The meaning of a name is very enlightening. We can look up the meaning of names before naming our children, or to discover aspects about our self.
The most
exciting study is to research the Biblical names for God. They give us insight into His character, divine nature and His role in our life.
El or Eloah means powerful, formidable,
renowned, truthful (Nehemiah 9:17 31; Numbers 23:19, Psalm 139:19; Genesis
31:29). Elohim is the Trinity and
denotes God as our mighty Creator and the Lord of all lords (Genesis 1:1, 2:4,
17:7; Psalm 59:5; Jeremiah 31:33).
El Shaddai denotes our Almighty
God who has complete power and control over the universe and everyone in it
(Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2, 5).
El Elyon is our "most
high" God (Deuteronomy 26:19). He is higher than any other being in the
universe and deserving of this position always. El Roi is our "all seeing" God (Genesis 16:13). He knows
our every need and is quick to answer our prayers.
El Olam is our
"everlasting" God (Psalm 90:1-3). He is without a beginning or an
end, is not inhibited by time, place or matter. El Gibhor is our "mighty" God (Isaiah 9:6), and it
describes God as Jesus Christ - our Messiah and Warrior who will conquer Satan
and rule the earth with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
Adonai pictures God as our
Lord (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15). It is
often used as the Gentile name as our Jehovah, with the Jewish name being
Yahweh (YHWH). He is "I Am who I Am", who is close to us and
continually available for us in our need for deliverance (Deuteronomy 6:4;
Daniel 9:14; Exodus 3:14; Psalm 25:11, 31:3, 107:13).
Jehovah Jireh promises us that the
Lord will provide (Genesis 22:14), just as He provided a sacrifice for Abraham
and Isaac on their mountaintop experience.
Jehovah
Rapha
shows us that God is the healer of our soul, as well as of our body (Psalm
23:3-4; Exodus 15:26). He protects us from ill health, and mental and emotional
stress, and also He forgives our sins and erases the shame associated with them.
Jehovah M'Kaddesh reminds us that God
sanctifies us through the righteousness of Christ (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel
37:28). Jehovah Nissi proves that
God is the rallying point for all Believers as He gives us the victory over our
trials (Exodus 17:15).
Jehovah Shalom gives us the insight
that the Lord is our peace (Judges 6:24). Jehovah
Tsidkenu is our only source and Lord of Righteousness who provided Jesus so
that we can be the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21; Jeremiah
33:16).
Jehovah Rohi is the Lord our
Shepherd who leads us into green pastures by still waters and restores our soul
(Psalm 23:1-4). Jehovah Shammah
reminds us that the Lord in all of His glory is always here for us (Ezekiel
8-11, 44:1-4, 48:35).
Jehovah Sabaoth reveals that our God
is Lord over the hosts of heaven, as well as over all of the inhabitants of
this world. Many people reject His Lordship in their life, but He is there all
the same. Sabaoth gives God the
distinction of having all majesty, power and authority in the heavens and on
the earth (Isaiah 1:24; Psalm 46:7).
Prayer:
Father
God, You are multi-faceted in who You are and what You mean to us on this
earth. Your names perfectly describe Your majesty and rule over every single inhabitant
of this world; however, so many people ignore You, disdain You, ridicule You,
etc. I feel so sad for them.
They
are missing out on the wondrous blessings that You reserve for Your precious
children. We only need to repent, trust and obey to receive Your love, joy and
peace through every moment of all of our days and nights. I want to lift You
higher so that You will draw everyone around me to Your precious side (John 12:32).
Thought
for the Day:
What
is in a name? There is so much in a name; for instance, it is the description
of our character and the assurance of who God is and what He has done, is doing
and will do for us now and always.
