Jehovah

Jehovah

Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Amorite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the Jebusite, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, hath met with us: and now let us go, we pray thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to Jehovah our God. (Ex. 3.13-18)

God and Jehovah

Let us note that the names of God in the Bible are never used casually. Each time a certain name is employed, it has its special meaning. So are the names of the Lord Jesus in the New Testament; for example, none of the names such as Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, the Lord Jesus Christ, and so forth can be changed within the context in which it appears. If we were to change Jesus Christ to Christ Jesus, we might commit a doctrinal error. And such is the nature of the revealed names of God that besides that of "God" itself He employs the name of "Jehovah" to express His relationship with the children of Israel. What is the distinction between God and Jehovah? By looking at the way in which God uses His name to reveal His own self, we may come to an understanding of these names.

From Genesis to the third chapter of Exodus, God employs various names by which to disclose himself. He uses at least three different names. In Genesis 1, we have the name "God." In Genesis 2, we have the name "Jehovah God." Why in the first instance is God used and in the latter instance Jehovah God is used? Is it not strange that God had not explained to anyone the meaning of this name? Abraham knew it because God had told him that His name was Jehovah, but Abraham did not know what it meant. Not until the time of Exodus 3.14,15 does God explain the meaning of "Jehovah" to men.

Why is it that Genesis 1 only uses God, and not Jehovah God? According to the original, the word "God"—"Elohim" in the Hebrew—means primarily "the Strong One." This name of God is employed in respect of the creation, for it speaks of God’s relationship to creation. Jehovah, on the other hand, is God’s name in relation to man. So that in Genesis 2 God’s relationship to man is spoken of, and hence immediately 1 is creation (for man is not created until the sixth day); therefore the name "God" is used. Genesis 2, however, centers on man, and hence the name "Jehovah God" appears. Each time the term Jehovah God is used, it shows God’s relationship with man. But each time the term God appears, it is to express His power as well as His relationship towards creation. Let us look at a few passages to show this distinction.

"They that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him: and Jehovah shut him in" (Gen. 7.16). Do you notice the distinction here? All that went into the ark went in male and female according to what God had commanded, but it was Jehovah who shut Noah into the ark. Can these names be reversed? No. He who commands is God, for command is related to the power of Deity. Therefore the word "God" is used. But now man came into the ark, and so the record tells us that it was "Jehovah" who shut him inside because the act of being shut in is expressive of the care of Deity.

"This day will Jehovah deliver thee into my hand; and I will smite thee, and take thy head from off thee; and I will give the dead bodies of the host of the Philistines this day unto the birds of the heavens, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel" (1 Sam. 17.46). It says here that "Jehovah" will deliver the enemy into my hand that all the earth may know that there is a "God" in Israel. It does not say God will deliver an enemy into my hand that all the earth may know "Jehovah." Why? Because Jehovah is related to me. He looks after me and delivers the enemy into my hand. But with respect to all the earth—that is to say, to all the peoples outside the commonwealth of Israel—God does not reveal himself to them as Jehovah, but only as God. "Jehovah" is associated with those who are near to Him, whereas "God" is connected with the rest of the people in causing them to know His power.

"It came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they turned about to fight against him: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and Jehovah helped him; and God moved them to depart from him" (2 Chron. 18.31). He who helped Jehoshaphat was Jehovah, but He who moved his enemies to depart the scene was God. "Jehovah" helped Jehoshaphat because the latter was close to God, but in relation to the enemies the name of "God" was used since they had no communication with the Creator.

"God" is the common name of Deity, whereas "Jehovah" is His intimate name. The term God speaks of Deity’s power, while the term Jehovah speaks of Deity’s love. The word God points to His creation, but the word Jehovah points to His nearness. In Genesis 1 the name Jehovah is not used because this passage relates the story of creation. Though it also mentions man, it nevertheless pertains primarily to God’s creative power. In Genesis 2, though, it is recorded how God and man have intimate relationship; therefore, the name Jehovah God is employed. Why were not simply Jehovah and Jehovah God used instead? Let me say that this proves that the Jehovah in chapter 2 is the same One as the God mentioned in chapter 1. For Jehovah God is not only powerful but also approachable. In spite of the fact that the name Jehovah is employed thereafter, it is still not explained until the time of Exodus 3.14.

