This is one of the composite Jehovah names of our LORD, not as famous as Jehovah-Rapha, etc., but powerful. It does not come out as clearly in the English as in the original—our LORD declares Himself to be Jehovah M'Kaddesh, "The LORD Who Sanctifies."
In our time, sin has been upgraded to "mistakes," and "nature"
And, true Holiness is usually unsought, especially among lost and false professors of The Faith, who want to live life as they desire, yet claim for themselves the title of "Christian."
And many true believers are miserable trying to exist in the company of churches where the lost church member is manifestly in the majority!
Now, any time we delve into the Old Testament, especially the Law, we have to carefully examine, first of all, the contexts of the passage
1. Contexts— Lev 20:1-2
a. Historical—
(1) This records the setting up part of the Mosaic Worship
(2) The People knew about Paganism, and some of them probably were over-influenced by paganism (1 Cor 10)—
(3) This is obvious when you see references to Canaanite religion constantly referenced by Moses as he writes the Law
b. Covenantal Context—
(1) This passage has a direct and unabated meaning for the people of ancient Israel during the life of the Mosaic Covenant. Its full force existed until Christ died on the Cross, ending the Mosaic economy.
(2) However, there are moral issues that cross from Law to Gospel, and there are basic principles about the origin and nature of man and God that are unchanging.
(3) Remember the rule: Laws from the Old Testament are still applicable to the church, if those laws are reiterated in the New Testament.
(a) Example #1—the Laws against sexual immorality still stand because they are repeated in the New. However, the laws of civil society are up for grabs because the Church, unlike Israel, is not a nation, we are The Church, which is totally different.
(b) Example #2—The Sabbath does not apply to the church because Christ fulfilled the Law of the Sabbath in His person (Hebrews 3), and because the early church gave the example of meeting on the first day of the week.
(c) Example #3—we don't sacrifice animals at church because Christ's sacrifice on the Cross obviated all of the ceremonial law.
(d) Example #4—the dietary laws, etc., were clearly ended by the Lord in his vision to Peter, and this is backed up by the results of the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15.
(e) Our knowledge of God's Nature is even greater now, because He has revealed more of Himself.
c. Theological Context—
(1) In His essence and nature, God does not change
(2) God's laws of morality and Truth do not change.
(3) God's Word is a unified whole, a total plan
d. Biblical Context
(1) Old Testament
(a) This passage is all about the giving of the Mosaic Law, training the Priests and Levites
(b) The purpose of the Law was to impose a strict regimen on Israel until the Messiah came.
(2) Every sacrifice, all the worship forms, these were all symbolic of Christ Himself—High Priest and Sacrifice in one Man.
(a) The current issue here is sexual morality
(i) Besides setting standards, God gives punishments (usually death) for these offences.
(ii) Since the Law of Moses is a civil and criminal code as well as a ceremonial code, there are not only legal restrictions, there are rules and applications given to include what we would call civil and criminal punishments….Lev 20:2ff
(b) New Testament application of the laws of sexuality
(i) There are no longer civil punishments, because the church is not a state (My Kingdom is not part of this Age…)
(ii) But the Laws of sexuality are re-iterated in the NT, making the Laws themselves fully applicable.
(iii) Now the rule is that the church should discipline itself and leave those outside to themselves
2. Pagan attachments In Israel
a. Immediate context—Molech Worship was the penultimate pagan fertility cult, deserving special attention.
(1) There were several ancient fertility cults, all of which practiced gross abominations as a part of their religion.
(a) Ba'al worship—the Canaanites
(b) Chemosh worship—Moab
(c) Dagon Worship—Philistia
(d) Asherah Worship—combined with the male "gods" of several religions
(e) In fact, these were often combined in various ways
(2) Practices
(a) No rules of life, rules for worship only
(b) Perverted religion
(c) Pedophilia as a part of the religion
(d) Human sacrifice
(3) Why did Israel not need these warnings and instructions?
(a) They had been influenced by Egyptian religions
(b) But, being in the North of Egypt, they also would have encountered travelers and traders from every place
(c) In the wilderness, they had been influenced by Baalam and Balak, and had encountered even more pagan worshipers. (Lev 20:13-16
(4) Did Israel HEED God's warning? Sadly and tragically, no. These sins and this idolatry dogged Israel until their return from exile.
b. The Ultimate Cult, Molech Worship
(1) First, Molech worship included all of the gross practices of the other fertility cults, and went from there down.
(2) Molech Worship—passing their children through the fire…Lev 20:2 ff
(a) The eldest male child, usually a newly-born infant, would be voluntarily turned over to the priests by the parents.
(b) The Idol was heated up to being red hot.
(c) The choir and priests made a lot of noise to drown out the cries of the infant.
(d) Then the infant was placed on that burning altar as a sacrifice.
(Lev 18:21) 'And you shall not let any of your descendants pass through the fire to Molech, nor shall you profane the name of your God: I am the LORD.
(Deu 18:10) "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer,
(2 Ki 16:3) But he walked in the way of the kings of Israel; indeed he made his son pass through the fire, according to the abominations of the nations whom the LORD had cast out from before the children of Israel.
(2 Ki 17:17) And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
(2 Ki 21:6) Also he made his son pass through the fire, practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft, and consulted spiritists and mediums. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
(2 Chr 33:6) Also he caused his sons to pass through the fire in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom; he practiced soothsaying, used witchcraft and sorcery, and consulted mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke Him to anger.
(Ezek 16:21) "that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?
(Ezek 20:31) "For when you offer your gifts and make your sons pass through the fire, you defile yourselves with all your idols, even to this day. So shall I be inquired of by you, O house of Israel? As I live," says the Lord GOD, "I will not be inquired of by you.
(Ezek 23:37) "For they have committed adultery, and blood is on their hands. They have committed adultery with their idols, and even sacrificed their sons whom they bore to Me, passing them through the fire, to devour them.
c. Other interesting practices—
(1) Note that God judges these!
(2) The Spell Books of Acts 19—in the church!
(3) And certainly, it goes without saying when we think of the Holocaust that has been perpetrated in our own nation by the murder of 50 million infants through abortion.
(4) Again, the sexual practices of Molech, Chemosh, and Ba'al are being imitated on a large scale in our culture—and all too often, in the churches as well,
(5) This has been a problem throughout church history because of the weakness of our flesh and the pressure from the world to conform to its easier standards
3. God's design: The Principles and Practices of Biblical Holiness from Jehovah M'Kadesh— Lev20:7-8
a. Note, He is Their God—strictly speaking, this is doubly addressed to those in the outward nation of Israel, and the remnant of true believers who existed in every generation.
b. Any time this Name of God is used, the subject is God making His people Holy
(1) What is Holiness?
(a) The words associated with this concept all have to do with setting a person apart for a Godly purpose
(b) Dedicate, make holy, hallow, set apart
(2) But there was no golden age of Biblical holiness in Israel—often there were only a handful of true men of God in the land, and the priests and "prophets" often neglected the Law and approved of and joined in, perversion and promoted it for national unity's sake
c. The Levitical priests were supposed to be holy and sanctified
(1) Set apart for obedience—(Lev 20:7-8)
(2) Set apart for purity—(Lev 21:7-8) "
(3) Set apart to God—(Lev 21:15) "
(4) Set apart to learn the Word of God, to teach the people—
d. How was holiness to be achieved?
(1) First, it is God’s work, but God uses means.
(2) Set yourself apart
(3) Obey the Word—which means to know the Word, certainly
(4) Put into practice what God has decreed
(5) And God gives the growth.
(6) This sounds a lot like the great commission! (Mat 28:19-20)
e. Did the priests and Levites do this? Not often
f. A few bad examples of many who could be cited—
(1) The OT Priest and Levite were special men set apart for a special purpose, and God's intent for them was that they would be Holy before Him. But most were not
(2) Nadab and Abihu—destroyed by God for making their own religion
(3) But, of course, many, if not most, of the OT priesthood could be described as the sons of Eli and Samuel
(4) Those who taught peace when there was no peace (Jer 6:1-16)
(5) God's perfect, expressed will was for Israel to follow Him, love Him, and be His a holy nation (Ex 19:1-6)—but except for a remnant, they would not and they did not.
(6) In the New Testament Churches in our day, there are many of our "priests" who are probably not part of the real church.
4. New Testament Holiness
a. The equivalent of the OT Priest and Levite is not the man of God or any other person of office—we are ALL priests—(1 Pet 2:9)
b. How are God's people, the New Testament priests, made holy today?
(1) First, it is not optional
(2) Second, It is accomplished through the ministry of the Word and the Spirit of God in our lives
(3) Specifics
(a) The goal—perfection—(1 Pet 1:16) , 16 because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy.""
(b) Biblical Holiness is a ministry of the Word—(John 17:17) ""Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth."
(c) Biblical Holiness is a command—(Mat 5:48) ""Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."
(d) Biblical Holiness is required by God—(Heb 12:14) "Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:"
(e) God's specific concerns
(i) Taking care of the poor and needy in the congregation
(ii) Living outwardly blameless lives
(iii) Sexual Morality
(iv) 1 Cor 6:9-20
(v) Rom 1:18-32
(vi) (Heb 13:4)
For the True Believer in the New Testament Age, we must also praise and honor our Sanctifier—Jehovah M'Kaddesh
Friday, June 17, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Jehovah Elohim Part 1—God Created Man (and set him up)
Gen 2:7-25
1. The First Compound Name: Jehovah Elohim—LORD God (Gen 2:7) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
a. In the Old Testament, there are a series of compound names for God—as with all of the 700+ names of God found in the Bible, these names teach us about God’s attributes, and about His ways.
(1) Some of the compound are based on El—the Strong One—El Roi, and El Shaddai, for example.
(2) Others are based on YHWH, such as Jehovah-Jireh
(3) But before we encounter those riches of understanding, there are a couple of compounds that are compounds of the major names themselves, and this is the first that comes up in the Bible.
b. The names’ significance
(1) Jehovah, the loving, personal Covenant God, but also the Self Existent One—I AM THAT I AM
(2) Elohim, the Triune God, nailed into man’s conscience from the start.
c. But, why here, why now?
(1) It is a logical next step in God’s continuing unfolding and revealing of Himself to us.
(2) Gen 1:1-31 established Elohim as:
(a) The Creator of the universe and the human race.
(b) The Giver of Law and Purpose—Man was given a place to live, a job to do, and a basic relationship for all human interaction
(Gen 1:27-28) "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…”
(3) But Gen 1 was an overview, it did not have the details about man’s creation in it. God revealed those in Genesis 2:4-25.
(4) It is vital to see how God lays this passage out—in each movement of Truth in this chapter, there is a pattern:
(a) A need expressed by God—“There was no man to till…”
(b) A need fulfilled—“God Created man…”
2. Jehovah Elohim Created Man—fulfilling the first need
a. The History—this chapter contains the details—“…This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens…”
b. The Need stated—(Gen 2:5) "… there was no man to till the ground;"
(1) This was no “news” to God, but this is stated in this way because of the nature of God gradually unfolding revealed Truth about Himself.
(2) This, of course, goes right back to Genesis 1:26-28—God had a purpose for man, to have dominion over everything, to be God’s “wildlife biologists,” “foresters” and “agriculture managers” over the whole Earth.
(3) There are two basic parts of this need—the man to till the ground, and suitable ground for him to till.
(4) And, as the detailed instructions in Genesis 1 and 2 show, it was more than what we would think of as tilling.
c. The Need Fulfilled
(1) First step—make a man—(Gen 2:7) "…And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
(a) God Formed Man From the Mud
(b) God breathed life into the man
(c) Man became a living thing
(2) Second Step—set up an agribusiness station for man
(a) God Planted the Garden—"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
(b) The Garden was rich in produce—“…And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food….”
(c) The Garden was well watered, with other resources as well— “…10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
(d) God Gave man a place to live and a place to work—one that required no commuting—(Gen 2:8) "The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed….”
