Announcer (00:00:00): It's time to think about the Bible like you never have before. This is Christian Questions. Experience more episodes, videos and Bible study resources at ChristianQuestions.com. Today's topic is, "Who is God?" (Part II). As Christians, we love to praise and honor God, and rightfully so. The question is, do we really know God? We say we do, as we pray to Him and try to follow His leadings. That's good, but there's a difference between needing God and actually knowing Him. How do we learn to know what we don't know about God? Here's Rick, Jonathan and Julie.
Rick (00:00:38): Welcome everyone. I'm Rick. I'm joined by Jonathan, my co-host for over 25 years, and Julie, a longtime contributor is also with us. Jonathan, what's our theme scripture for this episode?
Jonathan (00:00:50): Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Rick (00:00:56): So many people believe that God is a manmade myth. They see Him as a figment of the imagination of religious zealots, who desperately seek some kind of higher power. When you look at the mythological gods or the gods of some religious factions, you can certainly see the reasoning for that point. However, when we look at the God of the Bible, it has an entirely different story. What other book, what other belief system gives you such a detailed and specific approach to knowing who God is the way the Bible does? In Part I of our series, we focused in on God's introduction to the world of humanity in Genesis 1 and 2. We then focused on how God revealed Himself to Abraham. As we began this second part of our series, let's recap and see how God had been revealed through the creation and through Abraham. This will set the stage for the next steps of seeing who God is.
Jonathan (00:02:00): The entire first chapter of Genesis only uses one word to describe God: "Elohim." This word is also used to describe rulers and judges. What do rulers and judges have in common? Power and authority. The Genesis 1 creation account primarily establishes the Creator's power and authority.
Julie (00:02:22): What does this tell us about God then? Recognizing God as Elohim reminds us that He always has and always will have the authority to proclaim and the power to accomplish any and every creative act that He deems appropriate. His will and might are the source of all righteous creation.
Rick (00:02:42): So, Elohim is this power and authority recognition of God. When we look at that, folks, do we see God, and do we instinctively recognize His power and authority, not just in the big creative things but in our personal lives?
Jonathan (00:03:00): Genesis 2 adds another word to further describe God. He is now called "Jehovah Elohim." In our English Bibles, that's "LORD God." "Jehovah" means "Self-Existing One," essentially saying, "I was, I am, and I will be." While this word exalts God even higher, it also brings Him closer to us because Genesis 2 was written to highlight the creation of man as the absolute focal point of the entire earthly creative process. Jehovah Elohim did all of this so He could have an earthly human family. Let's read from Genesis 2:7, and I will substitute "LORD" and "God" with "Jehovah" and "Elohim" throughout this episode. "Then Jehovah Elohim formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
Rick (00:03:58): You've got to think about this because no other earthly creation was so personally created and so personally energized by Jehovah Elohim.
Julie (00:04:11): What does that tell us about God? Recognizing God as Jehovah is to help us see His lofty character made accessible to humanity. Jehovah Elohim created our physical realm to establish a home for His earthly children. Every time we see "Jehovah" mentioned in Genesis 2, it always has something to do with relationships.
Rick (00:04:32): It's interesting because you have this description of Jehovah as "was, is and always will be," but yet it's about His connectivity with the human race and that's such an important thing. Folks, do we see that? Do we recognize that? Do we seek that as we look toward Jehovah?
Julie (00:04:53): We talk about this Jehovah. Let's just recap real quick from Part I. In the Hebrew Bible, this name "Jehovah" appears as four Hebrew consonants. It's usually transliterated as "Y H W H" or "J H W H." It's called the "tetragrammaton." Both Jews and Christians throughout the centuries have deemed this name either unpronounceable or too sacred to pronounce. The scholarly consensus is it should be pronounced "Yahweh," but at least since the 1500s it's been translated into English with the spelling and pronunciation including vowels, "Jehovah."
Jonathan (00:05:29): When used as a verb, "Yahweh" means "He will come." When used as a name or a noun, it means "He who becometh" or "the becoming one." Let's continue. When the time came from Messiah's lineage to be established, God saw fit to give Abraham greater insights into God's connection with His human family than ever before. God was proclaimed to Abraham as "El Elyon," which can be understood as "the most exalted or supreme God."
Julie (00:06:03): What does this tell us about God? Recognizing God as El Elyon emphatically places Him high above any other contrived god or deity. He is supreme. This reverent title serves as a serious reminder that our God is, in fact, the only God.
Rick (00:06:22): This is one of those places where you pause and consider. Do I have other "gods" in my life, and how much influence do I allow them to have? Do I look at El Elyon and say, "This is my only supreme God and put all of those other things away?" That is what God's name is telling us to do.
Jonathan (00:06:48): In Genesis 15, Abraham prays to God in desperation because he does not yet have a son as the promised seed. In this sincere plea, he introduces another new description of God. He calls him "Adonai." This word carries a thought of "Sovereign Lord," and is fitting because Abraham was lifting up his very real concerns before Him.
Julie (00:07:14): What does this tell us about God? To recognize God as Adonai is to humbly recognize Him as the Sovereign Lord over every aspect of the lives of those who serve Him.
Rick (00:07:26): How am I doing? Do I see God as Sovereign Lord, not just when I'm in church, not just when I'm feeling spiritual, but as Sovereign Lord over every aspect of every part of my Christian walk. That is what God is telling us in this recognition of Him as Adonai.