"I am Jehovah"

"God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations" (Ex. 3.14,15). Moses had asked God: "Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?" And God had answered with this: "I AM THAT I AM [that is to say, Jehovah] . . . hath sent me unto you"! The primary meaning of the name Jehovah is "the self-existent One"—"He that is who He is, therefore the eternal I AM."

"I AM"—"I AM THAT I AM!" Oh! Do we realize the preciousness of that name? Do we truly know that "God is?" What He utters is great, what He leaves unuttered is equally great. When He speaks fully it is wonderful; when He speaks partially it is also wonderful. When He declares plainly it is marvelous, but when He discloses hesitantly it is just as marvelous. Here He does not fully reveal what He is; He merely says "I AM . . ." Hence the meaning is not complete. The "I AM" sent me. This is the revelation of God which Moses received that day.

If God were to add "power" onto the name " I AM," then His revealed name could not bespeak "love." If He were to add "love" onto "I AM," then His name could also not bespeak of himself as "power" or "wisdom" or "righteousness" or "sanctification" or "redemption" or "comfort" or "fortress" or "high tower" or "refuge" or whatever. And so He simply said to Moses, "I AM . . ." without it stating what He is. God thus leaves this to the believers to add to it (and let me say that this is not mere letter, this is spiritual reality). We may fill in what God left unsaid according to faith. If we have faith as well as need, we may complete the "sentence-name" of "I AM" with whatever our need is, and we shall be supplied by God. If, for example, we are in need of comfort, then God can be to us as our comfort. If we are in need of refuge, He by faith can become our refuge. If in need of a high tower, then by faith He is our high tower. If in need of victory, He is our victory. If we are in need of holiness, then He can be our holiness. If we need light, then by faith He is to us our light. And if we need the bread of life, He is that to us too. Whatever be the need, we may fill that in by adding that to His name. We have no doubt that we may fill in whatever we need. It is not unlike a checkbook with an authorized signature already signed on every check and given to us. We may fill in whatever amount we need, whether it is a thousand or ten thousands of dollars. We simply fill in the amount of our need, because the signature is already there. How unfortunate that there are so many who do not really know who God is—so many who do not realize what Jehovah can be to them! Yet I see the breadth and length and height and depth of that name Jehovah! It truly includes everything.

No wonder those who know God take His name as a strong tower into which the righteous can run and are safe. Once we too have recognized this name, will we not also say with David, "They that know thy name will put their trust in thee" (Ps. 9.10)? The Old Testament saints knew God as Jehovah, and therefore they prayed: "For thy name’s sake, O Jehovah, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great" (Ps. 25.11); "Save me, O God, by thy name" (Ps. 54.1); and, "Deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name’s sake" (Ps. 109.21). Therefore they could declare: "Through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us" (Ps. 44.5); "He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake" (Ps. 23.3); and, "I will lift up my hands in thy name" (Ps. 63.4). Therefore they could praise: "As is thy name, O God, so is thy praise unto the ends of the earth" (Ps. 48.10); and, "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name . . . his name is Jehovah" (Ps. 68.4). God himself has declared: "I will set him on high, because he hath known my name" (Ps. 91.14).

God’s name reveals himself. His very name is the foundation of our faith. We will be able to do valiantly in God’s name if we can enter into the reality of His name in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord Jesus Is Jehovah

Some may consider Jehovah to be God’s revelation in the Old Testament and therefore wonder if the New Testament people can enjoy the same benefits of that name. We thank and praise God because the Old Testament Jehovah is also the New Testament Jesus. The meaning of Jesus, in fact, is "Jehovah the Savior."

While on earth the Lord Jesus acknowledged himself to be the Jehovah of the Old Testament: "Except ye believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins" (John 8.24). He told us here that He is the "I AM." Further on He also said this: "When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I AM" (v.28); and again: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was born, I AM" (v.58). He clearly declared that He is Jehovah, and the Jews themselves understood it, for it was because of this statement that "they took up stones . . . to cast at him" (v.59). Let us rejoice, for our Lord Jesus is the great I AM. HE IS! For our sakes, He is! He himself announces: I am the life, I am the resurrection, I am the light of the world, I am the bread of life, I am the good shepherd. We may receive all our supplies in the name of our Lord Jesus—Jehovah the Savior! When we have His name, we have everything. How we thank Him for giving His name to us.

