Psalms 138:1-2 I will praise You with my whole heart; Before the gods, I will sing praises to You. I will worship toward Your holy temple, And praise Your name. For Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word above all Your name(s).

What is in a name?

The Lord Jesus said in John 17:3, “And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent.” The many names in scripture constitute an additional revelation of God’s character, His works, and His relationship to us based on His works. The names which God chose for Himself are ascribed to Him in the Word of God. They are additional revelations to us of God that we may know and better relate to Him.

In our current times, the names of people are to identify themselves. The names usually do not signify anything, not so in the Bible. Many names represent events and national crisis or blessings. God changed the names of people in the Bible when He dealt with them.  Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah, Jacob to Israel. When Daniel and his friends were captured, Nebuchadnezzar changed their names to try and influence their beliefs.

God chose His own names

God did not allow Israel to choose His names. He proclaimed His names among them to identify more about His nature and greatness.  

Exodus 33:19, 34:5  Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you… Now the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.

God’s names are to be kept Holy. We are to be careful not to slander the Names of the Lord. Leviticus 22:32  You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, Also, one of the ten commandments. Exodus 20:7 You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Elohim – “EL” means strong one. The plural form of EL is Elohim. There is a sense of the Trinity (God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit) wrapped up in the name Elohim.  

In the following scriptures, the Hebrew word for Elohim is translated as God. Genesis 1:1  In the beginning God (Elohim) created heaven and earth.

Isaiah 54:5  For your Maker is your husband, The Lord of hosts is His name; And your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God (Elohim)  of the whole earth.

Jeremiah 32:27  Behold, I am the Lord, the God (Elohim) of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me?

Psalms 68:7-8 O God (Elohim), when you went in front of your people, when you marched through the desert, Selah the earth quaked and the sky poured in the presence of the God (Elohim) of Sinai, in the presence of the God (Elohim) of Israel.

This week, let us meditate on the creator of all there is by Elohim. Let us worship His greatness and respect His Holy Name (Elohim) as the Almighty over all things…our God.

Let your lightnside swell at the mention and worship Elohim.