We are continuing our survey of the Names of God. Acts 4:12 reads:
"Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
We left off last week with...
9. Yahweh M'Kaddesh
Leviticus 20:7
"Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be holy: for I am the Lord your God."
The LORD is the one who sanctifies us. He sets us apart for His purpose, His purpose is love. We are set apart not only from the present evil age, but we are set apart unto Him. It is His Presence that makes us holy.
T. F. Tenney said, "Hardness is not holiness. If the devil could he'd drive holiness out of our hearts and into our fists. Whatever holiness is, we need to learn its definition because the book of Hebrews said that without it no man can see the Lord. It is more than a doctrine; it is an experience. THat's what the seraphim cried, "Holy! Holy! Holy!" The Bible speaks of holy garments, holy spirits, a holy city. His holiness is experienced externally, internally, and eternally."
He is Yahweh M'Kaddesh--the One who makes us holy. In Revelation 4:8-11, we read, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing!" Jesus Christ, the Lamb Who was slain from the foundation of the world, He is Yahweh M'Kaddesh! He alone sanctifies us!
10. Yahweh Shalom
The LORD of Peace! The LORD is our Peace.
Judges 6:24
"Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-Shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites."
The story of Gideon begins with the tribes of Israel suffering under the chastisement of the LORD. They had fallen into idolatry and the Midianites, Amalekites, and the people of the East had come up to oppress them. They devoured their food and livestock.
Gideon was hiding out threshing wheat. As he did, the angel of the LORD came and sat under an oak tree. The angel had a message from Jehovah-Jireh, The LORD who saw what was to be. He spoke to Gideon and said, "The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valor!" (Judges 6:12). Gideon did not know for sure who was speaking to him, but the LORD knew who he was! Gideon built an altar and offered a sacrifice to the LORD. It was consumed by fire.
Gideon became very afraid because he realized that he had just had an encounter with God. He was fearful of the Holiness of God. He recognized his own lack. The LORD knew what Gideon was thinking and experiencing and so He spoke to him these words, "Peace be unto you; fear not: you will not die" (Judges 6:23). Gideon exclaimed naming God, "Jehovah (YHWH) Shalom!" God is our peace.
It was a time of war and oppression, turmoil and anxiety. Gideon was afraid, and the Angel of YHWH walked into his life and declared that God is Peace. When God reveals Himself to us and we sense His Presence we can have Peace right in the middle of our difficulties.
In the New Testament, we witness the power of the Peace-Speaker when Jesus tells His disciples to cross over the Sea of Galilee. He was asleep while the winds and waves tossed the ship to and fro. He was asleep while everyone else was bailing water. After they woke Jesus, He stood up and rebuked the wind with the words, "Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm" (Mark 4:39). Jesus can give you peace, even in the middle of the storms that we are facing right now. He went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil.
If you need Peace, the Prince of Peace is here right now! Jesus is Yahweh Shalom!
11. Yahweh Rohi
This Name comes from the beloved Psalm. Psalm 23 is a cultural icon. It finds itself in the lyrics of rap songs, in lines of iconic movies, and on your grandmother's wall.
Psalm 23:1
"The LORD is my shepherd..."
In the movie The Pale Horse as Megan prays she says:
The LORD is our Caretaker and Companion.
Psalm 23 NIV
The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
In John's vision in Revelation 7:17, he caught a glimpse of Jehovah (YHWH) Rohi. He wrote, "For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes." Jesus declared that He was the Good Shepherd who lays down His Life for the sheep (John 10:11-18). Paul told the elder at Ephesus that they should be good undershepherds of God's flock that He purchased with His own Blood! (Acts 20:28). Jesus is the Great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls!
Oh, Sweet Wonder! The Lamb Himself becomes the Shepherd! If He set the example of following in order to lead, then so must we. The Lamb who followed the will of the eternal Spirit to the cross is now the predestined Lord of the universe! Jesus is Yahweh Rohi!
12. Yahweh Tsidkenu
Jeremiah 23:5-6
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby he shall be called, The LORD our Righteousness!"
