD,” all in the upper case or as in the passage here, GOD (Yahweh), rather than God (Elohim).

Adon is the singular form and can refer to men and angels, as lords and princes. Adonai is the plural, literally, “Lords,” and most Bible scholars think it points to the manifold majesty of God, but I believe is also suggestive of God’s Triune being.

It is a name used hundreds of times in the Old Testament and points to God’s sovereign reign. He is the Master, Owner, and Ruler of all as the name suggests. Adonai is also seen in conjunction with Yahweh as in the text in Micah 1:2. In this passage, Yahweh, is translated GOD—all in capital letters. The Great I AM is Lord of all.

We should be reminded today that God is sovereign over all things. Nothing happens but by His permission and He has decreed that the end result will be for His glorious purposes. It is comforting to know in a world that often appears out of control that the Lord is firmly in control.

We can fall in brokenness and submission upon the Rock of God’s will and receive His grace, or we can resist and have that Rock of His will fall on us and break us in His judgment. In this we have a choice, but in God accomplishing what He has decreed there is no choice.

Paul assures us in Philippians 2:9-11 that someday every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. The holy angels of heaven will bow, the saints and sinners of men will bow, and even the demons of hell will bow. But, the only ones who will be saved then are those who confess He is Lord now.

YAHWEH IS PRESENT

“All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.” (Ezek.48:35)

The prophet had witnessed the glory of God depart from the Temple—a temple that would be destroyed.

“Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the LORD’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them.” (10:18-19‬).

Ichabod—the Hebrew word meant, the glory is departed (see 1 Sam.4:21-22).

Now, at the end of Ezekiel’s visions, he sees a future day—a day that we await. In the final verse of the prophecy, we see Jerusalem when Christ returns, and the glory of God is manifest again.  The Hebrew term is, “Yahweh Shammah,” the LORD is there.  Yahweh is present with His people.

Even today, Christ is with us in the person of the Holy Spirit. He promised, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” (John‬ ‭14:16-18‬)

Wherever you go today, God is Yahweh Shammah. Whatever you may face, you do not face it alone, for God is there. “For He Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” (Heb.13:5b). God is with us, and someday soon we will see Him face to face, and abide in the fullness of His glory forever!

YAHWEH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS

“In those days Judah will be saved, And Jerusalem will dwell safely. And this is the name by which she will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”  (Jer.33:16)

Jesus said that unless our righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven.  Who among us could qualify?

Those were some of the most scrupulously religious people who ever lived. They read and memorized the Scriptures. They prayed three times a day and fasted twice a week. They paid tithes even of the herbs of their field. They would not even eat an egg that had been laid on the Sabbath Day!  The Pharisees were exceptional in religion, and yet lacking in righteousness.

The righteousness God demands is His righteousness. Heaven is a sinless place and God demands utter holiness. I am in trouble and so are you should we try to measure up.
 
The bad news is we all fall far short (Rom.3:23).  The penalty is death—the second death in hell (Rom.6:23a). By trying to keep God’s moral law, we merely show ourselves condemned.

The good news is that when we call on the name of the Lord, His righteousness is deposited into our account! Eternal life is a gift (Rom.6:23b).  Our sins are blotted out by the atoning blood of Christ and we are placed in right standing before God, possessing the very perfection of the Son of God, received by faith in Him and His finished work.  “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:21‬)

Yahweh Tsidkenu! The LORD our Righteousness!

YAHWEH OF HOSTS

“Then Elijah said, ‘As the LORD of hosts lives, before whom I stand, I will surely present myself to him today.’” (1 Kings 18:15)

Yahweh Sabaoth, translated, “LORD of hosts,” is one of the most frequent names of God that we find in the Old Testament, being used about two hundred and fifty times.  It means that He is the Lord God of spiritual armies—Yahweh who rules over the angelic hosts.  These supernatural beings of incredible might and splendor are creations of the Lord.  Their allegiance is to Him and they move at His command.

In a number of ways, the angels are different than humans, yet in one way they are the same—they were created with free will, and with the capacity to obey God came the possibility to disobey.  As hard as it is to imagine, one-third of these heavenly beings follow Satan in his rebellion against God. The twelfth chapter of Revelation gives an overview of this cosmic clash as it  describes war in heaven.

 The outcome of the war is never in doubt.  Satan has no hope of vanquishing God. Yahweh sends forth His holy hosts of angel warriors, and the Devil is cast out. Satan still makes trouble for the church today, and will stir up one final war against Christ on earth, but at last he and his demonic army will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

In the text today, we find Elijah, the man of God standing alone against the power of the malevolent monarchs, King Ahab and his consort, the wicked Jezebel. Yet, he is fearless, for he knows he is not alone. His trust is in the LORD of Hosts.

Today, we also have angels watching over us. All about, unseen, are these mighty ones, ready to minister to the saints. Yet, we do not worship them and trust in them, but in their Maker and Commander, Yahweh Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts!

