Issuu

JAMES BURN

I Am

The identity, passion and mission of God, revealed through forty different names He is known by in pages of the Bible “The name of the LORD is a strong tower. The righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10, NIV) Page 1

I Am Yahweh

- I Am who I Am -

“Moses said to God, ‘Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?’ God said to Moses, ‘I am who I am’. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you’.” (Exodus 3:13 – 14, NIV)

The background

God’s personal name – Yahweh – was considered so holy, it was too sacred to be uttered. Instead, Jews would substitute the word LORD, which meant ‘sir’ or master’. When it was written down by the Scribes, it was written as YHWH, without the vowel points. They did this to notify the reader not to pronounce God’s sacred name, but to substitute either the word LORD, or the more general word for God, which is Adonai. Writing this down, Scribes would use the vowel points for Adonai and the letters YHWH (Yod-hey-vav-hey). If someone were to try to pronounce the vowels for the substitute word along with the four Hebrew letters that comprise God’s proper name, they would

A lot of people make promises they can’t deliver on, don’t they? Politicians do it regularly, children promise to be good, adults promise to love each other for ever, products promise complete satisfaction. No promise is unbreakable or completely trustworthy, though, which is something that we learn to our cost as we grow older and experience more in life. Situations change, people change, circumstances change. But what if the one making the promise never changed? What if He chose His name to describe His character? I AM WHO I AM can also be read as: I WILL BE WHO I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN. God is just constitutionally incapable of changing; our confidence in Him may increase and decrease depending on the economy or the job prospects or the bad news from the doctor, but He remains absolutely steadfast –

Page 2

I Am

Yahweh - I Am who I Am -

“I am the Lord and I change.” (Malachi 3:6, NLT)

The background come up with ‘Yehowah’, or, in its more usual form, Jehovah. Yahweh, the personal name of God, was revealed to Moses at the burning bush. It comes from the Hebrew verb ‘to be’. He is the source of everything that is in existence… nothing exists without Him.

not

The promises He makes to us are always couched in eternal terms, for example: • “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT) • “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT) Do you have times when you start to doubt God? When you begin to think that, maybe, He has forgotten you, or that He is incapable of helping you in the situation you are in? We may feel that, but God is incapable of being like that; He is unchangeable, utterly reliable, completely dependable. He has looked after you in the past and, in your current time of need He says, “I will be who I have always been”. So take heart today – you are not merely the victim of circumstances, you are held firmly in the hand of the one who NEVER changes – “He is the same yesterday, today and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8, NLT)

Page 3

Jehovah   Am Jireh

- God will provide -

“Abraham named the place, ‘The LORD Will Provide’ This name has now become a proverb: ‘On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.” (Genesis 22:14, NLT)

The background The setting for this verse – and the story behind God revealing this name – is that Abraham had been promised by God that he would not only have a son, but would become the father of many nations (Genesis 17: 4 – 5). And yet, all these years later, he still only had one son… and now God was telling him to use that one son, Isaac, as a sacrifice in an act of worship on Mount Moriah! Abraham acts in obedience to this, but just as he is about to sacrifice Isaac, God stops him and points out that that was just a test, and that He had, in fact, provided a ram for the sacrifice. A literal translation of Yahweh Jireh is ‘Yahweh will see’, or ‘Yahweh will see to it’. In other words, when

Page 4

Jehovah   Am Jireh - God will provide -

The background

“I am the Lord and I change.” (Malachi 3:6, NLT)

God sees a need, He provides, and as one of the attributes of God is that He is all-seeing (omniscient), we can be sure that He never overlooks a need.

not

The promise He makes to us are always couched in eternal terms, for example: • “I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT) • “I will never, never fail you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, NLT) Do you have times when you start to doubt God? When you begin to think that, maybe, He has forgotten you, or that He is incapable of helping you in the situation you are in? We may feel that, but God is incapable of being like that; He is unchangeable, utterly reliable, completely dependable. He has looked after you in the past and, in your current time of need He says, “I will be who I have always been”. So take heart today – you are not merely the victim of circumstances, you are held firmly in the hand of the one who NEVER changes – “He is the same yesterday, today and forever!” (Hebrews 13:8, NLT)

Page 5

Jehovah   Am Rophe

- I Am the LORD who heals you -

"If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and laws, then I will not make you suffer the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you." (Exodus 15:26, NLT)

The background The title ‘Jehovah Rophe’ means The LORD who heals. What does this healing refer to? To get an understanding of this, we need to understand the context of the LORD’S statement. Moses had led the Israelites out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. Their euphoria began to wear a bit thin when they then had to go three days without water, but then they finally arrived at a place called Marah. Marah is about 40 miles south of the modern town of Suez, and bitter springs are there to this day. When the people realised that the water they had been really looking forward to was, in fact, undrinkable, they turned on Moses. Moses cried out to the LORD, and Yahweh showed

The name, Jehovah Rophe, points us to God meeting us at our point of need, whether that be physical, spiritual or emotional, and offering us healing. The key to receiving that healing is being in a real relationship with Him – for the Jews that meant being obedient to the Law, but for us Christians, that means receiving Jesus Christ into our lives and being obedient to what He reveals in the Bible. But the state of the water at Marah reflected the mood of the Israelites. They were bitter at the suffering they were experiencing. They felt that God had let them down, that His promises could not be trusted. How often is that the case for us when we need healing or restoration, physically, emotionally or spiritually? We cry out to God and yet He doesn’t seem to hear or to do anything about it.

Page 6

Jehovah   Am Rophe

- I Am the LORD who heals you -

The background

Moses a tree, which, when cast into the springs, made the waters sweet. It was then that the LORD made the promise recorded above. The Hebrew word Rophe is the verb ‘to heal’, ‘to restore’ or ‘to cure’ and it implies spiritual, emotional and physical healing. God’s promise was to bring healing, body, soul and spirit to his people as they chose to live in covenant relationship with Him, being obedient to Him, listening to Him and doing all that He commanded. Healing, therefore, is linked to relationship and trust – there are no records of Israel having doctors or any great medical traditions. When people were sick in whatever way, they cried out to Jehovah Rophe

It’s easy to let bitterness creep in. But in those situations – just as with the Israelites when they arrived at Marah - God’s call to us is to hang on to Him and to His promises; to not let go of them or give up on Him. The breakthrough does not always come easily or quickly, but God puts His name to the promise of restoration and healing. After the temporary solution to the drinking water situation at Marah, the LORD leads them on to Elim, “…where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees.” (Exodus 15:27, NLT). Elim was a place of abundance; a place that was, in fact, just three miles down the road from Marah! If you are struggling at Marah right now, wondering if God cares, if he really does heal, hold onto this truth: Elim is on the map! “Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NLT). Your restoration is on God’s map!

Page 7

Jehovah   Nissi Am

- The LORD is my banner -

“Moses built an altar there and called it ‘The LORD is my banner’” (Exodus 17:15)

The background The Israelites had experienced the bitterness of Marah, where there was a lack of drinking water, and had seen how God was able to turn those bitter waters sweet. They had moved on to the abundance of Elim (Exodus 15), and had moved from there in to the desert of Sin, arriving there a month after leaving Mount Sinai. Here they experienced a lack of food, and God’s miraculous provision of manna (Exodus 16). Then they moved on, eventually arriving at a place called Rephidim (Exodus 17:1). ‘Rephidim’ literally means rests, but they found no rest there – first there was no water (God’s solution: he made Moses strike a rock, out of which water flowed)

The sight of Moses, up on that hill, with his hands raised must have been an inspiration to the Israelites as they fought the Amalekites down below. They realised that Moses was standing as a physical representation of the LORD and, as Romans 8:31 puts it, “If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” hey were filled with courage, confidence, and the power of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the Hebrew word nissi comes from nes, which means lofty, an elevation, and I, which means mine. Yahweh, my elevation… Yahweh, the one who lifts me up, above the problems that threaten to overwhelm me, to give me a different perspective on my troubles. Centuries later, the LORD acted as Jehovah Nissi to Elishs servant, when the two of them were in a very difficult situation:

Page 8

Jehovah   Am Nissi The background

and then, the Israelites experienced a new threat: attack from the Amalikites. This was the first time they had experienced attack from other people, and it wasn’t just a one-off battle. The Greek for ‘fight’ in Ex. 17:8 is in the imperfect tense…i.e. it was an ongoing action. They were being worn down by continual attacks. Moses instructed the Israelites to have a decisive battle with the Amalekites, during which he would stand on a hill and raise his hands, which he did, causing the battle to go in favour of the Israelites. Moses then built an altar in that place calling it ‘The LORD Is My Banner’ – the banner being God’s authority, which, when raised, demonstrated the presence and power of God.

- The LORD is my banner -

“Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!" The Lord opened his servant's eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire.” (2 Kings 6:17, NLT) When we are faced with daunting, scary situations, we have two options: to allow ourselves to be transfixed by the enemy in front of us, or to allow God to elevate us… to be Jehovah Nissi to us, and give us a fresh perspective on just who is really in charge here. The Amalekites, being Israel’s first adversaries since escaping from the Egyptians, are generally understood as being representative of all evil forces opposed to God’s people throughout all the ages. God’s promise: “I will blot out every trace of Amalek from under heaven” (Exodus 17:14, NLT). Whatever opposition you face, God has authority over it and promises to elevate you to the position of being able to gain His perspective; NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST YOU WILL PROSPER! So lift your eyes - be elevated - see that God’s banner is unfurled over the battle that YOU are facing right now!

Page 9

Jehovah   Am M’Kaddesh

- The LORD who makes you holy -

“Keep all my laws and obey them, for I am the Lord, who makes you holy” (Leviticus 20:8, NLT)

The background The word M’Kaddesh in its various forms appears almost 700 times in the Old Testament. At its simplest, it means separating or setting apart, and just by the number times the word appears we can see that it is a major theme in the Bible. It comes from the Hebrew word, qadash, which means sanctify, holy, dedicate, consecrate, sanctuary or hallow. In the New Testament, Jesus continues this theme in the Lord’s Prayer – “Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). The LORD is utterly separate; there is no one like Him. This is so well summed up by Paul: “He alone can never die, and he lives in light so brilliant that no human can

God’s desire is that we become holy, and He is committed to accomplish that in our lives – he has already revealed that it is He who makes us holy. As mentioned above, everything he touches becomes holy; a life, once touched by the saving power of Jesus Christ becomes set apart for His purposes. Why, then, is becoming holy a process, not a once-for-all event? Because we struggle to hand over crucial areas of our lives – and keep them handed over – to the LORD for Him to get hold of and enable that area of our life to ‘grow into’ what has already been declared over our whole life. We look for alternative approaches to holiness: if I try harder to be better; if I cut myself off from anything that might tempt me or taint me; if I compare myself to someone else who is doing worse than me. Or we mistake holiness for perfection and see it as being way beyond what we

Page 10

Jehovah   Am M’Kaddesh

- The LORD who makes you holy -

The background approach Him. No one has ever seen Him, nor ever will. To Him be honor and power forever. Amen.”(1 Timothy 6:16, NLT). Consequently, to grow in a relationship with Him, we need to become holy; we need to become like Him. "Say this to the entire community of Israel: You must be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy.” (Leviticus 19:2, NLT). Everything God touches He makes holy – we cannot make ourselves holy. Neither do we become holy as a one-off event. When we are born again we are set aside (declared holy) in the sight of God, and we spend the rest of our lives here on earth ‘growing into’ that declaration.

could imagine achieving, and so give up. But to be made holy is about the ongoing process of offering each area of our lives to the LORD and inviting Him to be –and remain – Lord over that area. It is giving Him access and allowing Him to decide the priorities for this particular area of life. And every time we try to snatch back that area; maybe our time, our thought life, our future, our priorities, etc; we need to confess that we have and make a fresh decision to once again let Him get His hands on it. He makes holy everything that He touches, because He is absolutely Holy. So, holiness is not about more effort, more removing ourselves from this world; it is about more submission, more trust and more self-awareness. “Test me, O LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind; for your love is ever before me, and I walk continually in your truth.” (Psalm 26:2 – 3, NIV). As you pray this prayer today, what area is the LORD challenging you to submit to Him afresh, in order to continue your growth in holiness?

