Knowing God by His Names ~ Lord 3

Knowing God by His Names – 3
 
                                        Lord –  Adonai  (Aw-doe-ni)
 
*   Genesis 15:1-19  (read this portion of scripture)
 
*  Key verse:   ‘Abram believed the LORD’ (verse 6)
 
Today’s Focus:  In the Old Testament, the name Adonai is translated – Lord – small letters (anytime LORD appears with all caps, this is Yahweh or Jehovah).  Lord signifies ownership or mastered by.  Those who acknowledged God as Adonai refer to themselves as servants (Ex. 32:13).  Lordship is declaring complete possession of God, and complete submission by us’. 1   It is giving Him perfect right to all that we are and have.
 
Adonai is plural, rendering as ‘my Lords’… again confirming the Trinity as seen in Elohim.  When Adonai (Lord) and Yahweh (LORD) occur together, the English translates it, ‘Lord, LORD’ – becoming confusing, many translate …LORD God or Sovereign LORD as seen in the NIV.
 
Man is born to worship and serve, yet we are designed and called to … serve One (Ex. 20:3,4).  Matthew 6:21 ‘no one can serve two masters’.  It is a lifestyle of obedience and bowing of heart that declares our servant hood to our Master.  Romans 6:16 ‘you are slaves to the one whom you obey’ and ‘a man is a slave to whatever masters him’ 2 Peter 2:19 (see also: 1 Cor. 4:12, 6:19,20; Ro. 12:1,6-8; Eph. 4:11-12; 1 Tim. 1:12).
 
For most of us, allowing God to become our Lord and Master is a process, we see this in today’s portion of scripture, where ‘Lord’ first appears.  Abram was continually learning of God’s character and care towards him and how to respond to this.  It is in this process… Abram ‘believed’ the LORD.
 
Study Questions:
 
1.  How would you describe the conversation between the Lord and Abram in verses 1-19?
 
 
 
 
2.  Do you suppose that Abram came to a point of ‘surrender’, where he now acknowledges his own in-sufficiency and declares God’s sufficiency?  Is there something in your own life that the Lord is calling you to surrender to His Lordship?Write out a brief prayer expressing your desire for this to happen.
   
   
 
 
 
3.  The Lord responds to Abram, with (I paraphrase) ”your childlessness presents no problem for Me’, He then takes him outside to show him the vastness of the stars, is there something the Lord is trying to show you?  Are you listening?  Watching?
 
 
 
 
Extended challenge question:
 
In your understanding of ‘Adonai’ how would you explain Matthew 7:21,22 to another?
 
 
 
 
Disclaimer:  It was my goal and intention to provide a ‘one page’ study, but due to the vast resources I am using and after all it is ‘God’ we are trying to come to a better understanding of… a one page, ‘just aint gonna happen’.
 
Resources used in this study: 1 Names of God – by Nathan Stone; Praying the Names of God – by Anne Spangler;  Knowing God by His names – by Dick Purnell;   Lord I Want to Know You – by Kay Arthur;  He Shall be Called – by Robert J. Morgan;  The Names of God – by Ken Hemphill;  The Trinity – By Jack Hayford; The Strong’s Concordance; The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old Testament; The Vines Expository Dictionary.
 
In Him, DeDe