YAHWEH OUR PEACE

“So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The- LORD - Is -Peace.” (Judges 6:24a)

God raised Gideon up to overthrow the Midianites that were oppressing Israel.  He felt inadequate—troubled and anxious—but, God gave him peace in his heart.  Thus, he memorializes that experience in constructing an altar and naming it Yahweh Shalom—the LORD our Peace.  It is a truth we ought treasure in our hearts today that leads us to worship that name!

Are you troubled today?  I think of the angelic announcement to the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy….Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Lk.2:10a, 14).

God does not give peace apart from Himself. He gives Himself as our peace, “For He Himself is our peace,” (Eph.2:14).  Through Jesus we have “peace with God” (Rom.5:1) and in that reconciled relationship live in “the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, [that] will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil.4:7).

Here is the promise of Christ, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John‬ ‭14:27‬).  I pray, “Now the God of peace be with you all.  Amen.” (Rom.15:33).

YAHWEH OUR SANCTIFIER

“Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” (Leviticus‬ ‭20:7-8‬)

God is holy and we are commanded to be holy.  Yet, an outward standard alone is insufficient to accomplish this.  Paul acknowledged that frustration in Romans 7.

“For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin. For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. ... For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. ... But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans‬ ‭7:14-15, 18, 23-24‬)

How many of us can testify to this wretched state—having a desire to keep God’s demand, and yet losing battle after battle to temptation.  It makes you want to give up.

Which is exactly where God wants us—as Luther sang,

Did we in our own strength confide,
our striving would be losing,
were not the right Man on our side,
the Man of God's own choosing.
You ask who that may be?
Christ Jesus, it is he;
Lord Sabaoth his name,
from age to age the same;
and he must win the battle.

You have to give up to go up!  God never demands something from us without equipping us to do it.  He is our Sanctifier, Yahweh M’Kaddesh. The answer to Paul’s, “Who will deliver me?” is given in the next verse, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom.7:25) and the Apostle will go on to explain this spiritual power in chapter eight.

We have no excuse “as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” (2 Peter‬ ‭1:3-4‬)

YAHWEH OUR BANNER

“And Moses built an altar and called its name, The- LORD -Is-My-Banner;” (Exodus‬ ‭17:15‬‬)

This world is not a ball field for sport; it is a battlefield of strife. Israel had seen God work miraculously to deliver them from slavery. It was a time of worship. And right on the heels of that was a time of warfare.  God had miraculously freed them (Ex.14-15) and fed them (Ex.16). Now, would He fight for them?

The Amalekites attacked Israel, but God gave them victory (Ex.17).  Although Joshua had to take action with troops in the Valley of Rephidim, the war was won higher up. Moses interceded in prayer on the mountain above the fray. So, Moses, in recording this combat report, gives the credit to Yahweh Nissi—Yahweh our Banner.

When soldiers went into battle, they would be led by someone with their arm lifted, holding the banner of the army aloft—a banner symbolizing king and country. Thus, Moses lifts “the rod of God,” as their banner—the same shepherd staff he extended over the Red Sea, as it miraculously opened before Israel, to be their pathway of escape. That was the symbol of Yahweh, the Deliverer.

They were reminded that to fight under His banner is to triumph.  That is still a precious truth for the church in our spiritual warfare. “We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Rom.8:37). We march today under the blood-stained banner of the cross for our King Jesus and the Kingdom of Heaven. Do not fear, “for the battle is the LORD’s,” (1 Sam.17:47).

YAHWEH OUR HEALER

“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.’” (Exodus‬ ‭15:26‬‬)

God plagued the Egyptians because of their defiance of him. He promises the Israelites that He will spare them of such plagues if they obey His commands.

Someone may ask me, “Do you believe in Divine healing?”  My answer is, “What other kind is there?”  All healing is Divine healing.  God identifies Himself as Yahweh Rapha—the LORD our Healer.

There is the miracle of our body’s resistance to sickness and its capacity to be restored.  Without that, a cut could prove fatal. Obedience to God’s ways makes for a healthier lifestyle. A lot more people will be shot in a bar or contract disease in a brothel on Saturday night, than will happen in a church building on Sunday morning!

Then, there are marvels of medicine. Wisdom from the Creator has been given to druggists and doctors.  The development of vaccines, testing technology to diagnose illness, and surgical methodology to correct it are gifts from Yahweh Rapha.

That is not to discount miraculous answers to prayer.  God can, and does, sovereignly and supernaturally, bestow healing at times. Its rarity is what makes it a miracle, but He does do this—according to His design and not our demand.

Ultimate healing will be found in the resurrection.  It is provided in the atonement. Perfect, painless health awaits an environment where sin is no more. The lifting of the curse frees God’s people from all sickness. We won’t even get the sniffles!

YAHWEH OUR PROVIDER

“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.’” (Genesis‬ ‭22:14‬‬)

God tested Abraham’s faith by commanding him to sacrifice his son Isaac. When Isaac inquired where the sacrifice was, his father replied, God will provide.  He did.  As the lad was stretched out upon the altar, and Abraham raised the knife to strike, God spoke and stopped him. The patriarch looked over and saw a ram, caught by its horns, in a thicket. Isaac was freed and the ram was sacrificed.  Thus, the place was named, “Yahweh-Yireh,” the LORD provides.

