Chapter One
God, Mighty Creator
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ElohimThe Name
Elohim is the Hebrew word for God that appears in the very first
sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that
he is the one who began it all, creating the heavens and the earth and
separating light from darkness, water from dry land, night from day.
This ancient name for God contains the idea of God's creative power
as well as his authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a form of the name
in his agonized prayer from the cross. About the ninth hour Jesus
cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"-which
means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Key Scripture
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)
Monday
God Reveals His Name
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the
earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep,
while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God
said, "Let there be light." God called the light Day, and the darkness
he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning,
the first day.
And God said, "Let there be a dome in the midst of the waters, and
let it separate the waters from the waters." God called the dome Sky.
And God said, "Let the waters under the sky be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear." God called
the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he
called Seas. Then God said, "Let the earth put forth vegetation:
plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear
fruit with the seed in it."
And God said, "Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to
separate the day from the night."
And God said, "Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures,
and let birds fly above the earth across the dome of the sky."
And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures of
every kind: cattle and creeping things and wild animals of the earth
of every kind."
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according
to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all
the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the
fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living
thing that moves upon the earth." God saw everything that he had
made, and indeed, it was very good. (Selected from Genesis 1 NRSV)
Elohim, Mighty One, you made everything out of nothing, imposed order
on chaos, gave birth to beauty, and called it all good. Help me to know you
as the one true God who created everything and everyone, the one who
has placed me on the earth for a purpose-to magnify your name. Amen.
Understanding the Name
Elohim (e-lo-HEEM) is the plural form of El or Eloah, one of the
oldest designations for divinity in the world. The Hebrews borrowed
the term El from the Canaanites. It can refer either to the
true God or to pagan gods. Though El is used more than 200 times
in the Hebrew Bible, Elohim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural
form is used not to indicate a belief in many gods but to emphasize
the majesty of the one true God. He is the God of gods, the
highest of all. Christians may recognize in this plural form a hint of
the Trinity-Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Elohim occurs thirty-two
times in the first chapter of Genesis. After that the name Yahweh
appears as well and is often paired with Elohim and, in the NIV, the
two together are translated "the Lord God."
Studying the Name
1. "Genesis" is a word that can mean "birth," "history of origin,"
or "genealogy." What can you observe about who God is from
this passage about beginnings?
2. What can you observe about the world he has made?
3. What do you think it means to be created in "the image of
God"? How would your life change if you lived with the constant
awareness that he created you to bear his image?
4. God seems delighted by what he has made, proclaiming it good
and even very good. How does God's assessment of creation
shape your own attitude toward the world? Toward yourself?
Tuesday
Praying the Name
Then God said, "Let us make humankind in our image, according to our
likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth."
So God created humankind in his image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
God blessed them, and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply,
and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the
sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves
upon the earth." (Genesis 1:26-28 NRSV)
Reflect On: Genesis 1:26-28
Praise God: For his power in creating the heavens and the earth
out of absolutely nothing.
Offer Thanks: That God has not only created you, but made you in
his own image.
Confess: Any tendency to forget that every human life, including
your own, is sacred.
Ask God: To renew your sense of wonder and gratitude for the
things he has made.
* * *
A mighty God could have created a world quite different from the
one we know. It could have had perpetually dark skies, grass that
hurt to walk on, dogs that couldn't be housebroken, and people
incapable of love. Have you ever wondered why the world you take
for granted is often so stunningly beautiful? So pleasant to live in?
Why the people around you are capable of so much kindness?
So often we miss life's beauty because we are preoccupied by its
flaws. Instead of taking off our shoes to feel the feathery soft grass
beneath our feet, we complain that it's growing so fast we don't have
time to mow it. Rather than enjoying the gregarious woman behind
the supermarket counter, we blame her friendly chatter for delaying
the checkout line. And what about us? Who stares back from the
mirror each morning? A child of God who is growing daily in his
image or someone whose nose is too big or too small, whose hair is
in a state of perpetual rebellion, or whose skin is aged and worn?
Today, ask the God who made you to remake your sense of
wonder at his creative power.
