Category Archives: Names of God Series

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Jehovah-shammah

While preparing to teach on this name of God I was overcome… I couldn’t make it through the preparation without crying. I would have to say that preparing this lesson brought me into a new appreciation for the mercy of our God. This name of God will be one that is added to those etched in my memory from being called on often, the name Jehovah-shammah.

We discover the meaning of Jehovah-shammah in Ezekiel 48:35…

 The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about;

and the name of the city from that day shall be,

‘The LORD is there.’”

Yes, Jehovah-shammah, this name of God means the LORD is there.

Now as we see this name, let’s think about how the Lord has showed Israel that He is there. When God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt… He was there.

 Then they set out from Succoth and camped in Etham on the edge of the wilderness. 

The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way,

and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light,

that they might travel by day and by night. 

He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day,

nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. 

Exodus 13:20-22

When it was time to enter the promise land the LORD was there. At this time the children of Israel had been in the wilderness a long time. Moses had died and it would be Joshua who lead the children into the land. Yet God assured Joshua that He would be with Him just as He had been with Moses… the LORD was there.

No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life.

Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you;

I will not fail you or forsake you.

Joshua 1:5

Even all the surrounding nations understood that the LORD was there with Israel. After they had been in the land and they came under attack Israel marched into the battle with the ark of the covenant and their enemy trembled in fear… because the LORD was there.

The Philistines were afraid, for they said,

“God has come into the camp.”

And they said, “Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.

1 Samuel 4:7

After the temple was built and Solomon came and bowed down before the Lord and sought Him in prayer, the glory of the Lord came and filled the temple and all the children of Israel knew that the LORD was there.  

Now when Solomon had finished praying,

fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices,

and the glory of the LORD filled the house.

The priests could not enter into the house of the LORD

because the glory of the LORD filled the LORD’S house. 

All the sons of Israel, seeing the fire come down

and the glory of the LORD upon the house,

bowed down on the pavement with their faces to the ground,

and they worshiped and gave praise to the LORD, saying,

“Truly He is good, truly His lovingkindness is everlasting.”

2 Chronicles 7:1-3

It was clear to all that the LORD was there. But sadly… even when they knew Jehovah-shammah… they chose to ignore Him, to defy Him, to blaspheme His name. In Ezekiel 8 we read about the time that the Spirit of God reached down and yanked Ezekiel up and took him to show him all the evil that was going on behind closed doors… in the temple. 

He stretched out the form of a hand and caught me by a lock of my head;

and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven

and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem…

Ezekiel 8:3

It was horrible. The elders of Israel had carved images they were bowing down to, they were committing abominations… the women were weeping for false Gods, outside the temple even more abominations were being committed. God was moved to jealousy. He was angry. He was hurt. He was not going to take any more.

So we read further in Ezekiel and we see how the glory of the Lord that fell in 2 Chronicles and filled the temple and the Holy of Holies moved to the threshold of the temple.

Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered,

and the cloud filled the inner court. 

Then the glory of the LORD went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple,

and the temple was filled with the cloud

and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.

Ezekiel 10:3-4

God was going to share His glory with these idols. So he begins to slowly move. He doesn’t get mad and just jet away… He just moves to see if the people will look for Him… but He is not missed… He is not searched for… so He moves further still.

Then the glory of the LORD departed from the threshold of the temple

and stood over the cherubim. When the cherubim departed,

they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them;

and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house,

and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.

Ezekiel 10:18-19

Can you see how much God loved the people? He did not want to leave them. He just wanted them to return His love… but they had turned to idols… to carved images… to sin. They did not consider Him or His holiness or His heart. They just went on to whatever they saw fit in their own eyes and went through the motions with God but their hearts were far from Him. God doesn’t want our motions… He wants our hearts. So God leaves the temple and He leaves the city. He will not be second.

Then the cherubim lifted up their wings with the wheels beside them,

and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. 

The glory of the LORD went up from the midst of the city

and stood over the mountain which is east of the city.

Ezekiel 11:22-23

Can you imagine the crushing blow this vision must have brought upon the eyes of Ezekiel? As he watched his God leave the temple and the temple… knowing that He was just in His leaving because God had shown him what all was going on in the temple and in the city… the abominations were just more than God was going to put up with… so He leaves. 

Precious one let me ask you… is God there in your life. Are you aware of His presence in your life? Are you fully His or are you trying to fill your temple with carved images and idols? What is going on in the inside depths of your temple? Is God there? He wants to be… but He will not share you with idols and images. He will back away… but He will never back to far away to not hear you when you cry out to Him because you finally have come to your senses and realized that He is all you need and all you will ever want.

Notice that God does not leave Ezekiel with this vision of Him leaving…

He closes the book of Ezekiel with Ezekiel 48:5

The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about;

and the name of the city from that day shall be,

‘The LORD is there.’”

God was not done with Israel.

God was not done with Jerusalem.

He would return… but He would come in a different way.

More on that when we discuss our next name of God 🙂

Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Jehovah-tsidkenu

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I love this name of God.
This name of God is one that brings me peace and hope and relief…
The name we will be looking at today is Jehovah-tsidkenu.

We discover the meaning of Jehovah-tsidkenu in the book of Jeremiah. Now when the prophet Jeremiah was having the words of God written in a scroll it was dark in the days of Israel. It was a time when the people had forgot God. Oh they still did their sacrifices and they had their feasts… and they had them right along with their Baal services and Asherah festivals…

They had convinced themselves that as long as they kept the rituals and traditions they were fine. They did not listen to the prophets of God. They ignored Isaiah and they ignored Jeremiah. Instead they chose to listen to the prophets that told them what they wanted to hear.

Now judgment was coming.
However, even in this coming judgment God gave the remnant hope.

Behold, the days are coming,” declares the LORD,
“When I will raise up for David a righteous Branch;
And He will reign as king and act wisely
And do justice and righteousness in the land.
“In His days Judah will be saved,
And Israel will dwell securely;
And this is His name by which He will be called,
‘The LORD our righteousness.’
Jeremiah 23:5-6
 
You see, many in Israel had decided that they were good enough because of their works, their deeds. They thought that keeping the law would be enough to satisfy God. They thought their tradition keeping would be enough.
 
Then the Lord said,
   “Because this people draw near with their words
And honor Me with their lip service,
But they remove their hearts far from Me,
And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote
Isaiah 29:13
 
It wasn’t.
It wasn’t because the system was never put in place to simply be a routine tradition. The whole point of the law was to draw the people’s hearts to their God and to make them aware of their need for Him as they became aware of their sinful state… but the people began to think that these traditions made them holy instead of their God. They had forgotten that we can never do enough good stuff to make us good enough to stand in the presence of God.
 
For all of us have become like one who is unclean,
And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment;
Isaiah 64:6
 
All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment…  all of them. And that filthy garment is actually the term used for a females used menstrual cloth… yeh… that’s as good as your best deeds get… so good luck getting to heaven on that.
 
But now apart from the Law
the righteousness of God has been manifested,
being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 
even the righteousness of God
through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe;
for there is no distinction; 
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 
being justified as a gift by His grace
through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; 
whom God displayed publicly
as a propitiation in His blood through faith.
This was to demonstrate His righteousness,
Romans 3:21-25
 
Praise God! I don’t about you but I am ever so grateful that my salvation is not dependant upon my own righteousness nor my ability to perfectly keep the Law… I would never make it.
 
Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ,
as though God were making an appeal through us;
we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 
He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin on our behalf,
so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
 
Christ came and He traded His righteousness for my sin. I give Him my sin and He gives me His righteousness. It makes absolutely no sense to me why He would do this… I mean really… that is soooo not an even trade! But He knew there was no other way… and He simply loves us that much.
 
Now when I stand before God on my day of judgment because of the cross, because of the work of my Jesus, I will be able to cry as David cried…
 
Judge me, O LORD my God, according to Your righteousness,
And do not let them rejoice over me.
Psalm 35:34
 
Even in my salvation as I live and breathe in this world… as I try to live a life worthy of my calling and worthy of His death… I fail so often. In these failures and stumbles I am able to go to my God and ask His forgiveness and I appeal not to any righteousness of my own, but to the righteousness of my Christ, my righteous Branch, my Jehovah-tsidkenu.  
 
 
Names of God Series, Proven Path Ministries

Names of God: Jehovah-raah

 

Jehovah-raah… this name of God means the Lord our Shepherd.

He blessed Joseph, and said,
   “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked,
The God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day,
Genesis 48:15
These words were spoken by Jacob right before he went home to be with his Lord. Jacob was a man who had struggled with submission to God his whole life and because of it his life had been tumultuous. In his old age as he looked back on his life he now recognized that God had been there all along. The whole time, his whole life, God had been there guiding him, shepherding him, even when he did not know it.
Precious one, whether you have recognized it or not… the Lord has been your shepherd all your life to this day.
Jacob knew the job of a shepherd. He was one. David also knew the job of a shepherd. David also wrote that the Lord was his shepherd…
The LORD is my shepherd,
I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside quiet waters.
He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil;
My cup overflows. 
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever
Psalm 23
Here’s the thing. If the Lord is our Shepherd, then we must be His sheep.
Know that the LORD Himself is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Psalm 100:3
I don’t know about you, but I am not around alot of sheep. So I may not be able to grasp the full impact of what it means for the Lord to be my Shepherd and what it exactly means that I am His sheep… so here are a little bit of sheep facts.

 

Sheep are the dumbest of animals. They are helpless and get scared very easily. They have very little self-defense and will walk right into danger. They won’t even run to safety. Instead, they will freeze and not even cry out. Sheep also do what all the other sheep are doing. If one gets scared and runs, the others will, too!

Sheep are very stubborn animals. They need a shepherd to guide them. If they are left on their own, they will go the wrong way, eat the wrong food, and drink the wrong water. If a shepherd doesn’t lead them to new pastures, they will live in a rut. Sheep will even eat themselves right off a cliff. They will plunge over the edge to injury or death just to get that last mouthful of grass.

Sheep can become cast down. They can get turned over and stuck on their backs and die in a state of panic  if the shepherd doesn’t turn them right side up right away.

Sheep are bothered by pest. They get flies and gnats up their nose, and these pest lay eggs in there. When the eggs hatch, the growing larvae irritate sheep’s nose. Sheep will beat their heads against trees or rocks to try to get these pests to stop bothering them. The shepherd puts oil on the sheep’s head and around its nose to kill these pests.

~ info gathered from A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller 

 

Well how much of yourself did you see in these sheep facts?
Do you see why we need a Shepherd?
How thankful I am that God is Jehovah-raah.

The shepherd puts oil on the sheep’s head to kill the pests that threaten it… what pests threaten us?
Yes, sin.

Sin and the enemy of our soul  threaten to creep in and destroy us. Just like these pests in the sheep nose, little sins can creep in our minds and our heart and if it is not destroyed it will lay eggs and grow and multiply within us. And we just like these sheep will beat our head up against stones trying to destroy and fight these pests on our own and we will accomplish nothing but a bigger headache… we will kill ourselves trying to fight these sins and our adversary in our own strength… how thankful I am that God has anointed my head with oil;…

Just like these sheep we can become cast down… depressed… we can feel like our whole world has been flipped upside down and the only one who can set us on our feet again is our Shepherd…

Just like these sheep… I am stubborn. Just like sheep if I don’t choose to listen to God and obey His Word I will eat the wrong things, drink the wrong drinks, I will go the wrong way …

 All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
Isaiah 53:6
Just like these sheep I will walk myself right into danger thinking it’s no big deal… what’s one look, what’s one taste, what’s one time… it’s not technically wrong anyway… right?
Then just like these sheep I will eat myself right off a cliff trying to indulge in just one more bite… we are all our own worst enemies.
Oh how thankful I am that the Lord is my Shepherd.
I am the good shepherd;
the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. 
He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd,
who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming,
and leaves the sheep and flees,
and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 
He flees because he is a hired hand
and is not concerned about the sheep. 
I am the good shepherd,
and I know My own and My own know Me, 
even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father;
and I lay down My life for the sheep.
John 10:11-15
You see the shepherd doesn’t abandon his sheep because he knows they are helpless without him… and our Shepherd does not abandon us. The sheep also know their shepherd, just as the shepherd knows them. They will not go to another’s voice… only to the one to whom they belong.
Watch as this shepherd leads his sheep:
Did you notice who crossed the street first?
Our Shepherd does not remove us out of this world, but He will guide us through it. We may be surrounded by the rush of horns and distractions and danger… but if we will listen to only our Shepherd, walk when He says walk, go where He says go, follow Him… we will safely make it through the  the valley of the shadow of death…
Names of God Series, Uncategorized

Names of God Study: Jehovah-sabaoth

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It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, Jehovah, Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-rapha, Jehovah-nissi, Jehovah-mekoddishkem and Jehovah-shalom. Now we will look at Jehovah-sabaoth.

We are introduced to this name of God through the lips of a woman named Hannah. In 1 Samuel 1 we read of woman who was unable to give her husband a child. Her husband had taken another wife and she had given him children. This other wife, because of her children, and I am sure also her jealousy toward the husband’s love for his barren wife, was tormenting Hannah.

Hannah lived with another woman who was giving her husband what she could not… I cannot even begin to imagine her pain. Here, in 1 Samuel, we are given a glimpse into the grief and anguish of Hannah’s heart while she is in the temple. We find her crying out to God, praying that He would give her a child.

Then Hannah rose after eating and drinking in Shiloh.
Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat
by the doorpost of the temple of the LORD. 
She, greatly distressed, prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. 
She made a vow and said,
“O LORD of hosts,
if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant
and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant,
but will give Your maidservant a son,
then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life,
and a razor shall never come on his head.” 
1 Samuel 1:9-11

 

Here Hannah cries out for Jehovah-sabaoth, the LORD of hosts. She cries out for Him to deliver her from this pain. From her lips and out of this pain is where God chose to reveal this beautiful name.

Sabaoth means mass, and refers to a mass of angels, the heavenly host, an army.

We need to remember that at this time there were temples and altars throughout the land to a myriad of gods. Many of those were fertility gods. If you were to go to China today you would still find a Buddha temple that is set aside to pray to in order to have a child. There is even one to specify whether you want a boy or a girl.

But Hannah did not cry out to a fertility god. She did not seek out an idol to pour her heart out to or to put her hope in. She cried out to Jehovah-sabaoth, the God of gods.

We see this name of God come again from a young man named David.

In 1 Samuel 17 we read of how Israel is at war with the Philistines. The Philistine army has Israel at a standstill as the giant Goliath stands over them mocking them and their God. David has been sent by his father to check on his older brothers who are at the battlefield. David is shocked by what he sees. There is not a man in all of the Israeli army that is willing to go head to head with Goliath. Therefore David says, “I’ll do it”

Goliath stands before David and laughs in his face. He mocks David and he curses him by his Philistine gods and he insults David’s God. David is not frightened by this giant and he is not impressed by his big mouthed threats. David knows that this giant comes at him in the power of his strength and the non-existent power of his false gods, while David comes at him with Jehovah-sabaoth.

Then David said to the Philistine,
“You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin,
but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts,
the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted. 
This day the LORD will deliver you up into my hands,
and I will strike you down and remove your head from you.
And I will give the dead bodies of the army of the Philistines
this day to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth,
that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel, 
and that all this assembly may know that
the LORD does not deliver by sword or by spear;
for the battle is the LORD’S and He will give you into our hands.”

1Samuel 17:45-47

We know that David received the victory. Goliath, as big and mighty as he appeared, was no match for God.

God will always be victorious.

Therefore the Lord GOD of hosts,
The Mighty One of Israel, declares,
“Ah, I will be relieved of My adversaries
And avenge Myself on My foes.

Isaiah 1:24

We can be certain that we will all face our own “goliaths” in this life. There will be people and problems and trials and tribulations that we all will face. There will be those who mock us for trusting in our God. There will be those who hate us and seek to destroy us and our witness. Rest assured that Satan is looking for every opportunity he can to devour you, but not even Satan is a match for Jehovah-sabaoth.

Precious one, also remember that David was able to defeat Goliath because he was willing and able to face to him. He was ready to take him head on. He was ready because he had prepared for this battle by his daily walk with God. He knew God by name, by character, and by personal experience with Him.

David never doubted God. He believed God was who God said He was. All the others standing on the sidelines, shaking in fear… they doubted God. They doubted that God would deliver them, therefore they were not willing to face this fear.

My friend, get to know your God.

His name, Jehovah-sabaoth is only a small part of Him. Get to know every part of Him that He will reveal to you. If you are just stepping into this study I implore you to scroll back up to the top and get to know these other characteristics of our God that He so graciously reveals to us in His Word through His name.

Names of God Series, Uncategorized

Names of God Study: Jehovah-shalom

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It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, Jehovah, Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-rapha, Jehovah-nissi, and Jehovah-mekoddishkem. Today we will learn more about our God from His name, Jehovah-shalom. 

We discover this name of God in Judges chapter six. When we look at the context of this chapter of Scripture we discover that this is a time of great turmoil in the life of Israel. It is after the death of their leader Joshua, the one who brought them into the promised land. It is a time when the children of Israel have decided to do what seems best in their own eyes instead of obeying the God who brought them out of Egypt.

In this chapter we are introduced to Gideon. We find him hiding in the wine press threshing wheat. While he hides, God decides to surprise him. The angel of the LORD pops in and declares that this hiding man is a valiant warrior… yes Gideon is shocked. After a time of exchanges and encouragements Gideon asks the angel of the LORD to hang around for an offering which he complies. When Gideon witnesses how the angel of the LORD consumes the offering, he realizes who he has been talking to…

When Gideon saw that he was the angel of the LORD,
he said, “Alas, O Lord GOD!
For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face.” 
The LORD said to him,
“Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die.” 
Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD
and named it The LORD is Peace.
Judges 6:22-24
He named it Jehovah-shalom.
The LORD is Peace.
There is only one way to receive peace… and that is from God.
Yes, we try in many other ways to get it…

We can light all the candles we want. We can try to find a place of solitude and quiet and shut out our inner thoughts and outer noise… but we will not find real peace here. We cannot self-will ourselves into peace.

When we try to self-will ourselves into peace or try to control our circumstances in order to get peace we usually end up banging our heads up against the wall in sheer frustration. We may get the peace for a moment, but the second our circumstances change or an interruption occurs that peace is gone.

Lasting peace comes only from God.

The LORD bless you, and keep you;
 The LORD make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The LORD lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace. Numbers 6:24-26
Lasting peace comes from knowing that we are right with God. It comes from knowing that it is God who keeps us and sustains us regardless of our circumstances or life’s interruptions. Lasting peace comes through faith. It comes from God and through God.
Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Romans 5:1
When trials and tribulations come we have to remember that peace is not found in a place. It does not come through a system. It is found in a person.
Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you;
not as the world gives do I give to you.
Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful.
John 14:27
These things I have spoken to you,
so that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you have tribulation,
but take courage;
I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33

 When our peace comes from God then we have it regardless of our circumstances. Our circumstances may be crazy. Gideon was hiding in the wine press because his nation was in turmoil. He was surrounded by enemies and lived in fear… because he had forgotten who his God was. He had forgotten the promises of his God. He had forgotten the mighty works of his God. He thought the problem was his outer circumstances, but the problem was really in him.

Oh precious one, if you have Christ, then you have peace. Your innards are already full of peace. Christ in you the hope of glory! The Prince of Peace lives in you, never to leave you, never to forsake you. You just have to walk in it. You just have to get this thing going 🙂

The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace,
Because he trusts in You.
Trust in the LORD forever,
For in GOD the LORD, we have an everlasting Rock.
Isaiah 26:3-4
If we will keep our minds focused on the promises of God, trusting in His Word, walking by faith and not by sight, our God will keep us in perfect peace. When troubles come if we will remember…
‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’
declares the LORD,
‘plans for welfare and not for calamity
to give you a future and a hope’
 Jeremiah 29:11
Oh precious one, do you need peace?
First ask yourself “Have I got Jesus?”
If you have Him, then you have peace.
Next walk in Him, think on Him, rest in Him and His Word.
Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable,
whatever is right, whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute,
if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise,
dwell on these things. 
The things you have learned
and received and heard and seen in me,
practice these things,
and the God of peace will be with you.
Philippians 4:8-9
Don’t focus on the problem, focus on the promise.
Remember Jehovah-shalom.
The LORD is Peace.
Names of God Series, Uncategorized

Names of God: Jehovah-mekoddishkem

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It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, Jehovah, Jehovah-jireh, Jehovah-rapha, and Jehovah-nissi.

Today we will discover what we can learn about the character of our God as we look at His name, Jehovah-mekoddishkem.

We are introduced to this beautiful name of God in the book of Exodus.

The LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “But as for you, speak to the sons of Israel, saying, ‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths; for this is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. Therefore you are to observe the sabbath, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. For six days work may be done, but on the seventh day there is a sabbath of complete rest, holy to the LORD; whoever does any work on the sabbath day shall surely be put to death. So the sons of Israel shall observe the sabbath, to celebrate the sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant.’ It is a sign between Me and the sons of Israel forever; for in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day He ceased from labor, and was refreshed.”
When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
~ Exodus 31:12-18

Jehovah-mekoddishkem is God’s name for Himself that means the LORD who sanctifies you. So what exactly does that mean to us. When we look at the context of this passage of Scripture in which God reveals this name we discover that this is the time when Moses is on the mountain top alone with God. This is when God is giving the children of Israel the Law, the Ten Commandments.

The children of Israel have spent the last four hundred years as slaves in Egypt living under the bondage of slavery and under the rules of a godless Pharaoh. Now they have been redeemed by their God. Now they are free, but they are not free to live to themselves. They have been set free to serve the I AM.

Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Go to Pharaoh and say to him,
‘Thus says the LORD,
“Let My people go, that they may serve Me.
Exodus 8:1

The children of Israel were no longer to look, talk, or act like slaves of Egypt. They were redeemed to be set apart. That is what sanctified means. They were being set apart and prepared and dedicated to represent and serve the One True Living God. They were going to be consecrated and taught by God how to be holy, and majestic, and to be a people of honor. They were no longer to be slaves, they were now sons. They were to be sons whose greatest desire was to honor their Father.

Does this sound familiar child of God through Christ Jesus His Son?

But you are A CHOSEN RACE,
A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION,
A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION,
so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him
who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 
for you once were NOT A PEOPLE,
but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD;
you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY,
but now you have RECEIVED MERCY.
1 Peter 2:9-10

The children of Israel did not do a thing to earn their sanctification. They were slaves who had nothing. They did not buy their freedom. They could not purchase their own redemption. If you read the preceding chapters of the book of Exodus you also see that the children of Israel grumbled and complained the whole way into their freedom and even still as they were walking in it. So they did not even become good out of the appreciation of their new freedom. They did nothing to sanctify themselves. They had no ability within themselves to make themselves holy. God had to do it all. Thus He is Jehovah-mekkodishkem, the LORD who sanctifies you.

I didn’t earn my sanctification either. I didn’t earn my salvation. I was a slave to sin in bondage to my flesh and Satan held the cords of control. I was bankrupt and broken. I could not set myself free. I could not pay my way out. I had to be redeemed. It would be my Jehovah-mekkodishkem that came to my rescue.

By this will we have been sanctified
through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ
once for all.
Hebrews 10:10

I was not sanctified by my ability to keep the Law. I was not sanctified by my ability to be good enough. The children of Israel were not sanctified by their ability to keep God’s Law either. Go back and look at the context.

The LORD who sanctifies you reveals this name of Himself as He teaches us of the sabbath.

‘You shall surely observe My sabbaths;
for this is a sign between Me and you
throughout your generations,
that you may know that I am the LORD who sanctifies you. 
Therefore you are to observe the sabbath,
for it is holy to you.
Exodus 31:13-14

Now why did God say that observing the sabbath would be the sign?

Why not, you shall not commit adultery and this is the sign that you are sanctified? Why not, you shall obey your parents and this will be the sign that you are sanctified? Why not, you shall never take my name in vain and this will be sign? Why not you shall not make an idol and this will be sign?

Why on earth would the sign be the sabbath?

Oh precious one, God is trying to get a very huge point across to us today just as He was to the children of Israel then. That point being that He alone can sanctify.

The sign that we belong to Him is our ability to rest in Him.

To trust in Him.

To depend on Him.

To believe in Him.

Our sanctification does not come as a result of our work… it is a gift received only by the grace and mercy of God.

For by grace you have been saved
through faith;
and that not of yourselves,
it is the gift of God; 
not as a result of works,
so that no one may boast. 
Ephesians 2:8-9

Oh how thankful I am that God did not make the sign of my sanctification my ability to keep to perfection the rest of the Law. I fail often. I fall often. I miss the mark. But when I do I know that I am His because His Spirit calls me to repentance and to rest in His forgiveness and calls me to remember to trust and to love and not to fear and to start over because I have received mercy.

This is what makes my God, Jehovah-mekkodishkem, different from all other gods, His mercy for no reason other than that He loves me. Then out of my overwhelmed relief of His poured-out-without-measure grace, I willingly desire and choose to honor my Father by obeying the rest of His commands. So that through my obedience, my set apart life might display His majesty and be used by Him as a testimony to His glorious gospel to bring the rest of our Kingdom family home.

My freedom did not come through my ability to work, it did not come from ability to get it all right. My freedom game from resting in Him.

Precious one are you tired?

Are you tired from working to get it right?

Are you ready to rest in Him?

In Him alone will you find freedom.

Names of God Series, Uncategorized

Names of God Study: Jehovah-nissi

It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, Jehovah, Jehovah-jireh, and Jehovah-rapha.  Today we will look at Jehovah-nissi and discover what this name of God reveals to us about His character.

We are introduced to this name of God in the book of Exodus. I am going to post the entire passage because this event in Scripture is so very powerful and incredibly relevant for us as believers today. It holds the key to a truth that we all must know if we are going to live in the victory that is our in Christ.

Then Amalek came and fought against Israel at Rephidim. 
So Moses said to Joshua,
“Choose men for us and go out, fight against Amalek.
Tomorrow I will station myself on the top of the hill
with the staff of God in my hand.” 
Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought against Amalek;
and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 
So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed,
and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 
But Moses’ hands were heavy.
Then they took a stone and put it under him,
and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other.
Thus his hands were steady until the sun set. 
So Joshua overwhelmed Amalek
and his people with the edge of the sword.
Then the LORD said to Moses,
“Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua,
that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 
Moses built an altar and named it The LORD is My Banner; 
and he said, “The LORD has sworn;
the LORD will have war against Amalek
from generation to generation.”
Exodus 17:8-16
Did you see the name of God?
Jehovah-nissi means the LORD is My Banner.
So what is a banner? What exactly does this name of God tell us about His character? What does it mean to have the LORD as your banner? It might help to see a picture…
Those men are raising the banner of the United States of America. When our soldiers go into battle this banner goes before them. They have this banner to remind them what they are living, loving, and fighting for. Notice also that one could not keep the banner up alone… his brothers helped him.
But Moses’ hands were heavy.
Then they took a stone and put it under him,
and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands,
one on one side and one on the other.
This banner is the banner of my earthly nation. I am a citizen of the USA while on this earth. I pledge allegiance to this flag and to this country, but this is not my eternal home. I have a citizenship in a kingdom that has supremacy over my allegiance to this United States.
For our citizenship is in heaven,
from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; 
who will transform the body of our humble state
into conformity with the body of His glory,
by the exertion of the power that He has
even to subject all things to Himself.
Therefore, my beloved brethren
whom I long to see, my joy and crown,
in this way stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.
Philippians 3:20-4:1
In this kingdom I am to stand firm and the banner I am to be raising is my God. I am to go into the battles of life with Jehovah-nissi before me to remind me what I am living, loving, and fighting for. I am to keep my eyes on Christ and keep Him lifted up before me.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself.
 John 12:32
Why do we need a banner?

Every kingdom on this earth has an enemy. The kingdom of God and those who are citizens of it are not excluded from this fact. So exactly who or what is the enemy?

Do not love the world nor the things in the world.
If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 
For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes
and the boastful pride of life,
is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1 John 2:15-16
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour.
1 Peter 5:8
Did you discover the enemy?
Now scroll back up and read Exodus 17:8-16 again and this time replace Amalek with flesh.
Our own flesh, the world system, and the devil himself are your enemies if you are a citizen of the kingdom of God… and they are your enemy if you are not, because they are doing all they can to keep you from crossing the border into the promised land.
So now that you have met the enemy, how do you fight?
So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed,
and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 
Israel was winning the battle as long as Moses had his staff lifted up. As long as the Lord was lifted up they had victory. As long as they were being led by God and were focused on Him they were successful in their battle… but when Moses became weary and his hands became heavy and his staff fell then the enemy prevailed. Oh precious one, it is no different with us and our enemy.
 But I say, walk by the Spirit,
and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. 
For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit,
and the Spirit against the flesh;
for these are in opposition to one another,
so that you may not do the things that you please…
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus
have crucified the flesh
with its passions and desires.
Galatians 5:16-17, 24
Therefore,
since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us,
let us also lay aside every encumbrance
and the sin which so easily entangles us,
and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 
fixing our eyes on Jesus,
the author and perfecter of faith,
who for the joy set before Him endured the cross,
despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:1-2
Now I don’t know about you… but my flesh is pretty tough, and the pull of the world and all it’s glitz and glam and shiny new stuff is pretty catchy to my eyes and well that Satan is pretty darn sneaky and quite persistent… so I get tired in this fight. What am I to do when I get tired? What am I to do when I see a fellow believer is getting tired?
 Encourage the exhausted, and strengthen the feeble.
Isaiah 35:3
Therefore, strengthen the hands that are weak
and the knees that are feeble, 
and make straight paths for your feet,
so that the limb which is lame
may not be put out of joint,
but rather be healed.
Hebrews 12:12-13
God created this amazing thing called the church. Not the building… the body. He said the gates of hell would not be able to prevail against His church. It is here that we find strength, encouragement, hope, help, fellow soldiers… It is here where we find those who gather around us and help us raise that banner. We need each other. We have a real battle, against a very real enemy, and our enemies are strong but…
 You are from God, little children,
and have overcome them;
because greater is He who is in you
than he who is in the world.
1 John 4:4

My friend… before a soldier goes into battle, they make sure their armor is on and they have all their weapons ready… then they are prepared to fight and they are prepared to defend and help others…

Remember to go into each day with your Jehovah-nissi!  
Names of God Series

Names of God – Jehovah-rapha

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It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, Jehovah, and Jehovah-jireh. And now we move onto a new name… Jehovah-rapha.

We are introduced to this name of God and discover its meaning in the book Exodus. To set our context the children of Israel have just been set free from Pharoah’s hold by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob… and the God of Moses. We are introduced to this name, this attribute of God right after they have crossed the Red Sea.

Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea,
and they went out into the wilderness of Shur;
 and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. 
When they came to Marah,
they could not drink the waters of Marah,
for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah. 
So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 
Then he cried out to the LORD,
and the LORD showed him a tree;
and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.
   There He made for them a statute and regulation,
and there He tested them. 
And He said,
“If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God,
and do what is right in His sight,
and give ear to His commandments,
and keep all His statutes,
I will put none of the diseases on you
which I have put on the Egyptians;
for I, the LORD, am your healer.”
Exodus 15:22-26

Here God let the children of Israel know that “for I, the LORD, am your healer” or for I am Jehovah-rapha. He wanted them, and us, to know that He is the God who heals.

Now lets go back a little further and look at our context a little more.

The LORD was going before them
in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way,
and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light,
that they might travel by day and by night. 
He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day,
nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.
Exodus 13:21-22

Here in this passage we discover that God himself was leading them. He led them in the day and He led them in the night. Never at any time did He remove the pillar of His leadership. If that is true then what also must be true?

Do you think that God just led the thirsty children of Israel to a spring that He thought would be good for drinking and then got there and was shocked that it was bitter and had to figure out what to do next to appease a bunch of grumbling and complaining kids?

Nope. God is God. Remember?

Therefore, He had to have led them to these bitter waters on purpose for a purpose.

He had a lesson to teach them. It was test time.

This is true with us as well. Sometimes God leads us to bitter waters. We may not like it, but it is true. But if we will submit to His will and trust Him in surrendered obedience, He will indeed make those bitter waters sweet.

Our God is Jehovah-rapha.

He is Healer.

Our God heals.

He heals our land.

and My people who are called by My name
humble themselves and pray and seek My face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven,
will forgive their sin and will heal their land.
2 Chronicles 7:14

He heals our sin.

and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross,
so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; f
or by His wounds you were healed. 
For you were continually straying like sheep,
but now you have returned to the Shepherd
and Guardian of your souls.
2 Peter 2:24-25

He heals our broken heart.

He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their wounds.
Psalm 147:3

He heals our diseases.

Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And forget none of His benefits;
Who pardons all your iniquities,
Who heals all your diseases;
Psalm 103:2-3

As we look at God’s introduction to this name Jehovah-rapha we must take note of the instructions that came before He shared this name. We must remember the “if“

“If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the LORD your God,
and do what is right in His sight,
and give ear to His commandments,
and keep all His statutes,…

There was a prerequisite for experiencing God as Jehovah-rapha… and was obedience and submission to Him. That obedience includes confession of disobedience and repentance when God makes it known to us.

 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
And see if there be any hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Psalm 139:23-24

Many times before God will heal us we need to first take care of our sin. Sometimes that sin is simply to obey Him in His simple request to trust Him. Jesus commanded us not to worry. He beckons us to cast our burdens on Him. When we choose not to… we have stress. It is a proven medical fact that stress kills. Stress leads to depression. It leads to obesity. It leads to blood-pressure issues. It leads to countless other ailments. God would heal us of all these if we would trust Him with our problems and our anxieties and our regrets and our fears and our failures. If we would simply obey Him and surrender our will to His will.

God commands us to share our problems, our sin, with others. Holding onto unconfessed sins and unforgiveness can make us sick. Holding onto our struggles because we fear the shame of them being exposed can easily lead to death. God tells us to find someone, a fellow believer, to share these things with. we must expose the things hiding in the dark so that the Light of Christ can shine on them. A germ likes to grow in the dark, so does mold, all things that kill, steal, and destroy like the darkness. They like to hide. Let us bring them to the Light.

Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray.
Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. 
Is anyone among you sick?
Then he must call for the elders of the church
and they are to pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord; 
and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick,
and the Lord will raise him up,
and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. 
Therefore, confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
James 5:13-16

However, not all sickness is due to a personal sin. Jesus makes that very clear in His Word.

As He passed by, He saw a man blind from birth. 
And His disciples asked Him,
“Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents,
that he would be born blind?” 
Jesus answered,
“It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents;
but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.
John 9:1-3

I must share that the day that I shared about this beautiful name of God in our co-op chapel time I was sick. I mean flat-out could lose my pop-tart any minute sick. However the Lord sustained me through the chapel time and through my zoology class and through one daughter’s piano lessons and another daughter’s violin lessons and I didn’t lose my pop-tart until safe at home in the sanctuary of my own bathroom. So I am thankful that as I studied this name of God I was able to rest in the truth that not all sickness is due to personal sin… but in all honesty Psalm 139:23-24  is where I began my evaluation when I realized sickness had hit me.

If it was an attempt to get my attention to fix a division between me and my God then I wanted to seek that out. I want to know every wicked way that there is within me so that I can confess it before my God and lay it at the foot of my Saviors cross. I want to live a life of repentance not a life of regrets.

When God brings me to bitter waters and I am thirsty… I pray that instead of grumbling and complaining I will look at those bitter waters and ask my God what He is wanting to teach me. What lesson do I need to learn? How, my God, will you make these bitter waters sweet? I pray that I will look for the tree…  and always remember that my God is Jehovah-rapha, my God is Healer.

Heal me, O LORD, and I will be healed;
Save me and I will be saved,
For You are my praise.
Jeremiah 17:14
Names of God Series

Names of God – Jehovah-jireh

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It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, Adonia, and Jehovah. Today we will discover more about the character of our God as we take a look at His name, Jehovah-jireh.

We first see this name of God in Genesis. To discover the meaning of this name of our God we go again to Abraham. We go to the day that an old man of great faith is asked by his God to do the unthinkable. We go to Genesis 22:1-14.

In Genesis 22, we go to the day that God calls out to Abraham to take his son… his son that he loves… and sacrifice him to Him. This is the first time the word love is used in Scripture. I think that has to be for a reason… don’t you? God has always tried to show us, to teach us, that love is about sacrifice.

 Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering
and laid it on Isaac his son,
and he took in his hand the fire and the knife.
So the two of them walked on together.
Genesis 22:6
What a beautiful picture this was of our Savior. A small foreshadowing of what was to come. Abraham walked with his son, ready to be wholly surrendered in absolute committed obedience to his God. He walked on in faith. He walked on trusting in the promises of his God. His God who had given His Word that through Isaac he would become a great nation and all the nations would be blessed in him. So somehow he knew that his God would provide life for his son and life for those who were to come through the seed of his son… even though now He asked for his death.
They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out,
bearing His own cross,
to the place called the Place of a Skull,
which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha.
John 19:17
Jesus walked to the place of His sacrifice and He carried the wood on His back and it was His Father that walked with Him. It was His Father who carried the fire and the knife. The difference in the story is found in this name we are looking at today… Jehovah-jireh, the LORD Will Provide.
Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked,
and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns;
and Abraham went and took the ram
and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 
Abraham called the name of that place
The LORD Will Provide,
as it is said to this day,
“In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:13-14
Abraham’s son was spared. God’s Son was not. The ram that spared Isaac… was a picture of the Lamb that would not be spared in order to not only spare Isaac, but to spare you and I. The Lord would provide the sacrifice that was needed. It would be God who would take His Son, His Only Begotten Son, His Son Whom He loved, and sacrifice Him… for us.
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said,
“Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
John 1:29
***
For God so loved the world,
that He gave His only begotten Son,
 that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have eternal life. 
For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world,
but that the world might be saved through Him.  
John 3:16-17
It would be God who would provide the sacrifice for our sin. However the sacrifice for our sin is not the only necessity that our God has promised to provide.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Matthew 6:11
 ***
And my God will supply all your needs
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. 
Philippians 4:19
Our God promises to supply our daily needs. He knows what we need. He has promised to meet those needs according to His riches… according to His will… according to His way. He always provides what is best when it is best.
Last year I found myself clinging to a particular Psalm all year… over and over I would come back to the promises of my God and would hold on to them for dear life. That Psalm was Psalm 34. As I read threw this Psalm I noticed the repeating of the word “all”. It was this word that I clung to as I held on to this Word of my God, my God whose name is Jehovah-jireh.
 I will bless the LORD at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul will make its boast in the LORD;
The humble will hear it and rejoice.
O magnify the LORD with me,
And let us exalt His name together.
I sought the LORD, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces will never be ashamed.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him
And saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear Him,
And rescues them.
 O taste and see that the LORD is good;
How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!
O fear the LORD, you His saints;
For to those who fear Him there is no want.
The young lions do lack and suffer hunger;
But they who seek the LORD shall not be in want of any good thing.
Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
Who is the man who desires life
And loves length of days that he may see good?
Keep your tongue from evil
And your lips from speaking deceit.
Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.
The eyes of the LORD are toward the righteous
And His ears are open to their cry. 
 The face of the LORD is against evildoers,
To cut off the memory of them from the earth.
The righteous cry, and the LORD hears
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted
And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
He keeps all his bones,
Not one of them is broken.
Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous will be condemned.
The LORD redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
Names of God Series

>Names of God – Jehovah

>It’s time for another post in the Names of God series. We have done a little study on the names Elohim, El Elyon, El Roi, El Shaddai, El Olam, and Adonia.  Today we will look at the name that God says is His memorial name to all generations… Jehovah.

The first time the name Jehovah is used is in Genesis 2:4, but it is not until the book of Exodus that God lays out the meaning of this name before us to behold it and behold Him. This name of God is the most frequent name of God used in the Scriptures.

Jehovah is the most holy, glorious name of God. It was a name that made the Jews afraid and filled them with awe. It was so sacred that they would not even pronounce it. Did you know that every time they wrote the name Jehovah they would stop, take off their clothes, take a complete bath, put on clean clothes, and then use a pen that had never been used before to write the name Jehovah? That’s how holy and sacred this name is for God! ~ Janna Arndt   

I hope knowing this gives you a whole new depth of meaning to the third commandment,

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain,
for the LORD will not leave him unpunished
who takes His name in vain.
Exodus 20:7 
As you read through your Bible you will find the name Jehovah translated as LORD. If you recall the last name we looked at was Adonia, which meant lord or master. The way you know if you are reading Jehovah or Adonia is by the capitalization of the name. Adonia is Lord, only the L is capital. Jehovah is LORD, all letters are capital.
The name Jehovah can also be Yahweh. The Hebrew letters for Jehovah are YHWH. It is unpronounceable to us because there are no vowels. We have changed the Y to J and the W to V and added the vowels e,o,a in order to be able to attempt to pronounce this name of God. Others add only an a and e and say Yahweh. This links the name of God to the Hebrew verb hayah which means to be, to exist.
This name of God, YHWH, which we pronounce Jehovah or Yahweh, implies a Being who is absolutely self-existent. He doesn’t need anything outside of Himself to exist. I would say that it is no coincidence that the first time we see this name of God is in connection with Elohim, Creator.
This is the account of the heavens and the earth
when they were created,
in the day the YHWH Elohim
made earth and heaven.
Genesis 2:4
This passage is the first use of Jehovah in Scripture, but when the meaning and importance of this name is slammed home to us is in Exodus 3:1-15… when Moses meets his God. It is here that Moses cries out to a burning bush that is never consumed though it resides in the midst of fire. Here this man who grew up being taught to serve a plethora of gods ask this God what is your name? Who shall I say has sent me?
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; 
and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel,
‘I AM has sent me to you.’…
This is My name forever,
and this is my memorial-name to all generations.” 
Exodus 3:14-15
God is the eternal I AM, He is the Self-existent One, the always present. This was His memorial name to all generations… so when He came to the earth as the Word made flesh…
Jesus said to them,
“Truly, truly, I say to you,
before Abraham was born, I am.”
John 8:58
So when He said to them, “I am”
(He is not in the original text),
 they drew back and fell to the ground.
John 18:6
Yep, His memorial name to all generations…
There is no God like Jehovah!