FATHER is to be known as YAHWEH!
YAHWEH is The caring, intimate Redeemer.
It is written by The Holy Spirit in Genesis chapter 2:
7-8 ‘And the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) formed man of the dust of the ground
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living
soul. And the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) planted a garden Eastward in
Eden and there He put the man who He had formed.’
Once you have that foundational revelation of God as Elohim, then you
need to get to know Him as Yahweh. Genesis chapter one refers continually
to Elohim. However, having seen His greatness, let us progress.
The next Name by which the Bible reveals Him is Yahweh Elohim, which
is translated in the King James Version as ‘Lord God.’
In Genesis chapter two, God reveals Himself as Yahweh. Many translations
use the word Jehovah, which is an English version of the Hebrew word.
Yahweh is a manifestation of ‘The Caring Redeemer Revealed.’ The Jews so
revere this Name that they will neither say nor write It. It is known as ‘The
Sacred Tetragrammaton.’ he Hebrew name of God transliterated in four letters as YHWH or JHVH and articulated as Yahweh or Jehovah. You will never get an Orthodox Jew to say this Name.
In Genesis chapter two, the attention and focus move from the All Powerful
God Who created this vast universe, to the Loving God Who kneels to create
man, and then Lovingly places His hand-made man and woman in Eden, (Hebrew-Heden), which means ‘a place of voluptuous living.’ Eden was a
place of blessing and abundance, because our God is a good God. His plan
from the beginning was not to make ‘religious people’, but to create those
upon whom He could shower HIS blessing and goodness.
For every need we will ever face in life, there is a Name by which God
reveals Himself as the answer.
The name Yahweh is used alongside seven additional Names of God. Each of these names, (known as the Redemptive Names of God), reveal more of His care and concern for our lives. For every need we will ever have, HE is the answer!
HE is:
Yahweh Jireh – The Lord our Provider (Genesis 22:8-14).
Yahweh Rapha – The Lord our Healer (Exodus 25:26).
Yahweh Shalom – The Lord our Peace (Judges 6:24).
Yahweh Tsidkenu – The Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6).
Yahweh Mekaddish – The Lord our Sanctifier (Exodus 31:13).
Yahweh Rohi – The Lord our Shepherd (Psalm 23:1).
He revealed Himself as our ‘Redeemer’ even before Adam fell. Long before sin entered the world, God knew that we would need a Redeemer. God provided the answer even before the problem arose!
Adam’s sin did not catch God by surprise. So, having first seen God in His
greatness and power (Elohim), we now see how much Yahweh Elohim cares.
With just this basic understanding of these two Names, we can gain many
insights from the Bible.
As an example, the Book of Ecclesiastes describes all of the sadness and sorrows of man when he is not living for God. It basically asks, ‘Is it possible to be happy without a relationship with God.’ At the end of the Book we discover that the one who had everything – great riches, great wealth, and great power basically said ‘All is vanity without God!’
The impersonal Name Elohim is used throughout Lamentations, with no reference to Yahweh, the One who is personal and intimate. It is possible to believe in Elohim and not to know Yahweh.
The purpose of life is not to acquire things, but to know God!
We were created with a God-shaped-vacuum which only God Himself can fill. You can spend your life trying to acquire great riches, fame and success. But without a personal relationship with Yahweh, there will always be emptiness inside! It is not enough to know about God. For example, you can know a lot about the President of America, you may have read a book about him, but still not know Him personally.
Throughout the Book of Job, the Patriarch’s tormenting ‘friends’ refer to Elohim
time and time again. They believed in ‘Almighty God,’ but they did not have a
personal relationship with Him. All they had was head knowledge, which they
freely passed on to Job.
What a contrast between the Book of Proverbs – God’s Wisdom for His child, where throughout the book the name Yahweh is used. In summary, in Genesis chapter one, we focused on God’s power and the vast universe Elohim has created.
Now in chapter two, the focus changes to the fact that He has created us for a relationship with Himself. When you talk to someone about their need to be saved, have you ever heard the reply, ‘I believe in God.’ They say this as if it is sufficient. The Bible says the devil believes in God and trembles. It is not enough to just
believe in God. You need to know the Lord personally.
Believing in God (Elohim) will not get you entrance into Heaven. The devil knows
God as Elohim, the Great and Almighty Creator, but he does not know Him as
Yahweh. When the devil entered into the garden to tempt Adam and Eve, he said
‘did Elohim say?’ He was referring to the Great Creator of the universe.
Once you have discovered that God is Elohim (Almighty God), you next need
a personal intimate relationship with Yahweh.
You could say that Elohim is His job. That’s what He does. He is the Creator and Sustainer of the universe. However, He created it for you and created you for a personal relationship with Himself. It is not enough to believe in Elohim, you need to know Yahweh.
PRAYER:
‘Lord, I want to know You as Yahweh. Thank You that You care for me. I marvel that You created this wonderful world for me to enjoy. Thank You that You have provided for my every need. Thank You that You sent Jesus to bring me into a personal relationship with You. I am Yours and You are mine. I want to know You more. I want to love You more. I want to serve You more, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.’