THE NAMES OF GOD – JEHOVAH – May 8, 2022 – Pastor Marvin Engle

INTRODUCTION:

It is our premise in these messages on the Names of God to study how God has revealed Himself to man by the use of His names.  In order for man to know God and know Him better, as to His nature and character, we must grow in our knowledge of His Names and their meaning.  A careful study of the names of God will result in the believer’s deeper understanding of God and bring greater trust in Him.

This is our 3^rd message on the NAMES OF GOD.  In the first message we discovered our 1st name of God in the Old Testament Hebrew was the name El.  This is the shortest name for God and the general name and is always translated God.  El means the strong and mighty God of Israel who is unlimited in strength.

The 2^nd name of God we learned last week, the name Elohim.  Elohim is the name of our mighty Creator and the Creator of the Universe (Genesis 1).  Elohim is the compound word joining the names El and Alah together and tell us Elohim is a God of infinite strength who keeps all His promises and covenants with man.  We also learned that Elohim is a plural form of El, but the verbs used with this name are singular.  We learned that this reveals to us that our God is one God who exists in a plurality of Persons, and those three Persons in the Godhead explains why the pronouns “our” and “us” in Genesis 1:26-27 and Genesis 11:7.  Elohim is also translated in our English Bible by the name God.

The 3^rd name of God, one we will study today is the name Jehovah, or Yahveh.  This name of God was considered sacred, and the Jews had such fear and reverence for this name they avoided using it and feared to pronounce it wrongly.  It is thought that this fear came from Leviticus 24:11, 15–16 – ¹¹ And the Israelitish woman’s son blasphemed the name of the Lord, and cursed. ¹⁵ And thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, Whosoever curseth his God shall bear his sin. ¹⁶ And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him: … when he blasphemeth the name of the Lord, shall be put to death.  The man who cursed was stoned to death.

Jehovah is derived from the root word, “Havah.”  It means “to be,” or ‘being, or from the root word “Chavah” which means “to live, to have life.”  Its meaning is that God is the eternal self-existing One.  It is best expressed in God’s revelation of His name to Moses – Exodus 3:13-14 – ¹³ And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? What shall I say unto them? ¹⁴ And God said unto Moses, I AM That I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  It means His existence is underived existence.  Jehovah is the One who “IS WHAT HE IS.”

Jehovah is saying to Moses, “I am the One who has always been and always will be.”  “I am eternal and possess eternal life.”  His existence is expressed in Psalm 102:24-27 – ²⁴ I said, O my God, … thy years are throughout all generations. ²⁵ Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. ²⁶ They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: ²⁷ But THOU ART THE SAME and thy years shall have no end.  Malachi 3:6 – ⁶ For I AM THE LORD, I CHANGE NOT. 

Jehovah is always translated, LORD or GOD in capital letters.  When you see this, it is “Jehovah.”

JEHOVAH IS OUR PERSONAL GOD:

Jehovah is the name God uses to speak of His personal relationship with man whom He created.  He seeks, He speaks, He has fellowship, He loves, He cares for, He provides for the personal being He created in His image.  Man can talk with Him, pray to Him, listen to Him, love Him, worship Him and serve Him.

The first use of the name, Jehovah, is found in conjunction with Elohim in Genesis 2:4 where Jehovah is seen as one with Elohim in the role of Creator – ⁴ These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens. We also see that Jehovah Elohim created the body of man from the dust of the ground – Genesis 2:7 – ⁷ And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.  Jehovah Elohim was the One who placed man in the Garden of Eden – Genesis 2:8 – ⁸ And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

We see clearly in Genesis 3:8-9 – that Jehovah Elohim who created man in His image; He created man as a personality so that He could have personal fellowship with man; He spoke to Adam and Adam spoke to Him. – ⁸ And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. ⁹ And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  Before we move from Genesis 2 and 3, I want you to notice for future reference, it was Jehovah Elohim who commanded the man to obey Him and told him the penalty for disobedience – Genesis 2:16-17 – ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: ¹⁷ But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  And it was Jehovah Elohim who provided the way for sinful man to be forgiven – Genesis 3:21 – ²¹ Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

All these references in Scripture and many more reveal to us that Jehovah is a personal God who desires a personal relationship with man.  He spoke personally to Moses face-to-face – Exodus 33:11 –¹¹ So the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.  Have you talked to Him lately?

