What's in a Name?

We saw yesterday that in the time in which the Bible was written, a name revealed a person's character.  So, as we study the names of God, the answer to the title question is - a lot!!

We're going to begin at the beginning.  If you turn in your Bible to Genesis 1:1, you will find these words, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth."  We could spend a lot of time digging into that verse, but that is not our purpose in this study.  The first use of God's name occurs in the first verse of the Bible.  In Hebrew, the language in which the book of Genesis was originally written, the word used here for God is the word Elohim.  So, Elohim is the first name we will turn our attention to.

If you look at an exhaustive concordance of the Bible (one which lists every word and every time it is used), you will find that Elohim is the most frequently used word for God in the Old Testament.  This is the name that designates God as God.  This name occurs more than 2600 times in the Old Testament and is often paired with another of God's names, Jehovah, which we will study later. 

What does the name Elohim mean?  And what does it teach us about the person and character of God?
El means "mighty, strong" and is a word used to refer to gods, including God.  The ending of this name, the him ending, is interesting because it is a plural ending in the Hebrew language.  We'll discuss the implications of that tomorrow.  Right now let's focus our attention on the first instance where we see this name used.....in Genesis 1:1 where we are introduced to our Creator God, Elohim.

Look up the following verses and see what you can learn about Elohim.......who He is, what He has done:

• Genesis 1:26
• Deuteronomy 4:32
• 2 Kings 19:15
• 2 Chronicles 2:12
• Psalm 19:1
• Ecclesiastes 3:11
• Isaiah 45:5
• Amos 4:13
• Jonah 1:9

This is just a small sampling of verses where this name of God is used.  You might want to refer to your concordance for others, if you have the time.  As you read these verses, what did learn about God?

What is the practical significance of what you have learned?  How does what you have learned today from the Scripture help you  to know God as your "strong tower"?  Think about that today and we'll continue to explore that topic tomorrow.

As we close our time together today, read the following verses and spend some time in worship:

• Proverbs 18:10
• Isaiah 50:10
• Psalm 7:17
• Deuteronomy 10:17
• Romans 11:33-36