Tag: #Names-of-the-Lord

Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part Five of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

Yahweh Nissi- The-LORD-Is-Our-Banner

Then the LORD said to Moses, Write this for a memorial in the book and recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.” And Moses built an altar and called its name, The LORD-Is-My-Banner (Jehovah Nissi, or in Hebrew, YHWH Nissi). Exodus 17:14-15 NKJV

The-LORD-Is-My-Banner may seem like a strange name for the LORD. We don’t think of individuals as banners. What did Moses mean?

GotQuestions.org* explains the use of banner in Exodus 17 as follows:

“A banner is something that identifies and unifies a particular group of people. For example, a military flag or standard is sometimes called a banner. The Israelites’ saying, “The Lord is my Banner,” was a way of identifying themselves as the unified followers of the Lord God. A banner also functions as a rallying point for troops in a battle. The altar Moses built in Exodus 17 marked the place where God intervened on behalf of His people and promised to utterly defeat His enemies.”

We may be quick to rally behind God when all is well or we are seeing victory after a difficult situation. If we recognize that it is God who intervened on our behalf, then praise is easily offered.

Do we praise the Lord and faithfully follow Him in challenging times?

The Israelites praised the LORD when He miraculously delivered them from Pharaoh and his army by taking the Israelites through the Red Sea on dry ground (Exodus 14 and 15). Yet when they camped in Rephidim without any water to drink, the people quickly turned against Moses and were ready to stone him. Moses said to them, “Why do you contend with me? Why do you tempt the LORD?” (Exodus 17) Despite their grumbling, the LORD instructed Moses to strike the rock to obtain water. Sadly, instead of the area being known for where God provided fresh water from the rock, Moses named the place Massah (Tempted) and Meribah (Contention), reflecting their bad attitudes and lack of trust in God. They had forgotten who the LORD was and how He had cared for them in the past.

The Israelites were still at Rephidim when Amalek came and fought with them. Moses stood on top of a hill with the rod of God in Moses’ hand. As long as his hand and rod were raised, Israel prevailed. When he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. Aaron and Hur helped Moses. They stood on either side of him, holding his tired arms up until Joshua and his men defeated Amelek.

Joshua and his men were in the fight, but the victory came from the LORD. God makes that clear in the memorial He has Moses write. “…recount it in the hearing of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.”(Exodus 17:14. Emphasis mine). The memorial reminded Israel what the LORD had done for them and of His promise.

The Fight Against Amelek-Gospelimages, artist Jan van ‘t Hoff

How does Exodus 17 and The LORD-Is-My-Banner apply to us?

  • The enemy attacks us where we grumble against the LORD.
  • We need accountability and prayer partners who can lift our weary arms and keep us steady in the battles we face. Ask someone to fill that role if you don’t have one.
  • Remember the LORD’s victories and provision. Like Moses, let’s keep memorials of what God has done for us, sharing them with others in the battle, with our families, and with future leaders. The Lord had Moses recount the LORD’s words to Joshua, knowing that Joshua would be the leader to follow Moses.  
  • The LORD-Is-My-Banner is the One who fights for us. He is the leader of the battle and the One who gives the victory. Let’s note verses that help us rely on Him.
  • Identify as a soldier of the LORD, putting on the armor of God. (Ephesians 6). Rally around the LORD, Jehovah Nissi.
  • Worship the LORD, as Moses did when he made the altar.

Dear Jehovah Nissi, Thank you for the battles You bring me through and for the victories You provide. You are my banner. Help me be a faithful follower. Amen.

*https://www.gotquestions.org/Lord-is-my-banner.html

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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.

Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part Two of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

LORD God and Creator

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 being. The LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:7, 8 NKJV

How often do we find people of great importance befriending and caring for the people on the bottom rungs of society? The down and out are not often known by name by leaders of government or of businesses. We may be reluctant to get to know some of them too.

I find it incredible that God, the Creator of all things, not only created us, but wants a personal relationship with us. He desires time with me! I’m not well known, or important in the world’s view. He wants to know you and have you know Him, too.

How can we know God? We can know God by learning who He is.

How did God reveal Himself in Genesis?  

