Month: April 2009

Hiya Peeps,

Good Monday morning to you! What a warm weekend we had, huh? I live in Northern Maryland and our “warm” weather usually starts in the latter part of May. Our Spring is really several weeks longer than good ‘ole Dale City’s Spring. So this past weekend’s weather was kinda surprising.

You know what else is “hot” these days and everyday? The wondrous lovingkindness of El Shaddai. Remember that name of God from last week? God Almighty has many names as we are seeing, for God has many (myriads and myriads) characteristics that speak to His nature.

We started with “ELOHIM” which means “Gods”, but used in a singular sense. This name speaks to God’s nature as a Triune God (Father, Son, Holy Spirit).

Last week we learned about “EL SHADDAI” which means “God Almighty” or “God All Sufficient”. God can do anything and can provide anything.

Today I want you to consider than name “ADONAI”.

Genesis 15:2

But Abram said, “Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?”

“ADONAI” in Hebrew means “Lords or Masters” plural! “ADON” is singular, but “ADONAI” is plural. So again, we have a plural word used in a singular sense. Wow!

In the above scripture, Abram has heard from God not to be afraid. Abram was thinking about God’s promises to him about becoming a great nation, etc. And so when Abram responded to God he called Him “Master” or “Lord”. Notice Abram already had a submissive, humble, servant attitude towards God. See that? (BTW, “God” in the Hebrew for that reference is YHWH, the personal name of God, which we pronounce “Jehovah” or “Yaweh”… so Abram really said “ADONAI YHWH”. I’ll get into that one later)

So God is Adonai- Master. And whether anyone recognizes this or not: He is Master. He is Lord with a capital “L”.

If you comprehend that God is ELOHIM and EL SHADDAI, then what naturally should follow is He is ADONAI. ADONAI calls the shots. ADONAI determines right and wrong, true and false, good and bad, etc. When ADONAI says “Jump” we should say “How high?” When ADONAI says, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”, we should seek to read and understand everything His Son has said.

You see, God is Creator- we are the creature, God is Almighty- we are severely limited and God is Master- we are subjects. The sooner we line up in our proper place, the better off we’ll be.

   1. Who is your master? You or God?
   2. Can you see yourself as a slave?
   3. What causes us to be hard to be humble?

Peace,
Jim

Hello ASYGRers!

I hope everyone is doing well. Would you believe Henry and I joined some other men this past weekend and hiked 15 or so miles in the mountains along I-81? Great time!

Today we look at another name of God… EL SHADDAI.

Recall “EL” means “GOD” in the Hebrew language. What ever is added or joined to “EL” give us another dimension of God’s character so we can better understand the One who made and sustains us.

El Shaddai occurs almost 100 times in the Bible. Let’s look back in Genesis…

Genesis 17:1

Now when Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless…”

*I am El Shaddai*… means I am God Almighty or I am God All Sufficient. Wow!

Now, you may have wondered why God uses so many different names to describe Himself in the Bible. First off, remember that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to man. God wants mankind to know Him. Last week we learned that “Elohim” means “Gods” plural yet with a singular use. This describes God’s nature as a Triune God, a Trinity… Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Today we see that “El Shaddai” describes God’s nature as an Almighty God or an All Sufficient God able to accomplish anything His will may conceive.

And friends, our hearts should leap when we comprehend God as Almighty or All Sufficient! Why? Because He can do anything. Almighty God has the power and means and resources to do absolutely anything He wills. Pigs can fly backwards if God so wills it, ha!

And think of this: If He is El Shaddai, then what does that say about our doubts, fears and worries when we entertain them? Believers have no reason to worry or fear. Frankly, my conscience has convicted me in my times of prolonged worry. My doubts of God bring me to tears… how about you? Hear what Jesus (God as man) says…

Matthew 6:25

“… do not be worried about your life…”

God is All sufficient, able to take care of His own. It really is strange to think that God who created everything can’t help us through a difficult circumstance. And you know something… even death shouldn’t cause us fear because when believers die- where do they go? The apostle Paul had this attitude…

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

A settled confidence in El Shaddai should remove our doubts, fears and worries. God used this name in speaking to Abram for a reason. If you continue to read that part in Genesis, (Genesis Chapter 17), you’ll see God is outlining His promises to Abram. To the average person, these promises would seem utterly unbelievable. Ahh… but God is El Shaddai!!

   1. When have you regarded God as El Shaddai?
   2. Why is it so easy for us to worry and/or doubt God?
   3. Do you like that Amy Grant song called “El Shaddai”?

Peace,
Jim

Good Morning Everyone,

Today marks a beginning of a new subject of study: *The Names of God*. As I asked for some participation in what to cover next, I also want to ask for participation on this theme of discussions. I want to pose more questions to generate some feedback this time around. So, your responses will help make this discussion more engaging and hopefully stir you to consider our great and awesome God who loves us! Okay then…

So far we’ve learned that God is real. God is active. God is holy. God is loving and wants us to know Him. As the 10 Commandments taught us, we are guilty of sins and God holds us accountable too.

We’ve also learned the Bible is God’s word and it contains His revelation of Himself to mankind. The Bible tells us all about God… how He created the heavens and the earth, how He interacted in the world in times past, how He came to earth in the form of man, (Jesus) to make a way for sinners to be reconciled to Him, how He built His church and how God expects His redeemed to live in the world during their short stay before He takes them home to Heaven. And lastly God reveals His plans for the future too!

You should consider the Bible as THE SOURCE for the truth of God, His nature, His plan, His requirements for Kingdom living, etc. Knowing the various names God is identified as throughout the Bible helps us to know Him better. One of life’s greatest privileges is knowing God more and more! And what better place to begin than the 1st verse in the Bible?

Genesis 1:1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The Old Testament (OT) was written in Hebrew. For us English speaking people, the Hebrew language has been translated into English. So anytime we see the word “God” or “Lord”, we will need to look at the Hebrew to get a better sense/ idea/ understanding of what is being said.

“God” in Genesis 1:1 is translated *ELOHIM*

“EL” means God. But watch this, “IM” is plural in Hebrew! So “ELOHIM” is “Gods”, meaning in the beginning God (singular yet plural) created. Wow! This is a reference to the Trinity nature of God; One yet three. One God as Father-Son-Holy Spirit. Right-off the bat, the humanly incomprehensible and divine nature of God is revealed as He creates everything at the beginning. Awesome!

The name “ELOHIM” refers to God as Creator and God as powerful and transcendent. I looked at an online lexicon and read that ELOHIM is used over 2000 times in the OT. I also read that the word comes from the Hebrew root meaning of power and strength.

Questions:

   1. What comes to your mind as you think of God as ELOHIM?
   2. What is your personal favorite name for God?

Peace,
Jim