His Name is Elohim

Scripture

Genesis 1:1–3 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. 2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

Intro

Elohim - means god or gods.

Elohim is found over 2000 times throughout the Bible…

Elohim is used over 20 times alone in Genesis 1…

The reason God gave us His name is to REVEAL His person, to RELATE to His creation, and to RELEASE His promises.

God wants us to know Him, to be known by Him, and to make Him known.

This morning we want to turn our attention to the first name of God found in Scripture. Interestingly enough, it’s found in the first verse of the Bible.

Scholars believe Elohim is the plural form of El. The peculiar thing about this name is that it is the only name used for God that is plural. I agree w/ most theologians that the plurality points to the triune nature of God – from the beginning God was 3 in 1 and eternal in nature. Scripture supports:

John 1:1 KJV 1900

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Colossians 1:16 KJV 1900

16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Deuteronomy 6:4 KJV 1900

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:

What is He? He is holy, all-powerful, all knowing, all-seeing.

E Eternal

L Loving

O Omni-everything

H Holy

I Immutable

M Majestic

Points

Let me ask – If God IS… What’s the significance? It means everything! If God is, then bad can be made good, sin can be atoned, and chaos can be brought to order. If God is, then there is hope for the hopeless, and help for the helpless. If God is, then everything in life has meaning and purpose. All life is precious and sacred. But if God isn’t, then we’ve got a mess.

It’s like the newspaper ad which read “Lost – One Dog. Brown hair with several bald spots. Right leg broken due to car accident. Rear left hip hurt. Right eye missing. Left ear bitten off in a dog fight. Answers to the name ‘Lucky’”

Names were given to express something about a person. People were named after …

• Occasions - Cain or (qayin) was named because God fulfilled his promise and Eve “gained possession” (qana) of a child.

• Events – Babel was so named because it sounded like the Hebrew for “confused”

• Circumstances – Isaac means “laughter” and was named so because his parents laughed when told that they would have a son born. Samuel means “heard by God” as a sign that God heard his mother’s prayer.

• Personal Transformations – Abram became Abraham, Saul to Paul

• Their mission – Isaiah was called “The Lord saves” which was representative of his ministry message.

Who created the world? – God. This is the first time we see God mentioned in the Bible – the first verse and it is the first name I want to focus on. It is the word Elohim. And is found over 2000 times through out the Bible. It is found 32 times alone in the first chapter of Genesis. It is the general term used for God, but has some specific meaning also.

Before we look at what this word means – let me ask you another question … What can you tell about God from the creation account?

We see here God as the creator of all things – the powerful one who is able to speak a word and bring stars into space, planets into being, living animals and man to life. We see a God who is awesome and creative who existed, before all else and more powerful than all his creations – we see him as Elohim.

I want to quickly touch on 3 aspects of the name Elohim

1) Elohim – A God who is mighty

Elohim is an interesting word. It’s roots are somewhat uncertain. Most scholars believe it comes from the root “el” which means “to be strong” or “to be pre-eminent” The use of “Elohim” is not limited to the Hebrew religion though. Elohim is the term used for other pagan gods (Ex 18:11), angelic beings (Job 1:6) and even monarchs (Ex 18:11). It was a term which referred to the power and greatness of its subject, but in Scripture, is overwhelmingly used of the God YHWH, a powerful God and a God above all others.

El is another name often given to God and often relates to a God of Power.

Deuteronomy 10:17 KJV 1900

17 For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

For YHWH your Elohim is Elohim of Elohim and YHWH of YHWH, the great El, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.

El and Elohim are used interchangably when talking about a powerful God, a Great God, one in control of all things.

How do we know that God is mighty? Well we only need to look at the first verse in the Bible. “In the beginning, Elohim created the heavens and the earth.” It was God, Elohim who brought you into being.

Story: Boy who prayed, “Dear God, take care of my daddy and mommy, my sister and brother, my kitty and doggy. Oh, and God, please take care of yourself, b/c if anything happens to you, then we’re all going to be in a big mess.

Elohim tells us that God created all things and sustains all things. He was the one who gave you life and for what purpose? None other than for you to get to know him. You are precious in his sight and although he is awesome and mighty, he wants a relationship with you. Does that blow your mind? It should. You are a unique creation of God – one of a kind. You are special – special to the mighty God who created you. God don’t make no junk, you can be sure of that – so if you are struggling with yourself – your body, your intellect, your looks. Take heart - get to know the one who cares.

