2006-03-17
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Holy Spirit commands me to continue writing about the names of God as they relate to the first index sentence of the Lord's Prayer [MT 6: 9-13]. Since this amazing lesson in how to pray ends with a call to worship just as it begins, it is not the only place where God's names apply. The first index sentence is, "Our Father Who art in heaven hallowed by Thy name..." So far we have looked at El Elyon [God is Sovereign], Eloheim [the plural Hebrew word meaning Creator], El Shaddai [The Almighty, All-Sufficient One], Jehovah [I AM WHO I AM], El Roi [God Who Sees All], Jehovah Jirah [God Who Provides], and Jehovah Nissi [God is my Banner].
As a Jew raised in the Conservative sect of that faith, the name I have used the most often is Adonai which means Lord of All. Inherent in this name is the concept of submission to Him and acceptance that He is the One and Only Lord of All. PHIL 1: 21 is an example of this when Paul writes, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." The name, Adonai, is first used in GN 15: 2, "But Abram answered, 'O Lord God, what good will Your reward do me, since I have no children? My only heir is Eliezer of Damascus [a trusted servant].'" This comment was made just before God entered into the Abrahamic covenant with Abram. God's knowledge of Abram was far greater than Abram's own of himself. That is why God was able to justify Abram in GN 15: 6. The issue of dependency on God comes up in PS 123: 2, a part of a prayer for mercy. The name, Adonai, is used here. "As a servant depends on his master, as a maid depends on her mistress, so we will keep looking to You, O Lord our God, until You have mercy on us." We also see in this His graciousness and availability. PS 145: 14-16 in using this name raises the issue of God's sufficiency to supply all needs. "The Lord sustains all who fall, and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to Thee, and Thou dost give them their food in due time. Thou dost open Thy hand, and dost satisfy the desire of every living thing." Other usages of Adonai for God appear in PS 89: 50-51 (revealing God's bearing of insults), PS 141: 8-10 (revealing God as a Refuge, a Protector from traps that people set), PS 119: 125 (revealing a Source for understanding God's word), JG 6: 14-16 (revealing God's presence and power to do His will); DT 9: 26 (revealing God's ability to protect His people from destruction; 1 K 2: 26 (revealing God's justice and protection of King David), PS 114: 7 (revealing God's supremacy and awesome power), PS 136: 3 (revealing God's everlasting kindness and His deserving of our thanks), and many more.
Jehovah Tsidkenu is God is Righteous. There have been plenty of times in mankind's history when God tried to expose their hypocrisy. One such time is when Jeremiah was the prophet and Judah was riddled with spiritual rebellion. JER 6: 13-14, "Everyone, great and small, tries to make money dishonestly; even prophets and priests cheat the people. They act as if My people's wounds were only scratches. 'All is well,' they say, when all is not well." One of the most pictographic passages in the Bible occurs in JER 18: 5-11. "Then the Lord said to me, 'Do I not have the right to do with you people of Israel what the potter did with the clay? You are in My hands just like the clay in the potter's hands. If at any time I say that I am going to uproot, break down, or destroy any nation or kingdom, but then that nation turns from its evil, I will not do what I said I would. On the other hand, if I say that I am going to plant or build up any nations or kingdom, but then that nation disobeys me and does evil, I will not do what I said I would. Now then, tell the people of Judah and of Jerusalem that I am making plans against them and getting ready to punish them. Tell them to stop living sinful lives-to change their ways and the things they are doing.'" HE 3: 19 is another example of God's will for those who wandered around in the desert for 40 years due to their unbelief. "We see, then, that they were not able to enter the land, because they did not believe." These examples barely touch the surface of all found in the Scriptures which reveals our Lord's thirst for righteousness in mankind. We who are mature in our faith know that Christ in MT 5: 6 drives the point home as part of the Sermon on the Mount beatitudes. "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled." It is hardly egoism for God to want mankind to be like Himself; instead, it is His thirst to see us back home in heaven with Him living blissful eternal lives in close fellowship with Him.
How can we miss God's desire for us to be like Christ? Christ, His second personality, the One we can see and Who ministered to us in His incarnation and died for us on the cross, was perfect in every way [HE 4: 15]. He became the example we should try to follow. Our compassionate God knows that we aren't capable of being perfect while on earth, but He wants us to expunge as much of our sin as we possibly can. He knows the content of our hearts and is there for us when trouble happens. What greater love can their be?
PRAYER: O Lord, You are Adonai, the Lord of All, and J-Tsidkenu, the supreme God Whose power and righteousness are limitless. We can read JOB 1: 12 and REV 12: 12, knowing that Your power is stronger than that of the adversary. We can feel the pain You must have felt during Jeremiah's time when Your people were so wantonly disobedient to You. And today, Dearest Abba, we can feel Your pain when Biblical issues such as Your will for marriage are being thrown to the wind. Surely You are sad when You see children being raised in child care, rather than under the loving tutelage of their mothers or fathers. When You know that Your name and Your Ten Commandments are being removed from our country's institutions, You are unhappy. When You see men killing each other in order to usurp the rights of others, real tears run down Your cheeks. As believers in Jesus Christ, we stand up to this and don Your full armor [EPH 6: 10-18]. Some of us will have to make the ultimate sacrifice of our lives. But, Dearest Father, we know that those who do will end up as the martyrs under Your throne in REV 6: 9-11, the ones who will be given white linen robes for their righteousness and will ask the question, "Almighty Lord, holy and true! How long will it be until You judge the people on earth and punish them for killing us?" And You shall answer, "Until the complete number of their fellow servants and brothers are killed as you have been." It is You and You alone Who has used His power to appoint Jesus Christ as the Judge [DN 7: 13-14], and we can take comfort in knowing that His judgments will be fair and just. It is from You that forgiveness for our sins comes [HE 8: 12], and it is You Who we acknowledge as our awesome Lord of All. We bow before Your throne in reverence and in willingness to faithfully obey You. We offer You our undying worship, thanks, and praise for all You are and All You do. In Christ's mighty name, Amen.
If all this is quite interesting, then the journey the Holy Spirit is taking us on is reaching our hearts. It surely is reaching mine. I never tire of the consistency of the Scriptures. It's not magic; its God's supernatural power which gives us this thirst to delve more and more into His word for its great wisdom. Next week, I'm led to continue this journey into the reasons for the first index sentence as revealed in God's names. Each name tells us something more about God's character or His deeds. The two are never separate, because we know that good character leads to good deeds. That is why we can be given strength and peace from the only real Source of these things, our Adonai. PS 29: 11, "He will give His people strength. He will bless them with peace." IS 64: 4, "No one has ever seen or heard of a God like You, Who does such deeds for those who put their hope in Him." There are wonderful rewards for righteous living that come directly from Jehovah Tsidkenu. PS 92: 15, "[The righteous are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises; He is my Rock and there is no unrighteousness in Him." PS 146: 8, " The Lord loves the righteous." Frankly, I have come to the conclusion [along with many others before me] that we can't live upright lives without Him. That's why Christ told us in MT 5: 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for their's is the Kingdom of heaven." In view of all that God is in our lives, I would be remiss in my duties as believing author if I don't end this message with wonderful praise for Him. It's the least He deserves. PS 104: 1, "My whole being, praise the Lord. Lord my God, You are very great."
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn