Month: October 2024

Saviour In The Sky

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“Saviour In The Sky” proclaimed the headline in a recent edition of The Courier.

The article was a tribute to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter service which has been a literal life-saver for many people in this region and right through New South Wales. Over the years, there have been countless people scooped up from road accidents, farm accidents or major illnesses and taken to hospitals in larger centres where they have received timely care.

Without in any way detracting from the work of this wonderful service, there is a greater “Saviour in the sky” who perform even greater rescues than the helicopter service.

When God first created the world, He had a great goal for the people He had made. Pretty soon, people refused God’s way of living and tried to run their lives on their own terms.

Sin, rebellion, selfishness and disobedience have ruled the world ever since. We live in a world that is separated from God’s love and everybody suffers.

At the right time, God came to earth as a person, whom we call Jesus Christ. He showed people what living God’s way could look like. The rulers didn’t take too kindly to His teaching and so they had Him executed.

If you have ever heard the saying, “You can’t keep a good man down” you will know that Jesus came back to life. He came with a promise: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.” In other words if we just turn away from our acts of selfishness, and ask Jesus to forgive us, then we will know eternal life with God.

Jesus not only gives us a command to be good, He also gives us the ability to live the good life and to enter into eternity.

He really is the “Saviour In The Sky.”

Is It Wrong to Call God “Yahweh”?

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Is It Wrong to Call God “Yahweh”?

Sometimes you hear some people refer to the Lord as “Yahweh,” and if you feel a bit insecure in your relationship with Jesus or your spiritual gifts, you might feel like you are a second class christian. Should we refer to God as “Yahweh”?


The name of the Lord is given in the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament) in Exodus 3 where Moses asks God “Who shall I say has sent me? What is your name?” The Lord replies: “I AM WHO I AM. Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.” (Exodus 3:14).


In written Hebrew, there were originally no vowels, just consonants. Later the scribes added small marks under each letter to indicate the vowels.


So the holy name of the Lord appears to us as just 4 letters in Hebrew, equivalent to YHWH. When reading the Scriptures, the Jewish people would not read out aloud the name of the Lord, but instead the word “Adonai” which means Lord. (In the Old Testament, this name of God is often translated into English as “THE LORD”.) To remind readers to say Adonai rather than any other name, the written text was given with the vowels for “Adonai.”


The truth is that nobody knows how YHWH should be pronounced. In modern times, the best guess, from the name revealed to Moses, is “Yahweh” which would give something of the meaning of “I am who I am”. It should be noted that the familiar name Jehovah was an attempt by German scholars to understand this name of God, which was imported from German into English.


So the modern pronunciation of “Yahweh” is simply an educated guess.


Here are some reasons why christians should not refer to God as “Yahweh.”

  1. The Jews never said Yahweh when reading the Old Testament. It is unlikely that they addressed the Lord in prayer as Yahweh.
  2. Jesus referred to God as Father, never as Yahweh. Not only this, He told His disciples to do likewise. “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,” (Matthew 6:9)
  3. The name of Jesus is a better name, even than Yahweh. It is the name above all names. In Philippians 2:9, Paul tells us, “Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name.”
  4. I always wonder about the motives of people who refer to God as “Yahweh.” They are often the same people who refer to Jesus by the Hebrew name of Yeshua. Are they trying to take us down the track of Old Testament legalism? Is there a sense of pride that they are more spiritual than other believers who do not use these names?
  5. Jesus makes it clear in many places in the New Testament that the Lord does not care about the words we use in prayer. He sees the heart, not the outward appearances. If you heart is genuine in seeking the Lord, He will hear your prayers.

The use of the name Yahweh, I think, is misguided. Let us refer to the Lord with our favourite English words that express love and honour to Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Reflection on Matthew 9:27-38

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Scripture

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into the fields.”

Observation

After raising from the dead a synagogue leader’s daughter, Jesus returns to the home where He is staying. Two blind men follow Him right into the house and ask Him to heal them.

Jesus asks them if they believe He can heal them. They respond positively, so Jesus heals them.

Jesus also heals a demon-possessed man who who couldn’t speak. The Pharisees say that Jesus casts of demons because He is empowered by the prince of demons.

As Jesus ministers around that region, He has compassion on the people because they are like sheep without a shepherd. He tells His disciples that the harvest is great, but the workers are few. They must pray for the Lord to send more workers.

Application

Where I live, farmers are reaping a bumper crop of every kind of cereal and legume you can imagine – wheat, barley, faber beans, and much more. The farmers are desperate to get their crops into storage before they can be spoiled by rain, fire, or other disaster. Because of the size of the harvest, there is a shortage of harvesters, truck drivers, silo operators, and so on. Therefore people are working long hours and enduring long delays.

Jesus saw people who needed salvation and a relationship with the Father. He tells the disciples to pray for God to send out more workers into the fields. Of course, after Pentecost, the number of workers multiplied, and the church has continued to grow ever since.

The harvest is still great. People are still lost. We still need to pray for the Lord to send more workers.

Jesus was moved by compassion, not by ego. He saw the needs of the people and urged us to pray. Our prayers and actions must be directed by compassion for people.

Prayer

Lord, there are so many hurting, lost people in my town. Please send out the missionaries, evangelists, and disciples to reach them. Amen.