God is Yahweh

Yahweh is God’s name, not an attribute of God. But in OT times, a name wasn’t just a way to provide identification of someone, it could also describe their character and personality. God has many names in the bible. He reveals Himself to us through His names. Yahweh is a divine and sacred name. It is a name only used for the one true God, the self-existent, living God. "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent." [Ps 148:13a]. God stands behind His name with full force and truth and is zealous of His name. 

Yahweh or Jehovah is the name God uses of Himself. It is a covenant keeping name between God and man. It means Lord, Master. And even more personally, a name God uses to communicate with His own people and a name used when in relationship with the people He loves. He defined His name for us so that we could better understand who God really is and all of His attributes. It is a holy, eternal name that holds great might and power.

This section references the Blue Bible Book website. Don Stewart: Why Is God Called Yahweh? (Jehovah). In [Ex 3:14] God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God’s name here encapsulates the full depth of who He is. The One and Only True and Living God of all gods. It describes the eternal supremacy of all He is over all others in the universe. No one else holds a name greater than His name.

 Yahweh and Jehovah is used in combination with other names for God. These compound names include Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide; Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace; Jehovah Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts, The Lord of Powers; Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is There; Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness; Jehovah-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd; Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord that Heals, The Lord Your Healer; Jehovah Nissi: The Lord My Banner; and Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The Lord Who Sanctifies You.

Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One." Many scholars believe the most proper meaning is “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh). [Jer 33:2] He who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it -the LORD is his name. Yahweh-Elohim. This title is used of God’s relationship to humanity as Creator. First used in Gen 1:1. [Ps 95:6] Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

Jesus’ name was given by God to Joseph in a dream, [Matt 1:21[ “you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus means Savior, appropriately named for what he would do and how His life would be represented and remembered. In Acts 4:12, it says that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be save.” This indicates the eternal significance for us of the power of the name of Jesus. In Phil 2:10 is says that, “God gave Him the name that is above every name and that at that name every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.”

We should never take His name lightly. [Lev 22:32] says, “Do not profane my holy name.” We are to treat His name with reverence and grave significance in our minds and hearts. Do not use it casually, flippantly, or in vain. When you honor His name, you are showing Him devotion, respect, and admiration. You are showing that God's name is of the utmost importance to you. People will notice when you do this. If you take His name seriously, people will see that your heart is fully committed and they will more likely believe your witness about God and Jesus His Son. 

“Who is God to you?” When you pray, are you praying to an “it” or to a “thing?” I hope not, because God is a person with a name who created you and loves you. What does His name mean to you? Ask yourself, is He your Most High God, All sufficient One, Master and Lord? Is He your Provider, Shepherd, and Friend? God knows us by our name, shouldn't we know Him by His name?

Transcript

Intro to Attribute

Yahweh is God’s name, not an attribute of God. But in OT times, a name wasn’t just a way to provide identification of someone (e.g., my name is Robin and when you refer to me you say Robin, you don’t say Debbie when you are talking about me). But in OT times a name could also describe a person’s character or disposition such as Naomi changed her name to Mara which meant bitter because that was how she was feeling in her life. Jacob meant Deceiver but then God later changed his name to Israel to elevate the status of his character and the position he held in God’s kingdom.

Yahweh is a divine and sacred name. It is a name only used for the one true God, the self-existent, living God. "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent." [Ps 148:13a]. God stands behind His name with full force and truth and is zealous of His name. 

The Jewish people feared uttering the name of God. They took God’s third commandment not to misuse or take the Lord’s name in vain very seriously. Since the old Hebrew had no vowels and only consonants, Yahweh was spelt YHWH, in all caps. Without the vowels, the chance of mispronouncing God’s name was at risk. So, the Jews considered it as unpronounceable and incommunicable. As a substitute then, they often used the name Adonai which means Lord, Master. When you see the name LORD in all caps, that probably is a translation for Yahweh. Without going into too much detail you can study more on your own, but when vowels were introduced, the most accepted way to pronounce the word was Yahweh. It has also been pronounced as ‘Yehova’ in Hebrew and it later was converted into Jehovah. 

Yahweh or Jehovah is the name that God uses of Himself. What makes it so special though is that Yahweh is a name that God uses to relate to humanity. It is a covenant keeping name between God and man. And even more personally, a name God uses to communicate with His own people and a name used when in relationship with the people He loves. He defined His name for us so that we could better understand who God really is and all of His attributes. It is a holy name, an eternal name, and a name that holds great might and power.

