God gives great importance to names in general. We read about people whose names changed, such as Abram to Abraham and so on. God's name is also very special and important. Understanding the meaning of God's name gives us a very deep insight into the nature of God, His attributes, His person, His power, His greatness. His character is revealed through His name. Studying the names of God is a wonderful and enriching activity; we ought to spend time trying to learn about God's name investigating the rich meaning behind each of God's names.
Many names are used in the scriptures to speak about God. Some of these names are descriptive names of God. They show His character and self-sufficiency. There are certain names that are known as "redemptive names" of God. These are names that God uses to describe the redemptive work that God performs in the lives of His people. These names of God in Hebrew associates a redemptive action of God with the only proper name associated with God in the Bible: "Jehovah" or "Yahweh."
JEHOVAH
“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14) ”
All of the redemptive names of God and associated with the word, Jehovah, Yehovah, or Yahweh. Even though we use such names to call , it is not clear what the actual pronunciation of this name is. In the Hebrew language, it is written with the consonants Y-H-W-H, but the word itself was seldom pronounced. So we do not know how it was to be pronounced. Bible scholars assigned the consonants of the generic name Adonai: "A," "O," and "A" to pronounce Y-H-W-H as Jehovah.
The name Jehovah speaks about God's eternal nature and self-existence. "I AM WHO I AM" or "I AM THAT I AM."
In this study, in addition to introducing everyone to the Jehovah names of God, I want to point out their fulfilment in Jesus. As the Bible says,
"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Col 2:9)"
1 - JEHOVAH ROHI – THE LORD MY SHEPHERD
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1)
David was a shepherd boy who became the second king of Israel. He saw his role of king of Israel being one of shepherding a nation. He saw himself as Israel's shepherd and wrote about God also being the Shepherd of the people of Israel.
Shepherds lead sheep to places with good food and water, provide protection from wild animals, and offer affection to the sheep. We need all of that from God.
This name of God is fulfilled in Christ. Jesus said:
“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,” (John 10:11, 14)
God in Christ will be our Shepherd and lead us to green pastures and protect us in the face of evil. Hallelujah!
2 - JEHOVAH RAPHA – THE LORD MY HEALER
After the LORD led the children of Israel through the Red Sea and defeated Pharoah's armies by drowning them in the same sea, the people rejoiced in God singing songs and praising Him in the wilderness. Soon they reached Marah and the cries of a thirsty population were raised. There was water in Marah, but as the name "Marah" suggests, the water was bitter and undrinkable. God asked Moses to put a nearby tree into the water. On doing that the water became sweet. A miracle! Along with that God gave them a promise and a commandment to obey.
“Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer. (Exodus 15:25-26)”
This promise too is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. He went around healing people and delivering those that were oppressed with evil spirits.
“When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.””
Matthew 8:16-17
God's plan is to help us walk in good health. Will we fall sick? Yes, of course. It is a fallen world. There are germs, there are conditions of the body, there will be accidents that happen.
However, my personal belief is that God's perfect plan is to heal us. Sometimes He does that instantly. Often He does that over time. Sometimes He will heal us through the use of medicines. At other times without the use of medicines. Whatever is the situation we go through, we are to cry out to Him and He promises that He will heal us. He is Jehovah Rapha.
3 - JEHOVAH NISSI – THE LORD MY BANNER
When the Israelites fought the Amalekites in Exodus 17 under the leadership of Joshua, everytime Moses had his arms lifted up, they were winning. When Moses lowered his hands, they began losing. Seeing this the children of Israel placed a rock on which Moses sat and Aaron and Hur held up each hand. Thus God gave Israel a great victory over the Amalekites.
“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; and he said, “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14-16)”
This prophetic name is also fulfilled spectaculary in Jesus Christ, who gives us the victory in all situations and makes us more than conquerors.
“but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)”
God makes us more than conquerors by fighting the battle on our behalf and because of the victory that He has already wrought in Christ on Calvary's cross. What He expects us to do in each situation is to profess and confess the victory of God through our words. By proclaiming words of faith and victory, He gives us the power to transform the situations we are in and be transformed as we go through them, no matter how challenging they are.
4 - JEHOVAH JIREH – THE LORD MY PROVIDER
When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he obediently started moving to Mount Moriah with the little boy Isaac, his servant, and the donkey. He had the wood and everything needed for the sacrifice, except a sacrificial animal. But seeing that there was no sacrificial animal, Isaac asked his father about it and Abraham said “God will provide.” We read in Genesis 22 that Abraham was not just pretending to kill Isaac, but he was actually going to sacrifice Isaac. We read in Hebrews 11 that Abraham believed that even if Isaac was killed, that God was able to raise Him from the dead. That was Abraham's confidence that showed the true, deep, and unwavering faith that pleased God.
"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. (Genesis 22:14)"
Jesus showed his ability to provide for His people in several examples, when He spoke to them about giving them the bread and living water and His peace and eternal life. He fed thousands at multiple occasions. Ultimately He gave of Himself. The righteous for the unrighteous.
"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19"
God is looking for us to trust Him completely, believing that even if a situation is dead that God is able to raise it again as Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead. He wants to be Jehovah Jireh in our lives; the One who will provide for all our needs.
Note: We will continue this study in the coming week with 4 more redemptive names of God that are fulfilled in Christ.