He purifies us and makes us holy

Wait a minute! Didn't I already meditate on this name at the beginning of February?

No, that was El Qadosh, the Holy God. Qadosh and Qadash might sound almost the same, but there's a subtle difference in meaning. Qadosh is an adjective, meaning holy or sacred, while qadash is a verb, meaning to sanctify or to make holy.

We read in the Bible that God made the sabbath day holy - meaning He consecrated it and set it apart for a specific purpose. We also read in Exodus that the tabernacle, the altar and the priests were "sanctified." But where it gets more radical is when God speaks to the people as a whole, telling them, "I am Yahweh Qadash - the Lord who makes you holy." (Ex 31: 13, Lev 20: 8)

Although it's God who sanctifies, there are also a surprising number of verses where the people are told to,"Sanctify yourselves..." - for example, in Joshua 3: 5, where Joshua tells the people, "Sanctify yourselves" (or consecrate/purify yourselves, depending on your Bible translation) because tomorrow the Lord will do great wonders among you."

That doesn't mean that we can become holy by our own efforts. When we look more closely at those Old Testament verses, we discover that it's more about consecrating ourselves for God's sake and getting rid of anything that would defile us.  Sometimes the people were asked to wash their clothes or their body, sometimes they offered sacrifices for sin; they were asked to observe the sabbath and follow dietary restrictions that involved not eating "unclean" animals. It also meant abstaining from certain sexual practices, and getting rid of idols, witchcraft, mildew and other things that would defile them. Interestingly, a few times in the writings of Ezekiel, qadash is simply translated as, "prepare." It's about preparing and purifying ourselves for the Lord.

We have a part to play, but God's part is much bigger. Our part is to recognise and confess sin; God's part is to forgive and cleanse from sin (Greek katharizō, as in 1 John 1: 9) and to make us holy. (Greek hagiazō, as in 1 Cor 6:11 or 1 Thess 5: 23) 

The New Testament writer to the Hebrews concludes his letter by reminding them that Jesus shed his blood to "make us holy." (Heb 13: 12)  He did His part first, and when we do our part we can enter into the benefit of that. He is still Yahweh Qadash today.

Love personified

This one is so familiar to us that we're inclined to miss how radical it is. Even non-believers have heard that, "God is love," or that, "God so loved the world," and it's perhaps in danger of becoming a religious slogan, rather than a mind-blowing, life-changing truth.

"Yahweh Elohim Ahavah - the Lord your God loves you," is a phrase that appears several times in the Old Testament. This was a revolutionary idea because the gods of ancient peoples were distant and untouchable; they didn't have love for mere human beings. The word ahavah appears three times in Jeremiah 31: 3 - 

"I have loved you with an everlasting love, and drawn you to myself with lovingkindness."

The New Testament picks up the theme, of course, and Jesus demonstrated it: that our God is a God who loves us; in fact, His love encompasses everyone in the world. It's a strong theme in John's first letter, where he even goes as far as to say, "Theos esti Agapē - God is Love." Not just that God loves or that He is loving, but that His very being personifies for us what love is.

🧡 No, the heart shaped lake in the photo isn't AI. It's actually Lough Ouler in Co. Wicklow, Ireland, and I believe the photo credit goes to Mark McGuire.
 

What's this about Fire ?

Yesterday I meditated on four different names of God that overlapped or were similar to names I've already studied over the past two months. Today's name, however, was something completely different, and I confess that I didn't expect my writing about it would fill four whole pages in my journal.

If I were to play a word association game, asking people what thoughts and feelings are evoked by the word fire, I suspect the answers would mostly be positive: warmth, light, security, comfort, home... Fire (the Hebrew word is 'ēš and the Greek word is pyr ) is probably a neutral or positive concept for most people - unless you lost your home in a house fire or you were once burned and badly injured by a flame.

Throughout scripture, fire often symbolises God's presence - such as when He appeared to Moses in the burning bush. (Exodus 3: 2, which clearly says that the bush burned with fire - 'ēš - but was not consumed - 'ākal).

One of the ways that God led His people during forty years in the wilderness was by a pillar of fire - 'ammûd 'ēš - at night. Exodus 13: 21 specifically says that this was, "to give them light," but I can imagine that it also gave them warmth during the cold desert nights, and gave them the comfort of knowing that He was guiding them - that they weren't lost or alone.

After three months of following the pillar of fire, the people gather at the foot of Mount Sinai, where God is going to give them His Law. Exodus 19: 18 tells us that God descended on the mountain in fire: there was lots of smoke and also an earthquake.