(3) God Gave man a legal system and a dietary plan—
(a) Genesis 1 laws—“… "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food."
(b) Genesis 2 laws—“… 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.""
d. Man’s Job Description—The man had a very simple and straightforward job description—“…15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."
(1) Tending the Garden—man was to be the husbandman, the farmer, the one who kept up the Garden. Indeed, had man stayed in Paradise longer, he would no doubt have planted an expanded garden for an expanding population.
(2) Keeping the Garden—the word “keep” is a military term. “…to hedge about (as with thorns),to guard; to protect…”
(3) What a simple task—farm the land and protect it from bad guys—and this is where Adam first failed, otherwise, why was the serpent allowed to even be there?
Biblical Manhood
created by God ruined by sin redeemed by christ APPLIED TO BELIEVING MEN
Lord of the Earth
Gen 1:26-28 Man was to take dominion by filling and subduing the Earth (Gen 1:26-28)
Through man’s failure, Satan became the “Prince of this world…” And today, Man either abrogates or abuses his rule Jesus took dominion over every realm of the earth. A good example is Matthew chapters 8 and nine where Jesus demonstrated His dominion over death, disease, the natural world, and the spirit world. We are to take dominion in the part of the world God has entrusted to us.
Husbandman
Gen 2:15-16 Man was to tend the garden and keep it—Gen 2:15-16 Man failed to protect his realm—Gen 3 Jesus grew his disciples and protected them unto death. We are to tend and protect the souls, possessions, and places that God has given us
Savior
Gen 3:15 Man was to right any wrong and defeat any injustice Men either make no effort to right wrongs and defeat injustices, or they oppress and abuse those around them. The ultimate Savior defeated the enemy on several occasions, spoke for the downtrodden, and finally, defeated Satan’s whole plan on the Cross. Man are to take stands against injustice, he is to be the civil protector (Rom 13) we are to conduct spiritual warfare, we are to crush the head of the serpent—Rom 16:20
Sage
Proverbs chapters 1-9 God made man to learn, to grow in wisdom, and to be a sage and prophet (telling forth the word of God) Man believes and teaches falsehoods; man speaks, lives, and acts like a fool. As a Man, He grew in wisdom, (a mystery), He confounded the scholars, demolished the false strongholds of the enemy and his representatives, and taught only and always the Truth We are to grow, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mentoring of Godly men in the church, so we can teach others also.
Glory of God
Is 43:7, 1 Cor 11:7 God made man in His image, to reflect God’s glory. Man reflects his sin, and reveals only a marred image of God Christ could say, “I have glorified thee on the earth…” Jn 17:4 Men are to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed—1 Cor 6:19-20, 10:31, 11:7, Isa 43:7 "Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.""
Worshiper
Gen 4:26 Man is to worship, and to lead in worship, of the Triune God Sin made man fear God’s presence rather than seek it. Gen 3:8. Because of this, Man worships that which is not God, and ignores the True God Christ, always in prayer, worshiped continually—see the worship from Mat 26:30 until He gave up the Ghost. We are to live in worship, to sing His praises, to live his Truth, and to lead our families in worship of Him.
* This chart is partially based on material from the International Council for Gender Studies, Waxahatchie, TX.
3. God’s statement of man’s need—2:18
a. Good theology is needed here—
(1) God had made all things according to plan
(2) God had planned to make male and female
(3) God did not “discover” that man needed woman—“Has it occurred to you that nothing has ever “occurred” to God?”
(4) God’s statement of man’s need was just that—a statement of an ultimate fact about people.
(5) But God left woman till the last (because it took forever for her parts to get designed and put together?)
(a) That man might see his need of her
(b) That she might be a surprise and delight to the man—2:23
(c) For her to be the crown of Creation
(d) That man might be the leader, the first among equals
b. Our marriage ceremony shows this all.
(a) The men come in, and little attention is paid
(b) Then the bride’s maids and matrons, the flower girl and ring bearer
(c) Then, the big moment, and the father and the bride come marching in, arm in arm, all standing, all eyes upon her. At the end of a long stately march, the bride is given away by the father.
(d) So it was in the Garden
(e) So it will be when the Father presents the Bride to the Son at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
4. First, Man Must See His Need—God’s Object Lesson to Adam
a. See the intimate relationship of God with Adam, and see the personal approach He takes to Adam. God is the first Father, telling His son Adam about how the world works. He demonstrates to Adam that nothing then existing will work as a helper comparable to man.
(1) He teaches Adam about the animal kingdom (over which Adam is to exercise dominion)—God is the first professor of Zoology!
(2) He prepares Adam for Eve by the lessons He teaches him. God is running the first charm school!
b. God, the first naturalist— Gen 2:19-20
(1) God has already made the creatures, but He brings personally-formed examples to Adam to use as visual aids in His teaching.
(2) In doing so, God shows Adam how he was formed, and demonstrates His creative power.
c. Recognition of Adam’s Headship and Dominion over the world— and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them:
(1) God rules the universe, and He named the stars—Isa 40:26
(2) But God delegates to man the task of naming the animal kingdom, showing in this way man’s dominion over the world.
(3) And also, God is showing off His handiwork to His favorite creation, just like you might show your child something you had made.
d. Adam exercised his dominion, and this dominion continues today—no animals name themselves; all names are supplied by man. and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;
e. God’s Design for Adam— but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." (But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.--NKJV)
(1) Nothing in Nature is a suitable substitute for human companionship. Gen 2:18 …..And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;
(2) Nothing in Nature is comparable to man, except for woman. Nothing in Nature was designed by God to be man’s partner, except for woman.-- but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(3) Woman was made for man…1 Cor 11:8-9
(4) This was the point of God’s object lesson to Adam, that nothing in nature sufficed as a helper comparable to Adam.
5. God’s Creation of Woman "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."
a. The First anesthesia and the first surgery
b. Of the same genetic material—the first clone!
c. Woman is Hand made by God, just as Adam was.
d. “Who Gives This Woman?” God did!
e. God’s Order for the Human Race
f. Adam’s recognition of the special nature of woman. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
(1) Adam says, in modern 20th century lingo—“the genetic material of which this new creation consists is the same genetic material as mine. Her DNA is the same as mine, we are a match!”
(2) Woman came out of man, she began as a part of man, and in proper relationship, she is to be one with a man.
g. The Order for Mankind:
(1) Leave— Gen 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
(a) Leave—husbands, when you wed, you are not Momma’s little boy any more. Momma still has a place in your heart, but your first priority in your family, and the most important woman in the world to you is your wife. That does not take place 10 years after the wedding, or 5 years after—from the time you become man and wife, your wife is the number one woman in your life, period!
(b) Leave—Moms, you respect the fact that the woman of your son’s house is now that “little girl” he married, not you. You respect her as the woman of the house, and you do not interfere with her position nor get involved in any power games for your son’s affection.
(2) Cleave— and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.",
(a) Cleave—be joined to her, heart, soul, mind, and body. She is the woman in your life, and neither your mother, your sister, your daughter, nor anyone else, should ever take that place as long as your wife lives—nor should any woman be allowed to become a rival.
(b) Cleave—this is not achieved overnight, but from the first, it should be the goal, and no one may be allowed to interfere with it. Young men, you may have to tell mom to back off, you may have to tell mom to take a vacation, but you cleave to your wife!
(3) Unity—and they shall become one flesh.
(4) Sinlessness, honesty, and No Barriers—25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
(a) Why can’t we be like this now? Why is modesty required by the Bible? Because we are sinners!
(b) There were no barriers between Adam and Eve, but there are for us! One of God’s actions after the Fall was to provide animal skins (adequate clothing) for Adam and Eve.
h. STILL The Way It Is Supposed to Be.
(1) Mat 19:4-5
(2) 1 Cor 11:3, 8-9
(3) Eph 5:28-33
(4) The way to restore the image of God and His order for your life: Reconcile with God, and order your life in accordance with His commands.
1. The First Compound Name: Jehovah Elohim—LORD God (Gen 2:7) "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
a. In the Old Testament, there are a series of compound names for God—as with all of the 700+ names of God found in the Bible, these names teach us about God’s attributes, and about His ways.
(1) Some of the compound are based on El—the Strong One—El Roi, and El Shaddai, for example.
(2) Others are based on YHWH, such as Jehovah-Jireh
(3) But before we encounter those riches of understanding, there are a couple of compounds that are compounds of the major names themselves, and this is the first that comes up in the Bible.
b. The names’ significance
(1) Jehovah, the loving, personal Covenant God, but also the Self Existent One—I AM THAT I AM
(2) Elohim, the Triune God, nailed into man’s conscience from the start.
c. But, why here, why now?
(1) It is a logical next step in God’s continuing unfolding and revealing of Himself to us.
(2) Gen 1:1-31 established Elohim as:
(a) The Creator of the universe and the human race.
(b) The Giver of Law and Purpose—Man was given a place to live, a job to do, and a basic relationship for all human interaction
(Gen 1:27-28) "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…”
(3) But Gen 1 was an overview, it did not have the details about man’s creation in it. God revealed those in Genesis 2:4-25.
(4) It is vital to see how God lays this passage out—in each movement of Truth in this chapter, there is a pattern:
(a) A need expressed by God—“There was no man to till…”
(b) A need fulfilled—“God Created man…”
2. Jehovah Elohim Created Man—fulfilling the first need
a. The History—this chapter contains the details—“…This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens…”
b. The Need stated—(Gen 2:5) "… there was no man to till the ground;"
(1) This was no “news” to God, but this is stated in this way because of the nature of God gradually unfolding revealed Truth about Himself.
(2) This, of course, goes right back to Genesis 1:26-28—God had a purpose for man, to have dominion over everything, to be God’s “wildlife biologists,” “foresters” and “agriculture managers” over the whole Earth.
(3) There are two basic parts of this need—the man to till the ground, and suitable ground for him to till.
(4) And, as the detailed instructions in Genesis 1 and 2 show, it was more than what we would think of as tilling.
c. The Need Fulfilled
(1) First step—make a man—(Gen 2:7) "…And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being."
(a) God Formed Man From the Mud
(b) God breathed life into the man
(c) Man became a living thing
(2) Second Step—set up an agribusiness station for man
(a) God Planted the Garden—"The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
(b) The Garden was rich in produce—“…And out of the ground the LORD God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food….”
(c) The Garden was well watered, with other resources as well— “…10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
(d) God Gave man a place to live and a place to work—one that required no commuting—(Gen 2:8) "The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed….”
(3) God Gave man a legal system and a dietary plan—
(a) Genesis 1 laws—“… "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." 29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food."
(b) Genesis 2 laws—“… 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.""
d. Man’s Job Description—The man had a very simple and straightforward job description—“…15 Then the LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it."
(1) Tending the Garden—man was to be the husbandman, the farmer, the one who kept up the Garden. Indeed, had man stayed in Paradise longer, he would no doubt have planted an expanded garden for an expanding population.
(2) Keeping the Garden—the word “keep” is a military term. “…to hedge about (as with thorns),to guard; to protect…”
(3) What a simple task—farm the land and protect it from bad guys—and this is where Adam first failed, otherwise, why was the serpent allowed to even be there?
Biblical Manhood
created by God ruined by sin redeemed by christ APPLIED TO BELIEVING MEN
Lord of the Earth
Gen 1:26-28 Man was to take dominion by filling and subduing the Earth (Gen 1:26-28)
Through man’s failure, Satan became the “Prince of this world…” And today, Man either abrogates or abuses his rule Jesus took dominion over every realm of the earth. A good example is Matthew chapters 8 and nine where Jesus demonstrated His dominion over death, disease, the natural world, and the spirit world. We are to take dominion in the part of the world God has entrusted to us.
