Listen . . . The Lord Our God, the Lord is ONE
“Let them know that you, whose name is the Lord – that you alone are the Most High over the earth. (Psalm 83:18).
“Lord our God, other gods besides you have ruled over us, but your name alone do we honor.” (Isaiah 26:13).
“Hear O Israel: The Lord Our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
THE ONE GOD IS NOT DIVIDED
We have to know that God in his nature is the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. God declared by his incarnation; is our redeemer.
In the Hebrew language there are two words carry the meaning of the one/unit:
ECHAD: it means “complex one/unit” (as in the soldier who returns back to his unit).
Genesis 1:5 “God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called the “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning; the first day. Therefore, in the first day (day from one week, or month). The week is a complex unit/one; and also, the month is a complex unit/one.
Genesis 2:11 There is a river divided into four branches and becomes four rivers. The name of the first is Pishon; one of four rivers. “The name of the first is Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilad, where there is gold.”
Genesis 2:21 “So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took on of the man’s ribs.”
Genesis 2:24 “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
YACHEED: It means the unit which is absolute & unlimited & uncontrolled.
Genesis 22:2 “Then God said to Abraham, take your son, your only son (Yacheed), whom you love – Isaac and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering.”
Judges 11:34 “When Jephthah returned to his home in Mitzvah, who should come out to meet him but his daughter, dancing to the sound of timbrels! She was an only child (Yacheed).”
Psalm 25:16 “Turn to me and be gracious to me, or I am lonely (Yacheed) and afflicted.”
2 Kings 19:15 “And Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: Lord, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.”
Isaiah 44:6 “This is what the Lord says about himself: I am the first and I am the Last; apart from, me there is no God.” (See also: Isiah 37:16; 43:10; and Exodus 25:18).
Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Once again, the main reference to express that God (Echad) is the ONE “Hear O Israel: The Lord Our God, the Lord is one.”
The meaning of God (Echad) is complex: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Even though they are three persons but one God, one thought, one way and one goal.
Man is formed of three parts: spirit, soul, and flesh. Time is also three components: past, present, and future. The number three is a divine perfection/completeness.
THE TRIO/THREEFOLD OF THE BIBLE:
- The Priestly Blessing of Aaron: (a) The Lord bless you and keep you. (b) The Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. (c) The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26).
- The Apostolic blessings: May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14).
- Genesis 1:9-10 “Then God said, let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let the dry ground appear. And it was so. God called the dry ground ‘land’ and the gathered waters he called ‘sea’ and God saw that it was good…the third day.”. The dry ground “land” points to the “Resurrection”, and on this day Jesus rose from the death (Three points to the Resurrection)”.
- In Luke 13:32 “Jesus replied: go tell that fox (King Herod) I will keep on driving out demons and healing people today, tomorrow and on the day, I will reach my goal.”
- The Lord Jesus raised three people from death: Lazarus in John 11:38-44; the daughter of Jairus, the synagogue leader (Luke 8:49); the widow’s son from Nain (Luke 7:11-17)
- In Exodus 3:18, Moses asked the King of Egypt to let the Israelite make a three-day journey unto the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God. This was done as we read in Exodus 8:27 and the Israelite were separated from the Egyptian to worship the Lord.
- The 12 spies returned to Moses with three kinds of fruit: Grapes, Pomegranates, and Figs. (Numbers 13:23).
- Three time the Jordan river was separated: When the Israelite entered the promised land (Joshua 4). When Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. (2 Kings 2:8), When Elisha took the cloak that had fallen from Elijah and struck the water with it. (2 Kings 2:14),
Jesus the Good Shepherd, (John 10:14) ready to die for his sheep.
Jesus the Great Shepherd of the sheep in his resurrection (Hebrews 13:20).
Jesus the Chief Shepherd; in his Glory (1 Peter 5:4).
“Hear O Israel: The Lord Our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). See how did God requested from us to confirm that they are three component which form the man who created him on his image. Therefore, we see that the number three (3) is a divine completeness.
In the New Testament, we find the verses which confirm the ones of God. Those who are witnessing in heaven are three: The Father, the Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. These three are ONE. 1 John 5:7 “for there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water, and the blood and the three are in agreement.”
In 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”.
Now after all these verses which assured us and made it clear that Christians do not believe in three gods separately. “Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:3-6). And in John 10:30 Jesus said “I and the Father are one.”
When the Lord prayed in John 17:11, he said “I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you.”
If we have faith that the Lord God exist. Even though we do not see him, but it is easy to believe that He is one God, father, son, and holy spirit. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in Truth.” (John 4:24).
ECHAD: THE COMPLEX UNIT:
We are sure that God does not change and, also his characters does not change. For example, let us take one character of God, LOVE. The word of God is telling us that “God is Love.” What does that mean:
- If we say that this LOVE has appeared in God after the creation of man, we have assured that God is a changing in his character, and this is impossible and not true.
- Then the solution is that God is ONE (Echad). Yes he is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; but ONE God (JEHOVAH ECHAD).
Scripture verses are from the Arabic Van Dyck Bible Translation (ARBVDV)
NFW – 06/02/2022 #20
“The Names of God” Bible Study meets on Thursday at 1:30 pm. ALL ARE WELCOME!