Seventeen Names of God and Their Significance (Psa 46:10)
"Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted in the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."
Perhaps the most common sin of omission is the failure to worship the Lord for who He really is. Mistaken notions of God inevitably lead to mis-guided assumptions and decisions. I am afraid that many of us have neglected the proper worship of God because we cannot describe more than one or two names of God. I would like to give a quiz this morning and see how many of the following seventeen names of God are known, understood and properly appropriated for their significance by ten people in our audience this morning.
Peter wrote, "But grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, to him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity." (2 Pet 3:18) Failure to know God will hinder our ability to fully give God the glory He so richly deserves. Some of us have been Christians for many years and yet are unable to articulate the names of God and their meaning and their significance to even those who are closest to us. Perhaps, we have never realized before how important it is to God that we understand the significance of the Biblical names of God used throughout the scriptures. There are a total of over 200 names of God in the Bible, but this morning we will only concentrate on seventeen. Jesus said, "This is eternal life that we may know you and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3) This will be our eternal occupation and it is best to begin sooner rather than later.
Learning more about the names of God helps us learn how to effectively praise, honor and thank Him for who He is. David wrote, "I will bless the Lord at all times. His praise will continually be in my mouth. My soul will make its boast in the Lord. The humble will hear it and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me and let us exalt His name together. I sought the Lord and He heard me and delivered me from all of my fears." (Psa 34:1-4)
There is great power in the praise of God’s name as it goes right to the heart of His glorious character. When we understand the names of God, we gain a greater depth of appreciation of the riches of His splendor, majesty, holiness, love and total attributes.
Illustration: Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him. --Psalm 34:8
I have often joined in singing the chorus "God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He’s so good to me." I could sing this with sincerity, thanking Him for my family, my fulfilling occupation, my many friends, and above all my salvation. But one day a feeling of guilt swept over me as I sang. Would I sing these words if I were living alone, felt unloved, and had little to eat?
I hope so. I am confident that the Lord, in whom I have placed my trust, would give me the same grace He’s given to millions who have nothing but Him. Imprisoned for their faith or undernourished or ostracized or painfully ill, they can rejoice in the Lord and declare His goodness.
A friend who has been working with Christians in India told me that hundreds of thousands of new converts reflect a joy and gladness that puts him to shame. Could it be that because they are desperately poor they focus more fully on Christ? This friend and I have Jesus Christ plus many earthly possessions and pleasures. They have Christ plus nothing. He’s all they need, and so they sing with greater fervor than I, "God is so good!"
Yes, God is good, no matter what our circumstances. It’s a lesson we all must learn sooner or later. --HVL
O taste and see that God is good
To all who seek His face;
Yea, blest that one who trusts in Him,
Confiding in His grace. --Psalter
Even when everything looks bad,
God is good. (Our Daily Bread)
1. Elohim means God Gen. 1:1: Psa 19:1 - "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Speaks of God’s power and might. The only supreme-true God
2. Yahweh means The Lord Gen. 2:4; Ex 6:2,3. "I am the Lord, 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" Speaks of the name of the divine person above all.
3. El Elyon means the God Most High Gen. 14:17-20; Psa 7:17. "I will give thanks to the Lord because of His righteousness and will sing praise to t he name of the Lord Most High." Speaks of the fact that He is above all gods; nothing is more sacred than Him.
4. El Roi means the God Who Sees Gen. 16:13. "You are the God who sees me, for Hagar said, I have now seen the One who sees me." Speaks of the God oversees all creation and the affairs of people and nations.
