Covenant Lord, Part 4: Our Covenant Lord Adonai, Genesis 15:1-2.
The Hebrew word for ‘Lord’ is ‘Adonai meaning the one that has authority, ownership and mastery over life, whilst the Hebrew pictures contained in the word Adonai include a door and a seed. Therefore the Lord is the One who is the door to life; the one who protects us, nourishes us (Psalm 1:1-3) and helps us grow. The Lord is the Shepherd who leads us into green pastures (Ps 23:1-2 Ezk 34:11-2) and His love endures forever (Ps 136:3-4, John 10:11, Heb 13:20-21, 1 Pet 5:4).
The first usage of ‘Lord’ (Adonai) in scripture is found in Genesis 15:2 where we initially read, that the LORD (Yahweh: life-breathing eternal One who raises up/resurrects) has told Abraham that He was his shield (standing for king, Ps 84:9) and very great reward (Gen 15:1). Abraham then begins his reply to the LORD with, “O Sovereign Lord….” In doing so, he is recognising that God in the One who is the door to life, the One who provides and protects. As Jesus promises, when we seek the Lord with all our hearts there is the promise of a supernatural harvest (Luke 8:8).
Abraham believed God, meaning that he leant on God, knowing that God would support and protect him. He trusted in God and became firm, like a mature tree rooted in God’s promises (Psalm 1). Because Abraham believed in God, it was credited to him as righteousness. What this means is that God intertwined His strength with Abraham’s (think of the strands of a rope being plaited together), allowing His work (ultimately through Christ) to become Abraham’s blessing. Isaiah speaks of this as renewing strength through waiting on the Lord. The renewing is an exchange of strength as God enables us to live the life we have been called to. In the N.T. this comes about through the indwelling presence and leading of the Holy Spirit producing His fruit and gifting in and through our lives. Those who have placed their trust in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour are strengthened by Him and learn to walk along straight paths (a picture behind righteousness, speaking of right living). The Psalmist captures this in the words, “The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining ever brighter until the full light of day” (Prov 4:18).
Sometimes life can be very difficult, yet we never need to walk alone. The Shepherd of the covenant – Jesus Christ – has promised never to leave us or forsake us and as Paul writes, there is nothing that need separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:37-9); all of God’s promises are “yes” in Jesus, the perfect Son.
The name ‘Lord’ speaks of the Covenant Head who sustains His people and who bestows gifts, and equips His sons and daughters (2 Peter 1:3). He is the One who has put everything under his feet (Psalm 8:4-8, 1 Cor 15:25-27, Eph 1:22) speaking of absolute mastery, and the earth trembles at his presence (Psalm 114:7). We are not our own, nor are we ever marginalised or neglected or looked down on by God. Instead we have been bought at a great price (1 Cor 6:19-20) and His grace is sufficient in all things (2 Cor 12:9).
In the New Testament we see that Jesus is the entrance (the gate) into fellowship with God (John 10:9), and in Him we see One who had absolute mastery over life because He always leant upon His Father (John 5:19-20, 12:49, 14:20) and relied on the leading of the Holy Spirit.
People were amazed at Jesus’ authority, (Mark 1:22) seen in His words and actions. For example, He stilled storms (Mark 4:41), cast out demons (Lk 4:36) raised the dead (Jairus daughter: Mt 6:22f; Lazarus John 11:17ff) said He had authority to forgive sins (Luke 5:24) and that His words would never pass away (Mark 13:31).
Jesus also told the religious people around Him that having an intellectual knowledge of God on its own was not enough. It was those who submitted their lives to God and engaged with Him who experienced Kingdom living: the rule and reign of God (Matthew 7:21) impacting their lives. You and I are sons and daughters of the Kingdom.
Through Jesus life’ (which clearly revealed intimacy with His Father and a reliance on the leading of the Spirit), lepers were healed (Mt 8:2f), paralytics were raised up (Lk 5:24), the deaf could hear (Mark 7:32-34) and the blind were able to see (Mt 20:30,Mk 8:23, Jn 9:2f), as good news was proclaimed to all people (Lk 4:18-19, 43). God’s love is not tainted or destroyed by man’s wickedness, and He continues to reach out to all of us today. God knows exactly what we are like (Prov 20:27), and exactly how we should be and will help all who call out to Him. But will we surrender ourselves to Him? He is the door to life and the One who raises us up, provides all we need and protects us through His presence and through educating us in new ways of thinking. We need to remember life is about whose we are and not just who we are as we walk in freedom in the Spirit. Again we need to remember that this does not mean that life will always be easy, yet we never need to walk through any area of life on our own.
In His fellowship with the Father and through the leading of the Holy Spirit, Jesus was able to take every situation that He faced (whether hostile crowds, hatred, suffering, or death) and reveal the true character of God. As an example of this look at how He responded to the negative words of the Pharisees and teachers of the Law in telling them the story of a loving father and two wayward sons (Luke 15), encouraging them to see what God was really like. Or look at the words of comfort Jesus spoke to a thief on a cross whilst enduring judgement as He became our sin-bearer. In Jesus we see the master of all life and we are His so let’s ask for His help to live the life He has called us to and seek the empowering of His Spirit as we learn to bring our lives, our circumstances and all that we face to Him (Psalm 54:4).
Every blessing.
Written and produced by Pastor Jem. 2017
Jem Trehern, 16/10/2019