Elohim

What do we call God? Well, most of the time we call Him “God”. But, what does it MEAN when we call Him “God”?

*Nerd Alert*

Of the 3,336 times the English word “God” is used in the Old Testament it is translating the Hebrew word “Elohim” 2,200 times. The term “Elohim” is used to refer to other beings aside from the One True God. But of the 2,600 times it is used in the Bible, it is used approximately 2,026 of those to refer to God.

In Genesis 1 we can see that the main way it will be used in the Bible is to refer to Jehovah God, the creator of the universe.

“In the beginning God (Elohim) created the heaven and the earth.”
Genesis 1:1

This is God’s office name. It shows to all that hear it that God is divine. This name is intended to show the power and might that God holds as a part of His character. This power is seen very clearly in Genesis 1.

“And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” 
Genesis 1:3

God in His power and might spoke the universe into existence. And in His power He reigns over all things and peoples, and will reign for eternity.

“The LORD shall reign for ever, Even thy God (Elohim), O Zion, unto all generations. Praise ye the LORD” 
Psalm 146:10

“Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God (Greek: Theos) Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.” 
Revelation 11:17

Praying to God

Psalm 65 gives a beautiful example of praying to God. Please take a minute and read this Psalm now, a few of the verses will be quoted directly for context, with a few comments.

“1 Praise waiteth for thee, O God (Elohim), in Sion: And unto thee shall the vow be performed 
2 O thou that hearest prayer, Unto thee shall all flesh come.” 
Psalm 65:1–2

God is THE God that hears our prayer. He is worthy of all praise. And we can be sure of an answer.

“5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; Who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:  
6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; Being girded with power:  
7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, The noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.” 
Psalm 65:5–7

God’s answers to prayer will come by the same strength with which He made the world. He set the mountains in place and He stills the waves. God alone stands in authority to still the “tumult of the people.”

God sustains the earth. He gives water to the land, provides the harvest, and makes livestock produce bountifully (See verses 9-13). Yet in all this care for the vastness of creation, God doesn’t lose sight of the individual.

“Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, And causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, Even of thy holy temple.”
Psalm 65:4

He cares for all of creation, yet He cares for each person that He has chosen. God gives them access to Himself. God satisfies each and everyone with the “goodness” of His house.

God is the God of might. He is also God who hears and answers prayer. He is God who sustains His creation and calms the peoples.

Verse 5 calls Him “God of our salvation”. God’s love for us made the way to salvation for all who will believe in Jesus, God the Son.

“For God (Greek: Theos) so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
John 3:16

This gift meets the greatest need humanity has: Salvation from the penalty of Sin. And through this we have access to God like we see in Psalm 65.

This is a glimpse of what the Bible shows us of God with His name Elohim. What a comfort to pray to the creator and ruler of the universe!

Studying and Application:

How can the consciousness of God’s power as creator influence how we pray?
List 1-3 things that you are going to begin praying about. Decide on a time of the day to pray. This consistency will help you maintain a focus on the power of God throughout your day.
Study the phrase “God of gods” in Psalm 136:2. What does the phrase indicate about the authority of the One True God?

Names of God (Intro)

What do you call God? Father? Lord? God? All of these are good but there is much more to know about God based on His names. We can learn about the God of the universe from the ways He is addressed in scripture. God’s names show more about Him than our names show about us.

1. God’s names show His Character

God’s names are not like ours; we were given our name or names around our birth, God’s names were given to Him because of His character and acts. Some[ Abraham gave God the name Jehovah Jireh ] of these names were given to God by those who served Him throughout the Old Testament period, some are ones that God chose to call Himself. Overall they hold a significance that can be easy to miss. But if we take the time to appreciate them we gain a greater appreciation for God.

2. God’s Biblical names add a depth that our English words don’t have.

Our English names for God are so inadequate, especially when you know some of the Hebrew names. The English words we have as names for God have been used in such a way that they don’t always show the reverence needed when approaching God. The translators of the Bible have been careful in how they translate the names of God, usually giving us an idea of which name is being translated. Knowing God’s Hebrew names give our English names back some of their meaning.

