1. Elohim—God.
Remarks upon some of the occurrences thereof. (Continued from Vol. 2 p. 421)
This name occurs unconnected with any other name, in the portion of scripture, Gen. 1:11In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1), to 2:3, which contains the recital of the creation. The diversity of the Divine action and glory, as there recorded, is very great; but all of it is expressive of that which is simply Elohim-glory.
In Eden, He calls Himself "Jehovah-Elohim," and never anything else; that is, as to the book of Genesis, from chap. 2:4 to 3:24, inclusive. But no sooner are we out of Eden, than the name of Elohim (God) is dropped; and we read, as to the Divine action which follows, neither of Elohim (God), nor of Jehovah-Elohim (Lord-God), but simply of Jehovah (or Lord). See chap. 4:4: "The Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering;" and ver. 6: "And the Lord said unto Cain;" so, also, ver. 9, 15, etc.: in connection with which we may remark, that (ver. 26) it was said in Seth's family, "Then began men to call upon (or call themselves by) the name of the Lord."
That the Spirit of God should have used "Elohim" as the designation, while describing creation—"Jehovah-Elohim" while describing the Eden scene—and "Jehovah," for the designation after man's expulsion from paradise, is remarkable, to say the least; and, certainly, it was intentional.
I have said, that in Eden He calls Himself Jehovah-Elohim, and never anything else.- In contrast with this, I notice, that in the temptation of man in Eden, the tempter drops the former title altogether-never uses it; so that he speaks only of God: "And he (the serpent) said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:55For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Genesis 3:5)); and, " Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day' ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open; and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil" (ver. 4, 5). This, and the counterpart of it in Eve, whose answer to the tempter, in like manner, only records the name of " God," is to be observed: " The woman said unto the serpent.... God hath said," etc. (ver. 3).
To the rest of creation, as in Gen. 1, Elohim had not set Himself in Jehovah-Elohim relationship. On Adam and Eve alone, in Eden, that relationship bad shined forth; and it was under the power of the additional blessing found under the compound title, that man was blessed and set upon responsibility. Part of Satan's guile was thus to throw the mind back, out of its present, full, distinctive portion, to another portion, which, though it flowed from the same Person, as Source, and was a blessing to Adam and Eve, was not the distinctive one, upon the ground of which He that had blessed them stood toward them, or held them toward Himself in blessing and in responsibility. It was on this ground, therefore, that the intelligence and affection of Adam and Eve were placed, fed, and sustained. To let this slip, and sink back to the lower ground, was injurious to themselves in the extreme. Here was woman's weakness found; and the stepping back, even if all that the adversary suggested that their Blesser had said had been correctly given, might have suggested a lie; and the admission of the suggestion might have been the acceptance of a lie. It might be true in itself, without being the whole of truth as to themselves.
Elohim and Jehovah-Elohim are one and the same Being; but the display of the manifestations of Elohim-glory is different from the display of the manifestation of Jehovah-Elohim-glory. The privileges capacities, and responsibilities of being under the two differ, though they may both be combined, as they were in Eden, in one and the same party-the human family; but then, and necessarily so, it is the distinctive part of the portion which becomes separative. I cannot doubt but that this, as a principle, is overlooked by the large mass of believers; and that their overlooking of it is to them a mischievous weakness, resulting from a malicious wile of Satan. For it is always true, that if we merge what is distinctive to ourselves in what is common to others, we not only lose our own places, but displace all that is above us, and misplace all that is around and below. Dispensational privilege constitutes dispensational responsibility always; and the first assailant of distinctive privilege, blessing, and responsibility-the first successful attempter of entanglement to the human mind, as to its present subjection and responsibility, by means of merging that which was distinctively peculiar in that which was general and in common-is here presented to us in the serpent.,
- Eternal power and Godhead manifested in the origination of a system; that is what I see in Gen. 1:1; 2:31In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
3And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made. (Genesis 2:3). The human race set at the bead and as the center of that system, in intelligent dependence and subjection to Jehovah-Elohim; that is what I see in Eden. Had Eve known in herself one proof of power to originate? No; not one. How came she to assume that it was in her then? I should say, " By forgetting her distinctive and peculiar place." She was made to be a help-meet for him into whose hand, to dress it and to keep it, the garden had been given-the honored creature of Jehovah-Elohim. Intelligence in that which is the Divine testimony to us, is power and blessing; the forgetfulness of it, or the corruption or the dilution of it by us has, on the other hand, its corresponding results of ruin and 'weakness.
