1. Elohim: My God, My Creator - Genesis 1:1

Elohim means “God” – This name refers to God’s incredible power and might. He is the One and only God. He is Supreme, the true God in a world that promotes many false gods and religions. He is the one on whom we can fully rely, He is Sovereign, He is the one we can completely trust. He is the Mighty One over all of nature, this world, and the heavens above, our creative God who has worked wonders by His hands. God reminds that He is Elohim every single day. His amazing power is at work in every sunrise, every sunset, in the way He holds the stars in the sky, and carries His people through difficult times. You can be assured, you are held by an Almighty God, you never have to fear, God’s hands are strong and secure.“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” (Genesis 1:1)

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2. Jehovah: My Father, Abba - Genesis 2:7

Abba means “Daddy, Father” – Abba is the most intimate form of God’s name, showing us His character as our loving Daddy. He is the One who can be fully trusted, the One we can lean on, the One who cares about all that concerns us. Just as a godly father’s presence in our daily lives is one of protection, security, and unconditional love, the constant presence of our heavenly Father is what gives us the strength and covering we need for this life’s journey. He conveys His heart for each of us, as His children. He gives us the privilege of being called his own sons and daughters. He provides the way for us to call out to Him and the assurance, beyond a doubt, that He hears and will answer. In our most difficult to painful times in life, we can crawl up into the lap of our heavenly Father, and know that He is for us, and His arms will hold us secure.

 

3. Jehovah El-Shaddai: The God Who Is More Than Enough - Genesis 17:1

When the Lord God appeared to Abram, what He actually said in Hebrew was, "I am El Shaddai....."El Shaddai means "The All'Sufficient One," or "The God Who Is More Than Enough." All through the Old Testament, Almighty God revealed Himself as the God who is more than enough.“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will [a]set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With [b]long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16 NKJV)

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When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’ Serve me faithfully and live a blameless life. (Genesis 17:1 NLT)

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4. Adonai: My Lord, My Master - Genesis 18:3

In Genesis 18. As Abraham was sitting in the doorway of his tent in the heat of the day, he looked up and saw three men standing near him. Bowing himself to the ground, Abraham, we are told in Genesis 18:3, calls out, “My Lord,” which in Hebrew translates as Adonai, or “Master.”  Being addressed as Master implies that He is in complete ownership and control.

 

God reveals His will to those who know Him as Adonai. Up to this time, Abraham did not have a full understanding of God’s will. That’s why he tried to help God accomplish the promise to make him the father of many nations when he took Hagar as a wife. But when Abraham begins to call God Adonai, the Lord begins to confide in him about His plans.

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We are told in Genesis 18:17, “the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do?” referring to His plans of destruction for Sodom and Gomorrah. When Abraham addressed God as Adonai, he was actually saying, “You’re my Lord,” and God rewarded Him with a deeper and more intimate relationship. As God’s servant and partner, “Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?” (Genesis 18:23).

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From this point, Abraham began to intercede for Sodom and Gomorrah. Great intercessors are born in intimate fellowship with God. As Abraham “drew near,” he experienced intimacy with God Almighty and became an intercessor.

 

 

5. Jehovah-Jireh: My Provider - Genesis 22:8

God’s promise to Abraham is fulfilled with the birth of Isaac. Imagine the joy Abraham experienced as he watched his son grow. Imagine, too, how you might have reacted in Abraham’s place when God instructed him, “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2). 

 

Good servant that he was, Abraham did not hesitate to obey God’s command:

 

And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. (Genesis 22:3)

After traveling for three days, they finally saw the land of Moriah (meaning mountains of provision) in the distance. Abraham told the two young men, “Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you” (Genesis 22:5). Then Abraham and Isaac set off together, Isaac carrying the wood for the burnt offering, and Abraham carrying the fire in one hand and a knife in the other.

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As they walked along, Isaac inquired, “My father … Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” (Genesis 22:7). Because Abraham knew God intimately, he responded with a glorious revelation: “My son, God (Jehovah Jireh, Yahweh) will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering” (22:8).

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Provision is impossible without possession. What God has provided by Grace, we must possess by faith.

 

6. Jehovah-Rophe: My Healer - Exodus 15:26

"I am the LORD that heals you." This name is given to reveal to us our redemptive privilege of being healed. This privilege is purchased by the Atonement. The redemptive chapter of Isaiah declares, "Surely he hath borne our sicknesses and carried our pains." The very first covenant God gave after the passage of the Red Sea, which was so distinctively typical of our redemption, was the covenant of healing. It was at this time that God revealed Himself as our Physician, by the first redemptive and covenant name, Jehovah-Rapha, "I am the LORD that healeth thee." This is not only a promise, it is "a statute and an ordinance." Jehovah-Rapha is one of His redemptive names, sealing the covenant of healing. Christ, during His exaltation, privilege of saying, "thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."

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7. Jehovah-Nissi: My Victory - Exodus 17:15

The revelation of God’s name as Jehovah Nissi is found in Exodus 17 following Israel’s conflict with the Amalekites. Amalek, a descendant of Esau, was preparing to attack the Israelites at Rephidim. So Moses told Joshua to organize the Israelites for battle.

The following day, Joshua did as Moses commanded, leading Israel into battle while Moses stood atop the mountain praying to God for victory and extending the rod of God outward from his arms. The Bible tells us that as long as Moses lifted up his hands in prayer, Israel prevailed in the battle, but that when he grew tired and let down his hands, the battle would swing in Amalek’s favor.

