The Names Of God In The Bible.
Abba ~ Father.
(Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; Galatians 4:6.)
Have you ever thought about God as a daddy? Galatians 4:6 says,
"And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father." Abba is the Aramaic
word meaning Daddy, Father. It's a term of warm affection, intimacy, and respect for one's father. Now, to some that may sound
like an irreverent way to address God, but Jesus called God, "Our Father," in Matthew 6:9 and He gave us that same right.
In America, children call their fathers, Daddy. But in the Middle East, they say Abba. Jesus says that we can call the great
God of the Universe, Abba Father. Daddy Father.
Adonay ~ LORD, Master.
(Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalm 2:4, 8:1, 97:5, 136:3; Isaiah 1:24, 6:1;
Romans 10:9.)
The gifted violinist Fritz Chrysler had a Stradivarius violin that
at one time belonged to an old Englishman. Chrysler offered to buy it, but the old man told him that the violin was not for
sale. One day he ventured to the old man's house and asked if he could touch it. The old man invited Chrysler in. He tucked
it under his chin and began to draw the bow across the strings. Great tears began to well up in the old Englishman's eyes.
Chrysler saw the man's face and said, "I'm sorry, but I would so much like to buy this instrument." The old Englishman said,
"It is not for sale, but it is yours. You are the master. You alone are worthy of it." When we call God Adonay, we are saying
that He is the Master. He alone is worthy, nothing and no one else. He is worth all that we have and all that we are.
Alpha and Omega ~ The Begining and the End
(Revelation 1:8, 1:11, 21:6, 22:13.)
The noted historian, H. G. Wells, made a list of the ten greatest
men of history and number one on that list was Jesus Christ. But, Jesus doesn't belong on that list. He doesn't belong on
anybody's list. He is Jesus the First and the Last. Jesus said in Revelation, "I am Alpha and Omega." Alpha is the first letter
of the Greek alphabet. Omega is the last. If Jesus was speaking to an English audience, He would say, "I am A and Z." Did
you know that the Bible is made up of just twenty-six letters? What Jesus is saying about the written word is true about the
living Word. John chapter one tells us that "In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among
us." Jesus was in the beginning as the Word of God. And He is God's final word for all eternity.
Attiyq Youm ~ The Ancient of Days.
(Daniel 7:9, 13, 14.)
What do you think about when you hear this name for God - "Ancient
of Days"? Isaiah 46:9-10 says, "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there
is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My
counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure."
Only God can tell in ancient times the things that are not yet
done. Thomas Watson, who was the chairman of IBM, said in 1943, that there's a world market for maybe five computers. In 1977
Ken Olsen, the founder of Digital Equipment, said, "There's no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." It's comments
like these that help us see how foolish we are to think we can know the future. Only God is the Ancient of Days.
Christos ~ The Anointed One.
(Matthew 1:16, 16:16-20; Mark 8:29; Luke 2:11, 9:20; John 1:41,
4:42, 6:69, 7:41-42, 11:27, 17:3, 20:31; Acts 2:36, 3:18, 5:42, 8:37, Romans 5:8, 5:15, 6:4, 6:23, 8:1, 8:39, 10:17; 1 Corinthians
1:30, 11:3, 12:12; 2 Corinthians 2:14-15, 5:17-20, 8:9, 12:9-10; Galatians 2:20-21, 6:14; Ephesians 1:5, 2:5-7, 4:15; Philippians
1:6, 1:21, 2:5-11, 3:7-9, 3:20, 4:19, Colossians 3:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 5:9; 1 Timothy 1:15-16, 2:5; Hebrews 3:6, 5:5, 9:14,
10:10, 13:8; 1 Peter 3:18; 1 John 5:6, 20; Revelation 11:15.)
First John 4:2 says, "Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God." John uses two names, Jesus, which refers to His human name,
and Christ, which refers to His divine title. Jesus Christ is fully man and fully Messiah at the same time. Christ, which
means Messiah, the Anointed One is His divine title. Jesus is God in human flesh. This is the fundamental doctrine of our
faith - that God stepped out of heaven and took upon human flesh. We call that the incarnation. Carnis means flesh. When Jesus
Christ took upon Himself humanity, He did not take it while He was here on earth and then laid it aside when He went back
to heaven. He took His humanity back to heaven with Him. For all eternity Jesus Christ will be a man.