As to that which is Divine: it had been well-pleasing that, in the midst of that which was to be an expression of Elohim-glory, there should yet bud and germinate something more bright, a fair expression of the Jehovah-Elohim glory. None could stay the blessing, or prevent it. Beguiled, Eve forgat her peculiar connection with and place in the latter, and blindly assumed to herself that she had merely the former.
Let me remark here, ere passing on, that as man's extremity is God's opportunity, so just in this betrayal to Satan, by man, of the charge entrusted to him (for it was man's sin which let Satan into the place of power over man, and, in a certain sense, over man's inheritance, namely, the earth), that the occasion arose for God to show forth the unsearchable depths of His own infinite power, wisdom, and goodness. He could originate that which would meet the needs of His own glory, even in such a case as this; and He could introduce that which would, without any compromise to His own character, eject the power of the adversary, and place man (and man able to stand, too) in fuller and more developed relationship with a heaven and an earth of this globe. And (worthy expression of that Elohim-glory) the seed of the woman, who was beguiled, should bruise the head of the serpent who beguiled her. Redemption by Christ will bring in a full, a perfect display of Elohim-glory; and present, too, a full, a perfect display of Jehovah-Elohim, in blessed relationship with man on the earth—-yet in a new phase from what was at first, be-cause God manifest in the flesh will be the pillar of the tabernacle, the dispensing Sun of blessing in that day. And this will necessarily affect and modify everything. The very display of the Trinity will be modified; for the display will be of Jehovah-Elohim-Shaddai and of the Lamb (see Rev. 21;22). And that name, Shaddai, as expressive of power (Almighty), will circle and close in the fruits of redemption-toil in everlasting blessing.
The first place in which we find the word used in a subordinate application, is in Gen. 5, when, in Eden, Satan suggested, " Ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil." It was true; for the Lord God said, when they had done as the serpent suggested (ver. 22), " The man is become as one of us, to know good and evil." But it was truth apart from God as its giver or suggester; and a truth taken out of God's system and order, and misplaced, is not for blessing: The possession of the knowledge of good and evil might be in itself incompatible with man's blessedness, as standing in creation-blessedness; the mode in which it was obtained, certainly, ensured its being a curse, for it was gained by an act of practical independence of God-by positive disobedience. God could know good and evil, and hate the evil and love the good. Satan might know good and evil, to hate the good and to love the evil. Man has known it; and what to him has been the benefit of this knowledge in itself? It came with disobedience; and there in Eden, near to God, it taught first of nakedness, and then of God-a God of judgment.
Out of God's presence, the balance-beam of conscience may go up and down, up and down, quivering in judgment upon right and wrong; but the heart, far from God, loves its own way still, and will take it. But con-science, fruit of the fall, never had power to make a man love the good and refuse the evil. It is to be observed, that the effects of the acquisition of this knowledge were more than one. It did lead into a perception of man's nakedness, and of that nakedness exposing him to God's holiness. God's holiness and man, as he then was, could not meet, save to man's discomfort; but this discovery was attended also with a power of ingenious blending of circumstances around man, so as to meet, as best he might, the difficulties of his own sin-produced needs. The fig-leaf apron, the hiding in the bushes, if foolishness as remedies to the Divine mind, and if sure to pass before His presence more quickly than the dew before the sun, yet told of man at work for himself, blending his own circumstances to meet his own thoughts of his needs. The amelioration of the world, its steam-ships, its railroads, its electric telegraphs, etc., etc.-all that the pride of highly-cultivated civilization now boasts in -is fruit from this root. Just so is all the religion of fallen human nature. Fallen man at work for himself, to alleviate his own misery, or fallen man at work to fact that after chap. 9 the word Elohim does not occur again until chap. 17.
The use of the word occurs also in chap. 19:29: " When God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow " etc., etc.; so (in chap. 20, in the inter- course of God with Abimelech in the matter of Abraham's wife) we find the word largely used; also in chap. 21, the subject being Sarah's conception and Ishmael's rejection; and in chap. 22, which gives the trial of Abraham's faith.
These four chapters, viz., the nineteenth, twentieth, twenty-first, and twenty-second, deserve a special study.
The connection of this name with any particular person, people, place, etc., gives to that which is thus spoken of a peculiar and sometimes a distinctive honor. Thus He calls Himself constantly "the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob;" but we read not of Him as the God of Lot, the God of Esau, of Ammon, or of Moab. So, again, we read of "the God of your fathers" (the address is to Israel). "The God of Israel" is faith's language. Again we hear of "the God of David;" "of Elijah;" "the God of heaven and of earth" (Gen. 24.3), etc.; and (2 Kings 19.16) of "the living God."