God has many names in the bible. He reveals Himself to us through His names. Each name describes God’s central personality, nature, being, or character. Yahweh or Jehovah is also used in compound form with other divine names. This includes Yahweh-Elohim, Yahweh-Adonai, and Yahweh Sabaoth (forgive my pronunciation of these names). The compound forms of the divine name emphasize the various ways in which the Lord relates to us. We will discuss them as we reveal God as Yahweh through the word, through creation, through Jesus and in our hearts: 

I.        How does God reveal Himself as Yahweh through the Word

Through this section, I will be referencing information I received on the Blue Bible Book website. Don Stewart: Why Is God Called Yahweh? (Jehovah) Note: I apologize in advance for any mispronunciations of God’s names in the English language.

 There are 270+ names between God and Jesus. We are only going to over a few common ones. You are going to get a bit of a history lesson on how God uses names to reveal Himself.

 Let’s start with [Ex 3:14] God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God’s name here encapsulates the full depth of who He is. The One and Only True and Living God of all gods. It describes the eternal supremacy of all He is over all others in the universe. No one else holds a name greater than His name.

Yahweh and Jehovah mean Lord, Master which denotes the omnipotence of God, absolute ruler. Occurs in OT 6,519 times. This name is used more than any other name of God. Yahweh is the promised name of God. While YHWH is first used in Genesis 2, God did not reveal Himself as YHWH until Exodus 3. Verse 15 says: God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, `The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."

Yahweh and Jehovah are names only used with those God has a relationship with. They describe how personal He is, how able He is to take care of them, and how all of His attributes are available to them if they would believe and follow His loving ways. It also suggests specifically "to become known" - this denotes a God who reveals Himself unceasingly to His people.

Yahweh and Jehovah is used in combination with other names for God. These compound names include:

·         Jehovah Jireh: The Lord Will Provide; The Lord has seen. Occurs only once in Gen 22:14 when God provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Abraham to use instead of his son Isaac. 

·         Jehovah-Shalom: The Lord is Peace, peace of the Lord. Occurs only once in Jdg 6:24 name of an alter built by Gideon. Shalom means "be complete" or "sound" and is translated as "peace" or "absence from strife." 

·         Jehovah Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts, The Lord of Powers. Occurs over 285 times. Sabaoth (se bâ'ôt) can be translated as "The Lord of Armies.” This name denotes His universal sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly. God is the king of all heaven and earth. He Brings the Hosts into Existence. [Ps 46:7] The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold. [Psalm 24:10] Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. [Ex 15:3] The Lord is a warrior; the Lord is his name. God reveals this to us to show us that His divine power that is available to meet the need of the Lord's people.

·         Jehovah Shammah: The Lord is There; The One who is present; the name thereof. Occurs only once in Ezekiel 48:35 and is a symbolic name for the earthly Jerusalem. The name indicates that God has not abandoned Jerusalem, leaving it in ruins, but that there will be a restoration.

·         Jehovah Tsidkenu: The Lord Our Righteousness. Tsedek (tseh'-dek) means "to be stiff," "to be straight," or "righteous" in Hebrew. 

·         Jehovah-Raah: The Lord My Shepherd, The Lord shepherds me. Most commonly known from Psa 23:1; a shepherd is one who feeds or leads his flock to pasture. Rea’ can also be translated as "friend" or "companion" so you can say “The Lord is my Friend.” This indicates the intimacy God desires between Himself and His people.

·         Jehovah-Rapha: The Lord that Heals, The Lord Your Healer. Rapha (râpâ') means "to restore", "to heal" or "to make healthful" in Hebrew. God is the Great Physician who heals the physical and emotional needs of His people.

·         Jehovah Nissi: The Lord My Banner, The Lord My Miracle, The Lord is my refuge. Occurs only once in Exd 17:15. Moses, recognizing that the Lord was Israel's banner under which they defeated the Amalekites, builds an altar named Jehovah-Nissi (the Lord our Banner). This was to give their soldiers a feeling of hope and a focal point and that is what God is to us: a banner of encouragement.

·         Jehovah Mekoddishkem: The Lord Who Sanctifies You, The Lord Who Makes Holy. Sanctification is the separation of an object or person to the dedication of the Holy. So it can also be translated as "The Lord who sets you apart."

El is translated as “God” and is used in conjunction with other words to designate various aspects of God’s character. Other compound names occur with taking the name for God, “El” and combining it with other names. For example:

·         El Olamin: The everlasting God, The God of Eternity, The God of the Universe, The God of Ancient Days.

·         El Shaddai: All-Sufficient One, Lord God Almighty. This refers to God completely nourishing, satisfying, and supplying His people with all their needs as a mother would her child. It denotes a God who freely gives nourishment and blessing, He is our sustainer.

·         El Elyon: The God most high. It expresses the extreme sovereignty and majesty of God and His highest preeminence. It can be translated as "the most exalted God." [Ps 7:17] I will praise the Lord according to His righteousness, and will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.

