The Compound Names Of Jehovah    As I endeavor to know God more intimately, I find that God wants to be known. God revealed Himself several times in different ways throughout the Old Testament. Then in the New Testament through Jesus God reveals Himself continually. The Old Testament names of God reveal His character attributes in three ways. One was He revealed Himself through actions which caused men to express God’s nature through the name, two was through prophetic revelation, and third was through speaking. To say this differently, His names were revealed either by Him saying I am the LORD who…, or by intervening in a life somehow and a man said He is the LORD who…or one of the prophets proclaims that something will transpire and you will see that He is the LORD who…!

          The primary focus of this article will be those names from the Old Testament which were directly spoken from God as Him saying I am the LORD who __. For example I am who I am, I am the LORD who heals you, I am the LORD who makes all things and I am the LORD who sanctifies you. These names in particular seem most powerful to me because they are spoken directly from the mouth of Jehovah God Himself! When I read these names from the Bible it feels to me as if the Almighty creator is reaching forth His hand and saying “Please allow me to introduce Myself. I am Jehovah – Rophi and today I have come to heal you!”  “Yes, I know that I have an entire universe to run but today I am here to touch you personally.” Before I get into discussing some of the “I am” names, I feel that the other two categories are more than worthy of some attention.

          Notice in the following list that the compound name for God was directed from man God-ward. This does not in any way negate or diminish the value of the name:

      Genesis 22:14 – And Abraham called the name of the place, The-LORD-Will-Provide; (Jehovah – Jireh) as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.”

        Exodus 17:15 - And Moses built an altar and called its name, The-LORD-Is-My-Banner. (Jehovah – Nissi)

       Judges 6:24 - So Gideon built an altar there to  the LORD, and called it The-LORD-Is-Peace.(Jehovah – Shalom)

          While the above names are actually altars named with a Godly attribute they still are names of God as He revealed Himself to men through an action. The following are names given by men to God that were received through prophecy:

       Psalms 23: 1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Jehovah – Rohi)

       Jeremiah 23:6 In His days Judah will be saved,
      And Israel will dwell safely;
      Now this is His name by which He will be called:
THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jehovah – Tsidkenu)

      Ezekiel 48:35 All the way around shall be eighteen thousand cubits; and the name of the city from that day shall be: THE LORD IS THERE.(Jehovah – Shammah)

          There is still some distinction between the above listed names for God and the Names by which God said I am the LORD who. The above names are revelatory in the sense that they are outward leadings or dealings. The following names I will not only list but describe in more detail. For the LORD Himself said “I Am” these names. This implies to me that these names are much more than what He does but they describe who He is. These following names are dearest to me because they show me God’s desire to work in the deepest parts of me. They show that God has a plan for each individual and that He intends to always be bringing closer to the perfected creation for which God Himself made you and I.

          When Moses was speaking with God through the burning bush experience in Gen. 3:14 the NKJV reads; And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

          “I AM WHO I AM” This is, at least to me, the most powerful yet most humble of introductions God could have given. Powerful in the context that God does not need to be puffed up. He is the creator of all things and no title could adequately describe Him. In light of Psalm 90:2 "Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever You had formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God" we see the power of this name in God’s eternal sense. I AM from as far in past eternal to future eternity “I AM GOD!” Yet the name is humble as well. Humble in its simplicity! How many words could God have given for His name that could attempt to describe His splendor, magnificence and glory? Yet, God is saying “I don’t need any fancy titles for you to know that “IAM WHO I AM” so go tell Pharaoh that I AM has sent you.

          In Exodus 15: 26 we see God introducing Himself to Moses and the nation of Israel by saying “I am the LORD who heals you.” (Jehovah – Rophi) This reference has been paramount to experiencing healings in the ministries of which I have participated. While the significance of the eternal I AM could be questioned due to the use of lower case letters in the word ‘am’, I believe the eternal connotation is still there due to the focus on the word ‘LORD’ in the same phrase. The power of this verse is found when Jehovah – Rophi is connected to the covenant God makes prior to His introduction.

          “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 LORD who heals you.” Ex. 15:26

          Some contend that the Old Testament does not apply to the New. I however, believe that the scripture is showing us principal that does not go away. Disobedience and failure to honor God remove us from God’s covering and protection from assaults on our physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. Confession and repentance can and have in many cases, brought people into direct access of Jehovah – Rophi’s power to heal! Sickness is a result of sin. Prior to the fall of man in the garden there was no sickness. We can get sick without sinning because the viral nature of sickness and the multiplication of generational curses that have become untraceable.

          I do not want to write a book on the topic of sin and healing. So, for now, remember that the curse of sin is broken at the cross where Jesus redeemed us from, and made provision for our sins. This thought brings us to another place in scripture where God reveals His character through an introduction. Lets read Isaiah 44:24 and allow God’s word to speak to our hearts:

          Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and He who formed you from the womb:

“I am the LORD, who makes all things, who stretches out the heavens all alone, who spreads abroad the earth by Myself…” Isa. 44:24

          In this verse we actually find two compound names of Jehovah. First, we find Jehovah – Goaleka or Gawal, the LORD your redeemer. Second, we see the Lord our redeemer announce Himself saying; “I am the LORD who makes all things” (Jehovah – Oseh) (pronounced; aw-saw). Most people know the word redeem means to buy back, or to pay off the debt that held someone or something bound to another. For example, one can redeem an item from a pawn shop, or a slave from servitude. Yet, the word from Hebrew for maker is ‘oseh’ and it means accomplish.