Jonathan (00:07:48): In Genesis 17, Abraham is desperate. He is 99 years old and the idea of a promised seed at this age seems impossible. God speaks to Abraham and describes Himself as "El Shaddai." We understand Shaddai in this usage to mean "God Almighty, Most Powerful and All-Sufficient."
Julie (00:08:11): What does this tell us about God? Accepting God's own proclamation of Himself as El Shaddai is to embrace the fact that He is the all-powerful and sufficient God who can see things through even when they are completely hopeless in our own eyes.
Rick (00:08:28): Again, we see another name, another description for Almighty God, and it's saying to us, "I am sufficient." Do we listen? Do we acknowledge? Do we embrace His sufficiency? When we look at our experience and say, "I don't know what to do," there's always an answer. It is El Shaddai.
Jonathan (00:08:49): Another name for God in the Old Testament is "Jehovah Rapha." We understand this to mean "Jehovah, the Self-Existing One who heals." While this exact phrase didn't first appear in the accounts of Abraham, a very similar phrase did, when in Genesis Abraham prayed to Elohim and Elohim healed. The exact phrase first appears in Exodus when the bitter waters of Marah were sweetened. The waters were healed; they were now drinkable.
Julie (00:09:21): What does this tell us about God? When we recognize God as Jehovah Rapha, it's acknowledging that He alone is the ultimate source of caring and healing, and He does so in His time and in His way.
Rick (00:09:34): When we have the despair and anguish of our own lives, do we rely upon this God of healing to be able to take that from us? "Casting all your care upon Him for He cares for you." What is that telling us? That in the New Testament is telling us exactly what this Old Testament name for God is saying - put those cares upon Him.
Jonathan (00:09:59): In Genesis 21, Abraham and Abimelech made a covenant of peace in understanding between them. Abraham named the place "El Olam," which means "the Eternal God." This is the first time in Scripture that a place is named for God.
Julie (00:10:17): What does this tell us about God? To recognize God as El Olam is to acknowledge that He is everlasting in all that He does. When we make binding promises like Abraham did with Abimelech, El Olam is our example and a reminder to keep our promises.
Rick (00:10:35): Again, God's name is showing us it's a stamp of remembrance. He is everlasting. That sense of, "I need to be everlasting in the things that I say and do with integrity," as Abraham named the place after this everlasting God. It helps us. It gives us a standard up to which to strive for, so that we can be godly in the way we treat everyone around us.
Jonathan (00:11:04): Our last account of God's power, influence, and friendship in Abraham's life is when he was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. God stopped him and provided a ram for sacrifice. Abraham's response was to name that place "Jehovah-jireh," which means "Jehovah sees."
Julie (00:11:23): What does this tell us about God? Recognizing and worshiping God as Jehovah-jireh is to embrace the fact that He sees all and He responds for the ultimate wellbeing of all. Abraham's extraordinary faith enabled him to see this aspect of God's extraordinary character.
Rick (00:11:42): There's a lot of "extraordinary" there because that's what it is. God is so far above us. We have all of these names that we went over in Part I of our three-part series to remind us to build a foundation for how broad our God truly is. This all sets a pattern for not only understanding God, but for memorializing His name. Again, you have this memorialization - Jehovah-jireh. It gives us a sense of "I know that God sees, and God helped me" in the heart-rending experiences of our lives. God takes care of us. Do we memorialize that the way Abraham did? That's one of the points here. We want to put this all together. This has been a review of what we talked about in our last episode. Jonathan, so let's once again attempt to Grasp the Greatness of God:
Jonathan (00:12:38): We have only touched on the book of Genesis and already God's greatness is scarcely describable. He has power and authority and is self-existing, and yet profoundly connected to humanity. Through His relationship with Abraham, He demonstrated many practical ways that we as human beings can have Him as an exalted presence in our lives no matter what our experiences are. All of this, and it is just the beginning. Rick and Julie, I love this aspect of knowing so many of the different names of God. This gives me personal peace. When I read God's different names in His word, I am not just reciting them; they all have some special meaning to them!
Rick (00:13:25): It's a good practice to remind ourselves these names exist, what they mean, so we can understand our God more fully in our everyday life. Folks, this was just last week. We haven't even started to start here yet. While the journey towards knowing who God is that we have taken so far is profound, it's only the introduction of what is to come.
Jonathan (00:13:54): Thus far, we know God to be powerful and present in the lives of those who serve Him. What comes next?
Rick (00:14:01): In Part I of our series, we looked at a specific point in time where something changed. That point was when God chose Abraham to become the father of the promised seed, Isaac, who represented Jesus the Messiah. Well, we've come to another point where something dramatic changes, God's dealings and influence are about to personally touch millions.
Julie (00:14:28): Our next revealment of who God is comes from God's relationship with Moses and Israel. While we so far have seen Abraham develop a powerful relationship with God, generations later Moses would develop a powerful but uniquely different relationship with Him as well. God introduced Himself to Moses through the burning bush when he appointed Moses to be the instrument of Israel's deliverance from Egypt.
Jonathan (00:14:55): It is important to note that Moses became the one individual who puts God's name into the world by writing the first five books of Genesis. It was here in Exodus that Moses learned the name of God and was able to use that name to recount and write in Genesis about all of the early revealing of God and His nature.