El Chuwl ~ The God Who Gave You Birth.
(Psalm 139:13-18.)
Isaiah 43, 1-3 says, "But now thus saith the LORD that created
thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou
art Mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the LORD
thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Savior." God is saying, "I made you, I saved you, I'm going to take care of you." God
has made you for a purpose And He's going to take care of you. Even when sin marred God's original creation, God didn't say,
"I'm finished with it." No. God made it and God stays with it. Isn't that a wonderful arrangement?
El Deah ~ God of Knowledge.
(1 Samuel 2:3; Romans 11:33-36; 1Corinthians 1:18-31.)
You think about His omniscience, He knows everything. God is the
God of all knowledge. God inhabits eternity. God sees the beginning. God sees the middle. God sees the end. God sees it all
at one time. God is all-knowing - He can't learn anything. God knows everything that's going to happen. Not a blade of grass
moves but what He knows it. If you're saved, God knew that you would receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
Nothing takes God by surprise. God never says, "Ooops. I never
thought of that." God is omniscient. I don't understand how He swung the stars in the night sky. Or scooped the oceans and
heaped up the mountains and runs this mighty universe. Romans 11:34 says, "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who
hath been His counsellor?" We don't have to know all that our Father does for Him to be our Father.
El Elyon ~ The God Most High.
(Genesis 14:18-20; Psalm 61:2; 92:1; Daniel 7:25.)
El Elyon speaks of the supremacy of God. He is above all. Now,
what does El Elyon mean? The word means the strongest of the strong and the highest of the high. Hinduism and Pantheism speak
of God as a part of the universe. But God is not a part of the universe. He is the transcendent God. He is above all. He is
the Most High God. Jesus is our El Elyon. Colossians 1:16-17 says, "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things
were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist." God is above all things. Jesus
is our El Elyon.
El Olam ~ The Everlasting God.
(Genesis 3:22; 21:33; Psalm 90:1-2; 93:2; Isaiah 9:6; 26:4; 40:28.)
God never changes. Psalm 90:1-2 says, "Lord, thou hast been our
dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." What a wonderful thing to know that in a changing world God does not
change! Time does not alter God.
Psalm 90:4 says, "For a thousand years in thy sight are but as
yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night." Well, what do all these verses mean? There are no surprises to God.
As Corrie Ten Boom says, "There's no panic in heaven." God knows the past and the future at the same time. Jesus is our El
Olam. He is the King of the Ages. Hebrews 1:8 says, "But unto the Son He saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a
sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom."
El Roi ~ The God Who Sees.
(Genesis 16:13, Genesis 16:1-16, Psalm 33:18-19.)
El Roi was first revealed in the Bible by Hagar. She was Sarah's
handmaiden, who became pregnant with Abraham's child so, in their minds, they could fulfill the promise of God. Soon after
the child was conceived, things became very difficult between Sarah and her. So much so, that Hagar fled out into the wilderness.
Friendless, homeless, pregnant, not knowing what would become of her, she laid down by a fountain in the wilderness. There,
an angel appeared to her to give her comfort and to speak of God's grace and mercy. Genesis 16:13 says: "And she called the
name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" Did
you know that God sees you right now? God knows your very thoughts. His eye is on the sparrow and I know He watches me.
El Shaddai ~ God Almighty.
(Genesis 17:1-19, 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; Exodus 6:2-3; Ruth
1:20; Job 5:17; Ezekiel 10:5; Psalm 91:1.)
The name El Shaddai appears seven times in the Word of God. As
I read the newspapers, I can go back to the Book of Genesis and see that immutable, unbreakable promise that God made to father
Abraham. Genesis 17:1-2 says, "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him,
I am the Almighty God; walk before Me, and be thou perfect. And I will make My covenant between Me and thee, and will multiply
thee exceedingly." This promise has changed the world. Every Jew upon the face of the earth is a living testimony of the faithfulness
of Almighty God. And this God who keeps His promise to Abraham is the same God that keeps His promises to you and I through
Jesus Christ.
Elohim ~ The Creator.
(Genesis 1:1-3, 27-28; 3:3; Isaiah 40:28, 54:5; Psalm 19:1-6, 95:6;
Nehemiah 9:17; Hebrews 1:8, 11:3.)
