Simple Simon Says: Names Of God

31 January 2013

Names Of God - Father!

Psalm 8:1
"O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth,..."

Do you have a name? I'm sure you do, all of us do or should. It is part of our identity. But, have you ever wonder why you are given your name? Do you know what your name means? It would be good to find out if you don't.

Names in Biblical times were very important, as they revealed a person's character.  As we read through Scripture we can see the importance of names,  therefore, it should be a priority in our lives to learn the Names of God.

God has many Names and each reveals Him in a different way.  God's Names represent His attributes, His nature.  Therefore, it is important that we know God by His many Names.  It is my hope you are encouraged and uplifted as you read these Names of God.  

OLD TESTAMENT NAMES FOR GOD

JEHOVAH-YAHWEH. a reference to God's divine salvation ................(Genesis 2:4)
JEHOVAH-MACCADDESHEM. meaning "The Lord thy sanctifier" ...(Exodus 31:13)
JEHOVAH-ROHI. meaning "The Lord my shepherd" ............................(Psalm 23:1)
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH. meaning "The Lord who is present" ..............(Ezekiel 48:35)
JEHOVAH-RAPHA. meaning "The Lord our healer" .............................(Exodus 15:26)
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU. meaning "The Lord our righteousness" ..........(Jeremiah 23:6)
JEHOVAH-JIREH. meaning "The Lord will provide" ............................(Genesis 22:13-14)
JEHOVAH-NISSI. meaning "The Lord our banner" ...............................(Exodus 17:15)
JEHOVAH-SHALOM. meaning "The Lord is peace" ............................(Judges 6:24)
JEHOVAH-SABBAOTH. meaning "The Lord of Hosts" .......................(Isaiah 6:1-3)
JEHOVAH-GMOLAH. meaning "The God of Recompense" ................(Jeremiah 51:6)

ADONAI. meaning "Lord", a reference to the Lordship of God .........(Malachi 1:6)
ELOHIM. meaning "God", a reference to God's power and might ......(Genesis 1:1, Psalm 19:1)
EL-ELYON. meaning "The most high God" ..............................(Genesis 14:17-20,Isaiah 14:13-14)
EL-ROI. meaning "The strong one who sees" ..........................(Genesis 16:13)
EL-SHADDAI. meaning "The God of the mountains or God Almighty" ....(Genesis 17:1,Psalm 91:1)
EL-OLAM. meaning "The everlasting God" ................................................(Isaiah 40:28-31)

But what is most interesting is that Jesus did not introduce God in any of the above names during his ministry on earth. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 - 7) Jesus introduces God to us as our Father in Heaven. The very first verse in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9 (NLT) is

"Our Father in heaven, may your name be honoured."

The word "Father" suggests an intimate relationship and closeness between God and us. This is an attribute of God that is not found in the Old Testament names of God, listed above. God is simply called by the name "Father" or "Abba" the Aramaic term for "father", at the time of Jesus. Abba, an originally Aramaic form is borrowed into the Greek Old Testament as a name. The phrase Abba, Father is found in Mark 14:36, Romans 8:15 and Galatians 4:6.

How then do we see God in this light, as our Father?

This question is similar to the statement Philip, one of the twelve apostles, made to Jesus in John 14:8. Jesus replied to Philip in John 14:9b is ".....Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father!".

The answer to the above question is also found in this verse.

John 1:18 (NLT)
¹⁸No one has ever seen God. But his only Son, who is himself God, is near to the Father's heart; he has told us about him.

which is probably why Jesus says in John 14:6-7 (NLT)

"⁶I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. ⁷If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!"

The way to see and know your Father in Heaven, is to see and know Jesus. If in your life journey, you are pursuing after God, pursue after Jesus. You will find your Father in Heaven in Jesus and your Father God will meet you half way, for He purpose for you to find him and have an intimate relationship with Him.

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Bible Verses

1 John 4:17-18 (NLT)
¹⁷ And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we are like Christ here in this world.
¹⁸ Such love has no fear because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of judgment, and this shows that his love has not been perfected in us.

Hebrews 9:12 (NLT)
¹² Once for all time he took blood into that Most Holy Place, but not the blood of goats and calves. He took his own blood, and with it he secured our salvation forever.

Romans 5:17 (NLT)
¹⁷The sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over us, but all who receive God's wonderful, gracious gift of righteousness will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5;21 (NLT)
²¹For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

Romans 5:1-2 (NLT)
¹Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. ²Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of highest privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God's glory.

1 Corinthians 1:26-27 (NLT)
²⁶Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes, or powerful, or wealthy when God called you. ²⁷Instead, God deliberately chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose those who are powerless to shame those who are powerful.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)
⁸ "My thoughts are completely different from yours," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.
⁹For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.

Hebrew 8:8-13 (NLT)
¹² And I will forgive their wrongdoings,
and I will never again remember their sins."

Romans 4:7-8 (NLT)
⁷"Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight.
⁸Yes, what joy for those whose sin is no longer counted against them by the Lord."

Romans 8:1 (NLT)
¹So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus

John 3:16-17 (NLT)
¹⁶"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it."

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31 January 2013

Names Of God - Father!

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