Rick (00:15:17): It's very cool to me that God reveals His name to Moses and then he happens to be the guy who writes the introduction to everything. There's no coincidence. That's part of the greatness of God. "Here's My name, and here's how you describe Me so everybody can eventually know." Let's look at how that unfolded. God tells Moses to go to the children of Israel and deliver them. Now that sounds like a pretty extraordinary task for Moses. We'll unfold that in a moment. Exodus 3:7-8:
Jonathan (00:15:53): "And Jehovah said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; and I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey..."
Julie (00:16:15): I love Jonathan how you read, "I have seen their affliction...I have heard their cry...I know their sorrows....I have come down to deliver." God sees their great need.
Rick (00:16:25): He sees it and He's doing something about it, and it's always in His time and in His way. Now, God was described here as Jehovah, but Moses did not yet know God by that name. But this is how Moses is recounting it for us.
Jonathan (00:16:43): God appoints Moses as the deliverer. Exodus 3:10 continues with: "Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
Julie (00:16:56): You could just see Moses going, "Wait, what?" Like, "I'll send you." "You are going to send WHO is going?" He looks behind him, but there's nobody behind him. We know he wanted to know more about God, but I don't think he was expecting this kind of assignment. What are the logistics of migrating millions of people being held hostage in a foreign country?
Jonathan (00:17:15): Well, think about it. Moses had leadership training while he was in Pharaoh's court as a young man. Of course he was the right man for the job! God overruled his experiences in life knowing he could handle the responsibility of leading God's people to freedom. That's just like He does for us for the future kingdom work. Now, listen for the assurance God is going to give Moses as I read Exodus 3:11-12: "And Moses said unto Elohim, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And He said, certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve Elohim upon this mountain." "Certainly I will be with you." What comforting words to hear from the Almighty!
Rick (00:18:12): Yeah, they're comforting, but you know what? This is a scary assignment. I don't care what you say, you're there and now you're being told this is what you're going to do. Moses recognizes God as having power and authority here, unquestionably. "Elohim," that's how he addresses Him. He does not yet see the bigger picture, though. God does not yet reveal Himself, but responds to Moses in a way to provoke him to seek understanding. God is drawing Moses to Him, because when we have a desire to know something, once we know it, it sinks in that much more fully. Let's look at Exodus 3:13:
Jonathan (00:18:52): "And Moses said unto Elohim, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The Elohim of your fathers has sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say unto them?"
Rick (00:19:08): "Okay, God, great, you got to help me here." You could feel the trembling in Moses with this response. Moses needs to know who God is. He sees the power, but he needs to have something more tangible because he can't say to them, "Hey, guess what? I saw this bush that was burning and it never burned up." There's got to be something more. He needs to be able to identify God personally. Let's look at Exodus 3:14-15:
Jonathan (00:19:38): "And Elohim said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM. And He said, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And Elohim said moreover unto Moses, thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the Jehovah Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Abraham, the Elohim of Isaac, and the Elohim of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is My name for ever, and this is My memorial unto all generations." Let's talk about Elohim introducing himself to Moses as "I AM." This is fascinating. It is a companion form of the word "Yahweh." These Hebrew words mean, "I will be what I will be" or "I will become what I please to become."
Julie (00:20:27): God related His ability and His intention to their great need and promised to become to them all that they needed. God promised Moses by His holy name to supply that need. In Hebrew, (I'll probably not pronounce this right), "Ehyeh asher ehyeh," "I AM." It means, "I will be to you what you need Me to be." It's put forth as this gracious promise, this assurance that the divine power and capacity were adaptable to any circumstance, to any difficulty, and to any necessity. This should be huge to us in our own personal walk.
Rick (00:21:05): This is how God answers Moses's question, "Who shall I say sent me?" This is the response he gets. The One who sends you is the same Jehovah, the same Self-Existing Mighty One with power and authority who created earth and heaven for humanity. The same One is being sent for Israel's deliverance. Nothing less than the Creator of all things is being sent for Israel's deliverance. You are getting only the most powerful Being that ever can exist to back you up. So when I send you, Moses, I certainly have your back. Jonathan, let's try to Grasp the Greatness of God here:
Jonathan (00:21:50): God is intentional. His revealing of himself to Moses established Him as the God of power and authority and as the God who always is. This God in all of His exalted glory would deliver millions from hard slavery, make them His chosen nation, and further reveals Himself to them.
Rick (00:22:11): You've got this incredible unfolding of God Almighty before Moses. Now let's build on that. Another name for God in the Old Testament is "Jehovah Sabaoth." This describes Jehovah as "the Self-Existing One of those who go forth." This is key. "Sabaoth" can mean "an army or a host," meaning a large number. It's not limited to earthly groups. This is a fascinating scripture from the creation account in Genesis 2:1 that uses this word "sabaoth."
Jonathan (00:22:44): "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and Sabaoth all the host of them."
Rick (00:22:50): You have God finishing the creation. In Genesis 2:1 it says, "The heavens and the earth were finished." Then it says, "and Sabaoth all of them, all of the hosts." It gives you this sense that there's this massiveness of all of the things that God did all encompassed under that one word. When we see Jehovah as recognized as Jehovah Sabaoth, "LORD of hosts," you can see that it can be an incredibly, extraordinarily large picture.
