Our English word God comes from Old English and Old High German (Got) and dates from before the 12th century AD.^426/2

Lord came originally from two Old English roots (hlaford + Weard) meaning, literally, "loaf keeper," or someone who controls the food supply. This means, therefore, a person having authority over others.^426/2

Jesus is the anglicized form of the word Iesous that is found in the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. Christ is from the Greek Christos ("Anointed One") and is a translation of the Hebrew word Mashiach ("Messiah").^426/2

In Latin, the official language of the Roman Empire, Lord was Dominus and God was Deus. Among the ancient Greeks, the equivalent terms were Kurios and Theos.^426/2

Around a thousand years ago, Old Germanic terms applied to God the Father were Dryhlen meaning Lord/Warlord, Metod meaning Measurer, Dema/Demend meaning Judge, Wuldorfaeder meaning Father of Glory, and Heofanrices Weard meaning the Guardian of the Kingdom of Heaven. Names applied to Jesus included: Haelend/Heliand meaning Healer, Frea Mancynnes meaning Lord of Mankind and Geong Haeleth meaning Young Hero.

There are three catagories:

1. Primary Names.

2. Compound Names with El.

3. Compound Names with Yehovah

There are many more names besides these.

Elohim occurs 33 times in the first 84 verses of Genesis. It is followed by Yehovah Elohim 20 times in the next 45 verses, and finally by Yehovah 10 times in the following 25 verses. This selective usage of divine names was more than coincidental.^418/23

Each divine name had a special significance and they were not necessarily synonymous. The author used Yehovah, Elohim, or Yehovah-Elohim according to the context of the passage. Therefore there is a real purpose behind the isolated usage of divine names and not random choosing.

In the 12th century, R. Jehuda Halevi wrote a book called Cosri in which he explained the etymology of each of the divine names.^422/216-217 He explains that Elohim is the most general name of God. This name points to God’s unlimited power but not to his personality or moral qualities. This is the name Moses uses in Genesis Chapter 1. In Genesis Chapter 2, however, Moses proceeds to refer to Elohim as Yehovah Elohim. First, because in this chapter he is talking about the creation of man who is created in God’s image. Moses wants us to know that man is a reflection of the God he is talking about: Yehovah Elohim. Second the name Yehovah is peculiar to the people, the Jews, who received His revelation and His covenant. Yehovah is used when God is revealing to man something about his character and His inward heart. Elohim is used exclusively when referring to God in general to all men.

Umberto Cassuto, the Jewish scholar and late professor at the Hebrew University, Further comments in his book, The Documentary Hypothesis,^420/18 that while Elohim is a common noun applied to the term god in all nations, Yehovah is used as a proper noun specifically referring to the God of Israel who they claimed was the Sovereign of the universe: "Yehovah, He is Elohim; Yehovah, He is Elohim" (1 Kings 18:39). Umberto then goes on to explain when and how these names are used:

Characteristically Jewish Passages: "those categories that have a purely Israelite character, only the Tetragrammaton [YHWH: Yehovah] occurs, this being the national name of God, expressing the personal conception of the Deity exclusive to Israel."

Ancient Hebrew: Ancient Hebrew letters found at Lachish illustrate the usage of Yehovah in daily life. It is employed not only in greetings and in oaths, but throughout the entire letter. Elohim never appears. A parallel is seen in the consistent use of Yehovah on scriptural greetings (Judges 6:12; Psalms 129:8; Ruth 2:4) and in the actual rabbinical dictum that required use of Yehovah in greeting another.^420/24

Modern Hebrew: Even in modern Hebrew, Cassuto says, "We are exact in our choice of words, we employ the tetragrammaton [Yehovah] when we have in mind the traditional Jewish idea of the Deity, and the name Elohim when we wish to express the philosophic or universal concept of the Godhead."^420/30

The following is a brief application of these rules to Genesis: In Genesis one, God appears as Creator of the physical universe and as Lord of the world who has dominion over everything. Everything that exists does so because of His authoritative decree alone, without direct contact between Him and nature. Thus the rules apply here that Elohim should be used.^420/32