Husbandman
Gen 2:15-16 Man was to tend the garden and keep it—Gen 2:15-16 Man failed to protect his realm—Gen 3 Jesus grew his disciples and protected them unto death. We are to tend and protect the souls, possessions, and places that God has given us
Savior
Gen 3:15 Man was to right any wrong and defeat any injustice Men either make no effort to right wrongs and defeat injustices, or they oppress and abuse those around them. The ultimate Savior defeated the enemy on several occasions, spoke for the downtrodden, and finally, defeated Satan’s whole plan on the Cross. Man are to take stands against injustice, he is to be the civil protector (Rom 13) we are to conduct spiritual warfare, we are to crush the head of the serpent—Rom 16:20
Sage
Proverbs chapters 1-9 God made man to learn, to grow in wisdom, and to be a sage and prophet (telling forth the word of God) Man believes and teaches falsehoods; man speaks, lives, and acts like a fool. As a Man, He grew in wisdom, (a mystery), He confounded the scholars, demolished the false strongholds of the enemy and his representatives, and taught only and always the Truth We are to grow, through the ministry of the Holy Spirit and the mentoring of Godly men in the church, so we can teach others also.
Glory of God
Is 43:7, 1 Cor 11:7 God made man in His image, to reflect God’s glory. Man reflects his sin, and reveals only a marred image of God Christ could say, “I have glorified thee on the earth…” Jn 17:4 Men are to glorify God in every thought, word, and deed—1 Cor 6:19-20, 10:31, 11:7, Isa 43:7 "Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory; I have formed him, yes, I have made him.""
Worshiper
Gen 4:26 Man is to worship, and to lead in worship, of the Triune God Sin made man fear God’s presence rather than seek it. Gen 3:8. Because of this, Man worships that which is not God, and ignores the True God Christ, always in prayer, worshiped continually—see the worship from Mat 26:30 until He gave up the Ghost. We are to live in worship, to sing His praises, to live his Truth, and to lead our families in worship of Him.
* This chart is partially based on material from the International Council for Gender Studies, Waxahatchie, TX.
3. God’s statement of man’s need—2:18
a. Good theology is needed here—
(1) God had made all things according to plan
(2) God had planned to make male and female
(3) God did not “discover” that man needed woman—“Has it occurred to you that nothing has ever “occurred” to God?”
(4) God’s statement of man’s need was just that—a statement of an ultimate fact about people.
(5) But God left woman till the last (because it took forever for her parts to get designed and put together?)
(a) That man might see his need of her
(b) That she might be a surprise and delight to the man—2:23
(c) For her to be the crown of Creation
(d) That man might be the leader, the first among equals
b. Our marriage ceremony shows this all.
(a) The men come in, and little attention is paid
(b) Then the bride’s maids and matrons, the flower girl and ring bearer
(c) Then, the big moment, and the father and the bride come marching in, arm in arm, all standing, all eyes upon her. At the end of a long stately march, the bride is given away by the father.
(d) So it was in the Garden
(e) So it will be when the Father presents the Bride to the Son at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb
4. First, Man Must See His Need—God’s Object Lesson to Adam
a. See the intimate relationship of God with Adam, and see the personal approach He takes to Adam. God is the first Father, telling His son Adam about how the world works. He demonstrates to Adam that nothing then existing will work as a helper comparable to man.
(1) He teaches Adam about the animal kingdom (over which Adam is to exercise dominion)—God is the first professor of Zoology!
(2) He prepares Adam for Eve by the lessons He teaches him. God is running the first charm school!
b. God, the first naturalist— Gen 2:19-20
(1) God has already made the creatures, but He brings personally-formed examples to Adam to use as visual aids in His teaching.
(2) In doing so, God shows Adam how he was formed, and demonstrates His creative power.
c. Recognition of Adam’s Headship and Dominion over the world— and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them:
(1) God rules the universe, and He named the stars—Isa 40:26
(2) But God delegates to man the task of naming the animal kingdom, showing in this way man’s dominion over the world.
(3) And also, God is showing off His handiwork to His favorite creation, just like you might show your child something you had made.
d. Adam exercised his dominion, and this dominion continues today—no animals name themselves; all names are supplied by man. and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field;
e. God’s Design for Adam— but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him." (But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.--NKJV)
(1) Nothing in Nature is a suitable substitute for human companionship. Gen 2:18 …..And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;
(2) Nothing in Nature is comparable to man, except for woman. Nothing in Nature was designed by God to be man’s partner, except for woman.-- but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
(3) Woman was made for man…1 Cor 11:8-9
(4) This was the point of God’s object lesson to Adam, that nothing in nature sufficed as a helper comparable to Adam.
5. God’s Creation of Woman "And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man."
a. The First anesthesia and the first surgery
b. Of the same genetic material—the first clone!
c. Woman is Hand made by God, just as Adam was.
d. “Who Gives This Woman?” God did!
e. God’s Order for the Human Race
f. Adam’s recognition of the special nature of woman. 23 And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man."
(1) Adam says, in modern 20th century lingo—“the genetic material of which this new creation consists is the same genetic material as mine. Her DNA is the same as mine, we are a match!”
(2) Woman came out of man, she began as a part of man, and in proper relationship, she is to be one with a man.
g. The Order for Mankind:
(1) Leave— Gen 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother,
(a) Leave—husbands, when you wed, you are not Momma’s little boy any more. Momma still has a place in your heart, but your first priority in your family, and the most important woman in the world to you is your wife. That does not take place 10 years after the wedding, or 5 years after—from the time you become man and wife, your wife is the number one woman in your life, period!
(b) Leave—Moms, you respect the fact that the woman of your son’s house is now that “little girl” he married, not you. You respect her as the woman of the house, and you do not interfere with her position nor get involved in any power games for your son’s affection.
(2) Cleave— and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.",
(a) Cleave—be joined to her, heart, soul, mind, and body. She is the woman in your life, and neither your mother, your sister, your daughter, nor anyone else, should ever take that place as long as your wife lives—nor should any woman be allowed to become a rival.
(b) Cleave—this is not achieved overnight, but from the first, it should be the goal, and no one may be allowed to interfere with it. Young men, you may have to tell mom to back off, you may have to tell mom to take a vacation, but you cleave to your wife!
(3) Unity—and they shall become one flesh.
(4) Sinlessness, honesty, and No Barriers—25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."
(a) Why can’t we be like this now? Why is modesty required by the Bible? Because we are sinners!
(b) There were no barriers between Adam and Eve, but there are for us! One of God’s actions after the Fall was to provide animal skins (adequate clothing) for Adam and Eve.
h. STILL The Way It Is Supposed to Be.
(1) Mat 19:4-5
(2) 1 Cor 11:3, 8-9
(3) Eph 5:28-33
(4) The way to restore the image of God and His order for your life: Reconcile with God, and order your life in accordance with His commands.
New Covenant
Jesus Saves—Jehovah of the New Covenant
Jer 31:31-34
(Isa 12:2) "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."
1. The Language Barrier: Clearing the Confusion
a. First, the word “salvation,” or “saved” in the OT, is the Hebrew word “Jeshua,” or “Joshua—Jesus’ name MEANS salvation.”
b. Then let us consider the language of Jeremiah 31:31-34
(1) The word YHWH occurs five times in this short passage—and the passage is all about what God has done and will do for the elects’ sake.
(2) This is the New Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the central figure of this New Covenant (in the Old Testament) Is YHWH, and in the New Testament, is our Lord Jesus Christ.
c. A major issue: Kurios = Adonai? Or, Kurios = Jehovah?
(1) The Old Testament has two distinct words for “Lord,” Adonai and YHWH, but in the New Testament, both names are translated “Lord” or “lord”, or “Master,” or “master,” depending on the context
(2) As to the basic meaning of a word, Kurios could be translated either “LORD,” or “Lord.”
(3) If the verse is a quotation from the OT, the OT usage tells us which word is in view
d. A reminder about Covenant precepts in general.
(1) A Covenant is something conceived and established by God Himself—
(2) The scope of a covenant is defined by God—it may be universal, or it may be personal and limited, such as the covenant with Eleazar.
(3) A Covenant may be conditional (a works covenant) or unconditional (a Grace covenant)—Example of a conditional covenant—the Mosaic (Old) Covenant—
(a) Unconditional: The Second Noahic Covenant and the New Covenant
(b) Conditional: The Mosaic Law.
(4) A Covenant is monergistic, one-sided, dictatorial—God is the ruler and judge of every covenant He makes with man, there is no synergy between God and man.
(5) The times for a covenant are established by God. Some covenants are everlasting, and some have a beginning and an ending. God sets the time of the covenant’s beginning, and God sets the time of duration and ending.
(6) Covenants always involve blood and cutting.
(7) Covenants have rules and regulations of administration and enforcement.
(8) What is a Covenant?
“…A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely-imposed, legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship…”
2. Jehovah is the LORD of the New Covenant
a. He Promised He Would Bring in the New Covenant—Jer 31:31 –
b. God is the Actor, God Will Fulfill His Promises—"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will…” God is Sovereign, God is in Control—Dan 2:20 "…wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings…”
c. God Had Set The Time— Behold, the days come [are coming], saith the LORD, that [when]…”
d. God sent forth His Son at His time—Gal 4:4 “… when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law…”
(1) Christ Himself announced this in His ministry—Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
e. In the prophecy in Jeremiah, we are told that Jehovah God Will Cut the New Covenant— “…that I will make [cut] a new covenant…”
3. Jesus and the New Covenant
a. A Covenant comes into effect when the blood is shed.
b. The New Covenant Was Taught by Christ in the Upper Room the Night Before His Crucifixion—Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
c. The Covenant Meal, which was a picture of the cutting of the covenant to come the next day—Mat 26:20-29
(1) The disciples at the Covenant Meal with the Maker of the Covenant.
(2) After the false disciple left, there was detailed teaching about the new Covenant from John 13-17.
d. The Covenant Presented— Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
(1) Testament = diatheke, which is “covenant.”
(2) Christ Himself is the Covenant Sacrifice to be made.
e. The Covenant Cut— Mat 27:50-51
(1) In this moment the Law is fulfilled—
Gal 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Luke 24:44-49
(1) In this moment, the veil in the temple is torn asunder, showing that the way to God is open, and that the Law and its ordinances are done forever.
(2) This began the New Covenant. We are in the New Covenant, we are seeing its out working continue, and Our Covenant God guides us in working it out in our lives.
f. Jesus Is Jehovah, as shown by the New Covenant
(1) He is the I AM of the New Covenant
(John 6:41) ""I am the bread which came down from heaven.""
(John 6:48) ""I am the bread of life."
(John 8:12) "I am the light of the world…”
(John 8:58) “Before Abraham was, I Am..”
(John 10:7) "…”I am the door of the sheep."
(John 10:9) ""I am the door….”
(John 10:11) ""I am the good shepherd. …”
(John 11:25) "…I am the resurrection and the life…”
(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life…”
(John 15:1) ""I am the true vine…”
(John 18:5) "…, "I am He."
(2) We know He is Jehovah by comparing Old Testament prophesies and New Testament fulfillments.
(a) David said, (Psa 23) "The LORD [YHWH] is my shepherd…” But it is Jesus who is the Good Shepherd—John 10:11
(b) Isaiah Saw the glory of YHWH, but John Says that incident revealed Jesus’ Glory—Is 6:1-11, John 12:37-41
(c) YHWH is the Redeemer of God’s people, but it is Christ in Whom we find redemption—Is 44:6, 1 Cor 1:30-31
(d) Theses passages refer to YHWH, but John the Baptist identified them with Christ
(Isa 40:3) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God."
(Isa 40:10-11) "Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young."
(e) Jehovah is our righteousness, Jer 23:5-6, but Romans 3:21-28 show that it is Jesus Who is our righteousness.
(f) A comparison of Hebrews 1:10-12 compared with Psalm 102 shows that Jesus is Jehovah.
