Behold, God is my salvation;

I will trust, and not be afraid

for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song;

He also is become my salvation.

Isa 12.2 KJV

JEHOVAH: THE COVENANT NAME

We often refer to a person's reputation as his "good name."

When a company is sold, often the right to use the company's name is included in the sale. The Hebrew concept of the importance of a name is similar, conveying the nature and essence of the person or thing named, including its history and reputation.

WHAT SHOULD I CALL YOU?

We see in Ex. 3:13-22 that when Moses asks God what His name is, he is not asking "what should I call you." He is asking "who are you? What are you like? What have you done?" Kevin Conner says that to understand a name in Hebrew does not mean simply to be acquainted with it but to have experience and history with the person to whom the name belongs. We know this is true by how God responds, saying that He is eternal, He is the God of our ancestors, He sees our suffering and heals and delivers us.

Jehovah is the covenant name of God. It occurs 6,823 times in the Old Testament. It is first used in Gen. 2:4. It literally means to be or to live. Further, it means The Self-Existent One, I Am Who I Am and I Will Be Who I Will Be.

Because a name contains the reputation of the person or thing named, we should treat the name with the same respect as its reputation. Therefore, God's Names, in all of their forms, deserve enormous respect and reverence.

WHAT IS OUR RELATIONSHIP?

The covenant name of Jehovah focuses on God's lovingkindness and mercy. This name is used in combination with other names or phrases that refer to how He has moved and will move to redeem those that are his. Here are some examples:

JEHOVAH-JIREH: The Lord will Provide. Gen. 22:14. From jireh (to see or to provide). God always provides at the right time.

JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU: The Lord Our Righteousness. Jer. 23:5, 6, 33:16. From tsidek (full weight, justice, right, righteous, declared innocent.) God our Righteousness.

JEHOVAH-M'KADDESH: The Lord Who Sanctifies. Lev. 20:8. Means to make whole and set apart for holiness.

JEHOVAH-SHALOM: The Lord Our Peace. Judges 6:24. Shalom. Is translated peace 170 times. Means whole, finished, fulfilled, perfected. Is related to well, welfare. Deut. 27:6; Dan. 5:26; I Kings 9:25 8:61; Gen. 15:16; Ex. 21:34, 22:5, 6; Lev. 7:11-21. Shalom refers to the kind of peace that results from being a whole person in right relationship with God and one's fellow man.

JEHOVAH-ROPHE: The Lord Who Heals. Ex. 15:22-26. From rophe (to heal); implies spiritual, emotional and physical healing. (Jer. 30:17, 3:22; Isa. 61:1) God heals body, soul and spirit.

JEHOVAH-NISSI: The Lord Our Banner. Ex. 17:15. God in battle. From a word that means to glisten, to lift up. See Psalm 4:6.

JEHOVAH-ROHI: The Lord Our Shepherd. Psa. 23. From ro'eh (to pasture).

There is hope for your future:
I love you with an everlasting love,

I am drawing you with loving kindness,

I will lead you beside streams of water
on a level path, where you will not stumble.

I will turn your mourning into gladness,
I will give you comfort and joy instead of sorrow.

Jer 31:3, 9, 13, 17 personalized

HOW IS COVENANT ESTABLISHED?

GOD SETS CONDITIONS, CALLS MAN

For covenant relationships to be established, all parties need to understand and fulfill their part of the covenant agreement. God initiated each Biblical covenant by setting the conditions and then calling man to enter into it.

Scripture clearly states that man must "enter into covenant." Isa 56:4,6 says that man must "take hold of the covenant."

KEEPING COVENANT

We saw previously (click here) that God initiates covenant to demonstrate his love, grace and mercy to man. It is his way of commiting himself to personal relationship with those that are his. Covenant is also how God expresses his will and purpose for man.

Once covenant is made, God requires man to "keep the covenant." This language may be unfamiliar to us, but it is very scriptural. To keep the covenant is to remember it and to consistently and continually live by its terms. Man has the responsibility to commit himself fully to the covenant God calls him into through faith and obedience. The blood of Christ is the only cleansing agent for sin.

See Gen 9:15, 16; Deut 29:1, 9, 12; 2 Chron 15:12; Psa 103:17-18, 111:5; Jer 34:10; Lk 11:52, John 6:28, 29; Rom 5:12-21; Heb 3-4, 11:8.

We see things not as they are, but as we are.

-Anonymous Proverb


When I'm looking at others and judging them,
I'm really just looking at myself (and my standard),
instead of actually knowing and responding to the other person.

-David Danielson
Sermon: What Does Koinonia Look Like?
Romans 14:1 - 15: 7
October 7 - 8, 2006

How can we be secure in an environment of great change?

The answer is: our security is in the covenant nature of God. He is a covenant-making, covenant-keeping God (see Deuteronomy 7:2-9)...

Covenant between God and man is His oath sealed in blood, a bond that makes us one with Him. It is sharing the life and purpose of God, under His sovereign administration. Our security is in the assurance that He keeps His covenant Word to us. It is not in circumstance, and certainly not in our ability to always be right or do right...

God sets His affection upon the people of His choice in order to express Himself to all people... Covenant is never an end; it is always a means to an end...the accomplishment of His will.

- Charles Simpson
Excerpt, Pastoral Letter 9/99

GOD OF COVENANT

GOD RELATES THROUGH COVENANT

When we look at our Bible we see it divided into two parts, each representing a major covenant from God. We call these divisions the Old Testament and the New Testament. But why does God make covenant? And what does that mean to you and me?

Kevin Conner and Ken Malmin in their book The Covenants see a progression of nine covenants in Scripture that reveal our God as a covenant-making God throughout man’s history. Not everyone agrees that there are nine covenants, but my goal is to gain a better understanding of covenant by considering the events listed in this book. Because covenant is how God relates to man, we will also be learning more about the nature of God.

This article will consider background information. Future articles will look at specific covenants.

WHAT IS COVENANT?

Modern society doesn’t really understand the meaning of covenant, especially its emphasis on the shedding of blood. The English meaning of covenant assumes a mutual understanding between two or more parties that bind themselves to carry out specific obligations. In some cases only one party assumes obligation. The Hebrew word used in the Old Testament for covenant, Beriyth, refers to a compact or pact and involves passing between pieces of flesh. In the New Testament there are two words used for covenant, but only one of them is used for God’s dealing with men. This is the Greek word kiatheke and it means “a disposition, arrangement, testament or will.”

WHO INITIATES COVENANT?

Throughout scripture we see that it is never man who approaches God and asks for a covenant. God is always the initiator. Considering this, the simplest way to understand covenant is to think of it as a contract drawn up by God and presented to man to accept or reject “as is.” Although the covenant is for the benefit of man, he is not allowed to change or amend it. God is the all-wise Creator and man is his creation. Covenant is evidence of His love toward man.