1Sa 3:1 “ … And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; …”
INTRODUCTION:
Throughout history, men have desired to identify and serve the true God. However, the ability to identify the true God, apart from God’s Word is an impossible task. This principle can easily be seen by examining the worship of the false gods that took place in the Gentile nations of the Old Testament.
Keep in mind, with only a few exceptions, the truths of God Word was kept within the confines of the nation of Israel. The gentile nations surrounding Israel were devoid of the truths of His Word, and because of this, their worship was limited to worship pointed toward false gods. Many of these names will be familiar to all of us. Baal, Ra, Nebo, Moloch, Ashtoreth, the list could go on and on. What do these names all have in common? They are the names of false gods worshipped by in gentile nations which surrounded Israel.
Even Israel, when they forsook the teachings of God’s Word, allowed the worship of these idols to enter into their nation. It was when the Israelites sought the truths of God’s Word, and willingly lived according to them, that we find the worship of the true God take place within their boundaries. Undoubtedly, the Bible is the only reliable source we possess that will reveal to us the true God of the Universe.
In this lesson, we will be coming to a better understanding of the preciousness of the Scriptures by seeing the true God revealed within its pages.
SCRIPTURES:
Psa 83:18
(KJV) That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.
(ESV) that they may know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.
Isa 42:8-9
(KJV) I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.
(ESV) I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols. Behold, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Exo 3:13-15
(KJV) And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
(ESV) 13) Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14) God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15) God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.
John 8:58-59
(KJV) Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (59) Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
(ESV) Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.” 59) So they picked up stones to throw at him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple.
THE STUDY:
Who is the true God? Psalms 83:18 reveals His identity to us….
“That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.”
The true God over all the earth identifies Himself as Jehovah. The word Jehovah is a Hebrew word that means “the self-existent One” or “the One who was, is and will be”. Why would God choose the name Jehovah to describe Himself? It is because this is one of the characteristics that sets Him apart from all the false Gods of this world.
God, alone, exists eternally. The other gods this world has chosen to worship are mere creations of the sinful human mind (1 Cor 8:4). In some cases, there were demonic forces that inspired the ideas leading to the creation of these false gods. Even in these cases, the demonic forces behind these gods do not exist eternally, but are simply angels, once created by God, who committed sin and were cast out of God’s presence due to their sin (Rev 12:7-9).
In Isaiah 42:8-9 we find that since Jehovah is the true God, His worship is exclusive…
“I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them.”
Not only does the God of this universe reveal to us His name, but He also makes it clear that worship should be reserved entirely for Him. As the true God, He will not share the praise and honor that He deserves with false gods and the demonic forces behind them.
One of the proofs God gave to us that He is the true God are prophecies that have been fulfilled later in history. As we study all the many prophecies that were given to us in the Old Testament, combined with their fulfillment later in history, we have proof positive that He is the True, Sovereign, Eternal Lord of all. Many of these Old Testament prophecies involved the coming Messiah, which were later fulfilled in the life of Christ on earth. These same prophecies, and their fulfillment, also clearly indicate that the Scriptures are His revealed Word given to us.
In Exodus 3:13-15… We have a very important section of Scripture that, once again, reveals to us the identity of the God of this universe...
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? (14) And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. (15) And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
Notice here, the name that God gives Himself is “I AM”, as we recall this is the exact principle reflected in the definition of the name “Jehovah”. To call Himself the “I AM” is to say that He has, is and will always exist. In other words, He is “the Existing One”. There never was a time in the past when He has not existed, nor will there ever be a time in the future when He does not exist.
For Him to make the statement “I AM THAT I AM” speaks, not only of His eternal existence, but also of His immutability (He is not capable of change), His faithfulness to His promises, and His knowledge of all things throughout time.
Finally, in conjunction with the Exodus 3: passage, we would be remiss if we did not mention the Christ’s statements found in John 8:58-59…
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. (59) Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Here, if we read these verses carefully, we find that Christ took upon Himself the title “I AM” as He spoke to unbelieving Jews who claimed that He was possessed by a demon. (John 8:48-52)
By giving Himself this title, Christ was revealing to all mankind that He was the true God and Lord over all (Phil 2:5-11, John 10:30, John 1:1-2). The unbelieving Jews recognized what He meant by taking upon Himself this title and attempted to stone Him. Stoning was the acceptable punishment for blasphemy in the Jewish nation. However, He as the True God, was able to pass from their presence without them hurting Him.
THE APPLICATION:
What a wonderful blessing it is to possess the Word of God. It is in God’s Word that we have His identity clearly revealed. The God of this Universe is Jehovah. He is the One that always has, and always will, exist. He can be trusted as the faithful, all-knowing Sovereign God over all that deserves our worship. It was this same God that came to the earth as man to bring salvation to His people… His name is Jesus…
Joh 10:25-30 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. I and my Father are one.
If you have any questions concerning the way of salvation please feel free to visit or call a Bible teaching church in your area. They will be happy to speak to you about the Lord Jesus and the salvation He graciously gives.
Or, if you would rather, feel welcome to email me at settledinheaven@gmail.com. I’ll be more than happy to answer any question you may have.
Also, if you look at my blog page “How To Have A Relationship With God”. On this page, you will find several blog entries explaining the way of salvation.
Please visit the “Settled In Heaven Ministries” homepage – http://www.settledinheaven.org
My Main Blog “Settled In Heaven” (updated twice weekly) – http://settledinheaven.wordpress.com
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