Wednesday
Praying the Name
Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch
over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes
to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be
my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house,
and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth." (Genesis 28:20)
Reflect On: Genesis 28:10-22; 35:1-8
Praise God: Because he not only created the world and everyone
in it but continues to sustain it through his creative
power.
Offer Thanks: For the way God has blessed you with the good
things of the earth.
Confess: Any tendency to take God's earthly blessings for
granted.
Ask God: To increase your desire to bless others with the gifts
he has given you.
* * *
Jacob, you may remember, was the twin who tricked his brother out
of a blessing. Fleeing from his brother's wrath, he had a dream one
night in which he encountered the God of his grandfather, Abraham,
and his father, Isaac. Promising him descendants as numerous as the
dust of the earth, God told him: "All peoples on earth will be blessed
through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over
you wherever you go and I will bring you back to this land. I will
not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."
This was Elohim speaking, the Creator of the heavens and the
earth. He made it all, he owned it all, and he could give away its fruit
to anyone he pleased. Jacob asked for safety, food, and clothing-basic
human needs. But God gave him so much more, making him
a wealthy man and the father of numerous children. He even blessed
Esau, the brother whose blessing Jacob had stolen.
Then as now Elohim desires to use his creative power, not only
to sustain us and the world he has made, but to create for us a life
filled with blessings, both physical and spiritual. Ask him now for
what you need, believing in both his power to bless and his desire
to care for you.
Thursday
Praying the Name
In the beginning you laid the foundations of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you remain;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Like clothing you will change them
and they will be discarded.
But you remain the same. (Psalm 102:25-27a)
Reflect On: Psalm 102
Praise God: For his unchanging nature-no matter what happens
to us or to the world around us, God remains
the same.
Offer Thanks: That our Creator is perfect-nothing could be added
to or subtracted from him to improve his nature.
Confess: Any tendency to place God on your own level, as
though he is subject to the same laws and limitations
of creation as you are.
Ask God: To help you perceive his greatness more fully so that
you will stop projecting your own feelings and judgments
on him.
* * *
Imagine for a moment that you live in a world that never changes.
In this world civilizations never rise and fall, the weather is constant,
children don't grow up, and people never change jobs. In this
world, the same old television shows run year after year.
Wouldn't it bore you to death? Without the right kind of
change, there would be no growth or development, no hope, nothing
whatever to aim for. No one would ever talk about discerning
God's plan for their lives nor would anyone strive to fulfill their
God-given potential because there wouldn't even be a word for
"potential." We know that to be human is to be subject to change.
As human beings we need constructive change because both we
and the world we live in are imperfect. We are not yet everything
God intends us to be. But God himself is already perfect, already
everything he needs to be: all-powerful, loving, wise, beautiful, and
good. Change could not possibly improve him. Furthermore, he is
not subject to a changing universe because he exists outside of time
and space. He always was and he always will be. This means that the
God who loves you will never stop being who he is. His attitude
won't change depending on his mood, depending on your mood.
Perhaps you face unwelcome changes right now: the loss of a
loved one, a child leaving home, a dwindling paycheck-the future
you counted on suddenly in jeopardy. Or maybe you suffer from a
mood disorder, up one day and way down the next.
Let the God who is the same yesterday, today, and forever steady
your world today. Whatever challenge or change confronts you, let
it drive you toward the God who never changes, a God so stable and
strong you can lean on him forever.
Friday
Promises Associated with God's Name
A promise is only as good as the person who makes it. Sometimes
young children make promises they cannot keep, like the one about
eating all their vegetables if only you will please give them a candy
bar right now. Lovers promise to stay together in sickness and in
health until death parts them. Yet sometimes they stray. Salespeople
promise the moon just to close a deal. But when it comes to making
a promise and keeping it, God is not like any of his flawed creatures.
He is absolutely reliable, completely trustworthy, entirely able
to follow through on his word. As the Creator he has infinite
resources to accomplish his purposes. Remember that when you
think about the following promises from his word in Scripture.
Promises in Scripture
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:28-29)
So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10)
I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.
(Genesis 28:15)
Continued Prayer and Praise
Remember that we bear God's image. (Genesis 9:6)
Thank God for his covenant with all living creatures. (Genesis
9:12-17)
Pray that God will turn darkness to light. (Psalm 18:28)
(Continues.)
