Mark's Daily Reading Journal

By God's grace I am planning to take this year and teach through the Bible Chronologically/historically using the curriculum Firm Foundations Creations to Christ published by NTM.  Below is one reason why.

Many people have known and studied the Word of God without knowing the God of the Word!  (Pharisees and Sadducees)  It is our passion to lead those we disciple to encounter the God of the Word though Jesus Christ, the Word incarnate.  We were created to be in relationship with God and with other people.  The Bible is our curriculum and reading and studying the Bible chronologically/historically is a vital part of our plan.

For many years now the church in America has tended to study the scriptures systematically, (systematic theology) or topically...so many preachers preach and teach topically instead of teaching through a book of the bible.  Even when we study books of the bible we do not see the over arching redemptive story of God revealed progressively through HIS Word in history. 

By studying the scriptures this way we have lost the metanarrative, the big picture, God's big picture...the over arching story of "creation, fall, redemption and restoration."  When we don't see the big picture, HIS big picture, it is easy to forget or to never see at all that you and I are living at a strategic time in HIS story and as HIS children HE longs for us to be a part in bringing in the "restoration," the new heavens and new earth.  Remember Paul's words in Ephesians 2:10?  "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  We are HIS workmanship, created for good works in Christ that God prepared beforehand! 

"Workmanship" is the Greek word "poiema."  If you look closely you will see our English word poem.  Poem?  What is a poem?  It is an effective way to tell a story.  So you and I are part of God's story, HIStory.  God has written us into HIS grand story as a part of HIS poem that includes the "creation, fall, redemption and restoration and we are living at a time in HIS story immediately before the restoration.  HE is inviting us and commanding us, HIS children, to be a part of HIS story, HIS plan to bring about the restoration...our part is to "go and make disciples of all nations..."

Quickly now...what happened to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus?  Personally, I always jump to the "burning heart" part of the story...I love that part, because I want that to happen to me every day!  Ah, but how did they come to have burning hearts?   You just have love this...Luke 24:27 "And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."  WOW!  Then their "eyes were opened" and their hearts were set on fire because the resurrected incarnate Word of God, Jesus, taught them the scriptures from beginning to end, chronologically/historically!  Jesus walked them through the first five books of the bible that Moses wrote and then HE walked them through the prophets.  Luke tells us that HE "interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself."

I realized that to bring others to the place of experiencing the God of the bible in a manner that ignites your heart and sets your life ablaze for the kingdom you must encounter HIM as HE has progressively revealed Himself through HIS precious Word!

It would be wonderful for some of you who have been studying and teaching the scriptures chronologically for some time now to share how God has used chronological bible study to enable you and those you disciple to encounter the God of the bible through HIS Word.  Please share your stories with us!

GO Disciples!

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

Shortly after coming to faith in Christ this hymn, "And Can it Be" or "Amazing Love", by Charles Wesley, quickly became one of my favorites...it beautifully captured my experience and the awe in my heart toward God.  The few lines above always fill me with awe and wonder at the power and glory of our great God.  These words and other recent events have caused me to think and pray much about the freedom we are called to as followers of Christ.

"For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery." Gal 5:1

This past July 4th proved to be one of those Ahaaa moments for me, somewhat of an epiphany if you will. My sense was that God, my heavenly Father, orchestrated my circumstances to allow me to see and understand freedom a little differently...quite possibly a lot!

The first circumstance is that I have been teaching a series in my class out of 1 John constantly asking the question "How can I know I am saved?"  We are walking through 6 tests from first John for each of us to hold our lives up to and ask the question...do I pass the test?  If we pass the test the question turns into a prayer requesting ever increasing growth in grace, longing to be transformed to be like Jesus.  The tests are quite simple:

•Your walk, lifestyle (1:6), •Confession of sin/Brokenness over sin (1:9), •Keep God’s Word (2:3), •Walk as Jesus walked (2:6), •11th Commandment, love your brother (2:9), •World is passing away or being pressed out...are you being conformed to the world or transformed by the renewing of your mind? (2:17)

While we were unpacking the third test "keeping God's Word," I was making the point that John makes in 1 John 5:2-4. 

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world— our faith.

