(Psa 8:1)
We can see excellence in man’s work and will quickly respond in praises to what comes out of man’s ingenuity, intelligence, creativity, etc. But God’s Name is excellent by it self! The word ‘excellent’ means glorious. We know that names and titles are important and people are recognized for them. Royalty for example command the reverence and respect from ‘commoners’. Some acquired their recognition through their contribution to society or sciences. Some are born with names that command respect and some earn them.
However, God’s name LORD our Lord; Jehovah our Adonai speaks of the nature of God Himself. Jehovah or Yahweh is the holiest name of God that was never written or spoken by any Hebrew (except by the high priest on the Day of Atonement, the holiest day which denotes much fasting, prayer and work is forbidden. It is the receiving of the second set of the 10 Commandments and to atonement for the sin of idolatry of the golden calf) which is why we don’t know the true pronunciation of that Name. There is a special exclusivity of that Name. It means 'I am that I am,' or 'I am the one who is.' The Name Yahweh which must never be blurted out frivolously, because that Name is a revelation to the early fathers (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Exo 3:15). We will never know the God that is behind that Name unless we receive a revelation of Who He truly is to us. Thus our knowledge of God has to be a personal revelation, so does our salvation.
Adonai means Lord or Master. The Jews won’t dare use Yahweh in their prayer but call upon Adonai instead. This first verse of Psalm 8, David uses Yahweh our Master or we can say O Holy and Glorious God who has revealed Himself to those who are under His Divine Lordship. This seemed to be a mouthful, but this is how I would interpret it. Is He Lord over our lives with concrete evidence of His Mastering over our entire lives, living it out gloriously. The acid test of our glorious living is determined how much we embrace the revelation of God.
The Name by Itself is excellent or glorious or Chris Tomlin sang, Indescribable! The Psalmist cried out in the similar manner beginning with ‘O Yahweh our Lord’. Whole creation is full of His glory and radiates forth His Excellency. We are beggar for words. We can’t begin the fathom the greatness of the stars in the heavens and can never name each and every one of them (Job 9:8,9), but He did. Yet whenever we gaze into the clear night at the majesty of the heavens we are constantly reminded of how small we are and how great is our God who created all those in a single command… ‘Let there be light’! The awesomeness and glory of God can’t be hidden even in the deepest of the deeps. Creation cries out His Glory. Everything is found in its proper place.
Why personal revelation of God? It is found in the word ‘our’. How can He be LORD our Lord if there is no relationship. Our relationship as shown by the forefathers who received the relation of ‘I AM’ is that there are marks of obedience, trust, love, acknowledge Him in all things and willing to die for Whom they believed in. We have to take ownership of our relationship with Him. There is such sweetness in the little word ‘our’ that is towered between Yahweh and Adonai. That is where our balance in life is…. living under that shadow of our LORD Lord.
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