Looking Back....

In our last installment we began looking at the name Jehovah, the most sacred name for God in the Scriptures.  This is the name of our eternal, self-existent God.  This is the name of "I AM WHO I AM".  As we move forward, we will begin to see how this name is often combined with other names to tell us something about the character of God.  You may be more familiar with some of these names (Jehovah-Jireh, our Provider, for example) and less familiar with others (Jehovah-Mekoddishkem, for example).  We'll be looking at several of these names over the next couple of weeks.

But before we do that, let's take a pause and catch our breath.  Let's pause and reflect back on what we have learned and what it means to us in a personal, practical sense.  If it is true (and it is!) that Jehovah is eternal, self-existent, the same yesterday, today and forever, then what does that mean to you?  In other words, how is your life impacted today - in whatever your circumstances may be - by that truth.  How is that name your strong tower?

Think about that today.  Ponder that truth, reflect on it, meditate on it......Jehovah is your strong tower!  And before we look forward, let's look back.  We saw the name of the Lord as Elohim, our Creator.  A careful examination of the Scripture will show that the name Elohim is often combined with Jehovah.  Jehovah Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  How does that knowledge affect you today?  How does it impact your world view?  We learned that El Elyon is God Most High, the Sovereign Ruler of the universe.  El Elyon is Jehovah!  Jehovah is El Elyon!  What impact does that have on your thinking (or your feelings!!) as you deal with life today?

There's your challenge for today......think back over everything we've learned as we have studied these names of God.  Review the Scriptures we have looked at previously.  Remember that this is not just an "academic exercise".  Our goal is to dig deeper into the Scriptures in order to go deeper in our relationship with the Author.   We have learned from Scripture that "the name of the Lord is a strong tower."  Spend some time today, and perhaps over the next several days, reflecting on that truth and applying all you have learned.  Remember that application is not always "doing" something......sometimes it means changing the way we think and lining our thought processes up with the plumb line of Scripture.

These posts may be a bit sporadic over the next couple of weeks as I will be traveling and spending some time with my grandson.  I'll post as often as I can.  That may give you time to catch up if you've gotten a little behind, or if you just found us recently.  Hopefully it will give you plenty of time to reflect on what we have learned and how it can make a difference in your life!  Thanks so much for joining me on this journey!  How I pray that God is blessing you as a result!  And how I pray that as we get to know Him better, we are more and more reflecting His character!

Knowing Him By Name

As we begin our week together, let's begin it in the book of Exodus.  Turn to Exodus chapter 3 to learn what God said to Moses.  Especially look at verses 13-15.  What did God say to Moses about what His name is?

We're beginning today to examine the name Jehovah.  This is the most frequently used name for God in the Bible, used more than 6800 times!  Some scholars refer to it as the proper name for God.  Other names refer to His character or His activity.  This name refers to who He is!

"The name Jehovah is derived from havah, which means "to be, to become".  Therefore, Jehovah speaks to God's being or essence." (Kay Arthur, Lord, I Want to Know You).  In other words, we might say that Jehovah is the self-existent One.  As He said to Moses, He is "I AM WHO I AM".  He is the eternal I AM.  He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  He is Jehovah, the covenant-keeping, eternal, self-existent God. 

Throughout history, this has been regarded as the most holy, most glorious name of God, so holy that many would not even pronounce it.  This is the most sacred name of God, the name that we often render as Yahweh or YHWH.  It refers to the self-existent God who has always been and always will be.  The eternal, self-existent One who spoke and brought the worlds into existent.  The One who has no beginning and will have no end.

He is the eternal I AM.

He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

He is the One who revealed Himself and made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

He is the One who keeps His covenant.

He will always be who He is.

He will always do what He has said He will do.

He has always been.

He will always be.

Do you know Him by name?

Are You Holding Anything Back?

Today we are going to focus our attention on applying what we have learned.  We have learned that the name of the Lord is a strong tower.  This His name is Elohim (Creator), El Elyon (God Most High), El Roi (the God who sees), and El Shaddai (God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One).  This week we have learned that His name is also Adonai, Lord and Master.

This is a challenging name.  It is a name that denotes a relationship.  It is a name that indicates that I am not in charge; rather, I am the servant and He is the Master.  It is a name that challenges us to live in a way that demonstrates His lordship.  It challenges us to declare Him "Lord" not only with our lips but also with our lives.

How do we live this out?  Let's see what the Scripture has to say.  Read the following Scriptures and note what you learn from each about your Adonai and what your relationship to Him is to be.  What do you learn about how to apply what you have learned?  How does what you learn in these passages help you know how to live out what you have learned about Adonai?  What does it mean to know Him as Adonai, to run into the strong tower of that name?

• Matthew 7:21-23
• Psalm 141:8-10
• Psalm 119:125
• Psalm 136:1-3
• John 13:13-15
• John 15:10-12

In Luke 6:46 we read these words, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do the things I say?"  If we are truly going to acknowledge Him as Adonai, must we not be obedient to the things He says?  And how do we know what He has said?  By spending time in His Word.  Not just by listening to what other people say that He said, no matter how reliable those people might be.  But by going directly to the source.  By spending time in the Word of God, getting to know its precepts, and ordering our lives to match up with what the Word says.

Here's the bottom line - who is master of your life?  Is there any area you are holding back?  Talk to your Adonai about that today.

What Does It Mean?

What does it mean to know God as Adonai?  As we think about that today, let's look first at Isaiah 6.  Isaiah saw the Lord seated on His throne.  He saw Him as Adonai.  And he responded in obedience. 
Look at Isaiah 6:1-8, especially at verse 8.  When the Lord was looking for someone to send, for an obedient servant, Isaiah responded, "Here I am, send me."

