Photo by Ron Lach
Alvan Quamina’s Glory to Glory is a book on the identification of Jehovah-Elyon, and to identify an entity as great as Jehovah-Elyon is to know and understand His many names–and to know and understand His many names is to understand the essential character of God.
Knowing the Power of Names
Names may be just a string of characters for people, but they hold immense power. They are more than just their function as labels. Names, in their truest essence, encapsulate the entirety of being.
Those who know your name trust in you,
for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
A name is an indication of identity, but it is also a container for history and essence. This is especially the case when considering the many names that have been attributed to God throughout scripture and beyond.
Where human attributes can only be gleaned through experience, the essential character of God can be understood through His many names. This is because God is too much–one cannot experience the totality of infinity and eternity and not emerge from the encounter unscathed and untouched. As such, the mortal mind can only comprehend through analogy and distance. This is where the names of God are beneficial in recognizing more of His being.
Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko
Understanding the Essential Character of God Through Names
Each title and designation that God bears unveils a small facet of His all-encompassing nature, offering glimpses into the very heart of the divine.
Can you fathom the mysteries of God?
Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?
– Job 11:7
By taking the time to meditate upon one of His many names, one can grow closer to God and take a step further in their personal relationship with Him.
Elohim
A famous name of God is Elohim. In Hebrew, this word is written in the plural form, yet it refers to a singular entity. This is because it speaks to His majestic power. In opposition to the false ideas of other cultures that speak of many gods, the god of the Israelites is a pantheon of Himself: the Ultimate Creator and the Highest Being. There is none in between, and there is none with whom He shares dominion and sovereignty over the earth and everything that resides within it.
Furthermore, the designation of Elohim also reveals His omnibenevolence. Throughout scripture, the righteousness of God is in full display, vanquishing those of evil design and holding the sins of man into account.
Yahweh
Where Elohim implies a distant and aloof being, the name of Yahweh is a reflection of God’s more intimate and personal relationship with humanity. Being aloof and close is quite easy for a great being such as He.
This name is the name that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush and can mean “I am who I am,” which is clearly a declaration of God’s omnipotent being and His steadfast nature. The utterance of the name is a reminder of His covenant with the Israelites–and to the broader community of His believers and followers.
The name of Yahweh is an indication of His willingness to walk alongside His creation and invites every one of His many believers to seek and strive for a deeper and more personal relationship with Him–one where there mere worship and adoration evolves into heartfelt communion with the divine.
Adonai
The name Adonai means either “lord” or “master.” This, more so than Elohim, is a mark of His absolute sovereignty and the need for complete submission to His authority. As the Creator of the universe and everything that resides within and beyond it, God has rightful dominion over all things, both seen and unseen. When the name of Adonai is etched upon one’s lips, it is acknowledging that one is simply one of His servants, able and always willing to act according to His ineffable will.
Adonai is a reminder that while man was given great autonomy over himself and the world beneath him, there is something–someone that is greater and exists above him forever and always.
Photo by James Finch
There are more names of God that can be spoken about, but let us leave things here. The names of God are not mere linguistic conventions; they are profound revelations of His essential character.
By diligently studying and understanding these names, we move beyond a superficial understanding of God and begin to grasp the depth, breadth, and beauty of His multifaceted nature.