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 NKJV

God, or Elohim, is used in Scripture to designate the Supreme God, or Mighty One. Elohim is a plural noun but is singular in meaning when it refers to the true God. God said, “Let us make man in our image” (Genesis 1:26). This plural use points to the Trinity of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three, yet One in purpose, will, and character. At Jesus’ baptism, the heavens parted and the Spirit descended upon Him like a dove. The Heavenly Father’s voice came from heaven, “You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Mark 2:9-11 NKJV

The name ‘LORD God’ first appears in Scripture when man was created (Genesis 2:7-8). Using the definitions of The LORD God, or Jehovah Elohim, we can know He is The Eternal One (LORD) who is Supreme and Mighty (God), which makes His desire for us even more amazing to me.  

Michelangelo Buonarroti’s The Creation of Adam (circa 1511) famous painting. Original from Wikimedia Commons. Digitally enhanced by rawpixel.

God is also the Creator. He created us and all things. I think that God really enjoys creating. He has given the gift of creativity to many of us for our enjoyment. I delight in having others read something I write, or in sharing grape jelly I’ve canned. Can it be that God wants a relationship with us because He delights in His creation?

Let’s look about God’s creation and thank Him for making so many beautiful sunsets and plants and animals. Then may we consider that that the eternal, supreme and Mighty God deliberately made each of us and wants us to know Him.  

Dear LORD, thank you for being my Creator. I love to see the beauty in what You have made. Thank you for being the Supreme God and the Mighty One, for there is none like You. Thank you for reaching down to me to make knowing You possible. Amen.

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Top photo is an altered detail of Michelangelo Buonarroti’s The Creation of Adam (circa 1511) famous painting. Image by rawpixel.com

Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.

Devotional

Names of the LORD: Part One of Nine

kathrynhugheswriter

The LORD, I AM

And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ … ‘The LORD 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 this is My memorial to all generations.’”  Exodus 3:14-15 KNJV

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.” This is Juliet’s line in Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet. Through Juliet, the Bard was telling audiences that a name is nothing but a name. Romeo is the same person Juliet would love if he didn’t have the dreaded Montague name that linked them to their families’ feud.

Despite Shakespeare’s claim, names are an important part of who we are. They connect us to family, culture, and to our own identity. Baby name books state the meanings behind names, which some people consider carefully. Actors have changed names to portray a different type of character; what type of parts may John Wayne have had if he was known by his birth name, Marion Robert Morrison? 

Names of the LORD tell us about the character and attributes of God. There are many names for the Lord God in the Bible. In this nine-part series, we will explore some of the names of the LORD. His names reveal who He is. As we learn more about God through His names, my prayer is that we will know Him better and become closer to Him.

Photo by Christiane on Pexels.com

When reading the Bible, Lord and LORD are seen. What do these differences reveal?

LORD, or YHWH in Hebrew, means the self-existent One. The LORD always has been, He is, and He forever will be, therefore He is the eternal I AM. The name LORD is sometimes translated in English as Jehovah. GOD (all uppercase) also refers to YHWH. It is the name I AM that the LORD has Moses tell the Israelites is the God who sent Moses to them.

Just imagine, the self-existent One knows our future before we are even born! What confidence we can have in knowing that the LORD has no end, but that He will still be God in the future, and still hold us and our families in His hand.

Jews consider the name LORD or YHWH too holy to say, nor do they want to misuse His name. They refer to God as Adonai, translated as the Lord (partly lower case). Sometimes Lord is rendered “Almighty.”

This form of the name Lord is derived from sovereignty. The name Lord was also used as a name for people to show that someone was the head or master over them. David used it when he called to King Saul (I Samuel 24:8). Sarah used it referring to her husband Abraham (I Peter 3:6). The Lord Jesus Christ is sovereign over us. He is the head of the Church, and believers are the body.

What’s in a name? In the names LORD God and I AM, we learn that our God is the Self-existent One, the eternal I AM, and the Almighty God.

If we really consider who the LORD God is, how will that change the way we relate to Him?

Dear LORD God, thank you for being eternal. We can serve You, because death has no hold on You. Lord, please be the master of my life. There is no God like You. Amen.

Resources:

  • The New Scofield Study Bible- New King James Version, 1989 Edition.  (Thomas Nelson Publishers Nashville TN), Notes for Genesis 34:6, p.121.
  • Thomas Carroll, “The Difference Between GOD, God and god in the King James Bible.”https://www.againstspiritualwickedness.com/2019/12/01/the-difference-between-god-god-and-god-in-the-king-james-bible/ (posted 01/12/2019, accessed 08/01/2022)

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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.