Why this sermon?... God promped me… My name is Deborah Nanette… that is who I am. Yet I am called Wife, Bubala, Mom Mama, Mommy, Gramma, greema, bamma, bubbie, Amma, Sister, Friend, Pastor, etc etc. This is all me.. Deborah Nanette… right? I will answer to these names.
Writing divine names
In Jewish tradition the sacredness of the divine name or titles must be recognized by the professional scribe) who writes Torah scrolls, or tefillin and mezuzah. Before transcribing any of the divine titles or name, they prepare mentally to sanctify them. Once they begin a name, they do not stop until it is finished, and they must not be interrupted while writing it, even to greet a king. If an error is made in writing it may not be erased, but a line must be drawn round it to show that it is canceled, and the whole page must be put in a genizah (burial place for scripture) and a new page begun.
The name of God in the Jewish Scriptures is a mystery. People often pronounce the four Hebrew letters (YHWH) as “Yahweh” or “Jehovah”, but the truth is that we don’t really know how to say it.. In most Bibles that word is translated as “the LORD”, and similarly when reading it in Hebrew, we always say “Adonai” instead, which means Lord. We don’t even try to pronounce it. However, close examination of those four letters is an enlightening exercise which relates wonderfully to the Messiah.
There are many names for God throughout the Bible, in the Old and New Testaments. God has many different names in the Old Testament. Each title exemplified his distinctiveness and his power. Much the same, Jesus Christ has parallel titles in the New Testament, which reveal his many facets and relationship to God the Father.
GOD’S NAME IS HOLY
Jewish people, by and large, prefer to avoid using any name of God, often writing the word God like this: “G-d”, so that it is not written in its entirety. Many call God “haShem”, which means “the Name”, or other similar designations.
“Baruch haShem!” (which means “Blessed be the Name!” or “Blessed be the Lord!”) is a phrase one hears multiple times a day in Israel. So precious are those four letters that we even change the dates that contain two of those four holy letters in a row – the 15th and 16th of every month deviate from the normal pattern in order to respect the four-lettered name of God. Similarly, there is a tradition to avoid writing down the name of God to avoid the sacrilege of it ever being thrown away, erased or destroyed.
His name is holy.
OPENING THE TREASURE BOX OF HEBREW GRAMMAR
The interesting thing with verbs in the Biblical Hebrew is that they are often written in what looks like future tense to us today, but are rendered as past tense. And the other way around! Prophecy is often expressed in what looks like the past tense to modern Hebrew speakers, yet it is talking about things to come. Time and tense are not straightforward, which is appropriate because the author of the biblical text lives outside time. He can give prophecy about future events as if they had already happened, and he can describe past events in narration that actually point to future events to come – as in the stories of Joseph and the Exodus for example.
I’ll tell you something else funny about Hebrew – the verb “to be” only exists in past and future, but not in the present tense.
In Hebrew, we don’t say “I am hungry”, we just say “I hungry”. We don’t say “that table is big”, we say “that table big”. We can say “I was hungry”, or “I will be hungry”, but not “I am hungry”.
There is no “is” or “am” in Hebrew. Why?
Perhaps because in the Hebrew language, the language of the Bible, the present tense of the verb “to be” is reserved for use by God alone.
Only God can say “I AM”.
And perhaps that helps us understand some of the mystery of the Tetragrammaton, YHWH. When we look at the original Hebrew text which in English says, “I AM WHO I AM”, it looks (to the modern Hebrew reader) as if it’s in the future tense: “I will be that which I will be” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה). And yet it’s translated into present tense! Getting confused? The interplay between the tenses of the verb to be is illustrative of the fact that our God is, was, and always will be.
Moreover, the very letters of the four-letter name of God (יהוה) contain the Hebrew for he was, he is, and he will be! This is a fact that has, unsurprisingly, been noted by rabbis of the past.
RABBINIC INTERPRETATION
It’s interesting to see how the phrase, “I am who I am” (אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה), was also translated into present tense in the “Targum Yonatan” text, an early rabbinic translation of the Bible into a pupil of Hillel and doctor of the Law in Jerusalem during the time of King Herod.[1]
He translated it into Aramaic as “אֲנָא הוּא”, which in modern Hebrew (Ani Hu – אני הוא) literally means “I He”. This is as close as you can get in Hebrew to “I AM” – the first person, present tense of the verb to be.