Julie (00:23:27): It's great to see how God is systematically revealing Himself in these bigger and bigger ways. When did God first proclaim Himself though to be Jehovah Sabaoth, or "LORD of hosts," of people?
Jonathan (00:23:40): From creation until this, the Exodus from Egypt, God had never before described Himself in relation to humanity as a "LORD of hosts." Instead of a relationship just with individuals like Abraham and Moses, He would now have a relationship with millions of Hebrews, who would eventually become the nation of Israel. This is a massive paradigm shift, a huge step forward.
Rick (00:24:06): We're going to put that Jehovah Sabaoth to work in this scripture because that's what the scripture tells us to do. But just remember, all of the host of creation were finished. Who created them? God. Put that perspective in line as we read God's relationship with this new nation of Israel being delivered from Egypt. Exodus 12:41-42:
Jonathan (00:24:31): "And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of Jehovah went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto Jehovah for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: This is that night of Jehovah to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations."
Rick (00:24:55): All the hosts of Jehovah, Jehovah Sabaoth here, these are all His people. It's not just one here, one there, a family there. This is the "Lord of hosts!"
Julie (00:25:09): Wow. Who is God? He is Jehovah Sabaoth, the Self-Existing God of multitudes. It's this God of multitudes who delivered them.
Rick (00:25:21): You see the dramatic expansion here? Think about this, just take a moment here. You've got God talking to Moses long before this happens and revealing His name. And in God sending Moses, and now before Moses' eyes, God becomes not just "I AM THAT I AM," but He becomes the "LORD of hosts" as He rescues millions in an impossible task. That is the power of God.
Julie (00:25:53): He becomes whatever they need Him to be at that time. That's the beauty of this.
Rick (00:25:58): That's His name. That's His name. Are we recognizing the power of the name of God? Let's pause on this "LORD of hosts" because it's such, such a powerful thing. There are several familiar scriptures that show us this wonderful connection.
Julie (00:26:17): In the famous account of David and Goliath, David has gone to the front lines to bring lunch for his brothers and he ends up being the one to fight Goliath. He picks up five stones for his slingshot and Goliath starts (like we would say today) trash-talking him, making fun of the slingshot. Let's pick up in 1 Samuel 17:44-45:
Jonathan (00:26:37): And the Philistine said to David, Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fouls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."
Julie (00:26:46): Here's the greatest warrior of all time taunting the teenager who isn't even wearing armor. It's like me challenging Michael Jordan to a game of basketball.
Rick (00:26:56): Good luck, you ain't winning. That's the point. You've got this dramatic scene that just is not going to unfold well from a very physical, from a very earthly perspective. However, we have David there and David's not alone. Jonathan, let's continue with verse 45:
Jonathan (00:27:16): "Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of Jehovah Sabaoth the LORD of hosts, Elohim of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied." This wasn't just Goliath fighting David, it was Goliath fighting David and Jehovah Sabaoth and Elohim, the LORD God of millions. He picked the wrong guy to insult.
Rick (00:27:46): He did, he did. David understood, David knew. David's faith rested not in his own strength, but in the strength of the LORD God Who is whatever you need Him to be so that His will can be done. Let's look at another example of the "LORD of hosts" in Psalms 24:7-10:
Jonathan (00:28:10): "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah strong and mighty, Jehovah mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? Jehovah Sabaoth the LORD of hosts. He is the King of glory. Selah." Remember "selah" means "pause and consider."
Rick (00:28:42): Think about what David is describing. Now look, we see David having all kinds of experiences and his experiences brought us to this kind of a psalm so much later after he defeated Goliath with God's help. This "King of glory," who is this King of glory?" I'll tell you Who it is. He describes Him as the "LORD of hosts." Why? Because He's the Lord of the vast numbers of those who would follow Him. He's not just a Lord of a person here or there. He is the "LORD of hosts." It's a big, big, big picture of who Almighty God truly is. Jonathan, Grasping the Greatness of God; have fun with that:
Jonathan (00:29:22): The further we go, the more we see how Jehovah is not only God of individuals who follow Him, but He is "Jehovah Sabaoth," the Self-Existing Sovereign of Israel. His role in the personal affairs of humanity is ever expanding.
Rick (00:29:40): We have to ask ourselves, what about me? Do I see God as Jehovah Sabaoth? Do I see him as "LORD of hosts," as LORD of all of the things that happen around me and all of those who honor Him? Do I give Him that kind of credit? Or do I just get stuck in my own little brain with all my own little trials? Folks, let's see God, in the big way He needs to be seen.
Julie (00:30:04): There are many descriptions and names of God in the Old Testament, and we've run out of time for an exhaustive study. But we're going to leave these other names for our listeners to discover on their own for homework. But what we have discussed should give us all a sense of awe and renewed appreciation for just how blessed we are to have a God like this. He is so clearly defined in so many ways that He can be everything to every part of all of us.
Rick (00:30:34): We just need to remember that. As we further unfold the depth of God's character and His revealment of that character, all we can do, all we can do is to stand in awe.
Jonathan (00:30:49): God, as the "LORD of hosts," embraced Israel as His people. How else did our understanding of God expand through His relationship with them?
