Risk Believing

    “This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19, NIV).

    Is there a promise for your life you are afraid to believe? Does making a commitment to trust and step out in faith seem too great? Does a lack of trust hold you back? You haven't really said no to that promise, because that would shut the door on the possibility that it might come true. But you haven't said yes, either, because of the cost. The fence of non-commitment on which you are sitting will keep you from what God has promised you. Non-commitment might feel like it is a place of safety, but it isn't. To receive your promise, you will have to risk stepping off your fence and trusting God. You sit on the fence of non-commitment because not sitting on the fence means that you must make a decision one way or the other. If you get off the fence, you will be forced to commit to something. You will either believe or not believe. You will either have faith or not have faith. You will either accept or reject. You are afraid to commit because either way you might be wrong. So you sit on your fence because you presume it is easier and safer than letting go of it. It is not easier and it is not safer. You may think your fence of non-commitment is safe, but all it does is keep you in prison without any hope. You have to risk in order to believe.

    Staying on your fence of non-commitment is really a choice. It is a choice to remain in bondage instead of discovering the freedom found in letting go and trusting God. "Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul imparts, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17, NIV). The Holy Spirit will make every effort to liberate you from your fence. He will use the circumstances of life to try and get you to trust God. He will move heaven and earth to shake you off that fence and pry your fingers from its false protection. You must choose to let go and make a commitment to believe in His faithfulness. The fence does not protect you. It is a place where non-commitment will destroy what little faith you have.

    Before his death Moses spoke to the Israelites and instructed them to choose prosperity and life instead of destruction and death (Deuteronomy 30:11-15). They had remained on their fence afraid to go into their promised land, but now was the time for them to choose. Not stepping out in faith to claim their promise was choosing death over life. Choosing to get off their fence and move into their promise was going to cost them their presumed safety. They would have to overcome the barriers to their promise. Letting go of the fence means that you must face your own giants. But you do not face them alone. Just as the Israelites moved forward in faith with God's protection, so will you. Getting off the fence does not mean you will fail. It means that you have chosen to trust Him and His promise.

    Let go of non-commitment. He will not fail you. He will bring you safely through pain, fear, and heartache into your promised land because you have chosen to believe Him. Sacrifice your fence of non-commitment and trust in Jesus Christ who sacrificed all for you. “So do not fear, for I am with you,” He declares. “Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). This is His promise when you let go of that fence. He will strengthen and uphold you because you have risked believing.

No to Harran and Yes to Canaan

“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there” (Genesis 11:31, NIV).

In his message the other day our pastor said something that more than caught my attention. It was something he had realized from Genesis 11: 31. What he shared was something that made me think about how we sometimes say yes to God's call, start out to fulfill it, then quit when it gets too hard or something else distracts us. This verse in Genesis 11:31 offers the thought that Abram was not the first one called by the Lord to leave Ur. It says that Abram's father, Terah, took his family and led them out of Ur to go to Canaan. However, when Terah arrived in Harran, he stopped his pilgrimage and settled there with his family. We don't know if Terah was faced with some circumstance in his life or if there was something about Harran that drew him, but he decided that he would not go any further. God's purpose came to a halt with that decision. God then turned to Terah's son, Abram, and said, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you” (Genesis 12:1, NIV). Abram heard a promise with his call. Whether Terah heard this same promise or not, we do not know. If it was part of Terah's call, it certainly was not enough to entice him to continue to Canaan. God promised Abram, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:2-3, NIV). Abram didn't hesitate, but rose up, and moved forward to complete what his father had left in Harran.

How many times do we miss opportunities that God extends? They are probably too numerous to even count. God will always have someone who will say yes to His call, but then not push forward to complete it. Detours like Harran will appear too tempting. If we don't persevere in what God calls us to do, He will raise up another like Abram to fulfill it. God's purpose will be fulfilled. The question is whether we want to hang on and be a part of the promise of His blessing or allow someone else to receive what we threw away.

Terah settled for the call of Harran more than the call of God. Abram was called to “go from your father's household.” He was not called to rejuvenate the call within his father, but was told to leave Terah behind. Abram was not called to include those who would settle for less than the best or who would allow the world to deter them from God's purpose. Abram was called to leave behind all that Harran had claimed and move on toward Canaan.