In many places the word is used as an adjective, and the force is then vague; the more so, perhaps, because it-is then rarely used by faith. Thus (Gen. 23.6), " Hear us, my lord," said the children of Heth; "thou art a prince of God among us: in the choice of our sepulchers bury thy dead." Again; Rachel said (chap. 30:8), "With wrestlings of God have I wrestled with my Sister, and I have prevailed." See, also, Ex. 9:2828Entreat the Lord (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer. (Exodus 9:28): "Intreat the Lord for us," said Pharaoh, "that there be no more thunderings of God."
There are a few passages to be at least noted by the Christian reader: "Thou [Moses] shalt be to him [Aaron] instead of God" (Ex. 2.16). " I have made thee a god to Pharaoh" (chap. 7:1).
The following terms I also notice:-
The God of gods (Deut. 10.17).
The temple-the footstool of our God (1 Chron. 28.2). The name does not occur in the books of Esther, the Song, Lamentations, Obadiah, Nahum.
For the most part, the scene and circumstances in which a name is first introduced give best of all the general ideas intended to be presented in that name. This I believe to be the case as to the name " God," as given in the first chapter of Genesis. Its connection with another name, as in the second chapter, may help the mind to apprehend the peculiarities distinctive either to the one taken alone, or to the two as combined. The student of Scripture will also find help by marking passages in which one name is contrasted with another name; or in which a portion of Scripture, which has one name in it in one place, is found in another place with another name substituted for it.
But to learn the force of any name, and really to profit from this study, the Christian must read for himself the whole Bible, and mark the scenes and occurrences in which each name occurs and is contrasted with others.
I pass on now to the names of "El" and "Eloah."
2. El.
The first occurrence of this name is in Gen. 14:18-2218And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. 19And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: 20And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all. 21And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. 22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, (Genesis 14:18‑22). When Abram heard that Lot was taken captive,
he led forth his servants against the victorious hosts of the four kings, and pursued unto Hobah, and brought back all the goods, and. Lot and his goods, etc. " And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the valley of Shaveh. And (ver. 18) Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high El. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high El, possessor of heaven and earth: and blessed be the most high El, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek) tithes of all. And the king of Sodom said unto Abram," etc. The scene was a remarkable one in the annals of faith, as much so as in the life of the father of the faithful.
The four victorious kings were-
1st, Amraphel, king of Shinar. The land of Shinar extends from the Persian Gulf, occupying thence upward, the whole land between the Tigris and the Euphrates. Faith's estimate of it is easily seen in these texts:-Gen. 10:1010And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (Genesis 10:10). The grandson of Ham (whose posterity were cursed by Noah), Nimrod, had " Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar," as the beginning of his kingdom. It was in the plain of Shinar (chap. 11:2) that the tower of Babel, which was man's defiance of God's power, was reared. Again, in Isa. 11:1111And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11), in the deliverance given to His people by the Branch out of the roots of the stem of Jesse, it is said, " The Lord shall set His hand again the second time to recover the remnant of His people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and.... from Elam, and from Shinar." Again, in Dan. 1:22And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the vessels of the house of God: which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god; and he brought the vessels into the treasure house of his god. (Daniel 1:2), we read, that " the Lord gave Jehoiakim, king of Judah, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, with part of the vessels of the house of God, which he carried into the land of Shinar to the house of his god." And in Zech. 5:1111And he said unto me, To build it an house in the land of Shinar: and it shall be established, and set there upon her own base. (Zechariah 5:11), it is in the land of Shinar that wickedness has her house built, and is established and set upon her base. Mesopotamia, out of which Abram was called, was comparatively very small, yet formed part of the same territory, geographically, and was to the left furthest from the Persian Gulf.
2ndly, Arioch, king of Ellasar. Ellasar was in Arabia, extending along the Red Sea, or Arabian Gulf, at its mouth.
3rdly, Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, in Persia. Elam was of Shem's branch (Gen. 10:2222The children of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram. (Genesis 10:22)). But the captives of the beloved people, as we have just seen (1 Chron. 1:1717The sons of Shem; Elam, and Asshur, and Arphaxad, and Lud, and Aram, and Uz, and Hul, and Gether, and Meshech. (1 Chronicles 1:17)), are delivered from "Elam," as much as from Shinar (Isa. 11:1111And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, and from Hamath, and from the islands of the sea. (Isaiah 11:11)); for " Go up, O Elam; besiege, O Media," had been the call (chap. 21:2) and (22:6) " Elam (in response) bare the quiver with chariots of men and horsemen." In the general desolation predicted, the kings of Elam have to drink of the wine-cup of the fury of the Lord God of Israel (Jer. 25:2525And all the kings of Zimri, and all the kings of Elam, and all the kings of the Medes, (Jeremiah 25:25)). Its judgment was a most solemn one (chap. 49:34-39). The Shushan (of Dan. 8:22And I saw in a vision; and it came to pass, when I saw, that I was at Shushan in the palace, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in a vision, and I was by the river of Ulai. (Daniel 8:2)) was in the province of Elam. And Ezra tells us (chap, 4:6), that the Babylonians, the Susanchites.... the Elamites, counterworked God's people in the restoration from captivity.
4thly, Tidal, king of nations; that is, Galilee of the nations. The king of the nations of Gilgal (or Galilee) is the thirtieth king smitten by Joshua and the children of Israel, on their taking possession of the land (Josh. 12:2323The king of Dor in the coast of Dor, one; the king of the nations of Gilgal, one; (Joshua 12:23)); and it is remarkable for another prophecy concerning it: " Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined" (Isa. 9:1,21Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. 2The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. (Isaiah 9:1‑2)). Compare Matt. 4:12-1612Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. (Matthew 4:12‑16), as showing how it regulated the blessed Lord's movements at one time.
The first of these four kings was lord of the land out of which the father of the faithful had been called by the God of the whole earth, when Lot accompanied him. Neither his land nor that of the next two lay in the Land of Promise. Tidal's land was therein, and was, perhaps more likely to be in collision with the cities of the plain. But the immediate cause of this war, and the inroad of foreign armies, was rebellion against Chedorlaomer (ver. 4). These four kings' kingdoms were large, and all lay within the conquests of Nimrod. Distant as they were the one from the other, they show the power of the confederacy of that day.
The five kings against whom they came were kings of cities, which all lay within the territory possessed by David and Solomon, though the first (Sodom) was in the land of the Amalekites, and the last (Zoar) in that of the Edomites. All five cities are but too notorious in Scripture. 1st, Bera, king of Sodom; 2ndly, Birsha, king of Gomorrah; 3rdly, Shinab, king of Admah; 4thly, Shemeber, king of Zeboiim; and, 5thly, the king of Bela or Zoar.
"Lot had seen all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest to Zoar.... and he dwelt in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. But the men of Sodom were wicked, and sinners before the Lord exceedingly." So we read in Gen. 13:10-1310And Lot lifted up his eyes, and beheld all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered every where, before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, even as the garden of the Lord, like the land of Egypt, as thou comest unto Zoar. 11Then Lot chose him all the plain of Jordan; and Lot journeyed east: and they separated themselves the one from the other. 12Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom. 13But the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly. (Genesis 13:10‑13); and again in chap. 18:20: "And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know."
The God of mercy had prepared an intercessor for His own sake (that His mercy might appear), and for the sake, too, of Abraham, and of Lot, and of the poor sinners; and Abraham was he. But what a state the city was in, when (ver. 26) we read, " And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes"; and then (ver. 28), " If I find there forty-and-five, I will not destroy"; and (ver. 29) "I will not do it for forty's sake"; and (ver. 30), " will not do it if I find thirty there"; and (ver. 31), " I will not do it for twenty's sake"; and then (ver. 32), " I will not destroy it for ten's sake." But there were not ten righteous persons in this city, chief in wickedness, towards which Lot pitched his tent. Lot entered into Zoar. " Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord out of heaven; and He overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground" (chap. 19:22-25). And Abraham "looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace" (ver. 28).
This accounts for the prestige of these two places, and for such words as those used where the Lord is describing His plagues Deut. 29:2323And that the whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning, that it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the overthrow of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in his anger, and in his wrath: (Deuteronomy 29:23): "The whole land thereof is brimstone, and salt, and burning; it is not sown, nor beareth, nor any grass groweth therein, like the over-throw of Sodom, and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboim, which the Lord overthrew in His anger, and in His wrath." And when utter destruction is intended, no phrase serves the turn better than, " As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, and the neighbor cities thereof." See this, as to Babylon, in Isa. 13:1919And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. (Isaiah 13:19), Jer. 1:40; as to Edom, Jer. 49:1818As in the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighbor cities thereof, saith the Lord, no man shall abide there, neither shall a son of man dwell in it. (Jeremiah 49:18); as to Moab and Ammon, Zeph. 2:99Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them. (Zephaniah 2:9).
