Month: June 2020

10. JEHOVAH-MEDODDISHKEM – “The Lord who sanctifies you” – It means, set apart, consecrated, or separated unto God.” A person is justified when they are saved unto eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. This is a one time event.

Sanctification, on the other hand, is a lifelong ongoing process whereby God Himself, by His indwelt Holy Spirit, over time makes us into the image of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 1:16 – You shall be holy, for I am holy.

We are made holy by Almighty God; therefore, we are to strive to live a holy life in response to what God has already done for us. Once we belong to God we enter into His wonderful rest.

Exodus 31:13 – Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: “Surely My Sabbath you shall keep, for it is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

11. JEHOVAH-SHALOM – “The Lord is peace” – During a very dark period in Israel’s history God allowed Israel to be severely oppressed by Midian because of their disobedience. The Lord appeared to Gideon and told him to rescue his people from Midian. We all remember the story of Gideon who took a force of 300 men and defeated an army of 10,000 with the help of God. God gave Gideon His peace so Gideon built an altar to the Lord at that location and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace.

Judges 6:22-24 – Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, “Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.” Then the Lord said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.” So Gideon built an altar there to the Lord, and called it The-Lord-Is-Peace.

True peace, lasting peace, cannot be found in any other place than in a right relationship with God. No matter what your problems are you can have peace because God Himself is our peace. Learn to lean on God’s strength. When you need peace run into the shelter of His name. God is peace.

John 16:33 – These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.

John 14:27 – (Jesus speaking) – Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

9. JEHOVAH-NISSI – “The Lord is my Banner” – A banner in ancient times was an ensign or standard carried at the head of a military grouping. It was a rallying point in time of war. As long as the soldiers could see the banner of their king flying they fought on with courage and confidence knowing that they would win the day.

Psalm 60:4-5 – You have given a banner to those who fear You, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah. That Your beloved may be delivered, save with Your right hand, and hear me.

After the exodus from Egypt the first battle Israel fought was against the Amalekites. As long as Moses held high overhead the banner of God Israel was winning the fight. When Moses lowered the staff of God the Amalekites were winning. Israel finally won the battle by keeping God’s banner flying and Moses built an altar at the site. God was teaching Israel a moral lesson. Those who fight under the banner of God are assured of victory.

Exodus 17:15 – And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-Lord-Is-My-Banner.

The Lord Himself is our banner . He is our confidence and shining assurance of victory. As children of God, there is a moral lesson in the above story for us today. The Christian life is warfare, and it will be constant warfare until we enter heaven so buckle up and get ready.

Ephesians 6:10 – Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might.

The flesh is your first and constant enemy and your opponent is Satan and his demons. As the battle on earth rages between flesh and Spirit and you feel yourself losing ground take heart. Always look up to the banner of our king, Jehovah-Nissi, who fights for us. God will give us His strength so that we can be assured of ultimate victory over our foe.

7. JEHOVAH-JIREH – “The Lord will provide” – Abraham gave the Lord this name on Mount Moriah. God had directed Abraham to go there and offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering to the Lord. At the last minute, God stopped Abraham from sacrificing his son and instead “provided” a ram as a substitute.

Genesis 22:14 – And Abraham called the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

This was the same mount where God’s temple would later be built and the same mount where God would later “provide” His only begotten Son, Jesus, as a sacrifice for all men. The spotless lamb of God was the only possible provision of Jehovah-Jireh for the sins of the world. What man could not do God did. Jireh means “to see”. Because He is God, when He sees, He foresees. Because God knows the end from the beginning and is omniscient He knows what we need and provides for us without our having to ask.

8. JEHOVAH-RAPHA – “The Lord who heals” – The God who made us and knows us is our Great Physician. Only God can heal our spirit and soul and give us peace. Sin is a mortal wound that only God can heal.

Exodus 15:26 – If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.

There is a direct correlation between sin and sickness, sickness of body, spirit and soul. Only Jehovah-Rapha can cure what ails us. Always seek first the healing power of the God before depending on modern medicine to heal you.

Jeremiah 17:14 – Heal me O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me and I shall be saved. for You are my praise.