Often we hear the story of Abraham, and study how God's call changed his life. Consider Terah and what he missed. If Terah was called to Canaan first but then allowed Harran to pull him off course, he missed an opportunity of a lifetime. What is your call? What has drawn you aside from fulfilling it? What has kept you from persevering to the end? Does Canaan seem too distant or is Harran too tempting? Whatever has pulled you aside will keep you from God's best for your life. Don't expect someone else to make His purpose live again in you. That is your call and your decision. If you say no, God will always raise someone up to complete what you have missed. Why allow someone else to have what was originally meant to be yours? Persevere and hold on. Allow the enticement of God's blessing to claim your heart. Say no to every Harran in your path, and keep your eyes firmly fixed on Canaan. Let your yes to God's call be as real as His promise is to you.

Adonai, My Lord and Master

The name of God, “Adonai”, means “Lord and Master”. Because “Yahweh” is considered too holy to be spoken by the Hebrews, “Adonai”, and sometimes “Jehovah” are the two names which are interchangeably spoken in its place. “Adonai” is plural, and can be translated as “my lords”. “Adonai” in its singular form is “adon” and refers to a human who is a master. In the old Testament “adon” is used 215 times in reference to man, and “Adonai” (sometimes as “Jehovah”) is used over 200 times in reference to God. Whichever name is used, it speaks of submission and obedience to someone who has authority.

The first time “Adonai” is used is in Genesis 15:1-2 when God speaks to Abram. “After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision. 'Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.' But Abram said, 'Sovereign Lord (“Adonai”), what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?'” (Genesis 15:1-2, NIV). Through many hard years God had been “Lord and Master” to Abram in many ways. When God called Abram to leave his homeland and follow Him, Abram had no idea who this God was that was calling him. The call was so strong and so clear to Abram that he surrendered, and packed up his family and moved―trusting God to lead him and not knowing at all where he was headed. During many years after leaving Ur, Abram had always relied on God to take care of his family. Now in these two verses Abram seems to agonize over the one thing means the world to him―having a son. Although the Lord told Abram in Geneses 15:1 that He, the Lord, was Abram's “great reward”, Abram longed for a son and heir to which to leave everything he owned . In Genesis 15:2 Abram told “Adonai” that there was something else he wanted and needed beside God as his reward. In fact, it was something that Abram desired more than God at this moment in his life. He spoke the name “Adonai”, but he had not allowed God to be his “Lord and Master” more than his desire for a son. 

Just as Abram we often say that God is our “Lord and Master”, and our lives say something very different. Instead of God being the ruler of our lives, something else takes His place. That ruling idol can be power, money, possessions, alcohol, drugs, food, children, and the list goes on. Even good things in our lives can master us. Church can become more important than the Lord. Doing things for others can become more important. Whatever we put before God becomes the thing that claims our devotion and rules our lives. God wants to be more than a lip-service “Adonai” we just honor when we feel like it. He longs to be more than the temporary “Adonai” we seek during hard times. He longs to be our real and permanent “Adonai” in every moment of our lives. 

This morning I look at myself. Is He more than “lip service” to me? Do I run to Him only when I have a huge problem in my life? Do I long for a promise or a need to be fulfilled more than I long for Him? When I surrender all that I am―all my perceived needs, my thoughts, my life-style, my will―to “Adonai”, my faithful and loving “Lord and Master”, He becomes my “greatest reward”. He is all that I need. When He is first in my heart and mind, I am at rest in my desires. I am at rest in His presence. Life is peaceful even when circumstances rage. It is content even when everything is not perfect around me because, in placing him first, I have discovered His joy. I know the love of this “Lord and Master” who gave His life so that I might live. He surrendered all for me. Now I long to surrender all to Him, my “Adonai”.

