Today we're going to talk about the names of God. I want to start out with a scripture that says, psalms 910,. Those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. We know his name is God. We all call him God, but the Jewish people had a completely different way of talking to him, and for us God is all-encompassing. But sometimes I think we forget how many characteristics God has, and I think that's one of the things that the Jewish people had over us is that they knew all of that and they worshiped him in that way. And I'm not saying we all need to know all of the Jewish names for God. I'm saying we need to know all the things that God is. So I thought it would be kind of fun to go through some of the names that the Jewish people use for God and the scriptures that back that up, and let us think when we're praying, when we're praising, when we're talking about God, remember these characteristics that are there. We know he's, we know he's omnipotent and omniscient and omnipresent. We know that. But don't forget the little things. None of them are little, but don't forget the individual things. Let's say it that way.
Speaker 1:First, we'll start off with El, and translated that means God Mighty, strong and preeminent. It's used 250 times in the Old Testament. Genesis 7-1 says the Lord said to Noah Come into the ark you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation and that's what El is. Then to go with that, elohim, and that is God, but it's a plural noun and it's used in Job. And Elohim occurs 2,570 times in the Old Testament and it occurs 32 times just in Genesis 1. It means God's a creator, preserver, transcendent, mighty, strong. It's used in Ecclesiastics, daniel, jonah they use Elohim almost exclusively. Genesis 17, 1 says I will confirm my covenant as a perpetual covenant between me and you. It will extend to your descendants after you, throughout their generations. I will be your God and God of your descendants, of your descendants.
Speaker 1:And the next one is one that you've probably heard. If you haven't, then good, you'll learn about it now. But a lot of people have heard the name El Shaddai. There's a song called El Shaddai and it's translated in God Almighty or God All-Sufficient. It's used 48 times in the Old Testament and 31 times just in Job.
Speaker 1:Genesis 17, 1 through 2 says when Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said I am the sovereign God. Walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and I will give you multitude of descendants. So, el Shaddai, if you've never listened to the song, go listen to it. It's a Jehovah, and I know there are some people that say we should call him Jehovah, we should call him Yahweh, that calling him God is not right. But this is just my opinion. I feel like when you're praying to God and the Holy Spirit's with you, god knows who you're talking about.
Speaker 1:Is translated as the covenant name of God. It occurs 6,823 times in the Old Testament. It's the self-existent one. I am who I am or I will be who I will be, as revealed to Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3. Genesis 2 says this is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. Another one that some of you may know is Jehovah Jireh, and that is the Lord will provide, and in Genesis 22, 14, abraham called the name of the place the Lord provides. It is said to this day in the mountains of the Lord, provisions will be made and there was a song I talked about in one of my other podcasts, called he is Jehovah, and some of these names are mentioned in there and this is the names of God. This does not include the names of Jesus. This is the names of God.
Speaker 1:Then you have Jehovah Rapha. Jehovah Rapha is translated in the Lord who heals. It implies spiritual, emotional as well as physical healing. God heals the body, the soul and the spirits, all levels of our body, all levels of our beings. God can heal. Exodus 15, 26 said. He said if you diligently obey the Lord, your God, and do what is right in his sight and pay attention to his commandments and keep all his statute, then all the diseases that I brought to the Egyptians will not bring on to you, for I am the Lord, I am your healer.
Speaker 1:This is one that I just found that I didn't know about, and it's called Jehovah M'kaddesh, and it's the Lord who sanctifies, to make whole or to set apart for holiness, Leviticus 28,. You must be sure to obey my statutes. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, and he does. He sanctifies us, and that is so wonderful that he does do that. The next one I'm sure that you've heard the word, but maybe without Jehovah in front of it, but it is Jehovah Shalom, and that is the Lord of peace. It means whole 6, 24,. Gideon built an altar for the Lord there and named it. The Lord is on friendly terms with me. To this day it is still there in Ophrah and Abiezrites. Another name that we have is Jehovah TSidkenu, and this means the Lord is our righteousness.
Speaker 1:Jeremiah 23.6 says under his rule, judah will enjoy safety and Israel will live in security. This is the name he will go by. The Lord has provided with us justice. And the next name is Jehovah-Rohi, which is the Lord is our shepherd, and we all know the scripture, for that one is the 23rd Psalms the Lord is my shepherd.
Speaker 1:The next one is El-ElYon, which means the most high God, and that is Deuteronomy 26, 19. Then he will elevate you above all the nations he has made and you will receive praise, fame and honor. You will be a people holy to the Lord, your God, he has said, and he's the most high God. I love Jehovah Elroy, because that's the God who sees, and if you remember the story of Haggard, she's the one that says that he was the one who saw her. Genesis 16, 13 says so Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her. You are the God who sees me. For she said here I have seen one who sees me, and he does see us. The next one I'm sure you've all heard Yesha, which means Savior. Isaiah 43, 3,. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Deliverer. I have handed over Egypt as a ransom price, Ethiopia and Seba in place of you. Isaiah 43, 3,.
Speaker 1:And this one's kind of cool. I thought it's G-A-O-L and it's pronounced J-A-I-L, like prison jail, and jail stands for redeemer. It says to buy back by paying a price, and God did pay a price by sending us Jesus. So he is our redeemer. Job 19.25 says as for me, I know that my redeemer lives and that as the last, he will stand upon the earth. This is a really good one and I love this because you all know how much I love the armor of God and I talk about it a lot. And it's Magan, jehovah Magan, and it means shield.
Speaker 1:Psalms 3.3 says but you, lord, are my shield that protects me, you are my glory and the one who restores me. And the last one we're going to talk about is Zer. God is our rock. Deuteronomy 32, 18 says you forgot the rock who fathered you and put out of mind God who gave you birth. He is our rock, he's the rock of our salvation.
Speaker 1:But I just thought this was kind of an interesting thing, that those are what we look for in God to be our rock and our shield, to be our redeemer, to be our savior, to be the God who sees us.
Speaker 1:To know that he is the most high God and he's our shepherd. He's our righteousness, he's our peace. He sacrificed for us, he heals us, he provides for us, for us. He is the Lord, he is God all-sufficient, he is the creator, the preserver, the transcendent, mighty and strong. He's God. In that name, all of these wonderful, wonderful properties go along with it all the things that he did for us, all the things that he is for us there's so many more that that I could tell you that he does and all the things that Jesus' name is named for. When you're praying, remember to thank him for all that he is, for all that he has given us, for all that he has done for us. You don't have to remember these names. I just thought it was very interesting and thought you might find it interesting, but as it says in Psalms 9-10, it says and those who know your name will put their trust in you, for you, lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.