The Nature of Yahweh Elohim

Back in 2000 I was a member of one of the Churches of God.

At the time, all I knew about the Creator, is that he was named LORD God. But if you looked up some of what I have posted on this site, you will actually see that I have changed completely, I have turned 360 degress as far as my knowledge of the Creator is concerned. I am now a believer and follower of Yahweh Mighty One. In our Bible Study last Sabbath we studied the nature of Yahweh based on the article I have reproduced below by Tracey Rich in his Judaism 101 series, which we agree with substantially, except that the article referred to the Creator as G-d.

The article itself referred to Moshe asking the one who introduced himself by saying, I am the Mighty One of your fathers, the Mighty One of Avraham, the Mighty One of Yitz'chak, and the Mighty One of Ya'akov, for an ID and he said “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh". Who is Ehyer Asher Ehyer? He is definitely not God; He is the Elohim that spoke to the patriarchs, Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov. If the three patriarch were to be resurrected this day and see people asserting that God spoke to them, they will deny it 100%. Ya'akov especially will react strongly because his favorite wife Rachel, died, because she was carrying the little statuettes of Gad (i.e. Gawd), the deities of good luck, thus was inadvertently cursed by her husband

When the English used the word God, to translate Yahweh Elohim, it must be remembered that the English people were already worshipping a deity called the LORD God, and therefore inappropriate to use to refer to Elohim who is called Yahweh.

This was not evident to me at first, in fact I had rejected even its suggestion. It was actually due to the fact that I was engrossed with a church that is named after God. One year, at my old school, I was responsible for the upkeep of the school fish pond, which has nothing but tilapia. So my knowledge was limited to tilapia fish because it was a tilapia pool. Similarly, my knowledge was limited to GOD as a member of the Church of God.

In 2000 I decided to pull out, and this time I kept myself free of any church affiliation. Guess what, my mind was now widened to see all the religions of the world, from after the closure of the Garden of Eden to this day. That is when I began to see who God truly was, and how he has fitted into the religions of this world, and most of all, how the world has attributed to him all the things that should rightly be attributed to Yahweh Elohim.

Ask anyone in the world, who created the world and the universe and there is a very large chance that he or she will say, “God” and would thus be absolutely wrong. And if you asked further who Yahweh is, and the reply would either be, “I do not know” or for the better informed, “Yahweh is the god of the Jews” and I would again say wrong.

The creator of the universe is not god or called God. No.

So If anyone is praying to God, (however it is spelled); it must be made clear that one is contacting a pagan deity and not the one Elohim who created the Universe . We are missing the mark in the true sense, when we call Yahweh Elohim, another name that is not his name.

Having said that, I must make it clear that I had to correct the names that Tracey Rich used in the article below, with sincere apologies, so that I can correctly refer to Yahweh, the Elohim whose nature is being discussed. It is needful for people to understand the flaw in using the term God to refer to Yahweh Elohim, because it leads to deceit and people must be able to connect with Yahweh, not with any other deity, by calling his rightful name if we all are to find life.

I am Apenisa Naigulevu; if you call me another name I will definitely NOT respond even though I did not name myself originally. But here we are dealing with the Mighty Creator who created the entire Universe and who said, “....... to Moshe, This is what you shall say to the children of Isra'el: Yahweh Elohim of your fathers, the Elohim of Avraham, the Elohim of Yitz'chak, and the Elohim of Ya'akov, has sent me to you; this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial to all generations” (Exodus 3:15). He appropriated a name for himself, yet we decide to use another.

Pretty straight forward to me; but I give you the nature of Yahweh originally prepared by Tracey Rich, and I have amended it to show that name of Yahweh Elohim with apologies.

The Nature of Yahweh • Most areas of Jewish belief are open to significant dispute, but not the nature of the Creator • There are several well-accepted beliefs about the nature of the Creator

The nature of Yahweh is one of the few areas of abstract Jewish belief where there are a number of clear-cut ideas about which there is little dispute or disagreement.

Yahweh Exists

The fact of Yahweh's existence is accepted almost without question. Proof is not needed, and is rarely offered. The Torah begins by stating "In the beginning, Elohim created..." It does not tell who Elohim is or how He was created.

In general, Judaism views the existence of Yahweh as a necessary prerequisite for the existence of the universe. The existence of the universe is sufficient proof of the existence of Yahweh.

Yahweh is One

One of the primary expressions of Jewish faith, recited twice daily in prayer, is the Shema, (Deut 6:4-5) which is as follows:

“Hear, O Israel: Yahweh is our Elohim, Yahweh is one; 5 And you shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”

This simple statement encompasses several different ideas:

a) There is only one Yahweh. No other being participated in the work of creation.

b) Yahweh is a unity. He is a single, whole, complete indivisible entity. He cannot be divided into parts or described by attributes. Any attempt to ascribe attributes to Yahweh is merely man's imperfect attempt to understand the infinite.

c) Yahweh is the only being to whom we should offer praise. The Shema can also be translated as "Yahweh is our Elohim, Yahweh is alone," meaning that no other is our Elohim, and we should not pray to any other.

