Summer in the Systematics: Theology Proper (Part 3)

Transcript

JRS 13
07/17/2022
Summer in the Semantics: Theology Proper (Part 3)
Selected Verses
Jesse Randolph


Well, you’ve likely had the experience I’ve had of being introduced to someone for the first time and to hear that they have a unique-sounding name. Perhaps a name that derives from another language or another culture. Perhaps a name that derives from their parents’ own ingenuity or creativity. Which leads to you saying something like this. Or least it leads me to say something like this. “That’s a really interesting sounding name.” “That’s like a beautiful name.” “I’ve never heard that name before.” They’ll then give their obligatory “thank you” at which point you or I ever curious will way something like “What does your name mean?” Or think of the expecting mom and the new dad as they are scouring “baby names” books or “baby names” websites these days. One of the first questions they’ll ask, when their finger lands on a name they like, is the same question.

They’ll ask what does the name mean? What is the meaning of that name? See, names, even in our day, in our twenty-first century context, even today, carry some form of meaning. People are given names because it’s family tradition. That’s why we still have Elmer’s and Harold’s running around today. People are named after their favorite musicians or sports figures which is why we have kids these days named Jeter or Jagger or Shaquille. In Christian circles people are named for various figures mentioned in the Bible. There are only two that I know who are off limits though. That would be Jezebel and Judas. You don’t see any of those on the playground these days. And then there are those who are given names simply because the parents liked the sound of the name. Or because the name had a specific meaning to them. Now, we may not always agree with the meaning others attach to their naming of their child. Especially when they name their child something like Apple, or Moonbeam, or Seven. But that’s irrelevant because the name still has meaning to them.

The Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck is helpful on this point. In his work “The Doctrine of God,” he wrote this. He said, “A name is an indication of the bearer, an appellation according to this or that attribute which he reveals and by which he may be known. Between the name and its bearer there is a certain connection, and this connection is not arbitrary. Even among us, though names have for the most part become sounds without meaning, that connection is felt.” Bavinck continues by saying, “A name is something personal. It is not a mere number. It is always more or less unpleasant to have one’s name misspelled. Our name stands for our honor, our worth, our personality, our individuality.” Bavinck is right and he’s zeroing in on what I referred to earlier. That names have meaning!

Well, the significance we attach to human names is not a new phenomenon. In fact, if we go back to the earliest pages of Scripture, we see that the names given to various characters on the pages of the bible had significance. Names often, for instance, reflected the character of the one who was named, or how this person fit into the narrative storyline of Scripture. For instance, in Hebrew Adam meant “man.” Cain meant “to get or to acquire,” because Eve declared she had gotten a child with the help of the Lord. Noah means “rest.” Abraham is “the father of many.” Sarah was “princess.” Isaac means “laughter” because of the reaction of Abraham and Sarah when Sarah learned she was with child in her old age. Jacob was “one who takes by the heel,” he’s the heal catcher. Esau was “hairy” and Edom, the people that came from Esau meant “red.” We’re going to be doing this all night, can you tell? I have like three hundred slides. Benjamin was “son of the right hand.” Hannah was “grace or favor.” Nabal was “fool.” Elijah, “my God is Yahweh.” Isaiah, “Yahweh is salvation,” and Ezekiel “God will strengthen.” Daniel ( going on) is “God is my judge.” Amos was “load or burden,” and Jonah was “dove.”

So in the Old Testament in the Hebrew language these names had specific meanings and significant meanings that were attached to their bearers. But it continued on in the New Testament with the Greek language. Barnabas was “son of encouragement” as we see in Acts 4:36. Eutychus was “fortunate.” Dorcas was a “gazelle.” Onesimus who we know from the book of Philemon, he was the slave, his name was “beneficial or profitable.” Paul, this is actually not a Greek name. Paul’s name is actually the Latin name Paulus, which means “small or humble.” Peter, Petros, Cephas was “rock.” Stephen, “crown.” Thomas, “twin.” Timothy “honoring God.”
And then there’s the name of our Lord Himself, Jesus. Jesus is the English form of “Iesous,” which was the Greek form of the Aramaic name Yeshua which itself is a contracted form of the Hebrew Yehoshu’a, Joshua, which means “Yahweh is salvation.”

Well, in tonight’s study, we are looking at the many different names of God. And, as we’re going to see in a way that’s similar to human nomenclature, the many different names of God revealed in Scripture reflect His person and His character. And they provide us as fallen human beings with helpful insights, further insight, into who He is.

