Refuge Week 1: Elohim & El Elyon

Dear friends, I am thrilled to embark on a study of the Names of God with you. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower: the righteous run into it and are safe” (NASB95). He is our refuge! God’s names reveal His character. As we grow in the knowledge of who He is, we find His grace and strength in any situation.

“God [Elohim] is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, though the earth should change and though the mountains slip into the heart of the sea.”

Psalm 46:1-2 (NASB95)

The first name in our study is Elohim, which means” Mighty God. Elohim points to God as Creator. It is introduced to us in Genesis 1:1: “In the beginning, God [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth” (NASB95). The Hebrew construction of this name is fascinating. “El” is a common name for God, meaning “mighty (one), strong (strength).” The addition of the suffix “im” indicates plurality! “The use of the plural Elohim with the third-person singular, masculine form of the verb ‘created’ suggests plurality in the Godhead. In Genesis 1-2:4, Elohim is described as Creator 35 times in 35 verses” (PreceptAustin). I believe this is no coincidence! Inherent in the very grammar of the name Elohim, we see the Triune God, one God in three Persons. “Although the term ‘Trinity’ is not in the Bible, the creation [of the world] by Elohim supports the involvement of the ‘tri-unity’ of God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” (Precept Austin).

“But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the LORD their God [Elohim]. He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He keeps every promise forever.”

Psalm 146:5-6 (NLT)

Certainly, the Trinity is revealed in the Creation of the world. We see this clearly in Genesis 1:26a when He said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (NASB95). Although we see God the Father and God the Spirit present in the creation account (Genesis 1:1-2), John tells us that God the Son was also there. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-4 NASB95).

Knowing God as Creator challenges us to understand our purpose in life. God Himself revealed His purpose for mankind in Isaiah 43:7, “Bring all who claim Me as their God, for I have made them for My glory. It was I who created them” (NLT, emphasis added). Revelation 4:11 says, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created” (KJV, emphasis added). Do you realize that Elohim uniquely created you for His pleasure and glory? What an awesome truth! Sadly, because of sin, most people don’t realize the beauty of their God-given purpose. Before sin entered the world, man’s life was completely God-centered. After the Fall, however, man’s life became completely self-centered. Because of sin, man lost his purpose for living (Romans 5:12). Elohim restored our purpose by providing a Redeemer (see Romans 5:17-19). We see the first glimpse of this promised Redeemer in Genesis 3:15.

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (NKJV)

“Redemption was no last-minute thought, brought into being to meet an unexpected emergency. No sooner had sin entered the garden than God spoke of One who was to come and who was to bruise the serpent’s head…God thereby revealed that the sad turn of events had not taken Him by surprise, but that there was One in reserve to meet this very situation. Scripture calls Him the “Lamb slain from the foundations of the world” (Rev. 13:8), because with God, the remedy antedated the disease” (Roy Hession, We Would See Jesus, Kindle Loc. 223 of 1736).

Hallelujah, what a Savior! Before the punishment was ever announced to Adam and Eve, God spoke of His Son, who would ultimately bear that punishment on the cross, crushing the head of Satan and declaring victory in the resurrection. Once we receive this incredible gift of redemption by believing in Jesus, we become God’s beloved children. Our purpose has been reclaimed by Christ. Now we live to be in a right relationship with Him. We bring Him glory when we walk in fellowship with Him. We find our identity in Him, not in our career, our family, or ourselves. Glorifying God is not merely seen in outward acts of obedience. It involves an inward attitude of surrender, acknowledging Christ’s rightful place in our hearts. Glorifying God means that our lives reflect who He is! We are image bearers of the One who created us. We can’t live this way apart from Christ living His life in and through us. Are you fulfilling your God given purpose? Elohim, our Creator, deserves our worship (Romans 12:1-2).

He is not only Elohim, the Mighty God, but He is also El Elyon, the Most High God. This means that He is sovereign (in control) over everything that happens in our lives.

“The LORD has established His throne in the heavens, and His sovereignty rules over all.”