As to the last three of the cities: " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee, Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim?" (Hos. 11:88How shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together. (Hosea 11:8)). Zoar was spared at Lot's intercession, when doomed: " See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken" (Gen. 19:2121And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. (Genesis 19:21)). And we find, as to Moab, it is written, in after-days, " His fugitives shall flee to Zoar" (Isa. 15:66For the waters of Nimrim shall be desolate: for the hay is withered away, the grass faileth, there is no green thing. (Isaiah 15:6)); and, " They uttered their voice, from Zoar unto Horonaim" (Jer. 48:3434From the cry of Heshbon even unto Elealeh, and even unto Jahaz, have they uttered their voice, from Zoar even unto Horonaim, as an heifer of three years old: for the waters also of Nimrim shall be desolate. (Jeremiah 48:34)). Mercy is a very self-consistent thing.
To sum up that which we have seen.
Abram, the father of the faithful, called by God out from his country and kindred, was dwelling as a pilgrim and a stranger in the land promised to him. He looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God; and God was not ashamed to be called his God. Lot had come out with him, but kept not up the wayfaring man's character, and settled down in the city of Sodom. The power of darkness brings in _three kings from the lands external to that of promise, and one king in the land, to punish the five kings in the land who had rebelled against the king of Elam. So far as the kings were concerned, Lot was nobody in the position of the war. His residence, however, as being in Sodom became so, and so did his goods, and the women and the people. In God's moral government, and in Satan's wiles, Lot in Sodom might be a very leading item in all this history. Abraham no sooner hears of this, than he goes forth with his own servants, and with Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, pursues, and after a forced march overtakes the foe, and recovers the spoil, with Lot and all that was his. What a position was this friend of God in, when the king of Sodom went out to meet him, after his return from the slaughter of the king of Elam, and of the kings that were with him! A Lot, a Jonah, is oft a cause of trouble to a city, a ship: an Abram is oft a deliverer even of the wicked and their goods!
If Abram's deed was but natural to such an one, still it was a deed of a mighty man-one of valor and of disinterestedness. The king of Sodom came out to own it; he " went out to meet Abram"-this is given us in the 17th verse; but ere he can speak (as in the 21st verse), there is found to be another person present, who takes the lead and precedence of him: " And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high El. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high El, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the most high El, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all" (ver. 18-20).
The man who here wandered as a pilgrim and whose heart, formed to God, could content itself with no house, no city, no land, until he came to the house, city, and land prepared by God for Himself and for them that are His, wandered not from inward fickleness or weakness. That heart was bold enough to go forth and slay the four victorious oppressors of the strangers among whom he dwelt. The God of might was with him, and sends in His testimonial of approval in His own high priest-type, as we know, of another King of Righteousness, and Prince of Peace. Melchizedek meets him, on his return, with bread and wine; blesses him according to the name of Him the Mighty One of the most high places, Possessor of heaven and earth, whose servants they both were; praises the Mighty One for the honor put on Abram; and lets Abram show his might in tithing all unto himself as priest of God. Nothing could have been done to mark more distinctly God's thought of His own connection with the deed of might of His servant.
Now, the introducing, for the first time, this name to us here, is most sweetly significant. Abram had just been showing might in his own circumstances-might of no ordinary character. He who is the Mighty One, sends in one that can identify Himself with what His servant had just done, and His servant with Him in it. The king of Sodom is then allowed to speak, which gives to Abram an occasion of showing that his mastery was over himself, as much as over his circumstances. The spoil he had taken he would not keep, lest his God's faithfulness should be hidden among the children of men. This, as we know from the next chapter, had its immediate reward. For if Abram would be a Nazarite unto God, and so act that man should not say, even unjustly say, " I have made Abram rich," God would Himself be the shield and exceeding great reward of such a one And what a string of blessings does He pour out! Alas! poor Jacob had no such zeal for God, and fared accordingly. It is a great thing for us if we can think of God's name, and of what, in our circumstances, our being of the number of His called ones, makes meet for us.
89:7. "Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord!"
32:21. " The strong among the mighty shall speak.")
Observe, as to the originating of this name, Melchizedek is the introducer of it. Man far from God may invent names, fashion titles for Him, misapply and misappropriate, to his own hurt and God's dishonor, names and titles of divine origin; but when the introducer of a name or a title is such an one as Melchizedek, that alone gives authority to the name.
The spring of the patriarch's strength was in another; his power to use that strength was in his own separation individually and as to circumstances, to that other.
The name is one of the most peculiar interest to us as Christians, because of that cry from the cross, "Eli! Eli! lama sabacthani!"
" There power itself and weakness meet;"
when He, who was the Power, as well as the Wisdom of God, was crucified through weakness.