In Genesis Chapter 1 the term Elohim is used for God because Moses is talking to a universal audience familiar with the universal term for God: Elohim. In Chapter two, however, Moses proceeds to tell us which God he is talking about: Yehovah. He brings God’s name Yehovah into the picture now because he is talking about the personal nature and relationship of God to man. He is also describing God’s moral Character in relation to Adam and Eve and wants his audience to know that the moral character he is describing is referring to not just any elohim, but Yehovah Elohim (Gen 2:4). Cassuto further comments that Moses uses God’s name Yehovah exclusively in Genesis 11:1-9 when talking about God’s breaking up the nations. This story is completely Jewish in character. There is no outside gentile influence in this story whatsoever. Moses is describing Israel’s complete opposition to the attitude and aspirations of the proud heathen peoples. As a result the Israelite conception of God’s relationship to man is clearly conveyed and therefore requires the use of the name of their God: Yehovah.^420/37

Chapter 12 of Genesis is about Elohim seeking a faith relationship with the man Abraham, but it is not just any Elohim, but Yehovah Elohim. Therefore, the name Yehovah for God is used. This principle is also applied to the earlier Chapters of Genesis. Gleason Archer comments in his book, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, that Elohim is used in Genesis Chapter 1 because it is talking about the all powerful Creator of the univers. However, Yehovah is used when referring to God’s covenant relationship with man, thus why Yawheh is used in Genesis Chapter 2 because of God’s covenant relationship with Adam andEve. In Genesis Chapter 3, however, when Satan appears, the name for God changes back to Elohim because God is in no way related to Satan in a covenant relationship. Both Satan and Eve refer to God as Elohim, but when God calls out to Adam and Eve to reprove them (3:9, 13) the name Yehovah is used. It is also used when God puts the curse on the serpent (3:14).^419/112

In criticism of the Documentary Hypothesis, John H. Raven argues in his book, Old Testament Introduction:

"This argument ignores the etymology of the names of God and conceives of them as used interchangeably merely as a matter of habit. It is not claimed by the critics that J was ignorant of the name Elohim or P and E of the name Jehovah, but that each preferred one of these names. But if so, the question remains, why did J prefer the name Jehovah and E and P the name Elohim. To this important question the divisive hypothesis gives no satisfactory answer. If the Pentateuch however be the work of one author, the use of these names is sufficiently clear. It is precisely that which the so-called characteristics of P, J and E, require. P is said to be cold, formal, systematic, logical; but it is precisely in such passages that one would expect Elohim, the general name for God, the name which has no special relation to Israel but is used many times in reference to the deities of the Gentiles. J on the other hand is said to be naive, anthropomorphic in his conception of God; but these evidences of religious fervor would lead us to expect the proper national name of God, the name which emphasized his covenant relations with Israel."^{423/118, 119}

In conclusion, Cassuto explains concerning Moses different uses for the name of God that there,

". . . is no reason, therefore, to feel surprise that the use of these Names varies in the Torah. On the contrary, we should be surprised if they were not changed about. The position is of necessity what it is. It is not a case of disparity between different documents, or of mechanical amalgamation of separate texts; every Hebrew author was compelled to write thus and to use the two Names in this manner, because their primary signification, the general literary tradition of the ancient East, and the rules governing the use in the Divine Names throughout the entire range of Hebrew literature, demanded this."^420/41

In the previous Chapters I cited several archaeological discoveries of other ancient civilizations use of more than one name for their God’s and even used in combination like Moses’ use of Yehovah, Elohim and Yehovah-Elohim.

Yehovah says the following to Moses in Exodus 6:3, "I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as El-Shaddai, but by My name, Yehovah, I did not make Myself known to them." In light of this statement, Documentarians argue that any earlier usage of Yehovah had to be penned in by later editors; otherwise, Moses would be guilty of an obvious contradiction of having the Patriarchs using the name Yehovah throughout Genesis when he knew no one knew God by this name until it was revealed to him on Mt. Sinai.^421/115

This passage does not mean that the name Yehovah was not known to the Israelites before Moses’ time, as has been cited clearly through archaeological discoveries mentioned in Chapter 4, but rather that Israel did not have the relationship with God that the meaning of the name Yehovah had. In other words, they previously knew God by this name, but they did not know the God, His person and character, behind this name. W.J. Martin, in his book Stylisitic Criteria and the Analysis of the Pentateuch, states the following concerning this:

"It might have been possible, of course, to have denied the implications by drawing attention to the full sense of the Hebrew word for ‘name.’ The field of meaning of this word covers not only that of ‘name,’ that is, a verbal deputy, a label for a thing, but also denotes the attributes of the thing named. It may stand for reputation, character, honour, name and fame. Hence the reference would not be so much to nomenclature as to the nature of the reality for which the name stood."^{398/ 17, 18}

When the Bible teaches that the nations or Pharoh would come to know God as Yehovah, it did not mean that they would become aware of His name Yehovah; It meant that they would come to know for the the power, attributes, personality, actions and faithfulness of God to fulfill His promises who goes by the name Yehovah. God speaking through Jeremiah 16:21 stated, "Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know my power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yehovah." More than sixty times God states through Ezekiel in the book of Ezekiel that as a the result of His actions that "They shall know that I am Yehovah," meaning they will come to know who the God Yehovah is.

Gleason Archer further explains in his book, A Survey of Old Testament Introduction,^{419/113, 114} that when God said to Moses in Exodus 6:2-3 that this was the first time He made Himself known by His name Yehovah that the Hebrew verb for know in Hebrew in this context does refer to knowing God for the first time by His name Yehovah, but that both Israel and Egypt would come to know through experience of the plagues and Israel’s deliverance from Egypt the covenant faithfulness of Yehovah to His people Israel. They would come to know what trusting in Yehovah God meant: A God who is true to his word and promises. Before, yes, they knew his deeds of power and mercy through his name El-Shaddai meaning God-Almighty, but now through his name Yehovah they know He is One who can be trusted because He is true to His word and promises. "You shall know that I am Yehovah your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians" (Exodus 6:7). He said He would deliver them out of Egypt and He did. He said he would take care of them in the wilderness and He did. He said that He would bring them into the promised land and He did.

Merrill Unger further points out in his book, Introductory Guide to the Old Testament,^424/251 that Exodus 6:2-3 does not distinguish Elohim (occuring 200 times in Genesis) from Yehovah, but El-Shaddai from Yehovah. El-Shaddai is only mentioned five times in Genesis.

Another important issue often overlooked in regard to Exodus 6:2, is what is referred to in Hebrew as the Beth Essential. The revised version renders this passage as follows: "I appeared. . . as El Shaddai, but by my name Yehovah...." This translation does not indicate that although there is a preposition (prefix Beth) in the original for "as," which governs "EI Shaddai," there is no corresponding preposition for the word "by" which here governs "my name Yehovah." Grammatically there needs to be a preposition "by" or "as" in English. Motyer in his book, The Revelation of the Divine Name, explains the use of Beth Essential:

"In this verse [Exodus 6:3], the Beth Essentiae is appropriately translated ‘as,’ that is to say, it is used with a view to concentrating attention on character or inner condition as distinct from outer circumstances or designation. When God revealed Himself ‘as’ El Shaddai, it was not with a view to providing the patriarchs with a title by which they could address Him, but to give them an insight into His character such as that title aptly conveyed. Likewise, in Exodus iii. 2, ‘the angel of Yehovah appeared... as a flame of fire....’ The outward circumstances may have served in the first instance to attract Moses’ attention—though this is not necessary, for his attention was, in point of fact, caught by the continued existence of the bush in spite of the flame. The flame was the appropriate characterization of God Himself, designed to provide a suitable revelation of the divine Nature to Moses at that particular juncture of his career. When we carry this force over to the nouns ‘My name Yehovah’ we reach a conclusion in accordance with the translation we are seeking to justify: ‘I showed myself... in the character of El Shaddai, but in the character expressed by my name Yehovah I did not make myself known,"^425/14

Motyer continues:

"The accuracy of the proposed translation is further established by its suitability to its context. (The place of the verse in the scheme of revelation, as we see it, is this: not that now for the first time the name as a sound is declared, but that now for the first time the essential significance of the name is to be made known). The patriarchs called God Yehovah, but knew Him as El Shaddai; their descendants will both call Him and know Him by His name Yehovah. This is certainly the burden of Exodus vi.. 6ff. where Moses receives the message he is to impart to Israel. The message opens and closes with the seal of the divine authority, ‘I am Yehovah,’ and on the basis of this authority it declares the saving acts which, it is specifically stated, will be a revelation of Yehovah’s nature, for, as a result of what He will do, Israel will ‘know that I am Yehovah,’ but, in point of fact, their knowledge will be, not the name merely, but also the character of Israel’s God. This meaning of the phrase is consistent throughout the Bible."^425/14

God had manifested Himself by His actions to what He meant by His name El-Shaddai to man; but even though man knew God by the name Yehovah, he had not yet experienced through God’s actions the significance and meaning of this name until in this name He manifested Himself to Moses to deliver the Israelites out of bondage to Egypt. When Moses asked God who he was to tell the Israelites had sent him to deliver them, God did not say by His name El-Shaddai, but by His name Yehovah.

The Koran provides a helpful parallel to the irregular distribution of the divine names on the Pentateuch. No one questions the single authorship of these Arabic scriptures. Yet they display the same phenomenon as their Hebrew relative. The name Allahu parallels with Elohim, and Rabbu (‘lord’) corresponds to Adonay (‘lord’) which the Jews used later to refer to Yehovah. In some suras (chapters) the names are intermingled, but in others only the one or the other appears. For example, the name never occurs in the following suras: 4, 9, 24, 33, 48, 49, 57, 59, 61, 62, 63, 64, 86, 88, 95, 101, 102, 103, 104, 107, 109, 111, 112. While the name Allahu is never used in these suras: 15, 32, 54, 55, 56, 68, 75, 78, 83, 87, 89, 92, 93, 94, 99, 100, 105, 106, 108, 113, 114.^419/111

As we brought out in the previous Chapters, there is no historical or archaeological evidence to support the Documentary Hypothesis on their explanation of names for God in the Bible. However, all the evidence does support Moses’ authorship of the Pentateuch as it stands.

There are, however, instances where Elohim does appear with plural pronouns, verbs and adjectives like in Genesis 1:26, 3:22 and 11:7: "Then Elohim said, ‘Let US make man in OUR image and in OUR likeness.’ . . . And Yehovah Elohim said, ‘The man has become like one of US, knowing good and evil. . . . . . . let US go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.’"

Plural adjectives are used in phrases like Elohim krovim ("God [so] near," Deut 4:7) and Elohim kedoshim ("a holy God, Josh 24:19). Plural verbs are used with Elohim in Genesis 20:13 and 35:7. This, rather than indicating several gods, indicates the existence of the Trinity.

In an attempt to counter Messianic Christian teaching, some ancient rabbis theorized that the plural forms meant that God was speaking to the angels. However, if that were so, when God said, "Let US make man in OUR image and in OUR likeness," would this not mean that the angels are also our creators? And what about the phrase in "OUR likeness"? Would not this imply that God created us in the image of the angels, and even that He and the angels share the same image and likeness? Such an interpretation is impossible. God shares His glory with no one, not even the angels. "I am Yehovah: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images" (Is 42:8). You see, he is the Creator--not the angels. He alone is God--not the angels. We are created in His image and in His likeness--not in the image and likeness of angels.

The name Elohim, which does suggest plurality, is God indicating that the Godhead is a compound unity consisting of the Father (Heb., Abba), Son (Ben), and Holy Spirit (Ruach Hakodesh). Does this mean there are three Gods? Absolutely not. The Athanasian Creed affirms: "We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the Persons, nor dividing the Substance."^426/2-3

The plural form Elohim, then, does not violate the Jewish tenet of divine oneness (echad). At the same time, however, the singular form, Eloah, occurs some many times in the Hebrew Bible. For instance, Psalm 18:31 asks, "For who is Eloah but Yehovah?"

In Aramaic, an ancient cousin of Hebrew, Eloah appears as Elah. Ezra 6:10, which is in Aramaic, talks about offering sacrifices to "the Elah of Heaven." When Jesus was on the Cross, He cried out in Aramaic, "Eli, Eli, lama shabag tani," or "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46). Shabaq in Aramaic means "to forsake," or "to leave alone." Eli is El with the pronominal suffix I, which makes it Eli, or "my God."

The ancient sages of Israel said that the name Elohim denotes God's power, judgment, and severity, while the name Yehovah points to His mercy and leniency.^430/XXXIII.3 They noted that these two names--Elohim and Yehovah--often appear together. . . . thus emphasizing both His mercy, love, and leniency (Yehovah), and His power, judgment, and severity (Elohim).