 

After several hours, Moses was exhausted. Unable to hold his hands up any longer, he sat down on a rock. Aaron and Hur, who had climbed the mountain with him, came to his aid and, standing on either side of Moses, held up and steadied his hands until the sun went down. Joshua and his warriors thus were able to defeat the Amalekites. To commemorate the victory, Moses built an altar.  

And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi. (Exoddus 17:14-15)

In this revelation of God’s name as Jehovah Nissi (My Victory), we see God’s power displayed. He brings victory in defense of His people.  

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8. Jehovah M'kaddesh: My Sanctifier - Leviticus 20:7-8

God is revealed as Jehovah M’kaddesh, My Sanctifier, the One who takes me out of sin into holiness, out of bondage into liberty, out of filth into righteousness.

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Sanctify yourselves therefore, and be ye holy: for I am the Lord your God.  And ye shall keep my statutes, and do them: I am the Lord which sanctify you. (Leviticus 20:7-8)

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In Genesis God reveals sin, in Exodus He reveals redemption, and in Leviticus He reveals sanctification!

As you and I choose to follow God’s example of holiness, we become more like Him.

 

Sanctification sets us apart for service, bringing us into a new dimension of ministry in our lives. Jesus was made unto us Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption.

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9. Jehovah-Shalom: My Peace - Judges 6:24

"The LORD our Peace" reveals to us the redemptive privilege of having His peace. Accordingly Jesus says, "My peace I give unto you." This blessing is in the Atonement because "the chastisement of our peace was upon him" when He "made peace through the blood of His cross."

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The revelation of God’s name as Jehovah Shalom is demonstrated through the life of Gideon, who is commanded to lead the Israelites into battle against the Midianites.

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In commanding Gideon to lead the Israelites into battle against the Midianites, God assures him that “Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16).

Gideon, though, is unaware of who he is in God and discloses the unbelief in his heart, saying, “If now I have found grace in thy sight, then shew me a sign” (Judges 6:17).

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God then reveals Himself to Gideon. Gideon’s fear and unbelief vanish, and his life is filled with peace through obedience to God. In acknowledgement, “Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom” (Judges 6:24).

Following God’s revelation of himself to Gideon as Jehovah Shalom, My Peace, Gideon led 300 men to a supernatural victory over the Midianites. This is a victory long remembered in Hebrew history.

 

The peace that stilled Gideon’s troubled heart was supernaturally given by God: “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts” (Colossians 3:15).

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It was, as Philippians 4:7 declares, a peace beyond human understanding: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” a peace, moreover, that “shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

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10. Jehovah-Tsidkenu: My Righteousness - Jeremiah 23:5-6

He becomes our righteousness by bearing our sins on the Cross. Therefore, our redemptive privilege of receiving "the gift of righteousness" is an atonement blessing.

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Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

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In this revelation, we recognize that righteousness is impossible without God. The Lord is our righteousness: For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

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​11. Jehovah-Rohi: My Shepherd - Psalm 23

Psalm 23 is perhaps one of the most familiar of all the psalms. It begins with this often-quoted verse: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

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No other revelation of God’s name conveys such tender intimacy and fellowship as Jehovah Rohi, meaning “my Shepherd.” The word “rohi” means to feed and to lead, aptly describing a shepherd’s duties and responsibilities.

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Some interesting facts about sheep that apply to the natural and the spiritual realms include the following:

Sheep respond to their shepherd’s voice. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27).

 

Sheep get lost easily. Yet, when even one sheep goes astray, the shepherd goes after it and restores it to the flock. As Isaiah 53:6 indicates, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way.

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Sheep become restless for three reasons:

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1. Hunger: They can graze peacefully for hours, but sheep become restless when food is scarce. Spiritual hunger occurs when the Word of God is lacking. But the Good Shepherd “makes me to lie down in green pastures: he leads me beside the still waters” (Psalm 23:2).

2. Bugs: There is a bug in the Middle East that torments sheep by landing and nesting on their heads. If the shepherd does not routinely rub olive oil—a symbol of the anointing of the Holy Spirit—on the sheep’s heads to keep the bug from landing on them, the bug will multiply and eventually blind the sheep. In the Spirit realm, bugs are symbolic of demons, but the anointing of the Holy Spirit protects us from being harassed by demons.

3. Goats: Allowed to infiltrate a flock of sheep, goats steal the flock’s food, which, in turn, causes anxiety among the sheep. Spiritually, the goats represent carnal Christians in the Church who have no commitment to that body of believers. They simply come to steal the spiritual food and, in so doing, cause strife before moving on to other pastures.

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12. Jehovah-Shamma: The Lord Is There - Ezekiel 48:35

 

The prophet Ezekiel gives us the 12th and final revelation of God’s name, Jehovah Shammah, which means, The Lord Is There. This glorious revelation deals with the abiding presence of God.

 

As a 25-year-old exile in Babylon, Ezekiel prophesied the destruction of Jerusalem 11 years before judgment fell on that city. Years later, and still residing among the Babylonians, Ezekiel began to prophesy the restoration of God’s glory. He describes a temple and a city of the future in which the glory of God shall abide forever, declaring, “and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35).

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When God is our shepherd, He leads us into the grandeur and the glory of His abiding presence, to dwell with Him forever as Jehovah Shammah: The Lord Is There.

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In grasping a deeper dimension of who God is through each revelation of His name, deep calls unto deep. And we begin to discover the ultimate purpose for which we exist:

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​​to know our magnificent, unfathomable, mighty God in all His power and glory forever and ever!

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