Genesis 1:1 says, "In the beginning God created the heaven and
the earth." It literally says, "In the beginning Elohim, Elohim created the heaven and the earth." That's the Hebrew word
from two root words: El, which means strength and unlimited power. And the last part of is allah, which means to keep a promise.
Elohim is also a plural noun. I believe that right here on the threshold of the Bible we see an indication of the nature of
God, as shown in the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. All three were present in creation
(see John 1:3). Aren't you glad we find the Savior in chapter 1, verse 1? Aren't you glad we find the Holy Spirit in chapter
1, verse 1? Aren't you glad we find the Father in chapter 1, verse 1 of the Word of God?
Yahweh ~ The Self-Existent One.
(Isaiah 40:3; 10; 1 Samuel 1:20; Exodus 6:1-4; 3:1-22; John 6:35;
8:12; 10:7, 9, 11, 14; 11:25; 14:6; 15:1, 5.)
The name Jehovah is used some 6,800 times in the Bible. It is the
personal covenant name of Israel's God. In the King James version of the Bible, it's translated Lord God. Not only does it
speak of God's strength, but also it speaks of the sovereignty of God and the goodness of God. The root of this name means
"self-existing," one who never came into being, and one who always will be. When Moses asked God, "Who shall I tell Pharaoh
has sent me?" God said, "I AM THAT I AM." Jehovah or Yahweh is the most intensely sacred name to Jewish scribes and many will
not even pronounce the name. When possible, they use another name.
Yahweh-Bore ~ The LORD Creator.
(Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6; Isaiah 40:28-31; Job 38:1-41, 39:1-30,
40:1.)
Can you imagine what a modern writer would do if he tried to describe
the creation of the heavens and the earth? Even if he believed in God, what an avalanche of adjectives he would pour out!
What double-jointed and obtuse terms he would have to use to describe the creation of the earth! Aren't you glad that God
said it, surely, sweetly, sublimely, and simply: "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." How beautiful
that is. It always tickles me when I read about how scientists are trying to discover the mystery of the creation of the universe.
They just scratch their heads and say, "We've got to go back to the laboratory now, a lot of things we thought we knew we
didn't know." God just spoke and it was so.
Yahweh-Nissi ~ The LORD My Banner.
(Exodus 17:15)
The Lord is a reigning banner over us all the time. The Hebrew
for "banner" comes from the root word "to be high" or "raised." This was the name given to the altar that Moses erected to
commemorate the defeat of the Amalekites at Rephidim (Exodus 17:8-15). He goes before us and behind us to give us the victory
in all circumstances of life. Even in the midst of the battle, the banner of the Lord is raised over us. Psalm 23:5 says,
"Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over."
Who is the God who prepares a table of celebration in the presence of the enemy? When the enemy shall come in like a flood,
then shall the Lord hold up a banner before him. The victory in all of life is the Lord's.
Yahweh-Raah ~ The LORD My Shepherd.
(Psalm 23; 80:1; 95:7; Isaiah 40:11; Jeremiah 31:10; Ezekiel 34:12;
23; Matthew 25:32; John 10:11-27; Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Peter 2:25; 5:4.)
Psalm 23 and John 10 are the most beautiful descriptions of God
as our Shepherd, Jehovah Rajah. When we say "Lord," we think of God's deity. When we say "my Shepherd," we think of God's
humanity. God in human form - Jesus Christ - prophesized in the Old Testament and revealed in the New Testament. The Jehovah
of the Old Testament is the Jesus of the New Testament. As the Good Shepherd, He dealt with the penalty of sin. As the Great
Shepherd, He deals with the power of sin. As the Chief Shepherd, He's coming to take us from the very presence of sin.
Yahweh-Rapha ~ The LORD That Healeth.
(Exodus 15:26; 2 Chronicles 7:14; Psalm 6:2; 41:4; 103:3; 147:3;
Isaiah 19:22; 30:36; 57:18-19; Jeremiah 3:22; 17:14; 30:17; Matthew 8:7; 10:1; Luke 4:18)
Does Jesus heal? Yes! He is the Almighty Lord, our healer. He can
heal instantaneously by a miracle. He can heal over time through medicine. But let me add, that not every saint will be healed
in this lifetime either by miracle or by medicine, nor instantaneously or in time. Right now, God is more interested in having
you holy rather than healthy. Our bodies are not yet redeemed. The redemption of the body is going to come at the rapture
of the church and the resurrection of the Christian dead. It is at that time that we will be made like unto Him. There is
no sickness in the Lord's body and there will be no sickness in our resurrection body. If you are not healed in this life,
child of God, you will be healed in eternity.