Isaiah records in Isaiah 42:5,

Here is an indication of the mighty power of Elohim which explains why the Holy Spirit prompted Moses to use Elohim--the name that emphasizes God’s power and majesty--in the opening verse of the Creation account in Genesis.^426/6

During Israel’s annual Feast of Dedication, or Hanukkah, Jesus made three declarations which made it clear that He was not only claiming to be the prophesied Messiah, but also God in the flesh. First, Jesus associated Himself with the "Good Shepherd" of Israel in the Old Testament. Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. . . . My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:11, 27). A thousand years earlier David said in Psalm 23:1, "Yehovah is my shepherd; I shall not want." Therefore, when Jesus identified Himself as The Shepherd, not a shepherd, Israel understood that He was declaring Himself to be Yehovah their Elohim.

Second, Jesus identifies Himself as the One who gives eternal life. "And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:28). The Scribes and Pharisees believed that the Old Testament taught that only Yehovah could give eternal life and salvation. "You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fulness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever" (Ps 16:11). "It is like the dew of Hermon, coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for there Yehovah commanded the blessing—life forever" (Ps 133:3, Isaiah 51:6-8).

Third, Jesus made the claim that He and the Father are one. "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). Jesus a Jew was talking to Jews in the context of their understanding of this statement which was probably in the context of Deuteronomy 6:4,

"Hear, O Israel! Yehovah our Elohim, Yehovah is one!"

.dj;a, hw:hy WnyheOla> hw:hy laer;c]yI [m'v]

These three statements make it clear that He was not only claiming to be the Messiah, but He was also claiming to be God in the flesh. This explains why Jesus did not go around flaunting the fact that He was the messiah, especially when he knew the scribes, Pharisees, and other representatives of the San hedrin were listening. The leaders of Israel were expecting a human Messiah who would conform to their own traditions and expectations. Their vision of the Messiah was one of a powerful, political figure who would rise up and lead Israel to victory over her Roman oppressors. Even Jesus’ own disciples, just before the Ascension, asked Him, "Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6).^427/3

This was also the understanding of His disciples of the coming Messiah. Like the Pharisees, they also were confused and perplexed by Jesus’ statements that in this dispensation "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is within you." (Luke 17:20-21)

The Sanhedrin consisted of: Pharisees: The forerunners of Modern rabbis; Scribes: Torah Teachers; Sadducees: the priestly class who presided over Temple worship; and members of certain prominent families, or clans, in first-century Israel.⁴²⁷

Jesus claim to deity in john 10:32-38 was drawn from Psalm 82:6-8, where the rulers and judges of Israel are called elohim:^427/4

"I said, ‘You are elohims, and all of you are sons of the Most High. Nevertheless you will die like men, and fall like any one of the princes.’ Arise, O Elohim, judge the earth! For it is You who do possess all the nations."

In Old Testament times, the rulers and judges of Israel were called elohim to emphasize that they derived their authority from God Himself. That is why the Lord told Israel to listen to the priests and judges, and to obey their decisions, just as though God were speaking (Deut. 17:8-13). But in Psalm 82:7, Asaph says the rulers of Israel need to be reminded that they are elohim in name only. He points out that these elohim--these earthly rulers--will die like any other men, and will fall like any earthly ruler. Then Asaph uses the name Elohim to refer to God. He says "Arise, O Elohim, judge the earth: for You shall inherit all nations." It’s like elohim with a small "e," and then Elohim with a capital "E." Elohim with a small "e" refers to the judges of Israel who ruled on God’s behalf. Elohim with a capital "e" refers to God Himself, the Judge of all the earth. That is the distinction.

Ironically, Jesus employed a form of argumentation (known in Hebrew as kal v’chomer) that was common among the rabbis. In this instance, the reasoning went something like this: (1) The priests and judges of ancient Israel were known as "gods" (Heb., elohim) because they ruled on God’s behalf; (2) These rulers were not accused of blasphemy for being called "gods"; and (3) Upon what basis then would they condemn the very Son of God, who came from the Father, for blasphemy, because He called Himself "God"? In other words, He was saying, "No one objected when they called the ancient rulers of Israel elohim because they spoke and acted on God’s behalf. Yet, you want to stone the final King of the Davidic dynasty, the Messiah of Israel, who speaks and acts on God’s behalf, because He calls Himself God."

