The Significance of the Powerful and Holy Names of The Most High God
Psalms 29:2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
Prov 18:10 The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it, and is safe.
Rev 3:8 in which the LORD said “I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.
We know that the church of Philadelphia was one of two churches that received some commendation for their works. I believe this is profound! Because if God commended this church because they kept the Word of God and did not deny his name, that means they were very strong in the Word, and understood the power and significance of the righteous and holy name of God!
And it is so important that we all be students of the WORD and to study and know the names of God! Because you cannot be a victorious overcoming believer in Christ without understanding the significance and power of the Word of God and the Name of God!
2Ti 2:15 Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
One of the most important things we must remember as believers in Christ, is that we are to worship God in Spirit and in truth (1 John 4:24) and in the beauty of his holiness, and we cannot do that without understanding who God is and how he reveals who he is three ways, through his Word, His Son Jesus Christ, and through his Holy Names!
Word – The scripture says in Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus Christ – Remember Jesus said in Joh 14:9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
His Name – Psalm 148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
And since the scripture exalts the Word, the LORD Jesus and his Holy Name, Every believer should understand the significance of worshipping the LORD in spirit and in truth, and we must never minimize his name, because his name denotes who he is in character and nature!
So as we discuss the names of God… There is one significant name that the Old Testament Saints used to describe our Holy and awesome God. It is : Yahweh or Yehovah which has been translated as Jehovah, who is the self-existent or eternal God and it is spelled capitol L-O-R-D.
Some of the most familiar names that we know are what we call the “El” compound names, “El” means God. We find it in the name of some Saints. Ezekiel which means God will strengthen, Daniel which means judge of God, Joel which means Yehovah is his God and even in angels; Michael, who is like God or Gabriel which means Man of God!
Elohim means Gods or more commonly translated as the God who creates, which we find in Genesis!
Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Gen 1:2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
Gen 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
El Shaddai (God Almighty and all powerful)
Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
This is the most well-known of the “El” compound names. It is also translated as: as “God Almighty”, “the Almighty” or “Almighty God”.
We also know him as the all sufficient one!
The Hebrew word “shad” or “shadayim” (meaning “breast” or “breasts”) occurs 24 times as “Shaddai” and signifies One who nourishes, supplies, and satisfies (Combined with the word for God, “El”, it then becomes the “God who nourishes, satisfies, and supply”. The Hebrew root word “shadad” (meaning “to overpower” or “to destroy”) suggests absolute power.
There are some definitions that refer to him as the all sufficient one, but the Strong’s translates it as The Almighty
El Elyon (The Most High or God most High)
Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 97:9 For You, LORD, are most high above all the earth; You are exalted far above all gods.
Pronounced ‘El-yon, the word “elyon” is an adjective and derives from a Hebrew root ‘lh, meaning to “go up” or “ascend”. In each case in which the adjective occurs, it denotes that which is highest or uppermost. Elyon is used to express highest supremacy. It is used to describe the extremely exalted Sovereign high God.
El Olam (The Everlasting God who does not change)
Psa 90:1 A Prayer Of Moses the Man of God. LORD, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
God is eternal and everlasting. He will not forsake you. What you are going through now is but for a moment until El Olam steps in. He does not change, but he will change your situation!
Remember true Christianity is not a religion but a relationship. We are called into a relationship with God and to know him. His names express his character, ways and who he is– We are not called to worship God in bondage according to a set of rituals, traditions and customs. We are to worship him in spirit and in truth. Truth be told, many of the holidays that we practice today have been mixed with paganism, and religious tradition! The Feasts of the LORD are the true observances that God gave to his people!
Psa_124:8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.
Psa_145:21 My mouth shall speak the praise of the LORD: and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Psa_148:5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
Psa_148:13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
These scriptures tell us the name of the LORD is powerful and mighty!
This is why knowing the name of God is so important because it tells us about his character and who he is and the Word of God tells us everything we need to know as it relates to loving him, serving him, worshipping him and how we are to respond to him.
Exo 20:7 “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
We must not misuse the name of the Lord. When we teach, write, speak about the Lord we must be careful. One writer said we should not empty the name of the LORD. In other words don’t misuse the name of God. Don’t empty God of his weight and glory! We must always reverence his name!
In the Old Testament the religious leaders revered and feared the Most High God so much that they wouldn’t even say his name!
SO they wrote the letters YHVH or YHWH. So when you look at it, they were referring to Yehovah/Yahweh which means LORD. It is pronounced today in our modern vernacular as Jehovah who is the self-existent or eternal God.
So let’s take a look at THE POWERFUL AND RIGHTEOUS NAME OF YEHOVAH also known as YAHWEH
Yehovah Jireh – The LORD will see or provide. Gen 22: 8-14
Gen 22:6 So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife, and the two of them went together.
Gen 22:7 But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”
Gen 22:8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.
Scripture: Php 4:19 And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus
Yehovah Mekaddishkem – The LORD our sanctifier. Ex 31: 13, Lev 20: 8
Exo 31:12 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
Exo 31:13 “Speak also to the children of Israel, saying: ‘Surely My Sabbaths 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.
Lev 20:8 And you shall keep My statutes, and perform them: I am the LORD who sanctifies you.
Scripture: Rom 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
Yehovah Nissi – The LORD our banner. Exo 17: 15
Exo 17:10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill.
Exo 17:11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.
Exo 17:12 But Moses’ hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.
