Adonai and Sabaoth
To end our series we'll be looking at two last names.The first is Adonai which means "my Lord" and in the NIV is often translated "Sovereign."
As a young Christian I worked with another youth leader in the church. When he talked about Lord, he always talked about "the Boss." This was never flippant, but absolutely serious - I have seldom met someone who was so willing to be led, guided and prompted by God even when it was hard. One night, at a youth service, when we were invited to bring a symbolic offering to the Lord, my friend, simply put his bunch of keys on the altar: "My house, my car, my office - it's all Yours Boss!"
That's what calling God "Adonai" means.
Interestingly, because the Jews felt that the Covenant Name "Yahweh" (YHWH) was too holy to speak or read out loud, they would substitute another God-name when they were reading the Scriptures. The name they read was Adonai.
One last thought: There are nearly 300 times that "Yaweh"/"Adonai" and "Elohim" are combined with the Hebrew word "Sabaoth" which means "of hosts" or "of armies". This name denotes His absolute sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly. The Lord of Hosts is the king of all heaven and earth.
It's on this triumphant and victorious note that we end our series on the Names and Attributes of God - I hope it has been a blessing.
| David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (1Sam 17:45) Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and he said: |
P.S. On Monday we switch to our Month of Mission where we will be getting devotions from various ministers in the Presbyterian Church on the theme of Mission. I pray you will find it a great blessing.