Page 11

I Am

Jehovah Shalom

- The LORD is peace -

“And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it ‘The LORD is Peace’.” (Judges 6:24, NLT)

The background The word shalom comes from the Hebrew word Shalem, which means complete or sound. The literal translation of Jehovah Shalom is ‘Lord, send peace”. The context of this, the one and only time in the Old Testament that God is called Jehovah Shalom, is that the LORD, in the form of an angel, came and visited Gideon and promised that he would be the one to go and rescue the Israelites from the Midianites. When Gideon recognises that the person he had seen was an angel of the LORD, he is understandably shaken. He assumes that the result is that he will die. The LORD says to him, “It is alright… do not be afraid. You will not die.” (Joshua 6: 23, NLT)

We tend to equate peace with circumstances… if things around us are going well, then we feel peaceful. However, this is absolutely not the kind of peace that God is offering, either to us or to Gideon. The circumstances of life are far too fickle to leave to the chance that everything around us is just right. To experience true peace, we need to tackle three issues: our own brokenness, our broken relationships with other people and our broken relationship with God. Gideon realised that God was committed to the restoration of all three areas and that led him to erecting the altar to Jehovah Shalom. In which of these three areas do you lack peace right now? Are you at peace with who God created you to be? Can you say, along with St Paul, “By God’s grace, I am what I am…” (1 Corinthians 15:10, Good News Bible)? Are you at peace with other people, or do you need to

Page 12

I Am

Jehovah Shalom

- The LORD is peace -

The background When Gideon realised this, he responded by building an altar and naming it “The LORD is peace” - Jehovah Shalom. What a strange time to see the LORD as having peace at the heart of His character, when He has just committed the Israelites to facing the Midianites in battle! The answer to this lies in realising that shalom, which is translated ‘peace’ 170 times, means ‘whole’, ‘finished’, ‘fulfilled’, ‘perfected’. Consequently, shalom means the kind of peace that comes from being a whole person in right relationship with God and other people. Gideon realised that God was challenging his lack of trust in God, his sense of inferiority in terms of where he stood in relation to other Jews, and his resignation at having to settle for an unjust situation regarding the Midianites lording it over them.

go and make peace, with the power that Jehovah Shalom gives? Are you at peace with God, or have things gone a bit cold and distant of late? Is there sin putting a distance between you and Him? His desire is clear – He reveals Himself as Jehovah Shalom… the LORD is YOUR peace, if you will just let Him. He longs to make whole that which is broken. Give Him the broken pieces today and ask Him to bring His peace.

Page 13

I Am

Jehovah Elohim

- God the Mighty One -

“Listen you kings! Pay attention you mighty rulers! For I will sing to the LORD. I will lift up my song to the LORD, the God of Israel” (Judges 5:3, NLT)

The background

The name Elohim occurs 2570 times in the Old Testament. It is the very first name that is used for God in the Bible – Genesis 1:1 says, “In the beginning God (Elohim)…”. It is the plural form of El, which means Strong One. Elohim is used to convey God as being Creator, Preserver, Transcendent, Mighty and Strong. But why is it plural, when the very core of Judaism is that “The LORD our God, the LORD is one.” (Deuteronomy 2:3, NASB)? For two reasons: in Hebrew, there are two understandings of the plural form of a word: the Majestic plural, denoting status and authority, and the numerical plural, denoting more than one. The plural, Elohim is used to highlight both of these meanings. The one true God is both majestic and three persons in one Godhead.

We so often feel powerless in life. We can buy health insurance but we cannot ensure that we will stay healthy. We can love someone but we cannot protect them from everything that life can throw at them. We can hope for the best, but we can’t protect ourselves from bad things happening. And the fact is, bad things happen to those who trust in God as well as to those who don’t. Judges 5:3, above, is part of a song that Deborah, an Old Testament Judge, sang. She sang it after God had given the Israelites a famous victory over the Canaanites who were, at the time, ‘lording it’ over them. The Israelites were in a bad way; they had abandoned worshipping Yahweh and had begun to worship the Canaanite gods that their neighbours worshipped. But God is a jealous God, who had said to the Israelites many years before this, “You must never worship or bow down to them, for I, the

Page 14

I Am

Jehovah Elohim

- God the Mighty One -

The background

for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not share your affection with any other god!” (Exodus 20:5, NLT)

Right from the very start of the Bible, God, the one and only, is revealed as being a Trinity… three persons in one God. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.

He was not prepared to stand back and have His children go after other gods, so He raised up Deborah to rally the troops and overthrow the Canaanites – one woman who felt as He did, that Jehovah Elohim was all they would ever need and could ever want. She understood that Jehovah Elohim is worthy of all our devotion and worship and praise. He is the Father who loves us, the Son who died for us and the Holy Spirit who empowers us. Who could want for anything more than Jehovah Elohim? In every area of life, in every challenge, in every situation He is utterly and completely powerful. As St Paul says, “Then, when He has conquered all things, the Son will present himself to God, so that God, who gave his Son authority over all things, will be utterly supreme over everything everywhere.” (1 Corinthians 15:28, NLT) The name Jehovah Elohim reminds us that there is no possible need for, or room for, compromise… He is either first in our lives or He is nowhere in our lives.

The word Elohim is used of the voice speaking to Moses from the burning bush, it is used almost exclusively in Jonah, Daniel and Ecclesiastes – throughout the Old Testament the Trinity is, therefore alluded to continually. Jehovah Elohim paints the picture of God as mighty and transcendent awesome in power, worthy of our worship and our obedience.

Page 15

Jehovah   Am Tsidkenu

- The LORD our Righteousness -

“ ‘For the time is coming’, says the LORD, ‘when I will place a righteous Branch on King David’s throne. He will be a King who rules with wisdom. He will do what is just and right throughout the land. And this is His name: The LORD Is Our Righteousness’” (Jeremiah 23:5 - 6, NLT)

The background This name of God comes from the Hebrew word Tsidek, which means straight, stiff, balanced - as on scales - full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent. This word finds its fulfilment when put together with Jehovah… everything the LORD does is right, balanced, straight. His judgments are perfect. The problem that arises from this, of course, is that how can I, a sinner, possibly stand before a completely righteous, absolutely just God?

Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is Jehovah Tsidkenu the LORD, our Righteousness. That means that we who aren’t perfect, can be accepted into God’s family, know that we are saved and have a sure hope of spending eternity with Him. But Jehovah Tsidkenu means more that this… “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21, NASB-U). Not only did God the Father make a judgment on us by looking at His Son’s righteousness and declaring us innocent on that basis… we ourselves have taken on that righteousness in God’s eyes – we have become the righteousness of God. What does that mean and why is it important? Because so many Christians live defeated, guilt-ridden lives, assuming that God is disappointed in them. They believe that they must earn God’s love, or they look at the mess of other people’s

Page 16

Jehovah   Am Tsidkenu

- The LORD our Righteousness -

The background

The answer to this dilemma is that the name, Jehovah Tsidkenu, which is introduced to us in Jeremiah 23:5 – 6, is done so in the context of introducing the Righteous Branch, the King who rules with wisdom; Jesus Christ himself. Of course we are not righteous enough to stand before a completely righteous God; that is why we need to have someone who is to be righteous in our place. Jesus Christ is Jehovah Tsidkenu; He is our righteousness, balancing the scales of justice that we could never hope to balance ourselves.

lives and feel that they deserve God’s love. The truth in, the only people who actually experience and enjoy God’s love are those who understand the Parable of the Prodigal Son and understand why the younger son had a cloak put on him over the dust and the dirt that was there because of his sin. We can understand this by looking at Isaiah 61:10 – “I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me with clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.” (NLT). The younger son was made right; when the father looked at him, he saw someone who was Tsidkenu, righteous, not someone who was covered in the dust and grime of sin. That’s how the Father sees you! You have the robe of righteousness draped on you, and although you may only be able to see the failings and the wrong choices and the weaknesses, God sees His dearlyloved child, wearing a robe of righteousness. Of course He’s not blind to our sin, because He is all-seeing – but He chooses to gaze with faith on our righteousness. If you are a Christian, you wear the robe of righteousness. God loves you, He believes in you!

Page 17

Jehovah   Am Rohi (Raa)

- The LORD our shepherd -

The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name.” (Psalm 23: 1 – 3, NLT)

The background

Although the word rohi appears throughout the Old Testament wherever shepherds or flocks of sheep are mentioned, the expression Jehovah Rohi (Yahweh is my shepherd) is first mentioned in Psalm 23. The word rohi also means friend, or companion. This is a very good description of the relationship a Middle–eastern shepherd has with his sheep. He forms a close bond with each, knowing the names of each of his sheep. He protects the sheep from thieves and preying animals who would devour them at night, by sleeping in the opening of the often makeshift sheepfold and they, sensing his watchfulness, fear 'no evil.' He provides pasture and water even in the wilderness and the presence of enemies and they, casting all their anxiety upon him, are fed.

Psalm 23 does not start by just describing an attribute of God… it starts with the words: ‘The LORD is MY shepherd’. He is MY Jehovah Rophe; He knows MY name and devotes His life to protecting ME. He knows the threats that are out there and He is committed to protecting me from each and every one. Like a shepherd, Jehovah Rophe knows when I need to be stretched and when I need to rest; He renews my strength by letting me rest in green meadows and leading me beside peaceful streams. In John 10, where Jesus likened Himself to a shepherd - not just any shepherd, but The Good Shepherd - His listeners would have immediately understood what He was promising them: protection, wellbeing, a deep, loving, caring relationship, to take responsibility for setting the pace and the direction to get the most out of life. The sheep trusted their shepherd completely Page 18

Jehovah â€Š Am Rohi (Raa)

- The LORD our shepherd -

The background

As author Nathan Stone wrote in his book, "The Names of God": "Everything that the shepherd is to the sheep, Jehovah is to His people. If there can exist such a tender intimacy between a man and sheep, how much more so between Jehovah and the spirits He has created and redeemed; and what a marvelous thing that God should offer Himself for such a relationship. He had said, 'I will dwell among the children of Israel' (Exodus 29:45), and the word dwell is the word Shekinah, denoting His glorious presence. Jehovah as Shepherd offers His people the intimacy of His presence. He may be as intimately known as the shepherd is of the sheep. . . . The intimacy of the shepherd is the most precious privilege and possession of the sheep, and this the Lord's people, as His sheep, should cultivate and enjoy. But it comes only by long and constant association and abiding in His presence."

their very lives depended on the shepherd not letting them down. When Jesus laid claim to being The Good Shepherd, He was making those promises to all who choose to trust Him as their shepherd. Those very same commitments are true for you today. He knows just how to restore your soul and, if you will let Him, thatâ€™s what He wants to do today. Christians always get into difficulties when they decide they are going to take charge of that restoration. The only one who can truly restore the soul is The Good Shepherd; why not let Him act as your shepherd today?

Page 19

Jehovah   Am Shammah

- The LORD is there -

“The distance around the entire city will be six miles. And from that day the name of the city will be ‘The LORD Is There.” (Ezekiel 48:35, NLT)

The background The prophet Ezekiel has just been given a vision of how Jerusalem will, ultimately be, and is then given the name that that city will one day be called, when all the things promised by God have come to pass. The city will be called Jehovah Shammah – the LORD Is There. This is a vision of what the holy city of Jerusalem will one day be like, when Christ has returned to rule from Jerusalem for a thousand years. “I heard a loud shout from the throne saying, ‘Look, the home of God is now among His people’ He will live with them and they will be his people. God himself will be with them”(Revelation 21:3, NLT), the name written over the Church is Jehovah Shammah – the LORD Is There.

“The LORD Is There!’ Has anyone ever said anything like that to you? It would be an odd thing for someone to say, admittedly, but then again, the more apparent the presence and work of God is in our lives, the more likely someone is going to notice! While they might not articulate that ‘something different’ with those words exactly, shouldn’t people notice some difference about us, if we truly do have the living God in our lives? What kind of difference should they be noticing? Surely if ‘The LORD Is There’, then the Fruit of the Spirit should be apparent: “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives, He will produce this kind of fruit in us: live, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23, NLT). If God truly is Jehovah Shammah – if the LORD truly is there, living within us, then the fruit of His presence should be there for people to see. Page 20

Jehovah   Am Shammah

- The LORD is there -

The background Of course, whilst Jehovah Shammah will be gloriously visible for everyone to see when He makes His home in the New Jerusalem, He is often rather less visible in the modern-day Church. How many non-Christians today would point to the Church and say, ‘The LORD is There!’? Just as the LORD will reclaim His holy city, Jerusalem, in the future, so He is seeking to be clearly identified as being right there in the midst of His Church.

The sadness is, His presence is often buried under a pile of rubble; sin, selfishness, jealousy, envy, deceit and so on. What rubble would you say is effectively burying the LORD’s presence in your life? One way of assessing this is to look at the Fruit of the Spirit mentioned above and honestly assess which parts of the fruit are lacking in your life. The rubble is the exact opposite of the fruit that is not apparent. If you would say that the fruit of patience is missing, for example, then you have the rubble of impatience in your life. So, what rubble do you need to get serious about removing with the LORD’s help today, so that people can point in your direction and say, “The LORD Is There!”

Page 21

I Am

Jehovah Sabaoth - The LORD of hosts -

“Therefore the Lord God of hosts, The Mighty One of Israel, declares, "Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries and avenge Myself on My foes.” (Isaiah 1:24, NASB-U)

The background Yahweh Tzva’ot… the Lord God of armies, or hosts is a title of God that reminds us of just how awesome and powerful He really is. He is surrounded by legions of angels who are, in themselves, vastly more powerful that human beings… and yet they spend their time singing ‘Glory to God in the highest…’ (Luke 2:14). Even the archangel Michael does not speak in his own authority, but in the Lord’s name (Jude 9). Within the angelic realm there are Cherubim, who are particularly powerful angels… and yet they are merely God’s chariot, his throne (Psalm 18:10). Hovering around God are truly terrifying angelic beings, called Seraphim.

