Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Tonight’s Study – Session 2: Elohim – God, Mighty Creator
Introduction: Our first name for God that we will look at in the Names of God series is Elohim – God, Mighty Creator. The Bible begins with a simple but profound declaration of faith – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). In the beginning there was only God, nothing else. Everything else that came to be, came as a result of the activity of God. The name used for God in Genesis 1:1 is from the Hebrew “Elohim.” Elohim is the plural form of the simpler name EL or Eloah. The name means “Creator God.”
- The Creator
– Genesis 1:1 clearly affirms that Elohim was the maker of the heavens and the earth.
– As we look at the names of God, they will be in the context of when they were first revealed. So, we will be doing a brief survey of the Old Testament.
– The first thing God wanted us to know about Himself is that He is the creator of the heavens and the earth.
– The early church saw the doctrine of creation as central to the faith and the beginning point of all theology.
– The heresies of evolution and theistic evolution try to discount or debunk Elohim, God, as the creator of the universe. (Is our God not big enough to have created the world in 6 literal days?).
Key Question to ask Yourself –
If you can’t trust the literal explanation for creation found in Genesis, how can you trust the literal explanation for how we achieve everlasting life found in other parts of the Bible?
Let’s Survey Genesis 1:26 and Genesis 2:7
-Genesis 1:26 gives the clearest indication that the name Elohim is plural and affirms the Trinity – “Let us make man in our likeness.” (Trinity taught in Scripture though actual word is not found).
-Genesis 2:7 is the result of the creative decision made within the counsel of the Holy Trinity in Genesis 1:26.
Genesis 2:7
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. (Genesis 2:7)
-Why does it matter that God alone is Elohim, God, Mighty Creator?
– Many people, especially young people, believe their lives are nothing more than the result of a chance or an evolutionary process. If they were unloved by their parents, they feel they have no value. This leads to the validation, though false, of abortion, suicide, and euthanasia.
Look what Psalm 139:13-16 says!
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
– He is the sovereign God over creation – the world reflects His glory.
– Job had a predicament he couldn’t understand – life had dealt him a cruel blow. He lost his wealth and his family. His friends and even his wife told him curse God and die. Toward the end of the book Job questions God. God responds patiently and loving with a litany of questions.
Job 38:4-7 – “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
-The questions about the creation and preservation continue from chapter 38 – chapter 41.
– God reminds Job that he is the creation and God is the creator. The created cannot fully fathom the work of the creator, yet we can trust Him. God told Job that He knew him, sustained him, cared for him, made him and therefore, was worthy of trust.
– Look at Job’s confession in chapter 42. This is the beginning of the transformation of his attitude about life.
Job 42:1-6
Then Job answered the Lord and said: “I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’ “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes.”
(Job 42:1-6)
“The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.” (Chuck Swindoll, founding and retired pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas)
– Job’s personal understanding of God as creator of all restores his confidence that God can provide for his everyday needs. This leads Job to a repentant and humble position before the loving, sovereign creator of the earth.
– The more we understand that God is Elohim, the creator and sustainer of all, the more confidence we have to face life’s difficulties.
– God’s saving and sustaining grace through Jesus Christ helps us overcome the fear and anxiety of everyday living.
- Beautiful Assurances
-Have you ever heard someone say if they could remove the first couple of chapters of the Bible then it would be easier to believe the rest? What?! The first few chapters of the Bible are the foundation for the rest of the Bible.
IN THE BEGINNING GOD…. (Genesis 1:1)
– What assurances would we have? What promises could we believe if God were not the mighty creator of the universe?
– Look at a few of the wonderful assurances that God is our creator.
-Isaiah 40:26 – Lift up your eyes on high, And see who has created these things, Who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, By the greatness of His might And the strength of His power; Not one is missing.
– God created and sustains the universe. On the basis of this great truth, God asks why Israel would think that God doesn’t know about their needs and doesn’t give them justice.
– God’s response in the form of a question is found in Isaiah 40:27, Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel: “My way is hidden from the Lord, And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
– God the creator doesn’t become weary. He gives strength to us for the living of everyday life.
-Isaiah 40:31 – But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
-Isaiah 42:5 – Thus says God the Lord, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread forth the earth and that which comes from it, Who gives breath to the people on it, And spirit to those who walk on it:
– In Isaiah 45:11-13, the prophet points to the creative activity of God to confirm that God is indeed in control of history.
Thus says the Lord, The Holy One of Israel, and his Maker: “Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons; And concerning the work of My hands, you command Me. I have made the earth and created man on it. I—My hands—stretched out the heavens, And all their host I have commanded. I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the Lord of hosts. (Isaiah 45:11-13)
– As in Genesis, the last book of the Bible, Revelation, also focuses on the doctrine of creation.
Revelation 4:11 – “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
From Genesis to Revelation, God is presented to us as Elohim, God, Mighty Creator.
WHAT DOES ALL THIS MEAN?
- It means you and I have been created in the image of a personal God. We are relational, rational, and responsible. We have been created to enjoy a personal relationship with our creator and fellow man. But all relationships have been radically altered by our sin.
Romans 3:23 – for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
– This spiritual death separates all mankind from their holy creator. The good news is our creator God is also our Redeemer God. This is where the fact that we were created relational, rational, and responsible beings comes into play:
relational – Your creator took upon Himself human flesh and gave Himself to pay the penalty for your sin so you could be restored to an intimate relationship with Him.
rational – You are able to fully understand these wonderful truths.
responsible – You are fully responsible if you haven’t yet committed your life to Christ.
- You can be assured that your life has purpose and design.
Suicide is the 2nd leading killer of teenagers today. The suicide notes left by many teens reveal that they feel their life has no purpose. Nothing could be further from the truth.
– Whether you are a teenager, senior adult, or young adult, you have a purpose. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
Conclusion: Elohim, our creator God created us in His own image and loves us with an unconditional love. In His Word, He gives us assurance after assurance that the God who created us will also provide for our everyday needs. After all, didn’t He ultimately provide for our greatest need of salvation by sending His Son to be our redeemer? He has a purpose for every life He creates. Do you know the purpose for which Elohim created you? Ask Him to reveal His plan for your life.
Another way you can put tonight’s Bible study into practice – the next time you see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, thank Elohim for his wonderful creation. Call Him “Elohim”, recognizing that He is God, Mighty Creator! Then thank Him for creating you and ask Him to help you fulfill the purpose for which He made you.
Next week, February 5th: El Roi, The God Who Sees Me