6. JEHOVAH – “The Self-Existent One” – The name Jehovah appears 6,823 times in the Old Testament. Jews regard Jehovah (Yahweh in Hebrew) as the most holy, most sacred name of God. The Hebrew root of the name Jehovah means, “to be, to become.” The name Jehovah speaks to God’s being or essence.

Isaiah 43:10-11 – Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me. I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no Savior besides Me.

Jehovah is the self-existent Creator who made the heavens and the earth. His name says, “I always have been, I always am, and I always will be.” Everything that came into being came from the self-existent God who simply spoke and brought the universe into existence. When Moses was conversing with God on Mount Sinai before the burning bush he asked God His name. God responded, “I AM WHO I AM”, which is to say, I am the self-existent one. God has no needs not provided by His divine nature. God is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.

Exodus 6:2-3 – And God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord (Jehovah).” I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord (Jehovah) I was not known to them.

Everyone and everything in the universe had a beginning with the exception of God who has always existed. With the exception of God, nothing can exist without there being a cause to create the effect. God is the self-existent one who caused all things to be created (the effect) according to His will.

5. ADONAI – “Lord” – Acknowledging Jesus as Lord means He is your master and you are submitting yourself to Him as a bond slave. Slavery was common in biblical times and the master-slave relationship was well-defined. A master was responsible for all the needs of his slave and, in return, the slave was to be obedient to the commands of his master. It was a two-way relationship that benefited both parties.

Romans 6:16 – Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness.

God has promised to meet all your needs abundantly if you are obedient to His will and commands. Many people in churches today give lip service to Jesus by calling him Lord yet they don’t obey His commands. Then they wonder why God hasn’t prospered them or changed their lives as they had hoped.

Luke 6:46 – Why do you call Me, “Lord, Lord,” and do not do what I say?

Matthew 15:8 – (Jesus speaking) – These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.

As Adonai, God has a right to expect us to kneel before Him and submit our lives to Him in obedience. If God is God, then He must be Adonai – He must be master. If Jesus is God, then He, too, must be Jehovah Adonai. Lord. You must first acknowledge God as Lord (Adonai) before you can benefit from any of the other attributes of a loving God.

Philippians 2:10-11 – That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

4. EL SHADDAI – “God Almighty” – When Abram was in Canaan and ninety nine years old the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and I will multiply you exceedingly.”

John 4:14 – Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.

God changed Abrams name to Abraham because he would be a father of many nations. God was letting Abraham know He was the “All-Sufficient One” who would supply all his needs. El, remember, actually stands for might or power. Shaddai is a Hebrew word meaning “breasted”, as in a nursing mother’s breast. A mother’s milk gives life-giving nourishment to her child or it would perish. El Shaddai, will pour forth Himself for His creatures so that they are nourished and will not perish. This is the God who, by the sacrifice of Himself, gives Himself and His very nature to those who will receive Him. God will nurture those who love Him. God is the All-Sufficient One who will meet all your needs. One thing is certain; God takes delight in comforting, succoring and protecting His own. Learn to lean on God’s strength in times of need.

Isaiah 49:15-16 – Can a woman forget her nursing child, and not have compassion on the son of her womb? Surely they may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands; your walls are continually before Me.

2 Corinthians 12:9 – And He said to me (Paul), “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”

Philippians 4:13 – I can do all things through Christ who strengthen me.

3. EL ROI – “God Who sees” – God is omnipresent in His creation. God never sleeps and He sees everything that every person does in their life. both good and evil. The first time we see the Lord referred to as the “God Who Sees” is in Genesis 16:13:

Genesis 16:13 – Then she (Hagar) called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who Sees; for she said, “Have I also seen Him who sees me?”

The slave girl Hagar had run into the desert and away from her mistress Sarai and the household of Abram. The Lord Himself appeared to Hagar in the form of an angel. The Lord blessed the child in Hagar’s womb and sent her back to Sarai and was told she must submit to Sarai’s authority. Abram disobeyed God and fathered a child by Hagar because he didn’t trust in the Lord’s promise of a child by his wife Sarai. Abram sinned against God but the Lord turned it into a blessing.

Proverbs 5:21 – For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and He ponders all his paths.