Just think of the background you have just read, and you will begin to appreciate the truth of this next verse: “ He prayed, "O Lord, God of our ancestors, you alone are the God who is in heaven. You are ruler of all the kingdoms of the earth. You are powerful and mighty; no one can stand against you!” (2 Chronicles 20:6, NLT). This forms part of a prayer that Jehoshaphat was praying, as he was confronted with three large armies that had formed an alliance with the sole purpose of wiping out the Jews in Jerusalem. This was not the desperate cry of the condemned man; this was someone who knew that the God he served and trusted in was Jehovah Sabaoth… The LORD of Hosts! However big the army was coming against the Jews, it was completely insignificant when compared to the Hosts of Heaven. As Paul so rightly said in his letter to the Roman church, Page 22

I Am

Jehovah Sabaoth - The LORD of hosts -

The background In Isaiah 6, when they opened their mouths to praise God, the whole Temple building shook… and yet, with two of their six wings, each Seraph covered its face (Isaiah 6: 2) so that they could not look straight at God. These incredibly powerful Seraphim cry out continually, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty! The whole earth is filled with His glory’ (Isaiah 6:3). These awesome beings, and countless millions of others, form what is known as the Heavenly Hosts, the armies of heaven… and Yahweh is Jehovah Sabaoth… the LORD of hosts.

“What can we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” (Romans 8:31, NLT) DO you have this confidence when you pray about seemingly impossible situations? Or do you reduce the size of God in your mind to the point where you can’t imagine how God could possibly overcome the obstacles that are facing you? JB Phillips, who wrote a translation of the Bible, also wrote a book with a very telling title: YOUR GOD IS TOO SMALL. That is a title that should challenge each one of us today; are we trusting in Jehovah Sabaoth to come to our rescue, or have we made our ‘god’ too small? He is the LORD of the Heavenly Hosts; surely that puts our problems into perspective!

Page 23

Jehovah El   Am Gemolah

- Yahweh, God of recompense -

“Destroying armies come against Babylon. Her mighty men are captured, and their weapons break in their hands .For the LORD is a God who gives just punishment, and he is giving Babylon all she deserves . (Jeremiah 51:56, NLT)

The background The Jews had, largely through their own fault, suffered greatly under the Babylonians. They had lost their land, been taken into captivity, gone from being landowners and even slaver-owners, to having nowhere to call home and being treated as slaves themselves. All of this they brought upon themselves through their refusal to worship God alone. However, although God has allowed the Babylonians to invade the southern kingdom of Judah and carry off the Jews into captivity, He is still a God of justice, and promises to pay back the Babylonians for raising their hand against His Chosen People. This is because of the promise he made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 – “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you”.

Have you ever been unjustly accused of something? It really hurts, doesn’t it? Your words get twisted, your motives get misrepresented, and suddenly you are being accused of something that was just not your fault. This can lead to the desire to lash out, or to try to put the record straight, or maybe to retreat into your shell, resolving to keep yourself to yourself in the future. It can be very damaging to our self-esteem to be on the receiving end of unjust criticism or to be treated in a manner that we just don’t deserve. How do you handle that sort of situation? As we have already seen, God reveals himself as Jehovah Tsidkenu: the God of Righteousness. But more than that, he is Jehovah El Gemolah, the God who is our Recompense. That is to say, he will ensure that those who treat us harshly or unjustly will be paid back; this is something that He will do and only He can do this completely justly and righteously. Page 24

Jehovah El   Am Gemolah

- Yahweh, God of recompense -

The background In Jeremiah 51:56, God promises to recompense – to compensate – the Jews for all the suffering they have gone through at the hands of the Babylonians. He doesn’t forget His promises, even though the people He made those promises to may appear undeserving because of their sin. If His children are mocked and scorned, it is as if it is being done to Him, personally.

That is why He says, “I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it. In due time their feet will slip. Their day of disaster will arrive, and their destiny will overtake them.” (Deuteronomy 32:35, NLT). Have you been wronged? He will compensate you, if you choose not to take matters into your own hand, but, rather leave the matter with Him. “Don't say, ‘I will get even for this wrong.’ Wait for the Lord to handle the matter.” (Proverbs 20:22, NLT)

Page 25

I Am

Jehovah Ezer - The LORD our help -

“Our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield.” (Psalm 33:20, NASB)

The background The Hebrew word for “helper” (ezer) has particularly rich meanings throughout the Old Testament. For example, of the twenty-one times it is used, fifteen times it refers to divine help. Most of these refer to help in times of despair or distress. As his helper (ezer) woman rescues man from his loneliness and delivers him from his solitude. On one occasion when the LORD rescued the Israelites from the Philistines, Samuel chose a large stone and named it Ebenezer (Eben = stone, ezer = help), saying, ‘Up to this point, the LORD has helped us!’ (2 Samuel 7:12, NLT) Ebenezer can also be translated as ‘God has led us this far’. There were many occasions throughout the Old Testament when the Israelites needed to remember that their

Truth be told, we sometimes feel that God is mysteriously absent, just when we need Him the most. We desperately need an answer to prayer, or a sign that will show us which way to go, and there seems to be a deafening silence from heaven. God’s silence is one of the most difficult things to deal with, and it can leave us feeling confused, angry and even rejected. Where is God when we need Him? We have probably all had feelings similar to this at some stage, and that is why it is so important to know that God is called Jehovah Ezer… the LORD our help. Whether we can detect Him or not, He is committed to helping us, to guiding us, to comforting us; this is a description of the Holy Spirit, who is never going to leave us or forsake us. Whether in up font, obvious ways, or in behind-thescenes, quiet ways, the truth is as Samuel put it: “Up to this point, the LORD has helped us!”. One great way to get a right perspective on this is to keep a record of each time the LORD has helped you. Page 26

I Am

The background God had been their helper up to this point, had led them this far, and, therefore, could be trusted to continue to provide for them, guide them and help them. God purposefully reminded them of this by often introducing Himself as ‘The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob’. The name, Jehovah Ezer, finds its fulfilment in the person of the Holy Spirit: "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me…” (John 15:26, NASB – U)

Jehovah Ezer - The LORD our help -

Here’s how the great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, puts it: "Perhaps you have been reduced to such conditions that all you could do was pray. You wrestled at the throne and sought an answer, but it did not come. You used every effort to extricate yourself, but darkness covered your way again and again; you tried until hope vanished. Adding vows to your prayers, you said in agony, “Oh God, if You will deliver me this time, I will never again doubt You.” Look back on the path of your pilgrimage. You may be able to count as many blessings as there are mile markers, blessings piled up with oil poured on them—places where you said, “The Lord has helped me.” Look through your diary to see time after time when perils and demands were so great that no earthly source could help and you felt compelled to witness that there is a God—a God who guides your path and is acquainted with all your ways (Psalm 32:8).". Why not take this great advice, starting today? Page 27

I Am

Jehovah Nakeh

- The LORD who smites -

“I will neither spare you nor pity you. I will repay you for all your detestable practices. Then you will know that it is I , the LORD, who is striking the blow.” (Ezekiel 7:9, NLT)

The background This is the only verse in the Bible where God is described as Jehovah Nakeh – the God who strikes. The word nakeh means to strike, to wound, to defeat, to pierce or to kill. We would much rather not think of this aspect of God, but the fact is, He abhors sin and He demands that we pursue a life of holiness, on the basis that He, Himself, is holy (1 Peter 1:16). The Old Testament gives a multitude of examples of the sins of the Jews resulting in God’s judgments coming upon them. Of course, in the New Testament, we are able to trust in Jesus Christ to pay the price for our sins, but that doesn’t mean that God no longer minds how we live our lives. He still demands holiness from His children, and Psalm 66:18 is still every bit as real today as it has always been:

No one likes discipline at the time; we might applaud the concept of it, but it is never pleasant while it is happening. But all of us who are parents will understand that discipline is often the most loving thing we can give a child, if we want them to grow in a healthy, balanced way. It’s not loving to let them get away with naughty behaviour! God feels the same about us, which is why, just occasionally, he needs to discipline us, to correct us, even to rebuke us. But He always does this lovingly, sensitively and with complete justice. Of course, if we don’t ‘get it’ the first time, He needs to repeat the discipline until we do. The sooner we acknowledge and confess the sin and repent of it, the sooner we can move on in a deeper, more mature relationship with Him. Does He love us any less while he is disciplining us?

Page 28

I Am

The background “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.” Although God takes absolutely no pleasure in disciplining us, He does so because He loves us. Hebrews 12: 5 – 6 even describes this discipline as an encouragement! “And have you entirely forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you, his children? He said, ‘My child, don't ignore it when the Lord disciplines you, and don't be discouraged when he corrects you. For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes those he accepts as his children’” (Hebrews 12: 5 – 6, NLT)

Jehovah Nakeh

- The LORD who smites -

Absolutely not! And there is great rejoicing in heaven the moment we admit where we have gone wrong and repented of it – His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts for a lifetime! How can we know whether the Lord is seeking to discipline us? A great prayer to pray on a regular basis is Psalm 139:23 -24: “Search me, O God and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”. He desires there to be absolutely nothing creating a barrier between you and Him… He loves you, and He loves spending time with you – so why not remove any barriers there might be today?

The wonderful truth is that “His anger lasts for a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime! Weeping may go on all night, but joy comes with the morning.” (Psalm 30:5, NLT). He disciplines us out of love in order to ensure that we continue to grow in a healthy manner. He loves us too much to let us get away with anything less! Page 29

I Am

Jehovah O’Saynu - The LORD our maker -

“Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker, for he is our God” (Psalm 95:6, NLT)

The background Although the name Jehovah O’saynu only appears once in the Bible, the understanding of God as the Maker of all mankind permeates the whole of Scripture, right from the very first verse: ‘In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth’. The universe is seen as His creation, His handiwork. ‘The Lord, your Redeemer and Creator says, ‘I am the Lord, who made all things. I alone stretched out the heavens. By myself I made the earth and everything in it.’” (Isaiah 44:24, NLT) The ‘everything in it’ especially includes you and me, and it was the realisation that God is Jehovah O’saynu that led king David to exclaim, ‘Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvellous – and how well I know it!’ (Psalm 139:14, NLT).

“If only I was more/not so/thinner/ taller/shorter…”. Ever uttered one of those statements? Very few of us are content with ourselves just the way we are. The cosmetic surgery industry is testament to that! Gastric band surgery is on the rise, botox injections, collagen implants - people will often go to great lengths and quite a lot of pain to change the way they are. So, has Jehovah O’saynu got it wrong? Does God our Maker make mistakes? Absolutely not! But He DOES look at us differently to how we look at ourselves. 1 Samuel 16:7 shows us what that difference is “People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions.” That’s not to say that our physical bodies are not important, but that you can’t sum the really important things about someone up their character, their morality, how they behave when under pressure, their compassion, their love for others and so on by external appearances. Page 30

I Am

The background

In saying this, he wasn’t focussing on how wonderful he thought he was, but on how amazing he thought God was; that He who was responsible for making the vastness of space, the billions of galaxies, the conditions to make life on earth possible, could lavish such attention to detail on creating each individual person. Of course, David, in his day, had no idea about just how intricate the human body was. He didn’t know about the composition of cells, the cross-shaped protein called laminin that holds our bodies together, the DNA that stores unique information in a four-digit code that gives each of us our unique character. In fact, the more we learn about how we are made – and how the universe works – the more we realise how impossible it is that it all came about by chance. It is actually far less of a faith statement to look at creation and believe that it was all made by a Divine Maker, than it is to say that it all came about by chance!

Jehovah O’Saynu - The LORD our maker -

We’re reminded that, at the Second Coming, “Our earthly bodies, which die and decay, will be different when they are resurrected, for they will never die. Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory” (1 Corinthians 15:42 – 43, NLT). When Jehovah O’saynu makes us, He has an eye on eternity, on what we will be taking into eternity with Him in heaven. Yes, our physical bodies are an incredibly intricate masterpiece, but they are only a vehicle to get us to Heaven! God made our eternal nature - our character, our personality, our heart, our relationship with Him - with incredible care, knowing that this is what we will be taking to Heaven for all eternity. We spend so much time trying to improve what will pass away in a few years; maybe we should be even more committed to trying to improve that which will last for all eternity!