What is that point?  Simply, that when we, God's adopted children, walk by faith, trusting and believing in the promises of God, filled with the Holy Spirit...empowered by the Holy Spirit, living out the victorious Christian life...that IT IS EASY!  I pointed to Matt 11:30 where Jesus tells us that HIS yoke is  easy!  How is it possible that HIS commandments are not burdensome?  It is only possible to the degree that I surrender my life, to the degree that Christ becomes incarnate in me as I walk and live in repentance and faith, repentance and faith, enjoying the victorious Spirit filled life in Christ.

As those words came out of my mouth one man in our class almost came out of his skin with disbelief and a few others looked very perplexed.  That particular morning we spent the rest of the time on that topic.  God was gracious to me and brought to mind a few verses like Zec 4:6 “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: 'Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ Says the Lord of hosts...and Phil 1:6, being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."  We stopped at this point two weeks in a row and I had several private conversations with friends in our class explaining how "it is easy". 

Please don't misunderstand, I know that it is both easy and hard...HIS yoke is easy...the gate is narrow and the way is hard.  Is it easy or is it hard...According to Jesus the the answer is yes!  However, if you have never experienced those times when it is easy than you are probably not walking in and enjoying the victorious Christian life, the Spirit filled life, the abundant life in Christ, the life Christ died for you to live now.

That was the first circumstance that God brought about...for every spiritual leader there is a sense of anguish when those you love are not walking in victory...Remember what Paul said in Galatians 4:19?  "My little children, for whom I am again in the anguish of childbirth until Christ is formed in you!"

The second came this past week...I was thinking and praying about how to tie the lesson to July 4 and our celebration of freedom as a nation.  Out of this God brought to mind two other times that people were set free.  Thinking about July 4th 1776 and our Declaration of Independence the Lord brought to mind the Emancipation Proclamation signed by Abraham Lincoln September 22, 1862 and the liberation of Auschwitz on January 27, 1945. 

Bringing these events together may appear strange on the surface...and, well...I have never claimed not to be strange:)  An acquaintance of mine that lives in the Memphis area is the descendent of slave owners, the land that the family owned is still in the family and much of the family lives on sections of the property...nothing strange yet.  The amazing thing is that a descendent of one of the slaves of the family still lives on the property with the permission of the family.  She lives in a shack in basic poverty on the property!  She was born free and yet she chooses to stay and live in poverty...WHY?  Abraham Lincoln paid a price to push the Emancipation Proclamation through...Martin Luther King Jr paid a price right here in Memphis pressing for civil rights for Blacks...WHY would someone born free choose to live in poverty, why would they choose to live a life similar to that of a salve?

I remember learning about the liberation of Auschwitz and other concentration camps and the reaction of the prisoners when they were liberated.  One would expect them to run out of the camp shouting for joy, leaping, jumping, screaming at the top of their lungs...I'm free, I'm free, I'm free!  That is not what happened.  Viktor Frankl, M.D., Ph.D. (March 26, 1905 – September 2, 1997) was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor.  In his best selling book, "Man's Search for Meaning,"  Frankl talks about the strange reaction of the prisoners to their freedom.

Frankl recalls an experience a few days after being liberated:

"a few days after the liberation, I walked through the country past flowering meadows, for miles and miles, toward the market town near the camp.  Larks rose to the sky and I cold hard their joyous song.  There was no one to be seen for miles around; there was nothing but the wide earth and sky and the larks' jubilation and the freedom of space.  I stopped, looked around, and up to the sky--and then I went down on my knees.  At that moment there was very little I knew of myself or of the world--I had but one sentence in mind--always the same: "I called to the Lord from my narrow prison and He answered me in the freedom of space."

How long I knelt there and repeated this sentence memory can no longer recall.  But I know that on that day, in that hour, my new life started.  Step for step I progressed, until I again became a human being."

I pray that those few words will haunt you...until I again became a human being, until I again became a human being, until I again became a human being."  You and I were created for a very great and glorious God, we were created in HIS image to ENJOY HIM...slaves know nothing of this JOY...ONLY SONS!  You and I were created in HIS image, in the image of God, we are image bearers of the Sovereign God of the Universe! 

Again, consider the incredible cost that was paid to liberate the prisoners in the concentration camps. 

