THE NAMES OF GOD-----ADONAI

THE NAMES OF GOD----ADONAI

MASTER AND RULER

   We have studied two other Names of God so far.  I am confused as to why the translators of the Holy Bible have decided, in essence, to change God's Names.  I understand that His numerous Names are mostly found in the Old Testament and we now live under grace, but having those Names gives us a deeper understanding of our Holy God.  Who doesn't want to know all we can about The One Who created us, Who loves us?  Here's a little tidbit I didn't know before:  when LORD is used in all capitals, the Name is actually YHWY (Jehovah); when only the first letter is in caps, Lord, the Name is "Master" (Adonai).

   Let's begin this study in the New Testament with the opening greeting from the Apostle Paul in the Book of Romans:  1) Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God. (King James Version)  The New Living Translation says "slave" rather than "servant", which is synonymous.  The Apostle Paul willingly gave up his freedom, his life, to become a slave to the One Who paid the price for him.  Some of us know God as Elohim, Creator, but when we surrender all to Him, we experience Adonai, Master, Ruler.

   When a master owns a slave, he is responsible to provide the basics for him:  food, clothing, shelter, drink.  He is responsible for the slave's well being.  When the slave accepts his position of slave, and gives everything that is in him to the master, then he is promoted, given more responsibility, maybe even given gifts.  I am a slave to God.  He alone owns all there is, He alone made all there is.  My problem is that when He changes my assignment, I grumble.  I am working on that because I am sure it aggravates my Holy God.  It is just my flesh trying to control my circumstances, not necessarily my assignment.   I am totally about God.

   Now, as an example of Master/slave, let us look at Gideon.  I love the story about Gideon.  I can so relate to putting the blanket out to see where the dew is on it for confirmation of what I THOUGHT God told me.  haha.  The story is found in Judges, beginning in chapter 6:  God was punishing Israel for disobeying Him.  He had told them to shy away from worshiping idols, but they did it anyway. So, God allowed Midian to win a war against Israel.  This story begins as Israel cries out to God for relief from the oppression of the Midianites.  (Haven't we done the same thing when things get rough?)

verse 11) The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.  You can't hide anything from God.  He saw what Gideon was doing.

12) When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, He said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."

13) "Pardon me, my lord, " Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us?  Where are all His wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?'  But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian."

14) The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand.  Am I not sending you?"

15) "Pardon me, my lord, " Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel?  My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family."  We also make the excuse that we are nobody when God sends us on a mission.  Why would He send us?!?  But He sees us as "mighty warriors"!  Even if we want to hide from that one mistake we made years ago, if  God doesn't care about us "threshing wheat in the winepress so the Midianites wouldn't know, He will use us anyway!  Don't worry about it!

16) The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."

   Gideon made asked the Angel of the Lord to wait for him and he went to his tent and prepared a goat and unleavened bread and broth and brought it back and sat it before The Lord.  God consumed it with fire and disappeared.  Then Gideon realized he had been face to face with the Angel of the Lord and was terrified.  But God told him not to be afraid, he would not die.  Then Gideon built an altar to The Lord right there.  The Lord became Gideon's Master, Owner, Adonai.  Gideon would obey his Master.

   Even though Gideon talked with the angel of God face to face, he still needed reassurance that he understood Him right.  Read it for yourself in Chapter 6.  But God wanted it understood that the victory was His, so He thinned the camp of Gideon from 30,000 men to 300 men.  Then, God saw that Gideon needed a little more reassurance, so He sent Gideon and his servant to eavesdrop on a conversation between a couple of men in the opposing camp, telling about a dream one of them had.  Finally, Gideon was "fired up:" about following God's instructions.

Chapter 7, verse 15) When Gideon heard the dream and its interpretation, he bowed down and worshiped.  He returned to the camp of Israel and called out, "Get up! The Lord has given the Midianite camp into your hands."

 16) Dividing the three hundred men into three companies, he placed trumpets and empty jars in the hands of all of them, with torches inside.

