JEHOVAH – WHO IS HE? –part 1-
HACKING his way through the jungle in Cambodia, Henri Mouhot, a 19th-century French explorer, reaches a broad moat surrounding a temple. It was Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument on earth. Mouhot could tell a glance that the moss-covered structure was the work of human hands. “Erected by some ancient Michelangelo”, he wrote, “It is grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome”. Despite its having undergone centuries of abandonment and neglect, he had no doubt that behind the complex structure, there was a designer.
Interestingly, a book of wisdom written centuries ago used similar reasoning, stating: “Of course, every house is constructed by someone, but he that constructed all things is God” (Hebrews 3:4). But some may say, ‘The workings of nature are different from what is man-made.’ However, not all scientists agree with that objection.
After conceding that “biochemical systems aren’t inanimate objects,” Michael Behe, associate professor of biochemistry at Lehigh University, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., asks: “Can living biochemical systems be intelligently designed?” He goes on to show that scientists are now designing basic changes in living organisms through such methods as genetic engineering. Yes, both animate and inanimate things can be “built”! Examining the microscopic world of living cells, Behe noted amazingly complex systems made up of components that are dependent on one another to function. His conclusion? “The result of these cumulative efforts to investigate the cell –to investigate life at the molecular level- is loud, clear, piercing cry of ‘design!’ ”
Who, then, is the Designer behind all these complex systems?
WHO IS THE DESIGNER?
The answer is available in that ancient book of wisdom quoted earlier – the Bible. In its opening words, the Bible answers with remarkable simplicity and clarity the question of who designed all things: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1).
In distinguishing himself from others who are said to be God, however, the Creator identifies himself by a unique name: “This is what the true God, Jehovah, has said, the Creator of the heavens…the One laying out the earth and its produce, the One giving breath to the people on it” (Isaiah 42:5, 8) Jehovah is the name of the God who designed the universe and made men and women on the earth. But who is Jehovah? What kind of God is He? And why should you listen to him?
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS NAME
First of all, what does the Creator’s name, Jehovah, mean?
The divine name is written in four Hebrew letters (לורד) and occurs nearly 7.000 times en the Hebrew portion of the Bible. This name is considered to be the causative form of the Hebrew verb ha-wah’ (“to become”) and thus means “He Causes to Become”. In other words, Jehovah wisely causes himself to become whatever he needs to be in order to accomplish his purposes. He becomes Creator, Judge, Savior, Sustainer of life, and so forth, in order to fulfill his promises. What is more, the Hebrew verb takes the grammatical form that denotes an action in the process of being fulfilled. This indicates that Jehovah is still causing himself to become the fulfiller of his promises. Yes, He is a living God!
Continue part 2