I can imagine that this time the sight was quite scary. These people had probably never heard of a volcano, but the sight of this burning, shaking mountain must have evoked a similar sense of awe and apprehension. Verse 16 says that they were trembling.

But, however awe-inspiring the sight, this was still not a "consuming fire" - akal esh. The mountain was not burned up or destroyed.

This phrase or name, consuming fire, is found only three times in the Bible: in Deut 4: 24, where the people are being warned against idolatry; in Deut 9: 3, where they are about to cross the Jordan and God is promising to drive out and destroy the wicked, idolatrous peoples who currently occupy Canaan; and in Hebrews 12: 29, where the writer is probably quoting one of the Old Testament scriptures, and the context is that God will one day shake the heavens and earth so that the shakeable is removed and only the unshakeable remains. Verse 28 says that we are being given an unshakeable kingdom.

So, knowing that God is a Consuming Fire - Akal Esh should be a reason for awe and respect, but not for fear. The verb 'ākal simply means to eat, to devour or consume, and when speaking of fire it usually refers to God's burning up of impurity and evil. In 1 Cor 3, for example, we are urged to be careful how we build our lives because our work will be "tested by fire" and the worthless things will be consumed. We're told, however, that the believer will still be saved, even if he or she loses some worthless building stuff in the fire. 

So, the Consuming Fire is for destroying evil, not for destroying people. The only times it's a threat to people is when they're deeply entrenched in rebellion, idolatry and wickedness. This is what is being referred to in Deut 9: 3 and Ex 32: 10. Yet, even in that Exodus account, after the golden calf episode, God is glad to answer Moses' prayer and not to consume the people, even though they deserved it.

When "tongues of fire" fell on the believers in Acts chapter 2, the flames did not consume them, but rather empowered them and gave them boldness to share their faith. This is probably also what John the Baptist was referring to (in Matt 3: 11 and Luke 3: 16) when he said that Jesus would baptise believers "with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

So, knowing God as Akal Esh is not something to be dreaded but something to be embraced: He is able to eliminate all the impurities that hinder us in life, so that we emerge refined like gold, with nothing to be ashamed of.

Royal Majesty - King of Kings

One of the biggest mistakes the people of Israel ever made was when they rejected God's kingship and demanded to have a human king like all the pagan nations around them... but despite this fundamental error, there were still some times in the early days when they remembered and proclaimed God's majesty - His right to reign over their lives and their nation.

One of those times was when King David and the people had been gathering in gold, silver and precious stones for the building of a future temple where Yahweh would be worshipped. In an outpouring of thankfulness, David prayed, "Yours, oh Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory and the majesty (hôd), for everything in heaven and earth is Yours. Yours is the Kingdom (the right to be King) and You are exalted as head above all... You reign over all... in Your hand is power and might." (1 Chronicles 29: 11 - 12)

In both the Old and New Testaments, two different words are used for God's majesty: one is used as a name, referring to His sovereign authority, as when it's written in Hebrews that Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. The other name in each case is used more like an adjective, referring to His glory, splendour and magnificence. We find this second understanding when the psalmists describe Him as "clothed in majesty," or the apostle Peter writes that they were, "eyewitnesses of His majesty." (1 Pet 1: 16)

The prophet Jeremiah takes the first understanding of Majesty even further, by referring to God not only as Israel's King, but also as Melek Haggoyim - King of the nations (Jer 10: 7) and this is echoed in several of the Psalms:

Psalm 22: 27 - 28 - All the families of the nations will worship before You, for kingship belongs to the Lord and He rules over the nations.

Psalm 47: 8 - God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His holy throne.

When the redeemed believers in Revelation 15: 3 - 4 proclaim, "Just and pure are your ways, oh King of the nations... all nations will come and worship before You..," the Greek is Basileus hagios, which more literally means King of the saints or King of the consecrated ones. He is King in an even more meaningful way in the live of those who actually chose to make Him their King.

But then, at the end of time (Rev19: 16) Christ appears under another name: Basileus basileōn - King of Kings. As Paul told the Philippians, one day every knee will bow and every tongue will need to confess that He is Lord of lords. Even the kings, queens, presidents and prime ministers who never acknowledged His authority during their lifetime will one day have to recognise that He truly does hold ultimate authority in our universe.

It is so much wiser to choose His kingship now and know Him as Baslieus hagios before encountering Him as Balileus basileōn.