Yahweh is the Creator of Everything

Everything in the universe was created by Yahweh and only by Yahweh. Judaism completely rejects the dualistic notion that evil was created by Satan or some other deity. All comes from Yahweh. As Isaiah said,

That they may know from the rising of the sun and from the west that there is none besides me; I am Yahweh and there is none else. 7 I form light and create darkness; I make peace and create hardship; I Yahweh do these things” Isaiah 45:6-7

Yahweh is Incorporeal

Although many places in scripture and Talmud speak of various parts of Yahweh's body (the Hand of Yahweh, Yahweh's wings, etc.) or speak of Yahweh in anthropomorphic terms (Yahweh walking in the garden of Eden, Yahweh laying tefillin, etc.), Judaism firmly maintains that Yahweh has no body. Any reference to Yahweh's body is simply a figure of speech, a means of making Yahweh's actions more comprehensible to beings living in a material world. Much of Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed is devoted to explaining each of these anthropomorphic references and proving that they should be understood figuratively.

We are forbidden to represent Yahweh in a physical form. That is considered idolatry. The sin of the Golden Calf incident was not that the people chose another deity, but that they tried to represent Yahweh in a physical form.

Yahweh is Neither Male nor Female

This followed directly from the fact that Yahweh has no physical form. As one rabbi explained it to me, Yahweh has no body, no genitalia, therefore the very idea that Yahweh is male or female is patently absurd. We refer to Yahweh using masculine terms simply for convenience's sake, because Hebrew has no neutral gender; Yahweh is no more male than a table is.

Although we usually speak of Yahweh in masculine terms, there are times when we refer to Yahweh using feminine terms. The Shechinah, the manifestation of Yahweh's presence that fills the universe, is conceived of in feminine terms, and the word Shechinah is a feminine word.

Yahweh is Omnipresent

Yahweh is in all places at all times. He fills the universe and exceeds its scope. He is always near for us to call upon in need, and He sees all that we do. Closely tied in with this idea is the fact that Yahweh is universal. He is not just the Yahweh of the Jews; He is the Yahweh of all nations.

Yahweh is Omnipotent

Yahweh can do anything. It is said that the only thing that is beyond His power is the fear of Him; that is, we have free will, and He cannot compel us to do His will. This belief in Yahweh's omnipotence has been sorely tested during the many persecutions of Jews, but we have always maintained that Yahweh has a reason for allowing these things, even if we in our limited perception and understanding cannot see the reason.

Yahweh is Omniscient

Yahweh knows all things, past, present and future. He knows our thoughts.

Yahweh is Eternal

Yahweh transcends time. He has no beginning and no end. He will always be there to fulfill his promises. When Moshe asked for Yahweh's name, He replied, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh." That phrase is generally translated as, "I am that I am," but the word "ehyeh" can be present or future tense, meaning "I am what I will be" or "I will be what I will be." The ambiguity of the phrase is often interpreted as a reference to Yahweh's eternal nature.

Yahweh is Both Just and Merciful

I have often heard Christians speak of Judaism as the religion of the strict Law, which no human being is good enough to fulfill (hence the need for the sacrifice of Jesus). This is a gross mischaracterization of Jewish belief. Judaism has always maintained that Yahweh's justice is tempered by mercy, the two qualities perfectly balanced. Of the two Names of Yahweh most commonly used in scripture, one refers to his quality of justice and the other to his quality of mercy. The two names were used together in the story of Creation, showing that the world was created with both justice and mercy.

Yahweh is Holy and Perfect

One of the most common names applied to Yahweh in the post-Biblical period is "Ha-Kadosh, Barukh Hu," The Holy One, Blessed be He.

Avinu Malkeinu: Yahweh is our Abba and our King

Judaism maintains that we are all Yahweh's children. A well-known piece of Jewish liturgy repeatedly describes Yahweh as "Avinu Malkeinu," our Father, our King. The Talmud teaches that there are three participants in the formation of every human being: the mother and father, who provide the physical form, and Yahweh, who provides the soul, the personality, and the intelligence. It is said that one of Yahweh's greatest gifts to humanity is the knowledge that we are His children and created in his image.

Removing Corn Husk!

Some years ago I was discussing Bible studies with a well known Fiji journalist and church minister, the late Dr Samuel Berwick, and he told me something that has helped me take my Bible studies forward. Of course I was skeptic at the time, but today I have found his idea and insight very valid and workable.

He told me that Bible study was like eating corn. To enjoy the corn kernel, one has to peel off and completely remove the multiple layers of the corn husk. “Look” he said, “You have to peel off the husk in front of you, and throw it away before you can get to the second layer of husk, to peel it off, than get to the next layer of husk and so on until you get to the corn kernel which we eat.” Makes sense, even though practically, we often try to peel off everything in one go.

