UNDERSTANDING THE NAMES OF GOD

Transcription

1 MARANATHA MESSENGER Weekly Newsletter of Private Circulation Only MARANATHA BIBLE-PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 14 September 2003 Present every man perfect in Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:28). Address: 63 Cranwell Road, Singapore Tel: (65) Fax: (65) Website: * Sunday School: 9.45 am Worship Service: am Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 8.00 pm Pastor: Rev Jack Sin (Pager: ) UNDERSTANDING THE NAMES OF GOD Introduction The Jewish people have a high regard for names and they choose names carefully, as names have its special significance. They are chosen for a certain purpose, often to reflect the character of that person. Consider the following, for example, Biblical names like, David which means God is Judge Zechariah, God Remembers Micah, Who is like Jehovah and Malachi, The Jehovah s Messenger. The Bible gives us some names that are associated with the Almighty God of Israel, Jehovah. The name Jehovah has the primary root just like Elohim, which means the Covenant God of Israel. From these, compound names are developed to give us an understanding of who our God is and what He has and will do for His people, both Jews and Gentiles. We shall consider 13 such names in Holy Scripture for our learning and exhortation. Firstly, it is El Shaddai, meaning the All-Sufficient One mentioned in Gen 17:1 which reads, And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. God introduces Himself to Abraham as the Strong One and can be rendered the Almighty. This name demonstrates both the power and invincibility of our Almighty God and is a great encouragement to His people today. Secondly it is El Elyon given in Gen 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all and Dan 4:32, which can be rendered as the Strongest one or the Highest High One. In Hebrew, repeating the same word El indicates the use of the superlative. Our Almighty God is the King of kings and Lord of lords and He is superior to all the monarchs, kings of the earth, including those in Babylon during Daniel s time. Thirdly it is El Roi which means God sees, given in Gen 16:13 which reads, And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? It was a comfort to Hagar that the righteous God saw her and knew her deepest sorrows and struggles. God s ever penetrating eyes see everything that His children are doing and it is a great comfort to us that He will make all things right one day.

2 Fourthly it is El Olam which means the Immemorial One without end, given in the Gen 21:33 which reads, And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. This can be translated as the Eternal and Everlasting God which rightly belongs to God as all other things are created (not evolved over millions of years) by Him in six literal 24 hours days out of nothing (which is being undermined by many so-called scholars today). He is our Alpha and Omega, the Author and Finisher of our faith (Heb 12:1-2). Fifthly, it is the familiar name, Jehovah Jireh given in Gen 22:14 which reads, And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. This is the context where Abraham was asked to offer Isaac and God provided a ram caught in the thicket for the sacrifice instead. So Abraham called God His Provider. What a joy it is to know that God supplies our every need according to His riches in glory (Phil 4:19). Sixthly it is Jehovah Rophe given in Exod 15:26 saying, And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. The word here means to heal or make whole. God indeed is our Great Physician who can heal any illness if it is His holy will and one needs not turn to human faith healers and crave for man-made signs and wonders. Seventhly, it is Jehovah Nissi given in Exod 17:15 which reads, And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovahnissi: The word nissi means an ensign, standard, banner or flag, items we used as rallying points for troops in battles. The Lord is our Supreme Leader, victorious in all spiritual warfare and the centre of all our aspirations and hope. Eighthly, it is Jehovah Qadash given in Exod 31:13 which reads, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the LORD that doth sanctify you. Qadash literally means to make clean, or dedicate ourselves to hallow or to sanctify. God is the One who not only saves, but also sanctifies and makes us holy and acceptable to Himself (1 Cor 1:30). We are called to be holy and set apart for Him as He is holy (Lev 11:44,45). Ninethly, it is Jehovah Shalom given in Judg 6:24, Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites. The word Shalom is a precious word that the Jewish people will greet one another with it as they meet. Peace is a desirable thing in the midst of a world torn by wars and disasters. The nation of Israel is still in the state of turmoil and unrest amidst terror threats from her neighbours and peace will come only when they acknowledge Christ as their Messiah. Christ Himself is the Prince of Peace and He wrought everlasting peace by His vicarious death on the cross to redeem His people. False and temporal peace offered by the world and through the anti-christ one day will not last nor satisfy the spiritual longings of men. Tenthly, it is Jehovah Saboath given in 1 Sam 1:3,11 which read, And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there.

3 And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head. The word speaks of a man or thing or host of persons organised or waiting for war. In Israel, today, the word is well known and is part of the name of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). In Hebrew, it is Izava Ha Haganah Lyisrael which means a host or army for the protection of Israel, God s covenant people. These are the names of our Supreme Commander Jesus Christ, the Lord of hosts of heaven and earth who is our personal Lord and Saviour today. Eleventhly, the famous Psalm which talks about God as our Shepherd, ie Jehovah Raah is found in Ps 23:1 which reads, The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He is the One who faithfully tend and keep His sheep with tender loving care as the Great Shepherd of the Sheep (Heb 13:20). Twelfthly, it is Jehovah Shammah given in 1 Kg 8:27 which reads, But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?. This speaks of God s omnipresence. He is the God who is there or present with us all the time. Ps 139:7,8 say, Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. He is our constant Companion, Guide and Protector and we can trust Him fully and let Him lead and direct us daily. Thirteenthly, it is Jehovah Tsidkenu taken from Jer 23:6 which reads, In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. This name implies equity, righteousness, justice or truth. Christ is our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30) and He who died for us at Calvary s cross to redeem His people unto everlasting life. Conclusion The matchless names of God have rich symbolic spiritual lessons for us to appreciate, worship and adore Him for who He really is and what He has done and will do for His people. Let us meditate on these precious Names of God and give thanks to the Almighty Jehovah who is our Sovereign Redeemer and Lord and who is faithful in keeping His covenant promises to His people throughout all generations. Jack Sin (edited from Israel My Glory, Aug 2003) * * * * * * * * * TEACHING THE LITTLE ONES Introduction When I first decided to be a teacher 19 years ago, I had thought only of wanting to be a good Christian teacher. At that point of time, how I was going to do it, was not clear in my mind. I only knew I had good intentions. Little would I know the great plans and exciting experiences that the Lord had in store for me! What does it mean to be a Christian teacher? Whether you are a school teacher, a