Charles Ryrie, in his “Basic Theology”, said this about the names of God. He says, “The many names of God in the Scriptures provide additional revelation of His character. These are not mere titles assigned by people but, for the most part, His own descriptions of Himself. As such they reveal aspects of His character.”

Indeed. For followers of Christ, we can find great clarity and comfort as we study the names of God. In that they sharpen our view of Him. They increase our adoration for Him. And they fuel our worship of Him.

So, in tonight’s lesson, we are going to work our way through many of the different names of God by which God has revealed Himself on the pages of Scripture. We’re not going to go through all the names of God. We don’t have time to go through that in one block of an evening message but we’re going to go through some of them. And as we do so we’re going to highlight certain key truths about God’s character that can be drawn from each of those names by which He's revealed Himself.

Now I want to note at the front end that we’re going to be going through the proper names of God. Names like El Shaddai and Adonai and Yahweh. We’re not going to be going through the various descriptive titles of God which are innumerable. We’re not going to be going through names like this. That God is a Lion, Isaiah 31:4. That He’s an Eagle, Deuteronomy 32:11. Various similes and metaphors being used for God. That He is a Lamb, Isaiah 53:7. Or He’s a Rock, Deuteronomy 32:4. That He’s our Fortress, 2 Samuel 22:2. That He’s our Maker, Job 36:3. That He’s our King, 1 Samuel 12:12. He’s our Redeemer, Psalm 19:14. That He’s our Judge, Genesis 18:25. He’s our Shield, Psalm 3:3. He’s our Light, Psalm 27:1. Our Shadow, Psalm 91:1. A Fountain, Psalm 36:9. A Hiding Place, Psalm 119:114.Our Strength, Psalm 46:1. Our Tower, Proverbs 18:10. And our Portion, Jeremiah 10:16. There are so many of these descriptive titles of God it would take hours to work each of them as they are revealed on the pages of the Bible so we’ll have to save that for another time. This evening, what we’re going to be doing is working through several, as I mentioned already, of the proper names of God.

So with that, let’s dive into our study. The first name of God we’ll get into this evening is el.
You see it up on the screen behind me, e-l. Don’t think Spanish when you see that name. This is the root name of God. Many of the names of God that we find in the Old Testament have their root in this Hebrew word “el.” This word in Hebrew is made up of those two Hebrew letters. The letter that you see on your right that looks like an “x” is called an aleph. Not an olive like a green or a black olive. Aleph. And then the letter next to that is a lamed which is an “l” sounding Hebrew letter. When you put those letters together in Hebrew, you get the word “el.” That first letter that looks like an “x”, the aleph, is actually silent. The “e” sound that you get… Hebrew lesson, I’m kind of nerding out on you tonight. Apologies. Those two little dots that you see under the aleph are actually an “e” vowel, an “e” sounding vowel. So that’s actually giving you the “e” sound next to the “l”, the lamed, that’s how we read off the page here “el”.

Most Hebrew linguists would say that this word “el,” at its root means something like “power, or strength, or might, or majesty.” Now, it’s important to note that when this word “el” is applied to deity it can refer not only to the true God, but also to foreign false gods. So it’s just a generic term for god. In fact we see that in Exodus 34:14. You see up on the screen here it says “for you shall not worship any other god,” that’s referring to false gods and you see it right there, the word used is el, for false god. “For the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God,” same word el, referring to the true God. However, when referring to the God of Israel this term el, that has the connotation of Israel’s God being the strong One, the great One, the chief God among other so-called gods. We see it in places like Psalm 19:1, “the heavens are telling of the glory of God,” there’s el again. We see it in Psalm 95:3, “For the Lord is a great God (el) and a great King above all gods.” So that’s our main, root word for God in Hebrew. El.

It’s counterpart, in Greek, would be this word “theos,” from which we get the study of God. What we’re doing right now tonight is we’re studying theology, the study of God. So that’s el.

And by the way, and I should have said this earlier, the “el” family of names is the first heading on your worksheet. Hopefully that was clear already. We are working through the “el” family of names.

