Daily Lesson for Wednesday 8th of April 2026
You probably know from memory the first words in the Bible: “In the beginning God.” In Hebrew, the word for God here is Elohim. Although this word can be used when talking about false “gods,” when it refers to the one true God, it describes an almighty, all-powerful Creator in connection with the whole of creation; the transcendent God who is beyond our understanding but in control of everything. He is so powerful that when He speaks, something is created just from His voice.
But in the next chapter, Genesis 2:1-25, there appears a different name for God: Yahweh. This name connects to Elohim (Yahweh Elohim), the same all-powerful, almighty God; but the name Yahweh is the more personal name of the one true God, often used to emphasize that God is the covenant God, in loving relation with His created people.
Compare the descriptions of God in Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 2:7. What do you notice?
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In Genesis 2:7, we can imagine God kneeling to form the first human being out of the ground with His own hands. “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.” This is a God who gets close—so close that He breathes into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. This name, Yahweh, presents a more intimate picture of God, but Moses uses both names in the first two chapters of the Bible to describe these two characteristics of God to us.
How astonishing! We see here God’s transcendence to us as Elohim, and His immanence, His closeness to us, as Yahweh. How good for us to think of both of these aspects of God’s character: His overall control of everything and His nearness to us. As Paul said to the Athenians on Mars Hill: “ ‘He is not far from each one of us; for in Him we live and move and have our being’ ” (Acts 17:27-28, NKJV).
It’s important that we continue to seek a clear, balanced picture of God based on what the Bible tells us about God’s character in order to grow in a relationship with Him. This is why it’s important to read all parts of the Bible rather than focusing on only one portion. Truly, the more we learn about the character of God, the more we will learn to love Him.
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Read as Elihu describes some of God’s attributes in Job 36:24-33 and Job 37:1-24. Then read God’s declaration of His omnipotence in Job 38:1-41 and 39. What do these passages reveal to us about God? |
