The Names of God
Exodus 1:13, “And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.”
Zech. 14: 9, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
I would like to speak for a little while on the subject, the names of God.
Names in the Bible have meaning. Biblical names show the character of the one who possesses that name. Several times, you will find that, as God changes the character of a man, He changes the name of the man to fit his new character. Jacob is an example of this. His name means supplanter, or deceiver, a name he lived up to when he supplanted his brother Esau, and deceived his father, Isaac. But when he wrestled with God, when he got a hold of God, and God changed his character, God renamed him Israel, a prince with God, or power with God.
This is a principle found throughout the bible, and it does not end with the names of mankind. We find Satan in the book of Job, standing before God, and accusing Job. It is no wonder that the name Satan means “Accuser of the brethren.”
Names reveal the nature and character of the one named.
After the fall of man, and after the flood, we find a people in the bible who did not know God. Little by little, God began to reveal himself to mankind, as they began to call upon him. One way God showed man His character was by names. In or text, Moses asked God His name. And God answered with the Hebrew name Eyah Aser Eyah. It means the all sufficient one. The self-reliant one.
Genesis calls Him YHVH Yireh, The God Who Provides, when Abraham said God would provide a lamb instead of his son Isaac.
In Exodus, God is called YHVH Rophecha, The God Who Heals.
Leviticus calls Him Elohim Kedoshim, the Holy God. He is pure, spotless, perfect, and free from sin.
In Deuteronomy He is called Elohay Kedem, the God of the Beginning. The one who is before all things, and who made all things. He is also called Elohay Elohim, the God of gods. This is properly translated as the God above all spirits, all angels, all beings of Heaven.
Nehemiah calls Him Elohay Selichot, the God of Forgiveness.
In the Psalms, He is called Elohay Chasdi, the God of Kindness, Elohay Mauzi, The God of My Strength, Elohay Yishi, The God of My Salvation, Elohay Tehilati, The God of My Praise, and YHVH O’Saynu, The Lord our Maker.
Isaiah calls Him Elohay Mishpat, the God of Justice.
In Jeremiah, He is called Elohay Kol Basar, The God of All Flesh. He created not just things in the Heavens, but all life on Earth. Jeremiah also calls Him Elohay Mikarov, The God Who is Near.
Ezekiel calls Him YHVH M’Kadesh, The Lord Who Makes Holy.
Judges calls Him YHVH Shalom, The God of Peace.
He is Elohay Chaiim, The God of Life.
God in the Old Testament had many such names, each name revealing part of His nature, part of His character. But, though they are names of God, they are not THE NAME of God. The Angel of The Lord appeared to Manoah, the father of Sampson, promising him that Sampson would be born.
Judges 13:17, “And Manoah said unto the angel of the LORD, What is thy name, that when thy sayings come to pass we may do thee honour? 18 And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?”
We know that The Angel of The Lord is none other than a manifestation of God Himself. Because Manoah said unto his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. And He would not tell them His name.
Jacob had a similar experience with God when God renamed him Israel.
Genesis 32:24, “And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25 And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26 And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27 And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28 And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. 29 And Jacob asked him, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. 30 And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”
But Zechariah said, “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.”
The day was coming. God was revealing His nature, His character little by little. But one day, The Lord would be King over all the Earth, and His name one.”
And one day, it happened. An angel told Joseph in a dream not to worry about the fact that Mary was with child, because this was not any ordinary child. This was a special child.
Matt. 1: 21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Jesus means YHVH Salvation. And when He was about thirty years old, Jesus began to live up to His name. He was Emanuel, God with us. God, who had been separated from mankind by their sins was now with us; God with us. Jesus was Elohay Mikarov, The God Who is Near.
John 8:56, “Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.”
Jesus is The I AM Eyah Aser Eyah. He began working miracles among the people. He turned water into wine at a wedding feast. He was YHVH Nissi, the God of Miracles.
I’m telling you, Jesus was more than just a man. He was more than just a prophet. He is more than just a religious figure of an old religion. He was Emanuel, God with us. When He opened the eyes of the bling, healed all matter of diseases, He was YHVH Rophecha, The God Who Heals.
Mark 5:25, “And a certain woman, which had an issue of blood twelve years, 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse, 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his garment. 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.”
