God's Name
Anonymous said...
I admire poeple like you with so much knowledge but why you dont use Gods name he does have one you know and he is not asamed to use it more than 7000 times in the Bible. Have a nice day.
10:45 AM
Dear Anonymous,
Indeed, God does have a name—a very personal name—Yahweh! Yahweh speaks of God as our Covenant Redeemer! (Genesis 15:18-21) Covenant is a legally binding contract--much like our contracts today. In biblical times, a "blood" covenant was the most binding of all covenants or contracts!
Covenants between God and man, and among mankind itself, have been in existence probably since time began. (Read Genesis3—where innocent blood was first shed to provide a covering for Adam and Eve's sin.)
As sinners, we cannot hope to enter into any covenant with an almighty, holy and just God. So, compassionately, God reaches down to us--first through the dispensation of innocence, later through the giving of God's law and the accompanying atoning sacrifices. Now, praise God, we are in the dispensation of grace made possible through the atoning "blood" sacrifice of God's own Son, Jesus Christ!
The only response to God's covenant is faith! Faith saved Abraham and his faith in God's trustworthiness was accounted unto him as righteousness! It is that same faith in God's covenant through Christ Jesus that saves us today! Oh, believe God and live!
Prior to God introducing Himself to Abraham, the most common Hebrew name for God was Elohiym. Regrettably, this word eloah (singular) or elohiym (plural) could also refer to other pagan or foreign “gods”, but in scripture when it is specifically used in its plural form, it is most often referring to the Supreme God—the great Three-in-One—our Creator God!
Ah, in Genesis 15, God is ready to do a mighty work in and through Abraham—making the most solemn and binding of all covenants! This covenant that God initiates with Abraham will have far-reaching effects on all mankind. So, God moves to further reveal Himself in a way that had not previously been known. God is Yahweh, the self-Existent or Eternal—Jehovah . Yahweh is the traditional Hebrew (Jewish) name of God. In English, Yahweh is always translated as LORD—all capital letters.
We cannot presume to know the mind of God, but, perhaps God gives Abraham this very absolute and personal name, Yahweh--the Covenant God, to distinguish Himself from all other “gods”. Abraham was 75 years old when God (Yahweh) calls him out for specific purpose and blessing. Abraham was a Chaldean from the land of Ur. Ur was a rich port located near the mouth of the Euphrates and held a strong seat of political power. Ur was also a land of many “gods”, particularly the moon-god, aptly named, “Sin". Later, (Genesis 17:1-2) God reveals another personal name to Abraham, El-Shadday—God Almighty. The One Who makes all things possible!
Throughout much of scripture, Abraham continues to refer to God as Yahweh--our Covenant God, but, it is in Genesis 22 that Abraham learns another very important characteristic of our God. (Quite often when God reveals Himself to us in a new and wonderful way, He personally becomes Something, or Someone very wonderful to us.) Such was the case with Abraham and he gives God the name—Yahweh Jireh—God Provides or God will Provide!
Oh, Yahweh Jireh means so much more than merely providing. It denotes seeing, discerning, even anticipating one's need(s). The very meaning of Yahweh Jireh is to meet someone at the point of their need. Yahweh Jireh goes further in that Yahweh Jireh provides, better, becomes the very substance needed! Yahweh Jireh thinks about, dwells upon the one in need. Yahweh Jireh is the One Who takes heed of us, Who enjoys us—the One who respects us! Yahweh Jireh is the One who reveals a matter, giving us necessary insight!
Of all the names of God, outside of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, this is the one most of us desperately seek after! We need our Yahweh Jireh—our Provider God! God is more than able to be our Provider because He is Yahweh--the Covenant Making and Covenant Keeping God!
As God continues to reveal various facets of His person and character He has given, or man has given God (Yahweh) many names:
El-Roi - God Sees
El-Eloheey - God, our Strength
El-Olam – The Eternal God
El-Elyon – The Most High God
Yahweh Rophe – The LORD Who Heals
Yahweh Shalom – The LORD My Peace
Yahweh Tsidqenu – The LORD Our Righteousness
My Rock
My Shield
My Protection
My Refuge
My Shield
My Fortress
My Rock
My Banner
God’s names may be endless since God reveals Himself to each individual in differing ways. However, it is noteworthy that God forever remains Yahweh until you and I address Yahweh as Adonay (Genesis 15:2) which translated from the Hebrew means emphatically my Lord and my Master! Even the great king of Israel, David knew this to be true. Just read Psalm 110:1-2, "The LORD (Yahweh) said unto my Lord (Adonay), Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
Praise God, (Yahweh--our Covenant God--the great Three-in-One) has made straight the path for everyone to know Him—Jew and Gentile alike—through His Son, Jesus the Christ! Yahweh has indeed become God--Yahweh, our Salvation (Exodus 15:2; Psalms 118:14)!
Philippians 2:5-11 reads, "Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death-- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Acts 4:10-12 continues, "...then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. He [Jesus Christ] is "`the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone. ' Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved."
Jesus is our Adonay, our Lord--the Way, the Truth and the Life!
I suppose the question is not, “Do we know the personal name of God?” But, rather, do we, like Moses, Abraham, Hagar, the patriarchs of our faith, the apostles and all the saints who have gone before us--those who have come face to face with the living God, know Him personally?”
