JEHOVAH-JIREH
Jehovah, an English rendering of the Hebrew Yahweh, is the special name by which God revealed himself to the ancient Hebrews. It was considered to be so sacred that it was never uttered except by the high priest on the great Day of Atonement. Whenever it occurred in the sacred books, they pronounced it as “Adonai” (i.e., Lord). It is the name for God that is used in the Old Testament more than any other – more than sixty-eight hundred times. (In English Bibles, it is usually translated as “the Lord”.) This name literally means “to be”. It has been translated as “the ever living one” and “the self-existent one”. Our God depends upon nothing and on no one for His existence.
One of the most popular compound forms of this name is Jehovah-Jireh, which means “the Lord will provide”. As we look a little closer, the Hebrew word here translated “provide” means “see” or “see to it”. Now when God sent Abraham and his son, Isaac, to the mountain to worship, “7…Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? 8And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering:…” (Genesis 22:7b-8a)
It can also be translated, “God sees what we need”, or “He will see to it.” Just as Abraham was ready to offer his son, –the knife in one hand, and the fire in the other hand – it was at this point that God sent an angel to stop Abraham and to tell him: There is a ram caught in the thicket, for I see your reverence of me and I have provided a substitute. Don’t kill your son.
The word jireh literally means “he sees ahead”. God sees what we need even before we realize that we need it. For every task He gives us, God has already made full provision for all that we need to complete it. There is no troublesome circumstance or difficulty for which He has not already provided your victory or a way of escape. He has foreseen everything you will face today or in the future, and has arranged everything you will need to equip you to face it.
As we preach and teach New Testament salvation, we find that our God is still a God that provides. Paul said, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19. You got it! The Old Testament Jehovah is the New Testament Christ Jesus. Yes, Jesus is the same God with the same commitments to His people. Whatever need arises in our life, our Lord has assured us that He not only sees it before we do, but He has provided whatever need it presents to us. My friend, not only is this a reminder of what God will do for us as we trust in Him, but it is to jog our minds to remember what He has already done for us. The Lord Jesus Christ has met our needs, be it financial, physical, spiritual, etc. He has been there in the past, He is with us now, and will be with us in the future, for He is Jehovah-jireh.
May God bless us to grow in Grace.
Pastor Gaiters
