Names of God - YHVH

Names of God – YHVH
          Genesis 2:4  These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

          The name YHVH (Yahweh – also Jehovah) first appears in Genesis 2:4, where God is referred to as the LORD God, or YHVH Elohim.  The name YHVH appears in the Bible over 6,500 times.  In most Bible translations, when the word LORD appears all in capital letters, it is done to specify when the name YHVH is used.

          The name YHVH is God’s self-designation.  The word comes from the root of the verb “to exist” and means “self existent or eternal.”  The name is such a holy name that it was avoided altogether by the ancient Jews to avoid blasphemy.  It is said that when the scribes were copying the scriptures and the holy name was to be written, they would stop right before writing it, wash their hands and pray, then do the same after writing it.

          In revealing this holy name to His people, God reveals to us one of His greatest attributes: His aseity.  This word comes from the Latin that means “from the self.”  In other words, God reveals His ultimate being in His name YHVH.  He is not only the highest of all beings, He is not only the self-sufficient Being, He is not only the never changing eternal Being, HE IS BEING ITSELF.

          This is how “He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17) This is why “from Him and through Him and to Him are all things.” (Romans 11:36)  As the Great I Am, He can look to the past and be there presently.  This is what Jesus meant when He said “Before Abraham was I Am.” (John 8:58)  And this is the why the Bible can say, “In the beginning, God…”.

          Philosophers in millennia past have searched for the cause of being.  Philosophers in our modern day question whether there is anything that is for sure.  The answer to both of them is revealed in His name: YHVH.

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