Does this mean that Jesus was backing down from His claim of being God in the flesh? Was He saying that He was God only in a representative or symbolic sense, like the Old Testament priests and judges? Not at all. He was simply employing a form of argumentation familiar to the Pharisees to show that there was no legal (or halakic) precedent for their condemnation of Him. Our Lord’s Jewish audience that day obviously understood that He was not relenting. It says they still wanted to take Him into custody, "But He escaped out of their hand" (John 10:39). The fallacy of the Pharisees’ position was that it assumed Jesus was an ordinary man who mistakenly and arrogantly claimed to be God. It did not allow for the possibility that He might be exactly who He claimed to be.

It was perfectly acceptable for the judges to be called elohim, because they were set apart to speak and to act on God’s behalf. Therefore, it should have been no crime for the Messiah, who was the very Son of God, to claim that He was "one" with the Father. Even today, the rabbis generally assume that the notion of a divine Messiah is contrary to Jewish teaching. However, ancient Jewish documents—including even the Babylonian Talmud—indicate this may not have been entirely the case: Rabbi Hillel said: "There will be no Messiah to Israel, because they have already enjoyed him in the days of Hezekiah". R. Joseph said:

"May the Lord forgive him for saying such a thing. When did Hezekiah live? In the time of the first Temple. And the prophet Zechariah prophesied in the second Temple. He said: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your king comes to you; he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass (Zech 9:9)." [Source: Sanhedrin 99a]

If the Messiah had already come, then, who was left to redeem Israel from her Exile (that is, the Diaspora) and fulfill the restoration promises given in God’s Word? According to Rashi, Rabbi Hillel believed the Redemption of Israel would be wrought not by a mortal, non-divine messiah, but by God. This is significant because it allows for the possibility that Israel’s promised deliverer would not be a mere man like most of the rabbis say, but would actually be God Himself!

Tractate Sanhedrin makes it clear that other rabbis, including Rav Yosef, disagreed with Rabbi Hillel on this point. It was not, by any stretch of the imagination, a majority opinion. Nonetheless, it shows that at least one ancient Jewish sage interpreted the prophecies to mean that "the redemption promised in the Torah will be wrought not by a human messiah, but by God Himself" (Cheilek, Chapter 11, on Sanhedrin 99a).

The Prophet Isaiah took it one step further and explained that Israel’s Redeemer would be both God and Man:

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty-El³⁵⁹, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of Yehovah of hosts will accomplish this." (Is 9:6-7)

Isaiah 9:6 was not fulfilled in the days of King Hezekiah. The "son" who was born during Hezekiah’s reign (Is 7:14-16) was merely a symbolic forerunner (or type) of the future, Virgin-born Son of God recorded in Matthew 1:23.^{427/4, 9}

This promised Messiah would be both human and divine—human because according to 7:14 He is born of a virgin, and divine because He is called "the Mighty God" in 9:6. He would be a God-Man!^427/9

Since they are not trained warriors, they will have to depend on the Lord. So He reminds them of their unique relationship to Him. He says, in Deuteronomy 7:6, "For you are a holy people to Yehovah your Elohim; Yehovah your Elohim has chosen you to be a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth." After saying this, Israel might have become big headed thinking they are special and unique, so the Lord goes on to explain why he picked them: "Yehovah did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples" (Deut 7:7).

Next, he gets to the real issue of why he delivered Israel out of Egypt: "But because Yehovah loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, Yehovah brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deut 7:8). Notice that the Lord gives two reasons for His deliverance of Israel—His love and His promise. A New Testament counterpart to this verse is John 3:16. In Salvation, first and foremost, God was motivated by His love for us. Then, second, He fulfilled His promise to send the Messiah: Jesus Christ, so we could be saved through Him.

In this sense, then, Israel’s Exodus from Egypt typifies our salvation under the New Covenant. Just as Moses led the Jewish people out of Egypt and into the Promised Land, Jesus leads us out of the bondage of sin and into the blessedness of His salvation. This is why God chose the occasion of a Passover, which commemorates the Exodus from Egypt, to inaugurate the New Covenant (Luke 22:7-23).

Exodus as a case in point: "But because Yehovah loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, Yehovah brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt" (Deut 7:8).