Psalm 103:19 (NASB95)

Several of God’s names begin with the prefix “El,” which in these cases is simply a shortened version of “Elohim” (gotquestions). “Elyon” is a “masculine noun meaning Most High, the Highest (Zodhiates, CWSB Dictionary H5945). Thus, El Elyon means God Most High. The first mention of El Elyon in the Bible is found in Genesis 14:18-19 when Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek. Verse 19 says, “He [Melchizedek] blessed him and said, ‘Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth” (NASB95, emphasis added). I love that Melchizedek expounds on this name by using the phrase “Possessor of heaven and earth.” You see, the Mighty God (Elohim) not only created the heavens and the earth, but He also owns and has dominion over that which He created.

Nebuchadnezzar praised El Elyon in Daniel 4:34-35, “But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High [El Elyon] and praised and honored Him who lives forever; for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and His kingdom endures from generation to generation. All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing [meaning they are nothing compared to Him], but He does according to His will in the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of earth; and no one can ward off His hand or say to Him, ‘what have You done?” (NASB95).

El Elyon is the God of gods. We see this exemplified in Jesus Christ, as Paul says in Philippians 2:9-11, “For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (NASB95). Again in Ephesians 2:20-23 he says, “which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (NASB95).

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Joseph. He went through so much (falsely accused, treated unjustly, etc.), yet He was quick to acknowledge God’s sovereignty over his life through it all! He told his brothers, “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:20 NASB95; see also Genesis 45:7-8).

Friend, we need to be reminded that God is in control! A.W. Tozer once said, “When it looks like things are out of control, behind the scenes there is a God who has not surrendered His authority” (Tozer, A Man of God). We can trust Him! What is happening in your life right now that is causing you to question His authority? Are you resisting Him because circumstances are uncomfortable or painful? What He desires from you is surrender. He wants your heart! It’s easy to surrender when we are happy and life is going our way. However, as soon as we feel the pressure of trials and tribulations, how quickly we forget that El Elyon is still on the throne. There is nothing that happens in our lives that He hasn’t allowed for a purpose. Because He is El Elyon, you can be confident that He is working for your good and His glory even when you can’t see it. What peace this brings the child of God!

In bowing to God as El Elyon, we glorify our Creator Elohim and fulfill our God-given purpose. When we lay our agendas at His feet, we experience His peace, knowing that He is in control and will bring all things together in alignment with His will.

Everything God does is defined by who He is. That’s why His names are important, so that we would know Him and trust His sovereign rule in our lives. “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28 NASB95).

Week 1 Reflections:

1. Read John 1:1-4 and Colossians 1:15-17. What do you learn about Jesus’ involvement in creation?
2. Read Genesis 1:31. What does it say about God’s creation? Now read Psalm 139:1-18. What do you learn about God’s creation of you and His sovereignty over your life?
3. Read Genesis 1:26-31. What do you learn about God’s creation of mankind? What do you learn specifically about gender? What does it mean to be an image bearer, and how does that fit with our purpose in life?
4. Read the following passages and note what you learn about God’s sovereignty: Daniel 2:20-23; Daniel 4:34-35; Isaiah 46:9-11; Isaiah 14:24, 27; Deuteronomy 32:39; 1 Samuel 1:5-6; Isaiah 45:6-7; 1 Samuel 2:6-10; Isaiah 45:6-7; John 19:10-11
5. Read Job 1:6-12; 2:1-10. What do you learn about God’s authority over Satan?
6. Read Genesis 45:7-8; 50:20. (If you’re not familiar with the story of Joseph, take some time to read Genesis 42-50). Do you have a Joseph story in your life? How does Joseph’s response help you see God’s sovereignty in your own story?

Journal Prompts:

As we close out this week’s study, how is God speaking to your heart? Is there anything specific that you need to confess to Him? 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Have you forgotten that God is in control of every situation? How is He using you within the situation to bring glory to His name? In what ways can you find refuge in God as Elohim and El Elyon?

Resources:

The Marcel Sternberger story (It Happened on the Brooklyn Subway) mentioned in the video was taken from Great Stories Remembered by Paul Deutschmark, edited and compiled by Joe L. Wheeler, Focus on the Family Publishers, December 1996.