Most people call me by my nickname, Butch. \u00a0No, that isn’t my given name, but when people who know me use that name, both people know who they are discussing. \u00a0My name really isn’t a description of who I am. \u00a0Rather, it is simply a label. \u00a0The names given to God in the Bible, however, are often descriptions of his attributes. \u00a0God’s character, personality and attributes are revealed to us throughout scripture.<\/p>\n
God has MANY names in scripture. \u00a0In this article, I will discuss just a few of the names of God, their meaning and, perhaps more importantly, their meaning to me.<\/p>\n
The first name I want to discuss is the first name of God listed in scripture. \u00a0This name is Elohim<\/strong><\/span> and it is found in Genesis 1:1. \u00a0Here it is:<\/p>\n In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n The Hebrew word translated as “God” here is key. \u00a0In the English language, this word “God” is singular. \u00a0However, in the Hebrew, there is a golden nugget to be gleaned. \u00a0You see, Elohim<\/strong><\/span> is a word that is a plural form of the word Eloha<\/span><\/strong>. \u00a0\u00a0This is a reference to God as more than a singular person. \u00a0In other words, the word Elohim identifies the Creator God as the entirety of the Godhead. \u00a0God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. \u00a0Three persons and, yet, one God. \u00a0I don’t claim to understand the true nature of what we call the Trinity, but I believe this is a clear statement indicating that God is more than one part. \u00a0Elohim is God the Triune Creator. \u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Many of you are likely familiar with the name Yahweh<\/span><\/strong> or Jehova<\/strong><\/span>. \u00a0This name is used over 6500 times in the Old Testament. \u00a0It simply means “God” or “Lord”. \u00a0In the Old Testament, the name Jehova is often combined with other words to create a complete name. \u00a0When I think of this name of God, I have to recognize that to allow him to be Jehova to ME, it must be Him that is in control. \u00a0That is to say, if He is MY Jehova, he must rule my life in the same way a “Lord” is in charge. \u00a0This means that I must allow Him to be my guide in the sense that it is His will I must follow. \u00a0That isn’t always easy, because of my own sense of pride and self-worth, but if I call him Jehova, it is necessary.<\/p>\n Another name given to God in the Old Testament that you are likely familiar with is El Shaddai<\/strong><\/span>. \u00a0There are a couple of interpretations for the meaning of these words in the old Hebrew. \u00a0The first of these is “Lord God Almighty” and the second is “All-Sufficient One”. \u00a0When I think of these definitions, I think of a God who is powerful beyond description. \u00a0He is sufficient in and of Himself and does not need to draw from anything else to maintain his status as the “Lord God Almighty”. \u00a0In my own mind, this is a name that really defines Him AS God. \u00a0This name is first used in Genesis 17:1, as God is speaking to Abram in order to establish His covenant with Abram. \u00a0The Complete Jewish Bible offers this text:<\/p>\n When Avram was 99 years old Adonai appeared to Avram and said to him, “I am El Shaddai. \u00a0Walk in my presence and be pure-hearted”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Here is the same verse in the NIV:<\/p>\n When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty; Wall before me faithfully and be blameless.”<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Another name we will talk about is the name Adonai<\/strong><\/span>, but the purpose of God giving his name as El Shaddai<\/strong><\/span> to Abram was to let him know that he was talking to the Almighty God. \u00a0You see, it was important from the beginning for Abram (and us) to understand that there is NO power that is higher or greater than that of God. \u00a0Abram understood this from the name God used. \u00a0I love the fact that although God describes himself as “All-sufficient” and “Almighty”, He showed interest in forming a unique bond with mankind. \u00a0This conversation was initiated by God and indicates a special interest on the part of God to be involved with us. \u00a0He (God) doesn’t NEED this relationship to be the all-powerful God that he is. \u00a0He DESIRES it. \u00a0It is nearly impossible for me to even comprehend why God would even want to be a part of my life, but it is clear that He does. \u00a0Another take on the name El Shaddai suggests that God is completely nourishing and satisfying in His desire to supply all the needs of His people. \u00a0He is, of himself, completely self-sustaining and he desires to satisfy ALL our needs by His own power. \u00a0He, indeed, is a God who can supply our EVERY need. \u00a0As I am thinking of this name, I am reminded of the old song by Amy Grant. \u00a0You can find that song here<\/a>. \u00a0Indeed, “[I] will praise and lift You high, El Shaddai.”<\/p>\n One final name that I want to discuss is the name used over 400 times in the Old Testament. \u00a0This name Adonai<\/strong><\/span>. \u00a0This word, like the word Elohim, is plural. \u00a0The singular name is “adon”. \u00a0Again, by the nature of the name, it is clear that God, our Adonai, is not singular, but encompassed by the entirety of the Godhead. \u00a0The essence of the word is similar to the name Jehova with a component that makes it possessive. \u00a0In other words, the best translation to English for this word is “my lords”. \u00a0By using this name for God, we are acknowledging that we are His in terms of His lordship and he is ours in terms of we are accepting his rule in our lives. \u00a0For me, it is THIS name that I like the most. \u00a0It is, to me, the best name to identify who I am in God and who He is to me.<\/p>\n I have discussed a few of the names God gave Himself as he reveals Himself in his word. \u00a0There are MANY, MANY more names that reveal various truths about his personality and nature. \u00a0I would encourage you to do some research on your own and discover for yourself just who God is to you. \u00a0After all, God seeks to be involved in your life. \u00a0Do you need a Father figure? \u00a0Do you need a Lord of Peace? \u00a0Do you need a Provider? \u00a0Do you need a Shepherd? \u00a0Do you need a Healer? \u00a0Whatever your need, God can provide that need. \u00a0As the Psalmist said in Psalm 148:5<\/p>\n Let them praise the name of the LORD…<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n Please leave comments below and share your thoughts. \u00a0As much as I enjoy writing out my own thoughts, I am anxious to hear from those who read these posts.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Most people call me by my nickname, Butch. \u00a0No, that isn’t my given name, but when people who know me use that name, both people know who they are discussing. \u00a0My name really isn’t a description of who I am. \u00a0Rather, it is simply a label. \u00a0The names given to God in the Bible, however, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2,6],"tags":[16,8,36,15,14,13],"class_list":["post-21","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bible","category-personal","tag-adonai","tag-beliefs","tag-bible","tag-el-shaddai","tag-god","tag-names-of-god"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3Mji6-l","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21\/revisions\/25"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/musings.butchevans.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}