DIVINE EPITHETS
(Geographic Nouns)
(Geographic Nouns)
Dr. Paul Manuel—2005
In addition to the name of God and the most common titles He bears, there are times when God's people experience His intervention in their lives and underscore the significance of that divine involvement by coining a new title, one that expresses the particular way the LORD acts. Often these titles are made by joining the divine name to a descriptive word or phrase. Several such combinations become names of places that commemorate something He did there. In each case, the title describes a God involved in the lives of His people.
In Genesis 22, Abraham and his son Isaac were ascending Mt. Moriah to worship the LORD. On the way, the boy asked a pertinent question: "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" To which Abraham replied, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." (Gen 22:7b-8a); literally, "God will see [to it]." God, of course, did provide (ram), and this experience so impressed Abraham that he used his earlier response to Isaac to name the place (although with one change): "The LORD sees", because the LORD saw and provided.
In Exodus 17, the Amalekites attack Israel, as God's people make their way through the wilderness. The Israelite soldiers need encouragement in battle, some indication that He who brought them out of Egypt is still with them. Moses stands on a nearby hill and holds aloft the staff of God, by which he divided the Red Sea. As long as the soldiers could see the staff, the battle went well. If Moses tired and dropped his hands, however, the battle would turn against Israel, so Aaron and Hur support Moses' arms until the Israelites defeat the Amalekites. To commemorate the victory, Moses builds an altar and calls it: The LORD is my battle standard "because [my] hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD" (Exod 17:15-16).
After the people entered Canaan, they strayed from God and, in Judges 6, He uses marauding Midianites to discipline them. The Israelites cry out for relief, and God appoints a man to deliver them: Gideon. When the angel of the LORD appears with that divine commission, though, Gideon is skeptical and requests a sign to prove that this is really the LORD speaking. The angel instructs him to bring a sacrifice and to put it on a nearby rock. Gideon complies and steps back to watch, first in surprise, then in dread, as the angel touches the sacrifice and fire immediately consumes it. Gideon is terrified! Why? "I have seen the LORD face to face," he says. "It's over. I'm about to die." But the angel's response to him is "Peace. Do not be afraid; you are not going to die" (Judg 6:23). At the close of this encounter, a much-relieved Gideon builds an altar there and calls it: The LORD is peace.
During the reign of King Josiah, Jeremiah appealed to the northern (Israelite) tribes to repent, calling on them to return to proper worship in Jerusalem. The authority of the sanctuary there lay in its housing the ark of the covenant, which people regarded as the throne of the LORD. In the last days, however, God says that the city will possess even greater authority and prestige.
Later in his life, the prophet Jeremiah was grieving over the failure of Judah's leaders to govern the people with righteousness. Lacking proper guidance, the people had strayed from the LORD and now faced the punishment of exile. Jeremiah wonders if there will ever come a time when God's people have righteous leaders. In response, the LORD comforts the prophet with these words, this time applying His name not to a place but to a person.
In Genesis 22, Abraham and his son Isaac were ascending Mt. Moriah to worship the LORD. On the way, the boy asked a pertinent question: "The fire and wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" To which Abraham replied, "God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." (Gen 22:7b-8a); literally, "God will see [to it]." God, of course, did provide (ram), and this experience so impressed Abraham that he used his earlier response to Isaac to name the place (although with one change): "The LORD sees", because the LORD saw and provided.
In Exodus 17, the Amalekites attack Israel, as God's people make their way through the wilderness. The Israelite soldiers need encouragement in battle, some indication that He who brought them out of Egypt is still with them. Moses stands on a nearby hill and holds aloft the staff of God, by which he divided the Red Sea. As long as the soldiers could see the staff, the battle went well. If Moses tired and dropped his hands, however, the battle would turn against Israel, so Aaron and Hur support Moses' arms until the Israelites defeat the Amalekites. To commemorate the victory, Moses builds an altar and calls it: The LORD is my battle standard "because [my] hands were lifted up to the throne of the LORD" (Exod 17:15-16).
After the people entered Canaan, they strayed from God and, in Judges 6, He uses marauding Midianites to discipline them. The Israelites cry out for relief, and God appoints a man to deliver them: Gideon. When the angel of the LORD appears with that divine commission, though, Gideon is skeptical and requests a sign to prove that this is really the LORD speaking. The angel instructs him to bring a sacrifice and to put it on a nearby rock. Gideon complies and steps back to watch, first in surprise, then in dread, as the angel touches the sacrifice and fire immediately consumes it. Gideon is terrified! Why? "I have seen the LORD face to face," he says. "It's over. I'm about to die." But the angel's response to him is "Peace. Do not be afraid; you are not going to die" (Judg 6:23). At the close of this encounter, a much-relieved Gideon builds an altar there and calls it: The LORD is peace.
During the reign of King Josiah, Jeremiah appealed to the northern (Israelite) tribes to repent, calling on them to return to proper worship in Jerusalem. The authority of the sanctuary there lay in its housing the ark of the covenant, which people regarded as the throne of the LORD. In the last days, however, God says that the city will possess even greater authority and prestige.
Jer 3:14 "Return, faithless people," declares the LORD, "for I am your husband. I will choose you—one from a town and two from a clan—and bring you to Zion. 15 Then I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will lead you with knowledge and understanding. 16 In those days, when your numbers have increased greatly in the land," declares the LORD, "men will no longer say, 'The ark of the covenant of the LORD.' It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor will another one be made. 17 At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the LORD and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the LORD. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts. 18 In those days the house of Judah will join the house of Israel, and together they will come from a northern land to the land I gave your forefathers as an inheritance.Ezekiel was a priest as well as a prophet, but as part of the exiled community in Babylon he did not have the opportunity of ministering in the Jerusalem temple. Not that it mattered much, for the temple had become so defiled by pagan customs that the Shekinah, the physical manifestation of God's presence, had departed. Was this the end? Would the LORD never again live among His people? Later in his life, God gives the prophet a glimpse of the Messianic Age, which he records at the end of his book. Then, the city of Jerusalem will be beautifully rebuilt, and in its midst will stand a magnificent temple, and in that temple the Shekinah will again reside. In the final chapter, Ezekiel, the priest, closes with these words: "[T]he name of the city from that time on will be: The LORD is there".
Later in his life, the prophet Jeremiah was grieving over the failure of Judah's leaders to govern the people with righteousness. Lacking proper guidance, the people had strayed from the LORD and now faced the punishment of exile. Jeremiah wonders if there will ever come a time when God's people have righteous leaders. In response, the LORD comforts the prophet with these words, this time applying His name not to a place but to a person.
Jer 23:3 "I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing," declares the LORD. 5 "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. 6 In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD [is] Our RighteousnessThe joining of God's name to a descriptive noun marks what the LORD has done or will do for His people. Each phrase serves to remind them not only about the event that produced it but about the character of God, about the divine attribute which leads Him to act on their behalf.
- "The LORD sees," for He is omniscient and knows what His people need.
- "The LORD is my battle standard," for He is omnipotent and protects His people from harm.
- "The LORD is peace," for He is loving and treats His people with undeserved benevolence.
- "The Throne of the LORD," for He is faithful and will invest His city with great prestige.
- "The LORD is there," for He is forgiving and will restore His presence to the temple.
- "The LORD [is] our righteousness," for He is just and will rule His kingdom with absolute equity.
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