You may be thinking...Mark, all your learning has made you crazy!  The truth is that I come by it honestly...it is not the fault of the learning:)  What does this have to do with living a victorious Christians life?  What does this have to do with freedom in Christ?  I suppose that the answer to that question is the third thing that God did to grant a deeper understanding of freedom.  Contemplate with me about the three different reactions in the physical world to freedom.  Consider the varying reactions of those living in the Colonies during the Declaration of Independence, the slaves set free by the Emancipation Proclamation, and the prisoners liberated at Auschwitz.

The end result for each is the same...you are free, you are free, you are free!  WHAT IS YOUR POINT Mark?  Each of these were set free from a very different place, out of very different circumstances and so their reaction to freedom is radically different. My point is that the people that you and I love and care about, (this includes you and me) enter the freedom that Jesus purchased from very different places, out of very different circumstances.  Therefore our reaction to freedom is radically different!  As God's children, coming to faith in Christ is only the beginning, this is where sanctification begins...remember John's words in 1 John 3:1-2?  "See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2 Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is."  So sanctification begins at salvation...we were dead in our sins in trespasses and God's Word tells us in 1 Peter 2:9 that, "you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."   So we were dead men walking in the shadow of death, HE made us alive together with Christ in the heavenlies, HE called us out of darkness into HIS marvelous light that we may proclaim HIS praises!  Remember the words to the song?  "Fast bound in sin and nature’s night; Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—I woke, the dungeon flamed with light; My chains fell off, my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed Thee."

Do you remember the reaction of the people of Nazareth to the offer of freedom?  Jesus, the Word incarnate, read from Isaiah and the people rejected him, they rejected the freedom HE proclaimed and the freedom HE purchased.

Luke 4:17-19 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.  He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

This is repeated in the Psalms, To hear the groaning of the prisoner, To set free those who were doomed to death Psalm 102:20, Who executes justice for the oppressed; Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free Psalm 146:7, and it is repeated in the prophets, Zechariah 9:11 tells us that, "because of the blood of My covenant with you, I have set your prisoners free from the waterless pit."

Over and over throughout God's Word we learn of our freedom in Christ.  "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed" (John 8:36), the words of Paul tell us what we have been set free from, "And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness"  (Romans 6:18).  Paul also gives us the why in Romans 6:22,  "But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life."  In Galatians Paul warns us not to take our freedom for granted and then gives us instructions as to what we should do with our freedom!  In Gal 5:1 he warns us to, "Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage."  A few verses later he tells us in Gal 5:13 that you "have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another."  Again, we see in John 8:31-32, "Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  In Revelation 1:5 we see again that..."Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood.   The sovereign God of the Universe purchased our freedom, purchased our liberty with HIS own blood...check out 1 Peter 1:19 and Acts 20:28.

Let me try to summarize:

1.  Teaching that the Spirit filled life, when truly Spirit filled is easy receives a wide range of reactions from my class...from some nodding in agreement to others coming unglued with disbelief.

2.  Contemplating our national freedom...the reaction of the colonist to freedom compared with the reaction of the salves and prisoners to the Emancipation Proclamation and the liberation of Auschwitz.

3.  Contrasting how an understanding of the different reactions to freedom can be compared to the different reactions of God's adopted children to their new found freedom in Christ Jesus.

What does all this mean?  I have gone on way to long so I hope to continue this discussion in future posts...let me leave with this thought.  My passion, my burning desire is to know HIM and make HIM known...to expand slightly, to be mature in Christ and to lead others to a place of maturity in Christ (Remember Gal 4:19)...REGARDLESS OF THEIR PAST, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THEY HAVE DONE OR WHAT HAS BEEN DONE TO THEM.  To do that you must discern where a person has been and where they are before you can begin to take them where God wants them to be.

What does it look like to be completely free in Christ, filled with the Spirit of holiness, equipped with radical obedience to the one who purchased me with HIS own blood?  I pray for the opportunity to unpack that here over the next few weeks

From the hymn "And Can it be" we have the powerful words depicting our freedom in Christ

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

2 Co 4:6 For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Pursuing HIM together!

m

I firmly believe that several brilliant minds could easily devote their lives seeking to understand and unpack all of the rich meaning that is bound up in the name of our Great God...Yahweh!  I will confess and say that as I look back at the few posts on Yahweh...I believe that they are accurate, but they don't even begin to scratch the surface!

