"The Breath of Adonai YHWH is upon Me
Because YHWH has anointed Me
To bring good news to the afflicted;
He has sent Me to bind up the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to captives
And freedom to prisoners;
To proclaim the jubilee of YHWH
And the day of vengeance of our Elohim;
To comfort all who mourn,
To grant those who mourn in Zion
Giving them a garland instead of ashes,
The oil of gladness instead of mourning,
The mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting.
So they will be called oaks of righteousness,
The planting of YHWH, that He may be glorified."
It's the words Jesus quoted right before He started healing people and preaching.
It's from Isaiah 61. I changed the "lord"s and "god"s to the actual names that were used. And I changed "Spirit" to "Breath", because it's the same Hebrew word, and it makes it ring a little different.
When they translated the Bible to English they changed all of the YHWH's, El Shaddai's, Elohim's, and Adonai's to "God" and "Lord". David wrote in his psalms about "calling on the Name of YHWH" and what we get in our Bibles is "calling on the Name of the Lord", which doesn't do it justice. They changed this out of reverence to His name. Surely we should revere it, but we shouldn't ignore and forget it.
"God" comes from a German word sounding something like "goth", from what I can tell, meaning "to invoke". I don't really like it.
"Lord" has it's place if you've decided to be submissive to Him.
"Adonai" means "Lord", but it's normally used with "YHWH" close by.
"Elohim" is the plural form of "God", alluding to the Trinity, I believe.
"El Shaddai" means "God Almighty". But it's better than that. "Shaddai" has "Shad" in the root word, which means "Breast". So the name doesn't just capture His Power, but His motherly, tender, nurturing care.
"YHWH" is the holiest name, and was seldom spoken by the ancient Hebrews. It's the most personal one. In the creation account of the world Moses used "Elohim", but when He gets in the dirt and makes man and woman Moses uses "YHWH". It's the "I AM that I AM".
I'm not too into Easter - from the German fertility goddess Eostre (fertility? think rabbits and eggs) - but I am into Passover and the Passion. I suppose it doesn't matter too much what we call it. But it is nice to clarify.
Happy Easter. Do take time to think what it's about, whether you follow Jesus or not. It'll be worth your while, I promise.
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4 comments:
a lot of "Easter" may seem very pagan & all, but...this is what I think about Easter when it comes down to it...
it brings people together, just like Christmas. Everyone has different traditions, but those traditions are best when shared & enjoyed with other people. For example, dying eggs had nothing to do with religion, although Easter has been deemed a "religious holiday", but nonetheless, it brings us together.
And I feel that is what God really loves to see us do; to be together. To remember Him, to keep His name good, and to not be alone. To have good, meaningful memories together.
Holidays like Easter & Christmas deliver that.
I hope I didn't sound like I was saying chocolate bunnies and eggs are "bad" or something. I was just pointing out where they sprung up from.
Nice thoughts.
No, YOU didn't say that... but I'm hearing it a lot lately.
thanks, Bruce. :) I kind of wish we could change the Bible back to all of the original meanings instead of it just being "easier" to use those simple words in English. They make us forget the depth and greatness of our Father.
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