   You can read about the victory in the rest of Chapter 7.  There is a number of points to take away from this:  1) When you recognize God as your Master and Owner, and obey His instruction, He will give you the victory, no matter who you are or what your circumstances.  2) He will destroy the "Midianites" in your own life when you call out to Him:  shame, anxiety, addiction, whatever is holding you back from a thriving relationship with Him.  He is Jehovah and desires a relationship with you.  He will slay that which keeps you from Him if you will surrender to His power.  3) He tells us over and over in His Word to "fear not, He is with us".   Recognize that He has given you the ability to take care of yourself:  to eat, to drink, to breathe, to support yourself.  Do not fall in the trap of thinking YOU are able, because YOU are not.  YOU are nothing without HIM.

 

Is God the Lord and Master of you?  Looking at your life, your checkbook, your calendar, it there evidence that you honor your Master above all else?  Have you even accepted the unbelievable gift of salvation?  click here for more information on salvation:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.


As always, if this ministry is a blessing to you, please pray that God gives us wisdom and uses us for His glory.  

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THE NAMES OF GOD-JEHOVAH

THE NAMES OF GOD-JEHOVAH

I AM THAT I AM

   The second Name of God we will look at is revealed to Moses at the burning bush.  Moses was a Hebrew by birth but was raised an Egyptian.  (You can read that story in Exodus 1.)   After killing an Egyptian guard, he had fled Egypt.  This story, from the Book of Exodus, chapter 3, takes place about forty years after that incident:

1) Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian:  and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

2) And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush:  and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

photo courtesy of Dr. Kirk Lewis

3) And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt.

4) And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses.  And he said, Here am I.

5) And He said, Draw not nigh hither:  put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.

6) Moreover He said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.  And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

7) And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt,and have heard their cry by reason of the taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;

8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.

9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me:  and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.

10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel out of Egypt.

11) And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

12) And He said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee:  when thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.

13) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His Name?  what shall I say unto them?

14) And God said unto Moses, I Am That I Am:  and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you.

15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you:  this is My Name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations.

16) Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt.

   I Am What I Am.  In Hebrew, The Name is YHWY (YAHWEH); in English, we say "Jehovah".  This reveals His relational nature.  He is not a God Who sits on a throne dictating what is to be done and how it is to be done or "off with your head!"  He is a God Who wants us to love Him and to be involved with Him and His kingdom.

   In verse 3, Moses turned aside from the mundane task of shepherding the flock to investigate the unusual site.  Had he ignored it, he would have missed the greatest opportunity of his life....a closer walk with God!

   Now, look again at verse 6:  Did you catch the part where God knew Moses was not an Egyptian by birth?  God introduced Himself as the God of Moses' ancestors:  Hebrews.  He doesn't need to see our DNA to know who we are and from where we came.  HE KNOWS US BY NAME!

   In verses 7, 8,  and 9,  He tells Moses that He hears the cry of His people.  He is compassionate.  He will rescue them.  The fact is, that they got themselves in that position by not obeying God to begin with.  Right?

   Note in verse 12 that He tells Moses that He will be with him as he carries out this mission that is given to him.  Where He sends us, He will stay with us.  I love where God is talking to Moses as if this were a done deal; Moses wants to argue and make excuses.  Do you know anyone like this...especially parents talking to their children when the parents have made up their minds about how it is going to be?

   After Moses obeyed God, went to Pharaoh, witnessed the plagues that God sent, led the Israelites out of Egypt through the parted sea, conversed with Him in the tent in the wilderness, Moses wanted more.  He asked God to show him more of  Himself!   Do you know anyone THAT hungry for God?

   When Moses asked to see God, he was granted that request!  (Exodus 33: 19-23)   He experienced the creation of the worlds and wrote about it in detail.  He was the author of Genesis.

   Friend, God is not finished.  He wants to reveal things to you and me.  It is true that God is Elohim, Creator of all, Powerful God.  But strive to have a relationship with Jehovah, Yahweh, our Relational, Self-Revealing God.  Purposefully make reading/studying the Holy Bible a priority.  There are many blessings waiting for you.

If you have not accepted the gift of salvation, click here:   https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html.


If this ministry is a blessing to you, please pray for us, that G-d may be glorified in our efforts.

