The Nature and Works of God

[Guest]

The Nature and Works of God

This was written by one of our new members: "whatisthis"

To me, this can’t be just some dry-bones Bible study. To just dredge up a few doctrines instead of getting to know God would be terrible!

Matthew tells me that Jesus very last words to His disciples before being translated was to remind his disciples, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I AM with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Mat 28:18-20

It may be helpful to look into some source material, simply because the Bible is a translation into my language from the language in which it was written.

Some people say that there are many names of God.

Here are some thoughts written by Emory Nestor on bible.org

http://bible.org/seriespage/compound-names-jehovah-jireh-rapha-nissi-session-60

The title at the top of the page is interesting in itself: The Compound Names of Jehovah: Jireh, Rapha, Nissi

You see, each of these words that follow Jehovah is an attribute of Jehovah, that is coupled with His name. These are compound words. The way compound words usually work, is that one part of the compound word is a word describing the other part.

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Jehovah-Jireh, (some pronounce this Y’ah’weh-Yireh) is a good example of this coupling. The name means The LORD Who Provides. (Or simply Jehovah Provides.) Very simply, it means I AM Sees To It.

If you haven’t heard this name, it’s because in the King James Version, and most English versions, it’s written out in English words. Here’s a translation from the netbible:

Gen. 22:12 “Do not harm the boy!” the angel said. “Do not do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God because you did not withhold your son, your only son, from me.” 13 Abraham looked up and saw behind him a ram caught in the bushes by its horns. So he went over and got the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 And Abraham called the name of that place “The Lord provides.” It is said to this day, “In the mountain of the Lord provision will be made.” ©NET

Abraham called the place where He was by this name, “The Lord Provides”. He was commemorating a meeting with God. Notice, he didn’t rename Jehovah. He named the place after Jehovah. He was commemorating a wonderful meeting with Jehovah. But the memory contains something special about God’s nature for me, not just for Abraham.

Another good online source for studying about this passage is

http://www.whiteestate.org/books/pp/pp13.html

This is the free online book Patriarchs and Prophets. I am leaving things out that are really good, so you might want to read it all, but here are a few thoughts from p. 153, 154 on the name Jehoveh-Jireh:

“Then Abraham saw "a ram caught in a thicket," and quickly bringing the new victim, he offered it "in the stead of his son." In his joy and gratitude Abraham gave a new name to the sacred spot--"Jehovah-jireh," "the Lord will provide." On Mount Moriah, God again renewed His covenant, confirming with a solemn oath the blessing to Abraham and to his seed through all coming generations: "By myself have I sworn, saith Jehovah, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee…. Abraham was human; his passions and attachments were like ours; but he did not stop to question how the promise could be fulfilled if Isaac should be slain. He did not stay to reason with his aching heart. He knew that God is just and righteous in all His requirements, and he obeyed the command to the very letter.

And this next part is really strong: "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God." James 2:23. And Paul says, "They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham." Galatians 3:7. But Abraham's faith was made manifest by his works. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" James 2:21, 22. There are many who fail to understand the relation of faith and works. They say, "Only believe in Christ, and you are safe. You have nothing to do with keeping the law." But genuine faith will be manifest in obedience. Said Christ to the unbelieving Jews, "If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham." John 8:39. And concerning the father of the faithful the Lord declares, "Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws." Genesis 26:5. Says the apostle James, "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." James 2:17. And John, who dwells so fully upon love, tells us, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments." 1 John 5:3… The ram offered in the place of Isaac represented the Son of God, who was to be sacrificed in our stead. When man was doomed to death by transgression of the law of God, the Father, looking upon His Son, said to the sinner, "Live: I have found a ransom." Patriarchs and Prophets p. 153-154

There are several precious things I see in this Genesis 22 story about the name Jehovah-Jireh. It’s a covenant name. It is an act of renewing God’s covenant with mankind. It is a covenant commemorating Abraham’s absolute, complete surrender and God’s absolute providing. It’s a revealing of Calvary! If I am asked to surrender my all to God in those dark unreasonable times where nothing at all makes sense, it’s so He can surrender all for me! This is my amazing grace story! It’s given in a promise-name or covenant-name and I can claim it in my dark hours when I don’t see God’s footsteps or discern Him anywhere nearby. He’s a ram caught in a thicket for me. Jehovah-Jireh is a Calvary name. It’s a revelation of my Saviour on a cross for me! It says to me “Live I have found a ransom!”

Now, since you are reading this, I know it’s your study too! Not just mine! Live my friend! We have found a ransom!

Each of the other couplings with the name Jehovah are similar revealings of God to me as a covenant-God, a promise-God, for me.

Read Exodus 15:22-26 for Jehovah-Rapha. The promise “I the LORD am your healer” was given when the people were three days into a desert, (and it only takes three days without water to die, never mind the desert heat!) These people needed water! And the water was too bitter for even such thirsty people to drink. But Jehovah-Rapha is an ordinance name, telling how God healed the bitter waters.

In Exodus 17:8-15 Moses built an altar, and he called it “The Lord is my Banner,” (The Hebrew for this is Jehovah-Nissi.) This happened when the Amelikites were attacking them, and Moses hands were held up to the sky by two helpers. In Moses uplifted hands God became Moses banner! The battle was won, and the name is the memorial of God as a banner over us!

These revelations are not showing me persons of God, they are just add-ons to Jehovah’s name, it’s like if I say, “my middle name is mud now!” (Only God’s name is the opposite, it’s never muddy!) These names are revealings of Jehovah’s power, love, and peace for me.

In a nutshell, I’m finding out that the word JHVH, or LORD, expresses what God IS for me. When I see the word LORD, written right after it I see what our LORD is revealing of Himself in this situation.

Here’s another example:

Gen 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I AM thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

Now, I don’t know what this one would be in Hebrew, but I know it’s saying Jehovah IS, (past/ present/ future) a shield and an exceeding great reward. This is a covenant Jehovah is making. He’s willing to make it with me, not just with Abraham, because His nature is love toward me! His nature is love toward me when I’m ragged, spent, lonely and ashamed! His nature is love toward me when I’m confused and afraid! His nature is love toward me when I’m faced with the impossible and I don’t know how I can possibly come through it!

The works that Abraham did at a time like that were to give God all of himself, all of what and whom He loved, and to trust that God could and would bring His promises to pass, without Abraham figuring out how. (It finally came to that point, anyway, for Abraham, that he trusted that much.) A really exciting thing is that God accepted Abraham’s trembling efforts all along the way, when he lied to Pharoah, when he married Hagar while he was already married, and finally when he stumbled along in pain with a handful of wood and no lamb beside his trusting son. God kept teaching Abraham, and making promises of a better land—and leading Abraham on to understand the pain of God Himself!

What a Friendship! And I want that. Even if I walk into the fire, if it’s a fire that brings me into the arms of God—I just want God. And where I don’t have that faith, Lord, help my unbelief, let me want that! Jehovah is good.

How do I dare say that after who I’ve been? Oh, Satan is in my face. There’s a whole list of things I’ve done that disqualify me to even make a peep about how I want God. I know I’ve been snake-bitten, but long ago a bronze serpent was lifted up in the desert for the snake-bitten to look on and live. I know that as I look up, God is there for me.

Consider John 3:16

“For God so loved the world that He gave…” that giving seems to be God the Father’s top business, a wondrous business Jehovah Elohim (the LORD God) is at all times present to do!

And what is given?

…”so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son”

And Who is there brooding over the formless void in my empty heart when God begins to work? Who is ready to turn that void into a place of light and joy?

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good.

And the light of the Spirit of God is here now. I can see God is so good, and I want Him with all my heart! I just want to keep wanting Him more than anything! There’s so much more to experience.

[Guest]

This is a good article.