What's in a name? - El Shaddai

The God almighty and the all sufficient one!  Two definitions that pertain to God being our everything.  Within Him all exist and all is supplied.  In the King James bible, Shadday is used 48 times and is most used in the book of Job!  Throughout Job, the Almighty is referred too often as the God of justice and wrath.  Some of the characteristics that we often fail to talk about when discussing God. Interesting that the almighty would be described in this way, when we often fail to recognize these characteristics of God.     When we read Job, we look at the dedication and perseverance of Job, but we fail to think of the all sufficient one providing for Job, but see God taking everything from Job.  But God still provided for Job's essential needs and in Him everything was still found.  At times we must lose everything to remember where everything came from, and give El Shaddai the praise He deserves.  El Shaddai provides for our every need and holds everything within His hand.  God is sufficient enough for our everything!  May we satisfy the almighty and give our all to El Shaddai!

What's in a name? - Yahweh (YHWH)

In my opinion, the most powerful name that exist for God!  The simple "I am" holds so much within itself.  A statement and name that holds everything within its grasp.  Everything that exist, everything that ever was or will ever be is His!  Wow, what an incredible thought to think of God as Yahweh!

It is used often in the Old Testament, being used 6,519 times.  It is the most used name for God in the Bible.  It is impossible to define this name by a simple reference to a specific verse, for it identifies so many aspects of God.

It is first used in Genesis, referring to Yahweh as a creator and designer.  This alone makes this name so powerful!  Everything that exist is from God and it shows a great imagination, a great design, and a level of order that no man can fully comprehend!  In Micah it talks about Yahweh coming down to earth and walking on the earth, which expresses a deep care and devotion for the things He created.  It shows a personal and active God in everything.  In Micah it also shows Yahweh as a righteous judge.  A God of justice allows us to have order and at the core, demonstrates Love.  In Proverbs it talks of Yahweh as a God of infinite wisdom.  A God who desires us to have the wisdom that He holds.  In Jeremiah it talks about Yahweh being a God of power, a God of control, and a God that is strong.  It shows an intercession on our behalf to watch out for us, to take care of us, and to protect us!

I really can't even scratch the surface of this name and this post may do more damage to this name rather than help since I'm so limiting in what I can say about it.  Everything is within the name Yahweh!  What a comfort to know that Yahweh will be by my side.  To know that Yahweh is big enough to create all that is and to be omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent and yet personal enough to come down to earth to show us the way!  It is awesome to see the God of Love and the God of Justice.  A righteous God who desires to draw us into the trinity.  May we forever praise Yahweh in all we do, for He is all that is!

What's in a name? - Jehovah Jireh

Can you imagine being asked to sacrifice your son?  What if the Lord asked you to do this?  I would think the Lord is crazy, but would I follow His command?  Well we all know the story of how Abraham was asked to sacrifice Isaac.  Abraham, although he struggled with this idea, followed the Lord's call and right before Abraham struck his son, an Angel of the Lord called out and stopped Abraham.  And after he is stopped, Abraham looks up and there is a ram caught in a bush.  Not a random happening, but something that God provided due to the faithfulness of Abraham.  So Abraham offers the ram as a sacrifice.  "So Abraham called the name of that place, "Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide).""  Genesis 22:14 (This is the only time this name appears in the Bible)

This may be the only time in the Bible that this name appears, but we see the presence of Jehovah Jireh all throughout the Bible.  Not only in the Bible, but everyday in our lives we see the work of Jehovah Jireh.  All to often we fail to recognize His provisions due to an expectation that we have placed in our lives.  We feel that we are owed the things we have and the blessings we have received, and fail to see them as what they are - BLESSINGS!  God is so good to us!  He provides for our every need and presents us with so much more than what we need.  He does provide and will pour blessings out in our lives, if only we trust.

It's so hard to trust though!  Sometimes the Lord's request make no sense at all and He ask too much of us.  So we then begin to think that maybe it's not the Lord or that we can get away with only doing part of what the Lord requires.  If this is the attitude then God can not fully provide everything He wants to provide to us.  We begin to hold back Jehovah Jireh because of our decision.  What, you don't think that God could ask something so crazy?  What's crazier than being asked to sacrifice your own son?  Nothing!  We will not be asked to do something this difficult because the grace of God and the sacrifice of His son covered our sins so that we don't have to make living sacrifices to the Lord.  But we are still required to be a living sacrifice and make sacrifices in our lives.  And sometimes these sacrifices will sound crazy and ask a lot of us, but don't we just burst at the seems thinking about what Jehovah Jireh will provide when we follow Him?

""Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness" - and he was called a friend of God."  James 2:23  Is this not what we want?  Don't we desire to be credited with righteousness, where we are an extension of the Trinity?  The incredible thing about the Holy Spirit is that when it dwells within us, we are then drawn into the Trinity.  Absolutely incredible!  And once we are drawn into the Trinity and willing to do whatever God ask, no matter how crazy, then we can fully see the work of Jehovah Jireh!

What's in a name? - Jehovah Nissi

A name that at first may seem to hold little significance at its first mention. Only found once in the Bible may lead one to believe that it is really not all that important. Once we take a closer look at the name, we begin to see the greatness of this name.

It means "The Lord our Banner". First impression? Maybe, "Oh cool, like go team go!" Ok, maybe a little cheesy, but really what's the significance.

When we look at the one and only passage where this if found, we can gain a context for this reference. So the Israelites are in a battle with the Amalekites and Joshua leads his army into battle. So get a picture of some epic battle, like in Braveheart. So Aaron rallies his men, and Moses, along with Aaron and Hur go to the top of a hill that overlooks the battle field. As long as Moses holds his hands in the air, he sees the Israelites winning the battle, but as soon as they are lowered, the Amalekites begin to gain ground. Let's think about this simple act of lifting our hands. It show's surrender, in this case to God, and it shows hands lifted high to give honor to something greater than ourselves. It's lifting up our burdens and cares to someone far greater than ourselves. But our arms grow weary and sometimes we need brothers and sisters around us to help us along the way.

With the help of Aaron and Hur, Moses held his hands in the air for the whole time of the battle, and seeing God win the battle for the Israelites. So Moses builds an alter in honor of what God did for them, and he called it Jehovah Nissi, The Lord our Banner.

Great story! But what's the significance? A banner is much more than a flag on a stick. It marked the battle ground and was often used to rally troops. It would be easy to get lost and separated from your men during battle, so a banner would be placed to help you find your fellow soldiers. Banners are often used to celebrate and to mark special occasions. A banner is used to create identity, to create a separation from others, but yet to unify one group. Think of the significance of a nations flag. It is honored and respected. The flag of the U.S. is unique and is the symbol of a country. It is something to be treated with reference and with a humbleness. It represents something greater than ourselves.

Yet I believe the greatest representation is not found in those things, but in the image of soldiers planting the flag after a victory. It is customary to plant one's flag in the battleground after a victory. My mind pictures the image at Iwo Jima, where the soldiers mark a long hard fought victory with the American flag. It is a sign of victory! Naming God our Banner states a reference, a devotion, and a commitment to Him. And with Him as our Banner, we know we will have victory. The Lord our Banner, simple, yet so powerful in knowing everything that this means to us. May we rally around the flag, pull together to fight, and stand before our King!  And above all, we can claim victory and plant the flag in every battle ground we find ourselves in!  For we do not fight for victory, but we fight from victory!

What's in a name? - Elohim

"In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth."

I chose to start with this name since it is the first name used for God. This name only appears in the Hebrew language and is the most used name for God in the Bible being used 2,570. The Jewish people use this name to refer to God as either the creator or the judge of the universe. El is translated meaning "Strong One". Many times this name is combined with other names of God to give a more descriptive meaning. When formed with other names it is spelled Elohei which translates "God of -".
This is the most revered name of God to the Jewish people and it is treated with absolute reverence.

This is written to build a simple base knowledge. This is the foundations of many names. I know this is a rather dull intro into the names and I really provided little insight, but pulled most of this off of research from the internet. In the names to come, much deeper research will be done. But it is important to understand this name first since many more names will build off of the name Elohim.

What's in a name?

I'm going to launch a new blog series on the names of God! I'm excited to start this new exploration into the names of God, because I think His names are important and they show us a part of who He is. Our names are important, for we take pride in our name and it in a way it defines who we are. It individuals us. In the same way, the names of God are important and they define who God is. I have never taken a lot of time to study His names, so this will be a huge learning experience for me and I hope you can gain something from my study as well. Please list any names of God that you love, desire to know more about, or have questions about and I will dive into that name!