When Jeremiah was called by God to be a prophet (see Jeremiah 1), it was Jehovah who called and appointed him.  But when Jeremiah responded to that call, he addressed God as Adonai, "Alas, Lord God."  Literally, he was saying "Adonai Jehovah."

The point is this:  if God is God, then He must be Adonai - He must be Master.  And if that truth pertains to God the Father, then does it not also pertain to God the Son?  This is clearly the teaching of the New Testament.  There are many who will acknowledge Jesus as a good man or even acknowledge Him as a prophet, but refuse to acknowledge Him as God.  We're going to spend some time in the New Testament today, examining this truth.....that Jesus is Lord.

Before we go to the Scriptures, let me give you some information about the word "lord".  The Old Testament word we have been looking at, Adonai, is Hebrew.  The New Testament was written in Greek.  There are two words used in the New Testament for "lord".  One of these words is kurios, which means "supreme in authority", and it is this word that is used most often in reference to Jesus.  The other word, despostes, which means just what it looks like it would mean, "an absolute ruler."

Read the following Scriptures carefully.  What do you learn about Jesus?  What is He Lord over?  What is required of us?

• Philippians 2:10-11
• Luke 14:25-27
• Matthew 10:34-40
• John 13:13-16
• Romans 10:8-10
• Matthew 7:21-27
• Romans 6:16-17

So, what does all this mean?  Or to ask the question another way, what does the Scripture teach about who Jesus is?  Is He Adonai?  Is He your Adonai?

Something to Think About

Yesterday we learned that the name Adonai is more than just a name.  We learned that it indicates a relationship.  This name for God is first used in Genesis 15:2 where Abram addresses God as "Lord God" (Adonai Jehovah).   We learned that Adonai means lord and master.

As we continue our study of this name, read the following Scriptures and note what you learn.  What are the benefits and/or responsibilities when God is our master?  Who or what is He Adonai over?  You may need to read a few verses before or after the listed reference in order to understand the context.

• Psalm 141:8-10
• Psalm 119:125
• Judges 6:14-16
• Deuteronomy 9:26
• 1 Kings 2:26
• Psalm 2:4
• Psalm 97:5
• Psalm 136:3

As you think about what you learn from these verses, here are some further questions to ponder today.  Can you call Him "Adonai" (Lord) and yet refuse to do the things He tells you to do?  Is He really Adonai to you if you are disobedient to what He says?  What is the relationship between a master and a servant?  Does the servant get to "call the shots"?  And here's another question.....what is the relationship between salvation and lordship?  We're doing some deep thinking today, aren't we?  Think about that today and we'll continue tomorrow.

The Bottom Line

The name of the Lord is a strong tower.  The name of the Lord is Elohim, Creator.  The name of the Lord is El Elyon, God Most High.  The name of the Lord is El Roi, the God who sees.  The name of the Lord is El Shaddai, God Almighty and All-Sufficient.  And the name of the Lord is Adonai, Lord.

There are actually two names translated as "Lord" in Scripture.  There is Adonai, which we will begin examining today.  And there is Jehovah, the most holy name of God, the name we also know as Yahweh.  We'll talk about that name later.  Typically, at least in the KJV, ESV and NAS translations, Adonai is written as Lord, capital L and lower case o-r-d.  Jehovah is written in all capitals, LORD.

What does Adonai mean?  It means Lord, master.  The master has right of possession.  So Adonai indicates more than just a name; it speaks of a relationship.  How does this name compare to the other names?  As an example, Elohim speaks of God's might and power, whereas Adonai speaks of His right to rule over us.

What does Adonai have rulership over?  Read the following verses and note what you learn:

• Philippians 2:11
• Romans 10:9
• Daniel 1:2
• Psalm 8:1-8
• Psalm 37:12-13
• Psalm 114:7
• Psalm 135:5

In her book, Lord, I Want to Know You, Kay Arthur writes, " Lord is more than a word; it indicates a relationship.  The lordship of God means His total possession of me and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master."  Read what Jesus had to say about that in the Sermon on the Mount (look at Luke 6:46 and Matthew 7:21-23).  As we continue looking over the next several days at how this name of God, Adonai, is used in Scripture, we'll have opportunity to examine how that name relates to our own individual lives.  And we'll have opportunity to decide whether or not we can honestly say, "Lord, Lord".  And that's the bottom line, isn't it?

Hmmmmm.........

As I was researching the name El Shaddai, I discovered something interesting.  The name El Shaddai is used 48 times in the Old Testament.  That's in the KJV.  In the New American Standard translation, it is actually used 61 times.  That's an interesting bit of trivia.  But this is what I find really interesting......it's used most frequently in the Book of Job!  Hmmmmm.......

I'm sure we all remember the story of Job.....how he lost everything......how his wife told him to curse God and die.....how his so-called friends gave him such "wise" counsel about everything he had done wrong to deserve such treatment.  We may even be hesitant to study Job's story too much in case some of Job's difficulties might rub off on us!!  But isn't it interesting that Job's story is the portion of Scripture where God has divinely inspired the writer to use that particular name.  Isn't it interesting that it is in Job's life where we read most often about God as all powerful and all sufficient!  Hmmmmm.......  Maybe that's one of the lessons we are to learn from Job......that no matter how bad things get, God is sufficient!  God is powerful!  God is enough!

You and I may not have experienced anything as traumatic as Job did.  But we can probably all look back  at times in our lives when we experienced God's power and sufficiency to bring us through a tough time.  As we begin another week together, maybe it's a good time to look back.  And remember.  And give God thanks and praise for how He brought us through.  That's a good word, isn't it - "through".  Think about that today.  And worship El Shaddai!