JEHOVAH IS THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL:

Jehovah is the name God uses to reveal that He is a Holy God and totally apart from evil.  God is Holy, absolutely holy and essentially holy.  Leviticus 19:1-2 – And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, ² “Speak to all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.  Not only is God a Holy God, He demands and insists that His people be holy – Leviticus 11:44-45 –  For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore sanctify yourselves, and ye shall be holy; for I am holy: …⁴⁵ For I am the Lord that bringeth you up out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: ye shall therefore be holy, for I am holy.  God desires Christians to be holy as well – I Peter 1:15-16.

It is to Jehovah to whom we are personally responsible when we sin and the One who has created man to be morally responsible for his actions and the One who holds man responsible when he sins.

            The name Jehovah always represents the Holiness of God – Exodus 15:11 – ¹¹ Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like thee, glorious in HOLINESS, fearful in praises, doing wonders?  The heathen gods were gods with the same vices as the men who bowed to them and worshiped them – gods of lust, gods of greed, gods of vengeance, etc.  There is no God like Jehovah, the Holy One!

After redeeming Israel from bondage in Egypt, God led them directly to Mt. Sinai to teach them again and again, in the laws He gave them to set them apart from all other people on earth, that “The LORD your God is a Holy God!”  He took a whole year as repeated this over and over again that since He was Holy, He demanded that they be a holy people, set apart in their worship, in their laws of eating, in their day of worship and in their relationships with one another.

Since our God is a Holy God, He hates sin and must judge it!  He will not compromise with sin in any way and can only do one thing, judge it!  God judged the sin of Adam and Eve when they disobeyed His command in the Garden of Eden.  The judgment of sin in the Old Testament was always carried out under the name of Jehovah because He is Holy and must judge sin.  Read of God’s judgments on Egypt in Exodus 5-12 and you will see the judgments came from Jehovah – Exodus 5:1-2 – And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord (JEHOVAH) God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. ² And Pharaoh said, Who is the Lord (JEHOVAH), that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord (JEHOVAH), neither will I let Israel go.  Two other Scriptures in this regard – Exodus 6:29 – That the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord (JEHOVAH): speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.  Exodus 7:5 – And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord (JEHOVAH), when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.

JEHOVAH LOVES SINNERS AND PROVIDES SALVATION FOR THEM:

One of the great truths about the name Jehovah is the revelation that Jehovah loves sinners and provides a way of salvation for them – Exodus 6:2-3 – ² And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I AM the Lord: ³ And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name Jehovah was I not known to them.  Exodus 6:6-7 –  ⁶ Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I AM the Lord (JEHOVAH), and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will REDEEM YOU with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: ⁷ And I will take you to me for a people, and I WILL BE TO YOU A GOD: and ye shall know that I AM the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

This is one of the greatest truths about the name Jehovah.  Jehovah is the One who sought Adam when he was hiding after he had sinned.  Jehovah is the One who took the initiative and provided salvation for Adam and Eve by slaying a lamb in their place and providing coats of skins.

Jehovah hates our sin but loves the sinner and has provided a way of salvation for him through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who died on the cross in the sinner’s place and offers forgiveness of sin through faith

JEHOVAH IS THE NAME OF GOD CLAIMED BY JESUS CHRIST:

            Jehovah is the most frequent name of God used in the Old Testament – 6,823 times.  As you have seen by now, the same God who is Elohim is also Jehovah.  Elohim gives one view of Our God as Creator, Keeper of His Promises and His Covenants.  Jehovah reveals that the same God is also a self-existing Personal God who created man for fellowship; who loves the man He created and acts on his behalf to provide salvation for sinful man and is his Savior.

