Volume 49 Number 3 March 2007
One of the challenges facing our Creator was how to reveal Himself to us, His creatures. Understand this was not a challenge due to any weakness or inability on His part, but it was due to a lacking/weakness on our part as created beings. How could the Lord of Creation reveal Himself to mankind in a way we could understand Him? How could we, as finite and carnal creatures, understand God, Who is infinite and Spirit? It would be even harder than we trying to help an ant understand man. At least mankind and ants are both created physical beings!
One of the ways the Lord has revealed Himself to us is through His various names. We see these names used and explained throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, and it is by studying the various names for the Lord we can come to at least a workable understanding of Him and His great works toward us.
Our Creator first revealed Himself to us as Elohim (God) in
Genesis 1:1. By using the plural word for God, He reveals something about His Godhead (Colossians 2:9) which is also confirmed with His use of plural pronouns in the first chapter of the Bible (“Let Us make man in Our Image” verse 26.).He is introduced as El-elyon (God Most High) in
Genesis 17:18-20— No doubt to show His preeminence over man’s make-believe “gods”. Hagar gave the name to God El-roi (You are the God who sees). With this name we are reminded we certainly have a God who sees sin, humble hearts, and genuine repentance.The Lord introduced Himself to Abram as El-shaddai (Almighty God) in
Genesis 17:1. When “El” (as a root) is connected to “Shaddai” the meaning is “God is mighty to supply, nourish, and satisfy.” No matter what Abram’s, Israel’s, or our needs—God will certainly provide. (Note Genesis 49:25.)Another name for our Creator is Adonai (Lord) as mentioned in
Deuteronomy 10:17 which is another plural name for God which means “Master or Lord”. God is called Rock in Deuteronomy 32:18, and it is no accident Jesus is our “Rock”. God is called Father many places such as Deuteronomy 32:6.The most common name for God in the Old Testament is LORD (Jehovah/Yahweh). It was with this name God first revealed Himself to Israel in
Exodus 3:13-15 as ‘I AM WHO I AM’ and ‘LORD God’ (Jehovah Elohim). From that time forward every time the Lord spoke to Israel as a people He was referred to by this name. This was the covenant name the Lord chose for Israel’s God. I say “chose” for a reason, for note in Exodus 6:2-3: “And God spoke to Moses and said to him: ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, LORD, I was not known to them.’”It is with this verse I began to better understand and appreciate the importance of the various names for the Lord. The Lord revealed Himself by particular names for specific purposes. He was God Almighty to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but He was Jehovah to Israel. God had lessons He wished for them and us to learn from the use and study of these specific names. It is interesting to note in
John 8:24 and John 8:58 Jesus claimed this name. It is no wonder the Jews took up stones to kill Jesus, for He was claiming the highest title ever! Of course we can more easily and better understand how Jesus truly fulfilled these and other claims through the revelation of the New Testament Scriptures.It is through studying these and other names I have come to a better appreciation and understanding as to why the Jews so reverence the names for the Lord. I can more easily appreciate why God commanded His name never to be taken in vain, and this principle certainly applies to us today under the New Covenant.
We, as God’s people, should always speak the various names of the Lord with reverence and utmost respect. For it is with these and other names the Lord has chosen to reveal Himself to mankind. After all, we were created, as Paul states in
Acts 17:27; “so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” Blessed indeed be His Name!