A Nazarite in service was He, self-emptied, perfectly dependent, who alone could say, in the truthful sense of the words, " Lo! I come to do Thy will, O God!" and, " The cup which my Father Lath given me, shall I not drink it?" He would not speak or seek for Himself, for how then could the work have been accomplished? The patriarch got his heart cleansed by the exercises of faith; Christ, by the circumstance of exercises, got the occasion of showing how pure and perfect he was, while doing the work given to Him to do. I conceive that the use of this name in the first and in the tenth verses (" Thou art my El from my mother's belly") is full of force; and the feeling of weakness, forsaking, and desertion, in contrast with might and power, which are present, is sorrow indeed. Such was His when He tasted death for us.
The needs-be of it was in His own self and name. If His will and heart led to His name being Immanuel (the Mighty One with us), how should He be that, and hide His face from human woe? Or how, if He hid Himself from the human woe (the very core of which was guilt on account of sin), how, I say, could He ever, holily and justly, be God-with-us, to bring man into circumstances fitting to Himself? (Matt. 1:21-2521And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. (Matthew 1:21‑25); Heb. 2:9-189But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee. 13And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me. 14Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. 16For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. 17Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. 18For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. (Hebrews 2:9‑18)). The name of Immanuel is, in its application, earthly; yet in the connections of the truth found in it (as may be seen in the passages referred to of Matthew's gospel and the epistle to the Hebrews), it is of much wider application. A crucified Jesus was a Jew-rejected Messiah, who might be found by whosoever should call upon His name. Immanuel, though the very One in whom and in whose work we trust, is, Himself, once rejected by the Jew, yet to bless the Jew in the land. And what though the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory, shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks, and shall pass through Judah, shall overflow and go over, shall reach to the neck? Is the blessing hindered? Can a deluge breaking up from below prevent it? No: as Isaiah (8:7-9) goes on to say, El-with-us is our banner in that day; " the stretching out of His wings shall fill the breadth of Thy land, O Immanuel!" and therefore, " Associate yourselves, O ye people, and ye shall be broken in pieces; and give ear, all ye of far countries: gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces; gird yourselves, and ye shall be broken in pieces. Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for EL-with-us." That is, this very name Immanuel is the solution, in that day, of all the sorrows of the Jewish people (see, also, Isa. 9:5-75For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. 6For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. 7Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:5‑7)).
Thus we find this name of El at the cross, where God let man measure out his wickedness against Him who was crucified in weakness; so opening a door to the whosoever, etc.: and we fins' the same name of El when God takes up His controversy with the infidel faction of the last day, and by this name the Jew gets blessing upon earth.
There is another combination of this name of El, besides that of Immanuel, which is also one of peculiar interest. For if Immanuel be a personal name of the blessed Lord, El-Shaddah'y is a name in the which much of Divine grace is presented to us in the word.
The first occurrence is in Gen. 17:11And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. (Genesis 17:1): "The Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am [El Shaddah'y] the Almighty God: walk before me, and be thou perfect, and I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly," etc. Then, again, when Isaac is sending Jacob to Padan- Aram: " And El-Shaddah'y [God Almighty] bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham" (chap. xxviii. 3, 4). And accordingly, when God appears to Jacob again, after he had come out of Padan-Aram, and blessed him, He said (chap. 35:10), " Thy name is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name: and He called his name Israel. And God said unto him, I am El-Shaddah'y [God Almighty]: be fruitful and multiply: a nation and a company of nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will I give the land."
It is the name which Israel uses when he has to send Benjamin into Egypt (chap. 43:14): " And God Almighty give you mercy before the man," etc.; and uses, when, dying, he speaks to Joseph: " God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz, in the land of Canaan, and blessed, and said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and I will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession" (chap. 48:3, 4); " and now Ephraim and Manasseh are mine," etc. Compare, also, his most beautiful blessing of Joseph, in chap. 49:25.
If God be for us, what is he, or what the circumstances, which may be set in opposition to us. El Shaddah'y was for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and was known, too, to each of them to be for him, for his posterity and circumstances, and all was felt to be right. Ruth, on the other hand (chap. 1:20, 21), felt bitterly, through unbelief, the sorrow of having "the Almighty" against her. Job's friends knew how to use the name of the Almighty against him and his own unbroken spirit lent itself to the same folly.