(Heb 1:9-12) "8 But to the Son He says….10
And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.""
(Psa 102:25-27) "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. 27 But You are the same, And Your years will have no end."
Jer 31:31-34
(Isa 12:2) "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation."
1. The Language Barrier: Clearing the Confusion
a. First, the word “salvation,” or “saved” in the OT, is the Hebrew word “Jeshua,” or “Joshua—Jesus’ name MEANS salvation.”
b. Then let us consider the language of Jeremiah 31:31-34
(1) The word YHWH occurs five times in this short passage—and the passage is all about what God has done and will do for the elects’ sake.
(2) This is the New Covenant, the Everlasting Covenant, the fulfillment of the Abrahamic Covenant, and the central figure of this New Covenant (in the Old Testament) Is YHWH, and in the New Testament, is our Lord Jesus Christ.
c. A major issue: Kurios = Adonai? Or, Kurios = Jehovah?
(1) The Old Testament has two distinct words for “Lord,” Adonai and YHWH, but in the New Testament, both names are translated “Lord” or “lord”, or “Master,” or “master,” depending on the context
(2) As to the basic meaning of a word, Kurios could be translated either “LORD,” or “Lord.”
(3) If the verse is a quotation from the OT, the OT usage tells us which word is in view
d. A reminder about Covenant precepts in general.
(1) A Covenant is something conceived and established by God Himself—
(2) The scope of a covenant is defined by God—it may be universal, or it may be personal and limited, such as the covenant with Eleazar.
(3) A Covenant may be conditional (a works covenant) or unconditional (a Grace covenant)—Example of a conditional covenant—the Mosaic (Old) Covenant—
(a) Unconditional: The Second Noahic Covenant and the New Covenant
(b) Conditional: The Mosaic Law.
(4) A Covenant is monergistic, one-sided, dictatorial—God is the ruler and judge of every covenant He makes with man, there is no synergy between God and man.
(5) The times for a covenant are established by God. Some covenants are everlasting, and some have a beginning and an ending. God sets the time of the covenant’s beginning, and God sets the time of duration and ending.
(6) Covenants always involve blood and cutting.
(7) Covenants have rules and regulations of administration and enforcement.
(8) What is a Covenant?
“…A covenant is an unchangeable, divinely-imposed, legal agreement between God and man that stipulates the conditions of their relationship…”
2. Jehovah is the LORD of the New Covenant
a. He Promised He Would Bring in the New Covenant—Jer 31:31 –
b. God is the Actor, God Will Fulfill His Promises—"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will…” God is Sovereign, God is in Control—Dan 2:20 "…wisdom and might are his: 21 And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings…”
c. God Had Set The Time— Behold, the days come [are coming], saith the LORD, that [when]…”
d. God sent forth His Son at His time—Gal 4:4 “… when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law…”
(1) Christ Himself announced this in His ministry—Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."
e. In the prophecy in Jeremiah, we are told that Jehovah God Will Cut the New Covenant— “…that I will make [cut] a new covenant…”
3. Jesus and the New Covenant
a. A Covenant comes into effect when the blood is shed.
b. The New Covenant Was Taught by Christ in the Upper Room the Night Before His Crucifixion—Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
c. The Covenant Meal, which was a picture of the cutting of the covenant to come the next day—Mat 26:20-29
(1) The disciples at the Covenant Meal with the Maker of the Covenant.
(2) After the false disciple left, there was detailed teaching about the new Covenant from John 13-17.
d. The Covenant Presented— Mat 26:28 "For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
(1) Testament = diatheke, which is “covenant.”
(2) Christ Himself is the Covenant Sacrifice to be made.
e. The Covenant Cut— Mat 27:50-51
(1) In this moment the Law is fulfilled—
Gal 3:13 "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"
Rom 10:4 "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
Luke 24:44-49
(1) In this moment, the veil in the temple is torn asunder, showing that the way to God is open, and that the Law and its ordinances are done forever.
(2) This began the New Covenant. We are in the New Covenant, we are seeing its out working continue, and Our Covenant God guides us in working it out in our lives.
f. Jesus Is Jehovah, as shown by the New Covenant
(1) He is the I AM of the New Covenant
(John 6:41) ""I am the bread which came down from heaven.""
(John 6:48) ""I am the bread of life."
(John 8:12) "I am the light of the world…”
(John 8:58) “Before Abraham was, I Am..”
(John 10:7) "…”I am the door of the sheep."
(John 10:9) ""I am the door….”
(John 10:11) ""I am the good shepherd. …”
(John 11:25) "…I am the resurrection and the life…”
(John 14:6) "I am the way, the truth, and the life…”
(John 15:1) ""I am the true vine…”
(John 18:5) "…, "I am He."
(2) We know He is Jehovah by comparing Old Testament prophesies and New Testament fulfillments.
(a) David said, (Psa 23) "The LORD [YHWH] is my shepherd…” But it is Jesus who is the Good Shepherd—John 10:11
(b) Isaiah Saw the glory of YHWH, but John Says that incident revealed Jesus’ Glory—Is 6:1-11, John 12:37-41
(c) YHWH is the Redeemer of God’s people, but it is Christ in Whom we find redemption—Is 44:6, 1 Cor 1:30-31
(d) Theses passages refer to YHWH, but John the Baptist identified them with Christ
(Isa 40:3) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make straight in the desert A highway for our God."
(Isa 40:10-11) "Behold, the Lord GOD shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. 11 He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young."
(e) Jehovah is our righteousness, Jer 23:5-6, but Romans 3:21-28 show that it is Jesus Who is our righteousness.
(f) A comparison of Hebrews 1:10-12 compared with Psalm 102 shows that Jesus is Jehovah.
(Heb 1:9-12) "8 But to the Son He says….10
And: "You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 11 They will perish, but You remain; And they will all grow old like a garment; 12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, And they will be changed. But You are the same, And Your years will not fail.""
(Psa 102:25-27) "Of old You laid the foundation of the earth, And the heavens are the work of Your hands. 26 They will perish, but You will endure; Yes, they will all grow old like a garment; Like a cloak You will change them, And they will be changed. 27 But You are the same, And Your years will have no end."
Adonai—The Master of My Service
Bro. Charley Buntin
Genesis 18:1-15
Isaiah 6:1-11
• When considering the Names of God, remember this: in considering all of the names and titles of the Triune God, there are well over 700 of them! We are only touching the surface.
• Few of the things in this study apply only to Adonai—but these do apply to Him, and He inspired the writers to use these words in these places
1. Basic Facts About Adonai
a. The word is used to name God 456 times, though many of these (nearly 300) are in conjunction with the Jehovah to form the title “Adonai-Jehovah…”, a multiple designation of God which we will look at in a later lesson.
b. The Language
(1) The word means “Master,” “owner,” “ruler,” “lord,” or “Lord.”
(2) The New Testament equivalent is “kurios.” This is not an exact equivalent, because unlike the OT, there is no distinctive NT translation of Jehovah (YHWH). The way to parse out (YHWH) is to observe OT quotes, and follow the usage in the root passage from the OT.
(3) When it applies to God, Adonai is usually in the singular plural, similar to Elohim in usage, and it implies the Trinity.
c. Adonai was often used by the Jews as a verbal substitute for Jehovah when reading the Bible out loud.
(1) A devout Hebrew would never say the Name YHWH (Jehovah), so when they were reading the Bible out loud, they always substituted “Adonai” for The NAME.
(2) In reliable English translations, the following rules apply for these various root names.
(a) LORD, or GOD, all capital letters, is Jehovah.
(b) Lord, only one capital—another name for God—Adonai
(c) lord, no capitals, is adonai applied to a human master
(d) Lord GOD is Adonai Jehovah
(e) LORD God is Jehovah Elohim
(f) And the special names are variously translated, depending on the rules of each translation or version. The list below are the names we will look at as a part of this series.
El Elyon
El Shaddai
El Roi
El Elohe Israel—
El Olam—
Jah
Jehovah Hossenu
Jehovah Jireh
Jehovah Shammah
Jehovah Rapha
Jehovah Nissi
Jehovah M’Kaddesh
Jehovah Shalom
Jehovah Tsabaoth
Jehovah Ra’ah
Jehovah Tsidkenu
Jehovah Malak
d. Adonai is often used in conjunction with Jehovah, as a descriptive title of the Lord, as we will see in future lessons.
e. We also find some wonderful and absolute statements about God using the name of Adonai—
(1) (Deu 10:17) ""For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord [Adonai] of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe."
(2) (Josh 3:13) ""… the Lord [Adonai] of all the earth…”
(3) (Psa 97:5) "The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord [Adonai] of the whole earth."
(4) (Micah 4:13) ""… You shall beat in pieces many peoples; I will consecrate their gain to the LORD, And their substance to the Lord [Adonai] of the whole earth.""
f. Adonai is usually used to describe one of three relationships—note, I wrote that Adonai Rules—though He often does not, even in the lives of believers—but He has the RIGHT to rule, and he should rule.
(1) Adonai Rules Your Job
(2) Adonai Rules Your Marriage
(3) Adonai Rules Your Ministry
2. Adonai Rules Your Job
a. Examples
(1) OT example—(Gen 24:12 Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham."
(2) NT example—(John 13:13) ""You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am."
b. Rules of bosses and workers—Note—these are not universally adhered to in our land, because of our particular and peculiar (in history) national disease of rebellion against authority, and because of sin and corruption in the workplace
(1) Biblically, both workers and bosses have accountability to God to conduct the workplace in a Godly fashion.
(2) There are many business-related passages in the Bible, because God is the God of all parts of life.
(3) The Boss Has Authority—In a well-managed and led office, company, factory, military, police, or firefighter station, the boss is supposed to have, unquestioned authority, and the servant goes where the Master sends him—(Mat 8:9) ""For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.""
(a) Note—a smart boss will listen to and take advice and counsel from his people—but the authority is at the top.
(b) The owner, master, boss has a right to do as he wants with what is his—(Mat 20:15) "'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?
(4) The servant, the employee (the “associate”) is accountable to the master—
(a) (Luke 19:13) ""So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'"
(b) (Luke 19:15) ""And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading."
(5) Often, the reputation of the servant, and certainly the economic well-being of the servant is tied to that of the Master, and the enemies of the Master are the enemies of the servant—(John 15:20) ""Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."
(6) But most of all, remember, we are ALL accountable to someone.
(Col 3:22) "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God."
(Col 4:1) "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."
e. Then, when you arrive at home, your responsibility to Adonai is just beginning…
3. Adonai Rules Your Marriage
a. Abraham and Sarah—Why Did Sarah Call Abraham “Adonai?” Gen 18:12 “ .. my lord…”
(1) Sarah had laughed at the prospect—in some embarrassment perhaps—of her even having physical relations with her aged husband, let alone the idea of conceiving and bearing a son—Gen 18:12) "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?""
(2) But, she was counted by God as a true woman of faith—(Heb 11:11) "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
(3) Even though Paul had not written Eph 5:22-24 yet, and would not for 1800 years to come, Sarah understood its principles, probably taught directly to her by God’s Spirit, or through conscience! In fact, she is given to us in the NT as the model believing wife!—1 Pet 3:1-6
(4) Here is the New Testament commentary on Sarah’s use of “adonai” to refer to her husband—
(a) She understood proper Biblical submission—and let’s remember that there is a type of mutual submission, as the woman submits to Godly leadership (not sinful or knuckle headed leadership), and the man submits to the woman’s needs.
(b) The woman influences her husband by who she is and how she acts. (1 Pet 3:1-6) "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God..”
(c) Sarah is made a positive example because of the respect she shows her husband—“… 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."
(d) We must remember the missing element in much Christian marriage teaching—The woman is entitled to unconditional love from the husband—and He is entitled to unconditional respect from her—( Eph 5:33) "Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
(e) In 1 Cor 7:2-5, Paul tells us that physical intimacy is a debt we owe one another in the realm of the body.
