Names of God: Jehovah-makkeh

The name of God we will be looking at today is a part of the character of God that a lot of people do not like and do not want to talk about. However, with our God, we must take all of Him or none of Him. We don’t get to pick and choose which parts of His character we want to experience and ignore the rest.

The name is Jehovah-makkeh and it means the LORD shall Smite Thee. Yes, LORD-smiteth. Our God is a God who means what He says and says what He means and He will smite those who ignore His word, especially those who are His.

We see this name of God in the book of Ezekiel

My eye will show no pity nor will I spare.

I will repay you according to your ways,

while your abominations are in your midst;

then you will know that I, the LORD, do the smiting.

Ezekiel 7:9

The children of Israel were called out by God to be a nation that would represent Him to an entire world. They were not just a nation. He called them His firstborn. He called them His own possession…

Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD,

“Israel is My son, My firstborn.

Exodus 4:22

 

Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant,

then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples,

for all the earth is Mine;

Exodus 19:5

They were supposed to be an example to all other nations, to teach them how to turn away from vain idols and to show them the way to worship the One True Living God, but they didn’t. Instead of showing the world the image of God they chose to take on the image of the nations around them and they bowed down to their idols and took on their ways… and God was not happy.

God’s last word to His people before 400 yrs of silence was to remind them that He was Jehovah-makkeh.

  He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children

and the hearts of the children to their fathers,

so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.

Malachi 4:6

So what about today?

Has God’s character changed in these last days?

Who are we in Christ? Are we sons and daughters? Are we His possession?

 But as many as received Him,

to them He gave the right to become children of God,

even to those who believe in His name,

John 1:12

 

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 

For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again,

but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons

by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!”

Romans 8:14-15

 

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;

1 Peter 2:9

Well… there you go.

Yes, if we are indeed in Christ then we are His children. We are His possession. And as you read in 1 Peter 2:9 we are called to proclaim His excellencies. We are called to represent Him to those around us. We are called to reflect His image. We are His witnesses.

but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;

and you shall be My witnesses

both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,

and even to the remotest part of the earth.

 Acts 1:8

You are His witness. Every where you go you carry His name. It was by and through the acceptance and confession of His name that you were saved. Faith in His name to be the only name by which you might be saved. You are birthed a new creation in His name. You carry His name.

How do you carry it?

I, as  woman, carry the name of my earthly father, the name of my husband, and the name of my God. Do I carry these names well?

My husband and I have three girls. They carry the name of their father. Every where they go they carry our name. Therefore we expect them to carry it well. Every where they go they represent us and our family. We expect them to represent us well.

One of my favorite teenage lines used by probably every teenager in America when they are in trouble is “You don’t really care about me, all you care about is what people think of you!” This is supposed to dump heaps of condemnation on you as a parent and make you choose to question your choice to firmly address an issue of sin and rebellion in your child’s life, the hope is to get your attention off of them and on to you, to put you on the defence. It’s emotional manipulation. Don’t fall for it. Stand firm and remind them that yes indeed they do carry your name and if they have confessed Christ, they carry His as well. 

You see, in order to ensure our children carry our name well, we discipline them, and we train them up in the Word of God. 

Here’s another thing: If we are somewhere in a group of other kids and all the kids are acting like a bunch of fools running around screaming or being disrespectful to a teacher or leader… the kids we snatch up and jerk a knot in are our kids. We discipline our own. Judgment begins at home.

For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God;

and if it begins with us first,

what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?

1 Peter 4:17

However here’s the thing, it never fails that when we address our own children all the other children somehow amazingly choose to straighten up as well.

We discpline our children because we love them too much to allow them to be undisciplined. And precious one, our God loves us to much to leave us undisciplined. He is the LORD that smites. He will stripe our legs when we need it.

FOR THOSE WHOM THE LORD LOVES HE DISCIPLINES,
AND HE SCOURGES EVERY SON WHOM HE RECEIVES.”

 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons;

for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 

But if you are without discipline,of which all have become partakers,

then you are illegitimate children and not sons.

 Hebrews 12:6-8

So when the smiteth cometh here’s the thing…

 Be careful, do not turn to evil,
For you have preferred this to affliction.

Job 36:21

Do not prefer your sin over the smiting of God to get rid of the sin in your life. Discipline isn’t pleasurable. It can hurt. It can be embarrassing. It can be uncomfortable.

However it is always for our good.

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