In Psalm 23 the first five words should move the child of God to fall prostrate on the ground and be filled with awe, wonder, praise and worship!  This is astounding and breathtaking news, this is really good news...Yahweh is my Shepherd!  Yahweh, all that is bound up in who HE is, HE is my Shepherd.  I'm afraid that these precious words are so familiar to us that we take them for granted..."The LORD is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack."  We have heard them so many times we do not hear or understand the phenomenal meaning loaded in these few words...this is astounding!

One thing about a shepherd, they stay close to their sheep and the wise sheep stay close to their shepherd for protection and guidance.  Check out Psalm 32:8, we see that Yahweh "will instruct you and show you the way to go; with My eye on you, I will give counsel."  You must be physically close and personally intimate to be able to be directed by their eye!  Oh how I long to stay close enough physically and spiritually to be able to be directed by HIS eye.

I encourage you to read and reread John 10...Jesus tells us about the relationship HE, Yahweh, has with HIS sheep.  In Matt 11:28-29 28 we hear Yahweh tell us to, “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.  29 All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me,  because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves."

In John 10 HE tells us that HIS sheep know HIS voice and they follow HIM.  The question that is screaming out in my heart and mind is do you know HIS voice?  Do you know HIS voice?  Run to the lover of your soul, run to the guardian and shepherd of your soul, flee to the only one that can save you and give you rest, true rest.  Peter states it well in 1 Peter 2:25, "For you were like sheep going astray,  but you have now returned to the shepherd  and guardian  of your souls."

The awestriking, breathtaking and astounding thing about Jesus, our Good Shepherd is that HE laid down HIS life and shed HIS blood for HIS sheep...seek HIS face, pursue HIM, HE and HE alone is the great treasure!

The LORD is my Shepherd...GLORY!  

Adonai is the supreme Master over all authorities and over everything...yes EVERYTHING!  If you have been born from above, twice born then you belong to HIM and you are invited to an intimate relationship with our sovereign Lord.  Paul's words in 1 Corinthians come to mind, "Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary  of the Holy Spirit  who is in you,  whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought  at a price; therefore glorify God in your body" 1 Co 6:19-20.

As we recently noted Yahweh is typically translated "LORD," Adonai is most often translated "Lord."  Adonai is more of a title and Yahweh is God's name (Exo 3:15).  In Isaiah 6:1 Isaiah says that "In the year that King Uzziah  died, I saw the Lord seated on a high and lofty  throne."  There is much that could be said about King Uzziah, he is one of the few kings that it is written in God's Word that he "did what was right in the eyes of the Lord," 2 Kings 15:3.  King Uzziah's life ended in tragedy because he became filled with pride...apparently from the prosperity that the Lord gave Uzziah.  We are told in 2 Chronicles 26:5 that "as long as he sought the Lord, God made him prosper."  Let that be a word of blessing and warning to each of us!

For Isaiah King Uzziah had proved to be a stabilizing force for most of his reign as  king...you and I might read it this way...in the year the stock market failed, in the year our financial institutions died, in the year my marriage failed, my health failed, in the year I lost my son or daughter...I saw the Lord seated high and lifted up!  Isaiah uses the title Adonai here...in the year my security failed I saw Adonai!  Sometimes Adonai is translated "sovereign."  How awesome to be in an intimate relationship with the Sovereign King of the universe and to know that when your world crumbles around you that NOT only is HE with you, but HE is in control and sovereign over everything that is happening.  In the midst of the crumbling world our responsibility is to KEEP OUR EYES ON HIM!  You can do no greater thing for yourself or for those around you...lead them to fix their eyes on Jesus!

Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah  died, I saw the Lord [Adonai] seated on a high and lofty  throne,  and His robe  filled the temple. 2 Seraphim   were standing above Him; each one had six wings:  with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  3 And one called to another:

          Holy, holy, holy is the LORD [Yahweh] of Hosts; His glory  fills the whole earth.

