Within all of us there exists a strong desire to be known and to know others. The most important Person to know is our Creator. In fact, Jesus taught that eternal life is not just a span of time; it is a relationship: “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3). The key to truly knowing God is found in what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. He wants to be known according to Acts 17:24-28—God made the world and all things in it; He is Lord of heaven and earth; He gives to everyone life and breath and all things; He made every nation of men to live on the face of the earth; He set appointed times and the boundaries of their territory; we are to search for Him and find Him even though He is not far from each one of us; in Him we live and move and have our being; we are His offspring. By studying and meditating on God’s names, we can develop a richer understanding of His nature and deepen our connection with Him. God’s names in the Bible are not mere labels; they reveal His character, attributes, and relationships with humanity. Understanding these names deepens our knowledge of God and fosters a more intimate connection with Him.
God linked Himself in a relationship with Adam and Eve based on knowing Him only as He fellowshipped with them daily in the Garden. The heart plays an important role in knowing. Therefore, Satan’s strategy was to give them the experience of knowing evil. In other words, the “knower” has actual involvement with or is the object of the knowing. Mankind is therefore faced with a choice—to choose God and His ways or Satan and his ways. The key to truly knowing God is found in what God has revealed about Himself in the Bible. So, in order to truly know God, we must first acknowledge our sin and repent of it. Peter clearly states in Acts 3: 19 that we must repent and be converted that our sins may be blotted out and that times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord. If we ever needed times of refreshment, it is now!
God’s methods and ways do not change. The Old Testament revelation of God by His names is invariably made in connection with some particular need of His people. This Supreme Being is One Deity that includes Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The revelation of Deity in the New Testament so illuminates that of the Old Testament that the latter is seen to be, from Genesis to Malachi, the foreshadowing of the coming incarnation of God in Jesus the Christ. In promise, covenant, type, and prophecy the Old Testament points forward to Christ. God makes Himself known through revelatory acts; the spoken word; through an intimate experience; through trust and obedience to Him.
Each of the many names of God describes a different aspect of His many-faceted character. We will look at some of the better-known names of God in the Bible that will deepen our faith and dependence on Him that we would truly Know God! In summary, the importance of God’s names lies in their ability to:
Reveal His character and attributes Reflect His relationships with humanity Inspire worship and prayer Guide our understanding of Scripture Provide protection and guidance Elohim: (God - Creator, Mighty and Strong) - being plural, Elohim reveals the doctrine of the Trinity from the Bible’s first sentence as He speaks the world into existence. (Genesis 1:1)
Eloah: (God - mighty, strong, prominent) (Nehemiah 9:17) El means “power’ and “might” (Gen 31: 29); with other qualities such as integrity (Num. 23:19), jealousy (Deut. 5:9), and compassion (Lam. 3:22).
El Shaddai: (God Almighty) - speaks to God’s ultimate power over all (Psalm 132: 2, 5)
Elohim Chayim: (the Living God) - emphasizing His vitality and presence (Genesis 2:7)
El Elyon: (the Most High God) - showcasing His sovereignty and supremacy (Genesis 14:18-20)
El-Olam: (the Everlasting God) – God’s nature is without beginning or end, free from all constraints of time, and He contains within Himself the very cause of time itself (Ps. 90: 1-3)
El Roi: (God of Seeing) – the name ascribed to God by Hagar when she met the Angel of the Lord (the preincarnate Christ), she realized that He saw her in her distress and testified that He is a God who lives and sees all (Gen. 16: 1-14)
El-Gibhor: (Mighty God) – the name describing the Messiah, Christ Jesus, in Isaiah 9:6, as a powerful and mighty warrior, the Messiah, the Mighty God, will accomplish the destruction of God’s enemies and rule with a rod of iron. (Rev. 19:15)
Yahweh/Jehovah: (LORD) – the revelation of the name is given to Moses “I AM who I AM” (Ex. 3: 14). This name specifies an immediacy, a presence. Yahweh is present, accessible, near to those who call on Him for deliverance (Ps. 107: 13), forgiveness (Ps. 25:11) and guidance (Ps. 31: 3)
Yahweh-Jereh: (The Lord will provide) – highlighting His provision and care and memorialized by Abraham when God provided the ram to be sacrificed in place of Isaac (Gen. 22: 14)
Yahweh-Rapha: (The Lord Who Heals) – “I am Jehovah who heals you” both in body and soul. In body, by preserving from and curing diseases, and in soul, by pardoning iniquities (Ex. 15:26)
Yahweh-Nissi: (The Lord Our Banner) – a banner is understood to be a rallying place and the name commemorates the desert victory over the Amalekites in Exodus 17: 15.
Yahweh-M’Kaddesh: (The Lord who Sanctifies, Makes Holy) - God makes it clear that He alone, not the law, can cleanse His people and make them holy (Lev. 20:8; Ezek. 37:28) and ultimately in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ, who became sin for us “that we might become the Righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5: 21)
Yahweh-Shalom: (The Lord Our Peace) – the name given by Gideon to the altar he built after the Angel of the Lord (the preincarnate Christ) assured him he would not die as he thought he would after seeing Him (Judges 6: 24)
Yahweh-Rohi: (The Lord Our Shepherd) – David declared in Ps. 23: 1 “The LORD is my Shepherd; I shall not want.”
Yahweh-Sabaoth: (The LORD of Hosts) – hosts means “hordes” both of angels and of men. He is Lord of the host of heaven and of the inhabitants of the earth, of Jews and Gentiles, of rich and poor, master and slave. The name is expressive of the majesty, power, and authority of God and shows that He is able to accomplish what He determines to do (Isaiah 1: 24; Ps. 46:7)
Abba: (Father/Daddy God) - emphasizing His paternal love and care (Romans 8:15)
Knowing God’s names helps us to know the Greatness and Sufficiency of God:
To inspire worship and praise, as we acknowledge His attributes and character (Psalm 138:1-2) To guide our prayers, as we address Him with the names that reflect His nature and relationships with us (Psalm 9:10) To deepen our understanding of Scripture, as we explore the various names and their meanings (Ephesians 1:17) To be a fort of protection, shielding believers from harm and danger (Proverbs 18:10) To be a source of guidance, as we seek wisdom and direction from the Lord (Psalm 48:10) Jesus revealed to us who God is, so in knowing God we must look to Jesus: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. . . .Believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in Me” (John 14:9–10; cf. John 17:6). Every work that Jesus did was in obedience to the Father in heaven (John 5:19). Every word Jesus spoke was straight from the Father (John 12:49). To know God, we must know Jesus.
Truly knowing God also comes through our commitment to read and obey what we read in the Scriptures. We were saved unto good works (Ephesians 2:10), and, as we obey the Lord, we become part of God’s plan of continuing to reveal Himself to the world. We are salt and light on this earth (Matthew 5:13–14), designed to bring God’s flavor to the world and to serve as a shining light in the midst of darkness. Jesus’ death and resurrection provided for the forgiveness of our sin, and He alone is the way to a personal knowledge of God: “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through Me” (John 14:6, NKJV).
These are the keys to truly knowing God. Of course, those who know God will also be committed to prayer, fellowship with other believers, sincere worship, and walking in the Spirit. Jesus taught His disciples about the Holy Spirit, contrasting the world’s ignorance of Him with the disciples’ knowledge: “The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17). It is through the Spirit of God that we have “adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, ‘Abba, Father.’ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Romans 8:15–16). Through Christ and the indwelling Holy Spirit, our lives can be filled with God, and we can experience the joy of truly knowing Him.