More than "just" a God...

It doesn't get more straightforward than this. El is the most basic Hebrew word for God or gods. It's derived from an ancient word meaning power or might. (The Arabic name Allah shares a similar linguistic origin.)

But here's the interesting thing: El is rarely used by itself in the Bible. It's found in place names (Bethel = house of God) and people's names (Samuel = God hears) and otherwise only in a few straightforward sentences. It's found most often in the book of Job - perhaps because Job was a man who sought to honour and obey God, but He didn't really know Him at first. The early chapters of Job contain some wrong understanding of what God is like.

In other parts of the Bible, El is more usually combined with another word that describes who God is. He's El Elyon - God most high. He's high above all the other, false so-called gods. Half a dozen times in the Old Testament He's referred to as the "God of gods." In previous blog posts this year, I've reflected on:  

• El Hai - the living God 
• El Shama - the God who hears
• El Roi - the God who sees
• El Haggadol - the great God
• El Shaddai - the all-powerful God
• El Olam - the eternal God
• El Nāśā - the forgiving God
• El Hanne'eaman - the faithful God
• El Yeshuati - the God who saves
• El Qadosh - the holy God

and there are many more that I'll meditate on over the coming weeks:

• El Echad - the one God
• El Emet - the God of truth
• El Deah - the God of knowledge
• El Racham - the compassionate God
• El Hakkavod - the God of glory
• El Shamayim - the God of heaven

It makes sense that we need a lot of different names to describe an infinite God, and I'm looking forward to reflecting on more of them over the next couple of months. I don't want to be like Job, who knew God only as El. I want to be a friend who draws close enough to discover the richness of who God truly is.

More tomorrow about El Elyon - God most high.