“God answered Moses, “I AM who I AM.” Then He said, “You are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.”
In rabbinic interpretation, it makes sense that the three times the word appears reflects the three tenses: past, present, and future.
He was ..He is..He forever shall be
“God said to Moses: ‘Tell them that I am now what I always was and always will be’; for this reason is the word ehyeh written three times” [2]
There are seven names of God that, once written, cannot be erased because of their holiness are the Tetragrammaton, El, Elohim, Eloah, Elohai, El Shaddai, and Tzevaot. In addition, the name Jah—because it forms part of the Tetragrammaton God is infinitely far above our ability to fully understand, He tells us through the Scriptures very specific truths about Himself so that we can know what He is like, and be drawn to worship Him. The following is a list of some of the names and attributes of God. This will help you worship God by focusing on Him and His character..
YAHWEH-ELOHIM [yah-way-el-oh-him]: YHWH / YAHWEH / JEHOVAH [yah-way / ji-hoh-veh]: “LORD” (Deuteronomy 6:4; Daniel 9:14) – strictly speaking, the only proper name for God. Translated in English Bibles “LORD” (all capitals) to distinguish it from Adonai, “Lord.” The revelation of the name is given to Moses “I Am who I Am” (Exodus 3:14). “Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the sons 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 should I say to them?” (Exodus 3:13-15) “God answered Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” Then He said, “You are to say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM’ has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses: “You are to say to the sons of Israel, Adonai (YHWH) the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My Name forever, and the Name by which I should be remembered from generation to generation.”
this is the name revealed to Moses when Moses asked what name he should give to the Israelites if they asked what his name was, this is the same title that Jesus use many times in the great i am during his earthly ministry it is the self existent one we are human beings but God is simply being meaning he has no beginning and will he have no ending yeah way is it Tetragrammaton and contains no vowels.
I AM WHO I AM? As much as that might have been bewildering to Moses, God insists that he cannot be categorized – he just IS.
God laughs at us all arguing about whether he exists or not – he is the very definition of existence!
This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. The name of the independent, self-complete being—“I AM WHO I AM”— Our proper response to Him is to fall down in fear and awe of the One who possesses all authority. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Psalm 107:13), forgiveness (Psalm 25:11) and guidance (Psalm 31:3). God “Creator, Mighty and Strong” (Genesis 17:7; Jeremiah 31:33) – the plural form of Eloah, which shows the doctrine of the Trinity. From the Bible’s first sentence, the wonderful nature of God’s power is evident as God (Elohim) speaks the world into existence (Genesis 1:1). "LORD God" (Genesis 2:4; Psalm 59:5) – a combination of God’s unique name YHWH and the generic “Lord,” signifying that He is the Lord of Lords.
the first name that God revealed to us comes in the book of Genesis it is Elohim and in genesis 1:1 it refers to the Trinity for Elohim is plural and means in the beginning God Elohim created the heavens and the earth we know this is plural because when God created mankind he said let us make man in our own image according to our likeness ..notice God said let us make man in our image. If they were only one God and he should’ve surely said let me make man in my image but he did not in fact in the account of creation all three persons of the Trinity were involved …god’s name Elohim could be thought of as a family name to give you the idea that there is more than one. My family name is Haig we are one family but different persons. Bad analogy I know but it is hope that you might understand the concept better Elohim is God and three persons and is gods name that is associated with creation because the Psalmist wrote that the heavens declare the glory of God Elohim
ADONAI [ˌædɒˈnaɪ; ah-daw-nahy]: “Lord” (Genesis 15:2; Judges 6:15) – used in place of YHWH, which was thought by the Jews to be too sacred to be uttered by sinful men. In the Old Testament, YHWH is more often used in God’s dealings with His people, while Adonai is used more when He deals with the Gentiles.