          Think with me to the times when Jesus called certain of His disciples. He said; “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” How wonderful our salvation is, to think that God Himself has redeemed us from the depths of sin and has a plan to accomplish for each and every individual person! Consider the following scriptures:

             Philippians 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

          Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

          The scripture in Isaiah tells us that we have been redeemed by God who accomplishes what He sets out to do. He has a divine purpose for you and I and He says to us that we have the highest purpose, calling and privilege there could possibly be. It is the gifting and the power to accomplish His will.

           

          

          

         

John the Baptist The Forerunner for Christ
            Multitudes came from Jerusalem, Judea and all the region around Jordan went out to him to hear him preach and be baptized. Who was this man John, whose surname we only know as, “The Baptist”? What was so special about his life that Jesus proclaimed him to be the greatest man born of a woman? Some confused him for being the Messiah some confused the Messiah for being John. Yet many others could not discern one from the other despite the claims they made and extraordinary lives they each lived.

            Dressed in camel’s hair and leather and eating a diet of wild honey and locusts, could John really have been the returning Elijah foretold by the prophets Malachi and Isaiah? What was he sent for? What was John’s message? How did John go about fulfilling his destiny? What can we learn from John’s life that will help us follow the Lord more successfully?  How did John die? Did he leave any followers and if so what does that signify? Read on as we endeavor to answer these questions about the life of John the Baptist.

             The circumstances surrounding John’s birth marked his entrance into this world as divinely irregular to say the least. For example, the angel Gabriel appears to Zacharias, John’s father to be, and declares that he will have a son and to name him John (Luke 1). This occurrence bears many likenesses to the man from God appearing to Abraham and announcing that he and Sarah would bear Isaac. I can briefly mention the facts that Elizabeth, John’s mother, was barren and that both parents were well-aged. The angel told Zacharias what to name the child. When Zacharias argued why logically this cannot happen, Gabriel sealed his voice from being able to speak until he was asked to name his son. When he wrote “His name is John” on the tablet, his mouth was opened, his tongue loosed and he prophesied as to what kind of child this would be.

            Gabriel told Zacharias that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit from his mother’s womb. This was evidenced when John leaped in the womb when Mary came to visit Elizabeth while pregnant with Jesus. It was for the very purpose of announcing the Messiah, that John was created he was the forerunner. Luke 1:76 as part of Zacharias’ prophesy; “You child… …will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways” This is noteworthy that John was chosen, created, ordained and empowered for his ministry while still in mom’s womb. There was no way he could have earned by “works” the powerful ministry which he held!

            John did, however, separate himself for the destiny which God had chosen for him. Scripture says that John did not drink wine or strong drink; he was raised in the wilderness where he grew in spiritual strength. Couple these aspects of his life with the strange clothing of camel’s hair and leather, and his weird diet of wild honey and locusts, and one could assume that he was keeping some kind of vow similar to the Nazarite vow of Samson.  

            John’s message was quite straightforward. “Repent and prepare your hearts for the coming Messiah.” John also confirmed when Jesus showed up, that this is Him. This man is the Messiah, Christ has come, follow him. Today, I would guess, that most of the “Christian” sect, at least in western society, would call him crazy and never listen to him again. But, there is a part of me that wonders what impact could have been made by the church over the years, if we all strived to walk the same walk of holiness and power that John did? Multitudes followed John! They came out from the cities and listened to him then obeyed by repenting and being baptized. Yes, some despised him for his message and possibly his delivery. This resulted in the spiritual warfare that eventually led to his death.

            If you tell the king, like John did, to repent and turn from your immorality and adultery, you may expect to be imprisoned as John was. John knew who it was that he served. He knew he served the King who sits on the throne of all creation. Yet something happened while John was in prison. His humanity began to surface as he faced the kind of mental doubts that one might experience when going through such an ordeal as imprisonment and the possibility of death. So we read in Mt. 11, that John sent his disciples to see if Jesus really is the Messiah to come.

            Jesus describes his own ministry to John’s disciples and sends them back to tell John that the blind see, lame walk, the deaf hear and the poor have the gospel preached to them. Then Jesus himself confronts the crowd and defends the validity of John’s ministry! What a powerful endorsement of John made by the Lord in Mt.11:7-15, “John is more than a prophet… of those born of woman there has not risen one greater than John…if you are willing he is Elijah who is to come!” In vs.12 he refers to John to teach us all something about the nature of our calling and the warfare that comes with it. “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force!”

            John was executed soon after Jesus made these powerful statements concerning him. John’s head was served to Herod’s wife on a platter. But he was not soon forgotten. His disciples were found several years later at Ephesus by Paul and converted to Christ. John’s life was one of confrontation as he paved the way for our savior. John’s was a life we can use as an example of spiritual warfare as we remember the words of Jesus himself “The kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent take it by force.” We can learn that confrontational Christianity is not only allowed by our Lord it at times is required and applauded by Him. However, John also submitted to law and authority when it was required of him. The important thing about him is that he was Spirit led to do what God called him to do, and he did it regardless of the cost to his image or his life.