Names of God – Pt 6
(Psalm 69:30) – I will praise the name of God with song, and exalt Him with thanksgiving.
EL RACHAMIM – “The God Who Is MERCIFUL” or “The God of MERCY” (Deuteronomy 4:31)
We continue our series on knowing and loving God by getting to know Him through all His Names revealed in Scripture. Our next Name is a powerful and much needed Name of God for us and is found in Deuteronomy 4:31. It is a derivative of EL RACHUM – “The God of Compassion” from our last post. He is the God of Compassion because He is “EL RACHAMIM – The God Who Is MERCIFUL” or “The God of MERCY.”
Just as with the Israelites, we are in great need of His compassion but we would never receive it if it were not for His mercy. Mercy is defined simply as not receiving what we deserve. He proclaims in this text that He will never abandon, forget or destroy His people…even though that is what their sinful lives deserved…as do ours apart from Christ.
In rebellion, the Israelites deserved death and hell but God in His great mercy told them that whenever they would return to and seek Him, He would not abandon them but would forgive them and give them what they could never earn or deserve.
Apart from Christ we are all sinners who deserve Hell but EL RACHAMIM, in Christ, gives us mercy in salvation and eternal life with Him, something WE could never earn and don’t deserve. All who believe in Christ as Savior and Lord receive God’s mercy!
There are many texts in the New Testament where we see the mercy of God in Christ. I want to highlight three that show us that EL RACHAMIM is manifested to us because of Christ’s humble and sacrificial gift of mercy…
1) Romans 6:23 – we deserve death because of our sin but Christ has forgiven and freed us by paying the price and we mercifully don’t receive Hell and do receive eternal life in Him!
2) Ephesians 2:4-5 – continuing with this same concept, we were/are actually dead apart from Christ but freely made alive in Him as we believe in and accept His Mercy!
3) Romans 12:1 – In light of all that we have mercifully been spared from in Christ we are called to respond by giving ourselves back to God as a “living sacrifice”…because of His Mercy toward us!
El Hanne’eman – “The Faithful God” (Deuteronomy 7:9)
You may find our next Name of God is both comforting and at times, if we’re being honest, “frightening.” Why do I say that? Because this Name is “El Hanne’eman – The Faithful God” and is revealed in Deuteronomy 7:9 where God is telling the Israelites through Moses that He is The Faithful God and will be to all those who obey Him to a thousand generations, literally forever…now that’s faithfulness!
We can count on Him as He is Truthful and His Truth will never change…and that’s why at times it can be frightening. He is just as Faithful to give me the fruit of destruction when I choose to sow in the flesh as He is to give me the fruit of eternal life when I sow in His Spirit. He cannot be mocked and cannot lie…He is The Faithful God (Galatians 6:7-8)! In every situation, both good and bad, his Faithfulness is Loving!
Having already referred to His Faithfulness in the New Testament, we also see that Christ is called Faithful and True and will return someday with that very Name as we are told in Revelation 19:11-15.
Are you walking in The Spirit so that His Faithful response is bringing eternal life in and through you, even here and now? Or are you sowing in the flesh and reaping destruction and wondering why (understand the fear now?)? He is Faithful and everything He does is loving so choose His Spirit by His Grace through faith in Christ, the Faithful and True.
Can you truly say, “I know He is Faithful and will show me what I’m sowing and reaping because He loves me?”
EL HAGGADAL – “The Great God” (Deuteronomy 10:17)
Our final Name of God for this post is “EL HAGGADAL – The Great God” and is revealed in Deuteronomy 10:17. Here we find a recounting of God giving the second tablets of The Ten Commandments to Moses and the Israelites after the people had rebelled against Him and Aaron had led them in crafting a golden calf as their idol when God had given Moses the original tablets (Exodus 20).
God doesn’t pull any punches in letting them know Who He Is as He literally gives them a second chance with this second set of commandments, proving that He is both Faithful and Gracious.
He is gracious but He is no less GREAT and will not compromise, show any partiality, or consider any bribery to do so.
Christ as God in the flesh is seen as The Great God in Titus 2:13 in proclaiming God the Father and Son as one, “the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.”
An incredible mystery that we struggle to understand but as we continue to search out and study all the marvelous Names of God, we can be so thankful that Immanuel came in the flesh as “God with us” to redeem us, set us free and give us an eternity with Him. Now that’s a Great God!
Love and Lordship…Food for Thought – God is EL RACHAMIM – “The God Who Is MERCIFUL” or “The God of MERCY” and even though we don’t deserve it He gives us good things and watches over us. He will never leave or forsake us and even though we deserve nothing from Him He is merciful to pour His Love on us. He is El Hanne’eman – “The Faithful God” and that should be an incredible comfort to us as we walk with Him in a world that is increasingly opposed to and rejecting Him. He will be with us and do exactly what He says He will do. Finally, He is EL HAGGADAL – “The Great God”and we can count on His greatness because He never fails and never compromises!
Love and Lordship…Action Item –
- Read the Scriptures in this article and ask The Holy Spirit to teach you.
- Write down what each of the Names of God in this post mean to you.
- Choose one name from this article and describe how God has revealed Himself to you in this way.
- Which of the names in this post appeals the most to you and why?
Contact us at Love and Lordship to find out more about how you can know God the Father, Christ His Son and The Holy Spirit and The Lord God.
Check out this week’s Love & Lordship Mentoring Minute Video