article-2577234-1C2C7EB100000578-223_634x400(VISUALLY-IMPAIRED skier, Kelly Gallagher, with guide Charlotte Evans, made history for Great Britain with a first ever gold at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi)

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The Hebrew names & titles translated as ‘God’ or ‘Lord’ in our English Bible are fascinating, and deeply instructive – those following occur most frequently:

ELOHIM – One with great power – often abbreviated to EL
ELYON – the Most High
SHADDAI – Almighty
ADONAI – Master/Owner/Sovereign
YHWH – Yahweh or Jehovah – the sacred ‘Covenant’ Name

These names/titles are often seen together, for example:

EL-ELYON = The Most High God – Genesis 14:18
EL-SHADDAI = Almighty God – Genesis 17:1
JEHOVAH ELOHIM – LORD God – Genesis 2:4
ADONAI JEHOVAH – Lord GOD – Genesis 15:2

A fascinating series of ‘combinations’ are known as JEHOVAH TITLES:

JEHOVAH-JIREH – Genesis 22:14 – The Lord provides
JEHOVAH-ROPHEKA – Exodus 15:26 – The Lord heals
JEHOVAH-NISSI – Exodus 17:15 – The Lord protects
JEHOVAH-SHALOM – Judges 6:24 – The Lord sends peace
JEHOVAH-TSIDKENU – Jeremiah 23:6 – The Lord gives righteousness
JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH – Ezekiel 48:35 – The Lord is here
JEHOVAH-ROI – Psalm 23:1 – The Lord is shepherd

Psalm 23 actually brings together the previous 6 combination titles including them in one magnificent anthem. Watch how:

v.1  – I shall not want = Jehovah-Jireh
v.2 – guiding to still/quiet waters = Jehovah-Shalom
v.3 – restoring the soul = Jehovah-Ropheka
v.3 – leading in righteousness = Jehovah-Tsidkenu
v.4 – with me, even in Death Valley = Jehovah-Shammah
v.5 – protecting from enemies = Jehovah-Nissi

Little wonder that when the Lord Jesus Christ appropriated to Himself the title of GOOD SHEPHERD that His listeners were scandalised, and attempted to stone him for the crime of blasphemy – (John 10)

The amazing truth is that the NAME YHWH is given to us in JESUS (Jehovah Saviour) eternally linking His Name with ours in a winning combination, as expressed so vividly in Paul’s letter to the believers in Rome – (The Message Bible: Roman 8:35-39)

” Do you think anyone is going to be able to drive a wedge between us and Christ’s love for us? There is no way! Not trouble, not hard times, not hatred, not hunger, not homelessness, not bullying threats, not backstabbing, not even the worst sins in Scripture…none of these fazes us because Jesus loves us. I’m absolutely convinced that nothing – nothing living or dead, angelic or demonic, today or tomorrow, high or low, thinkable or unthinkable – absolutely nothing can get between us and God’s love because of the way that Jesus our Master has embraced us.”

In this New Year may we know the reality of being in a Winning Combination