Topic : R) The Names of God

No 1

(Jehovah)

This is the first of several studies that we will be doing on the names of God. In this study, we will look at the name of JEHOVAH, a very familiar name of God that we have come to use on a regular basis. But, in the original Hebrew text, it is actually YHWH and it was so sacred that it was never pronounced; vowels were added in the 12^th century AD to read Yahweh. The meaning of this particular name is significant in pointing out God’s lack of origin. Jehovah means “to be” or “to live” or “self-existent” and it is a proper name, not a title. Strictly speaking, it is the only name of God and we first encounter this name in Genesis 2 : 4. It is the name by which the Patriarchs knew Him; Jehovah is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. When Abraham built an altar, he built it in the name of Jehovah : “…and there he built an altar unto the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD” (Gen 12 : 8b). When Moses inquired by whose name was he sent to deliver the Jews out of bondage, God replied : “Thus thou shalt say to the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you” (Exod 3 :14). This is the inner part of the name of Jehovah; it was the name of God that Moses already knew. He is the self-existent one and if we take this a step further, everything else relies on Him for existence as well.

No 2

(Elohim)

In the very first verse of the every first chapter of the Bible, the name ELOHIM is used for God: “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth”. This name is used 250 times throughout the Bible, especially in circumstances that point to God’s great power. It is also used when God was establishing the covenants with Abraham and Jacob. Elohim means “God” but in a plural sense; the “im” ending denotes plural in the Hebrew language. It is very interesting that the Lord used this name in Genesis 1:1 because the idea of a plurality in the godhead is introduced – God the Father permitted creation, God the Son actually did the creating and God the Holy Spirit oversaw the creation. But there is another even more interesting use of this name for God. In Deuteronomy 6:4, Moses penned the following words – “Hear O Israel: The Lord thy God is one Lord”. Further in the chapter, the Jews were encouraged to: “…write them upon the posts of thy house and on thy gates” (v9); that is exactly what Jews have been doing throughout all the centuries: modern-day Jews do it also. If you have ever been to Jewish doctor or to a Jewish house you will see a small box somewhere on the doorframe. This small box contains this verse; it is called the “shema”. Jews love this verse and it has a very important place in their hearts; now here comes the interesting part. The word for God that is used in the verse is Elohim (plural) and the word “one” is the Hebrew word “echad” which means one but in a plural sense (one bunch of grapes, one team); the word for absolute one (one chair, one person) is “yachid” in Hebrew. God is amazing; how wonderful it is to be His child.

No 3

(Adonai)

The name “Adonai” is translated “master” or “Lord” in the Bible. It is to indicate His ownership or Lordship over all believers. Lordship testifies of complete possession on one side and complete submission on the other. God possesses all believers and all believers are to be in complete submission to Him. This title of God denotes that He is sovereign on all that He created. Adonai is also used several times in the Bible in a non-divine sense. Sara called Abraham “lord” (Gen 18:12 & 1 Peter 3:6); Rebekah called Abraham’s servant “lord” when he was looking for a bride for Isaac (Gen 24:18). The relationship between servants and their lords is used many, many times in the Bible. There is however a misuse of this title for God and it is not in the Bible; it is in modern-day Christianity. The idea is that we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour but then we must accept Him as the “Lord” of our lives. In other words, salvation is in two stages. There are probably a lot of well-intentioned people in this movement called “The Lordship of Jesus Christ” and think that this is correct but this is not taught in the Bible. I can understand that a person can re-consecrate him or herself to Jesus at one time or another in their lives but to say that we are obliged to go through both steps is incorrect. If the Lord Jesus Christ is our Saviour; just how much space we give Him in our lives is entirely up to us; God gives us that choice. But let me just say that the more space we give Him, the more He blesses us. Been there, done that.

No 4

(Hosanna)

The name “hosanna” given to Jesus in the New Testament means “save now”. It appears 5 times in the New Testament and describes Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The Jews cried out this name when their Messiah arrived on the back of a donkey “ And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest” (Matt 21:9). The people were jubilant because they finally saw in Jesus a conqueror who would deliver them out of the clutches of the Roman oppression. He was their redeemer!! However, these same Jews later on cried “crucify Him” at His trial with Pontius Pilate as judge “And Pilate answered and said again unto them, What will ye then that I shall do unto him whom ye call the King of the Jews? And they cried out again, Crucify him!!” (Mark 15:12, 13). Even Pontius Pilate himself asked the Jews why He should be crucified “Why, what evil hath he done? And they cried out the more exceedingly, Crucify him!!” (Mark 15:14). Perhaps if the Jews would’ve seen the deeper meaning of His arrival, they would have been delivered from a far greater enemy that the Romans – their sinful nature. The word “hosanna”, without knowing the actual meaning of it, has always symbolized an expression of joy and exuberance in the Lord.