This woman had tried everything else, and nothing else had worked. She was bankrupt. She had no money, she had no hope. She was unclean under the Levitical law. But when she saw Jesus, something stirred within her. Somehow she knew He was more than a man. Somehow she felt in her innermost being, this is the One. He is the answer. The crowds were all around Jesus, but she pressed her way to him, thinking that if she could just touch the hem of His garments, she would be made whole. Now, under the Levitical Law, all Israelite males wore a talit, a shawl with blue borders. Orthodox Jews still where them today. At the corners of the talit are tassels call sit-sits. Tradition tells us that the Jews used these tassels much like we use checks today. They wove their names into the tassels, and, when buying something, would place the tassel into clay, leaving the imprint of their name. Jesus wore such a garment. And the woman said, “If I could just touch the hem of His garment.” What garment? The Talit. Could it be that when she reached out and touched the hem of His garment, she got a hold of His name? And the moment she touched the hem of His garment, she was healed.
Mark 5:29, “And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes? 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me? 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing. 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth. 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”
The name of YHVH Nissi, the God of Miracles, the name of YHVH Rophecha, the God Who Heals, is none other than the name that is above every other name. The all- powerful, glorious, holy, exalted name, the name at which every knee shall bow, things in Heaven, things under the Heaven, every principality, every power.
What is His name? Jesus!
Mark 4:37, “And there arose a great storm of wind, and the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full. 38 And he was in the hinder part of the ship, asleep on a pillow: and they awake him, and say unto him, Master, carest thou not that we perish? 39 And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 40 And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? 41 And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?”
What manner of man is this? He was more than a man. The God who made the Heavens and the seas, the Spirit of God incarnate, the same Spirit that moved upon the face of the waters on the first day of creation, YHVH Shalom, the God of Peace, spoke to the raging storm. It must have been a terrible storm to upset the twelve, men who knew the seas, some who were professional fishermen. It must have been a hurricane. They thought they were going to die. But YHVH Shalom arose from where he had been sleeping, looked calmly out at the raging storm, his voice piercing the rolling thunder, and the crashing waves, commanding, “Peace, be still.” When The God of Peace speaks to the storms, they obey. One moment the storms were raging, and the next moment, the wind fell silent, the sea went calm as glass. The rain stopped falling and the dark clouds parted. Because the name of the God of Peace, YHVH Shalom is Jesus!
When a blind man came to Jesus, Jesus formed clay from the dust of the ground and His own spit, and He put it on the man’s eyes. Why did He do this? He did this, because He had once formed an entire man out of clay in the Garden of Eden. He is YHVH O’Saynu, The Lord our Maker. He told the man to go and wash in the Pool of Siloam. When he did, the man’s eyes were healed. You see, the man’s old eyes did not work, so YHVH O’Saynu, The Lord our Maker, made him another set of eyes.
When a leper came to him, a man unclean, a man unholy under Levitical law, a man to be shunned, kept outside the city, a man who could not be touched, and could not touch others without making them unholy, when he came to Jesus, he fell at his feet, crying, “Lord, If you will, you can make me clean!”
I am sure many drew away from him in revulsion, knowing if they touched him, they, too, would be made unholy. Leprosy was a terrible disease, a disease that kept a man from His family, from the Temple of God, from the Feasts of Israel, from the worship. But Jesus touched him. And there, at that moment, something happened that had never happened before in the history of the world. That which was holy touched that which was unholy, and the holy thing was made holy. It should have been the other way around. But Jesus was more than just a man. He is YHVH M’Kadesh, the God Who makes Holy!
Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, and a friend of Jesus, died. Jesus arrived on the scene, as far as everyone was concerned, too late to do any good. But, you see, Jesus is never late. Martha fell at His feet, weeping, saying, “Lord, if you had only been here, my brother would not have died.” And Jesus told her, “I AM the resurrection and the life.” When Mary showed up, Jesus asked where they had laid Lazarus’s body. He went with them to the tomb. He ordered the men there to roll away the stone from the tomb. But Martha said, “Lord, he has been dead four days, by this time he smells of decay.”
As they rolled away the stone, the stench of death filled the air. Lazarus was truly dead. His body was already decaying. Surely it was too late. But Jesus was the resurrection and the life. He was Elohay Chaiim, The God of Life. He stood there, ignoring the stench of decay, ignoring the unbelief of the those watching. He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus…” Had He, Elohay Chaiim, The God of Life, not said Lazarus, had He simply said, “Come forth,” every grave in that grave yard would have opened up. Every dead body, no matter how long-decayed, would have sprung to life. He is the resurrection and the life. He is Elohay Chaiim, The God of Life. He told John in Revelation, “I AM HE that liveth and was dead, and, behold, I AM alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Hell and of death…” The name of Elohay Chaiim, The God of Life, is Jesus!
