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Our society is in serious trouble. Over the past forty years there has been a dramatic decline in the quality of our education and morals, and an equally dramatic rise in crime, murder, suicide, abortion, drugs, sexual promiscuity, divorce, debt and other societal ills. The experts are struggling to understand the reasons for this decline. Is it economics? Is it the fault of special interest groups? Is big business to blame? Is it caused by the Republicans? The Democrats? A.W. Tozer concluded that almost everything wrong with our society is due to the fact that as a nation, we have been losing the knowledge of God. He went on to state that almost all of life's problems and their solutions are theological. The person who comes to a right belief about God will relieve himself of a million other problems in life. The person who has a wrong concept about God will add a million other problems to his life. There is hardly a problem in society that can't be traced back to misperceptions about God. It is impossible for an individual to keep their moral practices sound or a society to keep their values right when their idea of God is erroneous or inadequate. If this decline of the knowledge of God has brought on almost all of our troubles, then the rediscovery of the knowledge of God will go a long way toward curing them. Today, the most important obligation for Messiah’s Holy Community of Jews and Gentiles is to purify our concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him. If we would bring back true spiritual power to our lives and health to our nation, we must think about God as He is, not as we assume He is. Since names found in the Holy Scriptures reveal the character and nature of those that bear them, one way to enrich our knowledge of God is by studying His names, titles and the metaphors used to describe Him.
ELOHIM

Elohim is the first name for God found in the Tenach (Old Testament). It is in Genesis 1:1 and is the third word of the Hebrew Scriptures: In the beginning "Elohim" - "God." Elohim is the most common name that is translated as "God." It comes from a root that means "strength, might, power." It is used over 2,300 times in the Scriptures to refer to the God of Israel. Elohim is unusual since it is plural. It can also be translated as "gods." Exodus 12:12 refers to "all the elohim (gods) of Egypt." This plural name that is used for the One God opens the door for the revelation of the plural yet single nature of God that is more fully revealed in the rest of the Scriptures. When Elohim is combined with other words, different attributes of God are emphasized.

God Of The Beginning (Deuteronomy 33:27): The Powerful One always existed. He is the First One, before all things in time and priority. He must be before all else in our affections, and come first in our admiration.

God Of Hosts, or God Of Armies (2 Samuel 5:10): The Strong One is a mighty warrior and is the Commander-In-Chief of the armies of Heaven and His people on Earth.

God Of Justice (Isaiah 30:18): The Powerful One is perfectly just and will bring complete justice and righteousness to the world.

God Of Heights (Micah 6:6): The expression “Heights” signifies supremacy of power and position. The Strongest One is supremely exalted.

God Who Is Near (Jeremiah 23:23): The Mighty One is not distant. He is close to His creation - even nearer than our breath; so near that in Him we live and move and have our being. Yeshua's incarnation supremely expresses this truth.

God Of My Kindness (Psalm 59:11): The Strong One is kind and He works to make us kind. Yeshua's life and sacrifice is the supreme example of God's kindness.

God Of My Strength (Psalm 43:2): The Strongest One desires to make us strong. When we realize that we are weak and learn to rely on Him, then He is able to make us strong.

God Of My Praise (Psalm 109:1): God is supremely worthy of our praise. He desires to be the main subject of our accolades as well as what we talk and think about. He enables us to do the things that will add to His praise. Whatever praiseworthy things we ever do are ultimately due to Him.

God Of My Salvation (Psalm 18:47, 25:5): Humans beings are estranged from God, and alienated from the Source of Life. God's nature and will is to rescue, redeem, deliver, help and restore. Salvation must be personal for each human being. The Mighty One must become the God of my Salvation. Salvation is found in being in a right relationship to a Person - Yeshua, not by having a mere belief system or good works.

God Of Gods (Deuteronomy 10:17): There are other so-called "gods" and “higher powers,” but the Strongest One is mightier than all. Even they acknowledge Him as the Most Powerful, and compared to His infinite power, they are powerless.

God Of The Rock Of My Salvation (2 Samuel 22:47): Rock is strong, solid, dependable and enduring. It is useful as a weapon or for defense. We can completely depend on the Most Powerful One to give us eternal salvation.

God Of All Flesh (Jeremiah 32:27): The Mighty One created all living things on Earth, and rightly demands that they conform to His plans for them.

God Of The Spirits Of All Flesh (Numbers 16:22): God created us with both a physical and spiritual dimension. He claims lordship over body and soul, flesh and spirit. The One who made every human being is able to see into our innermost being, and distinguish between the innocent and the guilty, between those who really love Him and those who are religious hypocrites.

Holy God (Leviticus 19:2): The Mightiest One is unique, incomparable, one of a kind. There is no one and nothing like Him, and there never will be. He is distinct from everyone and everything else that exists. He is infinitely pure and free from anything that is wrong.

Living God (Jeremiah 10:10): The Strongest One has life in Himself. He gives life to everything else that exists. He desires to give us life that is eternal and abundant.

God Of Forgiveness (Nehemiah 9:17): Men might be slow to forgive, but it is the Mighty One's nature to forgive. God's desire is to forgive all of our sins and reconcile us to Himself, if only we will come to Him on His terms.

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