(f) But love and respect are great needs of the Soul—love from the man for the woman and respect from the woman too the man, and if there is not the sharing of love and respect in the marriage, there won’t be much intimacy in the realm of the body.
4. Adonai And Your Ministry
a. Adonai is often seen as the Sender of prophets, as with Isaiah—Is 6:1, 8-11—note that in this passage, Jehovah is also used (LORD), but when God sends Isaiah, Adonai is the word used.
(1) He Shook Isaiah (Isa 6) "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord [Adonai] sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. …
(2) He Convicted Isaiah—5 “…So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…."
(3) He Cleansed Isaiah—(Isa 6:6-7) "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.""
(4) He called Isaiah—“…8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, [Adonai] saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?"
(5) He Sent Isaiah—Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." 11 Then I said, "Lord, [Adonai] how long?"
b. First, if you are born again, you HAVE a ministry
(1) Every Believer has at least Spiritual Gift— (Rom 12:6) "… 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them… in proportion to our faith;"
(2) The purpose of every Believer’s spiritual gift is to profit the church of which they are a part. (1 Cor 12:7) "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:"
(3) Believers who do not get plugged in and who don’t exercise the gift(s) God has given them are cheating their local church.
(4) Real church growth can only happen when God’s people quit cheating God and the Brethren—(Eph 4:15-16) "… speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
c. We need to remind ourselves of some of the things that Adonai has done for us.
(1) Our righteousness is nothing, we have none, if not for Adonai—(Psa 16:2) "O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord,[Adonai] My goodness is nothing apart from You.""
(2) Adonai protects me and mine every day, and causes me to escape death itself—(Psa 68:19-20) "Blessed be the Lord, [Adonai] Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah 20 Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord [Adonai] belong escapes from death."
(3) He is the Adonai of Mercy, always ready to come to our aid—(Psa 86:3-5) "Be merciful to me, O Lord, ,[Adonai] For I cry to You all day long. 4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, ,[Adonai] I lift up my soul. 5 For You, Lord, are good,[Adonai], and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You."
(4) He is the One that many of you trusted in from an early age, and those of use who were saved in adulthood, when we look back, we see His Hand—(Gal 1:13-15)—(Psa 71:5) "For You are my hope, O Lord ,[Adonai] GOD; You are my trust from my youth."
(5) Our Adonai’s attributes are a great comfort—(Psa 86:15) "But You, O Lord, ,[Adonai] are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth."
(6) His merciful dealings are not for us, but for His glory—(Psa 109:21) "But You, O GOD the Lord, ,[Adonai] Deal with me for Your name's sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me."
(7) God is Great, and He is alone in being God—beside the Triune God there is no one—(Psa 135:5) "For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord,[Adonai] is above all gods."
(8) He is the Adonai of adonai—(Psa 136:3) "Oh, give thanks to the Lord,[Adonai] of lords ,[adonai]! For His mercy endures forever:"
Genesis 18:1-15
Isaiah 6:1-11
• When considering the Names of God, remember this: in considering all of the names and titles of the Triune God, there are well over 700 of them! We are only touching the surface.
• Few of the things in this study apply only to Adonai—but these do apply to Him, and He inspired the writers to use these words in these places
1. Basic Facts About Adonai
a. The word is used to name God 456 times, though many of these (nearly 300) are in conjunction with the Jehovah to form the title “Adonai-Jehovah…”, a multiple designation of God which we will look at in a later lesson.
b. The Language
(1) The word means “Master,” “owner,” “ruler,” “lord,” or “Lord.”
(2) The New Testament equivalent is “kurios.” This is not an exact equivalent, because unlike the OT, there is no distinctive NT translation of Jehovah (YHWH). The way to parse out (YHWH) is to observe OT quotes, and follow the usage in the root passage from the OT.
(3) When it applies to God, Adonai is usually in the singular plural, similar to Elohim in usage, and it implies the Trinity.
c. Adonai was often used by the Jews as a verbal substitute for Jehovah when reading the Bible out loud.
(1) A devout Hebrew would never say the Name YHWH (Jehovah), so when they were reading the Bible out loud, they always substituted “Adonai” for The NAME.
(2) In reliable English translations, the following rules apply for these various root names.
(a) LORD, or GOD, all capital letters, is Jehovah.
(b) Lord, only one capital—another name for God—Adonai
(c) lord, no capitals, is adonai applied to a human master
(d) Lord GOD is Adonai Jehovah
(e) LORD God is Jehovah Elohim
(f) And the special names are variously translated, depending on the rules of each translation or version. The list below are the names we will look at as a part of this series.
El Elyon
El Shaddai
El Roi
El Elohe Israel—
El Olam—
Jah
Jehovah Hossenu
Jehovah Jireh
Jehovah Shammah
Jehovah Rapha
Jehovah Nissi
Jehovah M’Kaddesh
Jehovah Shalom
Jehovah Tsabaoth
Jehovah Ra’ah
Jehovah Tsidkenu
Jehovah Malak
d. Adonai is often used in conjunction with Jehovah, as a descriptive title of the Lord, as we will see in future lessons.
e. We also find some wonderful and absolute statements about God using the name of Adonai—
(1) (Deu 10:17) ""For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord [Adonai] of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe."
(2) (Josh 3:13) ""… the Lord [Adonai] of all the earth…”
(3) (Psa 97:5) "The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD, At the presence of the Lord [Adonai] of the whole earth."
(4) (Micah 4:13) ""… You shall beat in pieces many peoples; I will consecrate their gain to the LORD, And their substance to the Lord [Adonai] of the whole earth.""
f. Adonai is usually used to describe one of three relationships—note, I wrote that Adonai Rules—though He often does not, even in the lives of believers—but He has the RIGHT to rule, and he should rule.
(1) Adonai Rules Your Job
(2) Adonai Rules Your Marriage
(3) Adonai Rules Your Ministry
2. Adonai Rules Your Job
a. Examples
(1) OT example—(Gen 24:12 Then he said, "O LORD God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham."
(2) NT example—(John 13:13) ""You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am."
b. Rules of bosses and workers—Note—these are not universally adhered to in our land, because of our particular and peculiar (in history) national disease of rebellion against authority, and because of sin and corruption in the workplace
(1) Biblically, both workers and bosses have accountability to God to conduct the workplace in a Godly fashion.
(2) There are many business-related passages in the Bible, because God is the God of all parts of life.
(3) The Boss Has Authority—In a well-managed and led office, company, factory, military, police, or firefighter station, the boss is supposed to have, unquestioned authority, and the servant goes where the Master sends him—(Mat 8:9) ""For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it.""
(a) Note—a smart boss will listen to and take advice and counsel from his people—but the authority is at the top.
(b) The owner, master, boss has a right to do as he wants with what is his—(Mat 20:15) "'Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things?
(4) The servant, the employee (the “associate”) is accountable to the master—
(a) (Luke 19:13) ""So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten minas, and said to them, 'Do business till I come.'"
(b) (Luke 19:15) ""And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading."
(5) Often, the reputation of the servant, and certainly the economic well-being of the servant is tied to that of the Master, and the enemies of the Master are the enemies of the servant—(John 15:20) ""Remember the word that I said to you, 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also."
(6) But most of all, remember, we are ALL accountable to someone.
(Col 3:22) "Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God."
(Col 4:1) "Masters, give your bondservants what is just and fair, knowing that you also have a Master in heaven."
e. Then, when you arrive at home, your responsibility to Adonai is just beginning…
3. Adonai Rules Your Marriage
a. Abraham and Sarah—Why Did Sarah Call Abraham “Adonai?” Gen 18:12 “ .. my lord…”
(1) Sarah had laughed at the prospect—in some embarrassment perhaps—of her even having physical relations with her aged husband, let alone the idea of conceiving and bearing a son—Gen 18:12) "Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, "After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?""
(2) But, she was counted by God as a true woman of faith—(Heb 11:11) "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."
(3) Even though Paul had not written Eph 5:22-24 yet, and would not for 1800 years to come, Sarah understood its principles, probably taught directly to her by God’s Spirit, or through conscience! In fact, she is given to us in the NT as the model believing wife!—1 Pet 3:1-6
(4) Here is the New Testament commentary on Sarah’s use of “adonai” to refer to her husband—
(a) She understood proper Biblical submission—and let’s remember that there is a type of mutual submission, as the woman submits to Godly leadership (not sinful or knuckle headed leadership), and the man submits to the woman’s needs.
(b) The woman influences her husband by who she is and how she acts. (1 Pet 3:1-6) "Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives, 2 when they observe your chaste conduct accompanied by fear. 3 Do not let your adornment be merely outward; arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel; 4 rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God..”
(c) Sarah is made a positive example because of the respect she shows her husband—“… 5 For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, 6 as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."
(d) We must remember the missing element in much Christian marriage teaching—The woman is entitled to unconditional love from the husband—and He is entitled to unconditional respect from her—( Eph 5:33) "Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband."
(e) In 1 Cor 7:2-5, Paul tells us that physical intimacy is a debt we owe one another in the realm of the body.
(f) But love and respect are great needs of the Soul—love from the man for the woman and respect from the woman too the man, and if there is not the sharing of love and respect in the marriage, there won’t be much intimacy in the realm of the body.
4. Adonai And Your Ministry
a. Adonai is often seen as the Sender of prophets, as with Isaiah—Is 6:1, 8-11—note that in this passage, Jehovah is also used (LORD), but when God sends Isaiah, Adonai is the word used.
(1) He Shook Isaiah (Isa 6) "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord [Adonai] sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. …
(2) He Convicted Isaiah—5 “…So I said: "Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips…."
(3) He Cleansed Isaiah—(Isa 6:6-7) "Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.""
(4) He called Isaiah—“…8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, [Adonai] saying: "Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?"
(5) He Sent Isaiah—Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." 9 And He said, "Go, and tell this people: 'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.' 10 "Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed." 11 Then I said, "Lord, [Adonai] how long?"
b. First, if you are born again, you HAVE a ministry
(1) Every Believer has at least Spiritual Gift— (Rom 12:6) "… 6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them… in proportion to our faith;"
(2) The purpose of every Believer’s spiritual gift is to profit the church of which they are a part. (1 Cor 12:7) "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:"
(3) Believers who do not get plugged in and who don’t exercise the gift(s) God has given them are cheating their local church.
(4) Real church growth can only happen when God’s people quit cheating God and the Brethren—(Eph 4:15-16) "… speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ; 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
c. We need to remind ourselves of some of the things that Adonai has done for us.
(1) Our righteousness is nothing, we have none, if not for Adonai—(Psa 16:2) "O my soul, you have said to the LORD, "You are my Lord,[Adonai] My goodness is nothing apart from You.""
(2) Adonai protects me and mine every day, and causes me to escape death itself—(Psa 68:19-20) "Blessed be the Lord, [Adonai] Who daily loads us with benefits, The God of our salvation! Selah 20 Our God is the God of salvation; And to GOD the Lord [Adonai] belong escapes from death."
(3) He is the Adonai of Mercy, always ready to come to our aid—(Psa 86:3-5) "Be merciful to me, O Lord, ,[Adonai] For I cry to You all day long. 4 Rejoice the soul of Your servant, For to You, O Lord, ,[Adonai] I lift up my soul. 5 For You, Lord, are good,[Adonai], and ready to forgive, And abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You."
(4) He is the One that many of you trusted in from an early age, and those of use who were saved in adulthood, when we look back, we see His Hand—(Gal 1:13-15)—(Psa 71:5) "For You are my hope, O Lord ,[Adonai] GOD; You are my trust from my youth."
(5) Our Adonai’s attributes are a great comfort—(Psa 86:15) "But You, O Lord, ,[Adonai] are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth."
(6) His merciful dealings are not for us, but for His glory—(Psa 109:21) "But You, O GOD the Lord, ,[Adonai] Deal with me for Your name's sake; Because Your mercy is good, deliver me."