Jehovah Mekoddishkem―the Lord Who Sanctifies

Jehovah Mekoddishkem is the name for the Lord who sanctifies and makes us holy. Mekoddishkem is derived from the Hebrew word “qadash” which means “holy” or “sanctify”. The anglicized version of Mekoddishkem is “M-qadash”. The Septuagint denotes this name as “the Lord who sanctifies you”. This name can literally be translated as "the Lord who sets you apart." God is referred to as Jehovah Mekoddishkem only two times in the Old Testament. The first is in Exodus 31:13. “Say to the Israelites, ‘You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.'” (NIV). The other is in Leviticus 20:8. “Keep my decrees and follow them. I am the Lord, who makes you holy.” (NIV). As we draw closer to Him and live obedient lives following His Word, we are set apart and sanctified.

Sanctification is derived from the Greek word “hagios”, which means “set apart for holiness”. This word refers to the day-by-day growing process that separation to God brings. “But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do” (1 Peter 1:15, NIV). As we separate ourselves from the things that desecrate our life in Jesus Christ, we grow closer to the Lord and are in the process of being changed into His likeness—holy and set apart for His purpose.

In John 17 Jesus prays for his disciples and for believers that are to come. “They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified” (John 17:16-19, NIV). Jesus set his own life apart (sanctified himself) for the purpose for which His father sent Him. He is our example. We are called to do the same. He sends us into the world to share His gospel of redeeming love, and we must set ourselves apart (sanctify ourselves) for His purpose. To be sent in His power, we must be set apart for His purpose. We are to sanctify ourselves by the truth of His Word. The call to share His Word and the call to be separated to God are inseparable. They go hand-in-hand. We can't share the love of a holy and forgiving Lord without living it ourselves.

Paul prays in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 for us to live holy lives until the day Jesus returns. “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”(NIV). To live a holy life until the day He comes promises a great future. “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:4, NIV). “But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (I John 3:2b, NIV). In that moment He appears, we shall be totally separated from sin that has plagued us in this life. Completely and forever separated to Him, we will know Him as He has always known us. We will live with Him forever.

Jehovah Raah, My Good Shepherd

Today's name of God is one that speaks of safety and security in a world that offers none. In Psalm 23:1 we discover that “Jehovah-Raah” means “The Lord is my shepherd”. This verse continues with “I shall not want.” This is the name for the Lord which promises we shall not lack anything. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of that promise. “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus said. “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11, NIV). Jesus became our shepherd by giving His life for us. Just as a shepherd assumes the responsibility for the care and well-being of his sheep, so Christ takes compete responsibility for our care and well-being. The Lord as “Jehovah Raah” is the shepherd who provides loving care for His people. He is the same great “Jehovah Jireh” that is powerfully on time with His provision. In this Jehovah God, we are saved by His redeeming love. All that we could ever want or need is found in our shepherd, who paid our price in full.

Sheep always need a shepherd to protect and care for them. We, just like sheep, are completely defenseless and dependent on a shepherd. Prey attack sheep, and bad environmental conditions put them in grave danger. We are also attacked, and face danger from our enemy. “Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 1:8b, NIV). A shepherd protects His sheep at all cost―sometimes to even the point of death. Jesus gave His life on the cross as our Good Shepherd. He had the power to save himself, but he chose to give His life for you and me. “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28, NIV).

“I am the good shepherd,” Jesus continues. “I know my sheep and my sheep know me—just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord”(John 10:14-18a, NIV). The gift of His life is not for just a certain view. It is for all mankind. Jesus is the Good Shepherd over all who come to believe in Him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16, NIV). To know and believe that “The Lord is my shepherd. I shall not want”, we must know Him as the Good Shepherd who gave His life for our sake.

Jehovah Jireh, My Provider

The name of God, “Jehovah Jireh”, occurs only once in Genesis 22, and it means “The Lord Who Provides”. When the Lord called for Abraham's willingness to give up his son―for Abraham to put his love for God above all else, Abraham brokenheartedly followed the Lord's instruction. He built an altar not understanding why the loving God who had miraculously given him Isaac in his old age would now ask for him in return. God's purpose was not to wound Abraham, and take away the son he loved so much. It was a lesson in willing obedience. There on the mountain the Lord halted Abraham's obedience, and provided a ram instead. “So Abraham called the name of that place 'The Lord Will Provide', and it is said to this day, on the mount of the Lord it will be provided” (Exodus 22:14, AMP).