Page 31

I Am

Adonai - Master, Lord -

“But Moses pleaded with the LORD, ‘O LORD, I’m just not a good speaker. I never have been and I’m not now, even after you have spoken to me. I’m clumsy with words.’ ‘Who makes mouths?’ the LORD (Adonai) asked him. ‘Who makes people so they can speak or not speak, hear or not hear, see or not see? Is it not I, the LORD(Adonai)?” Exodus 4:10 – 11, NLT) The central, most distinctive understanding of God that Christians have is that God is a Trinity – three Adonai is the plural of Adon, persons in one God. This is, of course, meaning ‘Lord, LORD, master or hotly contested by both Judaism and owner’. In the Old Testament, the Islam, who maintain that, in believing in word Adon can refer to men and the Trinity, Christians are denying that angels as well as to the LORD God there is only one God. This, however, is of Israel (Exodus 34:23, for not so – Christians are absolutely adamant example, where ‘men of Israel are that ‘The LORD is our God, the LORD is one’ referred to as Adon). The main text (Deuteronomy 6:4, NASB-U). But almost of the Old Testament is known as every time God is mentioned in the Old the Masoretic Text, because it was Testament, (the Jews call this the Tanakh) compiled by the Masoretes, it is in the plural, and Adonai is a prime groups of scribes and Bible example of this. We worship one God who scholars. These Masoretes ensured is plural, which is the heart of the Trinity. that the sacred name of the LORD Why does God make himself so (Yahweh, or, more properly, complicated? Because the heart of God is YHVH), would not be taken in love, and love is expressed towards vain by putting the vowel marks others; just loving yourself is pretty for Adonai under the Hebrew destructive and self-obsessed! letters YHVH whenever it Because ‘God is love’ (1 John 4:8), He needs appeared in the text. The to express that by being in community – pronunciation of these two words, which is why He created mankind in the as we have already noted, sounds first place. like Jehovah.

The background

Page 32

I Am

The background (The technical word for the sacred Name of God – YHVH – is ‘Tetragrammaton’, which is Greek, meaning ‘consisting of four letters’). The words Adon and Adonai also appear as names of God in the Hebrew Masoretic text in their own right. Jehovah Sabaoth, which we have already looked at in this series, is actually written in the Masoretic text as Adon Adonai Tseva’ot – the Lord GOD of hosts.

Adonai - Master, Lord -

But to express love, and to encourage us to express love to each other, He must first demonstrate love, and the only perfect demonstration of love is to be found in a perfect environment, which is only to be found within the Trinity. Father, Son and Holy Spirit love each other perfectly, and present a perfect example for us to follow in terms of how we are called to relate. Perfect love is described in 1 Corinthians 13 and is demonstrated by Jesus Christ to His disciples. After one such example – when Jesus washed His disciples’ feet – He said, “I have given you an example to follow. DO as I have done to you.” (John 13:15, NLT). For us to truly worship Adonai – the Lord who is three-in-one – we are called to display love in our relationships with each other that reflect the love in the Trinity, a love that honours, that truly wants the best for the other, that delights to serve them. Have you ever thought about it this way – that we are actually worshipping God as we are serving and loving each other? And, conversely, that if we are holding a grudge against someone, then He will not recognise our so-called worship of Him? Who can you display Godly love towards today? Which relationships do you need to at least seek to put right today? Page 33

I Am

El Elyon - God Most High -

“For the Lord Most High (El Elyon) is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.” (Psalm 47:2, NLT)

The background El Elyon – God the Mighty or Awesome One. Literally The Strongest Mighty One. He is supreme over everything. Some people believe in something called Dualism, where God is in a cosmic battle with satan, and sometimes God is winning and at other times, satan is winning. If things are going well for us, this is a sign that God is winning, whereas, when things are going badly for us, satan has got the upper hand. However, El Elyon is the one who sits supreme over all – there is no one like Him. Interestingly, Daniel calls God by the name of El Elyon 12 times in his book. Why would he do this? Because Daniel found himself in the midst of a society that was thoroughly pagan, and everywhere he looked he could see pagan shrines and observe pagan worship.

At this moment around the world, the storm clouds are getting ever-darker around us. Economies, national security, crime, corruption - it is a depressing list! It’s not that easy for a Christian to remain positive and filled with hope in times like these, because it’s about now that our focus begins to slip, and all we can see is the storm all around us. Daniel had the same predicament, and he chose to keep his focus firmly fixed on the truth that God had not lost his grip and was not in retreat. He was and is El Elyon, the LORD Most High. He reigns supreme over all the powers of satan and over all the doom and gloom around us. He is supremely capable of looking after those who keep their eyes and their hope fixed on Him.

Page 34

I Am

El Elyon - God Most High -

The background He was given a name that related to a pagan god, and all this must have left him feeling just overwhelmed, with the temptation to let his confidence in God begin to slip and his focus on worshipping the one, true God become rather distracted. When we spend all day and every day in an environment where values are anything but Christian and everything around us highlights a different value system, it is easy to lose focus on, and confidence in, the one, true God, who is supreme over all. Daniel resisted this temptation by continually reminding himself that his God was El Elyon – the supreme, highest, true God. Our situation is not so dissimilar to the one Daniel faced. We live in a multi-cultural, often pagan society with the temptation to compromise and lose faith and focus on the one, true God. We, too, need to recall continuously, that He is El Elyon – the God Most High.

“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High (El Elyon) your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your dwelling.” (Psalm 91: 9 – 10, NLT). Focus! Focus today, as Daniel did, in the midst of everything that is troubling you on the truth that our God is El Elyon, the one who is Most High!

Page 35

I Am

El Roi - The God who sees -

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” (Genesis 16:13, NASB)

The background El Roi… the God who sees. One of the characteristics of God is that He is all-seeing (omniscient). The context of Genesis 16;13 is that Abram and Sarai were having trouble conceiving, despite the promise given to them by God. So Sarai suggested that Abram have a son by the servant girl, Hagar. This duly happened, Sarai got jealous and Hagar and her son, Ishmael, were cast out into the desert. There the LORD found her and encouraged her, and she responded by acknowledging that He is God Who Sees – El Roi (pronounced ro-ee). She was amazed that God would notice her affliction, but the truth about the One who sees everything is that: “You chart the path ahead of me and tell me where to stop and rest.

Have you ever got to the place of wondering if God has noticed how much you’re struggling? There seems to be no answer to your desperate prayers and no change in your awful situation. Doesn’t God see? Doesn’t He care? The reality is, there is absolutely nothing that escapes His attention and there is absolutely nothing that takes Him by surprise. From the perspective of Heaven, everything is crystal clear, though from our perspective, things can seem very confused: “Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.” (1 Corinthians 13:12, NLT). Remember – whenever a nasty surprise hits us, God saw it coming beforehand.

Page 36

I Am

The background Every moment you know where I am.” (Psalm 139:3, NLT) Of course, as this Psalm goes on to observe, “I can never escape from your spirit! I can never get away from your presence!” (Psalm 139:7, NLT) Sometimes we would prefer it if God was NOT El Roi! There are times when we wish God did not see everything; all our darkest, most sinful thoughts and actions. Thankfully,. He is a God of mercy, who, as we have already seen is most fundamentally defined by love, which is great news, “… for love covers a multitude of sins.” (1 Peter 4:8, NLT)

El Roi - The God who sees -

You may have been caught off-guard by it, but El Roi was not – He saw it all in advance. And, seeing it all in advance, He didn’t just wait for the bombshell to hit you before He started to make plans to see you through this –He already knows in advance all that you need to see you through this situation. So, if He sees it all in advance, why doesn’t He steer you away from nasty surprises? “So be truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold —and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1: 6 - 7, NLT). He really DOES see ALL your distress and He also sees the way through it and the strength and growth that can be yours as a result.

Page 37

I Am El Shaddai

- The all-sufficient one -

“When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); serve me faithfully and live a blameless life.” (Genesis 17:1, NLT)

The background Most translations of the bible translate El Shaddai as God Almighty. This is because the translators of the Septuagint ( the Greek translation of the Old Testament) believed ‘Shaddai’ came from a root verb, ‘shadad’, meaning to overpower or to destroy. However, it can also mean sufficient, or enough… that is the translation of the Hebrew word, dai. Taking both of these understandings, we can see that The LORD is the all-powerful God who is, therefore, able to promise us that there will always be enough. In Exodus 6, where God says that He revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as El Shaddai,, it is in the context of freeing them from slavery. He can do this, because He is allpowerful, in order to bring them to the Promised Land that He was

How amazing to realise that the God we serve is the All-Sufficient One! At a time of economic and political uncertainty, this is certainly very good news. Of course, knowing that this is who He is and living in the light of it are two very different things! In reality, it can be a real struggle to trust that He really IS the All-Sufficient One – especially when we have bills that need paying and we don’t have the money for them. It’s a daily battle to keep firmly focussed on this truth and choose to live in the light of it. Even at the age of 99, Abram was still having to be reminded of this. The LORD had to remind Abraham that He was El Shaddai, and that He had the power to release all the resources Abram needed, provided Abram continued to serve faithfully and live a life that pleased God. Abram’s responsibility was to live a life that pleased God, and God’s commitment was

Page 38

I Am El Shaddai

- The all-sufficient one -

The background going to give them (where there will always be enough, because it is a land flowing with milk and honey). He is a generous God whose promises can be trusted because He is God Almighty. However, as El Shaddai pointed out to Abram, that provision was dependent upon obedience to Him and the commitment to pursue holiness. Abram had to be reminded of this even when he had reached the old age of ninetynine!

to provide for all of Abram’s needs. The promise from El Shaddai is still the same for us – He is Almighty, and so is sufficient for all our needs. He will provide for all our needs as we set our hearts towards serving Him faithfully and living a blameless life. Of course, the other side of that coin is also true: “If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened.” (Psalm 66:18, NLT) We waste so much time worrying about where the resources we need are going to come from, where we are going to find the money to pay the bills, what’s going to happen if… whereas all El Shaddai requires of us is that , as David put it, we have ‘clean hands and a pure heart’ (Psalm 24:4, NLT) and He promises to do the rest!

Page 39

I Am

El Olam - Everlasting God -

“Then Abraham planted a Tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and he worshipped the LORD, the Eternal God at that place” (Genesis 21: 33, NLT)

The background The word Olam means world, universe, everlasting time or space. It presents a picture of God as being timeless, as having always existed and being unaffected by time. Not only is His existence unaffected by time, so is His character. "I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.” (Malachi 3:6, NLT). And yet, although El Olam is unaffected by time or space, He chooses to interact with us, get involved in our lives, even become one of us! The God who does not change is, nevertheless, intimately involved in our ever-changing lives. Why are we told that Abraham worshipped the LORD, El Olam at that place? Because Abraham had just entered into a deal with Abimalech, that

Have you ever been let down by someone? They made a promise to you and you trusted them, you relied on the commitment they made, only to realise, later on, that they have not kept their word? It’s so frustrating, isn’t it? In fact, as Proverbs 25:19 (NLT) puts it, “Putting confidence in an unreliable person is like chewing with a toothache or walking on a broken foot.” That kind of experience can leave you cautious about chewing, or walking, at all! Unreliability is one of the main reasons that relationships fail – if you can’t trust the other person, you can’t have a real relationship. The biggest test of trustworthiness is: can I rely on them to keep their word and to remain consistent in their actions? If you can’t, then there’s not really any future in the relationship. Which is why it is so vital to understand God as being El Olam – the Everlasting God.

Page 40

I Am

The background involved, both of them keeping their word. How could Ablimalech trust Abraham that he would not renege on the deal? Because Abraham worshipped El Olam – the Eternal, everlasting, unchanging God of the universe. When Abraham swore with an oath that he would keep his word, he brought God into the picture… the Eternal God who is not going to forget – or allow Abraham to forget – the promise that had just been made. His promises are eternal, His commitments are eternal… and His memory is eternal. When Abraham promised to honour that agreement in the LORD’s name, it was a promise that would stand for all eternity.

El Olam - Everlasting God -

This doesn’t just refer to how long He’s going to be around (especially as God isn’t defined by time), but how consistent He is. His word is absolutely, consistently, His bond. Which is both great news for us and a real challenge. It’s great news because we can fully trust Him, and it’s a challenge, because He expects us to have the same attitude that He has. He expects us to let our ‘yes’ be ‘yes’ and our ‘no’ be ‘no’ (James 5:12). Are you a person who is known for their trustworthiness? When you make a promise, do you do all you can to keep it? When you commit to starting something, do you go the extra mile to see it through? We follow an everlasting, eternal, ‘as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be’ God, who expects trustworthiness, dependability, reliability from us… in our personal lives, in our business dealings, in our relationships with both Christians and non Christians – El Olam sets the standard and expects us to follow!