(7) God is Great, and He is alone in being God—beside the Triune God there is no one—(Psa 135:5) "For I know that the LORD is great, And our Lord,[Adonai] is above all gods."
(8) He is the Adonai of adonai—(Psa 136:3) "Oh, give thanks to the Lord,[Adonai] of lords ,[adonai]! For His mercy endures forever:"
Jehovah
Jehovah—The Self Existent God of the Covenant
Ex 3:13-15
Ex 6:1-8
1. Some Basic Facts About The Word “Jehovah”
a. The Name itself
(1) The Tetragrammaton (a word with four letters)
(2) The letters do not exactly correspond in English, hence the confusion over pronunciation, etc.
(3) The Vowel points were added to the original text, so no one knows for sure how to pronounce the word.
(4) JHVH, YHWH, etc.
b. The meaning—
(1) from our texts, the self-existent One—“…14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
(2) Covenant Name of the God of Israel—“…"I have also established My covenant with them…”
c. Occurrences:
(1) Including the compound Names, Jehovah occurs over 6500 times in the OT
(2) The commonly-known Jehovah compounds
Name Translation
Jehovah Elohim LORD God
Adonai Jehovah Lord GOD
Jah Jah—I AM
Jehovah Hossenu The LORD our Maker
Jehovah Jireh The LORD our Provider
Jehovah Shammah The LORD who is there
Jehovah Rapha The LORD Heals me
Jehovah Nissi The LORD our Banner
Jehovah M’Kaddesh The LORD who Sanctifies
Jehovah Shalom The LORD of Peace
Jehovah Tsabaoth The LORD of Hosts
Jehovah Ra’ah The LORD is My Shepherd
Jehovah Tsidkenu The LORD my Righteousness
Jehovah Malak The LORD Who Reigns
d. As we talked about last time, Adonai was often used by the Jews as a verbal substitute for Jehovah when reading the Bible out loud.
(1) A devout Hebrew would never say the Name YHWH (Jehovah), so when they were reading the Bible out loud, they always substituted “Adonai” for The NAME.
(2) In reliable English translations, the following rules apply for these various root names.
(a) LORD, or GOD, all capital letters, is Jehovah.
(b) Lord, only one capital letter—another name for God—Adonai
(c) “ lord,” with no capital letters, is adonai applied to a human master
(d) Lord GOD is Adonai Jehovah
(e) LORD God is Jehovah Elohim
(f) And the special names are variously translated, depending on the rules of each translation or version.
2. The Unknown Name?—
a. A puzzle on the surface—
(1) (Exo 3:13) "Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"
(2) Ex 6:2-3—“… And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. 3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them…”.
b. Did the people of God not know the name YHWH before this passage? Theologians are mixed on this point.
(1) Adam and Eve knew God by YHWH—(Gen 4:1) "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD.""
(2) Cain and Abel Knew His Name—(Gen 4:3-4) "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,"
(3) There was a revival of the worship of YHWH in the days of Enosh, son of Seth—(Gen 4:26) "And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD."
(4) Noah’s Father Knew—(Gen 5:29) "And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.""
(5) Noah knew—(Gen 8:20-21) "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD
(6) Abram Knew from early on in his relationship with God—(Gen 12:7-8) "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD."
(7) And so on, with Issac, Jacob, the sons of Jacob and with Joseph—but something had either been lost during the captivity or never established.
c. There are two possibilities here
(1) Possibility #1—The true Name of the True God had been lost by the time of Moses, the children of Israel had forgotten YHWH’s Name
(2) Possibility #2—the Hebrews had some knowledge of Jehovah, but He had not been revealed to them as their covenant God until Moses’ day. MacArthur says that they knew His Name, but did not know Him nor His attributes.
3. Obeying the GOD of the Name: Moses’ obstacles
a. The greatest obstacle in the way of Moses was not the Egyptian army, or its chariot corps, nor its magicians. All of these were helpless before the might of God
b. However, there were a set of enemies which caused more trouble than anyone else, and that would be the very people Moses was there to deliver.
c. Consider
(1) The Hebrews did not “get” the rescue thing—
(2) The person who turned him in to the Egyptians forty years earlier was a Hebrew.
(3) From the time Moses and Aaron came to deliver them, and throughout the wilderness, Moses struggled with this “stiff-necked” and rebellious people called Hebrews.
(4) The real truth about the Hebrews was that they did not want any government unless it was going to provide for them and require nothing out of them
(5) The first meeting with Pharaoh only got them more work, so they murmured against Moses and Aaron—and so it went on, for the whole history of the Jewish people through the first Passover, through the wilderness, led by Joshua, the Judges, and the Kings—
(6) To burn Egypt and the worship of idols out of Israel’s heart took roughly a thousand years, until they returned from Persia under Ezra and Nehemiah
(7) And here we can see how deeply the 430 years in captivity had damaged the faith of God’s elect people—surely we need to consider from this the effects on professing Christians of exposure to pagan rites, rituals and (most vitally) immoral acts and lifestyles.
(8) They had forgotten His Name, or had only a surface knowledge of that Name.
4. The Revealed Name
a. God always reveals Himself—it is not that we “discover” about God, but He freely reveals Himself
(1) Through Nature—Ps 19:1-6
(2) Through Conscience—Rom 2:15-16
(3) Through Providence—Is 46:8-11
(4) Through His Word—Ps 19:7-12
b. He revealed Himself to Moses as the Self-Existent One—"I AM WHO I AM [or THAT I AM
(1) I AM as a Name of God is seldom used, but the nature of God as self-revealing is a major theme of the Bible
(2) Here, God reveals the most basic of attributes of Deity—He is UnCaused, Self Revealed, God Unto Himself.
(3) Self Existence and Self-Revelation are attributes that are Trinitarian, because God reveals each of His Persons many times in the Bible
(a) Father—John 17:1-3
(b) Son (John 8:58) "Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.""
(c) Spirit—Jn 14:16, 26
(d) The IAMs of Jesus—several in John’s Gospel
c. The Link to the Fathers—
(1) “…15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'"
(2) Ex 6:4 "I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers…”
(3) The God of their ancestors
(4) Now the children of Israel know who they are and who their God is.
(5) He is, as Jesus said—the God of the living—and these men live on with the Lord.
(6) This is the Abrahamic Covenant alluded to, with its promise of land, among other things.
(7) This is different from the Mosaic Covenant, which will be cut later, and which is a temporary covenant of Law.
d. The promised deliverance, based on the Covenant with Abraham—
(1) They had been doing some serious praying—5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel…”
(2) Their predicament was obvious and serious—the world’s first and at that time, only superpower had enslaved and were oppressing God’s people—“…whom the Egyptians keep in bondage…”
(3) But God does not rescue them because of their cries, nor because of their need—He delivers them because of His Covenant wit Abraham—“… and I have remembered My covenant…”
(4) God reveals to Moses exactly what He will do
(a) First, another reminder of Who He Is— “…'I am the LORD…”
(b) What He Will Do—
(i) “…I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…”
(ii) “…, I will rescue you from their bondage
(iii) “... and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments….”
(iv) “… 7 'I will take you as My people…”
(v) “… and I will be your God….”
(vi) His reason—that they would really know Him as He is to be known. “…Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…”
(vii) And He Won’t Stop There!—“…8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage…”
(viii) How and Why can they have faith that this will take place? –“…I am the LORD.'""
Ex 3:13-15
Ex 6:1-8
1. Some Basic Facts About The Word “Jehovah”
a. The Name itself
(1) The Tetragrammaton (a word with four letters)
(2) The letters do not exactly correspond in English, hence the confusion over pronunciation, etc.
(3) The Vowel points were added to the original text, so no one knows for sure how to pronounce the word.
(4) JHVH, YHWH, etc.
b. The meaning—
(1) from our texts, the self-existent One—“…14 And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
(2) Covenant Name of the God of Israel—“…"I have also established My covenant with them…”
c. Occurrences:
(1) Including the compound Names, Jehovah occurs over 6500 times in the OT
(2) The commonly-known Jehovah compounds
Name Translation
Jehovah Elohim LORD God
Adonai Jehovah Lord GOD
Jah Jah—I AM
Jehovah Hossenu The LORD our Maker
Jehovah Jireh The LORD our Provider
Jehovah Shammah The LORD who is there
Jehovah Rapha The LORD Heals me
Jehovah Nissi The LORD our Banner
Jehovah M’Kaddesh The LORD who Sanctifies
Jehovah Shalom The LORD of Peace
Jehovah Tsabaoth The LORD of Hosts
Jehovah Ra’ah The LORD is My Shepherd
Jehovah Tsidkenu The LORD my Righteousness
Jehovah Malak The LORD Who Reigns
d. As we talked about last time, Adonai was often used by the Jews as a verbal substitute for Jehovah when reading the Bible out loud.
(1) A devout Hebrew would never say the Name YHWH (Jehovah), so when they were reading the Bible out loud, they always substituted “Adonai” for The NAME.
(2) In reliable English translations, the following rules apply for these various root names.
(a) LORD, or GOD, all capital letters, is Jehovah.
(b) Lord, only one capital letter—another name for God—Adonai
(c) “ lord,” with no capital letters, is adonai applied to a human master
(d) Lord GOD is Adonai Jehovah
(e) LORD God is Jehovah Elohim
(f) And the special names are variously translated, depending on the rules of each translation or version.
2. The Unknown Name?—
a. A puzzle on the surface—
(1) (Exo 3:13) "Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"
(2) Ex 6:2-3—“… And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. 3 "I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them…”.
b. Did the people of God not know the name YHWH before this passage? Theologians are mixed on this point.
(1) Adam and Eve knew God by YHWH—(Gen 4:1) "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, "I have acquired a man from the LORD.""
(2) Cain and Abel Knew His Name—(Gen 4:3-4) "And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering,"
(3) There was a revival of the worship of YHWH in the days of Enosh, son of Seth—(Gen 4:26) "And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the LORD."
(4) Noah’s Father Knew—(Gen 5:29) "And he called his name Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD has cursed.""
(5) Noah knew—(Gen 8:20-21) "Then Noah built an altar to the LORD
(6) Abram Knew from early on in his relationship with God—(Gen 12:7-8) "Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him. 8 And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD."
(7) And so on, with Issac, Jacob, the sons of Jacob and with Joseph—but something had either been lost during the captivity or never established.
c. There are two possibilities here
(1) Possibility #1—The true Name of the True God had been lost by the time of Moses, the children of Israel had forgotten YHWH’s Name
(2) Possibility #2—the Hebrews had some knowledge of Jehovah, but He had not been revealed to them as their covenant God until Moses’ day. MacArthur says that they knew His Name, but did not know Him nor His attributes.
3. Obeying the GOD of the Name: Moses’ obstacles
a. The greatest obstacle in the way of Moses was not the Egyptian army, or its chariot corps, nor its magicians. All of these were helpless before the might of God
b. However, there were a set of enemies which caused more trouble than anyone else, and that would be the very people Moses was there to deliver.
c. Consider
(1) The Hebrews did not “get” the rescue thing—
(2) The person who turned him in to the Egyptians forty years earlier was a Hebrew.
(3) From the time Moses and Aaron came to deliver them, and throughout the wilderness, Moses struggled with this “stiff-necked” and rebellious people called Hebrews.
(4) The real truth about the Hebrews was that they did not want any government unless it was going to provide for them and require nothing out of them
(5) The first meeting with Pharaoh only got them more work, so they murmured against Moses and Aaron—and so it went on, for the whole history of the Jewish people through the first Passover, through the wilderness, led by Joshua, the Judges, and the Kings—
(6) To burn Egypt and the worship of idols out of Israel’s heart took roughly a thousand years, until they returned from Persia under Ezra and Nehemiah
(7) And here we can see how deeply the 430 years in captivity had damaged the faith of God’s elect people—surely we need to consider from this the effects on professing Christians of exposure to pagan rites, rituals and (most vitally) immoral acts and lifestyles.