That there is something distinctive and characteristic in the name El-Shaddah'y is clear from Ex. 6:33And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. (Exodus 6:3): " I am Jehovah: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of El-Shaddah'y; but by my name of Jehovah was I not known to them." A most important passage, as showing the force of the names used in Scripture. And in accordance with this -indeed, as confirmatory of it-I remark, that in the Song of Moses (Ex. 15), the name of LORD, or Jehovah, occurs twelve times; El, twice, viz., " He is my El" (ver. 2), and (ver. 11) "among the gods;" and the name of Elohim but once, " my father's God " (ver. 2).
Some of the passages in which this name of El occurs are of too much interest in themselves for me not to cite them; e.g.-
Ex. 34:55And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. (Exodus 34:5): " The Lord) descended in the cloud, and stood with him [Moses] there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed, Jehovah, Jehovah-El, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear (the guilty); visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children, unto the third and fourth generation."
So, again (Num. 23.8), in Balaam's testimony: "How shall I curse whom El has not cursed?" Again (ver. 19), " El (is) not a man, that He should lie;" and (ver. 22), "El brought them out of Egypt;" and (ver. 23), " What hath El wrought!" See, also, chap. 24:4, 8, 16, 23.
In the songs which record the triumphs of grace over all that was outside and inside of David-the way in which grace, mercy, and compassion express themselves in the circumstances and persons of the beloved of God-this word occurs, 2 Sam. 22 and 23.
Chapter 22 " As for El, his way is perfect" (ver. 31).
" Who is El, save the Lord?" (ver. 32). " El is my strength and power" (ver. 33). " It is El that avengeth me."
And chap. 23. " Although my house be not so with. El, yet He hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; for this is all my salvation and all my desire, although He make it not to grow."
In Daniel we find the word in two remarkable places, namely, in chap. 9 "the great and dreadful El " (ver. 4), and (in chap. 11) " The king... shall magnify him-self above every El, and shall speak marvelous things against the El of Els, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished " (ver. 36).
Observe also these passages where the word is connected with the thought of sonship.
In Psa. 89:2626He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. (Psalm 89:26), speaking of Solomon, the son promised to David, " He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my El, and the Rock of my salvation." Also, " I will make Him my First-Born, higher than the kings of the earth. My mercy will I keep for Him for evermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with Him."
Hos. 1:1010Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God. (Hosea 1:10): " It shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there shall it be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living El." A passage of peculiar interest to us, from its moral connection through the heavenlies with our-selves.
3. Eloah.
Is the singular number of the word Elohim.
The singular number is comparatively of rare occurrence. The plural form is that which is used in Genesis, and so generally throughout the Bible, as the name of Him who is Creator of heaven and earth, and Arranger and Disposer of all things-that the occurrences of the form in the singular number demand a special consideration. For instance, the singular form is found fifty-seven times, of which forty are in the Book of Job; the plural form about 2,700. In neither of these do I include the Chaldee, where singular and plural occurrences are altogether under ninety-six.
It strikes me, that in many of the occurrences of the singular form, there is a contrast presented more between the thought of One God and many gods, than between the who, of the true God (who is the One only God) and what the so-called many gods are. This is not a distinction without a difference; for in the one case the abstract notion of Deity (which certainly excludes plurality) is contrasted with the absurdity of having many "one firsts and one lasts," and in the other case the Eternal power and Godhead, the traces of whose power and beneficence are seen in creation and providence, are set in contrast with demons and demoniacal characteristics.
Having made this suggestion, I will now cite the passages which suggested the thought to my own mind.
Deut. 32:1515But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. (Deuteronomy 32:15) (This is the first occurrence of the word): " Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God [Eloah] which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. They provoked Him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they Him to anger. They sacrificed unto devils not to Eloah: to gods [Elohim] whom they knew not, to new, [gods] that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not."
Is there not here a contrast between the one God and the so-called gods many? The song is of the Lord's own inditing (2 Chron. 32.13-15). The language is the scurrilous blasphemy of Sennacherib: " Know ye not what I and my Fathers have done unto all the people of other lands? Were the gods [Elohim] of the nations... able to deliver... out of mine hand? Who among all the gods [Elohim] of those nations that my fathers utterly destroyed, that could deliver out of my hand, that your God [Elohim] should be able to deliver you out of mine hand. Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you nor persuade you... for no god [Eloah] of any nation... how much less shall your god [Elohim] deliver you out of mine hand?"
Not one god of the many gods that Sennacherib could think of was a match for himself; so be thought, who saw not that himself was but a slave of Satan, and a scourge in the hand of the only true God.
