What Does the Name Jehovah Mean in Exodus 6:2?

    God has a lot of titles in the Bible.  The title of God in Genesis 1:1 is actually Elohim which in Hebrew means the All Mighty.  Throughout Genesis you can see the title of Jehovah which means the self-existing One, the I Am. 



First day of spring!

When God promised Abraham in Genesis 12  that his children would be like the sand and the stars, His title was El Shaddai, which means God all-sufficient. When God made a covenant with Abraham about this promise in Genesis 15:13-14,  He told Abraham that his descendants would  be in captivity in Egypt for 400 years.  

In chapter 14 of the Life-Study of Exodus I learned that these 400 years were up when Moses was 80 years old, and that was the very same year God charged him to tell Pharaoh  to let the Israelites go. But as everyone knows, Pharaoh always refused to let the Israelites go.  Moses was like, what's up  with this?  It actually  discouraged Moses, and that’s why God  spoke to him these words: 

I am Jehovah; and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob by the name of God All-sufficient; but by My name JEHOVAH  was I not known to them.  And I have established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage wherein they were strangers.  Exodus 6:2-4

      When I was reading this chapter, I learned that the name Jehovah actually has two meanings—the self-existing God and also  the fulfilling God.  I appreciated the exposition Witness Lee gives on the name Jehovah on pages 162-163, 166-167:

Cherry tree at the park

When God spoke to Moses in 6:1-8, He did not speak as El Shaddai, the promising God, but as Jehovah, the fulfilling God… If God were not the self-existing One and the ever-existing One, the promise made thousands of years ago could not be fulfilled.  However, because God is and always will be, He cannot fail to fulfill His promise.  In this universe there is One who is, and this One is the fulfilling God.  Whatever He says will come to pass.  Jehovah will fulfill His word….When you encounter tests, trials, and difficulties, you should say, ‘Lord, You are.  My problems will end, but You, Lord, will be forever’…If we have received the revelation of the Lord as the I Am, we shall pray in a new way.  When trouble comes, we shall go to the Lord and say,’ Lord, here is a problem, but You are.  You are the I am, and I believe in You’ (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Exodus.  Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print).

Many times what I’m reading goes along with where I’m at.  I was somewhat discouraged about a situation, and this word gave me the faith to say to God, "You are!”  

You can listen to excerpts of this life training and some outstanding commentary by listening to Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee on Exodus.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Exodus:

Why Did God Use So Many Women in Exodus 1 & 2?
Taking a Closer Look at the Conflict Between God and Pharaoh in Exodus 5
What Does the Name Jehovah Mean in Exodus 6:2?
Why Did God Really Send the Manna in Exodus 6?
What is the Meaning of the Bitter Waters at Marah in Exodus 15:23?
How are the 10 Commandments Like God's Engagement Covenant in Exodus 20?
How Can You Keep the 10 Commandments?
Why Did the Israelites Build a Tabernacle in Exodus 25:8?
Taking Another Look at the Priesthood of the Believers in Exodus 19:6
Seeing God's Spiritual Building in Exodus 26 - Part 1 of 1
Seeing God's Spiritual Building in Exodus 26 - Part 2 of 2
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 - The Ark
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 - The Showbread Table & the Lampstand
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 27 & 30 - The Bronze Altar & Laver
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus - The Golden Incense Altar

How About Trying Some Authenic Italian Pasta Sauce? - Carmine's Italian Lamb Shank Pasta Sauce

     First off, I need to tell you that this recipe was given to me by my son-in-law's father Carmine who was born in Italy. The first time I had this pasta sauce was when our granddaughter was born, and they came to stay with us and wanted to make dinner for us.  

     Of course I asked him for the recipe.  He made this Italian pasta sauce with lamb shanks.  It simmered most of the day, and when we recently visited our daughter's family, her husband made this pasta sauce for my birthday dinner.  Of course, pasta is his family's favorite meal.




Carmine's Authentic Italian Lamb Shank Pasta Sauce

1.  Prepare vegetables:
(1)  Chop 1 large onion.
(2)  Mince 5-8 cloves of garlic
(3)  Chop up 1 red bell pepper.
(4)  Chop 4-5 basil leaves.
(5)  Chop 2-3 sprigs of parsley.

2. Prepare the pasta sauce:
(1)  In a stainless steel skillet put 2 T of olive oil and sauté the onion, and red bell pepper.  Towards the end add the garlic, as Carmine told me it gets bitter if it cooks too hot or for too long.
(2)  Add to the pot 1 cup of red wine, and boil it out a bit.
(3)  Then add 2 large cans of Italian tomatoes (my son-in-law prefers using Delallo whole peeled tomatoes that are imported from Italy), and 1 large can of tomato paste.  This will make a thick, rich sauce.
(4)  In a separate pan brown the lamb shanks or ground beef if you don't want to use lamb.  Add meat to the pasta sauce.
(5) Stir in1 Tof salt and 1/2 t of black pepper.
(6)  Bring to a boil and then let simmer for 1-3 hours.  You can always add this to a crock pot so you don't have to worry about it scorching. Carmine told me the more it simmers, the more flavor it will have. 

3.  Add other spices 5 to 10 minutes before serving:   Stir in the basil and parsley.  Taste and make any flavor adjustments.  If it's too thick, add a bit of water.

Be sure to serve it with freshly grated Parmesan, and, of course, garlic bread, and a green salad.  