4 The foundations of the doorways shook  at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.

5 Then I said: Woe is me,  for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, ⌊and⌋ because my eyes have seen the King, the LORD [Yahweh] of Hosts. 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar  with tongs. 7 He touched my mouth  ⌊with it⌋ and said: Now that this has touched your lips, your wickedness is removed, and your sin is atoned for. 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord [Adonai] saying: Who should I send?  Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.

Isaiah was transformed from his encounter with Adonai, we could say Moses was transformed, John, Peter...Paul, how did Paul put it in 2 Cor 3:17-18?  "Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting  the glory of the Lord  and are being transformed  into the same image  from glory to glory;  this is from the Lord who is the Spirit."

Just who did Isaiah see?  Adonai?  Yes!  Yahweh?  Yes!  Jesus?  Absolutely, yes!

John 12:41-43 Isaiah said these things because  he saw His glory  and spoke about Him. 42 Nevertheless, many did believe in Him even among the rulers,  but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, so they would not be banned from the synagogue. 43 For they loved praise from men  more than praise from God. 

Yahweh, you and you alone are my Adonai...LORD Jesus thank you, thank you, thank you...for opening the way (you are the way) for me to know you and be transformed by being in relationship with you!  You and you alone enable me to gaze upon the very face of God and be transformed!    2 Co 4:6 For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness” —He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge  of God’s glory  in the face of Jesus Christ.

I love you because you first loved me,

m

I want to take a look at Yahweh Jireh, the LORD will provide.  In Genesis 22 God reveals another name that reveals more of HIS nature to HIS children.  I hope you understand that with each name we are only looking at the tip of the iceberg!  The further I go into this study of the names of God the more I am filled with awe and wonder at I gaze upon HIS majesty, HIS glory, HIS power, HIS mercy, grace, faithfulness and love.  This awe striking God invites us to know HIM as Father!

In the text it is LORD, it is Yahweh Jireh!  Have you ever considered that Yahweh, I AM WHO I AM, simply is!  Remember HE is the one who was, is and is to come!  What does that mean?  It means that Yahweh is omnipresent in SPACE AND TIME...yes, space and TIME!  So Yahweh, the ONE WHO IS...Jireh...Jireh simply means "to see."  To God the past, present and future simply are HE sees and experiences and acts in space and time, but HE alone transcends space and time.

Why is this important?  HE perfectly sees every need you will ever have and has provided for you perfectly...not according to your wants:) but according to your needs.  Most striking and majestic is that HE saw and your need and my need for salvation and made provision by sending HIS Son to take my place and your place on the CROSS.

For a moment put yourself in Abraham's place and imagine the journey to the mountain, imagine kissing your wife good bye, imagine your heart swelling with emotions every you look at the face of YOUR son knowing what is ahead, imagine you are prepared to sacrifice the child you desperately love as an act of obedience and the moment you begin to slash the throat of your child God reveals HIMSELF to you as Yahweh Jireh and provides a substitute for your child.  How deep, how passionate will your love for Yahweh Jireh be?  How will that revelation impact the rest of your life as you walk with this great God?

As you watch the video below put yourself in Abraham's place...experience the joy of seeing the provision of the LORD!  God has done this for each of HIS children...HOLY IS THE LORD!

Each of us is called to walk in obedience to God's Word...we may not see God's provision, but we are not called to see, we are called to walk by faith in obedience to our heavenly Father WHO SEES EVERYTHING PERFECTLY BEFORE HAND!

Gen 22:1-18 After these things God tested Abraham  and said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he answered. 2 “Take your son,” He said, “your only ⌊son⌋ Isaac, whom you love,  go to the land of Moriah,  and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.”

3 So early in the morning  Abraham got up, saddled his donkey, and took with him two of his young men and his son Isaac. He split wood for a burnt offering and set out to go to the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day  Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey. The boy and I will go over there to worship; then we’ll come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and laid it on his son Isaac.  In his hand he took the fire and the sacrificial knife,  and the two of them walked on together.

7 Then Isaac spoke to his father Abraham and said, “My father.” And he replied, “Here I am, my son.” Isaac said, “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” Then the two of them walked on together. 9 When they arrived at the place that God had told him about, Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood. He bound his son Isaac  and placed him on the altar,  on top of the wood. 10 Then Abraham reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.