Neh. 9:16-1916But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments, 17And refused to obey, neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them; but hardened their necks, and in their rebellion appointed a captain to return to their bondage: but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. 18Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God that brought thee up out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocations; 19Yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookest them not in the wilderness: the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day, to lead them in the way; neither the pillar of fire by night, to show them light, and the way wherein they should go. (Nehemiah 9:16‑19): " Our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks... but thou art a God [Eloah] ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not. Yea, when they had made them a molten calf, and said, This is thy God [Elohim] that brought thee out of Egypt, and had wrought great provocation; yet Thou, in Thy manifold mercies, forsookest them not in the wilderness."
Psa. 18:30,3130As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him. 31For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God? (Psalm 18:30‑31): " As for God [Elohim] His way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried; He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. For who is God [Eloah] save the Lord [Jehovah]? Or who is a rock save our God [Elohim]?"
Psa. 50:21, 2221These things hast thou done, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. 22Now consider this, ye that forget God, lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver. (Psalm 50:21‑22): " Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, all ye that forget God [Eloah], lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver."
Isa. 44:8-108Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any. 9They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. 10Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing? (Isaiah 44:8‑10): " Ye [Israel] are even my witnesses. Is there a God [Eloah] beside me? Yea there is no Rock; I know not any. They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit: and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed. Who hath formed a god [El], or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing." And see the vivid description of the making of the idol, and of the use of the residue of the materials out of which it is taken, in vers. 12-20.
Dan. 11:37-3937Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:37‑39): " Neither shall he regard the God [Elohim] of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any God [Eloah]: for he shall magnify himself above all. But in his estate shall he honor the God [Eloah-a god] of forces [Mahuzzim]; and a god [Eloah] whom his fathers knew not... Thus shall he do in the most strongholds with a strange god [Eloah], whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory.
Hab. 1:11,1211Then shall his mind change, and he shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god. 12Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine Holy One? we shall not die. O Lord, thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O mighty God, thou hast established them for correction. (Habakkuk 1:11‑12): " He shall pass over, and offend, imputing this his power unto his god [Eloah]. Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God. Mine Holy One? we shall not die, O Jehovah, Thou hast ordained them for judgment; and, O Mighty God [Rock], Thou hast established them for correction."
It is worthy of note that Eloah occurs in Job alone forty times; Elohim less than twenty.
Elah is the Chaldee form of the word Eloah. Of the occurrences which do not number ninety-six, there are not more than ten in the plural, the rest are in the singular form. It is worthy of notice, that here in Chaldee, the singular form is the common one for the Supreme Being, "the God of heaven," as He is here constantly called, and the plural form is used as connected with unbelief.
Jer. 10:1111Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens. (Jeremiah 10:11). The Spirit is speaking of idol-makers: " Thus shall ye say unto them, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and from under the heavens."
"The gods, whose dwelling. is not with flesh" (Dan. 2:1111And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. (Daniel 2:11)), would not, could not aid the magicians. "Your God is a God of gods" Or. 47), was the king's tribute of homage to Daniel. Dan. 3.12: The Jews, "O king... serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image;" and (3:18) "We will not serve thy gods," is the confession of the three servants of God. " The fourth is like unto the Son of God" (3:25) [a son of the gods]. 'Twas the thought of the king when he saw Him who is God and Son of God in the furnace: " and praised the gods of gold" (v. 4), " In whom [is] the spirit of the holy gods-the wisdom of the holy gods" (v. 11),
The spirit of the gods is in thee" (v. 14), " Thou hast praised the gods of silver" (v. 23).
Yet in the days of Daniel, Ezra, and Jeremiah, Elohim was a common title of God. Whether the non-use of the plural form, when speaking of Him, was connected with the idiom of the Chaldee language, or rather with the peculiarity of the circumstances and state of things and subjects, which the use of it by the servants of the living God supposed, I cannot say positively.
The three words, Elohim, El, Eloah, seem in common to present the idea of power as their meaning. They appear to me also evidently derived from the same root. Yet the abstract idea of power and might found in each, may be presented by them severally with a peculiarity distinctive to each particular form.
In re-perusing what I have written-and also the occurrences in. full in the " Englishman's Hebrew and Chaldee Concordance"-I think three shades of meaning are presented, namely, that He whom we adore alone has creatorial power, victorious power, and stands thus in His very being, in contrast with all that are called gods.
These remarks contain, I am aware, little positive instruction-they are those of an inquirer rather than of a teacher; if others have not observed the fact, that this name of El exists, as well as those of Elohim and Eloah, the paper may serve a turn for good in calling the attention of some to these facts: it may serve also the good turn of calling the attention of those who have more light than has the writer of these remarks, to the general need for information upon this subject.