(The Names of God - Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3)
God has given us a revelation of Himself through His many names. Today we continue that study.
Jehovah Shalom – The Lord is Our Peace
The next name of God revealed to man was during another time of great turmoil for the Israelites. Because of their sin, God had handed them over to the Midianites, who oppressed them greatly, ruining their crops and ravaging their land.
Finally, after the Israelites cried out to the Lord, the angel of the Lord appeared to a man named Gideon. Gideon prepared a sacrifice to the Lord. The angel consumed the sacrifice with a great fire. Gideon was greatly afraid, but the angel spoke to him.
The Scripture: Judges 6:23, 24
"'Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.' So Gideon built an altar to the Lord there and called it The Lord is Peace."
1. What did Gideon call the place where the angel appeared?
Peace means quietness, rest, prosperity. It is freedom from all distresses that are experienced as the result of sin. Shortly before He returned to heaven, Jesus told His disciples:
The Scripture: John 14:27
"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid."
2. What did the Lord promise to leave with the disciples?
Only a Christian truly experiences the peace of God. The Apostle Paul also had much to say about the peace Jesus Christ gives.
The Scripture: Philippians 4:6,7
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."
3. How are we to present our requests to God?
4. What does the peace of God do?
5. How does Paul describe God's peace?
The Scripture: Romans 5:1
"Since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ."
6. What does our justification give us?
The Scripture: Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast because he trusts in You."
7. What is the secret to obtaining perfect peace?
Jehovah Tsidkenu – The Lord is Our Righteousness
After a long period of exile for the Israelites, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied of a time in the future.
The Scripture: Jeremiah 33:15, 16
"In those days and at that time, I will make a righteous Branch sprout from David's line; He will do what is just and right in the land. In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will live in safety. This is the name by which it will be called: The Lord Our Righteousness."
8. What name is revealed here?
Righteousness means to be straight, to be in right standing in the Lord. Of course, this Righteousness refers to Jesus Christ.
We cannot live in our own righteousness. Scripture shows us how God sees our righteousness.
The Scripture: Isaiah 64:6
"All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags."
9. How does the Lord see our righteousness?
Fortunately, we do not have to live in our own righteousness.
The Scripture: 1 Corinthians 1:30
"It is because of Him (God) that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption."
10. What is Jesus for us?
The Scripture: Romans 3:21, 22
"But now righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe."
11. How do we receive God's righteousness?
Jehovah Rohe – The Lord is Our Shepherd
In Psalm 23 and John 10, the Lord gives us one of the most beautiful pictures of Himself in all the Bible. He calls Himself a shepherd and says we are His sheep. Whole books have been written about the relationship between the Shepherd and His sheep - a picture completely familiar to the ancient Israelites.
The Scripture: Psalm 23:1-3
"The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness."
12. Summarize some of the characteristics of the good shepherd.
This whole psalm is a beautiful picture of the loving relationship that exists between the shepherd and his sheep - between Jesus and His followers.
The Scripture: John 10:14
"I am the good shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me - just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father - and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
13. How does Jesus describe Himself?
The adjective “good” in this verse means skillful. Jesus is saying He knows how to care for His sheep.
14. What else does Jesus say?
The Scripture: John 10:9-10
"I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved....I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
15. How else does Jesus describe Himself?
16. What is His gift?
Jehovah Shammah- The Lord Who Is Always There
Now we come to one of my favorite names, Jehovah Shammah - the Lord who is always there. How this name encourages us! It was given to the Israelites at still another low point in their history.
Prisoners in Babylon, they despaired of ever returning to their homeland. Just at a time when their future seemed hopeless, the Lord offered them encouragement through the prophet Ezekiel. In His prophecy, Ezekiel told them how they were to divide up the land when they returned home.
The Scripture: Ezekiel 48:29, 30, 35
"This is the land you are to allot as an inheritance to the tribes of Israel, and these will be their portions,' declares the Sovereign Lord. 'These will be the exits of the city....And the name of the city from that time on will be: THE LORD IS THERE.'"
17. What will the city be called?
Surely, we have all known the experience of the Lord's presence and provision in the darkest of times.
The Scripture: Isaiah 43:2,3
"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.' "
18. What are some of the times the Lord will be there with us?
19. Why?
The Scripture: Romans 8:35, 37
"Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?.. No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.”
20. What else cannot separate us from the love of God?
21. What does Paul call us?
Jesus
All God's names are beautiful, but now we come to the most beautiful name of all - Jesus - the name by which Christians all over the world know Him, or as one evangelist has said, "God's other name."
The Scripture: Matthew 1:22
"An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.' "
22. What does the name Jesus mean?
The Scripture: Luke 2:11
When Jesus was born, angels appeared to the shepherds in the area, proclaiming:
"Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord."
23. How did the angels describe Jesus?
This was in fulfillment of prophecies given by the prophet Isaiah thousands of years before.
The Scripture: Isaiah 7:14
"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call Him Immanuel."
24. What was Isaiah's prophecy?
The name Immanuel means God with us. It referred to the coming of the Messiah.
The Scripture: Isaiah 9:6
"For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."
25. What were some of the names the "son" would be called?
Space limitations prevent us from further study of the names of God. Let us end our study with a precious promise from the book of Revelation.
The Scripture: Revelation 22:4
"They will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads."
26. What is God's promise?
Could anything be more wonderful! Someday we will wear God's name on our foreheads - God's name and all it reveals.
The Answers
- The Lord is Peace.
- His peace
- By prayer and petition, with thanksgiving
- Guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus
- It transcends all understanding.
- Peace with God through Jesus
- Steadfastly trusting in the Lord
- The Lord our Righteousness
- As filthy rags
- Our wisdom from God, our righteousness, holiness, and redemption
- Through faith in Jesus Christ
- He satisfied the wants of the sheep; He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness.
- As the good shepherd
- He knows His sheep and they know Him. He lays down His life for His sheep.
- He is the gate; whoever enters through Him will be saved.
- Life to the full
- The Lord is there.
- When we pass through the waters and through fires
- Because the Lord God is our Savior
- Trouble, hardship, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger, the sword
- More than conquerors through Him who loved us
- He will free His people from their sins.
- As a Savior
- A virgin would give birth to a son and name Him Immanuel.
- Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace
- His name will be on our foreheads.
All scripture quotations in this publication are from the Holy Bible, New International Version
(unless otherwise indicated)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, New International Bible Society
Copyright © 2001 by JoAnne Sekowsky