Page 41

El Elohei Am Israel

- God, the God of Israel -

“ And there he built an altar and called it El-Elohe-Israel.” (Genesis 33:20, NLT)

The background Israel – literally, ‘One who struggles with God’ – was the new name given to Jacob by the LORD Himself (Genesis 32:28). This came after the night-long struggle with the angel of the LORD, at the end of which, the angel touched Jacob’s thigh, putting the hip out of joint. Why had Jacob been struggling with God? This mysterious encounter happened as Jacob (which means cheater or deceiver) was on his way back to his brother who, many years before this, he had cheated out of his inheritance. He was returning to face the music. His struggle with God was really indicative of the struggle going on within him between what he naturally tended to do – cheat and steal – and what God wanted for his life. At the end of this night-long struggle, God said, "Your name will no longer be Jacob,"

Our greatest struggles often come just before our greatest breakthroughs. For Jacob, his struggle with God – which was really his struggle with his sinful nature versus God’s plan for his life – led to a much deeper, more trusting, more joyful relationship with the LORD. He went on from that struggle to set up an altar that proclaimed: “God… you’re MY God!” Jacob’s experience of struggle, where he chose, for the fist time in his life not to run away, but to stand firm and cling on to God led to that breakthrough in his relationship with the LORD, just like it does for us. It sounds like a cliché to say that the night is always darkest just before the dawn, but there is a lot of truth in it in terms of our ongoing relationship with the LORD. The times of intense struggle, where all we can do is to hang on tightly to the LORD can lead us to a wonderful breakthrough in that relationship. When everything within us cries out to just return to our tried and tested ‘comfort rags’, but we choose Page 42

El Elohei Israel Am

- God, the God of Israel -

The background

the man told him. "It is now Israel, because you have struggled with both God and men and have won." (Genesis 32:28, NLT). Having faced and stood firm in this titanic struggle, during which he said, ‘I will not let you go unless you bless me!’ (Genesis 32:26, NLT), Jacob (now called Israel) moved into a period of great blessing. He repaired the broken relationship with his brother, he returned back to the Promised Land, he had the opportunity to buy some land, which he did, and he built an altar on it, calling it, ‘El Elohe Israel’. Remember that Jacob had just been renamed ‘Israel’ by the LORD – he was saying here that, whereas he had previously had a difficult and distant relationship with the LORD, now, as a result of clinging on to God during that struggle, he could proclaim that the LORD was HIS God – God, the God of Israel!

instead, to cling tightly to the LORD and His promises, then, when the breakthrough comes, we find that we are far closer to Him than ever. Are you tempted to just fall back on what has, in the past, brought you comfort? Are you in a real struggle, with the desire to do the right thing beginning to give way to the longing for that old coping mechanism, whatever it might be? If you just hold on, cling to the LORD and His promises, resisting the urge to fall back into old patterns of thinking and behaviour, you WILL find what Jacob found… a far greater, far deeper, far more satisfying relationship with the LORD. Don’t give up! Keep clinging to Him!

Page 43

Elah Sh’maya Am V’Arah

- God of Heaven and Earth -

“ We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago by a great king of Israel.” ” (Ezra 5:11, NLT)

The background The book of Ezra charts the rebuilding of the Temple, after the Jews have returned home from captivity in Babylonia. Although they had been given permission by King Darius of the MedoPersian empire, not only to rebuild the wall under the direction of Nehemiah, but to rebuild the Temple that lay in ruins, they had come up against some severe local opposition. When Xerxes was in power, and after that when Artaxerxes was in power, the people living in the land of Judah opposed any rebuilding work, because they saw it as a sign that the Jews were beginning to reassert themselves. They wrote misleading letters, they did all they could to assassinate the character of the Jews, and they succeeded in getting the work on the Temple stopped for a time, until, during the reign of Darius, the Jews started rebuilding again.

Sometimes it can seem like this for us, can’t it? People get at us for no apparent reason, they’re rude,, offensive, what they say about us is, at best, misleading, and sometimes bordering on the slanderous; and other people seem to listen to them and be taken in by them! That kind of situation can leave us feeling isolated, misunderstood, hurt and that either we want to just give up, or that we want to get revenge. The response of the Jews when they found themselves in that situation is very helpful for us. They did two things: they clarified whose approval was really important to them (‘We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth’), and they restated their determination not to get sidetracked into trying to unravel all the lies, by restating that the one thing they are determined to do is live a life that honours God and fulfils what He has called them to do (“…and we ARE rebuilding the Temple that was built here many years ago…’). Page 44

Elah Sh’maya Am V’Arah

The background

The same old opposition immediately sprang up, with letters being sent to Darius, demanding that he get the Jews to stop immediately. But this time, Darius supported the Jews (Ezra 6:1 – 2) and the building work continued. The Jews finally triumphed, although along the way, they experienced one frustration after another, with everyone and everything seeming to be against them. Why was every step so difficult for them? Why did they have so many enemies and so few friends? They must have felt small and isolated, and rather persecuted by everyone around them. In the midst of all of this, they made a crucial declaration: “We are the servants of the God of heaven and earth, and we are rebuilding the Temple…” (Ezra 5:11, NLT). What God has called us to do, we WILL do, and even if everyone is against us, we will do it, because He is the God of Heaven and Earth… he rules over the entire universe, all that is, both spiritual and natural. No weapon formed against us shall prosper!

- God of Heaven and Earth -

So long as we are right with the God of heaven and earth, then “ I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:11, NLT). He is the God of heaven and earth; if we are in a right relationship with Him, we need not be fearful of what others say about us… Elah Sh’maya V’Avrah is able to sort everything (and everyone) else out. He vindicated the Jews (Ezra 6:13 – 15) and He WILL vindicate you!

Page 45

I Am HaKaddosh

- The Holy One -

“ ‘To whom will you compare me? Who is my equal?’ asks the Holy One ” (Isaiah 40:25, NLT)

The background The LORD is the one set apart as utterly perfect and unique, utterly transcending the realm of the finite, the fallen, the imperfect. Only God is worthy of worship, for He alone is holy. The most common name that Orthodox Jews have for the LORD is Hakkadosh Barukh Hu (‘The Holy One, blessed be He’). In the Bible, sinful people and sin itself is referred to as the sea. Hence “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone” (Revelation 21:1, NLT). There is absolutely no sin in the presence of God. There can be no sin in the presence of holiness, just as there can be no darkness in the presence of light (1 John 1:5), and that is why the LORD said to Moses, “But you may not look directly at my face, for no one may see me and live." (Exodus 33:20, NLT)

We all struggle with thoughts and actions that are anything but holy. We read God’s demand that we must be holy and our hearts sink; how could we possibly be holy like God is holy? The more we’re honest about our motives and our thoughts, words and deeds, the more we’re aware of the gap that exists between us and the state of holiness that God wants for our lives. Where would we start? Romans 12:2 gives us that starting point: “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (NIV). Our lives are shaped by our thoughts. The more our minds are set apart for the sole use of God – in other words, the more our minds are made holy – the more our lives become holy. A mind that is under the control of the Holy Spirit understands sin the same way God does, has a Godly motivation to avoid that sin and a Godly passion to follow Philippians 4:8 - “Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Page 46

I Am HaKaddosh

- The Holy One -

The background

And yet… this utterly holy God chose to do the unthinkable. He stepped into our sinful, very unholy world. Even though He is Hakkadosh, He did this, the most opposite thing to His nature imaginable, because something more important was at stake: rescuing us. And having stepped into our unholy world, Hakkadosh makes the challenge: “But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God – who chose you to be His children – is holy. For He Himself has said, ‘You must be holy because I am holy” (1 Peter 1: 15 – 16, NLT). How can we be holy, though? How can we be completely separate from sin, as God is completely separate from sin? The answer, of course, is that we can’t… at least, not by our own efforts. All that is holy and good within us is the work of the Holy Spirit… our part in this is to give more and more of our lives over to the Holy Spirit, so that He can reclaim those areas and set them apart for service to God.

Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” (NLT). Our level of holiness tends to follow what our minds are dwelling upon, hence the need for the daily habit to submit our minds to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has stepped into this unholy world to draw us into a holy life, and that transformation starts with the mind. Are you in the practice of fixing your mind on what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable? It’s the only true path to a life of holiness – a life spent in relationship with Hakkadosh. Start making it a habit today!

Page 47

I Am EL Shaphat

- God the Judge -

“ For the LORD is our judge, our law-giver, and our king. He will care for us and save us” (Isaiah 33:22, NLT)

The background The basis of Israel being a nation – the giving of the Torah, or the Law, beginning with the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai (Exodus 20) – reveals God as being a Covenant-making God. Having made (or, more properly, cut) a covenant with the Israelites via Moses, He expects them to stick to it and judges them on the basis of it. Whilst Isaiah 33:22 is absolutely true, the problem for the Jews was that they presumed that they tended to interpret ‘The LORD is our judge’ (the LORD is El Shaphat) as ‘The LORD is the Judge who is on our side and will judge others’. They failed to appreciate that they, too, would be judged by a holy God. As Paul said many centuries later to the Galatian church: “I'll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey all of the regulations in the whole law of Moses.” (Galatians 5:3, NLT) How, then can a Righteous Judge

On what basis will our deeds be judged as righteous in God’s sight? Not on how successful the outcome has been (only God who sees everything can know the true outcome). Neither will it be according to how busy we’ve been (after all, we can be very busy doing the wrong things!) God judges with different scales. “ The Lord doesn't make decisions the way you do! People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at a person's thoughts and intentions." (1 Samuel 16:7, NLT). Honestly seeking to do what the LORD calls us to do, wanting the glory to go to Him and trusting in His guidance and provision - that’s what stores up treasure in Heaven and causes El Shaphat to say, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant!’ (Matthew 25:23).

Page 48

I Am EL Shaphat

The background

- God the Judge -

avoid the inevitable conclusion that everyone is guilty? By allowing His innocent Son to carry the punishment for us not being able to live a life of perfection. However, that does not mean that Christians will not be judged. Although, if our names are written in the Book of Life we will be saved (the opposite of Revelation 20:15), we will still be judged for what we have done in our lives. Have we fulfilled the purposes of God? Have we been faithful? “But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone's work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.” (1 Corinthians 3: 13 – 15, NLT). That time of judgement is called the Great White Throne judgement (see Revelation 20:11 – 15). El Shaphat will judge with absolute fairness, righteousness and insight, and those who have been found ‘faithful in handling this small amount’ (Matthew 25:23) will receive their just reward in heaven. Page 49

All the times we are faithful in serving the LORD with a right heart, not seeking personal recognition or the applause of others - those are the deeds that build our treasure in Heaven. Thank God that our salvation is secure. Lord, help us now to build our treasure in Heaven!

I Am

El Kanno

- The LORD whose name is Jealous -

“You must never worship or bow down to them (idols), for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, who will not share your affection with any other god!” (Exodus 20:5, NLT)

The background This is, perhaps, one of the more surprising names of God. How can a perfect, all-powerful, nothing-lacking God have such a petty emotion as jealousy? Surely jealousy spoils a relationship, making it something to be repented of? When used as a descriptive word of God, however, it is stripped of its negative pettiness. Kanno needs to be understood in the context of passion, complete commitment, like a bridegroom, watching over his bride. It speaks of the LORD’s complete and utter commitment to us and His desire to have an exclusive, wholehearted relationship with us. It reveals that, far from being a dispassionate force in the universe, God is a passionate, caring, loving, protective Father.

Why would God have a problem with sharing our affection (Exodus 20:5)? Does He feel threatened? Or does He fear that, having tasted a relationship with other ‘gods’, we will prefer them to Him? The reason is that He knows, as Augustine of Hippo (354 – 430 AD) once put it, “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you”. God knows that a moment apart from Him is a moment that we will come to regret when we are in Heaven and can see our lives with absolute truth and clarity. He knows that we are only hurting ourselves when we follow after other gods.

Page 50

I Am

El Kanno

- The LORD whose name is Jealous -

The background

Unlike with us, of course, this doesn’t lead Him to making rash decisions. He is absolutely fair and right in all His judgements. It does mean, however, that His entire motivation is for our wellbeing, and He knows that only 100% allegiance to Him will lead us into ‘life in all its fullness’. Consequently, He is not content to settle for anything else.

They may promise much, but only the LORD has the words of eternal life; only He can fulfil us and provide for us and satisfy us. No wonder He is El Kanno! What other gods do we run after today? The names may have changed since Bible times, but the deception stays the same. These ‘gods’ are still whatever we think we need in order to ensure safety, security, prosperity and comfort. Christians still run after these things, all the while proclaiming that they love and trust God. But God wants us to really trust Him and then rest secure, rather than trust Him and then worry anyway! When hard times hit, He wants us to commit our way to Him and then truly trust that He will provide for all our needs. His jealousy is not a stifling, petty thing, it is a passionate declaration of His immense love for us, and a promise that He is able to provide ALL that we need… indeed, ‘“…infinitely more than all we could ever dare to ask or hope.” (Ephesians 3:20, NLT). He is passionate about being number 1 in your life!

