Heights and Highs - Part 5
- Bible Prophet
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
Moreover, Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Please inquire first for the word of the LORD.” Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said to them, “Shall I go against Ramoth-gilead to battle or shall I refrain?” And they said, “Go up, for the Lord will give it into the hand of the king.” But Jehoshaphat said, “Is there not yet a prophet of the LORD here that we may inquire of him?” [1 Kings 22:5-7]
The English Bible translates God’s personal name as LORD (all capital letters). The title “lord” or “master” is translated as “Lord” (only the L is capitalized).
With that understanding in mind, now read the three quotations a third time. Jehoshaphat doesn’t want to hear the false prophets proclaim so-called words from idols. He wants to hear what Yahweh has to say. Jehoshaphat is a good Hebrew. He knows there is only one real God and His name is Yahweh.
So Jehoshaphat says, “Let me hear what Yahweh has to say about us going to Ramoth-gilead.” Ahab sends for his false prophets, who claim their “master” says… Jehoshaphat insists to Ahab that the supposed words of idols won’t suffice for him. Get him a prophet of Yahweh to speak.
Now be honest. Knowing this distinction between “LORD” and “Lord” as used in the English translations of the Bible, doesn’t the tale of Micaiah ben Imlah come alive so much more? We can better understand the interaction between the prophets of the LORD and the false prophets in the Old Testament, when we look for such distinctive signs.
But there is something more we must needs emphasize about this distinction. The Lord revealed His personal name to Moses at the burning bush on Mount Sinai. He did so because Moses was to return to Egypt and be the Lord’s prophet, as He brought the Israelites out of Egyptian slavery and into the Promised Land.
This plan of the Lord was the fulfillment of His covenant with Abraham, the Abrahamic Covenant. A covenant is a personal relationship between the Lord and another or others, in this case Abraham’s progeny, the Israelites. A personal relationship entails knowing a person’s personal name. Hence when we see the word “LORD”, we should train ourselves to immediately recognize that covenant and personal relationship is involved.
Ahab and all those who practice idolatry are out of relationship with the LORD. They don’t know Him personally, so using His personal name is awkward and inappropriate on their part.
His name is higher than any other. Ramoth-gilead was the heights of Gilead, but God’s personal name is far far higher than Ramoth. We cannot rise higher than the name Jesus, dear friends. His name is special. It is precious. His name along with He Himself is HIGH above all else.
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ personally? If you don’t, it is inappropriate for you to use His personal name, and it should be awkward to you if you did so.
I know the solution. Why not call on the Lord Jesus right this moment? Confess your sins to Him, ask Him to forgive you and be your Savior and Lord. Then spend time alone with Him daily, reading and musing over His Word and talking to Him in prayer. You’ll get to know Him really well in no time flat. And you’ll never be the same again. So what are you waiting for already?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please click on the "Shop" tab at the top of this page, where you will find a complete list of my books. Each book is available in both paperback (Createspace) and eBook (Kindle).
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