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THE NAMES OF GOD-ELOHIM

THE NAMES OF GOD-ELOHIM

   We are embarking on a study of the Names of God.  Our reference books are:  The Names of God by Ken Hemphill and The Power of God's Names by Tony Evans.  I encourage you to purchase these books and proofread this blog for errors.  I have been known to publish an error or two, which I correct as soon as it is pointed out to me.  I am not proud or soft skinned.  The purpose of this blog is to draw you a little closer to God through studying Who He is.  This blog is not about me.

   With the introductions out of the way, let me tell you that I am in awe of my God.  Let me return to my First Love.

ELOHIM

   We first find God in the Book of Genesis, chapter 1,verse 1.  "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."  God was before all else was.  He was before the heaven and the earth.  He was before time.  He was before all of creation.  He created all matter, time, everything.  This is foundational to our Christian faith.  There is no logical explanation for all creation except by design.... and it was God Who designed it all; even wisdom is of God and He gives it freely.

 God tells Job so eloquently in chapter 38 of Job:

4) Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?  declare, if you have understanding.

5) Who has laid the measures thereof, if you know?  or who has stretched the line upon it?

6) Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened?  or who laid the corner stone thereof;

7) when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

8) Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, and as if it had issued out of the womb?

9) When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

10) And brake up for it My decreed place, and set bars and doors,

11) And said, Hitherto shall you come, but no further:  and here shall your proud waves be stayed?

12) Have you commanded the morning since the beginning of your life; and caused the dayspring to know his place;.........

16) Have you entered into the springs of the sea? or have you walked in the search of the depth?

17) Have the gates of death been opened unto you?  or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

18) Do you know the breadth of the earth?  declare if you know it all........

21)  Do you know all this because you were already born?  or because the number of your days is great?.........

36) Who has put wisdom in the inward parts?  or Who has given understanding to the heart?.....

   I love reading the Book of Job.  God continues talking to Job in the next few chapters, also.   It is more than worth reading.  Anyway, God is telling Job, again, that He alone, the Triune God, is He Who created all things and was before anything was created.  It was all created by His design and was all created from nothing.  God spoke it all into existence (with the exception of man)! 

  (SPOILER ALERT:) Job finally sees God for Who He is and repents in chapter 42.  His understanding of God as Creator restores his confidence that God knows about his present circumstances and can provide for his daily needs.  The understanding that God is Elohim, the Creator and Sustainer of all, also gives us confidence to face life's difficulties.

   Elohim literally means "Strong One".  He alone is sovereign.  His power is great.  There is nothing too difficult for God.  (Genesis18:14 and Luke 1:37)  He contains within Himself all of Divinity.  He is the Creator and Sustainer of all.

   In Isaiah 40: 26, God speaks:
Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
   Who created all these?
He Who brings out the starry host one by one
   and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of His great power and mighty strength,
   not one of them is missing.  King James Version  (KJV) Public Domain

then, beginning with verse 28:
 
Do you not know?
   Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God,
   the Creator of the ends of the earth.

 He will not grow tired or weary,
   and His understanding no one can fathom.

29) He gives strength to the weary
   and increases the power of the weak.

30) Even youths grow tired and weary,
   and young men stumble and fall;

31) but those who hope in the Lord
   will renew their strength.

They will soar on wings like eagles;
   they will run and not grow weary,
   they will walk and not be faint.  New International Version  (NIV)

   Finally, Elohim is relational.  He walked in the Garden of Eden with His creation.  He interacts with us.  He knows us intimately.  He has the hairs on your head numbered....and I don't know about you, but mine fall out all of the time. (Luke 12: 7, Matthew 10:30)  He keeps up with them.  Haha

   Tony Evans sums it up this way:  "Whatever God is going to do for you, He has already done.  Whatever God has planned for you to do, He has already planned.  Whatever God has purposed for your life, He has already purposed."  Tony references Ephesians 2:10 for that:  For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

   I say, stop looking at your circumstances and focus on God.  He is able.  Trust in Him.  Amen?


Don't you want a relationship with the Creator and Sustainer of everything and everybody?  Click here to get on the path of righteousness:    https://omaswisdom.blogspot.com/p/path-to-salvation.html. 



If this ministry is a blessing to you, please pray for us, that God will use us for His glory.  You are encouraged to leave us a comment with your thoughts and please share this post on your favorite social media.  Thank you