The next name we’re going to cover as we go through this study is Elohim. That would actually be subheading A on your worksheet. Elohim. Just connect the two there. That’s actually the first name, Elohim is, that we see in the Bible. Genesis 1:1. There’s the Hebrew form of Elohim by the way. You see the El at the front of the word. In Hebrew you’re going right to left, not left to right. So you see there’s the aleph again, there’s the lamed, and then “him” are the three other letters that you see right after that. Elohim. Like I said just a second ago, this is actually the first name that we see given for God recorded in the pages of Scripture. “In the beginning God,” Elohim, “created the heavens and the earth.” This is a name that we see for God that is used with great frequency throughout the Scriptures. Elohim appears over 2,500 times in the Hebrew Old Testament. In Elohim, the “im” in Hebrew is a standard plural ending. And so this word “elohim” has a plural sense to it as in Exodus 20:3, “You shall have no other gods,” elohim “before me.”

We most usually see it in this plural form with this plural sense. However, though “im” is a plural ending, it is not always used in this plural sense. In fact, the word is used in the Old Testament in a singular sense to refer to various false gods, that were all around the Israelites. Dagon in 1 Samuel 5:7 is referred to as elohim, as a false god, though it’s singular. Chemosh in 1 Kings 11:33 is referred to as elohim, a false god plural that means singular. Baal in 1 Kings 18:21 and 24 is referred to as elohim although it’s a singular false deity.

So the question is how can this singular God… and we know He is a singular God. There’s only one God. We are monotheists, after all… how can He be described using a plural ending? The answer to that question lies in the fact that one significant way that the word elohim is used in biblical Hebrew is what is known as a “plural of intensity” or a “plural of majesty.”

In biblical Hebrew, the plural ending “im” can be used to communicate something that is unique or something that is exceptional. For instance, if you wanted to compare a small pool of water to a large body of water in biblical Hebrew… if you are referring to the smaller pond you would use the word “water.” But if you referred to the larger pond you’d call them “waters” and add an “im” ending to that word.

As it relates to God, when the plural form elohim is used, this is not referring to multiple “Gods.” Again, we’re not polytheists. We are monotheists. The Scriptures testify that there is only one God, Deuteronomy 6:4. Instead, the plural form elohim is referring to the fact that there is fullness within the Godhead. The plural form of elohim is used to show that God is the great and incomparable God. The one true God. The God above all other gods, as Psalm 95:3 which we already saw, puts it. He is the God, Elohim, of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Genesis 28:13. He is “the God,” Elohim, “of all flesh,” Jeremiah 32:27. He is the God Elohim of the heavens, Nehemiah 2:4. He is “the God,” Elohim, “of all the earth,” Isaiah 54:5.

Now, some will say that the use of the word Elohim in Genesis 1:1 here is not only a plural of majesty, a plural of fullness what I’ve just tried to explain. But that the word elohim by itself and by definition is trinitarian. Meaning that you could look at Genesis 1:1 and see the word Elohim and some would say that that detail alone in Hebrew proves the trinity. That’s an exegetical leap that the Hebrew language does not allow. The use of the word elohim, at most, refers to a fullness within the Godhead. It would allow that there is a plurality of Persons within the Godhead but standing by itself, it does not prove the Trinity. We of course can prove the trinity through Scripture but in Genesis 1:1 with that word Elohim alone, that piece of evidence alone does not prove that God is triune. What we can say of the word elohim, however, is what Isaiah 45:21 says “there is no other God,” elohim, “besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior.”

Alright. We’ve looked at el. We’ve looked at elohim. We can move down to 1 B now on your note sheet and look at the next name for God which is El Shaddai. El Shaddai which means, the verb “shadad” by the way, underlying this name, means something like “to deal violently or to devastate or to ruin.” When we carry that term over to the Person of God what we would do is we would translate it “God Almighty.” That’s El Shaddai. The God of the Bible is God Almighty. This name speaks to the infinite power which God alone possesses. We see this name for God, El Shaddai, used in various places such as Exodus 6:3 where He says “‘I am the LORD; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,” as El Shaddai, “God Almighty.” Or in God’s rebuke of Job in Job 40:2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?” Or in Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.” There’s that same El Shaddai concept. In these verses and others like these the idea is the same. God is the Almighty One. He is the omnipotent one. He is the all-powerful one. This is all summarized well in Jeremiah 32:27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?” He is El Shaddai.