Rick (00:30:59): As you may have figured out by now, trying to quantify the overabundance of God's care for Israel, that's a futile task. His care, foresight and wisdom are far too deep and comprehensive. For now, let's just focus on a few of the remarkable examples of how God revealed Himself to them. We're just going to look at some examples, and each one of these, folks, has the power to blow you away. But we just want to give you a sense, this is what's out there in the Old Testament. Once Israel was delivered, their new life of dependence on Jehovah had begun. There were many aspects to this dependence. The nation of Israel was being given the Law, the Ten Commandments, the Law from God. God began the beginning of those commandments this way, Exodus 20:1-2:
Jonathan (00:31:58): "Then God Elohim spoke all these words, saying, I am Jehovah Elohim who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other elohim before me."
Julie (00:32:10): Now that's a firm reminder of exactly Who was responsible for freeing them from slavery. Recognize God for who He is. This is the God of power and authority who has personal interest in you. This is not trivial.
Rick (00:32:24): Yeah. The God of power and authority, and yet you're important to Him. You're right. There it is. It is so focused in; "You shall have no other gods before Me because I am your Deliverer." God proclaims Himself as high and powerful, rightfully so. He proclaims Himself to be their highest priority, rightfully so. The second commandment brings another aspect of God clearly before the people. This may not be one that you might expect. Exodus 20:4-6:
Jonathan (00:32:58): "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, Jehovah Elohim, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments." There's nothing tricky about the Hebrew word for "jealous" here. It means "jealous," as in" I demand your attention and loyalty." He is the one true God. Everybody and everything that exists, He made. He deserves our loyalty!
Rick (00:33:41): When you think about it, it is a complete waste of time and emotional effort to put our loyalty anyplace else. That's what He was telling Israel. "I demand, I am jealous because I am." There's no place where we can say this and mean it in even a one-millionth of a percent of the way God can say it and mean it. "I am jealous because I am your Deliverer, your Creator. I am the source of all that you need. Yes, you had better focus on me." God is jealous.
Julie (00:34:19): Who is God? As a jealous God, He is the Self-Existing, powerful and authoritative God who demands our sole loyalty. Why? Because there is no being or concept or tradition on any level, anywhere, that could possibly deserve one-thousandth of the attention we owe Him. I think you made better math than I'm giving you. But one-millionth of a millionth of attention. Infinity!
Rick (00:34:44): It's an incomprehensible equation when you think about it because of the greatness of God. We are only scratching the surface of what we can see. Folks, there's a whole universe out there that He created we don't know anything about. Think about this. We're just seeing what He means to us here in this little, little area of His creation. God's first three commandments are all about protecting the integrity of who He is among His people. Then He gives the fourth commandment regarding the Sabbath. Here we're going to see yet another aspect of His character unfold. Exodus 20:10-11:
Jonathan (00:35:24): "...but the seventh day is a Sabbath of Jehovah Elohim; in it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your male or your female servant or your cattle or your sojourner who stays with you. For in six days Jehovah made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore Jehovah blessed the sabbath day and made it holy." This Hebrew word for "holy" means "to be clean, ceremonially or morally." It is most often translated as "sanctify" in the Old Testament. Jehovah of hosts sanctified the Sabbath for His people, Israel. He insisted the people stop everything so they could reserve the day for Him.
Julie (00:36:11): Here the word for "holy," meaning "sanctified or set apart" is used as a verb. Jehovah sanctifies, it's what He does. But soon God's going to use that word as part of His formal name.
Rick (00:36:22): This is an important transition. This is what God does. He sets apart, He makes clean for His purposes. Jehovah of hosts also sanctified the people as they were bound to His sanctified Sabbath day. He set the day apart. Then in Exodus 31:12-13 He now sets the people apart:
Jonathan (00:36:47): "Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am Jehovah Kadash (the name "Kadash" meaning "the LORD") who sanctifies you."
Rick (00:37:06): "I am Jehovah Kadash. I am the Mighty One who sets you apart." He put the people of Israel into an entirely different category than any nation of the rest of the world. "You are set apart for My holy purposes. I'm giving you My Law." This is what the power of God can do in our lives.
Julie (00:37:37): Who is God? He's Jehovah Kadash, the Self-Existing One who sanctifies. He sets you apart if you are part of His people. By doing so, He gives His people clear access to Him.
Rick (00:37:48): What about us? How are we sanctified, set apart from everybody else? Israel was set apart. The Sabbath was supposed to be a day of quiet, a day of honoring God and a day of meditation. Think about this. Think about you're going to have an important conversation on your cellphone and you're at this stadium. Maybe it's a rock concert, maybe it's a sporting event, but there are tens of thousands of screaming people and they're stomping and they're throwing things and everybody's having a great time. Here you are trying to talk on your cellphone. How's that going to work out? If this is an important conversation, it doesn't. You need to be set apart. You leave the stadium, you walk away, and then in the quietness of being apart, then you talk and you hear the important message. That's being sanctified, pulling away from all of the rigamarole, all of the mess, all of the noise, so God can talk with us. Let's continue. As the nation of Israel develops, so did the uncovering of who God is progress. Again, there's so much to say. Let's just go with a few simple examples. First one is Psalm 23. Everybody knows Psalm 23. It just shows a subtle but very powerful description of God in the very first verse. Jonathan, Psalm 23:1.