11 But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” He replied, “Here I am.”

12 Then He said, “Do not lay a hand on the boy or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your only son from Me.”  13 Abraham looked up and saw a ram  caught by its horns in the thicket. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. 14 And Abraham named that place The LORD Will Provide,  so today it is said: “It will be provided  on the LORD’s mountain.”

15 Then the Angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven 16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn,  says the Lord: Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your only son,   17 I will indeed bless you  and make your offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky  and the sand on the seashore.  Your offspring will possess the gates of their enemies.  18 And all the nations of the earth will be blessed  by your offspring  because you have obeyed My command.”

  Let's Worship the LORD GOD our provider for the breathtaking provision of HIS Son, Jesus Christ!

Just a  reminder that the next several posts, beginning with the previous post, will be one long post broken up into several segments.  I feel like I need to back up for a moment and point out, if I have not already, that a persons name had profound significance when scripture was being penned.  This is why a study of God's names may be so fruitful for us today.  HIS names communicate so much about HIM.  Today people name their children simply for the way the name sounds when it is spoken or they may name their children after someone that had a significant impact on their lives, but seldom do people think of the actual meaning of the names chosen.  I know that this is not true for everyone, but generally speaking. 

The reason knowing and understanding  the names of God helps us trust him in our daily walk and with salvation is that in Scripture a person’s name more often than not is a sign or signifies his character and essence.  This is specifically true when is given by God. There are several times in scripture when God changes peoples names...remember HE changed Jacob’s name to Israel and HE changed Saul's name to Paul.  When our Lord entered the world God the Father named HIM Jesus...You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

For me every name of God revealed in scripture is a little like one facet of a huge beautiful diamond.  As the diamond slowly turns before your eyes and the light catches each facet of the glorious rock something wonderful is revealed...each one reveals something different.

In the previous post I presented the case that in Exodus 3 that Yahweh means "I AM" or "I AM WHO I AM."  In most English translations when we see LORD in all caps the word in the Hebrew is YHWH or Yahweh.  In Exodus 3 we are witnessing God's response to Moses when Moses asked the question, who shall I say sent me to you?  A few chapters latter we see Moses and Aaron have gone to the Israelites and to Pharaoh...long story short, Pharaoh gets really ticked and makes things harder on the Israelites and now in Exodus 6 Moses cries out to God asking why did you do this thing and the following is God's response.

Ex 6:2-8  Then God spoke to Moses, telling him, “I am Yahweh. 3 I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as God Almighty, but I did not make My name Yahweh known to them.  4 I also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land they lived in as foreigners.  5 Furthermore, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are forcing to work as slaves, and I have remembered  My covenant.

6 “Therefore tell the Israelites: I am Yahweh, and I will deliver you from the forced labor of the Egyptians and free you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm  and great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as My people,  and I will be your God. You will know  that I am Yahweh your God, who delivered you from the forced labor of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you to the land that I swore   to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.”

God's Word really is phenomenal...God revealed in HIS Word is breath taking...I'm thinking it may be more like the most striking rose, the Rose of Sharon, blooming before you eyes.  God's Word is HIS redemptive history unfolding before us.  The Exodus 3 passage proclaims loud and clear...I AM THE LORD GOD AND YAHWEH IS MY NAME...this is my name forever, I established MY covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I have heard the cries of MY people and KNOW THIS...I AM YAHWEH and I will deliver you, I will redeem you with my mighty outstretched arm, I will take you as MY people, I will be your God and you will KNOW THAT I AM YAHWEH YOUR GOD!  I have delivered you...I AM THE LORD!

God's Word magnificently shows us HIS outstretched arm, HIS Word incarnate shows us Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.  Titus 2:13  clearly portrays "the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, the glory of God is revealed in Jesus, "the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind" is revealed in Jesus (Titus 3:4)

Jn 8:58 before Abraham was, I am.”

Jn 8:12 I am the light of the world.

Jn 6:35I am the bread of life;

Jn 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

Jn 11:25 I am the resurrection and the life.

Jn 14:6 I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Jn 15:5 I am the vine; you are the branches.

