Names of God
Yahweh Rohi – The Lord is My Shepherd
“The LORD is my shepherd [Yahweh Rohi]. I lack nothing” (Psalm 23:1) Philip Keller gives us a beautiful description of what the shepherd means to the sheep. He explains, “[David] knew from firsthand experience that the lot in life of any particular sheep depended on the type of man who owned it. Some men were…
Yahweh Shammah – The God Who is There
God was incredibly gracious to the Israelites in making His presence known to them. Just a few familiar examples are the pillars of cloud and fire by which He led them out of Egypt and through the wilderness (Exodus 13). When He appeared on Mount Sinai to Moses, we read, “the glory of the LORD [YHWH] settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD [YHWH] called to Moses from within the cloud” (Exodus 24:16)
Yahweh Mekoddeskim – The Lord Who Sanctifies You
This name for God is revealed within the context of the laws God gave to the Israelites as they were preparing to enter the Promised Land. The laws included all the various sacrifices they were to offer, when and how to offer them—essentially when and how to worship God; what foods they could and could not eat; dealing with various diseases and bodily functions; relationships between husbands and wives, parents and children, and neighbors; observing special days; crime and punishment; and a whole lot more.
Yahweh1 Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness
[1] See the companion article “Who is Jehovah?” for an explanation of why I will use Yahweh rather than Jehovah except in quoted material. This name for God, Yahweh Tsidkenu, is used only two times in Scripture, both in the book of Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD [YHWH], “when I will raise…
Yahweh Sabaoth– The Lord of Hosts
The name Yahweh Sabaoth first appears in 1 Samuel 1:3, where it is translated Lord Almighty. We are told that Elkanah, who would later give birth to Samuel, every year “went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh.” In different contexts, the word translated “host” is used to…
Yahweh Shalom – The Lord is Peace
As our story opens, Israel is not at peace. In fact, they are being so oppressed they are hiding in caves. Little wonder that our hero, Gideon, voices that age-old question: (to paraphrase) “If there is a God, why are we in so much trouble?” But let’s back up. There is a pattern that repeats…
Yahweh Nissi – The Lord My Banner
Let’s put this in context. The Israelites has already experienced a miraculous escape through the Red Sea. They had already seen God turn bitter water sweet. Only a short time before this, while they were in the Desert of Sin, God had begun to provide daily bread and meat (manna and quail) for them. But…
Yahweh Rapha* – The Lord Who Heals You
“He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the LORD [YHWH] your God [Elohim] and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals…
Yahweh-Jireh – The God Who Sees
We all know the story. Abraham has finally, at the age of 100, had the son God promised to him so many years before. It had been a long, long wait with many pitfalls along the way. Finally, Abraham could sit back and relax. His future looked secure. Ah, but God! “Some time later God…
El Roi – The God Who Sees Me
The idea of a God who is all-seeing is common in Scripture, but the name El Roi is used only one time, and that by Hagar. Remember that Sarai tried to fulfill God’s promise of a son by offering her servant Hagar to Abram. But once Hagar became pregnant, the relationship between Hagar and Sarai…