Other Italian & Greek Pasta Recipes on This Blog:

Italian & Greek Chicken:

Incredible Gluten Free Chicken Souvlaki   (My son-in-law's marinade recipe--so good!)

Chicken Cacciatore with Peppers & Mushrooms  (My mother-in-law's yummy recipe!)

You've Got to Try This Gluten Free Chicken Parmesan!  (From my church cook book, Come & Dine)

Pasta Casseroles:

Delicious Gluten Free Chicken Tetrazzini     (From my daughter-in-law's family cookbook)

 Classic Pastas:

My Mom's Splendiferous Gluten Free Spaghetti  (My mother's amazing sauce!)

Ginger's Family Favorite Gluten Free Beef Stroganof   (From my friend Ginger)

Gluten Free Pasta Aioli - Sausage & Vegetable Penne  (My son-in-law's Italian recipe)

Incredible Gluten Free Pasta Primavera     (Combination of two Internet searches)

Fantastic Gluten Free Salmon Fettucine 

Easy to Make Gluten Free Shrimp Linguini   (From my Syre School Cookbook)

Mac & Cheeses:

Fantastic Gluten Free Macaroni & Cheese  (Modified from Heritage School & Internet search)

Gluten Free Comfort Food - Downright Delicious Gluten Free Tuna Noodle Casserole  (From my Heritage School Cookbook)

Pizza:

Judi's Gluten Free Crazy Crust Pizza -  Spinach, Artichoke & Feta Pizza (From a friend)

Soups:

This is the Best Minestrone Soup!  (From my son's Internet search and tweaking)

Mouth Watering Italian Turkey Sausage Soup   (This is my friend Debbie's delicious recipe)

Salads:

Tasty Gluten Free Pasta Salad   (I've been making this salad for over 20 years!)

Jeremy D's Sensational Greek Salad  (From my son-in-law who is half Italian!!)

Michelle's Greek Quinoa Salad   (My foodie daughter came up with this great way to use quinoa)

Taking a Closer Look at the Conflict Between God & Pharaoh in Exodus 5

     In December I read something by Watchman Nee that really made me think.  He said that in the book of Revelation you can see chapter by chapter the battle between God and Satan is for worship.  As I thought about this, I realized you can trace this battle throughout the Bible.

     First you have to take a look at Genesis 1:26-27 where it says that God made man in His image and likeness so that man might express and represent Him.  Don’t you think that Satan could see that, and that’s why he didn't waste any time in enticing Eve to eat the fruit that God had commanded them not to? Satan was out to destroy man's ability to worship God.

Good thing God had already factored that into His eternal plan of salvation!  Ever since then it's obvious  Satan has been plotting ways to stop or at least hinder man’s worship to God. 

     As I’ve been reading through the chapters on the conflict between Pharaoh and Moses in the Life-Study of Exodus, it’s made me think about this matter of worship because the first thing God told Moses to do was tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go to hold a feast to Him.

And afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, Thus  says Jehovah, God of Israel, let My people go that they may hold a feast unto Me in the wilderness. Exodus 5:1

     When this news hit Pharaoh he was like, who is Jehovah that I should listen to Him?  And thinking that the Israelites must have too much time on their hands, Pharaoh tells the taskmasters to demand that in addition to meeting the weekly quota of bricks the Israelites now have to get their own straw to make them.

On page 155-156 of chapter 13 Witness Lee shares his insights on these events:

To be idle in this sense means to feast unto the Lord and to sacrifice to Him.... 
Some are so industrious that they have no time to feast unto the Lord...We are not to be so busy with the things of this life that we disregard the word of God....The purpose ordained by God for our existence is to live Christ, to live God out, and to have God's testimony. But the people of this world have only their existence they have no purpose. Eventually they make their existence itself the purpose of their existence. They know nothing but existence. Satan picks up the existence of human beings or of human living and uses this existence to usurp people so that today the whole world cares only for existence, not for God's purpose in existence (Lee, Witness. Life-Study of Exodus. Anaheim: Living Stream Ministry, 1979, Print).


     I really liked getting recalibrated by this word  because God created us to love Him and enjoy Him and this is the feast that God needs from His people week by week!
  
You can listen to excerpts of this life training and some outstanding commentary by listening to Life-Study of the Bible with Witness Lee on Exodus.

Other Posts on the Life-Study of Exodus:

Why Did God Use So Many Women in Exodus 1 & 2?
Taking a Closer Look at the Conflict Between God and Pharaoh in Exodus 5
What Does the Name Jehovah Mean in Exodus 6:2?
Why Did God Really Send the Manna in Exodus 6?
What is the Meaning of the Bitter Waters at Marah in Exodus 15:23?
How are the 10 Commandments Like God's Engagement Covenant in Exodus 20?
How Can You Keep the 10 Commandments?
Why Did the Israelites Build a Tabernacle in Exodus 25:8?
Taking Another Look at the Priesthood of the Believers in Exodus 19:6
Seeing God's Spiritual Building in Exodus 26 - Part 1 of 1
Seeing God's Spiritual Building in Exodus 26 - Part 2 of 2
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 - The Ark
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 25 - The Showbread Table & the Lampstand
Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus 27 & 30 - The Bronze Altar & Laver

Taking a Closer Look at the Tabernacle in Exodus - The Golden Incense Altar