JEHOVAH

‘Elohim’, translated God, ‘Adonai’, translated Lord, and ‘Jehovah’, also translated Lord, but shown as LORD in many versions, are the divine titles most often used in scripture. Jehovah is found nearly seven thousand times, many of them prior to today’s readings. Indeed, throughout Genesis 2-4 the name is found together with ‘Elohim’ and rendered ‘Lord God’. It is often found on its own and used as such by Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. So why do the men in Exodus 6 know Him as ‘God Almighty’, El-Shaddai, but not as ‘Jehovah’, Exod. 6. 3?

It is clear that this statement cannot be interpreted absolutely, but must infer that there is a special sense in which only now, in delivering Israel out of Egypt, will God be fully known as ‘Jehovah’. Perhaps, this has already been indicated by our previous title ‘I AM’, which is an English translation of the four Hebrew letters to which, in English, we add vowels in order to make the pronounceable ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’. When considering that title, we noticed that it declares God to be, past, present and future, but, perhaps in chapter 3, with particular reference to the present. Before that, we saw Him as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, taking us back to the past. Now, ‘Jehovah’ seems to have particular relevance to the future. This is seen in Exodus 6 verses 6 to 8 which contains six ‘I will’s’, while Isaiah 12 looks forward to what will happen ‘in that day’.

‘Jehovah’, or Lord, by its use indicates a God of special relationship or covenant. This is seen in Genesis 3 where, though used throughout chapters 2-4, both the serpent and the woman drop the title when sin is introduced. Similarly, in Jonah 1, it is only after the sailors have cried for mercy and received it that they call Him ‘Lord’ rather than ‘God’. Now while God had indeed made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, ‘these all died in faith, not having received the promises’, Heb. 11. 13. But now this covenant was to be fulfilled, so, in a special sense, Moses and Israel would know Him as ‘Lord’!

This is much more true for us, who know the deliverance of Calvary, the complete fulfilment of that of which even the Passover was only a picture.