Adonay, Adonai, YHWH
We love names.
Family names, sports team names, last names, first names, regional names, city, state, and even country names. Often these names mean and stand for something.
There are many names of God, but not in a first or last name sense, but rather each establishing an aspect of his character and supremacy.
The name Adonay, or Adonai is a declaration of the one true God. It has come to us from a name that was considered too sacred to even speak, YHWH.
Often when we ask someones name today, our follow up is to inquire about what that person does. What we do for work is usually the common answer today, but what we do for work is not always who we are.
This name of God isn’t what God does, it’s who God is. He is the one who is above any other created thing. He is different and completely set apart.
The first mention of this name in the Bible is found in Genesis 15:2 with Abraham, but later understood by the Israelites in the wilderness before entering the promise land.
In Deuteronomy 6:4-9 is known in Jewish tradition as the Shema. It is a prayer that is still said today, once in the morning and once in the evening, but it stems from Moses who gave this prayer as a reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness to the people.
There’s more to the story, though. Moses gave this right before they were crossing the Jordan to take captive Canaan. Why is this relevant? Moses has to die first and so did the first generation of Israelites who were free from Egypt. Why? Well, simply because of his disbelief. Moses was called out for taking his staff to bring forth water from the rock when God has only told him to speak to it. (Numbers 20:12 )
The Israelites were destined to wait until the entire first generation passed away because of their disbelief and ungrateful hearts. (Deuteronomy 1:35 )
Joshua, Moses predecessor, reminds this next generation of God’s requirements. He is asking for all of our heart, that we are solely allegiant to God and only God in all things. Joshua 3:5
He seeks covenant faithfulness. He gives us faithfulness and our overwhelming response to a God who is so holy, yet so intimately relational is simply to be Kadosh, or set completely apart from any other way of thinking or living.
No other God has been communicated of as being one with the people. There was always a separation, and at times we see God creating what seems to be a gap between the people and himself. It's not God who is distancing himself though. It’s the people, it’s us. He is who he is. We can’t change that and he never changes.
He would make himself out to be a liar if he did.
The Shema is also a reminder of God’s covenant faithfulness to us.
We can see through the text that at this point, Moses already knew his fate. He knew he was not going into the promised land because of his lack of faithfulness and it may seem like a tragedy to us.
Although it had been a long journey, God’s miracles and Moses’ interactions with him were innumerable. The plagues, the angel of death, the Passover, the Red Sea, manna, quail, water from a rock-twice, a burning bush, God directly taking to him, his face glowing after being on Sinai, the Ten Commandments, the second set of tablets. The list goes on, but he got ahead of himself. Either Moses got tired, arrogant, prideful or whatever the case may be, he took matters into his own hands. He took God’s place. He knew he had elevated himself as his own God, thus realizing it would be rightfully so he would not enter the promise land. However, Moses still reminded the people through the Shema prayer that God is the creator and originator of the covenant.
He never changes, he is and has always been faithful. Adonay means God is who he says he is. He is the Lord of Lords. There is no one like him, completely higher and set apart from all else.
Moses, before he dies, brings the people back to the beginning, reminding them of the one who existed before creation and exhorts them to remember him in their hearts always. He’s the same God that rescued them from slavery before they even knew who he was and they certainly didn’t do anything to earn the rescuing. He is the one who was, who is, and forever will be, the Great I Am. The name whose name is set apart from any other name.
Our simple response brings us back to Eden and the continued decision to eat from the tree of life or the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Are we our own god or do we know him as the God whose name itself is above all other names?
Although we are not bound by the law, the law is fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t abolish it as though God taught something that later wouldn’t matter, but to set forth for us as an example to live it out. He continues to remind us to love God above all else and his faithfulness to us supernaturally produces our faithfulness to him.
It is not simply something we give to God, but through our allegiance, we are guided to bear his image to those around us, thus glorifying the name that is above all names.
