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Preaching the Living WORD through the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4:2 - |
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STUDY OF
GOD (THEOLOGY PROPER) (NAMES
OF GOD) Pastor INTRODUCTION A. Names can and
do carry meanings. This was especially true in Old Testament times. For
instance, “Cain” means, “to get or acquire,” because Eve declared that she
had gotten a manchild by the help of the Lord. Isaac’s name means “laughter”
because Abraham and Sarah were filled with the joy of the Lord in their old
age at the fulfillment of God’s promise. B. God’s names also have meaning and that
meaning revealed God’s attributes, acts, and personal dealings in the world.
In addition, the believer can find great comfort and strength in the names of
God. 1. The many names of God in the Scriptures
provide additional revelation of His character. These are not mere titles
assigned by people but, for the most part, His own descriptions of Himself.
As such they reveal aspects of His character. (Ryrie, Basic Theology, pg. 51) C. The English
Bible distinguishes the primary names of God particularly with
capitalization. “LORD” with all capitals is the designation for Yahweh. “Lord” with small letters is
the designation for Adonai. “God”
is the designation for Elohim. I. PRIMARY NAMES
OF GOD A. Elohim 1. Elohim is plural form in Hebrew (im). There is some
discussion as to why it is plural in the name Elohim. Some say that it
refers to the multifaceted attributes of God whereby it is called, “a
plurality of majesty.” While this is true, Elohim could be the first
implication of God’s triune nature (Gen 1:1) as the plurality of persons.
This plurality of persons of the Godhead is also seen in Gen 1:26. 2. The root El in Elohim means
might or strength. The idea of Elohim is the Strong One, the Great
One, or the Chief God among all others. 3. Elohim is the name of God introduced and
emphasized in Genesis chapter one (1-31 except 13, 15, 19, 23, 30). Elohim
is the Mighty Creator who created everything that exists. 4. There are no other gods besides Elohim.
He alone is the Mighty One (Isa 45:5, 18, 21). 5. He is the God (Elohim) of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob (Gen 28:13), of all flesh (Jer 32:27), of the earth (Isa
54:5), of the heavens (Neh 2:4). 6. As believers we are to have a worshipful
reverence toward Elohim (Psa 66:19), to trust in His strength (Psa
46:10), and to rely upon His strength (Psa 18:31-32; 46:1; 59:9). B. Yahweh 1. The
next name for God is Yahweh. It occurs some 5,321 times in the Old
Testament, making it the most frequently used name for God. 2. This is the personal proper name of 3. Yahweh
is really an
enhancement of the actual four letters YHVH. YHVH is called the
tetragrammaton, the four letters that spell the name Jehovah. This particular
name was so sacred to the Jewish scribes that when they would come to this
name, they would stop and make themselves ceremonial clean. Furthermore, they
added letters from Adonai to comprise Yahweh. 4. The root of Yahweh (hawa, rare
synonym of hayah) signifies existence as in a “tree trunk, being at
rest where it fall - Eccl 11:3” (TWOT). It also carries the idea of
development as in Neh 6:6. Both ideas combined denote that God is the active
Self-existent One. 5. The attribute of self-existence means, that
God has the ground of His existence in Himself, and unlike man, does not
depend on anything outside of Himself. He is independent in His Being, in His
virtues and actions, and causes all His creatures to depend on Him.
(Louis Berkhof, Summary of Christian Doctrine). 6. Yahweh is closely related
to God’s self expressed name, “I AM” in Exo 3:14. The Hebrew verb, “I AM” is a common Qal Imperfect of
hayah (“to be” verb) which connotes continuous unfinished action, i.e.
“the One Who Always Is.” The LXX translated as, egṓ eími
ó ṓn (I am the One who is) with a present “to be
verb” (eími) and a present participle (ṓn). 7. The first usage is in Genesis 2 (4, 5, 7,
8, 9, 15, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22) where Yahweh is combined with Elohim.
The first usage without the combination of Elohim is in Gen 4:3ff in
the narrative of Cain. 8. Yahweh
not only means that God is self-existent and
eternal, but it also refers to God’s covenantal name for His relationship
with Israel (Exo 3:15). Believers also have a relationship with Yahweh through
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ (Joh 8:58). All believers ought to give
praise to Yahweh (hallelujah, hallelu - praise; jah or yah -
Yahweh; Psa 106:48; 150:1, 6) C. Adonai 1. Adonai means one with authority and is translated Lord or Master.
It also is in plural form in Hebrew. 2. It is used for human masters or
authorities (Gen 24:14, 27, 35, 37); to show the quality of servanthood and
respect (Gen 24:18); and it was used by Sarah in reference to her husband
(Gen 18:12 cp. 1Pe 3:6). 3. When used of God, Adonai refers to
His absolute Lordship among men (Psa 2:3-4). 4. David uses Adonai to indicate his
submission to God (Psa 16:2). 5. Isaiah is overcome with the holiness and
authority of Adonai and therefore submits his life to Him (Isa 6:1, 8-11). 6. Every believer bows to Adonai when
he confesses that Jesus is Lord (kúrios) (Phil 2:11 cp. Isa
45:23). |
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