(8) They had forgotten His Name, or had only a surface knowledge of that Name.
4. The Revealed Name
a. God always reveals Himself—it is not that we “discover” about God, but He freely reveals Himself
(1) Through Nature—Ps 19:1-6
(2) Through Conscience—Rom 2:15-16
(3) Through Providence—Is 46:8-11
(4) Through His Word—Ps 19:7-12
b. He revealed Himself to Moses as the Self-Existent One—"I AM WHO I AM [or THAT I AM
(1) I AM as a Name of God is seldom used, but the nature of God as self-revealing is a major theme of the Bible
(2) Here, God reveals the most basic of attributes of Deity—He is UnCaused, Self Revealed, God Unto Himself.
(3) Self Existence and Self-Revelation are attributes that are Trinitarian, because God reveals each of His Persons many times in the Bible
(a) Father—John 17:1-3
(b) Son (John 8:58) "Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.""
(c) Spirit—Jn 14:16, 26
(d) The IAMs of Jesus—several in John’s Gospel
c. The Link to the Fathers—
(1) “…15 Moreover God said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.'"
(2) Ex 6:4 "I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers…”
(3) The God of their ancestors
(4) Now the children of Israel know who they are and who their God is.
(5) He is, as Jesus said—the God of the living—and these men live on with the Lord.
(6) This is the Abrahamic Covenant alluded to, with its promise of land, among other things.
(7) This is different from the Mosaic Covenant, which will be cut later, and which is a temporary covenant of Law.
d. The promised deliverance, based on the Covenant with Abraham—
(1) They had been doing some serious praying—5 "And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel…”
(2) Their predicament was obvious and serious—the world’s first and at that time, only superpower had enslaved and were oppressing God’s people—“…whom the Egyptians keep in bondage…”
(3) But God does not rescue them because of their cries, nor because of their need—He delivers them because of His Covenant wit Abraham—“… and I have remembered My covenant…”
(4) God reveals to Moses exactly what He will do
(a) First, another reminder of Who He Is— “…'I am the LORD…”
(b) What He Will Do—
(i) “…I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…”
(ii) “…, I will rescue you from their bondage
(iii) “... and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments….”
(iv) “… 7 'I will take you as My people…”
(v) “… and I will be your God….”
(vi) His reason—that they would really know Him as He is to be known. “…Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…”
(vii) And He Won’t Stop There!—“…8 'And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage…”
(viii) How and Why can they have faith that this will take place? –“…I am the LORD.'""
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Names of God
Elohim—The Triune Creator
Bro. Charley Buntin
Genesis 1:1-2:4
Basic Facts
--First word for God in the Bible
--The only word for “God” from Gen 1:1-2:4—When God considers creation in general, this is the word that He uses to describe Himself
--Possibly derived from “EL,” which means “the strong one”
“The word used is “Elohim”, which some derive from another, which signifies power, creation being an act of almighty power: but it is rather to be derived from the root in the Arabic language, which signifies to worship f9, God being the object of all religious worship and adoration…He who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth is the sole object of worship…It is in the plural number, and being joined to a verb of the singular, is thought by many to be designed to point unto us the mystery of a plurality, or trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence: …there is no doubt to be made, that all the three Persons in the Godhead were concerned in the creation of all things, (Psalm 33:6). (John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament)
--Though the word is used to describe false gods and some men, it is used 2570 times to name the One True God
--The word is a singular plural—though plural in itself, when it refers to God, singular verb forms are used with the plural noun Elohim.
“…in the very first chapter of Genesis the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the on God and yet allowing for a plurality of persons in found (Gen 1:2, 1:26). This is further borne out by the fact that the form Elohim occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language, not even in Biblical Aramaic….” (TWOT, vol 1, page 44)
--The Bottom line is that this word refers to God as the sovereign creator of all things
--Where is God’s Sovereignty here? It is found in this amazing fact—There is no conflict in the creation account—God’s work stands totally unopposed. This complete submission of the entire cosmos to God reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar’s surrender to God:
(Dan 4:34-35) "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?""
1. Elohim vs. the Scientists
a. There are several burning and largely irrelevant questions that dodge THE question about Creation
(1) When?
(2) How long?
(3) How long were the creative days?
(4) What can we learn from the fossil record?
(5) Is there a “gap” between Gen 1:1 and 1:2?
(6) What about the ages of time?
(7) Was there another creation before this present one?
b. The chief thing about all of these questions is that they are not of any importance in the final analysis, because God transcends them.
c. Burning Question—There are only four possibilities to explain the existence of the universe:
(1) Everything has always existed—this would violate every law of physics, as well as violating the Bible’s eyewitness testimony
(2) Everything made itself—this is Darwinism, the idea of accidental creation—this is especially problematic when one tries to see how it is that intricate and extremely complex existence just happened by pure chance.
(3) The Aliens brought it in—but where did THEY get it?
(4) God made everything.
d. So, which is it?
(1) There are a growing number of scientists, many who are not even believers, who reject the silly notion of accidental creation, that there had to be an intelligent alien lifeforce that made everything (we call Him Elohim)
(2) But all of that still avoids the main question: Is The Bible True, or is it False?
(3) Consider these facts:
(a) The Bible has been proven to be 100% correct as to the nature of human nature
(b) The Bible relates facts about science that were totally unknown when written—
(i) The Earth is a sphere— (Job 22:14) "Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.'"
(Isa 40:22) "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."
(ii) The Bible’s prophesies have been proven to be 100% accurate and detailed
(iii) The prophesies about Christ that have been literally fulfilled number in the hundreds, and there are still some to come!
(c) All of the questions asked about creation ignore the supernatural—God is supernatural, beyond nature, above nature, surpassing nature—if He can speak a universe into existence, He can also create a mature universe, one that has the appearance of age, one that is finished—just like a master wood worker does not consider a job to be done until the final coat of finish is applied.
e. We are back to this: Elohim created all things because the Bible says He did, and because He claims in His Word that He did!
(1) The Prophets say that God did it
(2) The Psalmists knew and testified—Ps 19:1-6, Ps 139
(3) The Patriarchs knew of it—Job 38
(4) The apostles understood it—
(a) Col 1:15-20
(b) Heb 1:1-3
(c) John 1:3
(5) Christ Jesus Himself affirmed it—Mat 19
2. Elohim Created All Things
a. Before the beginning God existed
(1) John 1:1—The Son
(2) The Father—John 17:5, 24
(3) The Spirit—Heb 9:14, Gen 1:3
(4) Titus 1:1-2
b. Before God created the physical world, He created a spiritual one—
(Job 38:4-7) ""Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
c. God created the basic physics and structures of the universe
(1) (Gen 1:1) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…”
(a) Note that all the vastness of space is considered side by side with the particular creation of one planet? Why?
(b) Because on THIS planet, God had determined to gather a people for His own glory
(2) In the beginning, in this verse, God created
(a) Matter
(b) Energy
(c) Time
(d) Space
(e) Motion
(f) Physics
(g) Chemistry
(h) Calculus
(i) Quantum mechanics
(3) “…2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…”
(a) “the deep” and “the waters” are not to be defined by what we consider them to be. This is not a murky sea around some moribund island
(b) At this point, the earth was formless and void—what we might consider to be clouds of gas, particles, and other stuff. The “waters” were almost certainly not “water as we know them—note the chemical “oceans” on Saturn and Jupiter.
(c) The fluids, including gaseous fluids were all floating around—And, as yet, nothing had happened—And there was no visible light.
(d) Darkness—until God created the sources of physical light, there was nothing to see
(4) “ …And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters…”
(a) Here is the first definite mention of the Trinity
(b) The Holy Spirit is seen “brooding” over the face of the “waters.” Again, we must avoid picturing this in human terms—The Omnipresent Spirit of God was everywhere hovering in preparation for His role in Creation
(c) Then, the silence was broken.
(5) Creation by Command.
(a) He spoke a word, and everything began to form.
(b) “…3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good;
(6) “…and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."
(a) God commands things to happen, and they happen
(b) (Psa 33:6) "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth."
(c) Next was differentiation— (Gen 1:6-10) "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters….”The word “firmament” refers to a great expanse—I think we would call this firmament “space” The amorphous “waters” now began to divide.
(d) {7} And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. {8} And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
(e) {9} And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. {10} And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." Here God creates the Earth
(i) The other planets were not yet formed—why this one?
(ii) Because THIS planet would be the planet upon which the great acts of Redemption would take place.
d. He created plant life, and He created the animals of all types—and in one of the great understatements of all time: (Gen 1:16)"… He made the stars also."
(1) Why are the stars so lightly held?
(2) Why are the myriads of suns and stars considered to be less in importance than man and his dominion?
(3) Did this not all take billions of years to accomplish? It would have, were it not for the fact that an Omnipotent God were running the show!
(4) He created the universe in six days, putting everything in place, giving the appearance of age, just as I might do in creating a table or home entertainment center.
(5) Because the main “show” of the universe is in the redemption of God’s people, all who would ever come to believe in Him!
3. Elohim And the Creation of the Human Race
a. Initial observations:
(1) Note: the details of man’s creation are revealed in 2:7-25—this is about man in general—we will cover that in a later sermon
(2) God created Man in His own image—what does that mean?
(3) He created man as male and female—He gave us NO OTHER CATEGORIES
(4) He commanded man to populate the earth—
(5) He gave man dominion over the earth
b. The Trinity was gradually revealed in the Bible—
(1) (Gen 11:6) "…And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them."
(2) (Gen 1:26-27) "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; … 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. …”
(3) The Trinity in the OT
(a) The Father and the Son—
(i) Psa 45:7 "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."
(ii) Psa 110:1 "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
(iii) Psa 2:7 ""I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You."
(b) The Spirit—Gen 1:2) "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
(c) The Trinity— Isa 48:16-18 "…And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me." 17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God…”
c. Man was made in Elohim’s Image—Gen 1:26a “…in Our image, according to Our likeness;…” In what way are we in God’s Image?
(1) Not physical—it must be in ways that the animals do not share
(a) God is Spirit—Jn 4:24
(b) Moral—
(c) Emotional—passion, feelings
(d) Volition—free agency, the ability, within our nature, to make ethical choices
(e) Loving—the ability to choose to love
(f) Personally—the ability to form relationships, especially with God
(g) Creative—we make things we create artifacts,
(h) Communication—especially with God
(2) What is left of this image after The Fall?
(a) Still there—(James 3:9) "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God."
(b) Marred by the Fall, injured in every part.
(c) Morals bankrupt
(d) Emotions twisted
(e) Our ability to choose is limited by sin
(f) True love impossible
(g) Relationship with God impossible without Christ’s sacrifice.
(h) Creativity perverted
(i) No communion with God
(j) Our sexuality, a great gift from God, is perverted and distorted
d. What will the restoration be?—(1 John 3:1-2) "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. {2} Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
e. Created to Rule—26b
(1) Dominion over the animal kingdom
(2) Gen 9:2 ""And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand."
(3) Psa 8:6 "You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,"
(4) James 3:7 "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind."
(5) Paganism hates this doctrine—the pagan view of God is twisted and self serving by man
(6) Animals are NOT in the image of God, and they are not on an equal footing with man.
f. Bottom line, God has created us to rule and have dominion over the Earth, and we are commanded to do so.
4. The Act of Creation— 1:27-8
a. God Created man— 27 “Male and female!”
b. The Mission of the Race—This was the mission given to man from the beginning, and it was a detailed mission, a vast mission, a bold mission. Gen 1:28
c. “…Populate the Earth…”—Because God loves people
‘
d. “…Spread over the whole earth…—because God made the earth to be inhabited by man
e. Tame the Earth— “subdue it…”—tame its wild places, traverse its wilderness, explore it.
f. Be the livestock manager for the Earth—be over ALL the animals— “… have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth…”
g. Why has mankind always had the need to explore, tame the wilderness, climb the heights and plumb the deeps? Because of the echo of this charge given to man by God in the beginning.
