GOD, POWERFUL CREATOR
Elojim
Elohim or Elohim is the Hebrew word that is translated by God and found in the first sentence of the Bible. When we pray to Elohim, we remember that it is he who started everything, creating the heavens and the earth and separating the light from the darkness, the water from the firm ground, the night of the day.
This ancient name for God contains the idea of God's creative power as well as its authority and sovereignty. Jesus used a modality of the name in the prayer he pronounced when he died on the cross: "About three o'clock in the afternoon, Jesus cried out loudly:" Eli, Eli, lama sabactani "(which means:" My God, my God, Why have you forsaken me? ")» (Matthew 27:46).
Key biblical passage:
God, in the beginning, created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1: 1)
God reveals his name in the Scriptures
God, in the beginning, created the heavens and the earth. The earth was total chaos, the darkness covered the abyss, and the Spirit of God came and went on the surface of the waters. And God said: "Let there be light!" And light came into being. God considered the light to be good and separated it from the darkness. In the light he called it "day," and in the darkness, "night." And the night came, and the morning came; That was the first day.
And God said: "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let them be separated!" To the firmament God called it "heaven."
And God said: "Let the waters under heaven meet in one place, and let the dry appear!" In the dry God called "land", and the set of waters called it "sea".
And God said: «Let there be vegetation on the earth; May it produce herbs that give seed, and trees that bear their fruit with seed, all according to their species! "
And God said: "Let there be lights in the firmament that separate the day from the night!"
And God said: "Let the waters overflow with living creatures, and let the birds fly on the earth throughout the firmament!"
And God said: "Let the earth produce living creatures: domestic animals, wild animals, and reptiles, according to their species!"
And he said: «Let us make the human being in our image and likeness. Let him have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky; on domestic animals, on wild animals, and on all the reptiles that crawl on the ground ».
And God created the human being in his image; He created it in the image of God.
Man and woman created them, and blessed them with these words: "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; dominate the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, and all the reptiles that crawl on the ground ». God looked at everything he had done, and considered it very good. (Taken from Genesis 1)
Let's understand the name
Elojim is the plural of El o Eloah, one of the oldest denominations for the divinity in the world. The Hebrews took the term The of the Canaanites.
It can refer to both the true God and pagan gods. It is used more than 200 times in the Hebrew Bible, Elojim is used more than 2,500 times. Its plural form is used not to indicate the belief in many gods but to emphasize the majesty of the one true God.
He is the God of gods, the greatest of all. Christians can also recognize in this plural form an insinuation of the Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Elohim is found 32 times in the first chapter of Genesis. After this, there is also the name Yahweh that often accompanies Elohim and, in the NIV, the two names together are translated as "the Lord God."
Let's study the name
"Genesis" is a word that can mean "birth", "history of origin" or "genealogy". What can be observed about who God is from this passage about the beginnings?
What can you observe about the world he has made?
God gave human beings dominion over the earth. How could I give honor to the Creator in his stewardship of the earth?
In what ways do you enjoy and benefit from creation on a daily basis?
As God made us in his image, he has infused us with creative power. What are your creative gifts?
God seems pleased with what he has done, affirming that he is good and even very good. How does this appreciation of God's creation shape his attitude towards the world? Toward yourself?
What do you think it means to be created in the "image of God"? How would he change his life if he lived with a constant awareness that he created him to be his image?
