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THE GODHEAD Names introduced in chapter 1 of Genesis
Now we will take this one at a time and expound on them I will have the transliteration of the Hebrew word with a number after it (Strongs concordance number) GOD Gen 1:1: In the beginning God (El-o-him) created the heavens and the earth. El-o-him [430], God (plural) Here is the first time God is mentioned in the Bible. Is it surprising? In the beginning "GOD" created the heavens and the earth. There it is! Can you see this word is in the Plural? Can you also see that it is used with a singular verb? Scholars have called this construction by different terms ie Plural of Majesty etc. (I deal with this word in depth-click on Bible Studies, Trinity in Old Testament). But suffice it to say that as we observe this word used in the Old Testament we see three things: COMPOUND UNITY- PLURALITY- DIVERSITY- A perfect explanation of the TRINITY. Definition from the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (TWOT) More probable is the view that °§lœhîm comes from °§lœah as a unique development of the Hebrew Scriptures and represents chiefly the plurality of persons in the Trinity of the godhead (see °§lœhîm). El-o-him is used over 2600 times in the Old Testament The word contains the word El-God emphasizing His Power So when we think of El-o-him let's think of these attributes:
When we think of El-o-him (pronounce im as eem) think of the all Powerful, all Sovereign, Majestic King....Revealed in three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Doesn't that give you glory bumps? To understand that just by a WORD the massive universe came into being....that anyone could create something this massive and complex and majestic; or someone as complex and Majestic as a human being made in His image. ********************************* ONE "Hear o Israel; the Lord our God: the Lord is ONE." (Deut 6:4) Ek-had [259] one, single, first This scripture is part of what is known as the "She-ma" to our Jewish friends. They pray this along with 11:13-21 and Numbers 15:37-41 each day proclaiming that God is One and making a total commitment to Him. So what does it mean that the Lord our God is ONE? Does it mean like some of our Jewish friends and others claim that God is one person..which refutes the notion of a Triune God? Not at all. Let's examine our options: (1) One option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). This would be an affirmation that the Lord was the sole object of their devotion. This interpretation finds support from the appeals to loyalty that follow (v 5, 14).
(2) Another option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is unique.”
In this case the text would be affirming the people’s allegiance to the Lord, as well as the Lord’s superiority to all other gods. It would also imply that he is the only one worthy of their worship.
Support for this view comes from parallel texts such as Deut 7:9 and 10:17, as well as the use of “one” in Song 6:8-9, where the starstruck lover declares that his beloved is unique (literally, “one,” that is, “one of a kind”) when compared to all other women. By the way, that is what our Lord Jesus Christ is called---the only-begotten or UNIQUELY ONE OF A KIND Son of God.
There are many scriptures that confirm the ONENESS of our God.. Read them and meditate on them and the Holy Spirit will make it very very clear what ONENESS means in these scriptures....He is the sole object of their devotion and one of a kind and superior to any so-called god.
CONCLUSION: 1. God is to be the Sole Object of our worship. 2. God is One of a Kind and Superior to any so-called-god ********************************* Only God 1Ti 1:17
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.
Amen. Mono [3441], only, alone Theo-(from Theos), [2316], God, any deity This just reiterates what was said above only taken from the New Testament. ********************************* Spirit of God Gen 1:2 The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Ru-akh [7307], spirit, breath, wind El-oh-im [430], God (plural) Moving* A verb meaning to move, to hover, to tremble. In a participial form, it describes God's Spirit hovering over the great waters at the beginning of God's creative acts. So we see the first mention of God the Holy Spirit as Freely Moving ready to carry out heavens mandates... (We will cover the Holy Spirit to a much greater extent in our next section of study). ********************************* LORD NJB Genesis 2:4 Such was the story of heaven and earth as they were created. At the time when Yahweh Adonai made earth and heaven This is the first appearance of this Name in the Bible YHVH [3068] , The personal name of God translated LORD Most scholars believe that this word comes from the root word meaning "to Be" So God reveals Himself in this Name as the One Who is "self-existing" One Who was, and is, and One Who always will be----no beginning or end. Try and wrap your spiritual mind around that... Remember when God revealed Himself to Moses in the Burning Bush? He is the "I AM THAT I AM" (Exo_3:14 ), the One who was, who is, and who always will be (cf. Rev_11:17 ). Exo 3:14 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.'" Rev 11:17 saying, "We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign. We see in the New Testament the great "I Am" statements by Jesus but I want to look at one in particular....On the night that Jesus was betrayed, when Judas let the Roman Cohort and the temple guard to where Jesus and His disciples were located, this is what happened: Joh 18:3 Judas then, having received the Roman cohort and
officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees, *came there
with lanterns and torches and weapons. Can you see the POWER of the revelation of the Eternal Self-existent One? It knocked all the troops, armed with weapons, on their backs! Even though they came in the power of Rome itself, Who was really in charge?