3. God’s names serve as a definition of God.

God’s names are one of the closest things we have to a definition of God. The more we understand these the more we know God. While nothing could ever fully define God, it is nice to see in scripture how God defines elements of Himself through the names He takes.

Prayer using God’s names

Any time I start a conversation with a friend it’s natural to use their name to address them. This shows them that I want their attention.

When we write a formal letter, say to a government official, you could start it with something like: “To whom is may concern” But would that appeal to any government official in particular? No. But if I started it with: “President Donald Trump” it would be identifying clearly that I wanted the President to pay attention.

When we pray, we address God in this way. We look for His attention and usually we use one or more of His names in this address. We want His attention, but even more than this once you know the character behind those names you can see how important it is to God that we pray.

Prayer is simply talking to God. We address Him by His Name (or Names) and confidently bear our requests to Him. The first reference to prayer as we know it is Genesis 4:26.

“And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.”

Before this men had talked with God, but in more of a conversational way like you would with a friend who was physically in the same room.

Adam and Eve knew a time when they “…heard the voice of the LORD (Jehovah) God (Elohim) walking in the garden…” (Gen 3:8^⁠1) they had an opportunity to access with God that was very special.

Scripture points to God’s Name as a source of help and hope over and over:

"Our help is in the name of the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth."
Psalm 124:8

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower:
The righteous runneth into it, and is safe." 
Proverbs 18:10

“8 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God:  
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever. 
9 I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: 
And I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.” 
Psalm 52:8–9

The Bible uses three main Hebrew Names for God, and then uses combinations of those names to form twelve or so other Names of God. Over the next couple months we’re going to look at each of these in scripture. We’re going to see how they can give us great confidence and focus in our prayer.

Studying and Application:

1. Search the English phrase “name of the Lord” in the Bible. How many times is it used? Read through some of them, what significance can be seen in the passages you read concerning the “name of the Lord”?

2. What do Proverbs 18:10, Psalm 138:2 and Psalm 52:8-9 say about God’s Name and how we ought to know and understand it as well as we can?

A Beautiful Thing! (Blog Theme Verse Explained)

Have you ever seen a setting of jewelry that make you wonder about its’ designer? Maybe it was gaudy or flamboyant, and just seemed out of place everywhere. However there are times in nature when you might be taken aback by the simple beauty you see.

When I look at a spring flower I see design, elegance, unmatched grace and true beauty.

The simple beauty of the right thing said at the right time is a lot like this spring flower.

“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.”
Proverbs 25:11

What was something someone said to you that was just the right thing at just the right time? It may have been a piece of advise, word of encouragement or a verse of scripture that was just what you needed.

There have been many times when I have said just the wrong thing at just the wrong time. I have my fair share of foot-in-mouth moments.

One of my main areas of ministry is with teens. These young people get the chance to hear me teach every week in Sunday school and other times in Bible Club. One of the things we work on is understanding scripture. When my teaching isn’t making sense they have the freedom to stop me and ask. It’s not about being flawless, it’s about being understood. Understanding can lead to true life change.

God has taught me so much through teachers and preachers who said the right thing at the right time. Public speaking isn’t the only way to make a difference. About a year ago I was teaching and in the lesson I gave a salvation application. One of my students had some questions, really meaningful questions. I was answering these questions and listening to the student when one of the other students leaned forward and asked the first student; “Are you saved?” This simple caring question led to the first student getting saved that morning. Though unscripted, these words were “fitly spoken”.

God’s word is very practical. It fits in every situation.

That’s the purpose this blog. “You can learn, speak and live God’s word.” If I can help you learn God’s word, encourage you to share it, and motivate you to live it… more people will have stories about just the right words that were spoken at just the right time.

In the process I need your encouragement too.

What stories do you have of saying or hearing the right thing at the right time?