2020-10-21|knowing God through His names

RCCG FPC Bible Study series 2020

Knowing God involves
Learning about God
Inspection and exploration – of God’s creation
Revealed secrets or revelation of God
Experience or prior acquaintance
Knowing God through His revealed names.

Knowing God through His names
The names of God in scripture always reveal something of His nature, activity, or character.
We all come to know God by experience as He allows us to learn something new about Him.
Whenever God reveals His nature in a new way, it is always for a purpose.
Encounters with God are always an expression of God’s love and deliverance. God wants us to hallow His name.

Hallowed be Your name?
To hallow a thing is to make it holy or to set it apart to be exalted as being worthy of absolute devotion. To hallow the name of God is to regard Him with complete devotion and loving admiration.
God’s name is of the utmost importance (Neh 9:5); therefore we ought to reserve it a position of crucial significance in our minds and hearts. We should never take His name lightly (Ex. 20:7; Lev 22:32), but always rejoice in it and think deeply upon its true meaning.
The OT prophets hallowed or respected the names of God. We do well if we do the same.

Elohim Gen. 1:1
Elohim: The plural form of EL, meaning “strong one.” It is also used of idol gods, but when used of the true God, it is a plural of majesty and refers to the trinity. Used more than 2600X
It is especially used of God’s sovereignty, creative work, mighty work for Israel and in relation to His sovereignty.
Isa. 54:5; Jer. 32:27; Isa. 45:18; Deut. 5:23; 8:15; Ps. 68:7

YAHWEH “YHWH” Gen 2:4
Yahweh is usually translated “the LORD” and is said to mean “Self-existing one” or “the Eternal one”. This was first mentioned in Gen 2:4. (used over 6823X in the bible)
(Deut 6:4; Dan 9:14) – strictly speaking, this is the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.”
Yahweh Elohim – This literally means “Yahweh God” and is translated “the LORD God” 
In reference to creation – Ps 33:6; Jn 1:1-3; Col 1:15-16

YAHWEH “YHWH”
Yahweh is the promised name of God. This name of God which (by Jewish tradition) is too holy to voice, is actually spelled “YHWH” without vowels. YHWH is referred to as the Tetragrammaton (which simply means “the four letters”). YHWH comes from the Hebrew letters: Yud, Hay, Vav, Hay. 
The modern spelling as “Yahweh” includes vowels to assist in pronunciation. Many pronounce YHWH as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah.” We no longer know for certain the exact pronunciation. During the 3rd century A.D., the Jewish people stopped saying this name in fear of contravening the commandment “Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain” (Exod 20:7). As a result of this, Adonai is occasionally a substitute for YHWH.

YAHWEH and Elohim
Gen 3:1-9.. Every time the devil tried to confuse Eve, he could not use the name YAHWEH, but used Elohim.
Why???
Even in biblical times, no one knew how to really pronounce the name YHWH … “Jehovah” is derived from the YHWH, the ‘tetragrammaton’ which is all that remains of the name from the original Hebrew. The Jews from a feeling of reverence avoided the utterance of this sacred name except on the most solemn occasions.

God and Abraham – “Hallow”
The “LORD” or “YHWH” appeared to Abraham for the first time in Gen 12:7 – ie after his obedience – see the subsequent events.
He built an altar and worshipped God (that altar became significant to him).
When God appears to you in a significant way, it is important to “hallow His name” – you come back to the same place each time he delivers you in thanksgiving.
see Gen 13:1-4 – when God delivered him from Egypt and then from Lot

El Elyon:“The Most High God.” Gen 14:19
El Elyon:“The Most High God.” Stresses God’s strength, sovereignty, and supremacy Gen. 14:18-24; Ps. 9:2;  73:11, 107:11; Dan. 7:18, 22, 25
El Elyon denotes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship. Nothing in all creation is higher than God. As Nebuchadnezzar discovered, “the Most High rules the kingdom of men” (Daniel 4:30-37).

Adonai Gen 15:2, 8
ADONAI: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. “Adonai” is from a Hebrew root word meaning to rule.
It refers to a sovereign controller, lord, master, owner (Master of masters).
Stresses man’s relationship to God as his master, authority, and provider (Gen. 18:2; 40:1; 1 Sam. 1:15; Ex. 21:1-6; Josh. 5:14).

EL ROI: “The strong one who sees”
EL ROI: “God of Seeing” Genesis 16:13 – Sarah’s servant, Hagar, called God by this name when the angel of the Lord appeared to her in the wilderness. Alone and desperate after being driven out by Sarah Genesis 16:1-14, the Lord assured her that He was aware of her plight and that He would make of her son, Ishmael (meaning “God hears”), a great nation.
El Roi is not a distant and aloof God, but one who sees the needs of His people, hears our prayers and comes to our aid in times of trouble.

El Shaddai:“God Almighty.” Gen 17:1-2
The derivation is uncertain. “Shaddai” is derived from the word “mountain” or some say “breast.”
Some think it stresses God’s loving supply and comfort; others His power as the Almighty one standing on a mountain and who corrects and chastens.
But every time the name is used in isolation, it is always in reference to a covenant, a blessing, multiplication, fruitfulness and expansion (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; Ex. 6:1; Ps. 91:1, 2).

EVERLASTING GOD (EL-OLAM) Gen 21:33
EVERLASTING GOD (EL-OLAM): (Genesis 21:33; Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning and without end, the One who will never cease to be. He is outside of time and, in fact, created and controls time without being constrained by it in any way. “From everlasting to everlasting, you are God” (Psalm 90:2).
El Olam: Emphasizes God’s unchangeableness and is connected with His inexhaustibleness (Gen. 16:13).

YAHWEH or “Jehovah” Jireh (Yireh)
“The Lord Will Provide” (Genesis 22:14; 8) – Abraham called God by this name after God stayed his hand from sacrificing Isaac and instead provided a ram for the sacrifice. God still provides for His people’s needs, from our daily bread to the Bread of Life who is Christ and the food of His Word.