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:"