Page 51

I Am

Tsemach - The Branch -

“Soon, I am going to bring my servant, the Branch” (Zechariah 3:8, NLT)

The background The Branch is a Messianic title; it prophetically looks ahead to Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Those hearing Zechariah’s prophecy would, no doubt, have recalled what the LORD had already said through Isaiah: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” (Isaiah 11:1, NIV). The stump of Jesse speaks of the remnant that is left after disobedience resulted in the Jews being exiled in Babylon. God would start again with the faithful remnant – there is always a faithful remnant, even if that is just one family (see Genesis 6 and Genesis 18:32 – 33) – and bring new life from a new start. The new start is symbolised by a shoot coming from the stump, and from that remnant will come One who will bear fruit. Zechariah was prophesying at the end of the Exile,

The Branch came out of the stump, or remnant of the tribe of Jesse, who was the father of David. That Branch came from very humble origins – the mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds – but grew to ‘branch out from that place’… i.e., he started in obscurity , but is now seated in glorious splendour at the right hand of God. Why would God the Father cause this Branch to have such small, inconsequential beginnings? He once told Zerubbabel, “Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin…” (Zechariah 4:10, NLT)

Page 52

I Am

Tsemach - The Branch -

The background

as the Jews were beginning to look to return to the Promised Land and rebuilding the Temple and Jerusalem. God was starting again, with a remnant. But from that remnant would grow a Branch. “Tell him this is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from this place and build the temple of the LORD.” (Zechariah 6:12, NIV) Although this prophecy is originally directed towards the man Josiah, son of Zephaniah, it finds its fulfilment in being applied to Jesus Christ. “It is he who will build the Temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed in majesty and will sit and rule on his throne.” (Zechariah 6:13, NIV). Why is He referred to as a Branch? “Here is another illustration Jesus used: ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter in its branches.’” (Matthew 13:31 – 32, NLT). He is the one we can come to in order to find shelter and safety. As an added twist, the Hebrew for branch is necer, which is of the same Hebrew root as Nazareth.

Page 53

I Am

Palet - Deliverer -

“The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer (palet), My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Psalm 18:2, NASB)

The background The LORD is described many times in the Old Testament as The Deliverer, or the Rescuer. He has always heard the cries of the oppressed and is moved to rescue them (e.g. “For the Lord hears the cries of his needy ones; he does not despise his people who are oppressed.” (Psalm 69:33, NLT)). He rescued the Israelites from captivity in Egypt, He rescued them again and again, whenever they were threatened by other nations; He rescued them when, through their own sin they went into exile in Babylon, and He rescued us by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to be our Saviour. Jesus is accorded the title Deliverer in Romans 11:26 – “And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: ‘The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob.” (NIV). The word Deliverer implies a destination;

Have you ever thought you had moved on from, or gained victory over, a particular sin, only to find yourself committing that very same sin again? It can be so discouraging, can’t it? And it can cause you to wonder if anything really has changed in your life. Have you just been fooling yourself when you believed that there has been growth in your spiritual life? Can a leopard really change its spots, after all? This echoes the first four words satan is recorded as having said in the Bible – ‘Did God really say…?’ (Genesis 3:1). But in future when we hear those accusing, undermining words being whispered in our ears, we will be able to say, ‘Yes, God really DID say! The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer.’ The truth is, He has delivered you out of the darkness where you were before you became a Christian,

Page 54

I Am

Palet - Deliverer -

The background we are not just taken out of, we are delivered to. We are not just saved from, we are saved for. We are delivered from the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of Light. Accepting Jesus Christ as your Palet is not like taking out an insurance policy that you hope you will never need to use, it is saying ‘yes’ to being delivered into the Kingdom of God, making yourself freely available to serve the LORD. That is why Paul described himself four times as a servant of Christ Jesus. (Romans 1:1; 15:16; Colossians 4:12; 1 Timothy 4:6). Jesus Christ delivers us out of darkness and into the freedom of being equipped and prepared to serve Him, for His glory and our fulfilment.

and He is continuing to deliver you out of the darkness that still persists in your soul. He is the rock that we can cling to when all around us is the sinking sand of satan’s discouraging lies, and He is the fortress in which we can find refuge when satan is attacking our self-esteem and our confidence in God. The LORD is your palet – your Deliverer – and when we start to feel the confidence in that delivery process eroded, remember: you have been delivered and you are being delivered… and each time you are delivered from an area of bondage in your life, you are more available to serve Him. He is committed to this process of delivery. “And now, all glory to God, who is able to keep you from stumbling, and who will bring you into his glorious presence innocent of sin and with great joy.” (Jude 1:24, NLT). That’s the promise of Jehovah Palet to YOU!

Page 55

I Am

El Gibhor - Mighty God -

“For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. And the government will rest on his shoulders. These will be his royal titles: Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God (El Gibhor), Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6, NLT)

The background This verse points prophetically to the coming Messiah and to His various roles. He will be the Wonderful Counsellor… the Spirit of Jesus (see Philippians 1:19) , living within us, leading us into all truth John 16:13). He will be Mighty God (El Gibbhor), the powerful and mighty warrior of Revelation 19:15 – “From His mouth came a sharp sword, and with it He struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod and He trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God.” He will be Everlasting Father, fulfilling the promise of John 10:30 …”The Father and I are one”. He will be the Prince of Peace, the one who brings God’s peace into our lives and into this world. The title ‘El Gibhor’, like everything else in the Bible, needs to be understood in the context that we find it.

This verse (Isaiah 9:6) is an amazing, prophetic verse, pointing us to the Trinity – Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counsellor, who, together, are one, Mighty God. The Trinity isn’t just something that Christians made up to enable them to worship Jesus; the Trinity is prophetically foretold in the Old Testament (for Jews, the Old Testament – their ‘Bible’ - is called the Tanakh). Mighty God – El Gibhor – refers, as we have already seen, to the way in which the LORD will judge the nations during His millennial reign on earth. Even a very quick glance at the state that the world is in today makes us realise that this is a task that no ordinary person could achieve. There are so many conflicts, so much injustice, so many ancient hatreds; the best peace negotiators on the planet can’t solve the crisis in the Middle East, or solve the problems of Climate Change.

Page 56

I Am

El Gibhor - Mighty God -

The background

This is a Messianic title – a title that points to the identity and activity of the Messiah when He comes in His glory to rule on the earth. Although He is the Prince of Peace, He will also rule with an iron rod. Sin will be dealt with immediately and with absolute justice during the millennial reign. Why will there be sin after Christ has returned at His Second Coming? Because, although Christians will at that time be made to be without sin, there will still be non-Christians around who are living in rebellion to the Messiah, Jesus Christ (see Revelation 20:7 – 8). How amazing to live in a time when every injustice is dealt with by El Gibhor immediately and decisively!

And yet, a day will come when there will be a thousand years of peace on Earth. Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace will bring peace and justice to all mankind. He will achieve what has proved to be impossible for us to achieve. His achievement will, indeed, be mighty! How strange it is that we struggle to believe sometimes that that same Mighty God, who will bring peace and righteousness to the whole planet, can bring peace and righteousness to our own struggles here and now. How strange that we find it so hard to let go and let Him be God; we find it so difficult to believe that, just because we can’t see a way out of the mess that we are in, it is not as plain as day to Him. The reality is, though, that El Gibhor is going to sort out a far bigger mess than the one that may be currently engulfing our life right now. Just because the situation you may be in the midst of seems like a complete mess to you, there is absolutely no cause to despair or become down about it; these are just the situations that El Gibhor specialises in!

Page 57

I Am Elohei Tzur

- God our Rock -

“The LORD lives! Blessed be my rock! May God, the rock of my salvation be exated!” (2 Samuel 22:47, NLT) Stability. That’s a word that is in short supply nowadays, isn’t it? With banks and businesses collapsing, politicians Elohei Tzur literally means ‘The God panicking and Brexit causing great of rock’. Rock is poetically used in the uncertainty, we live in a particularly Bible to indicate the strength of God as unstable world. But then so did the the ground of all being in the universe. Israelites; they were constantly The LORD is often referred to as Tzur battling for survival, and they, too, longed for security. Their problem was Yisrael – the Rock of Israel: “The God of Israel spoke. The Rock of that they were constantly looking in Israel said to me: 'The person who rules the wrong places; through political righteously, who rules in the fear of treaties with other nations, through running after others gods. In fact, they God…” (2 Samuel 23:3, NLT) had the same problem that we often In the desert, Moses struck a rock and have. It’s one thing to know in our water gushed out of it to save the lives heads that God is a trustworthy rock, of the Israelite who were dying of but when the recession bites and the thirst. The Psalmist cries out to God job looks uncertain, we can find it very for help, asking Him to “Lead me to the hard to choose to trust in Elohei Tzur towering rock of safety” (Psalm 61:2, – God, our Rock. And yet, rock only NLT). And in the New Testament, the really comes into its own when the Rock is identified as being Jesus Christ storms are battering and the rain is himself – “…and all of them drank the lashing down. That’s the message same miraculous water. For they all drank Jesus gives in Matthew 7: from the miraculous rock that travelled with them, and that rock was Christ”.

The background

Page 58

I Am Elohei Tzur

- God our Rock -

The background

(1 Corinthians 10:4, NLT). So, Elohei Tzur is the one who provides sustenance, who provides protection, who provides stability in a world of chaos. As Moses himself put it, “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.” (Deuteronomy 32:4, NIV).

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock.” (Matthew 7: 24 – 25, NLT). To build your house on rock is another way of saying ‘base your life on Jesus Christ, who is Elohei Tzur’. Notice that the storm is going to break over a house that is built on rock; difficult times are guaranteed in life, no matter who or what we’re basing our lives on. The issue is not whether storms will come, the issue is, when they do, will your life be able to withstand the buffeting? Only those who listen to Jesus’ teachings and obey him are going to withstand the storms, because only they will experience Elohei Tzur in action and will be able to stand firm. Do you have the Rock firmly beneath your feet? Are you standing firm on the promises of God? If you are and the storm hits you, this is not evidence that God has abandoned you; if Elohei Tzur is in your life, you will still be standing firm!

Page 59

I Am

Jehovah Magen

- The LORD My Shield -

“How blessed you are, O Israel! Who else is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your protecting shield and your triumphant sword” (Deuteronomy 33:29, NLT)

The background The word ‘shield’ occurs 44 times in the Bible – 43 of them in the Old Testament (the one reference in the New Testament is in Ephesians 6:16, where Paul is describing the armour of God, including the shield of faith). The 43 Old Testament references don’t all refer to God and are not all used in a positive light (see Isaiah 47:10, for example). But the fact that God is described as Jehovah Magen reflects the conflict that was the daily experience of the Israelites in Old Testament times. That conflict was not only the battles facing the nation (Deuteronomy 33:29), but personal conflict as well (“But you, O LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts my head high” (Psalm 3:3) said King David, when his own son, Absalom, was trying to stage a coup.)

What does it really mean for God to be our shield? A shield is only of any use if it is picked up and used; as Ephesians 6:16 reminds us, used to extinguish the flaming arrows aimed at us by satan. Psalm 91 points out that the shield is, in fact, God’s faithful promises to us, which are the opposite of satan’s favourite tactic: undermining our confidence in God by getting us to doubt His word. How many promises can you remember? There are 366 ‘fear nots’ in the Bible… all promises from God. Satan’s strategy is to get you to doubt them. The shield of faith (God’s faithful promises), however, is God’s effective deterrent to strategy. But we can’t use the shield of faith unless we are aware of God’s faithful promises; don’t forget the first four words that satan is recorded as uttering in Genesis 3:1… “Did God really say…?”. If we don’t know what

Page 60

I Am

Jehovah Magen - The LORD My Shield -

The background As with the previous name (Elohei Tzur – God our Rock), for God to liken Himself to a shield presupposes that there will be attacks. However, within those attacks, Jehovah Magen promises His protection: “He will shield you with his wings. He will shelter you with his feathers. His faithful promises are your armour and protection.” (Psalm 91:4, NLT). The reality that Moses was addressing in Deuteronomy 33:29, was that he was about to die, and Israel faced a very uncertain future. They were still not in the Promised Land after 40 years of wandering, and they were about to lose their great leader. And yet, at this very scary and uncertain moment, Moses calls them blessed! Why? Because, whatever the future held and whatever attacks came against the people, the LORD would be their protecting shield; if they truly relied on Him, He would ensure that no harm came to them.

He has said – His promises, His warnings and so on – we will not be able to stop the fiery darts that are being fired at us, and we will start to doubt and to lose hope. Are you feeling like a failure? Remember Isaiah 54:17 – “But no weapon will be able to hurt you; you will have an answer for all who accuse you.” Are you feeling overwhelmed with the problems facing you? Remember Romans 8:37 – “No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us.” Raise the shield of faith by speaking these truths out loud! Put your trust once more in Jehovah Magen!