We cannot be righteous apart from the finished work of Calvary. 1 Corinthians 1:31 says, "...Christ... is made unto us... righteousness..." Jesus is our righteousness. Redemption places me in the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
The Cross purchased righteousness for sinners. It was at the Cross that righteousness and peace kissed one another (Psalm 85:10). It was on the Cross that He made Him to be sin for us Who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God (2 Cor 5:21). No matter how righteous we are, we fall short of God's standard. Some of you here this evening may be great swimmers. My wife could probably outswim the majority of us. Some of us struggle to stay afloat and tread water. Yet, if we all started out in Galveston and attempted to swim to Great Britain, we would all drown eventually. Even if gold medalists swam along with us. We cannot climb the moral ladder to God. Our righteousness is as filthy rags! But, in Christ we are found justified, we are clothed with His Righteousness, baptized in His Name and Spirit! He is Yahweh Tsidkenu -- The LORD our righteousness!
The word Tsidkenu means "to be stiff or straight," it means "to be right." Righteousness is straight and narrow. Truth is narrow. A pound is 16 ounces, never 15. It takes 12 inches to make one foot, 11 is not enough. 1 + 1 = 2, not 5. Our measurements may be good and as exact as we can make them. We have an institute of standards and an atomic clock that should tell us the perfect time, but in reality, all of our measurements are flawed, no matter how exact. God's standards are exact though.
1 Corinthians 15:34 tells us to awake to righteousness and sin not! When we allow God's righteousness to work in us it will keep us from sin. It is His righteousness that sustains us! Isaiah 59:16 says that "His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him." It is not by might, nor by power, but it is the Spirit of Yahweh Tsidkenu working in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure!
In the New Testament, John wrote in the Revelation, "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and He who sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He doth judge and make war" (Rev 19:11). When all is said and done Jesus will return -- Yahweh Tsidkenu -- He will make things right. He will overthrow all oppression and injustice. We will awake clothed in His Righteousness!
13. Yahweh Shammah
Ezekiel 48:35
"It was round about eighteen thousand thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, the LORD is there."
The Presence of God is what makes heaven, heaven. The Presence of God is what makes the church, the church. When Yahweh revealed Himself to Moses at the bush, He did not tell him that He was "the great I was" nor "the great I shall be." He is the Great I AM! Ezekiel was writing to the captives in Babylon. They were at the mercy of circumstances beyond their control, but God was there! He is the ever-present, Eternal One! He is there!
What made the temple of Zerubbabel that Herod was remodeling so much greater than Solomon's temple? A baby named Jesus was brought to the temple to be circumcised. A twelve-year-old Jewish boy in Whom the Fullnes of God was dwelling in bodily form walked into the temple precincts. Jesus entered the temple to teach during the passion week. The glory of the later house truly is greater than the glory of the former house. It wasn't architecture or gold leaf that made it great -- the Lord is there! When Jesus died outside the camp, the veil of the temple was rent. A greater symbol was accomplished because the LORD is there!
The outpouring of the Holy Spirit!
Moses asked the LORD to show him his glory. God replied that He would make all of His Goodness to pass before Moses (Exodus 33:18-19). If you are going to see the glory of God, you've got to have a revelation of His Goodness in the hard places of life! He is there! In the most difficult moments of life when you don't know where to turn or what to do, He is there! He is always there! Where you are right now, in sickness, grief, emotional and spiritual battles, financial difficulties, He is there. He is Jehovah Shammah!
God does not always promise that we will not face difficulties, but He promises something better. He will be with us! He is there walking in the fire with Shadrach, Meshech, and Abed-nego. The Lord is there in the lions' den. In the middle of the beloved Psalm, David stops talking about God and starts talking to Him. He says, "Thou art with me..." In green pastures, beside still waters, and even in the valley overshadowed by death. The Good Shepherd is there!
Jesus promise, "Lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age!" (Matt 28:20). He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you!" (Heb 13:5; cf. Duet 31:6). And, Jesus promised to come and be our Father as the Holy Spirit when he cried, "I will not leave you, orphans, I will come to you!" (John 14:18). He is there! Jesus is Jehovah Shammah!
14. Yahweh Qanna
Exodus 20:5 NIV
"You shall not bow down to them (other gods and graven images) or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God..."
T. F. Tenney calls this "the forgotten name." It is usually left out of the list of Jehovah titles from the OT. But, it is an important aspect of Who God has revealed Himself to be. To be jealous means that someone is intolerant of rivals. God is jealous of anything that takes our hearts away from Him.