EL, ELOAH [el, el-oh-ah]: God "mighty, strong, prominent" (Nehemiah 9:17; Psalm 139:19) –, El appears to mean “power” and “might” (Genesis 31:29). El is associated with other qualities, such as integrity (Numbers 23:19), jealousy (Deuteronomy 5:9), and compassion (Nehemiah 9:31), but the root idea of “might” remains.
EL SHADDAI [el-shah-dahy]: “God Almighty,” “The Mighty One of Jacob” (Genesis 49:24; Psalm 132:2,5) – speaks to God’s ultimate power over all..
YAHWEH-NISSI [yah-way-nee-see]: Jehovah-Nissi: God Is My Refuge"The Lord Our Banner" (Exodus 17:15), where banner is understood to be a rallying place. This name marks the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17.
Moses’s faithfulness resulted in Israel’s preservation and victory in battle. In Exodus 17:11, we learn that “when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed.” As Moses’s hands grew weary, a stone was placed under him while Aaron and Hur helped by keeping Moses’s hands in the raised position. Following the victory and triumph, “Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-Nissi,” which is translated to either the “Lord is my refuge” or the “Lord is my banner” (Exodus 17:16).
In 1 Corinthians 15:57, Paul taught “but thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” God provided the victory and provision for Israel, while we receive salvation provided through and by the shed blood of his son Jesus Christ.
.YAHWEH-JIREH Jehovah-Jireh: God Will Provide [yah-way-ji-reh]: "The Lord Will Provide" (Genesis 22:14) – the name memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac. “I shall not want,” (Psalm 23:1).
In the Old Testament, Abraham was instructed to sacrifice his son Isaac for an offering. After the altar was constructed, an angel of the Lord “called off” the need for Isaac to be the offering because the Lord saw “that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Genesis 22:12).
In 2 Peter 1:3, we are told Christ and “his divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness.” If we know God and have a relationship with his son Jesus, we know he is a great provider. Not only does he provide for our daily needs of physical sustenance, but he provided for our eternal need in his plan of salvation.
Paul taught in Acts 4:12, “[n]either is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
YAHWEH-RAPHA Jehovah Rapha: [yah-way-raw-faw]: "The Lord Who Heals" (Exodus 15:26) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities.God Heals
God was Jehovah Rapha, or “God that healeth” (Exodus 15:26), as he promised not to put “these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee.”
In Matthew 9:35, “Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.” Just a few of the many healings of Jesus during his life on Earth are specifically recorded in the Bible.
In 1 Peter 2:24, we are promised spiritual healing and life by and through Christ who “himself bore our sins in his own body on the cross.”
YAHWEH-SHALOM [yah-way-shah-lohm]: Jehovah-Shalom: God Our Peace
"The Lord Our Peace" (Judges 6:24) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him.In Judges 6:24, God is referred to as Jehovah-Shalom, which means “God our Peace.” Here, Gideon built an altar unto the Lord after he said unto him, “[p]eace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die.”
To prophesy the savior’s birth, it is written in Isaiah 9:6, “[f]or to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulder. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
The world will always be full of conflict and turmoil (2 Timothy 3:1-5). The scriptures teach this will increase until the second coming of Jesus Christ. However, believers of Jesus Christ are promised a different, sustainable peace. Take heart because Jesus said in John 14:27, “[p]eace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
“He leadeth me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2).
5.YAHWEH -Raah: God Our Way and Shepherd
He is Jehovah-Raah, in Psalm 23:1.
John 10:11 Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd” as He “lays down his life for the sheep.” In 1 Corinthians 2:12, Paul taught that the saved are guided by a Spirit foreign to non-believers when he stated, “[n]ow we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.” He gives us direction and the discernment of circumstances, which allows us to be knowledgeable and make Spirit-led decisions.
6. YAHWEH-TSIDKENU [yah-way-tzid-kay-noo]: Jehovah Tsidkenu: "The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jeremiah 33:16) – As with YHWH-M’Kaddesh, it is God alone who provides righteousness (from the Hebrew word tsidkenu) to man, ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
“He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).
In Jeremiah 23:6, God is referred to as Jehovah Tsidkenu, which is translated “God of Righteousness.” This proclamation was made in response to the promise that in the reign of David: “Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely.”