The story of the Exodus reminds us of several things concerning God’s faithfulness. First, His faithfulness is not diminished by the passage of time. God is never in a hurry, and He never forgets. The Jewish nation had been in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40-41), yet He remembered His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob half a millennium before (Ex 3:6-10). The same principle applies to God’s promises to the Church. Peter foresaw that the long span of time between our Lord’s first and second comings would be misunderstood by the skeptics. They would see this 2,000-year delay as an indication that the Lord is not coming back at all! "Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation’" (2 Peter 3:3-4). The people who scoff at these end time prophecies do not realize that in so doing they are fulfilling these prophecies.

A few verses later, Peter reminds us that God’s sense of timing is not as constrained as ours: "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Pet 3:8). It has been approximately 6,000 years, or six "days," since Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden. The seventh day signifies the coming of our blessed Messiah and the beginning of a 1,000-year Sabbath rest. He is coming just as surely as the sun will rise tomorrow morning!

We are told that He is a faithful God who keeps His promises to those who "love Him and keep His commandments to a thousand generations." How long is that? If we use the figure of 40 years for a generation (Ps 95:10), it would be 40,000 years! God is saying that He will keep all of His promises, even if it takes 40,000 years to do it! The passage of time may take its toll on us, but it has no effect on God.

Second, His faithfulness is not diminished by opposition. During the Exodus, Moses was opposed by the most powerful man on earth at that time: Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Yet God brought His people out of Egypt. ". . . and Yehovah brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with great terror and with signs and wonders" (Deut 26:8). God is not deterred by opposition; He is motivated by it.

Third, His faithfulness is not diminished by contrary opinions. Some Israelites were not in agreement with the decision to leave Egypt. They preferred the job security of being slaves for Pharaoh. The pay wasn’t much and the working conditions weren’t the greatest, but at least they had a roof over their heads and food to eat! Once in the wilderness, the dissenters became grumblers and complainers (Num 11:4-6). Even so, God was ultimately faithful to keep His promise and bring His people to Canaan.

Today in our society as Christians we have quickly become the minority, the scum of society. Paul wrote, "And indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Tim 3:12). If we endure the persecutions of our time, Jesus promises that in heaven we will be blessed beyond our imaginations.

Fourth, His faithfulness is not diminished by human short-comings. When God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, telling him to lead the Chrildren of Israel out of Egypt, poor Moses came up with a whole list of reasons why he was the wrong man for the job. Moses’ short comings were the following: He had no standing with either the Israelites or the Egyptians for such an undertaking (Ex 3:11); he didn’t even know the name of the One who was sending him (3:13); he was plagued by doubts and fears (4:1); he lacked the eloquence that most leaders possess (4:10); finally, there was the very mundane consideration that his employer might not release him from his responsibilities (4:18). However, God would not allow Moses’ personal shortcomings to interfere with Israel’s deliverance from Egypt. He had made promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and nothing would prevent Him from keeping His Word. So He made provision for each of Moses’ five concerns and the rest, as they say, is history.

El Hagadol meanings: The Great God.²⁸⁷ This is found in Deuteronomy 10:17: "For Yehovah³⁶¹ your Elohim is the Elohe²⁹¹ of elohim and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome El³⁵⁹ who does not lift up faces [show partiality] nor take a bribe." Note that all primary names for God are used here: Yehovah, God’s proper name; Elohim, describing the composite unity of our one God Elohe; elohim which also can be used as a plural noun to describe the lesser gods of the nations; Adonai, Yehovah is Lord of lords; and El, the shortened form of Elohim.

Second, God is great because He is not subject to human shortcomings. ". . . and the awesome El³⁵⁹ who does not lift up faces [show partiality] nor take a bribe" (Deut 10:17). With Him there is no partiality and He takes bribes from no one. He is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34). he is not impressed with wealth, influence, or social status. He doesn't care what kind of car you drive, how many boards of directors you serve on, or how many people jump when you say "Jump." We are all equal in God's sight. Someday when we stand before Him, everyone will be judged on the same basis.

Third, God is great because He defends the weak. He takes up the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and He loves the "stranger," or the alien (v. 18). People no one else will stand up for, God stands up for. Those who are too weak, and have no way of defending themselves, God defends. This is what makes Him El Hagadol, the Great God.

Note the contrast between God’s measure of greatness and the world’s measure of greatness. The world says there are only two kinds of people--the weak and the strong, the predators and the prey. It’s like Darwin’s maxim of "survival of the fittest," or natural selection. Only the strong survive. But what does God say? He says true greatness is measured not by status or achievement, but by how we treat the weak and the oppressed. It is measured by how we protect those who cannot protect themselves, and how we provide for those who cannot provide for themselves (See Ps 146:5-9).