4 pre-school teacher, a tutor or even a Sunday School teacher, you have to ask yourself what kind of a teacher God wants you to be. For me, apart from academic teaching and imparting of values, one of the most important issues would be to provide the children with the opportunity to learn about our Lord Jesus Christ. Working in a church kindergarten for the past 15 years has put a different perspective in my life. Several incidents have taken place during these years that have changed my life significantly. Let me share some of these real life incidents with you. About five years ago, a mother of three related to me how her three year old child had fever and fits over the weekend. She was hysterical and did not know what to do. But incredibly, her five year old daughter went on her knees and prayed for her brother. She cried out to the Lord Jesus for help and asked the Lord to heal her brother. The mother was crying openly then as she shared about her little daughter s trust in the Lord. The simple faith of this little child touched the mother s heart. This little girl of five who was introduced to Bible stories and learnt to pray to the Lord Jesus through the kindergarten, was used by the Lord to lead the whole family to Christ. Now the whole family attends church regularly and the mother is actively serving the Lord. I learnt never to underestimate the work of the Lord. The simple Bible stories, prayer and praise during daily chapel and thanksgiving prayers for food, may not seem much to us, who do it as part of our routine. For children who have not heard of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, these are very effective ways to reach out to them. Through my years in the kindergarten ministry, I have seen many families brought to church by their children. In the year 2000, I lost a child. One of my five year old from the kindergarten died suddenly from an illness. The experience of providing support and comfort to the family was emotionally draining. It was made more difficult because the family is Buddhist. During my darker moments, I questioned myself as to whether we had done enough. Did we manage to reach out to this little boy? Did he know the Lord Jesus? Did he receive the Lord during one of the gospel outreaches? I will never know the answer. But I take comfort in the fact that he loved to sing hymns. His parents shared that he was always singing hymns at home and would tell them the bible stories that he had heard from the kindergarten. Two weeks after the boy died, I visited the parents. The mother told me that she dreamt of her little boy telling her that he was in a nice place but he was not with his grandfather (who died a year before). She asked me whether it meant he is with the Lord Jesus in Heaven. I took the opportunity to witness to the mother and talked to her about Heaven above. I assured her that if her little boy has accepted Christ he will be with the Lord, he was in the best care ever. It is very humbling working with young children. You never know what else you would be learning from them. It is hard to distinguish who is learning more from whom. But the important lesson I learnt here is to seize every opportunity to share the Lord Jesus with the children under my care. I made sure that every child who comes through the kindergarten would know who the Lord Jesus is.

5 Even as I write this article, I am working with a leukaemia child. This little five year old boy comes from a Buddhist home. When he was diagnosed with leukaemia, the mother asked us to pray for him. As he was no longer able to attend kindergarten, we provided home care. During one of my home visits, he asked that we (my teachers and I) sing with him. He wanted to sing hymns that he had learnt at the kindergarten. He talked about his pain and fears. We reminded him to turn to the Lord Jesus during these difficult and painful times. He asked us to teach him to pray to the Lord Jesus. He said that he was afraid that he would forget how to pray when his illness gets worst. There were tears in our eyes as we listened to the little boy. We keep in touch with the family and provide whatever support we can. We assured the family that we are praying for them and hope to lead them to the Lord Jesus one day soon. For school teachers, it would not be possible for you to share openly about the Lord Jesus to your students. I guess for you, action speaks louder than words. For you to be able to reach out or witness to your students, you have to win their trust. There must be a bond between you and your students. They must want to get to know you better, to emulate you, to believe in what you believe concerning Christ. If your actions do not show your sincerity, then your words would be futile. Conclusion So who is a Christian teacher? What do you see your role to be? From my sharing, I hope I have brought forth the importance of seizing every opportunity to share about the Lord Jesus. A Christian teacher doesn t just teach. She has to provide support and care. Her influence extends beyond the classroom. Her work does not end at the end of the lesson in class. Her work for the Lord brings her to wherever the Lord directs. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven (Matt 5:16). Amen. Mrs Tan Poh Yok Principal Choa Chu Kang Christian Centre Kindergarten * * * * * * * * * At the Pulpit Theme for the Quarter: The Holy Spirit & The Believer Today Mr George Skariah "Trustful Resolution in Extreme Trials (Job 13:1-16) *These hyperlinks work with Word 97 and later version. [End of MM, 14 September 2003]