Jonathan (00:39:15): This is from the New International version: "The LORD is my shepherd (or Jehovah Ra'ah), I lack nothing."
Rick (00:39:24): This word for "shepherd" literally means "to tend to flock," and that means to pastor it. So, it's saying, "Jehovah is the one who takes care of me."
Julie (00:39:35): This 23rd Psalm that is so familiar to people, we have David, he's now the King of Israel, reflecting on his younger days when he was a shepherd and the lion and the bear, they kept him up at night because they wanted to rob his sheep. But at risk to himself, he was their defense. He sought out the lush grass, the quietly flowing waters for the flock. He guards them when they were feeding, he had been to them what they needed him to be; a provider, a defender, a healer. David compares this experience to God. He says, the Lord is MY shepherd, the Lord is MY source of care and nourishment, Jehovah Ra'ah. Just to be technical, we've seen that perhaps pronounced as "Rohe." So "Ra'ah," "Rohe."
Rick (00:40:26): The point is, the Lord is my shepherd. The Lord takes care of me. In Psalm 23:1 you read from the New International version says, "I lack nothing." That's great to be able to make that proclamation. But let's look at Psalms 37:3-6 to look at the reaction, the response of being fed, of being shepherded by God. Psalms 37:3-6:
Jonathan (00:40:49): "Trust in Jehovah, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." This is the same word as "shepherd," "ra'ah. Continuing: "Delight thyself also in Jehovah and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto Jehovah; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday."
Julie (00:41:16): Who is God? He is "Jehovah Ra'ah," our shepherd, the Self-Existing One who should be trusted in, delighted in and committed to. The results will bring us nourishment, fulfillment, and direction.
Rick (00:41:30): It's a wonderful thing to have Jehovah providing for us, but we need to respond with our delight, our commitment, and our trust. It's a two-way street. As God's life, God's character, God's wholesomeness unfolds before us, we need to embrace all of that and be responsive to it. Let's look to another example, this one with Gideon.
Julie (00:41:59): A little context: for worshiping fake gods and other evil acts, God allowed the Midianites to overpower the Israelites for seven years. Things were so terrible that the people cried out to God for help. An angel of the LORD appears, he tells Gideon that Gideon would be the one to lead the people to victory. Similar to how Moses reacted, humble Gideon asked God through this angel how that could possibly be because he's so young, he's from an unimportant family in his tribe. He cries, "O Adonai (meaning sovereign), how will I save Israel?"
Rick (00:42:35): Gideon has got a problem. He's being given an assignment, kind of similar to Moses if you think about it, and he doesn't know how to handle it. He shows great respect while he is unsure of what's happening. This angel through Jehovah is speaking. While this angel is speaking, he performs a miracle and he performs this miracle for Gideon. Now Gideon becomes sure of what's happening. He sees something that he didn't think was possible. Now here's his response. Judges 6:22-24:
Jonathan (00:43:09): "And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of Jehovah, Gideon said, Alas, O Adonai Jehovah (meaning Sovereign Lord)! For because I have seen an angel of Jehovah face to face. And Jehovah said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto Jehovah and called it Jehovah Shalom (meaning Jehovah is peace or Jehovah gives peace): unto this day it is yet an Ophrah of the Abiezrites." Now, after seeing the angel of Jehovah, Gideon was spared from death. He built an altar to commemorate this event. Jehovah was bringing peace and sanctity back to Israel so Gideon could go confidently into battle.
Julie (00:43:58): This is a beautiful testimony of Gideon looking at the greatness of God through this one small experience. God hadn't even done the work yet. But Gideon's faith is so strong, he builds this altar to Jehovah Shalom. He recognizes how important it is to become godly again as a nation, and he is given the privilege of leading that charge.
Rick (00:44:19): He's given the privilege of leading the charge. He builds the altar and yet nothing's happened yet. All he's been shown is "I am here for you." He in great faith builds this altar, saying "Okay, it's essentially I've been delivered even though I haven't done the work." It's a powerful, powerful connection for what our faith should look like. Julie, when we look at this, who is God?
Julie (00:44:43): God is Jehovah Shalom. He's the Self-Existing One who brings us peace when we are faced with uncertainty beyond our capacity to understand.
Rick (00:44:52): How well do we do when we are in that place where we don't understand? Can we build that memorial, that altar, that symbol that says "Jehovah is peace in my life. Because even though I don't know what the deliverance looks like, I know the deliverance will be there in God's way." Jonathan, that brings us to you-know-what; trying, ever trying to Grasp the Greatness of God:
Jonathan (00:45:19): Jehovah is high, lofty and powerful. He seeks a relationship with those who would follow Him and rightfully demands our loyalty. In return, He sanctifies, nourishes, and cares for His people. When they are faced with great uncertainty, He brings them peace.
Rick (00:45:36): Do I accept the peace of Jehovah? Jehovah is peace even before I understand what the deliverance can look like. Am I in a position to say, this seems way over my head, but by God's grace I have peace because He is with me? Looking at how God has revealed His relationship with His chosen people really helps us to see how He is God over every experience.
Jonathan (00:46:12): God's capacity to be in every part of the lives of His chosen people is staggering. What else could possibly be added?
