THE NAMES OF GOD (Part 1)

Introduction

-What’s in a name? In Romeo and Juliet it is said that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Maybe we don’t think about names too often (unless you’re having a baby) and then it can sometimes become an ordeal. Our son Kyle got his name because I won a game of backgammon and that was my first choice. But since I got to name the boy, Trish got to name the girl, so we got Kenzie.

-Names in our society are a label. They don’t necessarily say anything about a person or their character. A lot of times names are handed down within the family. For example, my first name, Alan, was given to me from my dad’s uncle, and my middle name, Joseph, was from my dad’s dad (my grandpa). But those names don’t say anything about me other than they are my label so that I am distinguished from all the other billions of humans on the earth.

-But biblical times were different. Often a name reflected an attribute or characteristic of a person. Jacob was named Jacob because he was a supplanter and a deceiver. Jesus called John and James the Sons of Thunder because of their quick tempers. Have you ever wondered if God has a name?

Matthew 6:9 ESV

9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

-Now, God does not have a name like we think of in the concept of names. It’s not just a label like Bob or Joe or Frank, etc. Throughout the Bible God accommodates Himself to our limited capacity as finite and fallen creatures by using human words to reveal Himself, although the human words are inadequate. Yet they reveal a truth about Him that we can grasp. And God used names for Himself that in a way revealed His nature and character.

-The fact that God chooses to reveal Himself to human beings using names shows that He is intrinsically personal. He is not an impersonal God like the god of Deism or Neoplatonism; nor is He a mere figment of the imagination like the god of pantheism and Buddhism. God has many names, and these names show us something about Him, and I want to look at a few of them tonight and next week, and what we find is that His name is holy—meaning His character and nature is one of holiness. But we want to find what these names mean and what they show us about God.

1) El/Elohim/Eloah

-This is the Hebrew word for God (in Greek it is theos). The root meaning of this particular word is difficult to fully discern, but it means something to the effect of STRONG ONE or MIGHTY ONE. It is possibly connected to verb meaning “to be afraid” or “to seek refuge because of fear.” This leads to the concept that the word speaks of HE WHO IS THE OBJECT OF FEAR OR REVERENCE. There is also a possible link to the verb “to rule” or “to lead,” thus leading to the concept of being leader or Lord.

-This word is the general word for god, thus when the Bible talks about false gods, this is still the word that is used. It is no necessarily personal like the name Yahweh, until the word is connected to other Hebrew words to describe what our God is like, and then it become extremely personal. This word does, however, portray God as a transcendent being who is divine and is above all that is created. It is a word that describes God as sovereign and majestic. So, just for example verses, we look at:

Isaiah 54:5 ESV

5 For your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.

-That verse uses a lot of names, but the last one shows that He is the Mighty One over the whole earth.

Jeremiah 32:27 ESV

27 “Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?

-Again, shows His sovereignty over creation. But we really learn more about our God as this word is coupled with other words that then describe His nature.

a) El Shaddai

-This term means (and is often translated) God Almighty or Almighty God—it also means God the All-sufficient or the Self-Sufficient One. It possibly comes from a word that means overpowering strength, or possibly breast or sufficiency which might refer to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. Connected with the word for God, El, this denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing. He is our sustainer. What we can take away from this is that God is strong and powerful enough to meet our every need. Because in Him is self-sufficiency—God Himself has no needs because He sustains Himself. Therefore, a God who is able to do that surely can do the same for His children.

Genesis 17:1–2 ESV

1 When Abram was ninety-nine years old the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless, 2 that I may make my covenant between me and you, and may multiply you greatly.”

Exodus 6:3 ESV

3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.

b) El Elyon

-This name means THE MOST HIGH GOD. It speaks of the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God. Above all that there is that exists (whether visible or invisible) He has the ultimate preeminence. It shows God’s complete supremacy in everything—that there is nothing above Him in majesty and honor and glory and power, because to Him and through Him and for Him are all things. There is none like Him or beside Him—God is above all, and He is our all in all.

Genesis 14:18–20 ESV

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) 19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

Psalm 78:35 ESV

35 They remembered that God was their rock, the Most High God their redeemer.

c) El Olam

-This is often translated as THE EVERLASTING GOD, but it could also be translated as The God of Eternity or The God of the Universe or The God of the Ancient of Days. It emphasizes God’s unchangeableness and is connected with His inexhaustiableness. God has always existed as He is—never once has He changed His nature or characteristics. We don’t need to worry that God will change His mind toward us in showing mercy through Jesus Christ. We never have to worry that God will lose His power or that anything could overthrow or defeat Him. He is El Olam, the Everlasting God, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

Genesis 21:33 ESV

33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.

d) El Roy

-This name means THE GOD WHO SEES ALL. There is nothing that goes on that God cannot see. There is no one who is able to hide from God, and that also means that there is no suffering or hardship that will slip by His notice. If you think God does not see you, just know that He is El Roy, the God who sees all.

Genesis 16:13 ESV

13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

e) El Gibhor

-In Isaiah’s prophecy of who the Messiah would be, the prophet gives this description. But what is true of one Person of the Trinity is true of all Persons of the Trinity. The term means Mighty God. It refers to God as warrior who is mighty in battle. Our God fights for us and fights against all the powers of wickedness and spiritual darkness. There is nothing and no one that can prevail against Him.

Isaiah 9:6 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

f) Misc. Others

-El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10).

2) Adonai

-The term has a Ugaritic root that means Lord and Father. In general usage it always referred to someone superior to others. It stresses God’s relationship to man in that God is man’s master, authority, and provider. In the Old Testament, if you see the word LORD in all caps, that is the divine name Yahweh; but if you see the word Lord in regular letters, that is the word Adonai.

Genesis 15:2 ESV

2 But Abram said, “O Lord God, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

Exodus 4:10 ESV

10 But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”

Psalm 8:1 ESV

1 O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.

3) Abba

-The word means “father” and is familiar (but I wouldn’t go so far as to say that it means “daddy”). But the term has a more warm and familiar ring to it than the other term for father. It is a term of relationships, showing how God relates to His people with love and compassion.

Isaiah 64:8–9 ESV

8 But now, O Lord, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you are our potter; we are all the work of your hand. 9 Be not so terribly angry, O Lord, and remember not iniquity forever. Behold, please look, we are all your people.

Jeremiah 31:9 ESV

9 With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn.

-In these Old Testament verses God revealed Himself as a Father to the nation of Israel, but now through Jesus Christ God is Father to the individual believer.

Galatians 4:6 ESV

6 And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”

Conclusion

-So, what’s in a name? Apparently a whole lot. Through these names God has revealed Himself to us. If you need a reminder about how God is and how He relates to you, just reflect on some of these names. They tell us so much about His works and way. And then pray that knowing these names will bring you in a closer relationship to God and you gain an understanding of who He is.