They brought to Him a woman taken in the very act of adultery. They told Jesus, wanting to trick him, that the Levitical Law said she should be stoned to death. God is a God of Justice, after all. He is Elohay Mishpot, the God of Justice. The woman cowered there before Jesus, humiliated, ashamed, afraid of what might happen next. She lay there, her sin revealed for all the world to see, at the feet of Elohay Mishpot. But the God of Justice is also Elohay Selichot, the God of Forgiveness. Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” One by one, ashamed, the accusers left. Jesus, the God of Justice, He who is without sin, could have picked up a stone and thrown it at her. He had the right. But that day, Elohay Mishpot, the God of Justice was also Elohay Selichot, the God of Forgiveness.
He is Elohay Elohim, the God of Gods. When He spoke, demons had to flee, angels had to obey. At the mention of His name, demons flee. At the mention of His name, devils tremble. He is Elohay Elohim, the God of gods!
The woman had been a sinner. She was Mary, the sister of Lazarus. She had been a woman of ill-repute. Jesus was at the house of Simon, the Pharisee. Simon had not washed His feet. He had not anointed Jesus with oil, he had not given Him the customary kiss of friendship. They were sitting, eating, discussing, when Mary came silently in. She approached quietly, her ears burning, her face cast down, aware of what everyone must have been thinking. She knew she had been a terrible sinner. But this Jesus, this wonderful Jesus, her Lord, had delivered her from that life. She was there to worship and to praise Him. She took a jar filled with expensive perfumed oil, and she broke it. She anointed Jesus with it, His hands and His feet. Simon had not anointed Him. But she did. Weeping, she washed his feet with her tears, and dried them with her hair. Why? Because Mary knew who He was. The Pharisees did not know who was in their midst. But she knew. This is more than just a man. This is Elohay Tehilati, the God of my Praise. You may not want to worship Him. You may not want to praise Him. You may not esteem Him worthy of honor and praise, but I do. He is Elohay Tehilati. He is the God of My Praise.
His name is Jesus!
Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under Heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved.
What’s that name? His name is jesus!
In Genesis, He’s the Breath of life
In Exodus, the Passover Lamb
In Leviticus, He’s our High Priest
Numbers, The Fire by night
Deuteronomy, He’s Moses’ voice
In Joshua, He is Salvation’s Choice
Judges, Law Giver
In Ruth, the Kinsmen-Redeemer
First and Second Samuel, our Trusted Prophet
In Kings and Chronicles, He’s Sovereign
Ezra, True and Faithful Scribe
Nehemiah, He’s the Rebuilder of broken walls and lives
In Esther, He’s Mordecai’s Courage
In Job, the timeless Redeemer
In Psalms, He is our Morning Song
In Proverbs, Wisdom’s Cry
Ecclesiastes, the Time and Season
In the Song of Solomon, He is the Lover’s Dream
He is, He is, HE IS!
In Isaiah, He’s Prince of Peace
Jeremiah, the Weeping Prophet
In Lamentations, the Cry for Israel
Ezekiel, He’s the call from sin
In Daniel, the Stranger in the fire
In Hosea, He is Forever Faithful
In Joel, He’s the Spirits power
In Amos, the Arms that carry us
In Obadiah, He’s the Lord our Savior
In Jonah, He’s the Great Missionary
In Micah, the Promise of Peace
In Nahum, He is our Strength and our Shield
In Habakkuk and Zephaniah, He’s pleading for revival
In Haggai, He Restores a lost heritage
In Zechariah, our Fountain
In Malachi, He is the Sun of righteousness rising with healing in His wings
He is, He is, HE IS!
In Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, He is God, Man, Messiah and King
In the book of Acts, He is Fire from heaven
In Romans, He’s the Grace of God
In Corinthians, the Power of love
In Galatians, He is Freedom from the curse of sin
Ephesians, our Glorious Treasure
Philippians, the Servants heart
In Colossians, He’s the fullness of the Godhead
Thessalonians, our Coming King
In Timothy, Titus, Philemon He’s our Mediator and our Faithful Pastor
In Hebrews, the Everlasting Covenant
In James, the One Who heals the sick.
In First and Second Peter, He is our Shepherd
In John and in Jude, He is the Lover coming for His bride
In the Revelation, He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords
He is, He is, HE IS!
The Prince of Peace
The Son of Man
The Lamb of God
The Great I AM
He’s the Alpha and Omega
Our God and our Savior
He is Jesus Christ the Lord
and when time is no more
He is, HE IS!
AMEN AND AMEN!
His name is Jesus!