Next up is El Elyon. That would be 1 C on your worksheet. El Elyon. “Elyon” is a word that means “highest or utmost.” In regard to God, this means He is the “Most High.” El Elyon means “the Most High God.” The basic idea is that God is the supreme authority. An interesting note about this one, El Elyon, is that you often see this name used of God by pagan Gentiles as they affirm the God of Israel as “the God Most High.” For instance Balaam, the prophet who was hired by Balak to curse Israel, says these words in Numbers 24:16, “The oracle of him who hears the words of God, and knows the knowledge of the Most High.” The idea is that God is majestic and exalted and supreme over all the earth and over all competing so-called gods. This is picked up in Psalm 97:9. “For You are the LORD Most High,” El Elyon, “over all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.” Our God is El Elyon, the Lord Most High.

The next is El Olam. 1 D on your note sheet. This name means “God Everlasting or God Eternal.” Its purpose is to indicate that God is eternal, that He has no beginning. That He has no end. He wasn’t created. He has no expiration date. He is God Eternal.

We see this term used in various places but notably in Genesis 21:33 where after making a covenant with Abimelech, the text says that “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.” We see it again in a verse that is likely familiar to many of you Isaiah 40:28. “Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, does not become weary or tired.” While there are several other passages in Scripture that speak to the reality that God has existed eternally. The name El Olam helps us to understand that eternity is bound up in His very nature and character of God as shown by the fact that eternity, olam, is in His name.

Let’s move on to our next name, El Hayyim. El Hayyim. This name means “the living God.” One recognizable passage in where we see this name El Hayyim used would be in Psalm 42:1-2. “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” The basic idea is that God has life in Himself, and He is the source of life for all created things that have life. He is the source of physical life. He is the root of our spiritual life and He is the hope of our eternal life. There would be no existence without God. There would be no meaning without God. There would be no hope without God. He is the very root and source of life in each and every sense. He is El Hayyim.

Our last one under this first heading of the El family names would be El Roi. El Roi. This name has its root the Hebrew verb “ra’a” which means “to see.” To see. God is the God from which nothing is hidden because He sees it all. Where we see this name expressed is in the account of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar in Genesis chapter 16. You remember that the scene there was that Hagar had run away from Abram and Sarai and no one could find her. Except God. God saw her. And in response Hagar called him the “God who sees,” in Genesis 16:13. This name speaks to God’s omnipresence. That being everywhere, He witnesses all. This name speaks to God’s omniscience. Seeing everything, He knows all. This would bring truths to mind such as this one in 2 Chronicles 16:9 “For the eyes of the LORD move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.” Or Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” See, because of this truth that the eyes of the Lord are everywhere, because of the truth that He is El Roi, the God who sees. As Jesus Himself said in Luke 8:17 “Nothing is hidden that will not become evident, nor anything secret that will not be known and come to light.” Or, as the author of Hebrews put it “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do,” (Hebrews14:3)

Now obviously, this can be a comfort. This truth can be a comfort to those who are truly in the family of God. Those who have been saved by the finished work of Jesus Christ and those who are actively walking with and seeking the Lord. To know that God always has His protective eye upon them.

But at the same time this truth that God is El Roi, the God who sees and nothing escapes His sight can be a fearful thing to those who do not know the Lord. To know that God sees not only their sinful state, but He sees each individual, unforgiven sin that they continue to commit in their state of unrepentance. And they are heaping more and more judgment upon themselves.

Well, we’re going to shift gears now and move off the heading one, the El family of names. There are so many more we could have gone through. El Qodash, “God the Holy One,” El Qanno God “the jealous God,” El Gadol “the great God.” But we need to move on and look at an entirely different series of names, Adonai and Yahweh.

Let’s start with Adonai. Adonai. That would be heading two on the very bottom of page one of your worksheet. Adonai. Whereas the word “el” means simply “god,” the word “adon,” the first four letters you see here, means “lord.” It’s a general term that refers to “one with authority.” Now by itself, the word “adon” does not signify deity. It does not mean the “Lord” that’s referred to when you say Adonai must be “God” or must be “a god.” Rather, the word adon would typically refer to a human master. The lord of a manor. Even Sarah, in referring to her husband Abraham, called him lord indicating the position of authority God had placed him in and the authority God had given him in her life.

However, when that word for Lord, adon, is put in the plural form Adonai, it always refers to God and and it always refers to His Lordship. It refers to the fact that God is the absolute Ruler and Lord over all things in His creation. We see this in Psalm 2:3,4, “Let us tear their fetters apart and cast away their cords from us!” These are the scoffers speaking in Psalm 2. And then it transitions and says, “He who sits in the heavens laughs, the Lord,” Adonai is the term here,
“scoffs at them.” God is our Master and Lord, Adonai.