“Jehovah Jireh's” provision of the ram is a powerful testimony to Abraham's great faith and trust in God's character. Abraham followed God's instruction knowing not only was he called to offer his beloved son, but that in Isaac the promise he would be the father of a multitude of nations rested. The provision of the ram is a statement of faith that God does not abandon the children that He loves. The meaning of “The Lord Will Provide” was very real to Abraham when God stopped the sacrifice of his son, and provided a ram. In obedience to the test, Abraham was faithful to the last second, and God answered His faithfulness with His provision.

Why would God ask for something so precious from Abraham? The altar is our place of worship, and nothing should stand in the way of our “life offering” to God. The Lord didn't want Abraham to love anything or anyone greater than he loved Him. It is the same for us. God desires our love for Him to be above all else. “In worship”, Matt Martin says, “we lay our most price possession on the altar. There is nothing that gets between us and God.” The Lord longs for our willingness to lay all our prized possessions upon His altar. The Lord laid His most prized possession, Jesus Christ, His son, on the altar for us. The Lord provided a perfect and spotless lamb. All He asks in return is our love and obedience.

“Isn't this what our heart longs for when we need the Lord to rescue us? We long for the Lord to save and provide. God sacrificed His own son for us. He doesn't expect us to sacrifice our own “son” in return, but He does ask us to sacrifice sin and every selfish thing in our lives that separates us from Him. He asks for our heart to love and honor Him above everything else. Just as Abraham faithfully trusted God to provide, so we too need to trust Him. We yearn for a God who sees our need and provides for us. Sometimes we don't really understand what our need really is, but He knows and will bring it to light. When we put God first in our heart and life, He will always be sure that our needs are met. Just as He did for Abraham, He is never late and completely provides. “And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19, AMP).

Jehovah Rapha, My Restoroing Healer

“Rapha” is derived from the Hebrew word “rapa” which means “restore” or “heal”. Since “Jehovah” means “to be”, God desires His people “to be” restored emotionally, physically, and spiritually. This word reveals that God has the power to restore a life that is broken or diseased to the original state He created it to be―one that is clean, healed, and in one accord with His Spirit. “Jehovah Rapha” is the Lord “who forgives [every one of] all your iniquities, who heals [each one of] all your diseases” (Psalm 103:3, AMP). 

The first example of “Jehovah Rapha” is in Exodus 15. The Israelites had been rescued from captivity in Egypt. After crossing the Red Sea on dry ground, and praising God for their salvation, they wandered in the desert for three days thirsty and seeking fresh water. They came to Marah, and they couldn't drink its bitter water. “The people murmured against Moses, saying, 'What shall we drink?'” (Exodus 15:24, AMP). The Lord showed Moses a tree which he threw into the water, and the waters were made sweet and fresh. “If you will diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord your God, and will do what is right in His sight, and will listen to and obey His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you which I brought upon the Egyptians, for I am the Lord (Jehovah Rapha) who heals you” (Exodus 15:26, AMP). How many times do we complain about our circumstance, and God allows it to teach us to lean on Him? Just as He restored the water at Marah, He has the power to restore our lives. If we will obey and faithfully live for Him, we shall know Him as the Lord who restores and heals. 

The Lord heals emotional pain and hearts that are broken. “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds [curing their pains and their sorrows]” (Psalm 137:3, AMP). The word “broken” means “to reduce to pieces or fragments”. The Lord comes against our pain with his great power and smashes it to fragments. “Bind” means “to bandage”. He “bandages” and cures the emotional fragments of our lives that we lay on His altar, and imparts healing from our brokenness.

Physical healing is also His promise. When trying to reason the emotional and physical pain that comes with physical sickness, many times we end up in complete despair. It might be our own pain or perhaps it is for someone else. When there is pain and suffering, we are forced to face the truth that we are not in control. We face our own limitations. Some freeze up in fear and can't function. Others are driven deep into the Lord's presence. Seeking Him with all their heart, they cry “heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved, for You are my praise”(Jeremiah 17:14, AMP)! This cry is one of faith that He is who He says He is. Jesus “our Jehovah Rapha” answers our cry. We experience the amazing truth that “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our guilt and iniquities; the chastisement [needful to obtain] peace and well-being for us was upon Him, and with the stripes [that wounded] Him we are healed and made whole” (Isaiah 53:5, AMP).

