And 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, The Lord 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 (Exodus 3:13-15).
One of the important names for God is Yahweh or Jehovah. This simply means “I am who I am”, and “I will be who I will be.” God gave himself a name. Yahweh comes from the Hebrew word YHWH. This was the name God gave to Moses when He revealed Himself to Moses in the burning bush. Yahweh defines God as the all-powerful and sovereign God who establishes truth for all His creatures and works for our salvation. The name that God gave to Moses is to be forever.
God is not going to change His name. It stands for love, and His care for us which will redeem us, and His desire to fellowship with us. When Jesus was born, He was called Immanuel, meaning “God with us.”
Other names that honor God are:
- Jehovah-jireh: “The LORD-Will-Provide.” “And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen” (Genesis 22:14). Abraham was going to sacrifice his son Isaac. Just before he was to do it, God told him to stop. God then provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice.
- Jehovah-nissi: “The LORD-Is-My-Banner.” This name was used in honor of God when He defeated the Amalekites. “And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword. 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”? (Exodus 17:13-15). How many banners have you built to God when He defeated your enemies?
- Jehovah-shalom: “The-LORD-Is-Peace.” “And when Gideon perceived that he was an angel of the Lord, Gideon said, Alas, O Lord God! for because I have seen an angel of the Lord face to face. And the Lord said unto him, Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah-shalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites” (Judges 6:22-24). When we need peace in our lives, we can call upon Jehovah-shalom to come to us and give us the peace that we need. God’s peace cannot be equaled. Man may try to give us peace, but it will fail.
- Jehovah-shammah: “The-LORD-Is-There.” This name was used in reference to a city that Ezekiel saw in a vision. “It was round about eighteen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be, The Lord is there” (Ezekiel 48:35). When we get to Heaven, there is a promise that God has given to us. “And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3). What a promise. Are you ready to spend eternity with God?
- Jehovah-tsebaoth: “The-LORD-of-host.” This can also refer to God’s army. In 1 Samuel 17:45, David is fighting against Goliath. David said to the Philistine, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” We can call upon the name of the Lord of hosts when we face a crisis. God will stand with us and will help us to defeat whatever may come our way. All we must do is have faith and trust that God will come and help us.
- Jehovah Elohe Israel: “LORD-GOD-of-Israel.” “Therefore saith the Lord, the Lord of hosts, the mighty One of Israel, Ah, I will ease me of mine adversaries, and avenge me of mine enemies” (Isaiah 1:24). This name can also be found in Jeremiah and in the Psalms. We must never lose sight of just how powerful God is. Those who have tried to do this found out they don’t stand a chance against Him.
Satan will try until the end of time as we know it. He will find himself, along with his demons and those who oppose God, in Hell. Do you want to try to oppose God?
All these names are important, but there is one that stands out the most, “Abba Father.” Abba is from the Aramaic which means “Father.” We call our earthly father “daddy.” In a sense, we are calling God “daddy.” When Jesus was praying in the garden of Gethsemane, He cried out to God. “And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14: 36).
When we are born again, we have been adopted into God’s family. Would you like to be adopted by God? All you must do is pray and ask for forgiveness of your sins. When you do this, you will become a child of God.