What’s In A Name?, Pt 3: Elohim
Genesis 1:1-3 1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Deuteronomy 10:17 17For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes.
Mark 13:18-19 18Pray that this will not take place in winter, 19because those will be days of distress unequaled from the beginning, when God created the world, until now—and never to be equaled again.
Elohim, (pronounced El-oh-heem), is a Hebrew word which seems to be transliterated from the Canaanite people conquered as the Hebrews entered the Promised Land. It is plural in form but has a singular connotation in Hebrew. The singular form of Elohim is El and was the title of the ‘head god’ in the Canaanite pagan religion. El, too, was appropriated into the Hebrew language. El is used 268 times in the Old Testament to refer to God, Elohim 2600 times, and YHWH 6800 times. Unfortunately this is obscured because modern English translations all use LORD or Lord in any God-reference.
In traditional American homes, particularly those in the South, a young person would find himself ‘slapped up the side of the head’ if he used the personal name of his mother or father. Accepted forms of address were Mother, Father, Sir, or Ma’am. A similar relationship exists between YHWH and Elohim. YHWH is God’s personal name while Elohim means “God”. YHWH and Elohim are frequently used interchangeably. For instance in Genesis the first creation story (Chapter 1) uses Elohim, while the second (Chapter 2) uses YHWH. As is often the case theologians go to great lengths to make something of this distinction, saying that Elohim is concerned with big picture creation, while YHWH is interested in detail which seemingly suggests that two gods were involved in creation. They fail to notice that in a single conversation one individual can be addressed in both the familiar and the formal as a teacher might be addressed as both ‘Steve’ or ‘Mr. Haines’.
In any case, Elohim is the God of creation. What are we to make of this?
Israel was the first of all ancient cultures to worship one God; all the others were pantheistic, that is, they had many Gods. Elohim revealed himself as the one true God. He is the only one without rival, first in existence, first in power, first in authority, first in honor, and first in majesty. He created all that we see, and even all that we don’t see, ex nihilio, that is, out of nothing. I think most people understand this about Elohim, but what is less apparent is that names reveal things about their possessor. We tend to think of God as a powerful Creator, but one who is distant and not relatable. This cannot be true because it implies a god to be feared. Is that true about our Elohim? What can we learn about Elohim, about God, from the creation story in Genesis 1?
In Genesis 1:26 Elohim said, “Let us make mankind in our own image, in our likeness…” Since we know God is spirit, and we have flesh this cannot refer to our shape. But it does mean that we are like God in some ways. We are like him in our personhood. We reason and are reasonably intelligent. We feel and have emotions. We choose, have a will, and are responsible for our choices. If we are made in God’s image then he possesses these qualities also. He, then, is a personal being also, not just an essence or force. He is not something just to be sensed but can be felt. He reasons, feels, acts according to his own will and possesses the qualities of personhood. Here’s an insight into God’s personhood: He is pleased with his creation. Look at all the “it was good” statements in Genesis. These indicate personhood and personality don’t they?
This has profound implications for the way we can relate to him. Back in the day, before I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior, and before my spiritual self had awakened, I used to think that while it was clear God was a good God, he was pretty much done with Earth and was no longer very active. That is absolutely not true. The Word is replete with verses showing the everyday presence of God.
Psalm 51:10-12 10Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. 11Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. 12Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
James 4:10 7Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
Psalm 46:1-3 1God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. 2Therefore we will not fear, though the earth gives way, and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, 3though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.
Hebrews 4:14-16 14Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
And there are many others. My friend we have said before that it is wise to have a reverential awe of God. But do not let that push you away from him. Yes Elohim is powerful: He created you and deserves to be worshipped. But he is also relational, and desires to draw close to us. We should let him. We should draw close to him.
Struckmeyer, K. (2015). When Yahweh met Elohim. Retrieved from https://followingJesus.org/how Yahweh met Elohim and created the world — following Jesus
Van Emmerik, C. (2005). Elohim. Retrieved from Elohim Sermon by Chip Van Emmerik, Genesis 1:1-2:1 - SermonCentral.com