For His promises of emotional and physical healing to be true, our first need is to be spiritually healed. “The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly perverse and corrupt and severely, mortally sick! Who can know it [perceive, understand, be acquainted with his own heart and mind]?” (Jeremiah 17:9, AMP). “Jehovah Rapha” knows the sin that lives in the human heart, and the destruction it brings. We all fall short of God's standard, and are spiritually in desperate need of the healing that the precious blood of Jesus Christ imparts (Isaiah 53:5). God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, “to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound” (Jeremiah 61:1b, AMP). When we give Him our sinful heart, God promises “a new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you” (Ezekiel 36:26a, AMP). We are restored completely by His sacrificial love offered freely at Calvary. 

The wounds of an Almighty God, who loves me enough to die for me, have the power to heal my life.

Jehovah Nissi, My Banner and Refuge

For the next few days, we are going to look at “Jehovah” in conjunction with some other names of God. Jehovah comes from “havah”, the Hebrew name which means “to exist” or “to be”. Yesterday, we saw God as the great “I AM” who existed before all else, and who has sovereign authority over all the universe. The name “Jehovah” reveals that the great “I AM” of the universe (Yahweh) really wishes “to become known”. He is the all-powerful “Yahweh” who, as “Jehovah”, wishes to have a relationship with the people He has created. He wants to be up close and personal with us!

“Jehovah” in conjunction with “Nissi” is only mentioned once in the old Testament, and that is in Exodus 17. “Nissi” is derived from the word “nes”, which means “banner” in Hebrew. In Exodus 17:15, Moses, having just defeated the Amalekites, erected an altar to “Jehovah Nissi”. The word “nes” can be demonstrated by the example of a flag mounted on a pole as a focal point in battle. In old Testament history (and even much later throughout centuries) opponents in war flew their own flag on their front lines. This focal point reminded soldiers of their purpose. When they focused their mind to win, they received encouragement that their efforts would not be in vain. This is what God “Jehovah Nissi” is to us. He is our focal point, our “banner”, on which we can focus our mind and all our thoughts, strength, hope, and belief. Isaiah wrote of God as this “banner”. “You guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You” (Isaiah 26:3, AMP).

In the Septuagint (the Greek version of the old Testament written for Jews two centuries before Christ) the word “nissi” is translated as “refuge”. When I focus all that I am―all that I believe―all that I live―all of my being on His unfailing standard, character, promise, and purpose, then He is my refuge in whatever comes before me. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High (Elyon) shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty (Shaddai) [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust” (Psalm 91:1-2, AMP). He is not only my “banner” whose focus in my life gives strength and purpose; He is my refuge and my fortress in the heat of battle. He is my strength to stand against all evil. When I put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17), no weapon can come against me.

The next verse following Isaiah 26:3 explains the faith that I can have in the Lord, my banner and my refuge, when my mind and whole life is focused on Him. “So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]” (Isaiah 26:4, AMP). Yes, He is “Jehovah Nissi”, the one in whom I will always trust.

YAHWEH, The Great I AM

What is “YHWH”? What is this Hebrew name of God? The modern spelling for this name is “Yahweh” which has vowels to help pronounce it. By Jewish tradition, this name of God cannot be spoken because it is too holy. Three hundreds years following Christ, the Jewish people stopped saying “Yahweh” in fear of breaking the commandment "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" (Exodus 20:7). Since the name “Yahweh” became too holy to be pronounced, it was replaced with “Adonai” also meaning “Lord”. “Adonai” denotes the mercy of a divine and all-powerful God. In the Septuagint (which is the Greek version of the old Testament written for Jews two centuries before Christ) “Yahweh” means “Lord and Master”. “Yahweh” is likewise referenced many times as “Jehovah” (also meaning “Lord”). These references to “Yahweh” occur over 6000 times in the old Testament. 