There are also a number of the divine qualities or attributes of the Lord that is stressed such as:

·         The Lord Is The Judge: Therefore I have not sinned against you, but you wronged me by fighting against me. May the Lord, the Judge, render judgment this day between the children of Israel and the people of Ammon (Judges 11:27).

·         The Lord Is Mighty: The Lord shall go forth like a mighty man; he shall stir up his zeal like a man of war. He shall cry out, yes, shout aloud; he shall prevail against his enemies (Isaiah 42:13).

 Adonai also means Lord, Master. It references God when used in the plural and refers to a human lord in the singular form. Occurs in OT 434 times, 200 times in Ezekiel alone. In Deut 3:24, the combination of Adonai and Yahweh is used: “O Lord God, you have begun to show your servant your greatness and your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as yours?

We can rejoice in His names as described in Neh 9:5, “Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise.”

II.      How does God reveal Himself as Yahweh through Creation

Two of God’s names specifically declare His position as God Creator.

Jehovah specifically is translated as "The Existing One" or "Lord." The chief meaning of Jehovah is “to be" or "to exist." Many scholars believe that the most proper meaning may be “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh).

[Jer 33:2] This is what the LORD says, he who made the earth, the LORD who formed it and established it -the LORD is his name. [Ps 145:21] He who made the Pleiades and Orion, who turns blackness into dawn and darkens day into night, who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out over the face of the land - the LORD is his name. [Amos 9:6] The One who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and has founded his vaulted dome over the earth, he who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out on the face of the earth, the Lord is his name.

Yahweh-Elohim. This is translated "the Lord God." This title is used of God’s relationship to humanity as Creator, Redeemer, and Judge. Occurs over 2000 times. First used in Gen 1:1, the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. [Gen 2:4] When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

God reveals that He is creator through His names. And as it says in Amos 5:8, Let every creature praise His holy name for ever and ever. [Ps 95:6[ He is the Lord our Maker: Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker.

III.    How does God reveal Himself as Yahweh through Jesus

Jesus has so many names as well to reveal His divine nature and attributes. We will not go into depth here for we will discuss them in the podcast series on the ABCs of the attributes of Jesus.

First, Jesus’ name was given by God to Joseph in a dream, [Matt 1:21[ “you are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” Jesus means Savior, appropriately named for what he would do and how His life would be represented and remembered. In Acts 4:12, it says that “there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be save.” This indicates the eternal significance for us of the power of the name of Jesus. In Phil 2:10 is says that, “God gave Him the name that is above every name and that at that name every knee will bow in heaven, on earth, and under the earth.”

In Matt 1:23 it goes on to say that He will also be called Immanuel—meaning God with us. While on the earth, many around Him called Him, Rabbi and Teacher, which He acknowledged, that is what He was. We are told in scriptures to believe in the name of the Son of God, we can ask for anything in His name, and we can call on His name.

Jesus’ teaching and example showed how we are to treat the name of God. Jesus instructed on how to honor the name of God. In the Lord’s prayer it starts, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.” [Matt 6:9b] To hallow means to make His name holy, to set it apart to be exalted as absolutely worthy. Jesus called God, Father, which is a personal, family name. Again, a name only people in a relationship with God would use. When Jesus commissioned His disciples in Matt 28:19, He told them to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and (the name) of the Son and (the name) of the Holy Spirit.” When we are baptized in these names, we proclaim our relationship to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

How does God reveal Himself as Yahweh in our Heart

We should never take His name lightly. [Lev 22:32] says, “Do not profane my holy name.” We are to treat His name with reverence and grave significance in our minds and hearts. Do not use it casually, flippantly, or in vain. Think before you speak, guard your tongue. You will know you honor it correctly when your heart is pierced when you hear His name used disrespectfully.

When you honor His name, you are showing Him devotion, respect, and admiration. You are showing that God's name is of the utmost importance to you. People will notice when you do this. It is no small thing. If you use His name too informally, people won’t believe that you really think God is worthy of such a high position in your life. But if you take His name seriously, people will see that your heart is fully committed and they will more likely believe your witness about God and Jesus His Son. 

Let me ask you this question, “Who is God to you?” When you pray, are you praying to an “it” or to a “thing?” I hope not, because God is a person with a name who created you and loves you. Have you ever contemplated the deep and true meaning of His name? What does His name mean to you? Ask yourself, is He your Most High God, All sufficient One, Master and Lord? Is He Yahweh to you? Is He your Father? Is He your Provider, Shepherd, and Friend? Is He your Peace? God knows us by our name, shouldn't we know Him by His name?

Living a Radical Life for Jesus means believing that God is Yahweh.