Fourth, God is great because His works are great. "He is your praise and He is your Elohim, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen. Your fathers went down to Egypt, seventy persons in all, and now Yehovah your Elohim has made you as numerous as the stars of heaven" (Deut 10:21-22).

It is especially significant that God revealed Himself in Genesis 17 as El Shaddai. At this juncture in their lives, Abram and Sarai were wrestling with the fact that God had promised them something they thought was impossible. He told them they were going to have many descendants. Furthermore, they would be the progenitors of not just one nation, but many nations. "And He took him outside and said, Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them. And He said to him, So shall your descendants be" (Gen 15:5). That was the promise. What made it seem impossible was that both Abram and his wife, Sarai, were well beyond their childbearing years: "Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing" (Gen 18:11). Sarah had already undergone the reproductive change of life that marks the end of a woman’s fertility.

Abram and Sarai decided the Lord needed their help to fulfill his promise. They devised a plan for Abram to take his wife’s Egyptian handmaiden, Hagar, and have a son by her. They decided to carry out this plan. Abram was 86 years old when his son Ishmael was born. Ishmael was half Hebrew and half Egyptian.^210/8-9 However, God was not pleased. It was an offense to the Lord that Abram and Sarai had not believed that He could fulfill His promise to them. So after the birth of Ishmael, there was a 13-year period of silence during which God said nothing to Abram. It is very noticeable because from Chapter 12 to Chapter 16 there are many references to the Lord’s appearances to Abram. But at the end of Chapter 16, when Ishmael is born, those revelations end abruptly. The Lord does not say anything more. The grieved silence of God lasted for 13 years, the length of the interlude between Chapters 16 and 17.

Finally, at the beginning of Chapter 17, after 13 years had passed, and Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, "I am El Shaddai." God was telling Abraham that He did not need his promise to fulfill His promises to him. Then God He repeated His promises: one, He would make Abram the father of many nations (v. 4); two, He would establish an everlasting covenant between Himself and Abram, for Abram’s descendants, and for generations to come (v. 7); and, three, He would give them the whole land of Canaan (v.8). He even changed Abram’s name to Abraham which means, "father of a multitude."²⁰⁶

Abraham had no problem with anything the Lord said right up through Verse 14. Then the Lord said something that stunned Abraham:

"Then Elohim said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall come from her." (Gen 17:15-16)

This was a surprise to Abraham because the first born always received the inheritance, therefore, he thought that the promises would be fulfilled through Ishmael. God, however, whent back to his original promise that Abraham would have a son through Sarah. As a result Abraham fell on his face and said to himself, "Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?" (Gen 17:17). To God, however, he said, "Oh that Ishmael might live befor You!" (Gen 17:18). Abraham wanted God to fulfill his promise through Ishmael. God could not do this because Ishmael was not the son He had promised to Abraham. That was why God had introduced Himself to Abraham in Chapter 17 as El Shaddai. He wanted Abraham to know that no matter how hopeless the situation may appear, and no matter how impossible it may seem, God is Enough. He is the Sufficient God.

He also has a sense of humor. Abraham had laughed at the notion that he and Sarah could have a child in their old age. So when the time came, the Lord instructed them to name their son Isaac, meaning "he laughs."⁴¹⁶ Every time they said his name, it would serve as a reminder that nothing is impossible with El Shaddai.

1. Cassuto, U. The Documentary Hypothesis. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, the Hebrew University, 1941. First English edition, 1961.
2. Segal, M.H. The Pentateuch—Its Composition and Its Authorship. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, Hebrew University, 1967.
3. Archer, Gleason. Jr. A Survey of Old Testament Introduction. Chicago: Moody Press, 1964, 1974. Moody Press. Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. Used by permission.
4. Motyer, J.A. The Revelation of the Divine Name. London: The Tyndale Press, 1959.
5. Free, Joseph P. "Archaeology and Higher Criticism," Bibliotheca Sacra. January, 1957. Vol. 114, pp. 23-39.
6. Free Joseph P. "Archaeology and the Historical Accuracy of Scripture," Bibilotheca Sacra. July, 1956. Vol. 113.