LORD

There is something uplifting about discovering a new truth in God's Word. It's like being an archaeologist and finding a clue to the location of an ancient lost city. Or like piecing together clues on a treasure map to find hidden treasure!!

The Bible, in its compiled form, has been in this world for nearly 2,000 years. It has been in MY life since I received my first one back in Iowa nearly 60 years ago. The only problem was I never read it. I never read the Bible until I was in my 50's. Perhaps that's one of the reasons I fell away from the faith during college. Sad.

I ran across something interesting the other day, not while reading the Bible, but by reading a book by Tony Evans called Kingdom Man.

About half way through the first chapter there is a sub heading entitled God's Authority. That is where a new truth was revealed to me. Doctor Evans was writing about who God is and why the the Bible is written the way it is, in terms of God's identity. Open your Bibles to the Book of Genesis, Chapter one, verse one.

"In the beginning, God . . ."

Notice how the word God is spelled - capital "G", small "o" and"d." In Hebrew, God, spelled this way, is Elohim, which means "Creator God." God is referred to by the name Elohim while He is creating the universe, the animals, etc. Always spelled G-o-d.

Now skip ahead to when Adam comes onto the scene. Genesis 2, verse 4, after the heading Adam and Eve. How is God referred to in THIS verse? Now God is written of as "LORD God." Now there are two words to describe God and the first one, LORD, is all caps! Why?? What does that mean?

LORD, with all caps, means Yahweh (master and absolute ruler) and we already know that God means Creator. So now God is referred to as not only the Creator but He is Adam's master and absolute ruler.

Things were good in the garden up to this point. God was Adam's master and absolute ruler. Chapter 3 now, verse 1 . . . The Fall.

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”"

Did you catch the change? Satan is only referring to God as "the Creator," NOT as his "master and absolute ruler." Satan is not giving God the respect He deserves. So, what else is new, right? But look what happens next in verse 2 & 3.


"2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, . . ."

Oh my . . . Eve has already demoted God, her LORD God, to just a simple G-o-d. God is no longer her "master" or her "absolute ruler." So . . . who is? I'll give you one guess. Satan. And Eve hasn't even taken a bite out of the apple yet!

Eve sinned BEFORE she even did anything! She sinned in her mind and in her heart when she thought of herself before her LORD God. Eve and Satan referred to God as simply the "Creator." They never refer to God as their "master and absolute ruler."

And Adam? He doesn't mention God by name at all. He didn't know what to think it seems. We never, EVER had it right.

Is God simply "God" in your life? The Creator? Or is He "Yahweh Elohim?" - your "Master and Absolute Ruler?"

I wonder. If the New Testament would have been written in Hebrew, would we have seen a translation of "LORD God" when referring to Jesus? As it is, Jesus is referred to simply as "Lord" in the New Testament. Make Him Yahweh Elohim, "absolute ruler" of your life today.

Agnus Dei by Michael W. Smith