Yahweh

           

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,

as God Almighty, but by My name LORD[fn] I was not known to them."

-Exodus 6:3

        As I was studying this passage the other day, it amazed me how much of a privilege it was for the Israelites to know God's name: "Yahweh."

             Many times we've heard different attributes of God emphasized, such as love, mercy, grace...etc. But hardly ever do we look at the names of God and treasure them.  The difference between the way the Israelites recognized and worshiped God and the way we do is striking and convicting.

       This name for God, Yahweh, means "the self-existent One." It is a name that identifies God as the God of the Hebrews. It identified Him as the Savior of Israel, the One who goes behind them, before them, and is with them.

      And this strikes me, because I often praise God for what He does and not who He is. I often worship Him when He feels near, and not because He is my God and He is worthy of praise.

This kind of worship, this kind of love, is fading. It is a love based on performance and not on being. On perception of value and character and not upon the solid facts about who God is.

      Job's story is a perfect illustration of this: Job begins to doubt that the Lord has remembered him or even considers him. Two of his friends counsel him to repent and tell the Lord what wrong he has committed, they submit to Job that God would never have punished him if he hadn't acted wickedly.

And then Elihu comes. He tells Job that though he be righteous, he ought not to consider that God has acted unjustly. In chapter thirty-six He says, "I will ascribe righteousness to my Maker." and "

Behold, God is exalted by His power; Who teaches like Him? Who has assigned Him His way, Or who has said, 'You have done wrong'? Remember to magnify His work, Of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it; Man looks on it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we do not know Him; Nor can the number of His years be discovered."

       Elihu praises God because of who He is: the unknowable, just, Almighty God.

But we have access to a God who has revealed Himself. We can know the God we follow. No longer does He travel only behind us, as to protect us and keep watch over us (Gen 17:1). But He know walks with us and makes His home with us. The invisible God has revealed Himself through His Son. What a privilege we have to know God as Jehovah (another trans of Yahweh) or, "Jesus."

We can know Him not only by name, but in word, thought and deed. We can know His very heart.