Rick (00:46:20): Oh, you have no idea! Actually, the question would be better stated, "What else can we manage to fit into this small and limited overview of who God is?" The rest of the Old Testament is overflowing with additional descriptions of God. What we'll do here is highlight a few of them to help us gain a broader and deeper perspective of the overwhelming character of God. When I say overwhelming character, it is in the most positive, strong, determined, full of foresight way. God's providence is everywhere because He is the Creator of all. Throughout the Old Testament, there are several other themes that help us define who God is. In Psalm 18, Jehovah is described ten different ways, in two verses! He's described ten ways in two verses. So you've got to read these, Jonathan. Psalms 18:1-2:
Jonathan (00:47:25): "I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God (which is the word El), my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high tower."
Rick (00:47:42): Verses 1-2; there are ten ways God Jehovah is described. Let's put this together. Let's look at these ten ways and let's put together an interpretation of what we think David is saying.
Jonathan (00:47:56): "I will love thee, Jehovah, my strength..."
Julie (00:47:59): He supplies my daily energy.
Jonathan (00:48:02): "I will love thee Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock..."
Julie (00:48:06): That word "rock" literally means "a crag of rock." It's a strong foundation upon which I stand.
Jonathan (00:48:12): I will love thee, Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress..."
Julie (00:48:18): That word means literally a fortress, a strong, solid place to flee for protection.
Jonathan (00:48:24): "I will love thee, Jehovah, my strength. Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer..."
Julie (00:48:32): It is He who provides escape.
Rick (00:48:34): Let's pause there. We've got four of these descriptions, and let's put it into the elements that I think David is trying to show us. He's saying, "I am strong, I'm strong when I stand upon Him, Jehovah, as my foundation in the drama of my own trials. In that drama, He is a place to flee for protection. When I absolutely need deliverance, when I absolutely need it, He provides a way of escape; my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer." Now I think David is talking about another aspect of his challenging experiences. Let's go through the next six descriptions of God.
Jonathan (00:49:25): "...my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Julie, let's go through these. "...my God..."
Julie (00:49:37): My Mighty One.
Jonathan (00:49:39): "...my strength..."
Julie (00:49:40): Literally a rock or boulder. He's so strong that He can't be broken.
Jonathan (00:49:45): "...my buckler..."
Julie (00:49:46): A buckler is a portable shield. You can hold it in the handle or wear it on your forearm. I wear God's protection when faced with the enemy.
Jonathan (00:49:54): "...my God, my strength, my buckler in whom I trust..."
Julie (00:50:00): His protection in the heat of the battle is unbreakable.
Jonathan (00:50:03): "...and the horn of my salvation..."
Julie (00:50:06): A horn here is a symbol of power. He provides the power by which I am ultimately delivered.
Jonathan (00:50:13): "...and my high tower."
Julie (00:50:16): This literally means a cliff, or other lofty, inaccessible place. His eyes see all as they watch for and warn of danger. I think of it like a drone, flying high, reporting all that's happening,
Rick (00:50:29): Okay, there you go. We've got these next six descriptions; "My God, my strength, my buckler, in whom I trust, the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." David is describing his experiences, his difficult experiences, in a little more depth. He's saying, "God is mighty. He cannot be broken. His protection is sure, even when I'm in the heat of battle with my enemy. It is His power that delivers me, not mine. It's His. He is above the battle. I'm in it. I'm in the fray. I can't see. He can, He's above the battle. He sees all. I just fight what's in front of me. He warns and protects me while I am struggling in that daily moment-by-moment experience. What He's saying is I have to do my part, but God Almighty always does His, and it's His providence that we live for. We've got these ten amazing descriptions of God in the first two verses of Psalm 18. Now let's move towards Psalm 18:3-6. Here's what we're going to see. David is going to present something that he needs. Now he's just described God's capacity to deliver no matter what. David is going to circle back around and say, "Here's my need. Now I have all of that, but here's what I need." What he needed was, he needed to be heard. This is really important. Jonathan. Psalms 18:3-6:
Jonathan (00:52:08): "I will call upon Jehovah, Who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from my enemies. The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of Sheol compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and cried unto my Elohim: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears."
Rick (00:52:38): Now think about this, think about this. David is talking about the sorrows of death, the sorrows of Sheol, the snares of death. This is serious. He's not talking about, "I was having a bad day at the office." He is talking about "My life is being threatened, I'm being overrun. I don't know what to do. It's too big for me." He said, "I need to be heard." It's interesting to me that he says, "I cried unto the Lord and He heard my voice out of the temple." In other words, "He heard my voice out of my reverence for Him," because the temple is a place for reverencing God. "He heard my voice, my cry came before Him." Not only is Jehovah worthy of our praise, but He hears our cries. That's what David is saying. His power and authority respond to our voice when we are in need or when we are in danger or when we are in despair or when we feel death surrounding us, the incapacity to respond. When all of that's happening, God is there. Let's go further in the psalm. Let's jump down to verses 29-33. Here David is going to talk about what he received. Now he described God at the beginning of the psalm in all of these wonderful ways. Then he cries out because he's so overrun. Psalms 18:29-33 shows David's deliverance, what he received. David continues with some of the results that Jehovah has opened the door to for him. Psalms 18:29-33:
Jonathan (00:54:09): "For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my Elohim have I leaped over a wall. As for God, His way is perfect: the word of Jehovah is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. For who is God save Jehovah? Or who is a rock save our Elohim? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places." Wow, there's a lot there. Let's break this down. "I have run through a troop..."
