Knowing God By Name

A Worship Song Sparks A Question

Greetings, listeners. You know, there's this worship song that I love. It's one that I typically sing when I'm, you know, doing my morning task. Every time it comes on, I can't help but worship. I don't have a great voice, but I sing it out loud anyway. Off key all the way through. I actually was gonna sing it for you guys today, but I think there might be some copyright issues, so I won't do that. But anyway, the song is called Yahweh Will Manifest Himself. I'll link a few versions of it in the show notes. The chorus is basically a list of God's names. Yahweh Rapha, Elohim Shaddai, Jireh, Adonai. And for years I sang those names in that song and other songs without stopping to ask what they actually mean. Here's the thing: if you've ever sung a worship song with one of these names in it, you've done the same thing I did. You've declared something true about God's character without necessarily knowing what you're saying. So today we're gonna slow down and find out what we've been singing.

Why God’s Names Matter

Well, welcome everyone. I'm your host, Jacqui Adewole, and this is the Bible Basics Podcast, where every two weeks we break down the basics of the Bible into understandable bite-sized chunks. We just spent an episode on the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, the rules of the story. Today we're looking at something that shows up all over those five books, and you've probably just read over it without even noticing the names of God and the meaning underlying those names. Here's a clue. You can go check it for yourself right now. Open your Bible to almost any page in the first

“LORD” In All Caps Explained

part of the Bible, those first five books. Every time you see the word Lord spelt with all capital letters, that's not just an editing or translation choice. There's a specific name underneath it. And we'll see what that name means in just a minute. Names meant something different in the ancient world than they do for us. In the ancient world, a name wasn't just a label. It told you something about who someone was. So when God introduces himself by name in the Pentateuch, He's not just handing someone a label. He's telling them something true about his character, usually at the exact moment they need to know it. And as we talked about in our episode on the Pentateuch, it was originally written in Hebrew. So every name we look at today for God is a Hebrew word or phrase. So what we'll do, we'll say each one and then tell you what it means in English. And there are six of them that we're going to cover.

Elohim The Mighty Creator

First, there's Elohim. That's the first name for God in the Bible, Elohim. In Genesis 1:1, it reads, In the beginning, God created the heavens and earth. That word God, that's an English translation of Elohim. It's the name that says powerful, mighty, the supreme God, the one who made everything that exists. Before anyone's story starts, before anyone has a name of their own, this is who's already there. Now, this next one is related to the clue that I gave you earlier.

Yahweh God’s Personal Name

This is a name for God that shows up over 6,000 times in the first part of the Bible. It's God's personal name. It's not a title, it's his name, his identity. In Hebrew, it's four letters, YHWH, and we usually say it Yahweh. This is the name God gives Moses at the burning bush in Exodus chapter 3. Moses asks God, who should he say sent him? And God answers, I am who I am. That's Yahweh, the one who simply is. Not made, not created, not dependent on anything else to exist. And here's why you've seen it without knowing it. Most English Bibles translate Yahweh as Lord, L-O-R-D, in those small capital letters. And that sets it apart from other words, also translated Lord. So every time you see Lord in capitals, you're looking at God's personal name. Now you may have also heard the name Jehovah. That's not a separate name. Centuries ago, English translators combined the consonants of Yahweh Y H Y H with vowels from another Hebrew word, and the result was read as Jehovah. It's an old English way of saying Yahweh, not a different name for God.

Adonai Submitting To God’s Rule

Okay. The third name is Adonai. It means Lord or Master. You see it in Genesis chapter 15, when Abram, later named Abraham, is struggling to trust God's promise, and he says, Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless? That's Adonai. It's a title, not a personal name. It's like calling someone the boss. You don't need their name, the title tells you everything. People used it throughout the Old Testament anytime they wanted to acknowledge that God was in charge. But it's more personal than it sounds. When someone called God Adonai, they weren't describing him from a distance. They were talking to him directly and saying two things at once. I know you're in charge of my life, and I'm still bringing you everything I have. That's exactly what was happening with Abram. He's not just naming a fact about God when he says sovereign Lord. He's honoring God's authority in the very moment he's struggling to trust them with the one thing that hurts the most, a promise of offspring that hasn't come true yet.

El Shaddai Jireh Rapha

The next three are compound names that pair El, which means God, or Jehovah, with descriptive terms that highlight God's actions and his relationship to his people. First we have El Shaddai, usually translated God Almighty. In Genesis chapter 17, verse one, when Abram is ninety-nine years old and still waiting on the promise of a child, God says to him, I am God Almighty, walk before me faithfully and to be blameless. El Shaddai carries the idea of all sufficiency, enough, more than enough. Abram is old. The promise looks impossible by now, and that's the exact moment God introduces himself as the one who has enough to make it happen. Next is Jehovah Jireh, which is a little different. It didn't come from God announcing something about himself. Abraham gave it to him after he lived through one of Scripture's most dramatic moments. In Genesis 22, verse 14, Abraham is on a mountain about to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice when God provides a ram instead. Abraham names that place Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide. He didn't learn this as a theological concept. He learned it standing on that mountain, watching God provide exactly when it mattered. The last compound name goes back to God announcing it himself, like Elohim and Yahweh and El Shaddai, but it comes at a very specific moment. It comes from Exodus 15. The people of Israel are newly free from slavery three days into the wilderness and they run out of water. Then they find water, but it's bitter, undrinkable. The people complain to Moses. Moses cries out to the Lord who shows him a piece of wood to throw into the water. He does, and the water becomes fit to drink. Right after that God says to them, I am the Lord who heals you. Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. Not just physical healing, restoration, making whole what was broken. Now why does this matter to

Praying The Name You Need

us? Well in our worship, calling on these names is acknowledging who God is in our life. Elohim, the creator who rules over everything. Yahweh, the God who simply is and is always present. Adonai, the Lord we submit our lives to. And in hard moments, we call on the name of the Lord in prayer. You can call on the specific name that meets exactly what you're facing. If you're unsure about how things will turn out, you have a name to call on. Jehovah Jira, the one who provides. If you're hurting, you have a name to call on. Jehovah Rapha, the one who heals. If you're anxious, you have a name to call on. El Shaddai, the one who has enough strength for whatever you're facing. Use these names in your prayers and your worship this week. Let them remind you of how great He is and how close he stays. The next time you hear one of these names in a worship song, I hope it draws you closer to God

Closing Encouragement And Subscribe

and understanding more about his character. I know it will for me. Until our next episode, keep reading, keep seeking, and keep growing in your faith. And don't forget to like, share, and subscribe.