2) Elohim – Three Gods in One

Another interesting thing about this name is that in the Hebrew it is actually plural. The “im” ending of Elohim is a plural ending of masculine nouns in Hebrew. The plural for cherub is cherubim. The plural for seraph is seraphim So when we say God created the world, what is actually meant is that Gods plural and more than one created the world.

Deut 6:4 says quite clearly - Hear, O Israel: The LORD (YHWH) our God (Elohim), the LORD (YWHW) is one.

There is one God, yet he is someway plural. This fact supports the idea of the trinity – the fact that there are three persons, but one essence shared by all. The Hebrew writers were entirely right in saying that they had Gods, but only one God. It is a difficult concept for us to grapple with and one that people right down through the ages have struggled with. How can 3 = 1. Someone has tried to represent the trinity using this diagram. The Father is not the same person as the Son or the Spirit. They are 3 distinct and separate entities, But they are all God and there is only 1 God. 3 distinct persons, but one essence making up God.

Elohim speaks to us therefore of God’s triune being – Father, Son and Holy Spirit in one.

3) Elohim – Worthy of Praise

The third thing about this name that I want to draw your attention to is again linked to the reason why we were created. It is our response to God

Turn with me to Rev 4:11.

Revelation 4:11 KJV 1900

11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

What should our response be to God? In Revelation 4 we get a glimpse into heaven’s throne room and some of the characters there. We are told about a group of 24 elders - and though we are not sure who they are, they are created beings as all beings have been created by God. And from their title as elders, we can assume that they hold an exalted position. They are standing around his throne worshipping God. That is what our response to such a Great and mighty Elohim should be.

"You are worthy, our YHWH and Elohim, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being."

This tells us that we were created because God wanted to. We are here because of his will and to do his will. The response to this should be one of giving him glory, honor and power.

Glory is a word that means to have a right opinion of. We are told to think rightly of God, to holding him up for all that he is. It implies that having a right opinion of God gives him honour. We are to live in such a way as to give all of creation a correct opinion or estimate of who God is. He is mighty and powerful – awesome and majestic. He deserves our respect and we are to have a right opinion of him.

Elohim is also worthy to receive Honor. Honor is value. Giving honor is valuing a person. It is recognising their intrinsic worth because of who they are and what they have done. Elohim is worthy to be valued because he is the creator of all things. He is the sustainer of all life – of you and me. What a crime it would be not to value the one who gave so much for each of us.

To give glory is to live so that others can have a correct opinion of God. To have honour is to be valued. To be worthy to receive power. Now this is an interesting description, because Elohim is the mighty God above all others. He has all power already – he is omnipotent.

The Greek here actually reads. You are worthy, to receive the glory, the honor and the power. It is representative of the supreme and complete glory, the one and only and the greatest honor and the utmost and full power. It is not so much the giving of power that is important as the recognizing that he has power – even over our own lives.

Is that how you view God? Do you want to give him all that he is due? He created the world and we are here because he wills it. We need to live our life in such a way to accomplish His will – to reflect him, to show the world the character of God – show his love, his peace, his mercy, his gentlehess. To miss this is to miss fulfillment. Not to do this is to have existed instead of really living.

What is your response to God as creator? Does knowing him as Elohim – the great and mighty God change how you look at him. If so, the response he deserves is praise and worship – not just on Sundays, but throughout every day of our lives.

Closing

“In the beginning.” Right from the very beginning, Elohim challenges us to make a choice. Either we are the result of divine design and providence … or we evolved from slime and nothingness. Either life has meaning and purpose … or the only meaning and purpose we have is to survive … and for what? Either we are accountable to Elohim and under His authority … or we’re accountable to no one.

I am eternally grateful to Elohim for introducing Himself in the way that He did so early in the Bible. Brothers and sisters … He couldn’t make it any clearer, could He? The minute you open up the Bible it’s as if God has taken your face in His hands, is looking you in the eyes, and saying: “Read my lips … I am God … I am Elohim … I am your God … I am the eternal Creator and Sustainer of Life who made you so that I can love you and you can love me.”