In Greek, the counterpart word for “Lord” would be “kurios.” Kurios. Ephesians 4:4,6, if you want to transliterate, spelling it ku- or kyrios, kurios. Ephesians 4:4-6 says “There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord,” Kurios, “one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.” God is described as our Lord or Master, Adonai, in Hebrew and God is described as our Lord, Kurios, in Greek. And of course what is true of God the Father is also true of God the Son. Jesus is Lord. Romans 10:9 “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord,” Kurios, “and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Or Philippians 2:9-11 “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him,” meaning Jesus, “and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is” Kurios, “Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” God is not only God. He is Lord. A corollary to His Godness is His Lordship. And, as Lord, He expects that we will serve and honor Him humbly and obediently as His servants. As His servants, as His douloi, as His slaves.

Which brings us to our next term for God. Heading three on page two of your worksheet. We’re going to encounter now the personal name of God. And note there is only one of them. Yahweh.
Yahweh is the most commonly-used name for God given in the Scriptures, appearing more than 6,800 times! It appears and is represented by four Hebrew letters that look sort of like this. (I have a weird font in these slides so forgive me.) What you see on the right hand of your screen is a “yod.” It looks like an apostrophe to us. Next to that is something called a “hey.” It provides an H sound. Next to that, “waw” and there’s two ways you can say this. A “wow” or a “vov,” depending on who your Hebrew professor was. I say, “wow.” And then next to that is another “hey.” Yod-hey-waw-hey. Yod-hey-waw-hey. Sounds like YHWH.

The personal name of God is YHWH. What you see right here, or actually what you see right there in Hebrew, is what’s known as the tetragrammaton because it is based on a tetragram, which is a word that’s made up of four letters. Here we have four Hebrew letters. Though it is not known for certain, most would agree that the true pronunciation of this word, of God’s personal name, once you supply vowels would be “Yahweh.” So, if someone asks you the question whether with a smart-alecky face or not, “What’s God’s name, smarty-pants Christian person. What’s God’s name?” You tell them with confidence, “God’s name is Yahweh.” You say it straightforwardly without hesitation. It’s Yahweh.

Now if they ask you other questions like “Well, what names does God go by?” that’s a whole different question. His personal name is Yahweh. Names He’s known by include some of the ones we’ve just gone through and some of the ones we will go through in a minute. Names like El Shaddai and El Olam and Adonai. But God’s personal name is Yahweh.

And what does God’s personal name mean? Now most biblical scholars would agree that the name Yahweh derives from this Hebrew verb “hawah,” which means “to be.” To be. So Yahweh’s name literally means, “the One who is or He is.” Note that God is not a God who is becoming. He’s not One who will become. He’s not the One who once was. He simply is the One who is. He’s pure being. He’s self-existent. He’s self-sufficient. He has no beginning. He will have no ending. He’s defined by nothing else and no one else. To the contrary, everything else is defined by Him.

The clearest Scriptural proof that we have that points to God’s personal name being Yahweh of course, is Exodus chapter 3. There, at the burning bush, God supplies to Moses, and for all of us, the meaning of His name in Exodus 3:13 here. This is Moses speaking. He says, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?’” And in verse 14, God answers saying, “I AM WHO I AM.” “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’.” God’s name is Yahweh. “I AM.” “The One who is.”

Not only that though, Yahweh is His eternal name. That’s what we see in Exodus 3:15 if we keep marching through that text. God says, “This is My name forever.” It’s not like that was His name in the Old Testament and changes in the New Testament. “This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.” He is the one true God. The eternal and everlasting God. The self-existent God. He is I AM.

Now the Jews of Jesus’ day understood this completely. They understood that God’s personal name was and is Yahweh, and that the name referred to His very being and essence and “am-ness.” Which is why, after Jesus said to them, “before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58) they did what? They “picked up stones to throw at Him.” See, Jesus did not make a more direct claim to deity than that statement. “Before Abraham was I AM.” By using the words, “I AM,” to reference to Himself Jesus was boldly and unapologetically declaring to His stiff-necked audience that He is God. Which of course the Jews of His day took to be words of blasphemy. A crime punishable by death. So God’s name, His personal name is Yahweh.