5. The Implications of Being a Created Being –Acts 17:24-31
a. Knowing our Creator
(1) God is the Lord of Mankind
(2) God does not need man’s work or worship
(3) God controls the fates of nations
(4) The purpose of Providence is the great commission.
b. The Duty of Man
(1) Love God and Worship Him—
(a) Deu 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
(b) Obey God—(under the Law) Eccl 12:13 “…Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all…”
(c) Accountability—Eccl 14 “… For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil…”
(d) Knowing who we are—The world is confused about everything. Part of our job is removing the confusion.
c. The Duty of Fallen Man— (Acts 17:30-31) ""Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.""
Bro. Charley Buntin
Genesis 1:1-2:4
Basic Facts
--First word for God in the Bible
--The only word for “God” from Gen 1:1-2:4—When God considers creation in general, this is the word that He uses to describe Himself
--Possibly derived from “EL,” which means “the strong one”
“The word used is “Elohim”, which some derive from another, which signifies power, creation being an act of almighty power: but it is rather to be derived from the root in the Arabic language, which signifies to worship f9, God being the object of all religious worship and adoration…He who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth is the sole object of worship…It is in the plural number, and being joined to a verb of the singular, is thought by many to be designed to point unto us the mystery of a plurality, or trinity of persons in the unity of the divine essence: …there is no doubt to be made, that all the three Persons in the Godhead were concerned in the creation of all things, (Psalm 33:6). (John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament)
--Though the word is used to describe false gods and some men, it is used 2570 times to name the One True God
--The word is a singular plural—though plural in itself, when it refers to God, singular verb forms are used with the plural noun Elohim.
“…in the very first chapter of Genesis the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the on God and yet allowing for a plurality of persons in found (Gen 1:2, 1:26). This is further borne out by the fact that the form Elohim occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language, not even in Biblical Aramaic….” (TWOT, vol 1, page 44)
--The Bottom line is that this word refers to God as the sovereign creator of all things
--Where is God’s Sovereignty here? It is found in this amazing fact—There is no conflict in the creation account—God’s work stands totally unopposed. This complete submission of the entire cosmos to God reminds me of Nebuchadnezzar’s surrender to God:
(Dan 4:34-35) "And at the end of the time I, Nebuchadnezzar, lifted my eyes to heaven, and my understanding returned to me; and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever: For His dominion is an everlasting dominion, And His kingdom is from generation to generation. 35 All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, "What have You done?""
1. Elohim vs. the Scientists
a. There are several burning and largely irrelevant questions that dodge THE question about Creation
(1) When?
(2) How long?
(3) How long were the creative days?
(4) What can we learn from the fossil record?
(5) Is there a “gap” between Gen 1:1 and 1:2?
(6) What about the ages of time?
(7) Was there another creation before this present one?
b. The chief thing about all of these questions is that they are not of any importance in the final analysis, because God transcends them.
c. Burning Question—There are only four possibilities to explain the existence of the universe:
(1) Everything has always existed—this would violate every law of physics, as well as violating the Bible’s eyewitness testimony
(2) Everything made itself—this is Darwinism, the idea of accidental creation—this is especially problematic when one tries to see how it is that intricate and extremely complex existence just happened by pure chance.
(3) The Aliens brought it in—but where did THEY get it?
(4) God made everything.
d. So, which is it?
(1) There are a growing number of scientists, many who are not even believers, who reject the silly notion of accidental creation, that there had to be an intelligent alien lifeforce that made everything (we call Him Elohim)
(2) But all of that still avoids the main question: Is The Bible True, or is it False?
(3) Consider these facts:
(a) The Bible has been proven to be 100% correct as to the nature of human nature
(b) The Bible relates facts about science that were totally unknown when written—
(i) The Earth is a sphere— (Job 22:14) "Thick clouds cover Him, so that He cannot see, And He walks above the circle of heaven.'"
(Isa 40:22) "It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in."
(ii) The Bible’s prophesies have been proven to be 100% accurate and detailed
(iii) The prophesies about Christ that have been literally fulfilled number in the hundreds, and there are still some to come!
(c) All of the questions asked about creation ignore the supernatural—God is supernatural, beyond nature, above nature, surpassing nature—if He can speak a universe into existence, He can also create a mature universe, one that has the appearance of age, one that is finished—just like a master wood worker does not consider a job to be done until the final coat of finish is applied.
e. We are back to this: Elohim created all things because the Bible says He did, and because He claims in His Word that He did!
(1) The Prophets say that God did it
(2) The Psalmists knew and testified—Ps 19:1-6, Ps 139
(3) The Patriarchs knew of it—Job 38
(4) The apostles understood it—
(a) Col 1:15-20
(b) Heb 1:1-3
(c) John 1:3
(5) Christ Jesus Himself affirmed it—Mat 19
2. Elohim Created All Things
a. Before the beginning God existed
(1) John 1:1—The Son
(2) The Father—John 17:5, 24
(3) The Spirit—Heb 9:14, Gen 1:3
(4) Titus 1:1-2
b. Before God created the physical world, He created a spiritual one—
(Job 38:4-7) ""Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
c. God created the basic physics and structures of the universe
(1) (Gen 1:1) "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth…”
(a) Note that all the vastness of space is considered side by side with the particular creation of one planet? Why?
(b) Because on THIS planet, God had determined to gather a people for His own glory
(2) In the beginning, in this verse, God created
(a) Matter
(b) Energy
(c) Time
(d) Space
(e) Motion
(f) Physics
(g) Chemistry
(h) Calculus
(i) Quantum mechanics
(3) “…2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep…”
(a) “the deep” and “the waters” are not to be defined by what we consider them to be. This is not a murky sea around some moribund island
(b) At this point, the earth was formless and void—what we might consider to be clouds of gas, particles, and other stuff. The “waters” were almost certainly not “water as we know them—note the chemical “oceans” on Saturn and Jupiter.
(c) The fluids, including gaseous fluids were all floating around—And, as yet, nothing had happened—And there was no visible light.
(d) Darkness—until God created the sources of physical light, there was nothing to see
(4) “ …And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters…”
(a) Here is the first definite mention of the Trinity
(b) The Holy Spirit is seen “brooding” over the face of the “waters.” Again, we must avoid picturing this in human terms—The Omnipresent Spirit of God was everywhere hovering in preparation for His role in Creation
(c) Then, the silence was broken.
(5) Creation by Command.
(a) He spoke a word, and everything began to form.
(b) “…3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good;
(6) “…and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day."
(a) God commands things to happen, and they happen
(b) (Psa 33:6) "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth."
(c) Next was differentiation— (Gen 1:6-10) "And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters….”The word “firmament” refers to a great expanse—I think we would call this firmament “space” The amorphous “waters” now began to divide.
(d) {7} And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. {8} And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
(e) {9} And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. {10} And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good." Here God creates the Earth
(i) The other planets were not yet formed—why this one?
(ii) Because THIS planet would be the planet upon which the great acts of Redemption would take place.
d. He created plant life, and He created the animals of all types—and in one of the great understatements of all time: (Gen 1:16)"… He made the stars also."
(1) Why are the stars so lightly held?
(2) Why are the myriads of suns and stars considered to be less in importance than man and his dominion?
(3) Did this not all take billions of years to accomplish? It would have, were it not for the fact that an Omnipotent God were running the show!
(4) He created the universe in six days, putting everything in place, giving the appearance of age, just as I might do in creating a table or home entertainment center.
(5) Because the main “show” of the universe is in the redemption of God’s people, all who would ever come to believe in Him!
3. Elohim And the Creation of the Human Race
a. Initial observations:
(1) Note: the details of man’s creation are revealed in 2:7-25—this is about man in general—we will cover that in a later sermon
(2) God created Man in His own image—what does that mean?
(3) He created man as male and female—He gave us NO OTHER CATEGORIES
(4) He commanded man to populate the earth—
(5) He gave man dominion over the earth
b. The Trinity was gradually revealed in the Bible—
(1) (Gen 11:6) "…And the LORD said, "Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them."
(2) (Gen 1:26-27) "Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; … 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. …”
(3) The Trinity in the OT
(a) The Father and the Son—
(i) Psa 45:7 "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You With the oil of gladness more than Your companions."
(ii) Psa 110:1 "The LORD said to my Lord, "Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool."
(iii) Psa 2:7 ""I will declare the decree: The LORD has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You."
(b) The Spirit—Gen 1:2) "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters."
(c) The Trinity— Isa 48:16-18 "…And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me." 17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, The Holy One of Israel: "I am the LORD your God…”
c. Man was made in Elohim’s Image—Gen 1:26a “…in Our image, according to Our likeness;…” In what way are we in God’s Image?
(1) Not physical—it must be in ways that the animals do not share
(a) God is Spirit—Jn 4:24
(b) Moral—
(c) Emotional—passion, feelings
(d) Volition—free agency, the ability, within our nature, to make ethical choices
(e) Loving—the ability to choose to love
(f) Personally—the ability to form relationships, especially with God
(g) Creative—we make things we create artifacts,
(h) Communication—especially with God
(2) What is left of this image after The Fall?
(a) Still there—(James 3:9) "Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God."
(b) Marred by the Fall, injured in every part.
(c) Morals bankrupt
(d) Emotions twisted
(e) Our ability to choose is limited by sin
(f) True love impossible
(g) Relationship with God impossible without Christ’s sacrifice.
(h) Creativity perverted
(i) No communion with God
(j) Our sexuality, a great gift from God, is perverted and distorted
d. What will the restoration be?—(1 John 3:1-2) "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. {2} Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is."
e. Created to Rule—26b
(1) Dominion over the animal kingdom
(2) Gen 9:2 ""And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand."
(3) Psa 8:6 "You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,"
(4) James 3:7 "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind."
(5) Paganism hates this doctrine—the pagan view of God is twisted and self serving by man
(6) Animals are NOT in the image of God, and they are not on an equal footing with man.
f. Bottom line, God has created us to rule and have dominion over the Earth, and we are commanded to do so.
4. The Act of Creation— 1:27-8
a. God Created man— 27 “Male and female!”
b. The Mission of the Race—This was the mission given to man from the beginning, and it was a detailed mission, a vast mission, a bold mission. Gen 1:28
c. “…Populate the Earth…”—Because God loves people
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d. “…Spread over the whole earth…—because God made the earth to be inhabited by man
e. Tame the Earth— “subdue it…”—tame its wild places, traverse its wilderness, explore it.
f. Be the livestock manager for the Earth—be over ALL the animals— “… have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth…”
g. Why has mankind always had the need to explore, tame the wilderness, climb the heights and plumb the deeps? Because of the echo of this charge given to man by God in the beginning.
5. The Implications of Being a Created Being –Acts 17:24-31
a. Knowing our Creator
(1) God is the Lord of Mankind
(2) God does not need man’s work or worship
(3) God controls the fates of nations
(4) The purpose of Providence is the great commission.
b. The Duty of Man
(1) Love God and Worship Him—
(a) Deu 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.”
(b) Obey God—(under the Law) Eccl 12:13 “…Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, For this is man's all…”
(c) Accountability—Eccl 14 “… For God will bring every work into judgment, Including every secret thing, Whether good or evil…”
(d) Knowing who we are—The world is confused about everything. Part of our job is removing the confusion.
c. The Duty of Fallen Man— (Acts 17:30-31) ""Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, 31 "because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.""
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Lots Going on
Since our last blog entry, many great things have taken place, the chief being our being called to pastor LIttle Bethel Baptist Church, on a part time basis.
Other things have happened, good and bad, but we will save that for later posts.
Other things have happened, good and bad, but we will save that for later posts.
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