Page 61

I Am

Jehovah Haggo’el - The LORD, the Redeemer -

“But as for me, I know that my Redeemer (Go’el) lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last.” (Job 19:25, NLT)

The background ‘Go’el’ literally means to buy back by paying a price. The concept of redemption is woven into both the Old and the New Testaments. The word contains both the ideas of deliverance and the price of that deliverance, or ransom. The 273 firstborn sons of Israel were redeemed in Number 3:46 – 51 by means of redemption money paid to the priests. Property could be redeemed by means of presenting a lamb in its place (Exodus 13:13). Land that had been forfeited due to economic hardship could be redeemed by the closest family member (Leviticus 27:19 – 20; Jeremiah 32:7). If the land wasn’t redeemed, it returned to its original owner in the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25: 24 – 34). And of course, the book of Ruth gives us an insight into the role of the Kinsman Redeemer, with Boaz acting in that capacity

There is a Swiss-based group called Christian Solidarity that, fifteen years ago, announced that it had purchased the freedom of 1,050 mostly child slaves in Sudan, thereby lifting the lid on a desperate and sordid trade that is officially denied by the Sudanese government. They bought the slave, in order to set them free, for $50 per person, and found that there was ‘a consistent pattern of physical and psychological torture, such as throatslitting, death threats, female genital mutilation, forced conversion to Islam, beatings and lashings, and unpaid labour’ (statement from Christian Solidarity, January 28, 1999). We might find it hard to believe that such evil happens in today’s world. We probably also applaud the work of organisations such as Christian Solidarity, and maybe wonder at how a life can be deemed to be worth just $50.

Page 62

I Am

Jehovah Haggo’el - The LORD, the Redeemer -

The background

as he marries Ruth. In doing this, he demonstrated that a Kinsman Redeemer was a close family member responsible for protecting the interests of needy members of the extended family, and particularly the role of providing an heir for a brother who had died. The Kinsman Redeemer also had the responsibility of redeeming a relative who had been sold into slavery (Leviticus 25:47 – 49) – a role which the ultimate Redeemer, Jesus Christ, fulfilled for all mankind. He is the redeemer of our souls (Matthew 20:28), ransoming our souls, not with money, but with His life. Redemption is the Righteous God’s plan of salvation, with the only sufficient price being His own Son’s life.

Their work is a reflection of the work of Christ, the ultimate Redeemer, who paid a far higher price to redeem you and me from a life of slavery… the redemption price was a life for a life – His perfect life in place of my sinful life. That is an extravagant price to pay, and yet, He paid it willingly in order to set you and me free. But it goes further than this. Setting child slaves free in the Sudan is a noble cause, but, having been set free, they must return to their previous way of life, and even run the risk of recapture and being forced back into slavery. Christ, on the other hand, paid the price to redeem us, not to go back to some previous existence, but in order to welcome us into His family! In doing so, He is acting as a true Kinsman Redeemer – not only rescuing us but providing us with a new life, a new family and a new future. That’s how much you are worth to Him! Because such a high redemption price was paid for you, He values you very highly indeed. You are a very precious member of His family, a slave set free, having been bought with the highest price imaginable. What an amazing privilege!

Page 63

I Am

El Sali - God is my Strength -

“ ‘O God my rock’, I cry, ‘why have you forsaken me? Why must I wander in darkness, oppressed by my enemies?’” (Psalm 42:9, NLT)

The background Sali comes from the Hebrew word, sala, which means a cliff or a crag, and is used poetically like Tzur (Rock – number 29). It paints a picture of finding strength in the storms raging around us, by clinging to the solid rock of the cliff face. The Psalmist who cries out ‘why have you forsaken me?’ is struggling because all he can hear is the storm raging around him. He assumes, therefore, that El Sali has abandoned him. The storm he is facing is the attack of people who are intent on mocking him and pulling him down with their barbed comments. These attacks are very wounding and he longs for the refuge of the cliff face to shield him. Having cried out honestly to the God whom he cannot detect over the taunts and the lies being spread about him, he realises that the cliff has not moved…

There are so many situations that leave us feeling overwhelmed and even defeated. For the Psalmist in Psalm 42, the opposition of those who were taunting him because of his trust in God felt like a physical assault. You may have encountered the same, or perhaps the situation that is threatening to overwhelm you is a financial one, or a health issue, or a relationship that is going wrong - or all of the above! Because we feel weak and overwhelmed, we often make the mistake of believing that we ARE weak and overwhelmed. But the truth is, feeling that way and being that way are two very different things. Paul discovered the crucial difference, when he allowed the ‘thorn in his flesh’ to wear him down and make him feel weak and inadequate. God revealed to him, “My gracious favour is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of

Page 64

I Am

El Sali - God is my Strength -

The background he can still reach out and cling to it, gaining strength and security in the storm, so long as he redirects his focus. He does this by saying, “Why am I so discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise Him again – my Saviour and my God!” (Psalm 42:11, NLT). Knowing that we have the solid rock of El Sali to cling to strengthens us and enables us to realise that this storm is not going to blow us away – the strength of God can steady us, fill us with courage and help us survive the storm. There may be many things in life that are against us, but the truth is, “In your strength (Sali) I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. (Psalm 18:29, NLT)

Christ may work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NLT). The mistake we make is that, when we feel weak and overwhelmed, we assume that we are, therefore, going to be overwhelmed by this situation. However, it is in our weakness that God is best able to reveal Himself as El Sali, because we then turn to Him in complete dependence and allow Him to work out His will in the situation without our ‘helpful input’. Our admission of weakness leads to a right dependence on Him, a putting down of the illusion of self-sufficiency, and a reliance on His strength and power in our lives. Paul realised this and so became glad to boast, not about his areas of strength, but about his weakness. Why? Because these were the very areas where God was able most effectively to show His strength, and so the most effective areas of Paul’s life became those areas where he was, actually, at his weakest. What areas of weakness can you gladly admit to God right now, so that He can show Himself to be El Sali? It really is a very freeing experience!

Page 65

I Am

Yeshua - God is Salvation -

“ And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21, NLT)

The background The name ‘Jesus’ is, in fact, twice removed from its original. The Hebrew name of the Son of God is Yeshua, which means God is Salvation. Yeshua was translated (though not very accurately) into the Greek Iesous, with the English name, Jesus coming from the translation of Iesous into the Latin, which gave us the name: Iesus. Whilst the name Yeshua is rich in meaning, the English equivalent, Jesus, has no particular meaning whatsoever. There are interesting parallels with the first Yeshua we find in the Bible (we pronounce his name ‘Joshua’). Joshua led the people of God from the wilderness into the Promised Land, just as Yeshua led God’s people from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Light, and, as such,

Another way of translating Jesus’ Hebrew name (Yeshua) could be ‘God to the rescue’. This is a good way of thinking about Him, and really sums up the urgency and the passion of His plan of salvation. It also points to the desperate situation we are in without Him. We often think of becoming a Christian in terms of ‘making a decision to follow Christ’, but the reality is, this decision is the same kind of decision a drowning person makes when the lifeboat arrives and offers assistance; the decision between living and drowning! ‘God to the rescue’ continues to be the theme once we have welcomed Him into our lives, as we experience one challenge after another in life. In fact, growth in spiritual maturity can be measured, not by our growing independence and ability to cope, but by our growing realisation that we need ‘God to the rescue’ more and more. Growing maturity is measured in terms of

Page 66

I Am

Yeshua - God is Salvation -

The background

Joshua, son of Nun (Yeshua/Yehoshua Ben Nun) is what would be called a ‘type’ of Christ, or a foreshadowing of the Messiah to come, painting part of the picture of what could be expected when the actual Messiah arrived.

growing dependence, not growing independence. Paul grew in spiritual maturity to the point where he was able to understand how healthy it was to rely completely on ‘God to the rescue’: “Each time he said, "My gracious favour is all you need. My power works best in your weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may work through me.” (2 Corinthians 12:9. NLT) So, are you growing in spiritual maturity? Are you realising more and more that ‘God to the rescue’ needs to be your first ‘port of call’? Or have you got to the dangerous place of being able to cope on your own? That place is called your comfort zone, and it is both an illusion (it can be blown away at a moment’s notice) and a trap (it will stop you living the life of faith that the LORD has prepared for you). If you have not cried out ‘Lord, rescue me!’ recently, then it could be that you have settled into a comfort zone. Growing maturity comes when we live life outside of the comfort zone, where ‘God to the rescue’ is a daily necessity.

Page 67

I Am

Christos

- Anointed One, Messiah -

“ The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the Messiah’ (that is, the Christ)." (John 1:41, NIV)

The background What were the Jews looking for in a Messiah? The Messiah was to be a king who would restore the Davidic dynasty and usher in a time of justice and peace; such was the classic expectation in Judaism, rooted in certain texts in the Hebrew prophets (Isaiah 9:6-7; 11:1-10; and elsewhere). It was the custom in ancient Israel for a person to be designated king by having oil poured over his head, or anointed, which is what the term Messiah means (in Hebrew, mashiach); see 1 Samuel 10:1; 16:12-13. Eventually Messiah was used of the ideal king, descended from David. As we have already seen, there are various ‘types’ or forerunners of Messiah in the Old Testament, each giving us part of the picture of what Messiah would be like when he arrived:

It’s interesting how our expectations colour what we see and hear. If our past experience of relationships is that they end with rejection, then, most likely, that will affect our expectations of any current relationship, and we will struggle to believe that the person we are with is not going to do that to us. Expectations are powerful things. The Jews were expecting a Messiah who would rid them of the Romans and re-establish God’s kingdom, the nation of Israel. Although that expectation was not grounded in their own Tanakh (our Old Testament), it had grown out of a longing to be free from foreign control, and so that formed the lenses through which they assessed whether Jesus was, indeed, the Messiah. Using those lenses, of course, Jesus was anything BUT the Messiah they were expecting! And alltoo-often, people reject Jesus today because they are expecting something quite different.

Page 68

I Am

Christos

- Anointed One, Messiah -

The background Adam (The Messiah was to be the ‘second Adam – Romans 5:14); Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15 – 19 tells us that the LORD would raise up another prophet like Moses); David (Ezekiel 34:23 prophesies that ‘I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd’). In addition to these ‘types’ the Old Testament is full of clues as to what the Messiah will be like: the seed of a woman; of Judah’s tribe; the Son of David; Prophet; Priest after Melchizadek’s order; King of David’s line; Son of God; Son of Man; Immanuel; Branch; Cornerstone; Suffering Servant… and yet, when all of these prophecies and more were fulfilled in the one man, Yeshua, the Jews missed all the signs and rejected Him!

They have observed Christians and concluded that their leader, Jesus must be just the same: hypocritical, judgmental, naively believing in fairly tales in defiance of modern scientific discoveries - but is that an accurate description of the Messiah we know and love? Paul says that “We are Christ’s ambassadors…” (2 Corinthians 5:20, NLT). An ambassador’s role is to accurately represent the one who has sent them. The Jews, tragically, rejected their Messiah because they had the wrong set of expectations, and today, tragically, many people around us do the same. It’s up to us to present them with the ‘real thing’! We are the Messiah’s ambassadors to those around us and we have been charged with the responsibility of presenting the true Christos to them, in our words, our deeds, our attitudes and our relationships. What an opportunity! What next step in this are YOU going to take today?

Page 69

I Am

Kurios - Lord, Master, Sir -

“Why do you call Me, 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I say? (Luke 6:46, NASB-U)

The background The title ‘kurios’, meaning Lord, Master or Sir, is a common one, appearing around 600 times in the New Testament. Whereas in the OLD Testament, LORD is always written using capital letters, to alert us to the fact that this is the personal name of God (Yahweh), with the vowels of the word Adonai overlaid. In the New Testament, the word ‘Lord’ is written lower case, generally when referring to Jesus Christ. Does that mean that Jesus Christ is not God in the eyes of the Bible translators? Absolutely not! The Greek word Kurios (Lord) needs to be understood in the context in which it is written. The New Testament writers (particularly Paul) could not be clearer that they were using the word ‘kurios’ in the context of identifying Him with the LORD of the Old Testament. For example,

This title represented the greatest struggle for the Early Church for the first few hundred years of its existence. How could there be just one God, Yahweh, and yet Jesus be God too? Although the doctrine of the Trinity is there to be seen in Scripture (see, for example, number 28 in this series, El Gibhor), it took quite a while for this apparent dilemma to be resolved. And yet, from the earliest days of the Church, Jesus was referred to as Kurios (the Magdelene Fragment, the earliest surviving piece of manuscript, from Matthew’s gospel, probably from within 10 years of the original document that Matthew wrote, refers to Jesus as ‘Kurios’). This makes the Christian faith absolutely unique. It’s not just another religion started by human beings in an attempt to reach God – it is God Himself reaching US! And yet, look again at Luke 6:46 and you will see the major implication of this: that we cannot

Page 70

I Am

Kurios - Lord, Master, Sir -

The background Compare: “Hear O Israel: Yahweh our God, Yahweh is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4) with “…for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist” (1 Corinthians 8:6) Compare: “And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved” (Joel 2:32) with “…if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved…For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved’’ (Romans 10:9, 13)

acknowledge Jesus as Lord and not do what He says. To acknowledge Him as Lord is to commit to being His servant, with Him having the right to speak into our lives and direct us in the ways we should go. Obedience is not just a response we choose to give when it suits us – we are called to a life of obedience. Of course, we are more than just servants, as Jesus Himself said: “I no longer call you servants, because a master doesn't confide in his servants. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” (John 15:15, NLT). Friends, certainly; but obedience is still central to that relationship (“You are my friends IF you obey me” John 15:14). We don’t serve an angry god, we are in relationship with the Lord God who calls us friend. What a privilege, and what a responsibility. The response? Loving obedience. The motivation? The God of the universe has called YOU His friend!

