We are going to look at the first names of Yahweh found in the Old Testament.
The Trinity are the Pre-Existing Ones.
Our heavenly Father’s original plan was to have sons and daughters.
God lives inside of His creation (but can choose to live outside of creation).
He lives inside of time (but can choose to live outside of time).
Yahweh/Elohim is relational with man, in the same way father is relational with man.
God is covenant-keeping, and therefore relational.
He can change His mind except if it breaks covenant.
Some teach that we need to call God Yahweh, YHWH, or Jehovah. This is unnecessary. Interestingly, Jesus did not teach us to pray; “Our Yahweh, who is in heaven”!
What’s in a Name?
Biblical Names Have Meanings: There are hundreds of times in the Bible that names reflect a particular character that the parents want their child to have.
Names Do Not Describe Everything About a Person: Some teach that we must call God Yahweh. Others are horrified that we spell the name Yahweh rather than YHWH. Others have become so religious that they will write G_d! If we don’t, we are “wrong” because “God” is a deity’s name and not the original name.
Yet we find that God even called Himself Elohim, which means a deity in Genesis 1:1.
Yahweh means “I am who I say I am”. In other words, “Don’t put me in a box, I will reveal myself to you through many different attributes”.
Yahweh is to be a Name for All Generations, it is a Primary Name.
When God identified Himself with the name of Yahweh to Moses, He said this primary name was to be a memorial for all generations.
EXODUS 3:15 MOREOVER GOD SAID TO MOSES, “THUS YOU SHALL SAY TO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL: ‘THE LORD GOD OF YOUR FATHERS, THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, THE GOD OF ISAAC, AND THE GOD OF JACOB, HAS SENT ME TO YOU. THIS IS MY NAME FOREVER, AND THIS IS MY MEMORIAL TO ALL GENERATIONS.
The Name Yahweh is Still Relevant. And He uses it in a compound form to describe different attributes that He wants to become to us.
This is the primary name of God as revealed to man and applies today. However, we will find under the New Covenant, we can call Him ’Father’.
The New Covenant name:
Under the New Covenant, the primary name of Yahweh becomes Father, and He is now able to be known as a Father.
Descriptions of Yahweh and His Attributes:
Yahweh wants to show His attributes, because they are who He is, so as sons and daughters of God, these attributes become ours, an example is (YHWH Jireh is God OUR Provider).
We are His children: Under the New Covenant; we are now heirs of God.
ROMANS 8:17 AND IF CHILDREN, THEN HEIRS—HEIRS OF GOD AND JOINT HEIRS WITH CHRIST
Old Testament Names of Yahweh: Jireh (God, Our Provider):
He Will See To It. When we call upon His Name Yahweh Jireh – He will see to it Yahweh Jireh means He who Pre-Existed before creation ‘will see to it!’
The Law of First Mention:
Scriptures are weighed more heavily the first time a concept or word is mentioned.
The first time we read of the name YWVH Jireh is when Abraham offers up Isaac as a sacrifice.
GENESIS 22:14 AND ABRAHAM CALLED THE NAME OF THAT PLACE JEHOVAH-JIREH: AS IT IS SAID TO THIS DAY, IN THE MOUNT OF JEHOVAH IT SHALL BE PROVIDED.
The Gift of a Substitute.
God provided for Abraham a gift so Isaac did not need to die. Abraham was the primary beneficiary – the man who God made a covenant with:
JOHN 3:16 FOR GOD SO LOVED THE WORLD THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, THAT WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE.
The Free Gift of Grace.
Under the New Covenant as our Father, He still provides everything we need through His gift – grace. The context of this next scripture is the financial provision:
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8 AND GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU, THAT YOU, ALWAYS HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, MAY HAVE AN ABUNDANCE FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.
Old Testament Names of Yahweh: Rapha (God, Our Healer)
He is Our Healer. We need to understand that the name Yahweh Rapha is not trying to describe how powerful God is- that He can heal. He is saying that He is OUR healer.
Insight of a Rabbi. Rabbi’s tell us that the word PUT is essential to understanding this scripture:
The word put is śûm- The primary meaning of the verb is to put, to set, or to place
EXODUS 15:26 AND SAID, “IF YOU DILIGENTLY HEED THE VOICE OF THE LORD YOUR GOD AND DO WHAT IS RIGHT IN HIS SIGHT, GIVE EAR TO HIS COMMANDMENTS AND KEEP ALL HIS STATUTES, I WILL PUT NONE OF THE DISEASES ON YOU WHICH I HAVE BROUGHT ON THE EGYPTIANS. FOR I AM THE YAHWEH WHO (JIREH) HEALS YOU.”
Divine Health: The use of the word PUT; indicates that this is not just a promise of healing, but of divine health. There is a condition on this; that IF you follow the Lord…
For this reason rabbis have put the following reading of this passage: If you follow me only then I will give you divine health.
However, if you follow false God’s and sicknesses come upon you, then I will heal you from your sicknesses.
The Covenant Promise.
God then sealed it with a covenant promise that would later come through Jesus Christ:
ISAIAH 53:5 BUT HE WAS WOUNDED FOR OUR TRANSGRESSIONS, HE WAS BRUISED FOR OUR INIQUITIES; THE CHASTISEMENT FOR OUR PEACE WAS UPON HIM, AND BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.
Matthew Explains it More Clearly:
MATTHEW 8:16-17 WHEN EVENING HAD COME, THEY BROUGHT TO HIM MANY WHO WERE DEMONPOSSESSED. AND HE CAST OUT THE SPIRITS WITH A WORD, AND HEALED ALL WHO WERE SICK, THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED WHICH WAS SPOKEN BY ISAIAH THE PROPHET, SAYING: “HE HIMSELF TOOK OUR INFIRMITIES AND BORE OUR SICKNESSES.”
People wonder why I had cancer. I know why? I did not diligently heed His voice and do what was right in His sight. I found out when it was in stage 3 and not 4. When you have stage 4 cancer it can spread to any organ and kill you.
As a result, I can no longer practice some of the sins, that would have prevented me from fulfilling my destiny in God. If I would sin, it results in extreme pain, like putting you hand on a hot stove. So, I am grateful.
In the future I will receive new Body parts that I lost through this experience, but now is not the time. I am still learning how to walk with God and now, He is correcting all the false doctrine I have been preaching before I enter Public Ministry.
I stopped preaching and teaching the word for 23 years, because I could not stay free for more than a year, and it always turned people away from me and then in 2011 the Lord commanded me to start writing and said if you get it wrong, I will correct you, and that is what He is doing today.
The Trinity are the Pre-Existing Ones.
Our heavenly Father’s original plan was to have sons and daughters.
God lives inside of His creation (but can choose to live outside of creation).
He lives inside of time (but can choose to live outside of time).
Yahweh/Elohim is relational with man, in the same way father is relational with man.
God is covenant-keeping, and therefore relational.
He can change His mind except if it breaks covenant.
His Old Testament primary name is Yahweh. This is no longer His primary name under the New Covenant- it is FATHER.
All descriptions of YHVH are related to us, not God.
He is our provider (Yahweh Jireh).
He is our healer (Yahweh Rapha).