Jehovah Elohim of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.  The name Jesus means “Jehovah is Salvation.”  (Matthew 1:21)  All that the name of Jehovah meant to Israel, Jesus Christ means to us.  In His incarnation as a man, Jesus Christ, Jehovah, came to save us from our sins. 

            Jesus Christ clearly claimed to be Jehovah – John 8:57-58 – ⁵⁷ Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?⁵⁸ Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, “BEFORE ABRAHAM WAS, I AM.” 

Every time Jesus spoke of Himself with the words I AM, Jesus was claiming to be Jehovah.  “I AM the bread of life – John 6:35, 33 – ³⁵ And Jesus said unto them, I AM the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.  ³³ For the BREAD of God is HE WHICH COMETH DOWN FROM HEAVEN, and giveth life unto the world.  “I AM the light of the world.” (John 8:12) “I AM the good shepherd.” (Psalm 23) (John 10:11); “I AM the door (of salvation).  (John 10:9); “I AM the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25); I AM the way, the truth, and the life. (John 14:6); I AM the vine” (John 15:1).  “I and my Father are One”

There are other instances in the Book of John that show the Deity of Jesus Christ – John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.  John 8:24 – ²⁴ I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I AM HE, ye shall die in your sins.

John 10:30-33 – ³⁰ I and my Father are one. ³¹ Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. ³² Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me? ³³ The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that THOU BEING A MAN MAKEST THYSELF GOD.

John 18:3-6 – ³ Judas then, having received a band of men and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons. ⁴ Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? ⁵ They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM HE. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. ⁶ As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM HE, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

All the implications of the name, Jehovah, in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the Person and work of Jesus Christ in His willingness to leave the glories of Heaven and become a man to fulfill God’s plan of redemption in His sinless life and death for us our Substitute.

            There are many references in the Old Testament where it speaks of Jehovah and He is identified as Jesus Christ in the New Testament.  I will name just a few of many for the encouragement of those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and are saved.

Isaiah 49:21-23 – Have not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me. ²² “Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other.²³ I have sworn by Myself; The word has gone out of My mouth in righteousness, And shall not return, THAT TO ME EVERY KNEE SHALL BOW.  EVERY TONGUE SHALL TAKE AN OATH..  Philippians 2:10-11 – ¹⁰ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; ¹¹ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Joel 2:32 NKJV – And it shall come to pass That WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD (JEHOVAH) SHALL BE SAVED.  Romans 10:9-13 NKJV –  That if you confess with your mouth THE LORD JESUS and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.             ¹³ FOR WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”

Isaiah 6:1-3 – In the year that King Uzziah died, I SAW THE LORD (JEHOVAH)sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ² Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³ And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!”              

John 12:41 – ⁴¹ These things Isaiah said ^[a]when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. (Jesus Christ)

Jehovah is the Holy and the Righteous God who must judge sin; Jehovah is the Creator-God who created man in His own image; Jehovah is the Living God who gives eternal life to those who trust Him for salvation; Jehovah is the personal God who loves sinners in spite of their sins and is the One who sent His Son to be our Substitute and provide a way for sinful men to be saved.  Jehovah is the Lord Jesus Christ who provided a way for you to be saved by placing your faith in Him.

Jehovah is the One who provided the new covenant through the blood of Jesus Christ that is extended to every believer through the Lord Jesus Christ – Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34 – ³¹ Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah:    ³³ But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. ³⁴ And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.

Friend, are you ready to believe and trust the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?  He is the God of the Bible and forgives all who come to Him, confessing their sin and their sins, and placing their trust in the One who died in their place, paying the price of sin by His death on the Cross.  Will you receive Him today?