Names of God

“And God said to him, “I am God Almighty;” (Gen. 35:11a)

God has many names and titles in the Bible. Each one tells us something important about Him—His character and how He relates to us. And how we must relate to Him. Here is another one of His many Names, which is El Shaddai.

El Shaddai – God Almighty

In the Old Testament, the name, El Shaddai, appears at least 40 times. Many of those times are in the book of Job and several are in the book of Genesis. 

El Shaddai, written in Hebrew, means “God Almighty”, “God, the All-powerful One”, or “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Gen. 49:24; Psalms 132:2, 5). The title speaks to God’s ultimate power over all and refers to Him as completely nourishing and the supplier of all needs.

Jesus is El Shaddai

“Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father;” (John 14:6)

“Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.’” (Matt. 28:18)

“The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’” –(Matt. 8:27)

Therefore

God has absolute power over sickness, death, sin, Satan, and any demonic power or influence, over anything or anyone—there is no one greater or more powerful than El Shaddai, our God Almighty.

Names of God

“I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High (El Elyon), the Possessor of heaven and earth,” (Gen. 14:20 NKJV)

God has many names and titles in the Bible. Each one tells us something important about Him—His character and how He relates to us. And how we must relate to Him. Here is another one of His many Names, which is El Elyon.

El Elyon – God Most High

El Elyon—God Most High or LORD Most High means there is no idol, god, or created being that should be worshiped or exalted over the Lord because He is superior in every way. The authority of the Most High God surpasses all boundaries, including those between nations, Heaven and Earth, spirit and physical entities, angels and devils, and humans and other living things.  His dominion and power are timeless and universal. He is El Elyon, the Most High God, the strongest One, the possessor of Heaven and earth.

Therefore

“I cry out to God Most High (El Elyon), to God who fulfills his purpose for me.” (Psalm 57:2)

Names of God

“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God (El Roi) who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” (Gen. 16:13)

God has many names and titles in the Bible. Each one tells us something important about Him—His character and how He relates to us. And how we must relate to Him. Here is another one of His many Names, which is El Roi.

El Roi – The God who sees me

Many names for God include “El.” El typically refers to God. But Roi brings another attribute of our Lord to the equation. El Roi means “The God who sees me.”

God’s eyes are everywhere

“The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (Prov. 15:3 NIV)

“But you, O Lord, know me; you see me, and test my heart toward you.” (Jer. 12:3 NIV)

“The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” (2 Chron. 16:9a NLT 

“The LORD watches over those who fear him, those who rely on his unfailing love.” (Psalm 33:18 NLT)

Therefore

God sees you all the time and witnesses your struggles and is always present to help you. After all, if he sees the sparrows and takes care of them, how much more does he care for you in your greatest time of need?

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” (Matt. 6:26)

Names of God

“In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen. 1:1)

Looking at the many Names of God, (continued)

Throughout the Bible, God has many names and titles. Each one tells us something important about Him—His character and how He relates to us. Here is another one of His many Names, which is Elohim.  

Elohim – The Creator

Elohim is the name by which God is introduced in the very first verse of the Bible. “In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). He is the Creator God who by His awesome power spoke the world into being. He is the infinite, all-powerful God who is the creator, sustainer, and supreme judge of the world.

Elohim blessed them with what He created for them (and for you today) and told them what to do with it

“God (Elohim) blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.” God (Elohim) said, “I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food. I have given all green plants as food to every land animal, every bird in the sky, and every animal that crawls on the earth—every living, breathing animal.” And so it was.” (Gen. 1:29:30)

Therefore

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Eph. 2:10 NLT)

Remember to thank Him for His kindness and to be a good steward with what He has put in your hands to use for Him.

Names of God

“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord (Adonai) of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God.” (Psalm 86:5)

 Looking at the many Names of God

 Throughout the Bible, we see that God has many names and titles, all of which have a significant meaning or highlight a certain attribute of God. Over the next few days, we will look at them.

 Adonai – Lord and Master

 Adonai is a Hebrew word that translates as “Lord” or “Lord Master” from its derivation “sovereignty”. Adonai appears 335 times in the Old Testament and is one of the most prominent names used for God there. In most English translations of the Bible it is translated as “Lord” with lower case letters, whereas the name YHWH (Yahweh) is written as “LORD” with all capital letters. Many Scripture authors used Adonai as an expression of humble awe, as in “O Lord, Our Lord,” or, “O God, my God.”

