God of love, hope, grace and peace – Day 11
Who is God? (iii)
Um(Imi)bhalo weBhayibheli
U-Eksodusi 3
Throughout the Bible, God has used different names to introduce himself to his children. What is remarkable about this is that these names were not dreamt up by people, but God takes the initiative, and something of his character and nature is given to people through his name. If you go back to the original Hebrew, the various names of God sheds light on the various qualities of God, just like a crystal with many facets.
JEHOVAH (YHWH) – “I AM”: The One Who is; The Self Existing One
ELOHIM – The All-Powerful; One Creator
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU – The Lord our Righteousness
IMMANUEL – God with us; “I AM”
ADONAI – The Lord my Great Lord
JEHOVAH-RAPHA – The Lord Who Heals
JEHOVAH-ROHI – The Lord is my Shepherd
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH – The Lord Who is present
ELROI – The God Who Sees me
EL SHADDAI – The All Sufficient One; The God of the Mountains; God Almighty
These names are characteristics of God. They describe who God is and how God is. That’s his nature. This is what we can expect from the Almighty!
