Word of the Week -- Intro to the Names of God

My aim with the Word of the Week is to learn something new about God and/or my place as a Christ follower and to focus on one such aspect each week. I also would like to offer my gleanings up for anyone else who’d like a little extra education or meditation each week – something informative but easy to tuck away and wonder about later. Last semester, I focused on the Attributes of God – the things that God IS (faithful, righteous, love, good, genuine, omnipotent, sovereign, immutable, etc). This semester, I will concentrate on the Names of God – the Names by which He introduces Himself to us and which will, I’m sure, teach us a lot about HOW he is -- how He relates to us.

Throughout the Bible God is known by many names. Unfortunately, they are all translated into English as God or GOD, Lord or LORD, or a combination of those or in conjunction with other words. The impact is, fairly often, completely lost in translation. What’s the big difference between upper and lowercase?? In Hebrew, they are completely different words with different meanings! Did you know that?

Here’s just a taste of the intrigue of the Names of God:
In Exodus 3:14 (ESV), Moses asks God “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God answers cryptically, “Ehyeh asher ehyeh” – "I AM WHO I AM.” This can be translated, I am what I am, or I will be what I will be, and contains the idea that God has always been, is, and always will be just what He is. He is the essence of the verb “to be.” This name drips with meaning and with mystery. One Jewish midrash (interpretation/commentary) states that “The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Moses: You want to know My Name? I am called according to my actions, El Shaddai, Tsevaot, Elohim, Adonai. When I judge creatures, I am called Elohim (God). When I wage war against the wicked, I am called Tsevaot (Hosts). When I suspend judgment of a person’s sins, I am called El Shaddai (Almighty). And when I have mercy on My world, I am called Adonai” (Exodus Rabbah 3:6 – Jewish midrash (commentary) on Exodus 3:6).
(Sources: ESV Study Bible, www.kolel.org/blog, www.hebrew4christians.com, www.jtsa.edu)

Next week Tuesday (February 3) the Word of the Week will commence with the Name “Elohim.” New postings arrive each Tuesday!