Page 71

I Am

Soter

- One who delivers from danger and death -

“O how I praise the Lord. How I rejoice in God my Saviour!” (Luke 1:47, NLT)

The background The doctrine of salvation is called Soteriology. This word is the amalgamation of soterios, meaning salvation, and logos meaning words about. One of the most important words about salvation comes in the form of a question: can a person lose their salvation? In Romans 8:33 – 34 Paul asked a crucial question: “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus who died, more than that, who was raised to life is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. If Christ is interceding for us, who can bring a charge against us? No one, because God is our advocate. Will Jesus ever stop being our advocate in heaven? Malachi 3:6 says not: “I am the Lord, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already completely destroyed.” (NLT).

There are three ways in which Jesus is our Saviour. He saves us from out of the kingdom of darkness as we trust in His finished work on the cross and are ‘born again’. This past-tense saving act is called justification. He then sets about making us into the likeness of Christ; healing hurts from the past, leading us down the path of maturity, forgiving us and cleansing us of our ongoing sins and so on. This presenttense, ongoing work of making us more and more in Christ’s image is called sanctification. When we die (or are raptured) and meet the Lord in heaven, we will finally be perfect and fully in His presence. This future-tense work of salvation is called glorification. Many Christians confuse justification with sanctification and, as a result, question their (justification) salvation when they fall into sin or back-slide. The process of sanctification can go up and down, but justification is rock solid. What is the point of sanctification, then, if we are going to experience glorification at some point in the future and be

Page 72

I Am

Soter

- One who delivers from danger and death -

The background

That is Yahweh speaking, and remember – Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30). John 3:15 states that whoever believes in Jesus Christ will have eternal life. Not ‘if they don’t subsequently blow it’… in fact, this verse is not provisional upon anything other than the Son of Man being ‘lifted up’… i.e. being lifted up on the cross in order to die for us. SO… if you have received Jesus Christ as your Saviour, then you are saved and you cannot lose that salvation. If you have been born again (John 3:3), then that is your permanent state; you cannot be ‘unborn’. Once saved, always saved!

perfect then anyway? Why not just wait till then? Because the process of sanctification, which is the point of this life is to get us ready for our roles in heaven. This life is the arena for maturing us and allowing the Holy Spirit to make us into all that we were created to be; but the ‘main event’ has not yet happened. This life is just the warm-up event, the place where our character is developed and the Christlikeness within us is brought out. Our life in heaven, in God’s presence is the main event, and we have things to do there that we are being prepared for right now. This helps us to make sense of what we are going through in this life. Why doesn’t God give us an easier life if He really loves us like He says He does? Why doesn’t He take the hard, even unpleasant things away? Because He is committed to sanctifying you, and He knows that all that happens to us is necessary in order for us to be prepared for the main event. What happens now often grieves Him, but it is for a reason – you are destined for great things and, having been saved, you are now being sanctified, until one day you are glorified!

Page 73

I Am

Theos

- God, or The One True God -

“We should live in this evil world with self-control, right conduct and devotion to God, while we look forward to that wonderful event when the glory of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ will be revealed.” (Titus 2:12 -13, NLT) Knowing God in the Bible is far more than just knowing about Him; it is a practical, life-transforming knowledge, not an academic, intellectual knowledge. To know God is to be transformed by Him. As James The word Theos is the Greek puts it, “And remember, it is a message to equivalent of the Hebrew word, El obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t and occurs 1000 times in the New obey, you are only fooling yourself. For if Testament. The Greek god, Zeus you just listen and don’t obey, it is like derived his name from the word looking at your face in a mirror, but doing Theos, which shows us that Theos is nothing to improve your used to refer to pagan deities as well appearance.” (James 1:22 – 23, NLT). as the God of the Bible. In the New Paul echoes this theme by saying Testament all persons of the Trinity are devotion to God includes self-control called ‘God’ at one time or another. and right conduct (Titus 2:12 -13, above) To know God is to be devoted to Him and if we are devoted to Him, we will, of course, want to live lives that honour Him – lives that are defined by self-control and right conduct. So why do we find this so difficult? Why do we know in our hearts that we are devoted to God and yet have thoughts, words and deeds that seem to proclaim the opposite?

The background

Page 74

I Am

Theos

- God, or The One True God -

This is the age-old struggle that Paul writes about in Romans 7: “I don’t understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do the very thing I hate. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong and my bad conscience shows that I agree that the law is good. But I can’t help myself, because it is sin inside me that makes me do these evil things.” (Romans 7:15 – 17, NLT). Paul is speaking on behalf of all honest people at this point – he is no different to us. Is this struggle just inevitable then? Should we just accept it as part of everyday life? Paul goes on to ask this very question as he cries out, “Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? Thank God (theos)! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 7:24 – 25, NLT). Although we are all-too-aware of the struggle to reflect our devotion to God in our every-day lives, He provides us with a way through this struggle to eventual victory. Why do we struggle so? The root of this is a desire for comfort; when we are under pressure,

we opt for our comfort zones – maybe comfort eating, or comfort drinking, or the comfort derived from any number of destructive habits. The core of this is a search for instant gratification, comfort. God recognises this need in us and, rather than telling us to deny this need for comfort, He provides us with a life-giving, positive source of comfort. He even calls that source The Comforter. “But I will send you the Comforter--the Holy Spirit, the source of all truth. He will come to you from the Father and will tell you all about me.” (John 15:26, The Living Bible). Our problem is not that we still need comfort, but rather that we look for that comfort in the wrong place. God has given us the only legitimate source of comfort: the Holy Spirit Himself, who we can go to the moment we feel the urge to retreat back into our old comfort zones. He will provide us with the life-giving comfort that we need, to strengthen us, to provide us with selfcontrol and enable us to live lives of right conduct. Ask and you will receive!

Page 75

I Am

Logos - The Word of God -

“In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God and He was God. He was in the beginning with God. He created everything there is. Nothing exists that He didn’t make.” (John 1: 1 - 3, NLT)

The background Jesus Christ is revealed as the Word. He has always existed, both a separate person in the Godhead, and yet fully God. He was involved in creation – all things were created through Him. These verses at the beginning of John’s gospel are intended to take our minds back to the first verse of the bible – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” – and to remind us that “God said… and it was so”. It was the Word (God said) that brought about Creation. And that Word… that Creative person of the Godhead… that became flesh and dwelt among us. He is the first word and the last word – the aleph and the tav, the alpha and the omega. The first word created the heavens and the earth and the last word will draw all things to a conclusion.

Words are powerful things. With our words we can build someone up or crush them. We can communicate love or hate. We can bless or curse. Although we all say things we don’t mean, or say things in ways that, on reflection, we regret, generally what comes out of our mouths is born in our hearts. Have you ever wondered what God is going to say about you when He sums your life up and weighs your life’s work in the balance (Revelation 20: 11 – 15)? Well, we can know what is in His heart about us based on the word He has already spoken over us… the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God’s Word – His creativity – has taken on human form and revealed the heart of God to us. God has communicated with us. What has He said? The same thing He has consistently said to His people, Israel: “Long ago the Lord said to Israel: "I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.” (Jeremiah 31:3, NLT)

Page 76

I Am

Logos - The Word of God -

. He is the same yesterday, today and forever – He does not change. His heart towards us does not change and the Word spoken over us does not change. His word spoken over YOU does not change. He dearly loves you and has gone to extreme lengths to find you and save you.

The background He is the first word in your life and despite all the things that happen in our lives, he will have the last, triumphant word in your life if you let Him. Why does God use words? Because, at the core of His being, is community, and community takes communication. The Word communicates the heart of God to people – He speaks the truth into our hearts.

Relationships that change at the whim of the other person tend to leave you feeling insecure and unable to trust. God’s word spoken over you does not change – the Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. That is the solid foundation for building a relationship where you can trust and be open and honest, admitting to your struggles and fears and failures, secure in the knowledge that it will not undermine the relationship. There is nothing that you can admit to about yourself with God that will change the way He feels about you; He knows it all anyway! He has made it absolutely clear that He is never going to abandon you – He has spoken and His Word is binding and will not change. His Word has revealed His heart to you – how long has it been since you had a really honest, open heart-to-heart with Him?

Page 77

I Am

Sophia - The Wisdom of God -

“But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 1:24, NLT)

The background The most common Hebrew Old Testament word for Wisdom is Hakham, it’s Greek equivalent being Sophia. When related to God, wisdom is the infinite, perfect comprehension of all that is or might be (see Romans 11:33 - 36).

Wisdom and cleverness are two very different things. We have all probably come across very clever people who may be intellectually very bright, but perhaps lack common sense or people skills, or compassion or patience. What does it mean to be wise?

God is the source of wisdom and wisdom is given to people through the fear of the Lord: “And this is what He says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’” (Job 28:28, NLT) In the book of Proverbs, Wisdom is described in personal terms: “Listen as wisdom calls out! Hear as understanding raises her voice! She stands on the hilltop and at the crossroads.” (Proverbs 8:1-2, NLT) and became one of the names of God, relating both to the Son and to the Holy Spirit:

If God is the source of all wisdom indeed, if He is Wisdom personified then to be wise is to see the world and understand the world as God does. It means to have the heart and mind of Christ towards issues and people, to be passionate about what He is passionate about, compassionate towards those He is compassionate towards. It means being prepared to speak out over things He would speak out over and remain silent in situations where He would remain silent. No wonder the beginning of wisdom is the fear of the LORD!

Page 78

I Am

Sophia - The Wisdom of God -

The background “And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him - the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.” (Isaiah 11:2, NLT) Because God is the source of all wisdom, all worldly wisdom is in reality foolishness: “As the Scriptures say, ‘I will destroy human wisdom and discard their most brilliant ideas.’” (1 Corinthians 1:19, NLT)

So how do we become wiser people? A good starting point would be to make the following our daily cry to Him: ‘Lord, make me more like you today! Give me your heart for people, your patience, your hope, your compassion,. Help me to see the world as you see it and may my reactions to all of that be the reactions that you would have!’ Wisdom is not about how clever we are or how many qualifications we have - even the most brilliant ideas in the world are so far short of God’s thoughts that He does not deem them worth keeping (1 Corinthians 1:19 above). What He desires is people who can say, “I follow close behind You; Your strong right hand holds me securely.” (Psalm 63:8, NLT)

Page 79

Alpha and Am Omega

- The Beginning and the End -

“This is what the LORD, Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty says: ‘I am the First and the Last; there is no other God.’” (Isaiah 44:6, NLT)

The background The first letter of the Greek alphabet (alpha) and the last letter (Omega) signifies completeness: from the beginning right through to the end. In fact, the word ‘alphabet’ comes from the first two letters of the Greek alphabet - alpha and beta. God is revealed throughout the Old Testament as being the Aleph Tav, the beginning and the end. and in the New Testament, Jesus Christ is given that title, particularly in Revelation 1:17, when He declares: “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last, I am the living now who died.” Jesus Christ, the Aleph and Tav. is first mentioned in Genesis 1:1, where He is identified as being the one who created the universe (although the two Hebrew letters, aleph and tav are not usually translated, they appear immediately after the words; “In the beginning, God created…”).

Some of us were given lots of encouragement as we were growing up; we had a great education, we had people encouraging us to pursue our dreams, we went to the right school, and university, had the right training for that job that we were always destined to fulfil. Many others of us, on the other hand, had just the opposite. Our education was fairly average, no one encouraged us to reach for that amazing future, no one believe in us and pushed us to achieve our potential. And then some of us were positively held back by people; some of us are told in different ways that we would never amount to anything, that we were failures, that we were disappointments, and that has had a devastating effect on our life. Words are powerful things! But here,

Page 80

Alpha and Am Omega

- The Beginning and the End -

The background

Jesus Christ is the Creator of all things, and He is the end of all things - after He has reigned on earth for a thousand years, He will bring an end to time and space as we know it. He is the first Word spoken in the universe and His will be the last Word spoken.

as we get to the final name of God in this series, is the best, most liberating news ever: whatever anyone else has said about you, Jesus Christ has the first word and the last word in your life. His word about you precedes and supercedes every other word . You may not have had any positive encouragement in your life, but the first word spoken over you, before you were even conceived was an absolutely positive, faith-filled, triumphant word. And when you get to the end of your life and look hack over what has been achieved, whatever words have been spoken over you and about you along the way, the last word on your life - the word that sums up your life, will be the one that really counts. What does the Alpha and Omega have to say about your life? ”For I know the plans that I have for you, says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT). The first word and the last word - let these words define your life and don’t be held back by anything else!

Page 81