It’s hard to believe I’m already at the end of week 2 (day 6). The time seems to have flown by but I’ve already learned so much.
1. I’m to look over the details of Isaiah 45:8-12 and read through my journal entry for week 2 day 5 to create a title out of the main idea.
Title: The Doubt Buster
Now Jen is having us look much closer at the details of these verses. She tells us to disconnect my mind from spitting out an easy answer and listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me.
a. Why is verse 8 worded as it is (“down” and “up” twice each)?
The NIV comes closest to the NASB, so I’m putting the NASBs version of the verse below:
“Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness spring up with it.
I, the Lord, have created it.”
I think maybe it’s because God is in heaven and He comes “down” to be with us, pouring His Holy Spirit down over us. He must come down to be with us. He pours over us His love. It washes down over us. As for the up, maybe it’s about lifting our praises up to God. That through what we do, what we say, they all rise up to meet Him and glorify Him when we live according to His plan and direction in our lives.
Is there significance there?
Yes, because I know I want to always be covered by the Holy Spirit. I want to feel like God is raining down over me. I want to always lift up praises to Him.
b. What names does God call Himself in this passage? Why?
NIV
Lord, because He is God
Maker, because He IS the Maker of all things. Nothing would be here today if He hadn’t created it. Think about that for a moment. I wouldn’t be here if not for Him.
Holy One, because He is not only the One, but he’s perfect. In the Bible dictionary for the word “holy” it says, “moral and ethical wholeness or perfection; freedom from moral evil. “Sanctification” or “godliness”.” This is God in a nutshell.
ICB
It also uses Lord, Maker, Holy One as well as:
God, because in the Bible dictionary it says, “the creator and sustainer of the universe who has provided humankind with a revelation of Himself through the natural world and through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The Voice
It also uses Holy One and Maker as well as:
Eternal or Eternal One, because He is the one who has no beginning, no middle, no end. He just is. The dictionary says, “without beginning or end, lasting forever; always existing; perpetual; ceaseless; endless; enduring; immutable (immutability – signifies something does not change, is unchangeable).”
In the Bible dictionary says immutability is “a characteristic of God signifying that He does not change in His basic nature. God does not “mutate” from being one kind of God to being another, nor is He subject to the limitations of time and space, since in Christ He upholds all things by the word of His power. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever more.”
God is all of this and so much more.
Other names of God. I found these from several different sources:
- Jehovah/Yahweh – from the verb “to be” meaning simply but profoundly “He is”, also “I am”. The One Who Is The Self-Existent One.
- Jehovah-Jireh/Yahweh-Jireh (Yireh) – The Lord Will Provide.
- Jehovah-Nissi/Yahweh-Nissi – The Lord is My Banner.
- Jehovah-Shalom/Yahweh-Shalom – The Lord is Peace.
- Jehovah-Shammah/Yahweh-Shammah – expresses the truth “The Lord is There”, The Lord My Companion.
- Jehovah-Tsebaoth – The Lord of Hosts
- Jehovah Elobe Yisrael – The Lord God of Israel
- El – important root name, usually said with a qualifier like Jehovah. For example El Shaddai means God Almighty; “The Strong One.”
- Elohim – the plural of El, but usually translated in the singular. It conveys the idea that the One Supreme Being, who is the only true God, is in the same sense plural. The All-Powerful One Creator.
- Branch of Righteousness
- King
- Shepherd
- Wisdom
- Servant
- Word of God
- Glory
- Father
- Adonai – The Lord My Great Lord.
- El Elohe Yisrael – God, the God of Israel.
- El Elyon – The God Most High.
- El Olam – The Eternal God; The Everlasting God.
- El Roi – The God Who Sees me.
- El Shaddai – The All Sufficient One, The God of the Mountains, God Almighty.
- Immanuel – God With Us, “I Am”. Refers to Jesus.
- Jehovah-Mekaddishkem/Yahweh-M’kaddesh/Yahweh-Maccaddeshcem – The Lord Who Sanctifies.
- Jehovah-Rapha – The Lord Who Heals.
- Jehovah-Rohi/Yahweh-Rohi – The Lord is My Shepherd.
- Jehovah-Sabaoth/Yahweh-Sabaoth – The Lord of Hosts, The Lord of Armies.
- Jehovah-Tsidkenu/Yahweh-Tsidkenu – The Lord Our Righteousness.
- Yah, or Jah – “I Am,” The One Who Is The Self-Existent One.
- Yhwh – “I Am,” The One Who Is The Self-Existent One.
- Alpha and Omega – The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. This title is given to God the Father and God the Son (Revelation 1:8; 21:6). The risen Christ calls Himself this in Revelation 22:13. By calling Jesus Christ this name, the writer of Revelation acknowledged that He is the Creator, the Redeemer, and the Final Judge of all things.
- Adonai – Lord, Master, Owner
- Jehovah-Raah – The Lord is my Shepherd
- Qanna – Jealous
- Yahweh-Elohim – LORD God
- El Elyon – Most High
- El-Gibhor – Mighty God
- Yahweh Elohim Yisrael – The Lord, the God of Israel
- Theos – He is the Only True God
- Kurios – Lord, stressing authority and supremacy
- Despotes – Master
- Yhwh Elohe Zeba’ot – God of Hosts
- Abba – Father
f. Why is this passage necessary?
Because we need to remember that while God says it’s okay to question Him, we need to remember to keep our doubts in check. I think it’s more about how if we start to believe our doubts we can fall away from God. We need to remember He is always there. He will take care of us no matter what happens in our lives.
(The names of God were found in one of the following places: “Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary”, www.blueletterbible.org/study/misc/name_god.cfm, www.gotquesitons.org/names-of-God.html, www.bible.org/article/names-god, www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11305-names-of-god, www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/namesofgod.html
What do you think? I'd love to hear your thoughts on what's been said. Thank you.