I need to shut up and worship...beholding the gory of Yahweh together.

m

Good morning...after several days off I am trying to get back into the swing of things.  I have to confess that there has been another huge mountain that has stopped me in my tracks...it is the thought of trying to communicate anything about God's name YHWH.  I have become overwhelmed and almost paralyzed every time I come to the foot of this breath taking mountain.  Each of the other names I have not hesitated to tackle in one blog post...but every time I tried to prayerfully look at YHWH, Yahweh...my mental and spiritual RAM overloaded and was burned up:)  So I believe our LORD, Yahweh, was trying to tell me to take several days to do this...that is what I am going to do!

YHWY is the most important name for God in the Old Testament, amazingly it is a name that many of our English versions never even translates. Whenever you see the word LORD in all capital letters, you know that it is Yahweh.  The King James version translates it this way except for four instances it is translated Jehovah, however, in Hebrew the name had four letters—YHWH, today we pronounce it as Yahweh.

Exod 6:3  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Ps 83:18  That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Isa 12:2  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Isa 26:4  Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength:

The Jews held this name of God in such reverence and awe that they refused to speak this name, they were fearful of accidentally taking HIS name in vain. So whenever they came to this name in their reading, they pronounced the word “adonai” which means “my lord.” Most English translations have followed the same pattern. They translate the proper name Yahweh with the word LORD in all caps.  As far as I know only the Broadman Holman Christian Standard Bible translates it Yahweh.

I don't know about you but if I share my name with someone I prefer for them to use the name I give them!  Since God has revealed HIS name to us don't you believe it would be wise of HIS children to use the name HE gave us?  If someone remembers and calls you by name after one meeting with them it makes you feel good...it is amazing how important it is to people to know their name!  Know HIS name!  Know HIS name!  Why are you making such a big deal about this Mark?  Because it impacts your faith and the faith of your children!  Psalm 9:10 Those who know Your name trust in You because You have not abandoned those who seek You, Lord.

If I may be so bold as to say that I don't believe that the English word LORD communicates to us the same way a proper name does like Mark, Diane, Zach, Kyle or Alexis. Yahweh is God’s proper name in Hebrew. The importance of it can be seen in the sheer frequency of its use. It occurs 6,828 times in the Old Testament.

Then where did the name Jehovah come from?  Great question...the name Jehovah originated from an attempt to pronounce the consonants YHWH with the vowels from the word adonai. In the oldest Hebrew texts there are no vowels. Whenever YHWH occurred in the text, the word adonai was pronounced by the Jewish people.

What does Yahweh mean? 

I believe that Exodus 3:13-15 holds the key for understanding the meaning of the name Yahweh.  God commands Moses to go to Egypt and to bring his people out of captivity.  Then Moses asked God, “If I go to the Israelites and say to them: The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ what should I tell them?”  14 God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.   This is what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: Yahweh, the 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;  this is how I am to be remembered in every generation. (HCSB)

God gives three answers to the question, “What shall I tell them your name is?”  In verse 14 God says, “I AM WHO I AM.”  A few words later in 14 God says, “I AM has sent me to you.”  Finally, in verse 15 God says, “Yahweh … has sent me to you … this is my name for ever.”

Two things lead me to believe that this passage gives us an understanding of the  name Yahweh.  First, the name Yahweh and the name I AM are built out of the same Hebrew word hayah. The other is that Yahweh seems to be used here interchangeably with I AM. "I AM has sent me to you." “Yahweh … has sent me to you"  I think it would be safe to say that God’s purpose in this meeting with Moses is to reveal, as he never had before (check out Exodus 6:2), the meaning of his personal name Yahweh.

Over the next several days I prayerfully hope to behold the glory of the LORD, the glory of the great I AM, the glory of Yahweh as we gaze upon HIS magnificent name as HE has revealed it to us in HIS precious Word.  My prayer is that as we gaze upon HIS matchless name and as the Holy Spirit unfolds HIS name to our understanding our eyes will be opened to HIS goodness, grace, mercy, power, authority, presence...our eyes will be opened to Yahweh, our eyes will be opened to JESUS!

John 8:58  Jesus said to them, “I assure you: Before Abraham was, I am.” 

Ps 27:13-14 I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living! 14  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!

love HIM, trust HIM,

m