That ram represents Jesus who provided a substitutionary sacrifice for sinners.  Mary had a little Lamb, and named Him Jesus!  God provided for our greatest need!  Surely, if we can trust Yahweh Yireh for our provision of salvation, we can trust Him for lesser things.  Here is the promise: “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom.8:32)

What do you really need from God today?  Call upon the name of the LORD—this name: “Yahweh Yireh.”

YAHWEH: I AM THAT I AM

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,” (Genesis‬ ‭2:4‬‬).

When first introduced to God in Genesis, He is Elohim—the great God. In Genesis One, we have an overview of the creation of all things, and so this name of God befits the creative power of God. Then, in Genesis Two, the name Yahweh is introduced, in conjunction with Elohim, as the focus of the narrative shifts to the making of man as the pinnacle of God’s creation—the one made in His image. Thus, Yahweh is brought to the fore in that this name emphasizes the covenant relationship of God. This is how God revealed Himself to His people—the sacred name above all names. The world may know of His existence and power as Elohim. His people know of His presence and love for them as Yahweh.

The name means, “I AM,” and is indicated in English translations as “LORD.”  Whenever you see God’s sacred name in all capital letters, it is the Hebrew, “Yahweh.”  Moses would write this name first in Genesis, as it had been revealed to him in the wilderness of Sinai, as God spoke to Him from the burning bush.

“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?’ 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.”’” (Exodus‬ ‭3:13-14‬)

As the great I AM—He is that He is. Yahweh is self-existent and eternal—uncreated and Creator of all. There has never been a time when God was not, nor will there be a time He will not be. He just is, “I AM.”  God needs nothing to sustain Him and nothing exists that He does not sustain. God is transcendent—above and beyond creation. Yahweh is immutable—unchanging.

In these ever changing times, is it not wonderful to know that we have a God that does not change—who cannot change?  This God is Yahweh, who has chosen us for a covenant relationship with Himself. Are you in that love relationship with Him?

For further study, you might read or listen to this excellent devotional by John Piper:
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/10-things-yahweh-means

ELOHIM: GOD IS GREAT

As a child, I learned a prayer of thanksgiving for my meal which began, “God is great; God is good,” and indeed He is!  It is a prayer so simple that a child can express it, yet contains truth so profound, that adults cannot exhaust it.

The first name we find concerning God is the Hebrew word, “Elohim,” in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth.”  You will find around 2,750 uses of that name in the Old Testament text. It speaks to the greatness of God—Creator and Sustainer of all.

It is a word that is a composite word—the root being El. El is used in the Hebrew Bible by itself to describe God, such as in Genesis 7:1–and about 250 times total.

Elohim is a plural word. Might it be that this is an allusion to the plurality of God—one God in three persons?  We do find this in the creation narrative, “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters” (Gen.1:2b)—describing the creative work of the Holy Spirit.  Then, we find God calling all into existence by His word. The New Testament tells us that Word is Jesus, and that, “He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made...” (John 1:2-3). “Then God said, ‘Let Us [plural] make man in Our [plural] image, according to Our [plural] likeness...” (Gen.1:26a).

“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable.” (Ps.145:3). Amen and amen!

THE NAMES OF GOD

“You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.”  (Exodus‬ ‭20:7‬)

“What's in a name? that which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”  Those words were penned by William Shakespeare. He may have been right about botany, but not theology.  When we ask concerning God, “What’s in a name?” we must answer—everything!

  

God’s name describes His nature.  That is why using God’s name in a vain or profane way is such a sin—to devalue God’s name is to defame God Himself.

  

As we have previously noted, there are many portraits of God in Scripture—and we talked about several—that He is a Rock, a Shepherd, a Defender, and so forth.  Many pictures are needed because one portrait does not give us a complete description.

  

Likewise, there are many names of God found in the Word of God, for one is inadequate to define Him.  This series of studies will focus on the names of God, and I pray will be a source of encouragement and blessing to you—and supremely will glorify God’s great name!

GLORIFYING OUR GREAT GOD

“You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him, and to Him you shall hold fast, and take oaths in His name.” (Deut.10:20)

We respond to the greatness of God by giving Him glory.  As we consider Him, we are to “fear the LORD your God....”  To fear Him is to hold Him in reverence.  The outgrowth of fear should be the fruit of faithfulness.

This brings faithfulness in service, “you shall serve Him….”  He is the Great King and we are to be His loyal subjects.  You don’t disobey or delay when He commands.
 
Then, there will be faithfulness in steadfastness, “to Him you shall hold fast….”  Our life will not be wishy-washy or half-hearted.  His greatness means we do not abandon Him for another, for Who else can compare to Him?

Further, this means faithfulness in speech, “take oaths in His name.”  Because the very nature of our great God is truth—His attribute called immutability—then our word is to be our bond.  Jesus said, “For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45)  If we have treasured God in our hearts—stored up an awareness of His greatness—then we would want nothing to come from our lips or our lives that would cause men to diminish Him in their eyes.  Certainly, we will not take His name in vain—a fundamental commandment.  His name is too great and sacred.  What we say and our commitment to following through is a reflection of our apprehension and acknowledgment of God’s greatness or it will be a denial of it.