I AM THE LIGHT OF THE
WORLD BEFORE ABRAHAM I AM I AM THE LIGHT OF THE
WORLD I AM THE DOOR FOR THE
SHEEP I AM THE GOOD
SHEPHERD I AM THE SON OF
GOD I AM THE RESURRECTION AND
THE LIFE I AM THE WAY THE TRUTH AND THE LIFE I AM THE TRUE VINE So we see the Lord Jesus Christ fulfilling the "I Am" of the Old Testament. JHVH is the name that speaks of mercy and forgiveness among other things because it is the name used when mercy and forgiveness is given in scripture. YHVH is the correct transliteration of the Hebrew name of God. It is usually read in the Hebrew as Adonai, and therefore translated as Lord or Lord God. Sometimes it is written as Jehovah, while others pronounce the name as Yahweh, but there is no 'J' sound in Hebrew and neither is there a W sound. The name YHVH is neither written except in Scripture nor spoken by Jewish people out of respect for the Father, and because of the injunction of the third commandment: "you shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain" Jewish people frequently write or say Ha-shem, meaning the name, instead of using YHVH. ********************************* LORD GOD NJB Genesis 15:2 'Adonai Yahweh,' Abram replied, 'what use are your gifts, as I am going on my way childless? Adonai [136], lord, commander, ruler, possessor YHVH [3068], the personal Name for God Adonai is a masculine noun used exclusively of God. It literally means "my Lord" and is often used in place of the Divine name YHVH which was a Name too holy to utter by the Jews. Here as we can see both Names are used together designating the supreme authority and power of our God. The word Adona is often combined with YHVH to reinforce the notion of God's Matchlessness. We can also see when these names are combined, the love of God expressing itself in justice, meaning that when He denies or punishes, His underlying purpose is merciful. A good example of this is that Ezekiel (the prophet of exile) uses this name far more than any other prophet. Even in the children of Israel's gross and continuous disobedience God's purpose of chastisement was redemptive----love's mercy from Adonai YHWH: Eze 3:11 And go! Go to those of the captivity, to the sons of your people, and speak to them, and tell them, So says Adonai Jehovah; whether they will hear or whether they will forbear (listen and obey) Eze 3:11 And go, get you to the [Jewish] captives [in Babylon], to the children of your people, and speak to them and tell them, Thus says the Lord God, whether they will hear or refuse to hear. We must understand that as the Body of Christ, Holy and dearly loved ones that God allows us to go through trials and tribulations to develop mighty character-the very character of Jesus "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. (Heb 12:2) Even when He chastises (disciplines) us it is His glorious love and mercy revealing His righteous Fatherhood-'the judgments of the Lord are True and righteous altogether' Hebrews 12:5-8 5 and you have forgotten the exhortation which is addressed to you as sons, a"My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, Nor bfaint when you are reproved by Him; 6 aFor those bwhom the Lord loves He disciplines, And He scourges every son whom He receives." 7 It is for discipline that you endure; aGod deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, aof which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Contrary to the teachings of some of the church today God is not so interested in our Comfort as He is with our Character. We have turned into a 'bless me and prosper me' church and we have lost the whole concept of the Gospel and the Great Commission. Read God's faith hall of fame (Heb 11) and observe Who God considers 'heroes' of the faith. See if you see anyone who was commended for their life of luxury and comfort. No it was their faithful persevering obedience through thick and thin; those who gave up their comforts to fulfill God's higher calling to live out His purposes. So when you see the word Adonai think of God as the supreme Lord, commander, Ruler and when combined with the personal Name of God YHVH think of His: Matchless Power and Authority expressed in Merciful Justice ********************************* GOD (EL) Gen 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD [YHVH] who spoke to her, "Thou art a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?" EL [410], God Mighty Strength Power El is a masculine noun meaning God, god, mighty one, hero. It is one of the most ancient terms for God, god, or deity. It appears most often in Genesis, Job, Psalms, and Isaiah and not at all in some books. The root meaning of the word mighty can be seen in (Job41:25) where El is translated "mighty" and in (Mic 2:1) where El is translated "Power." Especially significant are these usages: 1. El is with us Isa 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel. 2. He is the God (EL) of our Salvation Isa 12:2 "Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For the LORD GOD is my strength and song, And He has become my salvation." 3. EL SHADAI---God Almighty Gen 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, "I am God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be blameless. 4. EL Elyon----God Most High Gen 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High.
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