Word of the Week: Adonai

Hello Everyone! This week I am preparing for my week of school at Moody Grad. School. I'm taking Biblical Theology of the New Testament, modular style -- which means that I do most of the work at home, go to class for one week, and finish up the work at home. Next week is my week there and the BIG DEAD LINE for a LOT of homework, which I'm behind on. So I'm taking this opportunity to practice delegating! This week, we get a very special blessing from one of the students at Titan Christian Fellowship! I hope to use this (and future opportunities of more purposeful delegation) to introduce you to a few more students and their spectacular mental and spiritual capacities :)

This is Keith's Word of the Week contribution:

Adonai

Lord, Master

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” -Romans 10:9

I can remember back in sophomore year of high school when I first accepted Jesus as my Lord and savior. I remember getting down on my knees crying and pouring out my heart to Jesus. I cried out to Jesus and gave him everything that was on my heart that night to the point where I gave him my life. I’ll never forget that night and I remember it so clearly to this day. It was the first time I ever gave my life over to somebody and become a servant to them. So what does this story have to do with the God name Adonai? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!

Adonai (a-do-NAI) is a Hebrew word that means Lord Master. Adonai is also the plural form of the word Adon. The word Adon, according to herbrew4christians.com, derives from a Ugaritic word meaning Lord or Father. Adon is used often as a term of respect and always refers to people. Adonai therefore refers to Lord in the sense of an owner or master. The first time in the Old Testament that Adonai is used is in Genesis 15:2 when God makes a covenant with Abram. In this verse Abram refers to God as “Lord God” (or “Sovereign Lord” in other translations) which refers to both Yahweh and Adonai. In the New Testament, the Greek word most often translated Lord is Kyrios.

The story above is a great example of Adonai. When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior (as I did in the story) you are confessing that He is Adonai. You are trusting Jesus as your Lord and you are a servant to Him. It was the biggest release I ever had knowing that God is master and Lord over my life. I was filled with so much joy that week that people in school sometimes didn’t know who I was! I was a completely different person and eventually my “old self” faded away. When Jesus is Lord of your life you will truly see changes happen for the better as you serve Him.

Part of Adonai that many believers forget is that we are called to serve the Lord. That word “serve” or “servant” sometimes scares people. Many people have a very hard time being a servant; even more people have a hard time being a joyful servant. Sometimes that way of thinking prevents us from doing what is God is calling us to do, which is to serve others. Ann Spangler puts it really well in saying that sometimes we treat “God as though he was some kind of celestial butler who should use his divine powers to further our plans.” Doing things to benefit yourself usually doesn’t benefit you at all. What do I mean by that? Well, if you do things to benefit yourself, outside of God’s plan for your life, you are not only hurting your relationship with the Lord but you are also cutting off yourself from God’s blessing that he had for you. The Lord’s blessing is far greater than anything this world could ever give you (I know that from experience) and not only benefits those you were serving but you also grow in your relationship with the Master himself!

Jesus is the best example of someone who didn’t do things his own way. He was Lord but he was also a servant to the Father. Philippians 2:5-11 states that
“Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Jesus could have easily taken himself off the cross, but He didn’t and became sin so that we would not perish. He remained a servant to the Father and did God’s will to the end. Jesus is now seated at God’s right hand “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.”- Ephesians 1:21 (NKJV) Because of His faithfulness to God’s will, Jesus has not only been blessed but has also brought that blessing to us who believe in Him! If we become a servant to the Lord and make Him Lord over every area of our life, we will start seeing God in a truly beautiful way as our relationship grows deeper and deeper with the Master. And in the process of a deeper relationship, we will have blessings like never before!

The Lord wants to draw near to each and every one of us! How awesome is that? All we need to do is surrender every aspect of our lives to Him. Not just 75 percent or 99 percent of your life, but all of it. So many times (in the Bible and in our lives) we don’t give God everything we hold on to as if we can keep some stuff secret from God. My friend that is not trusting the Lord with everything you have, but is actually a way for Satan to get a foot in the door. Once that happens, you start living a double life and your relationship with the Lord is hindered. Instead give it all to God. If you have to get on your knees, raise your hands, shout, cry, whatever it is you have to do, don’t hold back and pour out your heart. Confess all the things keeping you from giving it to the Lord and then let it go. Don’t let fear take root and cast it out, Jesus died so that you can have love not fear! Praise Adonai and give thanks to Him as you go out and serve Him.

Some final thoughts about Adonai is that every day we should worship and thank Him for all the things he has done in our lives and for His amazing love. Also, pray that the Lord uses you and that you are faithful to whatever he is calling you to do. Everyone can do something for the Lord no matter how big or small. Here are some verses that contain Adonai in them that will help.
Nehemiah 4:7-18, Psalm 16:2, 73:25-26, 54:4, 62:11-12, 86:15, 110:1, 136:3, Isaiah 6:1-8, Luke 17:7-10, Thessalonians 5:16-18