Adonai is also a term of respect people throughout the Old Testament used when addressing humans who were master or lord over them. Adonai is certainly an apt title for God. While there are other lords who hold sway over limited realms, God is the Lord of all the earth.

 Therefore

 You are invited to call upon Him as your own “Lord and Master” and to experience the benefits of having Him as your Adonai.

“For you, O Lord (Adonai), are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5)

“Remember now, that You have made me as clay; And would You turn me into dust again?” (Job 10:9)

The clay and it’s purpose belongs to the potter

The story of Job’s life is a demonstration of how a man of God should correctly deal with great loss and pain. Job suffered on multiple levels: he lost his children, lost his possessions, was stricken with devastating health issues, and was criticized and badly advised by his wife and friends, yet he remained faithful to God. Job had a firm understanding that he was formed by the hands of God as a potter forms clay, that he belonged to Him, and that he must honor Him no matter what.

“Behold, I belong to God like you;

I too have been formed out of the clay.” (Job 33:6)

Job’s response was remarkable because he started by worshipping God and never sinned or blamed God. And at the end of the narrative, Job not only receives a restored health but more possessions and a beautiful family, than that from which he’d begun in his former years (Job 42:12-17). Job had a positive outcome because he understood that God was his maker and that he belonged to God.

We are the clay, God is the potter

 “But now, O Lord, You are our Father, We are the clay, and You our potter; And all of us are the work of Your hand.” (Isa. 64:7)

“Then I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was, making something on the wheel. But the vessel that he was making of clay was spoiled in the hand of the potter; so he remade it into another vessel, as it pleased the potter to make.” (Jer. 18-3-4)

Therefore

“For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb.” (Psalm 139:13)

“But who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, ‘Why did you make me like this,’ will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” (Rom. 9:20-21)

“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:10 ESV)

“My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” (Psalm 73:26 ESV)

Failure is a part of the fallen “sin” condition

Failure happens to everyone from time to time, and there are great examples of it in the Bible, starting with the failure of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And that sin has continued to affect everyone in all future generations. There was David’s sin with Bathsheba. And Peter sinned in his denial of Christ, three times, even though he proclaimed passionately that he never would. The Apostle Paul described sin’s effects on him with these words: “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.” (Rom. 7:19-20 ESV)

Yes, we all do fail from time to time, but we must not allow sin to dominate us!

Each time you fail, get back up!

“For the righteous falls seven times and rises again, but the wicked stumble in times of calamity.” (Prov. 24:16 ESV)

Confess and forsake your sins

“Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.” (Prov. 28:13 ESV)

Therefore

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1 9 ESV)

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor. 12:8-10 ESV)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (1 Cor. 5:17 ESV)

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” (John 8:36 ESV)

The most powerful word

The word “free” quickly catches the eye and produces the best results in advertising. Why is that so? It’s because everyone loves getting something for free. The funny thing, however, is that nothing is actually free; it costs somebody something. Someone at the store had to pay for the free widget they are giving away. We live in a country where we enjoy freedom, but that’s not free either—someone had to fight and pay for it.

Free through Jesus

The verse at top uses the word free two times. But notice that it says “if the Son sets you free” which lets you know who paid for that freedom. The cost was purchased by what Jesus did on the cross!

“Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” (Acts 13.38 ESV)

 Therefore

“For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13 ESV)

“On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:37-38)

What Did Jesus mean?

When Jesus made the loud proclamation above saying that anyone who is thirsty should come to Him and drink, people didn’t understand what He meant. The passage went on to explain:

“By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” (John 7:39 NIV)

People are still thirsty and confused today!

The word “thirst” means different things. One of the definitions says it simply means to have a craving for something. It could be for water, food, or even other things such as wealth, power, or fame. A lot of people have a thirst but don’t know what they really want, and they go from thing to thing trying to discern what it is. Jesus, in his statement above, pointed out that the answer to their thirst is Him! He is the only one who can satisfy their thirst!

Therefore

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matt. 5:6 ESV)

“Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free!” (Isa. 55:1 NLT)

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” (John 4:14)