Yahweh-Shalom ~ The LORD Is Peace.
(Genesis 49:10; Judges 6:23-24; Psalm 4:8; 29:11; Proverbs 16:7;
Isaiah 26:3; 2 Thessalonians 3:16.)
The Lord greeted Gideon in peace, so he built an altar and named
it "The LORD is Peace" (see Judges 6:23-24). You have probably heard the blessing "Shalom" from Jewish friends and acquaintances.
It means peace. More importantly it means the Lord, our peace.
Where does the Shepherd lead His sheep? Beside peaceful, still
waters. "He leads me beside the still waters; He makes me lie down in green pastures" (Psalm 23:2). When your heart is content,
you are at peace. And where does that contentment come from? The grace of God. There's no man more discontent than one who
is not experiencing the amazing grace of God. Only in Jesus, will you find security, sufficiency, and serenity.
Yahweh-Shammah ~ The LORD is There.
(Genesis 28:15; Ezekiel 48:35; Psalm 23:4; 46:1; 139:7-12; Jeremiah
23:23-24; Amos 5:14; Matthew 18:20; 28:20; John 14:16-17; Acts 7:48-49; 17:24-28.)
Psalm 139:7 asks, "Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither
shall I flee from Thy presence?" And what is the answer? God is omnipresent. He's everywhere. Somebody said that God is a
circle whose center is everywhere and whose circumference is nowhere. There is not a murmur, but that He hears it. There's
not a movement, but that He sees it. There's not a motive, but that He knows it. Neither Death, darkness, nor distance can
hide us. When I am discouraged, His presence sees me through. When I am lonely, His presence cheers me up. When I am worried,
His presence calms me down. When I am tempted, His presence helps me out.
Yahweh-Tsabbaoth ~ The LORD Of Hosts.
(Isaiah 6:3; 1 Samuel 1:3, 17:45; 2 Samuel 6:2, 7:26-27; 1 Chronicles
11:9; Haggai 1:5; Romans 9:29; James 5:4; 2 Corinthians 6:18; Revelation 1:8; 4:8)
Jehovah-sabaoth literally means the Lord Almighty. It speaks of
the sovereignty of God over all the powers of the universe. The second stanza from Martin Luther's hymn "A Mighty Fortress
Is Our God" says, "Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing, Were not the right man on our side, The
man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He, Lord Sabbaoth His name, From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle."
David understood the greatness of God when he went against Goliath
with five smooth stones and a sling. David said to Goliath, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a
shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." Oh,
that each of us would have this same conception of God in our battles.
Yahweh-Tsidkenu ~ The LORD Our Righteousness.
(Genesis 15:6; Jeremiah 23:6; Psalm 4:1; 5:8; 24:5; 31:1; 36:10;
71:15; 89:16; Matthew 6:33; Romans 4:22; 5:18; 8:10; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Philippians 3:9.)
We are not righteousness in and of ourselves. Our righteousness
comes from God and God alone. Jesus imputes His righteousness into us so that we can see God. For you see, Hebrews 12:14 says
that without holiness, no man will see God. Second Corinthians 5:21 says, "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew
no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Isn't that terrific? You see, if you are a child of God, you
are holy. Are you feeling that you can't live the Christian life? That's right where you need to be. You see, God never asked
you to live the Christian life apart from Him. He wants to be your strength, He wants to live the Christian life through you
and do for you what you could never do for yourself.
Yahweh-Yireh ~ The LORD Will Provide.
(Genesis 22:14, 22:1-18.)
Yireh is from the same Hebrew word as Moriah, which is the name
of the region where God sent Abraham to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22). In Genesis 22:11-13 we read, "And the angel of the LORD
called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the
lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine
only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns:
and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son." God provided the lamb.
And Abraham called the place Yahweh-Yireh - God is our substitutionary sacrifice.
(Dr. Adrian Rodgers)