5. El Shaddai means the God Almighty Gen. 17:1. "When Abrahm was ninety nine years old the Lord appeared to him and said, I am God Almighty walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." Speaks of the God who is all powerful
6. Yahweh Yireh means the the Lord will provide Gen. 22:13,14. "Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called that place the Lord will Provide." Speaks of the God who will provide our total need (Physical, emotional, mental, social, cultural, material, attitudinal, behavior and spiritual)
7. Yahweh Nissi means the Lord is My Banner, My Victory Exodus 17:15 "Moses built an altar and called it the Lord is my Banner. He said, For hands were lifted up to the throne of the Lord. The Lord will be at war against the Amalekites from generation to generation." Speaks of the fact that we should remember God for helping us gain the victory
8. Adonai means the Lord Deut. 6:4 "Hear O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Speaks of God alone who is the head over all
9. Yahweh Elohe Yisrael means the Lord God of Israel Judg. 5:3; Psa 59:5 "O Lord God Almighty, the God of Israel rouse yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to the wicked traitors." Speaks of the fact that He is the God of the nation
10. Qedosh Yisrael means the Holy One of Israel Isa.1:4 "Ah, sinful nation, a people loaded with guilt a brood of evildoers children given to corruption! They have forsaken the Lord; they have spurned the Holy ONe of Israel and truned their backs on him." Speaks of a God who is morally perfect
11. Yahweh Sabaoth means the Lord of Host (hosts refers to armies but also to all heavenly powers I Sam 1:3; Isa 6:1-3. "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." Speaks of the God who is our Savior and Protector
12. El Olam means the Everlasting God Isa 40:28-31. "The Lord is the everlasting God the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and young men stumble and fall. But those who hoe in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow tired, they will urn and not groww eary and they will walk and not be faint." Speaks of the God who is eternal He will never die
13. Yahweh Tsidkenu means the Lord is Our Righteousness Jer 23:6; 33:16. "In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called. The Lord Our Righteousness." Speaks of the God who is our standard for right behavior. He alone can make us righteous
14. Yahweh Shammah means the Lord is there Ezek. 48:35. "The distance all around will be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on will be: The Lord is There." Speaks of the God who is always present with us
15. Attiq Yomin means the Ancient of Days Dan. 7:9,13. "In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence." He was given authority, glory and sovereeign power, all peoples, antions and men of every language worshiped him, His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed." Speaks of the God who is the ultimate authority. He will one day judge the nations
17. Shalom means the Prince of Peace Isa 9:6. "His name will be called wonderful counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace." Rest, wholeness and complete supply of whatever is needed to put one at perfect peace.
18. Jehovah-Jireh - The Lord will provide - Thank God that He promises to provide all you need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) He will provide for you emotionally, sustaining you with energy, renewal and encouragement. He will make provisions for you financially, socially, culturally, mentally, physically, educationally, communicationally, attitudinally, family-wise, knowledge, wisdom, strength, guidance, deliverance, protection, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control along with all sufficient grace for every trial. (2 Cor. 12:9,10) God allows a sense of weakness and shortages to force us to depend upon Him for our every need. David penned a great promise in Psa 34:1-4, "They who seek the Lord will not be in want of any good thing."
Conclusion: Godliness with contentment is great gain. --1 Timothy 6:6
Surrender is not a very popular word. We use it in reference to the humiliation that accompanies defeat. When a nation loses a war, it may be forced to surrender unconditionally, and has no say in the terms of defeat.
Yet there is a type of surrender that is dignified and appropriate. Paul understood it in two aspects. First, it means surrendering our desires and will to the heavenly Father. Jesus is our example, for He did the Father’s will in everything (Jn. 6:38).
The second aspect is our acceptance of God’s supreme sovereignty. This is marked by our realization that things do not always go our way as God works out His will on earth. Our business goes through good times and bad. Our health may suffer. Loved ones will hurt us, or leave us, or even die. Our fondest dreams may never be realized.
In the spiritual sense, to surrender means that we trust God to do what is best. It is, as Paul said, choosing to be content "in whatever state I am" (Phil. 4:11-12), and knowing by faith that God will take care of our needs (v.19). That kind of faith isn’t easy. But it’s the only way to overcome dissatisfaction and anger about uncontrollable circumstances.
Perhaps it’s time to say "I surrender" to the Lord and to His perfect will and plan. --DCE
Take my love--my God, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself--and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee. --Havergal
Surrender is victory when we yield to God. (Our Daily Bread)