That takes us to heading four on your worksheet and admittedly I might step on some toes with this one. But what about Jehovah? What about Jehovah? That’s the blank there. Now there are admittedly and undoubtedly must be some here tonight who might be a bit confused because you’ve always heard God’s name described as “Jehovah.” And you’re looking at me and you’re saying that guy keeps referring to Yahweh but I’ve always heard the name of God as being Jehovah. What’s the source of this confusion? Well, to give you the answer to that, I need to fill in a bit of the backstory for you.

You see after the original people of God; the Israelites, were taken into captivity in Babylon around 586 B.C. they developed a practice of refraining from saying the name of God. Refraining from saying the name Yahweh. Now that practice was likely born out of reverence for the name of God and the fear of blaspheming His name. So what they started doing, when they saw the tetragrammaton, Y-H-W-H, on paper or on a scroll, they would not say the actual name that they saw before them on that scroll, on that parchment. They’d see it, their eyes knew what it was, but out of reverence they would not pronounce that name. It said YHWH but they would pronounce YHWH “Adonai”. That practice carried over to the New Testament times when people were Greek speaking as the lingua franca of the day. Out of respect for the Jewish tradition which had developed (not saying the name Yahweh but instead substituting it with Adonai) the Greek-speaking and the Greek-writing human authors of the New Testament would similarly use the Kurios when they would quote an Old Testament passage which used the name of the Lord, Yahweh. So Adonai was used as a substitute for Yahweh. But then in the New Testament times Kurios was used as a substitute for Yahweh.

Confusing, I know. Speaking of confusing, the original Hebrew text of the Old Testament which was written between 1445 and around 450 B.C. didn’t have vowels. Instead, it was comprised of words like YHWH that were made up of consonants only. It was only until the 9th or 10th century A.D., several centuries after these words were first put on the page of Scripture, that a group of Hebrew scholars known as the Masoretes introduced vowels into the Hebrew text. So the original Hebrew text, no vowels. The Masoretes, hundreds of years later start supplying vowels into the Hebrew text to read it more fluidly. And when they did that, as they came upon the name YHWH they kept with that old tradition of supplying Adonai for YHWH. But what they did was they took the vowels from Adonai, a-o-a and layered them over YHWH.

I wish I had a way to demonstrate this graphically for you. I didn’t have time, and it wasn’t even time, it was more creativity, to show how this would work. I wanted to show you how they basically mashed the consonants of YHWH and the vowels of Adonai and jammed them together and what you got was YA HO WAH. YA-HO-WAH. Taking those vowels from Adonai to YHWH you get YA HO WAH. Sounds a little bit like Jehovah. That’s where we get Jehovah.
Many, many hundreds of years later William Tyndale starts using “Jehovah” in his 1530 translation of the Old Testament. The King James Version of 1611, the 1611 King James Version started using Jehovah. And of course, there have been many modern English translations since then that insert the name or the word Jehovah as a reference to God.

Don’t want to get lost in the trees here, I promise you. The main idea I want you to get is this. The name Jehovah came about originally out of a noble reverence for the personal name of God. By not wanting to say it. Not wanting to mess it up. Not wanting to butcher it. But the personal name of God is not Jehovah. The personal name of God is Yahweh.

Now, why have I taken the time to go through that entire exercise and explanation except to bore you with details of Hebrew and language and all the rest? The reason I bring it up is because there are several other names of God which find their root in the personal name of God, Yahweh. But because of the historical developments I’ve just mentioned, instead they get attached to the name Jehovah, rather than Yahweh. I’d like to see us correct that by getting more precise with the names of God. And to teach them the way God has actually revealed His name in Scripture.

Let’s get into a couple of these names so you can see what I mean as we fill out these final blanks on your worksheet. The first one is Yahweh Sabaoth which you may have seen as Jehovah Sabaoth. We see this most often translated as “the Lord of Hosts.” Yahweh Sabaoth, the Lord of Hosts. For instance, in Psalm 24:10, “Who is this King of glory?” Yahweh Sabaoth, “The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory.” Or famously, in the heavenly throne room scene in Isaiah 6, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is” Yahweh Sabaoth, “the LORD of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” In both cases, the underlying Hebrew terms are Yahweh Sabaoth, not Jehovah Sabaoth.