When we think of jealousy we think of it in its sinful aspects. Often jealousy is marked with resentment, envy, and suspicion. The spouses in this place this evening would be and perhaps have been jealous of potential rivals, whether imaginary or real. We should NOT be jealous of others' ministries or gifts or spouses or wealth, that is covetousness. But, godly jealousy is a good thing. Paul describes godly jealousy in 2 Corinthians 11, where he describes his feelings of being upset because his coverts have followed the false teachings of his rivals. He wants them to be saved. He wants them to be sanctified. He would have been happy for other teachers of truth to his disciples' converts.
God wants to be in the center of our thoughts because He can give us the best life!
Deuteronomy 6:4-10 NIV
"Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.10 When the Lord your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build..."
One of the human relationships that God uses to show us who He is the marriage relationship (Isaiah 54:5). God is completely devoted to us and wants us to be devoted to Him alone. The apostle Paul says that the marriage relationship is a mysterious portrait of the mysterious and mystical union of Christ and the church. God wants us to be devoted to Him alone, and He is willing to give all that He is to us.
He is Jehovah-Jireh! He sees and provides beforehand for all of our needs. God supplies all of our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus! (Phil 4:19).
He is Jehovah-Rapha! If you need healing, with His stripes we are healed! (Isaiah 53:5).
He is Jehovah-Nissi! When you are tempted to sin or throw in the towel lift up the banner of victory! God always causes us to triumph in Christ! (2 Cor 2:14).
Do you feel abandoned? Alone? Forsaken? Remember that in your darkest trial and your deepest loneliness, He is there!!! His Name is Jehovah-Shammah!
Are you on the stormy sea of life, He is our Peace! He is the Prince of Peace and the Peace-speaker! He is Jehovah-Shammah!
Each of these names speaks of Who He is and what He does. They tell us what we receive when we are His and He is ours!
15. The Name Above All Names
There is another Name. The OT Jehovah compound names are Light. In each of them we see an aspect of God's character. His name is Light. Focussed light can do work. The Name of Jesus is like all the spectrum of Jehovah Names focused into One. Its like taking the rays of the sun and focussing them through a magnifying glass. When those Names are focussed they result in the Name of JESUS. The Name Jesus, is the English transliteration of the name Yeshua. Yeshua is the shortened form of the name Yehoshua. Yehoshua means Jehovah (YHWH) Savior. It is a compound Name like all the others we explored.
The Name of Jesus embodies the mystery of God's Person and the marvel of His Work! Paul exclaimed, "Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifest in the flesh!" (1 Tim 3:16), and "In Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead in bodily form... and we are complete in Him!" (Col 2:9-10).
Deuteronomy 12:11
"Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave-offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the Lord."
We have spoken about the way Biblical Names have meanings. Peter means "rock." Peter was a critical structural part of seeing the church established. He was a foundational apostle. The Lord changed Jacob's name that defined him as a deceiver and trickster to Israel, a wrestler with God. Biblical names have meanings. The Lord says that there will be a place where he chooses to dwell and His Name will dwell there. God's Name contains His Character, His Power, His Attributes. This means that all of the expressions of God will be represented in one place. There is only One place where God's Name chose to dwell that became an effulgence of Who He really IS in all of His Glory and splendor. This prophecy typified what would happen as God dwelt in Jesus Christ.
Jesus had the creative power of Elohim. He spat on the ground and mixed clay that He rubbed on the eyes of a blind man in order to create new eyes for him (John 9). He was El-Shaddai--The Strong Breasted One--when He asked His disciples, "Will you also go away?" Peter replied, "To whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life" (John 6:67-68). He is Adonai! He is the Great I AM! He is the God-Man, the Son of the Living God! He is Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha. Jehovah-Nissi! He is our righteousness! The old song says, "It's all in Him!" All the tributaries of God's revelation of Himself flow into one place, into One Man. His Name is JESUS!
He is the Alpha and Omega. There is salvation in no other Name (Acts 4:12). His Name means Jehovah Savior. He is the A to the Z. He is everything in between. Someone said, "If you know Jesus, you know enough!" When you say, "JESUS" you are calling on all that God is! He is the Amen of God. He is God's final Word. God has given Him the Name that is above all other Names.
When Peter stood up with the eleven apostles on the day of Pentecost after the birth of the church and responded to those who asked what they needed to do, he declared:
Acts 2:38
"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
While God has many Names and titles, this Name is a packaged deal. You get all that God is. This is why we practice baptism in His Name! We do all in that Name, whether in word or deed.
Let's call on that Name!
