Prepare For Life

Do you want to know God better? Do you want to trust Him more? Taking the time to understand the many Hebrew names for God is an important way to gain insight into just who our great God is and to know Him better. God's many names describe different aspects of His character. By learning what these names mean we grow in our appreciation and adoration of the Lord. I want to focus upon one of the names for God that is compounded with the name El, El Olam. El refers to God and means prominent, out front, dominating. Olam means everlasting or eternal. It also carries the concept of hidden.

Names in the Bible are more than just a way to differentiate one person from the other. In Old Testament names convey the very essence of the person, their character, their attributes. Names are full of meaning and are instructive, especially the many names for God. Learning about His names helps us to know Him better, in His fullness and reality. In the words of the Lord’s prayer, we are to hallow His name.

No wonder again and again in the Bible God points to the act of creation and basically says, “ Why do you chase after false gods? You make them with your own hands, how can you bow before them? They have no power, I alone have the power to create the universe. Have no other gods before Me!”

The first name that God uses to introduce Himself is found in the very first verse of the Bible, “In the beginning Elohim.” Elohim is basically the signature name of God. This name is used about 2750 times in the Old Testament to refer to God. The root of Elohim, el, is borrowed in the Hebrew language from the Canaanites. It means strong, to be in the front, to dominate. El is the same root from which the name Allah derives. Elohim is supreme, He is the mighty One.

I wonder if most of us in the contemporary church have misunderstood the third of the Ten Commandments. I think I have for many years. Exodus 20:7 commands, You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain. We think this clearly refers to our speech and the fact that we should not swear using the Lord’s name or speak of Him in a disrespectful or cavalier way. His name is too precious to throw around with irreverence. Our inner response to this commandment may be, “Hmmm, I’ve got some work to do here.” or maybe, “I’m usually ok with this, just a slip up now and then.” So we quickly move on to the next commandment working through them like a checklist.

In our modern culture names are often chosen for a child on a whim or a because of a trend. A few years ago I read an article about a mother who gave her son the name Messiah. (Now that’s a loaded name!) Do you know why she picked that name? Not because of its significance, not because of what it means, but she said she chose that name because it sounds good with the names of her other children, Micah and Mason! Names in the ancient Hebrew world were not trendy; they carried great significance. They were given not on a whim, or because they sounded good, but because of their meaning. Names in the Bible reveal the essence of the person, their character, their nature, and sometimes, their destiny. Abram means exalted father. As Abram walked with God and believed His promises, his whole destiny changed and God renamed him Abraham, which means father of many nations because that was his destiny.