Not only does God see all, God will one day vindicate those against whom evil has been committed. A righteous God will pass judgement on those who do not repent of their sins. In His sovereignty God permits evil to happen but God will use it for good for those who love Him. The Lord does not forsake His own. Our God is trustworthy and He is a strong tower where we can take refuge and rest.

Psalm 9:9-10 – The Lord also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

2 Thessalonians 6-8 – Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It’s one thing to know God created the earth. But then what? Is God an impartial observer of His creation? Can God sustain and protect His creation? Is God involved at all in His creation? Can God fulfill His plans for us? Is God strong enough, wise enough, and involved enough to help each one of us deal with our lives right now? There can be no doubt that the answer is “yes”.

Isaiah 46:9-10 – Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, ” My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”

2. EL ELYON – “God Most High” – This is the name that designates God as the sovereign Ruler of all the universe. Genesis 14:17-20 relates how this mighty name of God was first revealed to Abraham (then Abram) by the priest-king Melchizedek after Abrams return from defeating four powerful armies. Abraham responded in kind to Melchizedek:

Genesis 14:22-23 – But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the possessor of heaven and earth, that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, I have made Abram rich – .”

The unshakable fact of God’s sovereign control over all the earth is the foundation of our faith in eternal life and our hope for this crazy world we live in. If God is not sovereign, if He is not in control, if all things are not under His dominion, then He is not the Most High and we all remain in our sin and are lost. We are either in the hands of fate, men, or the devil. Thankfully, Scripture leaves no doubt God is sovereign. Nothing can touch us without God’s permission and nothing can alter God’s plans. Therefore, praise God continually, in any circumstance you find yourself.

Isaiah 14:24,27 – The Lord of hosts has sworn, saying, “Surely, as I have thought, so it shall come to pass, and as I have purposed, so it shall stand.” For the Lord of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?

Romans 8:28 – And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

It seems like every other persons name in the Bible has a specific meaning. In biblical times parents named their children based on their dreams, hopes and expectations for them. A person’s name was important. It represented the person’s character and purpose in life. In His Word God refers to Himself by many names so obviously His name is important to Him and should be to us. God has many attributes and is called by many names. Each name is a statement and revelation of who God is. It’s also important that we know the names of God so we can address Him properly and in the right context when we call on Him. Although God is our Father, we must be careful to always approach the throne of grace humbly and with the awe, respect and reverence God deserves. When dealing with God never forget who He is.

Revelation 4:11 – You are worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for you created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created.

1. ELOHIM – “The Creator” – In the fourth word of Genesis this is the Hebrew name for God as penned by Moses, “In the beginning God” —. EL means “mighty” or “strong” and in Hebrew is always used in a divine context.

The “HIM” in Hebrew is a plural reference meaning “more than one”. There is only one God so this is a reference to the Trinity. Each of the three persons in the Godhead had a part in creation as revealed by the following Scriptures:

Genesis 1:2-3 – The Earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the SPIRIT of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

Genesis 1:26 – Then God said, “Let US make man in OUR image, according to OUR likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.

Colossians 1:16 – For by Him (JESUS) all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.

Hebrews 11: 3 – By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of GOD, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

Bible study is so much more than just learning about God’s Word. It’s a life transforming process as we apply it to our lives. Application of what you’ve learned is the critical part of the inductive process. Once you know what a passage of Scripture says you are then responsible for living it. God will hold you to a higher bar than those who do not know the spiritual truths you have learned.

James 1:22-25 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.

Application flows out through observation and correct interpretation. Application begins with belief, which then results in doing. Application takes place as you are confronted with God’s truth and respond to it in obedience. The glorious end result of application is transformation. Transformation is sanctification by the Holy Spirit as you are made more like our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Application answers the following questions:

How does the meaning of this passage apply to me?

What truths am I to embrace, believe, or order my life by?

What changes should I make in my belief, in my life?

As verified in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, we must apply Scripture in the light of its teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. God could not be clearer about this. These are key to the application of Scripture as instructions for our life. Scripture will never benefit your life if you don’t apply what you’ve learned.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

NOTE – My blog series on Bible study, Bible interpretation and Bible application relied heavily on the book “How to Study Your Bible” by Kay Arthur.