Prepare for Life

The Hebrew name for God Jehovah Nissi is translated I Am is My Banner. The root of the word nissi means raised, displayed, prominent. Originally a nissi was a pole or a standard, but it didn’t hold fabric like our flag poles. Instead, it held a wooden or metal emblem on its end. This was usually colorful and shiny so that it could be seen from a long distance. The banner or pole with an emblem was a mark of identity for troops in battle.

The banner expresses faithfulness.

God is the God of compassion. He moves with healing because He is moved with compassion. This is God’s nature. It is His desire to restore and to make whole. We can easily see this when we look at the life of Christ. His earthy life, Jesus showed us what the Father is like. He said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” John 14:9. In the words of Colossians 1:15, “He is the image of the invisible God." We can look at the life of Jesus and learn about our heavenly Father. When we look at the Gospels we see Jehovah Rapha in action. Jesus healed 24/7 — and I do mean 7. He didn’t even take a break from healing for the Sabbath.

Today I want to consider the Hebrew name for God, Jehovah M’Kaddesh. This name means Jehovah Sanctifies. The Hebrew word kaddesh means sanctify, consecrate, to set apart as holy. The New Testament Greek equivalent word is hagiazo and means to cleanse, purify, separate from the profane and dedicate to God. This word is almost identical to the words that mean holy and saint.

One of the names that beautifully describes God is Jehovah Tsidkenu. This compound name begins with Jehovah, the great I Am who is self-existent. He stands outside of time. He always was, he always is and he always will be. He is the covenant-keeping God. Jehovah deals with God’s being, his existence. When combined with another word it explains how God relates to his people. Tsidkenu comes from the Hebrew root that means straight, right, just, righteous. It is the opposite of twisted and perverted. This compound name could literally be translated I Am Righteous.

When I say the word peace, what comes to your mind? Absence of war? A sense of calm? Tranquility? Our English word for peace does not come close to the fullness of the meaning of the equivalent word in Hebrew, shalom. According to Vine’s Expository Dictionary shalom means completeness, safety, soundness, welfare, health, prosperity, quiet, tranquility, contentment, friendship/fellowship with others and with God, absence of war. You can see this concept has more than one dimension. The Hebrew word for peace depicts the state of wholeness, wellness and unity. It is an all-encompassing word.

When Jehovah is compounded with another name his new name describes an aspect of how he relates to his people. Jehovah Jireh literally means I Am Will Provide or I Am Will See to It. The first time God revealed this name was in the middle of a very intense familiar passage, Genesis 22, the offering of Isaac.

Drum roll, please. Today we come to arguably the most important Hebrew name for God, Jehovah. God calls this his memorial name. This is the name he wants us to remember! The name Jehovah is used far more than any other name in the Bible, but we might miss these many references because in our English Bibles the name Jehovah is usually translated LORD in all caps. Jehovah is used 6,923 times, over 700 in the Psalms alone, while Elohim comes in at a distant second, used about 2,000 times.

The Hebrew name Adonai is translated Lord in our English Bibles. Adonai, like the name Elohim, is a plural name. It carries the same inference of the Trinity that we saw in the name Elohim. When it is singular, adon, with a lower case, it refers to men who are lords. The plural, Adonai, refers to the Lord God.