And what does Yahweh Sabaoth or “Lord of Hosts” mean? Well, “hosts” can have a variety of meanings. In some places in the Old Testament it refers to the armies of Israel. In other places it refers to angels. And yet in other places it refers to the cosmos, the sun, and stars, which we often see referenced in scripture as the “hosts of heaven.” To say that God is Yahweh Sabaoth then, or the Lord of Hosts, is to say that He rules over all things, all beings, whether here on earth or in the highest heavens. He rules all things here. He rules all things there. I’m going to sound like Dr. Suess in a minute, He rules all things everywhere. He, Yahweh Sabaoth.

The next compound name of Yahweh, and one I think that most often gets linked to the term Jehovah in modern times, is Yahweh Jireh. Which is often represented as Jehovah Jireh. Yahweh Jireh. This was the name that was ascribed to God by Abraham in Genesis 22:14 and the name means “the Lord will provide.” You remember that scene in Genesis 22 where in obedience to God’s clear command Abraham was preparing to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. But before Abraham could follow through with striking his son with a death blow, God stopped him, and provided him with a ram to sacrifice, in the place of his son. That occurrence, God supplying the sacrificial animal in the place of Isaac, led Abraham to name the place where this all happened, which was known as Mount Moriah, as Yahweh Jireh. “The Lord will Provide.”

Now, names have consequences because sadly, there are many in our day and many in our time who have been deceived into believing that God’s name, Yahweh Jireh or Jehovah Jireh suggests that He wants them to live an economically prosperous life. To have health, and wealth. And for their dreams for material things to come true. To think of God as some sort of genie in a bottle. If you just, you know, rub the lamp a few times He’ll provide all of your wildest financial dreams and needs. But was that the context in which Abraham used the name Yahweh Jireh in reference to God? Absolutely not! The context of Genesis 22, as we see in the life of Abraham, is utter dependence on God. Utter trust in God. And ultimately, a story which points to man’s ultimate need, which is redemption from his sin. God surely does provide. He provides us with food, drink, and clothing, as Jesus pointed out in the Sermon on the Mount. He promises to supply us with all our needs, Philippians 4:19. But do you know what Philippians 4:19 also says? That He will “supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” In other words, for those of us who have trusted in Christ, our greatest need has already been met. And God’s greatest act of provision has already been made in and through Jesus Christ. God certainly is the God who provides. He is Yahweh Jireh. And He has provided most clearly and profoundly through Jesus Christ.

Next up is the name Yahweh Rafah which means “the Lord our healer.” “The Lord our Healer.” We find this name in Exodus 15:26, where Moses communicates the following promise God had made to Israel. (And as I look at the screen I see it’s awfully small. And again these slides will be available on the website, linked to this message in just a couple of days if this is too small.) But here’s Moses communicating this promise God has made to Israel. “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the LORD, am your healer.” Yahweh Rafah, “the LORD your Healer.”

Now if you have trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation the Lord, of course, already has healed you of our ultimate sickness, the sickness of sin. But of course, the Lord does heal physically, when it is His divine pleasure to do so, on His chosen timeline, for the purpose of demonstrating His own power, and ultimately receiving the glory that is due Him and Him alone. Does this mean it is always God’s will to heal? No, it doesn’t or else every sickbed in every hospital and every nursing care facility here in Lincoln would be empty. But does God heal? He most certainly does. How many stories have you heard of lumps and nodules and tumors that simply disappeared without any medical explanation? Or how many of you have heard those stories where a medically trained professional, whether it’s a doctor or a nurse, their jaw hits the floor because they have no viable scientific explanation for a condition, or a diagnosis being inexplicably reversed? God is our healer.

As we’ll see with our next name Yahweh Shalom, God is also our peace. Now shalom does not mean “hello” or “goodbye,” as we might mistakenly think. The word, instead, literally means “peace.” So, in customary Jewish greetings, what is being said is “peace to you.” We went over this a few weeks ago as we were looking at Revelation. We unpacked the meaning of that greeting, “grace to you and peace.” God is the source of love. He is our source of hope. He is our source of joy. He is our source of strength. And He is our source of peace. He is Yahweh Shalom.