But the point he made to me almost thirty, thirty-five years ago was valid then and valid today, especially if one has decided to search for the Creator, Yahweh Elohim, as I have been doing since 2000. We must first get rid of our prevailing thoughts or thinking which are obviously wrong, and replace it with the correct concepts. I had a battle, a virtual civil war, when I was moving away from Sunday worship to get to Sabbath worship. But it was not until I utterly rejected Sunday worship, that I was able to embrace the Sabbath in total as required by the ten commandments. Similarly the Names of Yahweh.

Finding Yahweh is the key, in the same way that Moshe found Yahweh at the burning bush, to begin an interesting relationship. If Moshe turned away, nothing would have happened.

One of the necessary things for us to do is to first find his holy Name. That is what Moshe did, didn’t he? Moses asked for his ID as it were! This ID is important to us too.

If you are looking for someone, you will need to call out his name, so that he can respond to your call and yell back “Here I am!”

It is not that Elohim is mysterious, like someone who has not declared the name by which he is to be remembered! No! The problem is that we have been taught to believe that Elohim is actually called God; and trying to unlearn that lie is quite difficult; a corn husk that needs to be resolved first before we can move any further. But eventually we got there. And the first thing I did after that was to look for a Bible that uses the holy name of Yahweh, and the one I found and bought for our group was the Words of Yahweh.

Thus the search begun! Personally I started out with an assurance which reads “If with all your heart you really want to find me, you shall surely find me, thus says our Yah or El.” Remember that Air from Mendlesohn’s Elijah of the same title?

Of course the English Bible actually reads “Thus says our God.” But the English Bible was formulated in 1601 or thereabout in London I think, and they for some mysterious reasons supplanted the names of Yahweh Elohim, the name by which the Elohim of Isra’el is supposed to be remembered; with the names LORD God, who is the pagan deity of the Canaanites and the Babylonians.

Earlier while I was still in the Church of God, I received some papers from a Church group, who were proclaiming the name of Yahweh, and at the time I rejected those papers outright as dubious. After all I was a member of a Church of God, and spiritual adultery is a strict no-no isn’t it?

Looking back I now realised that my search was somewhat stalled then and there, because I was not able to peel off this particular corn husk, about the true name of Elohim (Mighty One) or if you please the one who is wrongly named LORD God.

So my search was stalled, for until I can resolve this one, I cannot move forward to find Yahweh.

The process began when I was flushed out of the church of god I used to follow, in 2000. I cannot say I left it, because I guess if I found just a little niche where I can fit in, I probably would stay; but there was nothing left for me there. I did not believe in the Trinity, so if I stayed I would always be the odd man out, hence my opinion that I was flushed out, you know like something useless being removed. Often, these kind of things happen to us, for our own good.

But that experience made it easy for me to part with the terms LORD God, when our small group studied the various deities of the ancient world, since the Garden of Eden episode. There are hundreds probably thousand of pagan deities in the pages of the Holy Scriptures. Among them were Gad (gawd or god otherwise called Troops) and Meni his wife, the deities of good luck or fortune and destiny respectively.

One husk was on the way out. As the scriptures (John 4) says “22 You worship what you do not know; but we worship what we do know; for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming, and it is here, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father also desires worshippers such as these. 24 For Elohim is Spirit; and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth”

In spirit and in truth? Exactly! The truth is between God and Yahweh isn’t it? But which of the two is genuine is for us to decide. Spirit? The interrelationship is between two spirits, our human spirit and the spirit of the Elohim (Mighty One) called Yahweh. Any other spirit apart from Yahweh will not work.

Finding Yahweh is interesting in a very special way, because it demands that we overhaul all our perception about the Creator and the way we relate to him. If we heed the gospels where it says that we should not be deceived by man (Matthew 24:4-5) ; especially those who preach the name of Jesus Christ, it follows that we will have to understand the role of churches and religions, and evangelists and apostles, who assert that they are the way to the heavenly throne. Are they? These are the corn husks we have to remove on the way to the next husk.

We need to understand that religion begun well after Adam and Eve were exiled from the Garden of Eden and the tree of life confiscated from human reach (Genesis 3:23-24), and this touches the very heart of our search for Yahweh.

Some people will assert that to find Yahweh, we need to have wisdom and understanding, which one can find in churches and God-breathed human beings. Unfortunately this is impossible because the truth is that we have to find Yahweh first, before we can find wisdom and understanding never the other way around. Knowing Yahweh is wisdom. To maintain our relationship with Yahweh we need understanding, and understanding is being able to act righteously; when confronted with right and wrong, good and evil etc.

But once one reaches that stage, and look back, one will suddenly be conscious that human religious activities, is exactly like that fig tree which Yahshua saw; a lot of leaves but no fruit (or taqsh) indicating that it was an absolutely hopeless, fruitless fig tree, so he cursed it (See Matt 21:18-22 & Mark 11:12-14, 19-25 ).

And this is why it is needful that we free ourselves of denominational ties, before we can find Yahweh; we need to keep removing husk after husks, to get to the kernel – and in my search, to find Yahweh, the Elohim of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya’akov.

- Apenisa Naigulevu