Julie (00:54:47): Meaning I've overcome the enemies that surrounded me.
Jonathan (00:54:51): "...I have leaped over a wall."
Julie (00:54:53): I've escaped their pursuit and they can't follow me. I am behind protection.
Jonathan (00:54:57): "He is a buckler to all those who trust in him."
Julie (00:55:01): We know what a buckler is. God's protection is sure in my vulnerability,
Jonathan (00:55:07): "He is a rock."
Julie (00:55:08): I stand upon His strength.
Jonathan (00:55:11): "He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."
Julie (00:55:17): This is an unusual phraseology. It's found in two other places. A hind is a female deer who can place her back feet exactly where her front feet stepped so she can run securely without stumbling. This deer can scale a difficult terrain where others can't go. They can elude predators. Here David is saying God gave him the capacity to find God's refuge and to walk wherever instructed even in the most precarious places and circumstances where he'd otherwise be afraid. We are better equipped to overcome obstacles if we have this kind of elegant, stable, and confident feet.
Rick (00:55:55): The thing about what David is describing here is he's talking about all kinds of circumstances where things are sour. "I've run through a troop. I have overcome an enemy. I had to fight my way through. God delivered me. Leaped over a wall." Like you said, Julie, "I am behind a protective place now. I have been protected." Sometimes we need a breather. He's a buckler. That buckler is with you in the middle, in the heat of face-to-face battle. "He's what I stand upon, that rock, and to have my feet like hinds' feet on high places," basically saying, no matter how precarious, no matter how difficult, no matter how impossible it looks to get from point A to point B, God has made my feet such that I can do it because He shows me where to step to be surefooted and gives me the capacity to take those steps. That's a little bit of what Psalm 18 is telling us about the greatness of God. Folks, if you are not sitting there saying, "This is amazing," then you're not listening. Rewind it and listen again because there is so much here about the power of God's character. Let's go to another psalm, Psalms 46:6-11. This is a very prophetic psalm but again, it shows us God as the "Lord of hosts." One more time, Psalms 46:6-11:
Jonathan (00:57:20): "The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: He uttered His voice, the earth melted. Jehovah Sabaoth (and remember that word means Lord of hosts) is with us; the Elohim of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." I have to pause here. We have "Jehovah Sabaoth" and "Elohim" all together! This is a "selah" moment; pause and consider. Continuing with verse 8: "Come, behold the works of Jehovah, what desolations He hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; He burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am Elohim: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. Jehovah Sabaoth is with us; the Elohim of Jacob is our refuge. Selah." There it is again. Three names in a row with another "selah" moment, Rick.
Rick (00:58:23): The thing about this psalm, as much as it gives us the sense of the "Lord of hosts" and His power and glory, this is actually a transition into the New Testament because what it's showing us is future. It's showing us that through Christ, all of these things are going to be solved. In our next next part of the series, Part III, we're going to focus in on Jesus' relationship with his Father and what that means to us. But this tells us unequivocally that God is the God of even the destruction of the things around us because His providence is bigger than the moment. That's what this is telling us. His providence sees into the future. We get stuck with, "Oh no, this is a catastrophe." He says, "Yeah, it is, but just for a moment. Be patient, watch, be still, and know that I am God." This is one of the assignments we want to give ourselves here. Jonathan, one last scripture before we close. Psalm 9:10:
Jonathan (00:59:28): "And they that know Thy name will put their trust in thee: for Thou, Jehovah, has not forsaken them that seek Thee."
Rick (00:59:36): Do I know God's name? Because That's what the psalm says. "They that know Thy name put their trust in Thee." Knowing God's name; this is huge. This is significant. Knowing God's name gives us the capacity to be more trusting of His character. Do I know God's name? Jonathan, one last Grasping the Greatness of God:
Jonathan (01:00:02): The more we open the door to understanding God's name, the more we open our minds to comprehend His greatness. He is the beginning plan and force behind our universe. He is the God who created humanity to be part of His family. He is the protector, guide, deliverer, and example for those who follow Him. Let us be always reverently aware of His presence in our lives as we seek to do His will. Praise be to God.
Rick (01:00:33): You know, I get speechless with this, and that's hard for me. You see the greatness and it comes down to, folks, it comes down to--do I know the name of God so I can know the heart of God? That's what this is about. This is not about giving definitions. This is about unveiling the heart of the Almighty Creator who has a plan for the universe, for every man, woman, and child who ever lived! All we've done thus far is look at it in the Old Testament. There's so much more to come. Do I know God's name? Think about it. Folks, we'd love hearing from our listeners. We welcome your feedback and questions on this episode and other episodes at ChristianQuestions.com. Coming up in our next episode, "Who is God?" (Part III). Talk to you next week.
Final Notes (01:01:27): copyright @2023 Christian Questions. In addition to this transcript, we provide comprehensive CQ Rewind Show Notes for every episode. They include every scripture quoted during the podcast, as well as graphics, illustrations and bonus material. Click the "CQ Rewind Show Notes" button near the audio player or sign up to receive these weekly at ChristianQuestions.com. This transcript was created using artificial intelligence. While we believe it to be accurate, we apologize for any errors that may exist.