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Volume. XXXVI, No. 23 Elohim – Mighty God We live in a world where many believe in false gods and promote these man-made religions. Elohim, which means "God", is the great revelation that God of the Bible is the One and only God. There is but one God who alone is true. It is the first of God's names used in the Hebrew Bible. The name "Elohim" is translated as God in our English Bible. The opening statement of the Holy Scripture reveals this name of God. "In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen 1:1). The word "God" is translated here as "Elohim." It was the Elohim who spoke the universe into existence. It was by the words of the Elohim that the world was framed (Heb 11:3). It is, therefore, appropriate that God should reveal Himself first as Elohim to bring light out of darkness, order out of chaos, meaning out of emptiness, and life in His image.
The name Elohim is derived from two Hebrew roots. The first part of it 'El means "all-powerful". It has the idea of having extended control or sustaining power. So "El" means mighty or strong. It is used to describe the power of God. For example, "God [El] brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn" (Num 23:22). The ending of the name "Elohim", ‘im’, is plural. The suffix of the word, ‘im’, is the Hebrew plural, like 's' in our English words. This name also refers to God's incredible power and might. The name means God is a true God, and He is Supreme. The name Elohim occurs more than 2,250 times in the Bible. Elohim sums up God's divine nature, which is one true mighty God that is triune. Elohim refers to the "deity" of God Himself as true God. Elohim is used to express God's creative and sovereign power.
Right at the very beginning of Genesis, through the name Elohim, God gives us a hint of the Trinity. Although the term Trinity is not in the Bible, the creation of all things by Elohim supports the Trinity or the "tri-unity" of God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God [Elohim] said, “Let us [plural pronoun] make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen 1:26). If we compare Scripture with Scripture, we know that our Lord Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, also created the universe (John 1:3; Col 1:16), and so did God the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity (Gen 1:2). This means that the Holy Spirit and Christ are included in Elohim.
Elohim and its trinitarian implications is interesting in this revelation of God. Without a doubt, the use of Elohim is in line with the great doctrine of the Triune Godhead. There is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, and yet the Holy Three are one in power, sovereignty, and glory. That's why Elohim, the plural form of the noun, is used as a noun, adjective, or pronoun, but the following verb is always singular. For example, "In the beginning, God [Elohim] created [singular verb] the heaven and the earth" (Gen 1:1). It is also significant that in Isaiah, God pronounced, "I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God [Elohim] beside Me [singular pronoun]" (Isa 45:5). As surely as Elohim is a plurality, it is also a unity.
God has revealed Himself as Elohim the most in the creation story in Genesis. Elohim created everything just by the power of His word, completely out of nothing. This name for God is used more than 30 times in the 1st chapter of Genesis. It is Elohim Who spoke the universe into existence. God's wise and grand power is not just in creating everything but also in the wise arrangement of things for our good and His glory alone. Elohim dispelled the darkness, separated the oceans from the land, planted the Eden Garden, provided Eve to Adam, and gave Adam a mission to name the animals and the ability to work in the garden. As we consider the name of God Elohim, let us remember Elohim gives real meaning to our lives for it "God [Elohim] created man in His own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them." (Genesis 1:27). Because God [Elohim] created us and all things, we exist to exalt Him. Revelation 4:11 "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." When we give glory to Elohim, we are fulfilling the very purpose for which we were made. Psalm 115:1 "Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake."
Elohim is revealed as the God to the nation of Israel. Elohim to Israel and us is a reminder that God is omnipresent and omnipotent. It is a reminder that the God who created all things out of nothing is trustworthy and will see them through as a nation. While the surrounding nations believed in multiple gods and pagan worship, Israel worshipped the one and true God, Elohim. God has created you and called you. He is the Elohim above all other Elohim. For Israel, this name means their God Elohim could be trusted when they walked through the Red Sea on their wilderness journey or when facing fierce enemies. Remember that our God Elohim made everything, including Israel and us, with a purpose.
Elohim has a specific plan and a purpose for us and will accomplish it. We are designed by God to have a holy relationship with Him and to love and glorify Him. Seeing Elohim’s greatness let us respond like the psalmist in Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” God reveals, and we have to respond to our Elohim. He says, "Obey my voice, and I will be your God [Elohim], and ye shall be my people" (Jer 7:23). And I trust that we may respond as David did, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God [Elohim]; in him will I trust" (Psalm 91:2). Always remember God keep His promises and must be trusted.
So let us joyfully trust Elohim to tenderly care for you and your family’s needs. God can bring order out of chaos. We can rely on His power to face life's difficulties (Isaiah 40:26-31). Elohim was sovereign over all in Job's life (Job 42:2, 4-6). Our Elohim meets us at our point of need or trials and will provide the needed assurance. God is the only one who is worthy to be worshipped. God, who made everything out of nothing, can also be trusted in crisis moments. Nothing is impossible with Him. For He alone is God and the sovereign one. So let us bow low before Elohim, the Creator, and the strong and mighty one in worship and live a holy life of obedience.
Rev Mathews Abraham |
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