YHWH

What comes to mind when you hear the word: LORD
A figure in authority?
A power?
A master?
A leader?

Is it personal or is it a term you would use to describe someone or something in charge... yet distant?

Father is the name God wants us to call him, as we are his children. As we speak to him,he wants us to tell him our heart's desires. He tells us, as a 'father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him'. The word fear means to have a genuine respect of his power and authority, as a father does over us. He shows us his compassion and lovingkindness, grace, and mercy. He is a father to the fatherless. A savior and adopter.

Elohim was the name that God was known by when Israel described him to other nations. Full of omnipotence and power. Sovereign.
It invokes a fear, or an extreme deep respect... as a father with absolute control, power and might.
For us, it invokes a trust.
A genuine respect of the power and might of God Almighty... El Shaddai... Elohim.
Because we know Him also as a loving Father.


Today, we seek another name of God, another description of Elohim.
Because we don't have to cower or be terrified by this all powerful father... Elohim has a different name.

YHWH

What?

YHWH

Maybe you have heard it pronounced...YaHWeH.

Maybe you have heard it pronounced...JeHoVaH.

Why do I capitalize certain letters?
Because the vowels actually do not appear in this name of God.
The vowels were added.
YHWH or JHVH... the Hebrew name of the God who makes covenants.
Personally I prefer YHWH. But I'm sure God doesn't mind, either way.

We add vowels because without which this name of God is unpronounceable. We steal the vowels from another name of God that is used in conjunction with YHWH a lot... Adonai. The 'ai' is translated from what could be translated into an 'e'.
We get A-O-E, skipping the 'O' we get YaHWeH.
Using the 'O' and taking the vowels backwards we get JeHoVaH.

The letters J and Y can be translated to be the same sound in Hebrew, as well as V and W.

But what about this other word...

Adonai.

A plural name meaning: Master.

A name meaning: Overseer of a slave.

First we see another plural name for God... a plurality for one.
A picture of the three persons, the three facets, the three pieces of God.

Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All one.

But what is this about a master of a slave?

If we called him that... would that be us saying, 'Adonai... God, we are your slaves.' ?

That's not politically correct.

We don't like that.

Servant.

That's ok.
Because that invokes our choice to serve.
Slave is the opposite.

But we are slaves.

Slaves.

Slaves of a master.

We were born into slavery.
Slavery to sin.

But God paid our price.

Adonai paid our dowry, our purchase, our slavery has been paid by Him... and those who are bought from slavery are traded... we are slaves of God.

Another saying we don't like.

Another idea that doesn't sit well.

But here's the thing about God's slaves...

Once we realize all we deserve is slavery.
God says, 'You are my children. I didn't just buy you into slavery... I bought you out of slavery. I paid for your adoption. You are mine.'

Adonai is master.
YHWH is Lord.
But He is also Father.
He is also Elohim.

Now we just covered a lot of craziness... Hebrew... grammar (see your High School English teacher was right... you would need to know grammar later in life.) And we just briefly explained the name 'Adonai'. But the title of this post is actually:

YHWH.

So let's cut to the chase.

Going back to that idea of slaves.

"Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness.
I am using an example from everyday life because of your human limitations. Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." -Romans 6:16-23

Paul talks about it. It's a pretty heavy topic in Romans.

So we are slaves of God.
But here is where the meaning of YHWH makes this a great thing.

YHWH is referred to as the covenant name of God.

This is why we see so many hyphenated names, such as...
YaHWeH- yireh
YaHWeH- shalom
YaHWeH- nissi
YaHWeH- shammah
And others.

The God who promises to provide.
The God who promises Peace.
The God who promises to prevail.
The God who promises to be there.





But here's the thing, this supreme God, this master, this LORD... is personal.
So personal that he makes covenants, promises, and testaments to his people.

These are revealed throughout scripture.

God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'" God also said to Moses, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. -Exodus 3:14-15

The word LORD, when spelled with capital letters, stands for the divine name, YHWH, the great tetragrammaton, which is here connected with the verb 'hayah', “to be” or in this case, 'I AM'.
God reveals to Moses his name and the meaning behind his name... I AM WHO I AM, or I WILL BE WHO I WILL BE, I WAS WHO I WAS, all referring around the verb 'to be'. God is eternally existent, everywhere at all times, never changes, never had a 'beginning'. And he says, 'this is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.'

He says this to Moses to reinforce the promise he made to him, the covenant that He will be with him as Moses goes to Pharaoh.

That is the God we worship.

It is the name God repeats as His name as He gives the Ten Commandments to his people.
Another covenant.

He repeats this name all throughout the Pentateuch.

Elijah referenced this name of God as he called fire down from heaven on Mount Carmel.
Re-establishing that Israel was God's people and not Baal's.

All throughout the Prophets, Psalms, Proverbs, and even Job, the name YaHWeH is used to describe what God is doing and who He is.

This great and mighty God wants a personal relationship with us.

Finally coming to the point where Jesus, uses this name for himself.
The very one who would make the ultimate covenant with all people.
God incarnate.

Jesus makes nine statements that begin with I am...

One of them he clearly comes out and says, 'before Abraham was... I AM.'

Bringing it all back to the name YHWH.

God wants all generations to know that this is His name, forever. That the God who makes and keeps promises is still making and keeping promises. He promises us so much that we do not deserve. But that is what makes God so good. He loves. He redeems. He saves. He holds us in His arms and comforts us.


What promises in the Bible are speaking to you? God intends to keep those to you. His very name is a promise to us.


His name is YHWH: Hebrew pronunciation Yode- Hay- Vav- Hay


Ancient Rabbis wouldn't say the word... they viewed it as unpronounceable.


Why?


Because these sounds... they are the sounds of breathing.


Every breath we take... is it possible that our very existence... our very breaths are echoing God's promises. We echo the very name of God.


There has been a pastor in the news a lot recently, over a new book he wrote. His name is Rob Bell, and a few years ago he did a series of video teachings with Nooma. Though I personally don't agree with everything he says, I thought one of his videos entitled 'Breathe' would be something good to take in with this post.



 Are we ready to slow down, meditate on God's promises, every breath we take cries out that God is the God who keeps his promises... That God is LORD, and that God has the power to keep his promises.

Nothing can get in his way.
Nothing can stop Him from us.

He is LORD.
He is Master.
And He cares for his people.