Exo 17:13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Exo 17:14 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”
Exo 17:15 And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah nissi: which is The-LORD-Is-My-Banner;
Nissi is a symbolical name of an altar in the desert. When we give it all to God and take refuge in him, he will cover us and protect.
Yehovah Rapha – The LORD our healer. Exo 15: 26
Exo 15:24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”
Exo 15:25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them, and there He tested them,
Exo 15:26 and said, “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.”
Isa 53:5 But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed.
1Pe 2:24 who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.
Yehovah Rohi – The LORD my Shepherd. Psalm 23: 1
Psa 23:1 A Psalm of David. The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
John 10:11: “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
Joh 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
Yehovah Sabboath – The LORD of hosts. 1 Sam 1: 3 (used over 270 times in scripture)
1Sa 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite.
1Sa 1:2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children.
1Sa 1:3 This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.
He is commander of the heavenly host and armies in heaven.
Yehovah Shammah – The LORD is present. Ez 48: 35
Eze 48:35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.
Ezekial speaks of a temple where the presence of God will dwell and his presence will be there continually!
This could also point to Jesus Christ who was the Word that became flesh and dwelled among us, and we beheld his glory! John 1:14
Mat 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD, AND BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which is translated, “God with us.”
Yehovah Shalom – The LORD our peace. Judges 6: 24
Jdg 6:22 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.”
Jdg 6:23 Then the LORD said to him, “Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.”
Jdg 6:24 So Gideon built an altar there to the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace. To this day it is still in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.
God will give peace!
Yehovah Tsidkeenu – The LORD our righteousness. Jer 23: 6
Jer 23:5 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.
Jer 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
2Tim 4:8 Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
We mentioned last week that there are so many names for the LORD that describe who God is and what he is to us as his beloved children. And we said that they may not mean much to some, but to us, he is JESUS CHRIST who is Savior, Lord, Messiah, King, Son of God, and Christ.
Mat 1:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
It is interesting that the LORD in Revelation chapter 3 says that he will write on us a new name! Its amazing that out of all the names of God, he still has other names we know not of!
Rev 3:11 Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.
Rev 3:12 He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
Rev 3:13 “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”
It is amazing that Yahweh God himself at the appointed time will give us a new name that we don’t even know!
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
God is:
Excellent – Psalm 8: 1
Loving – 1 John 4: 8, 1 John 4: 16
Giving – John 3: 16, Luke 10: 19
Spirit – John 4: 24
Self-existent and eternal – Psalm 102: 12, Psalm 1: 16-17
Personal – John 11: 35, Isaiah 1: 8, Heb 4: 15
Holy – Isaiah 6: 3, Isaiah 57: 15, Luke 1: 49, 1 Peter 1: 16
Just – Righteous – Ezra 9: 15, Psalm 11: 7, John 17: 25,
Truthful – Num 23: 19, Deut 32: 4, John 14: 6, Heb 6: 18
Faithful – Deut 7: 9, 1 Cor 1: 9, 1 Cor 10: 13
Majestic – Isaiah 6: 1
Merciful – Luke 1: 49-50
Gracious – Exo 34: 6
Forgiving – Num 14: 18, Eph 4: 32, Col 3: 13
Triune – consisting of three in one
Transcendent – beyond or above the range of normal or merely physical human experience. Isaiah 55: 9
Infinite – limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate. Daniel 7: 22, Isaiah 57: 15
Immutable – unchanging over time or unable to be changed. Mal 3: 6, Heb 13: 8
Omnipresent – All present or everywhere. 2 Chron 16: 9, 1 Peter 3: 12
Omniscient – All knowing. Isaiah 46: 10
Omnipotent – All powerful Psalm 62: 11, Col 1: 16-18, Rev 19: 6
A list of statements by Yeshua/Jesus using the “I am” sayings:
John 6:51:”I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever;”
John 8:23: And He said to them, “You are from beneath; I AM from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
John 8:12: Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I AM the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”
John 8:58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”
John 10:9: “I AM the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.”
John 10:11: “I AM the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.
John 10:36: “do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I AM the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.
John 14:6: Jesus said to him, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
John 15:1: “I AM the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
Joh 19:19 Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
Joh 19:20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
Joh 19:21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ‘ “
Joh 19:22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
Symbolically, the name Yeshua/Jesus conveys the idea that God (YHVH) delivers or saves (his people).
Salvation in the Hebrew is yeshû‛âh
yesh-oo’-aw
something saved, that is, (abstractly) deliverance; or aid, victory, prosperity: – deliverance, health, help (-ing), salvation, save, saving (health), welfare.
So, in essence Salvation is literally the name of Jesus in English, but in Hebrew it is Yeshua.
In Acts 7:32: Stephen speaking of Moses’ encounter at the burning bush “said, that the LORD told Moses, ‘I AM the God of your fathers— the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ And Moses trembled and dared not look.”
The same name of “I am” that Jesus spoke about is the same “ I AM” that told Moses to go into Egypt.
Exo 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
Exo 3:14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ “
This is why Jesus could say, I and my Father are ONE!
Joh 10:30 I and My Father are one.”
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May God bless you as you keep his WORD and not deny his MOST HIGH Name!
Pastor Jamal E. Quinn
References:
King James Version, New King James Version
Strong’s Dictionary and Concordance
Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary
Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible
Albert Barnes Notes on the Bible
Adam Clarkes Commentary on the Whole Bible
John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible