Knowing Who All That "I AM" Is

     Exodus 3:14 reads, "God said to Moses, “I AM who I AM.” And He said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” We are all familiar with this passage and God's referral to Himself in this manner. But who is I AM? How are we to know the God we serve?
     It should come as no surprise to us that the magnificence and character of who God is, is revealed to us through Scripture by the names He chooses [for Himself] in order to reveal His true nature to us. By understanding His attributes and characteristics, it gives us the opportunity to know His promises and to learn to trust Him. The problem is, our English translations of the Bible don't necessarily make it easy for us to identify the fullness of God's nature. It takes an understanding of the Hebrew names of God to begin to see Him revealed in our Bibles.
     I can remember the excitement I felt the first time I saw one of His Names that had heretofore been hidden from my understanding... It was in Genesis 16:13, which reads, Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?”  In Hebrew, "the God Who Sees" is translated EL ROI. This is the character of God in which He never sleeps; He sees, He is aware; He is the great Omnipresent God.
    And there are so many other places in the Bible that a serious student can encounter more of the nature of our Mighty God. So, I'd like to share some of God's names with you, and invite you to study them further; to gain a more intimate knowledge of who our God is.  When he says I AM, these are just some of the names by which you can come to know Him. He truly is the One True God.  Come meet Him:

 

      YAHWEH:  Because it was considered blasphemous to utter the name of the Hebrew God, it was only written and never spoken.  The Hebrews represented their God with 4 letters (Yod Heh Vav Heh), which became transliterated by the Romans to YHWH.  This name is often interchangeable with Jehovah or Lord, in small capitals.  This is the God of Israel's most revered name.

     ELOHIM:  The Creator.  It was God, as Elohim, that created the heavens and the earth.  Here is an interesting fact:  The him ending of Elohim is a plural ending in the Hebrew language; meaning more than one.  It is actually this name for God (Elohim) that is used in Genesis 1:1:  In the beginning God(s) created the heavens and the earth. This indicates that it was the blessed Trinity --- God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit --- who were involved in the creation.  They are one in being and character, yet three persons united as one Creator.

      ADONAI:  This name means Lord or Master.  This name represents God's lordship over me; his total possession of me, and my total submission to Him as Lord and Master.  Thou Art my Lord (Adonai); I have no good besides Thee."  Psalm 16:2.  We serve Him as willing slaves.

      EL SHADDAI:  The All-Sufficient One.   All of our needs are met in Him.  God is the source of everything we receive, and it is in His power --- not ours --- that His purposes will be fulfilled.  You get the meaning of this name through "God Almighty".  When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am God Almighty (El Shaddai); walk before me faithfully and be blameless. Genesis 17:1.  Only through God, the All-Sufficient One, could Abram realize his role as Father of our Faith.

      EL ELYON:  The God Most High.  This name designates God as the sovereign ruler of all the Universe; everything is under His control and under His dominion. Neither man nor Satan can interfere with His authority.  I will cry to God Most High (El Elyon), to God who accomplishes all things for me.  Psalm 57:2.  

      JEHOVAH-JIREH:  The Lord Will Provide.  In the character of this name, our God sees, knows and provides all our needs.  If we worship Him in obedience, all our needs will be met.  The Lord will provide (Jehovah-Jireh) as it is said to this day, 'In the mount of the LORD it will be provided.' "  Genesis 22:14.  As Jehovah-Jireh, God has not only provided for our salvation through the death of His Son on the cross, but He is able to see and provide for "our daily bread"; those day-to-day needs. 

      JEHOVAH-NISSI:  The Lord My Banner.  A banner, in ancient times, was a standard that was carried into battle as a rallying symbol for those fighting.  And, make no mistake, we are all in a spiritual battle these days against the forces of Evil.  Therefore, we must remember that the Lord goes out before us; He is our banner in this fight.  We are to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6), and under His banner, our victory is certain.  Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee, That it may be displayed because of the truth. Psalm 60:4

      JEHOVAH-MEKODDISHKEM: The Lord Who Sanctifies You.  As Believers in Jesus Christ, we are sanctified, or "set apart" for the righteousness that comes from faith.  We are set apart by following Christ, observing the Sabbath as a Holy day, and accepting the promise that comes through trusting the Word of God.  And you shall keep My statues and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you (Jehovah-Mekoddishkem).  Leviticus 20:8.

      JEHOVAH-RAPHA:  The Lord Who Heals.  Our need for healing, whether as an individual or a nation, is the result of our sins.  Through His power as Jehovah-Rapha, God can cleanse us of our sins and renew our spirits.  He can heal us physically, spiritually and emotionally.  We must first examine ourselves, recognize that we deserve to be judged for our sins, and then ask God to forgive us and heal us.  Heal me, O Lord (Jehovah-Rapha), and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for Thou art my praise.  Jeremiah 17:14.

      JEHOVAH-SABAOTH:  The Lord of Hosts.  This was the name of God during an extreme time in the history of Israel.  They had been repeatedly disobedient and God was about to deliver them over to their enemies.  It is the name that prophets such as Isaiah and Jeremiah used for God.  It is the name for those who find their own resources inadequate in the midst of a struggle.  This is the name of God to run to when there is no other help.  It is the name that reminds God's people of exactly who He is --- not only the One who delivers, but also the One who judges.  This name of God meets our failures and offers deliverance.  The Lord of Hosts (Jehovah-Sabaoth) is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.  Psalm 46:7.

      JEHOVAH-SHALOM:  The Lord is Peace.  Jesus is our Prince of Peace, Jehovah-Shalom.  He is the One who reconciles us to God, and enables us to stand before Him face to face without fear.  He will keep us in perfect peace, if our mind is focused on Him.  This name of God is perfectly expressed in John 14:27:  Peace I leave with you; my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be fearful.  This is our Jehovah-Shalom speaking to us.

      JEHOVAH-RAAH: The Lord My Shepherd.  This is perhaps our most well-known name for God.  He designed us as we are so that we would see our need for Him; to see our absolute poverty of spirit without Him.  Like sheep, we are lost without His guidance and discipline; we stray from His path of righteousness and need Him to bring us safely into rest, provision and peace.  When I follow the Good Shepherd, surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.  Psalm 23-6.

 

     The descriptions I have provided for each of God's Names do not encompass the entirety that all those Holy Names mean. But they give you a baseline, so to speak, to begin your own discovery of His magnitude and immensity. And these are by no means all the names that God is known by. Since I first published this list in a 2012 post, I have come to know other names of my God: El HaNe'eman - The Faithful God: (Deuteronomy 7:9). El HaGadol - The Great God: (Deuteronomy 10:17). El HaKadosh - The Holy God: (Isaiah 5:16). El Yisrael - The God Of Israel: (Psalm 68:35). El HaShamayim - The God Of The Heavens: (Psalm 136:26). El De'ot - The God Of Knowledge: (1 Samuel 2:3). El Emet - The God Of Truth: (Psalm 31:6). El Yeshuati - The God Of My Salvation: (Isaiah 12:2). Immanu El - God Is With Us: (Isaiah 7:14). El Olam - The God Of Eternity (Genesis 21:33). El Echad - The One God: (Malachi 2:10). "ELAH" is another name for God, used about 70 times in the Old Testament. Again, when combined with other words, we see different attributes of God. Some examples: Elah Yerush'lem - God of Jerusalem: (Ezra 7:19). Elah Yisrael - God of Israel: (Ezra 5:1). Elah Sh'maya - God of Heaven: (Ezra 7:23). Elah Sh'maya V'Arah - God of Heaven and Earth: (Ezra 5:11). 

     I am so blessed that the Holy Spirit has revealed greater knowledge of who my God is; that I can begin to embrace bigger and bigger concepts of His inherent qualities. And the end result is not just more knowledge of Him, but the ability to love Him more; to possess a deeper love based on all of Who He is. I hope this knowledge leads you, as it has me, to a more intimate relationship of love and trust with our multi-faceted Creator.

Psalm 91:14     The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name".