Jehovah

"Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, hath appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanite, . . . unto a land flowing with milk and honey" (Ex. 3.16,17). This name Jehovah was used especially during the period from the Exodus to the entering in of Canaan. Throughout this time, this name was frequently employed. Hence, from the day in which we are saved to the time in which we inherit the kingdom—and however difficult our paths may be—Jehovah is our great I AM. His name shall lead us to the end. The name Jehovah is not God’s name relative to creation, but is His intimate name for the believers in the wilderness. It enables us to pass through the wilderness and enter the Promised Land.

Believers’ Responsibility

What is the effect of this name of Jehovah in relation to the children of Israel? That they might take up their responsibility before God.

God will not argue, for if He does, who can answer Him? His reason is often beyond our understanding, since He himself is the reason. Let us illustrate from Scripture this that we have just said (all from Leviticus, except where noted):

Mine ordinances shall ye do, and my statutes shall ye keep, to walk therein: I am Jehovah your God. (18.4)
Ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them: I am Jehovah. (18.5)
I am Jehovah. (18.6b)
I am Jehovah. (18.30b)
Speak unto all the congregation of the children of Israel, and say unto them, Ye shall be holy; for I Jehovah your God am holy. (19.2)
Turn ye not unto idols, nor make to yourselves molten gods: I am Jehovah your God. (19.4)
Thou shalt not glean thy vineyard, neither shalt thou gather the fallen fruit of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am Jehovah your God. (19.10)
Ye shall not swear by my name falsely, and profane the name of thy God: I am Jehovah. (19.12)
Thou shalt not curse the deaf, nor put a stumbling block before the blind; but thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah. (19.14)
Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people: neither shalt thou stand against the blood of thy neighbor: I am Jehovah. (19.16)
Thou shalt not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people; but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. I am Jehovah. (19.18)
I am Jehovah thy God. (19.25b)
Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am Jehovah. (19.28)
Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am Jehovah. (19.30)
Turn ye not unto them that have familiar spirits, nor unto the wizards; seek them not out, to be defiled by them: I am Jehovah your God. (19.31)
Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head, and honor the face of the old man, and thou shalt fear thy God: I am Jehovah. (19.32) The stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself, for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt: I am Jehovah your God. (19.34)
Ye shall observe all my statutes, and all mine ordinances, and do them: I am Jehovah. (19.37)
Thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am Jehovah) instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. (Num. 3.41)
Take the Levites instead of all the first-born among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am Jehovah. (Num. 3.45)

Do God’s commands have a reason behind them? Only that it is because "I am Jehovah." No other reason than this is given to explain God’s various commands here. I will chastise you because I am Jehovah. I will take the Levites for myself. Is this because the children of Israel defraud Me? No, but because I am Jehovah. You must not curse the deaf, because I am Jehovah. You cannot do this or that, because I am Jehovah. Continually, there is no other reason put forward. How blessed a person is if he will obey simply because God says "I am Jehovah." There are plenty of reasons in the world to induce a person to sin, but blessed is he who will not sin simply because God is the I AM.

To put it more clearly, however, the name of God as the "I AM THAT I AM" shows us at least two reasons for His commands: (1) "I AM"—that is to say, I am powerful, therefore you should not do anything. I am your power, protection, holiness, righteousness and supply. Hence you have no need to sin. You say you have passions and lusts in you, but Jehovah declares: "I am righteousness and holiness." So why must you sin? You say you have no money, so you ask for a loan; but Jehovah says to you: "I am your supply. Hence why should you borrow? Therefore, if you sin, it is not because I cannot help you or keep you from sinning. I am indeed able to keep you. But you sin because you want to sin."

(2) "I AM"—that is to say, I am not only your power and wisdom who loves you dearly and has chosen you, I am also Jehovah your God who will chasten you if you do evilly. So that, yes, the I AM is first of all powerful; but second of all, He will judge. First, He is most powerful in being our righteousness and holiness; but next, He will judge us according to His righteousness and holiness. When He uses this name of Jehovah the—I AM THAT I AM—He does not bother to explain the reason for His commandments. He simply tells His people, "I am Jehovah." I am Jehovah who brought you into Canaan. I am Jehovah, therefore you must do or not do these various things.