In 1 Corinthians 1:30, Paul told the church “[b]ut by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption.”
Jesus Christ changed the definition of the righteousness referred to in the Old Testament. When we have Jesus in our lives, we have righteousness not “of [our] own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Philippians 3:9).
More directly, Paul preached, “[f]or Christ is the end of the law of righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4).
7. YAHWEH-SHAMMAH [yah-way-sham-mahw]: Jehovah-Shammah: God Is There/Ever-Present
"The Lord Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35) – the name ascribed to Jerusalem and the Temple there, indicating that the once-departed glory of the Lord (Ezekiel 8—11) had returned (Ezekiel 44:1-4).
God is the “Ever present light” when He is introduced as Jehovah-Shammah in Ezekiel 48:35, in reference to a vast city.
In John 8:12 Jesus is the “Light of the World:” “When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.’”
God’s light today is shown through His people who are indwelled by the Holy Spirit: “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid” (Matthew 5:14).
Most importantly, in 2 Corinthians 4:3,4, Paul preached, “[b]ut even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.” Darkness is simply the absence of light, not vice versa. Wherever Jesus is present, darkness is impossible.
While we believe in the Trinity of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, the Bible refers to each entity and their specific function throughout the different periods. Old Testament prophesies and New Testament accounts about Jesus contain parallel references, fulling each of the seven names of God in the Old Testament.
YAHWEH-M'KADDESH [yah-way-meh-kad-esh]: "The Lord Who Sanctifies, Makes Holy" (Leviticus 20:8; Ezekiel 37:28) – God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy. .” A God separate from all that is evil requires that the people who follow Him be cleansed from all evil.
YAHWEH-ROHI [yah-way-roh-hee]: "The Lord Our Shepherd" (Psalm 23:1) – After David pondered his relationship as a shepherd to his sheep, he realized that was exactly the relationship God had with him, and so he declares, “Yahweh-Rohi is my Shepherd. I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1).
YAHWEH-SABAOTH [yah-way-sah-bah-ohth]: "The Lord of Hosts" (Isaiah 1:24;
Psalm 46:7) – Hosts means “hordes,” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do.
EL ELYON [el-el-yohn]: “Most High" (Deuteronomy 26:19) – derived from the Hebrew root for “go up” or “ascend,” so the implication is of that which is the very highest.
El Elyon describes exaltation and speaks of absolute right to lordship.
EL ROI [el-roh-ee]: "God of Seeing" (Genesis 16:13) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar, alone and desperate in the wilderness after being driven out by Sarah (Genesis 16:1-14). When Hagar met the Angel of the Lord, she realized she had seen God Himself in a theophany. She also realized that El Roi saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all.
EL-OLAM [el-oh-lahm]: "Everlasting God" (Psalm 90:1-3) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself. “From everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
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EL-GIBHOR [el-ghee-bohr]: “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in this prophetic portion of Isaiah. As a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).
God has many names mentioned in the Bible. Each one has a particular meaning
Jesus said that whoever you obey is your Lord. I could put it in this way if he is not Lord of all he is not Lord at all ..what I mean by this is that if you obey him then he is your personal Lord but if you don’t obey him then he is not really your Lord and you are actually not serving God. You cannot claim God as your Lord if you do not obey him.. he is either Adonai ..your master or he is not. If he’s not then you presently have the wrath of God still abiding on you. God is infinitely far above our ability to understand… to fully understand. He tells us through the Scriptures very specific truths about himself so that we can know what he is like and be drawn to worship him I’m hoping that these names that I just explained to you and the attributes of God will help you in your prayer life and just in your life of being a believer. If we use these names to enrich our time that we set apart for God we can take one description of him and we can meditate on that and when we pray it’ll help us to worship God by focussing on him and his character—
(Prayer and close ) O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens ..thank you for your, leadership, and protection. We Praise you for caring for us and giving up your sons life for us. We Ask you to prepare the way ahead of us while walking beside you. we thank you for supernatural peace in our life. We Praise you for carrying our burdens and worries. Please fill us with your peace that surpasses understanding and give us rest. In the might name of Jesus Yeshua amen and amen