God is Spirit

Spirit or Holy Spirit is one of the most common names of God. That's Rûah ha Qadosh in the Old Testament and Pneuma Hagion in the New Testament. Jesus Himself said (John 4: 24) that God is Spirit; He doesn't have a physical body like a mere human being would. That's why Jesus told his earthly disciples that He needed to leave them so that the Spirit could come to be with them. As long as Jesus was on earth, He had the limitations of a human body: He could only be in one place; He couldn't be in Jerusalem and Capernaum at the same time. But the Holy Spirit is omnipresent: everywhere at the same time. As David proclaimed in Psalm 139: 7, No matter where we go, God the Spirit is there.

Yesterday and today, I meditated on dozens of scriptures in both Old and New Testament that tell us

Who the Holy Spirit is and what He does: He makes us holy; He builds godly character in us; He gives us boldness to share our faith; He brings freedom; He gives us unity; He gives us love and wisdom; He helps us to pray; He reassures us we are God's children; He anoints us for tasks; He helps us know what to pray...

The same Spirit who was there at creation (Gen 1: 2, Psalm 33: 6) is the Spirit who dwells in us, guides us and transforms us today. Of course, there's a warning that we can quench Him (1 Thess 5: 19) or grieve Him (Eph 4: 30) but also a promise that we can be "filled" with His presence and power.
 

Your Creator is your Husband

The Bible often uses pictures or allegories to describe God: He's described as a Shepherd and a Gardener, as a Father and a Friend. And, in just a few verses, He's also described as a Husband.

The Hebrew Bā'al (not to be confused with the pagan god Baal) is the word most often used for husband. It's the word we find in Isaiah 54: 5, when the prophet tells Israel, Don't feel afraid or abandoned, for your Creator is your Husband.

The word husband perhaps evokes different emotions for different people. In some cultures a husband is a dominant authority figure, while in other cultures he's a symbol of love and tenderness, care and commitment. A victim of domestic abuse will experience fear when thinking of her husband, a divorced woman will experience grief.... but the engaged or newly married woman will feel cherished and loved - because this person has chosen her and committed to spend the rest of his life with her.

Perhaps because of the different understandings, or even the possible confusion with the god Baal (bā'al and baal both have the additional meaning of lord or master), the Bible also uses another word for husband: ishi ('îš) which doesn't also mean master, but instead carries the meaning of steward or caregiver. In Hosea 2: 16, God tells Israel, "When that day comes, you will call me, my Husband; you will no longer call me, my Master." (Older Bible translations say, a little cryptically for the modern reader, "You will call me Ishi and no longer call me Baali.") 

The meaning is clear. In calling Himself our Husband, God is speaking of the love and care, the cherishing and lifelong commitment He has towards us. It's one of the most precious and intimate relationships a person can know in life and - whether we are male or female - God extends that care and commitment to whoever trusts in His love.

Strong and Mighty

Gibôr is an interesting adjective in Hebrew: usually translated mighty in the Old Testament, it means strong and powerful, but it also means brave and courageous.

When not being used to speak of El Gibôr - the Mighty God, it's most often used either to speak of angels or to describe soldiers who were strong and courageous warriors. The phrase, "mighty men of valour," is used a lot in the books of Chronicles, and there was even a specific group of soldiers whose courageous exploits earned them the name of, "David's mighty men."

But that strength and courage are infinite when speaking of Yahweh Gibôr or El Gibôr, the Mighty God that those Old Testament warriors served. When David described the King of Glory in Psalm 24: 8, he called Him, The Lord, strong and mighty; the Lord, mighty in battle.

When the prophet Isaiah foretold the birth of Jesus, he told us, seven hundred years in advance, that one of the Messiah's names would be the Mighty God. (Isaiah 9: 6)

But our God is not only strong and mighty in the battle against evil, He is strong in other ways too. In Job 36: 5, He's described as mighty in strength and mighty in wisdom. When the prophet Zephaniah told the people that the Mighty God was in their midst to save them, he went on to describe Him in ways that range from tenderness to exuberance: "He will quiet you with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph 3: 17)

The prophet Jeremiah has a word of caution for those who consider themselves strong (Jer 9: 23 - 24) - Don't let the wise boast of their wisdom, or the strong (gibôr) boast of their strength, or the rich boast of their wealth..." The only thing worth boasting about, he says, is that we know the kindness, justice and righteousness of our mighty God. 

El Gibôr, the Mighty God is not only strong and courageous within Himself; He is also able to give us strength and courage when we need them in our own battles and challenges of everyday life. And when something is really too much for us, He's like a mighty warrior who will fight on our behalf. (Ex 14: 14)