No 5

(Immanuel)

This name was given to Jesus signifying the meaning that “God is with us”. It appears three times in the Bible and in every case it refers to the Messiah. The first appearance is in the form of a prophesy by Isaiah – “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) We have looked at many of the prophesies in the book of Isaiah. The second time the word appears is also in Isaiah but this time it refers to the land that the Messiah will one day rule over – “And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, O Immanuel”. (Isaiah 8:8). The word “he” in this verse refers to the king of Assyria that God had appointed to chasten His children for their evil and idolatrous ways. The third time it appears in the Bible is when Matthew penned his gospel and described how the birth of the Messiah Jesus was to be fulfilled by the child that Mary, Joseph’s betrothed wife, was carrying – “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us”. (Matthew 1:23). This name of God is very important because it applies to this very day!! God is with us right now, dwelling in the hearts of the true believers.

No 6

(El Shaddai)

Up until now we have seen names of God that contain only one word : Jehovah, Elohim, etc. Here is the first compound name of God: El Shaddai. We see the familiar “El” that expresses God’s greatness and glory; we will now look at the second part of this name of God “Shaddai”. This word signifies the nourishing, supplying and satisfying character of God; so when it’s connected to the other part we realize that God is an almighty supplier and is all sufficient. There is, in a way, a dual meaning to the second name : it is also used to convey the judging, chastening and purging character of God. Even in this context, the ultimate purpose is one of love and mercy. To experience the fullness of God we must let go of ourselves; we give in to God in order to live a fuller life for Him. Jesus, during His earthly ministry echoed this when He said: “27 and whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:27). So it is that the name El Shaddai speaks as much about God’s blessings and mercy as it does His chastening in order to open us up to receiving those wonderful things He desires to give us; things such as peace, joy, blessed hope and forgiveness. True Christians are His beloved children and He pours out sustenance and blessings to them.

No 7

(Jehovah…..)

Here are three names of God that have the name “Jehovah” in them. The first is “Jehovah Jireh”. This name of God means “God our provider” and can also mean “one who foresees” and can even mean “one whose provision shall be seen”. The most prominent is the first one and we can certainly meditate on it when we are looking for some kind of provision in our lives. The next one is “Jehovah Rophe” and is also spelled “Jehovah Rapha” that means in either spelling “God our healer” or the “God who heals”. God is the great physician and we do well in calling on God to heal us because where a doctor can treat symptoms, “Jehovah Rapha” cures completely. The last name of God is “Jehovah Nissi” that means “God our banner”. Whenever armies battle there are always banners and, in this case, God is our victory banner. “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.” (Isaiah 54:17a). “For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.” 1 John 5:4. The God we serve has many names and they all reflect His Omnipotence, His Omnipresence and His Omniscience.

No 8

(Jehovah….)

JEHOVAH – M’ KADDESH This name for God means “God that sanctifies”. Other translations for sanctify could be “hallows” “consecrates” or “makes holy”. So this is the revelation of God as the One who makes us holy. In Jeremiah 1:5, the Bible says “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee.” Jeremiah was made holy by God before he was born. The primary meaning for the word sanctification is a call to separation or to be set apart from the norm; to be unlike the world around us, which is carnal. Sanctification is a process that begins when the Holy Spirit indwells us at our re-birth into God’s family. The application of this name for God is that God, being the Holy of holies, is Himself holy and in light of His holiness, He gave us His Son Jesus Christ who walked the earth perfect and without sin. Jesus is our example of holiness and we are to strive to attain His standard by constantly seeking divine guidance and support through prayer and meditation in the Word of God.

JEHOVAH – SHALOM “Shalom” means “peace”, therefore this name for God represents God as our source of peace. This word can be translated many ways but it is generally used to show completion of a promise, payment of a debt and just tidings which bring no conflict, only fulfillment and satisfaction. Our God is a God of peace.

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.” Psalm 4:8

“The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.” Psalm 29:11

No 9

(Jehovah – Tsidkenu, Rohi, Shammah)

As a brief review, here are the names of God that we have seen so far: Jehovah (YHWH); Elohim (Plural for El); Adonai (The Lord); Hozanna (save now); Immanuel (God is with us); El Shaddaï (God supplier); Jehovah (Linked with other words); Jireh (God who foresees); Rophe (God who heals); Nissi (God our banner); M’Kaddesh (God that sanctifies); Shalom (God of peace).

The last three names of God are also linked with Jehovah, they are:

Tsidkenu. This name of God is translated “God our righteousness” as in Jeremiah 23:6. It is also used in the Bible in the sense of rendering justice and making things right. The root word “tsedek” is used hundreds of times in Scripture as right, righteous, justify, declare innocent. Only God is righteous so this name has significance as to our salvation – we are righteous only in Jesus!

Raah. This name means “God our shepherd” and is the essence of the beginning of Psalm 23. The primary application of this word is that God, being our shepherd, is the One who leads us to good pasture or plenty. The name can also be translated “companion or friend”.

Shammah. This last name for God means “the Lord is present.” This definition of God as being omnipresent also takes into account that we are “vessels” of God’s Spirit since His presence is in us as living temples of God. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 3:16 “ Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”