"I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"

"God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, Jehovah, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations" (Ex. 3.15).

Here an additional explanation is being given. Who is this Jehovah your God? He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. So far as God himself is concerned, He is Jehovah, the I AM. So far as men are concerned, though, Jehovah is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. On Deity’s side, He is God, He is Jehovah; this is what He has revealed to men. On men’s side, God has revealed himself to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and this is to cause us to see what power He will manifest in our lives just as He has manifested His power in those men.

Why does God not declare himself as the God of Adam? For we know that Abraham sinned even as Adam did. Why then did He not call himself the God of Adam? Why did He not say the God of Abel, the seed of Adam? Why instead did He call himself the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob? Why according to the flesh was our Lord Jesus presented in the New Testament as having been born of the seed of Abraham? Why from among all men should God have called himself the God of these three particular persons? Wherein lies the difference between these three and other people? Well, apart from the fact that God had covenanted with these three men, He takes them up as representative personages. He chooses them to represent three types of men in the world.

What type of man is Abraham? He is a giant of faith. He is rather uncommon; in fact, he is quite special. As the God of Abraham, God declares himself to be the God of excellent people. Yet, thanks be to God, He is not only the God of the excellent. Were He merely this kind of God, we would sink into despair because we are not persons of excellence. But God is also the God of Isaac. What type of person is Isaac? He is very ordinary. He eats whenever he can, and sleeps as he has opportunity. He is neither a wonder man nor a wicked person. How this fact has comforted many of us! Yet God is not only the God of the ordinary men, He is also the God of the bad men: He is the God of Jacob too, for in the Scriptures Jacob is pictured as one of the worst persons to be found in the Old Testament.

Hence through these three persons, God is telling us that He is the God of Abraham the best, the God of Isaac the ordinary, and the God of Jacob the worst. He is the God of those with great faith, He is the God of the common people, and He is also the God of the lowest of men such as thieves and prostitutes. Suppose I am special like Abraham; then He is my God. Suppose I am ordinary like Isaac, then He is also my God. And suppose from my mother’s womb I have been bad like Jacob was in that I have striven with my brother; then He is still my God. He has a way with the excellent, with the common, and with the worst of humanity.

From that day in Exodus onward, God has always called himself by this wonderful name without any change. Even when the Lord Jesus was about to face death, He said this: "As touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living" (Matt. 22.31,32). Here our Lord adds one more meaning to that name. When God calls himself by such a name, it reveals the fact that He is also the God of resurrection. However excellent Abraham may be, he is subject to death and decay; but God will cause him to be raised again from among the dead. As common as Isaac is, he too will die and decay; yet God will also raise him. And as bad as Jacob is, he also will die and decay; nonetheless, God will raise him up too. In the realm of resurrection, all which belongs to the natural will pass away. God is the God of the living, not of the dead. So that in the resurrection realm, God is to be the God of these three men. This indicates to us Christians—and whether we are naturally talented, ordinary, or bad—that we will all decay; nevertheless, our God will re-create us and make us new in Him. Though we are so different in the natural, God will eliminate all the differences and be our God all the same. For what He looks at is not our natural endowment but the life He has given us. According to the natural, there exist vast differences among Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; but in resurrection they all receive the same life. God overlooks the natural and looks only at His work of grace. He is able to dispense grace to totally different people and make them almost the same.

What is meant by resurrection? It means the natural has passed away and the supernatural has come. Regardless the fact that some people are highly talented, that some are rather ordinary, and that some are tricky and bad, God in His Son can make all new. How useless is the natural, only the supernatural is profitable. For the eyes of God are focused on resurrection. And hence He can be the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob.

Memorial Forever

"This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations" (Ex. 3.15). This means "I eternally AM," that "in Me is the yea." Here the name Jehovah bespeaks two things of note: (1) I am forever Jehovah. As My name is, so shall I be for eternity. And (2) My memorial. Let Me be remembered as Jehovah to all generations. And I too will always remember I am Jehovah. Unless God forgets He is Jehovah and we forget He is Jehovah, God stands forever as is to us, and He will forever supply all our needs. Hallelujah!