We find this name in Judges 6:22 and 24. That’s the account of Gideon. There what we see is the angel of the Lord. Through the angel of the Lord, God had sent Gideon to save Israel from the Midianites. And the the angel of the Lord gives Gideon that sign that the staff would consume Gideon’s sacrifice with fire. And that sacrifice, that consumption by fire would assure him that He was sending Gideon and would go with him to victory. Now at first, Gideon was terrified by this vision he received from this angel. He was sure he’s about to die. Which would be the right response, by the way, for a sinful man when he encounters the angel of God. However, in Gideon’s case what brought peace to his soul ultimately in Judges 6 was God’s assurance that Gideon had found favor in His eyes. And as a result, Gideon there in that scene builds an altar and names it Yahweh Shalom, God is our Peace.

As was true with Gideon and as is true with anyone in the family of God, the grace of God is mediated through the cross of Jesus Christ is what ultimately leads to our peace. It ultimately leads to that terror we might feel as unbelievers at some point about facing the divine wrath of a holy God turning to joy as we come to understand that we now have peace with God. That’s Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” That’s Ephesians 2:13-14: “But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace.” Yahweh Shalom. He is God our Peace.

Next is Yahweh Tsidkenu. This is when I’m glad I have slides. Yahweh Tsidkenu. This one is often translated, “The Lord our Righteousness,” and we find this reference in Jeremiah 23:5-6. Here, God in Jeremiah 23, He promises that His coming Messiah will both save His people and rule over them with perfect righteousness. This Messiah, this future Davidic King shall reign as king and deal wisely and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. He is the Lord our Righteousness. Of course, this prophecy would find its ultimate and its perfect fulfillment in the life and death of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ substitutionary, atoning death He supplied those who believe in Him with His own inherent righteousness, and He now rules over His people with perfect righteousness. Our righteousness is not self-generated or earned or deserved. It’s exactly the opposite. Our righteousness is external. It’s alien. It comes from outside of us. It comes from someone else. It comes from Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness. The Lord is our Righteousness.

Our last name this evening is Yahweh Nissi. This was the name that Moses used to describe God in Exodus 17:15. And what happened there was God was teaching Israel a lesson. Israel’s army would not prevail unless Moses kept his hand held above his head. That symbolized that as long as Israel remained fully dependent on God they would prevail. But when they found themselves drifting toward independence from God they would start to lose the battle. Eventually, as we know, God granted Israel victory over the Amalekites. And in remembrance of that victory and so as not to forget the One who had granted them that victory, Moses erected an altar and named it Yahweh Nissi, the LORD is my Banner. And the truth that’s being communicated with this name is that God is the signal, the flag, the banner, of His people. When we stand under the shade of His protection our victory is sure. When we rally around Him our victory is sure. When we stand firm for His name our victory is sure. He will lead us. He will lead His people to victory over our spiritual enemies for those who are faithful and persevere to the end. He will bestow on them, as 2 Timothy 4:8 puts it, a “crown of righteousness” at the end.

Well, there we have it. By my count, we’ve gone through something like 15 of the proper names by which God is referenced in Scripture. And there are many more, but we simply don’t have time to go through each and every one of them. We’ve only scratched the surface in tonight’s study, but I hope tonight’s study has been of some benefit to you as you reflect on these names of God.

Next week we’re going to look at the incommunicable attributes of God. Those that are unique to Him. That He doesn’t share with us in any way. The week after that we’ll look at the shared attributes of God or the communicable attributes. Those that we glean something from God. Those in which we share in some limited sense with Him in. I’m also next week going to provide a couple of resource suggestions. I know that I’m up here talking a lot on Sunday evenings and what I’d like to do is equip you with some resources for your own personal study as you seek to grow in your knowledge and appreciation and love for the triune God of the Bible. Sound good?

Alright. Let’s pray. Lord, thank You so much again for this evening and this chance to study who You are. As we talked about last week, undertaking as fallen individuals the study of the eternal God inevitably will lead to what we called last week ‘blessed despair.’ Enjoying the blessing of probing and seeking and studying and diving deeper and deeper into Your purposes, Your names tonight, Your character next week, Your attributes. But in the end realizing we can never get there. That such knowledge is too wonderful for us. God, I pray that these studies are not looked at as mere rote, academic exercises, but a study that fuels worship of You, our great God. The God who exists eternally. The God who dwells in unapproachable light. And the God who is not only holy and righteous and just but a God who is gracious and loving and merciful. Demonstrated most perfectly in the cross of Jesus Christ. God, would You use these studies, not only tonight, but in subsequent weeks, to fuel in us a more right and reverent worship that You are due. We love You. We thank You for this time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.