MY LORD JEHOVAH
In chapter 5 of Exodus, Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh for
the first time with an edict from our God: “Thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness’” (Exod.
5:1). But instead of letting them go, Pharaoh burdened them more by keeping
back the straw that he had been giving them to use in making bricks. He now
required them to find their own stubble, but he still required the same number
of bricks.
The laborers couldn’t keep up, so the taskmasters beat
them, and the Israelites feared for their lives. They complained loudly to
Moses, and instead of standing up for God, Moses took the side of the
complainers, and told God: “For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name,
he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at
all” (Exod. 5:23). Moses didn’t have a whole lot of patience. But God loved
him. God didn’t reprove Moses, but instead, gave him what he needed, a bigger personal
blessing, one that has been passed down through the ages to us.
God tells Moses: “I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,
and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not
known to them” (Exod. 6:3). Why was this so spectacular and wonderful and such
a huge blessing to Moses and to us?
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew God as “God Almighty.” That
name is translated from the Hebrew words “El Shaddai,” meaning “THE” Almighty, (with
emphasis on the “THE,” the one and only). “El Shaddai” means the God of grace and God as the giver. He is “THE”
all-bountiful, (as in the one and only with the ability to supply everything a
person would ever need). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob knew God as “THE” Almighty,
greater than any other god that could possibly exist. BUT. . .
In Exodus 6:3 God tells Moses that his relationship with
THE one and only true God would be even more personal. God would no longer only
be THE Most-High God, THE Creator, THE all-bountiful giver, but Moses could
call Him “MY” God. Moses was invited into a covenant personal relationship with
the Most-High God. In the Bible, when the name Jehovah is used, it is always personal
and refers to God in covenant relation to those whom He has created.
Like with Moses, THE Most-High God, THE Creator, THE
all-bountiful giver, is OUR God too. It’s like a club where everyone’s
personally invited, but to be in the club, you have to show up.
God called David “a man after mine own heart” (Acts
13:22), and many times in the Psalms David talks either to or about JEHOVAH in
a very personal way. For example, Psalm 91:2 “I will say of the LORD, He is MY refuge and MY fortress: MY God;
in him will I trust.”
In the King James version of the Bible, when the
lowercase capital letters are used for LORD, it
always indicates JEHOVAH. Check it out.
The word JEHOVAH is combined with ten other words in the
Bible that show various aspects of God’s personal covenant relationship with
those who choose to follow. A few of those names are Jehovah-nissi (my Lord my
banner), Jehovah-shalom (my Lord my peace), Jehovah-Rophe (my Lord my healer),
Jehovah-Rohi (my Lord my shepherd).
We can get to know God in a way He wants to know us,
personally, in a covenant of love, in a relationship with Him on a daily basis.
He is not only THE Most-High God, creator of all things, He is your personal
God and mine too.
Love, Carolyn
Are you wanting to live a more spiritual life? I’ve written a variety of books and
booklets on living a more spiritual Christian life. You’ll find the keys to
receiving your heart’s deepest desires. 😊
WINGS: A Journey in Faith from the Earthly to the
Heavenly – an awesome spiritual adventure and great interactive
workbook. Find it on Amazon in printed form or Kindle.
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