God is revealed as “Yahweh” for the first time in Exodus. God had just instructed Moses that He is to go to the Israelites held in slavery in Egypt and tell them that God will set them free. Moses asked God what he was to tell the Israelites about who sent him. “And God said to Moses, 'I Am Who I Am and What I Am, and I Will Be What I Will Be;' and He said, 'You shall say this to the Israelites: I Am has sent me to you!' God said also to Moses, 'This shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has sent me to you! This is My name forever, and by this name I am to be remembered to all generations'”(Exodus 3:14-15, AMP). “I AM” is “Yahweh”, “Jehovah”, and “Adonai”. He is the Lord and Master who sets His people free from bondage. His name is to be remembered forever.

“Yahweh”, as the great “I AM”, has no beginning and no end. There was nothing before Him. There was no reality―nothing. He existed before all else. He needs nothing or no one to help Him, counsel Him, or support Him. Everything that is not of God is still totally dependent on God. He created the universe, and He alone allows it to continue. As amazed as we might be by the magnificence of the universe, compared to God it is nothing. God never changes. No improvement is necessary. He is same today, yesterday, and forever. He is not becoming “more” or “greater”. He already is “I AM”. God is the absolute standard of truth. There is no law to which He submits. He himself reveals what is right and what is true. He alone is the final authority. God does as He wishes, and it is always in agreement with His absolute truth. He never violates His own standard. God is the most important reality. He is over any other reality that sets itself above His own will. Any reality that exists outside of Him only exists because He allows it, and still comes under His authority. His reality reigns above all else in the universe. He is “I AM”, and yet this great “I AM” has come to set me free from the bondage of sin. He has come to deliver me from the slavery of my past, and give me the freedom of new life in Him. Nothing is more amazing than the fact that the God of the universe, the great “I AM”, has become my Savior.

El Elyon, My Most High Redeemer

“EL” means “God”. “Elyon” literally means "Most High". When “El” is joined with “Elyon”, this aspect of God's character means “God Most High”. God reigns with authority and in majesty. “I will cry to God Most High,” the psalmist wrote, “who performs on my behalf and rewards me [who brings to pass His purposes for me and surely completes them]” (Psalm 57:2, AMP)! This “God Most High” moves on my behalf, and not only brings about His purpose for my life, but completes what He begins in me.


“El” used in conjunction with “Elyon” first occurs in Genesis 14:18-22 where Melchizedek, a priest of God and king of Salem (Jerusalem), blessed Abram after Abram rescued his nephew, Lot, from the hands of those who had defeated Sodom. “He (Melchizedek) blessed Abram, saying, 'Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.' Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything” (Genesis 14:19-20, NIV). Abram honors God by giving Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils he has taken. The King of Sodom is so thankful that Abram has returned the spoils that were taken that he tells Abram to keep them for himself. But Abram honors God by refusing to keep what is not his. “El Elyon” is the creator and the owner of heaven and earth. His is a name that denotes great and final authority. What is offered to honor God Most High comes from what He already owns. The issue in giving now becomes one for which I am responsible. Do I honor His ownership and His authority with a sold-out heart?


Another occurrence of “El” together with “Elyon” is found in the book of Psalm. “Whenever God slew them, they would seek him; they eagerly turned to him again. They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer” (Psalm 78:34-35, NIV). It is sad in these two verses that the Most High Redeemer would be sought after punishment or following something that drove His people to Him looking for help in time of need. “El Elyon” is one who delivers and saves. He is one whose authority should be recognized and majesty honored. “El Elyon” has a purpose in the lives of those who honor Him. How He longs for us to honor and worship Him because we love Him, and not because we need something from Him!


God Most High reigns over all the earth in sovereignty and final authority. Because of His majesty, He deserves my highest praise and worship. He deserves my consistent love and respect‒not just when I need something from Him. He deserves my life and all that I have offered to Him from a grateful heart. I must never assume to put myself in His place, but I often do when I make my own decisions without seeking His will. The Most High God is my judge, and the one who has the authority to forgive me. When I come to Him in repentance honoring His authority, He delivers and saves me from all that I have been. He hears my cry, and moves on my behalf. He blesses and rewards me. God is not only my high and sovereign Rock; He is my Redeemer, my Savior, and the only One who remains constant and unchanging. I pray that I always honor and allow Him to bring about His purpose in my life and to complete the work He has designed for me.