The Names of God Lesson 4

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The Names of God

Lesson 4

Jehovah Rophi & Jehovah Makkeh

Text: Exodus 15:22-27

Ezekiel 7:9

Intro: So far in this study we have seek how God is: God who provides, God who Sees, God who owns everything, and God who is in control of everything, to name a few, tonight we are going to see God as He is on both ends of the Spectrum of His Character. We will See God in the was we long to see Him and in the way we dread to see Him. First as God Who Heals us Jehovah Rophi, and then as God Who Disciplines Us, Jehovah Makkeh.

  1. Jehovah Rophi

    1. Background

      1. Deliverance from Egypt,

        1. I don’t think we need to spend a great deal of time on this, most of know the story pretty good.

          • The basics of it is this: 430 years prior to this event, the Nation of Israel went to Egypt under the direction of Joseph.

            • Joseph took them there to help them make it through the 7 years of famine.

            • But as often does, they ended up staying a lot longer than they intended.

            • And as the first chapter of Exodus tells us in vs.8 “there arose a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph”

              • so nay influence they may have had was now gone.

          • They became a slave nation in bondage,

        2. But, the word of God reveals to Moses that the Lord heard their cry and say their afflictions

          • Exodus 3:9 “Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.”

            • (The Lord who Sees & The Lord who Hears)

          • So God chose Moses to be His man to go tell Pharaoh to let the children of Israel to go.

        3. After Moses went and a process of OK then No, the Lord sent 10 plagues to the land,

          • this all came to a climax with the killing of the first born, which finally lead to the Pharaoh to let the people go.

      2. The People left Egypt,

        1. Deliverance is often a process,

          • first the people had to gather supply’s to go, then they headed out toward the promised land,

            • sort of. Instead of going directly to the promised land, the Lord lead them to the edge of the Red Sea,

              • the bible says the reason is that the nation wouldn’t become weary of the battle with the Philistines.

        2. At the edge of the Red Sea, Pharaoh and his army was ready to head down on them to kill them.

          • This is the place where we have one of the most amazing moments in the world of God showing His ability to overcome any enemy we have.

            • He didn’t use the children of Israel, neither did He raise a judge. He didn’t use an army or an angel. He simply destroyed the army that threatened Israel.

      3. After the Crossing of the Red Sea,

        1. one could only imagine the celebration and excitement of the Nation,

          • they began to dance, vs.20 and sing. Moses even sang a song of deliverance Vs.1-19

        2. However once again, deliverance is often done in stages,

          • Salvation is instantiations, but the process of becoming Christlike and Deliverance may take time.

          • There were still problems in the Nation,

            • and these were not problems of a mad king that wanted to kill them, in fact these problems we not from an external force at all, they were internal.

            • The Nation had some heart conditions that needed to be addressed.

        3. Bitterness.

          • Hebrews 12:14&15 “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: 15 Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;”

      4. Lead to Marah,

        1. vs.22 tells us they left the shore of the Red Sea, and traveled three days, and found no water.

          • 3 days ago they saw that the Lord could control water, and I must ask the question, if God can stop water, dry the ground, and make it like no water which in normally covered with water, then can’t He make water where normally there is none?

        2. But all it took to forget the power of God was 3 days,

        3. But, finally they did come to a place called “Marah” actually it wasn’t called that until later, after they discovered what it really was.

          • Think of the scene, hot, thirsty traveling through the desert, and then all of a sudden someone spots a pool of water.

            • Some would no doubt run to the water, and start to gulp it down, and as quickly spit it out.

            • And as others got there, they may even tell them, but the others want to find out for themselves. I would imagine that in just a few moments the edge of the water was surrounded by Hebrews standing disappointed and worried.

        4. I think God used this place as a spiritual awakening moment that perhaps they didn’t see.

          • Looking down on the bitter water, what did the Nation see? Their own reflections, it may look good, it may look like what we need, but it may be filled with bitterness.

          • And the bitterness started to come out of the people, Vs.24 tells us the people started to murmur.

      5. The Murmuring,

        1. notice vs.25, “And he cried….unto the Lord” Who is he? Moses, Why was he the only one crying, didn’t God already prove that He heard the cries of the people?

        2. But they murmured, while Moses prayed.

        3. We can spend out time complaining or murmuring, or we can spend it in prayer.

      6. God heals the water,

        1. God answers Moses’s prayer, and shows him a tree to throw into the water.

          • A lot of people have tried to figure out what kind of tree this was, but it wasn’t about the tree, it was about the God.

        2. And the water was healed of it’s bitterness.

        3. And the Lord tells them Vs.26 “ And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. ”

          • I Am Jehovah Rophi.

    2. Meaning

      1. The Lord that Heals Thee,

        1. this is what it means, the proper name of God coupled with the fact that He heals thee,

      2. Healing’s Take Many Forms,

        1. The one we all want is, the physical restorations,

          • we see through the bible where God does that, Lepers, lame, blind, sick, diseased,

          • God is in control of the Physical, and If He chooses, He is able to heal the physical need, just as He turned the bitter waters sweet.

          • But, He is also the healer of the Spiritual, turning the bitter heart to sweet.

        2. Sometimes we get bitter because we runt to a pool and think it should be good, and find out there is more trouble.

          • But I want us to also think of the way the three Hebrew men must have felt when Nebuchadnezzar had them thrown into the fire.

          • Daniel 3 tells us of the event when they were cast into the fire, Why go in the fire? Why not just touch the kings heart, or have a hand to come forward and write “don’t touch these men” God could have chosen to deliver them in many ways, but He chose to let them go in the fire,

          • as a result they were unharmed, the only thing that happened is the bonds that had them tied were burnt off.

        3. Our trials should not make us bitter, in fact they should have the very opposite effect, they should encourage us,

          • that is why James can say “Count it all joy”

    3. Application

      1. What is our greatest need?

        1. Are we looking only for physical deliverance, or are we looking for Spiritual deliverance?

      2. God is still the same God,

        1. And God is still in the healing business,

          • both physically and Spiritually

        2. After the Nation,left Marah, they came to Elim, a place where there was 12 wells, and plenty of shade to rest in.

        3. Not only Can God give us good things, I thin k He wants to give us Good things,

        4. What is it we need,

          • in what area of our life do we need the bitterness to be changed to sweetness?

Now, the next name may seem a little out of place, yet I think it is important to see these two together. Often we want to emphasize one characteristic or the other, we want to preach a God of Grace, or we want to preach a God of Wrath, but the fact is, it is the Same God. And, yes, God is a God of grace, but He is also a God of Wrath,

Ezekiel 7:9 “And mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity: I will recompense thee according to thy ways and thine abominations that are in the midst of thee; and ye shall know that I am the LORD that smiteth.”

  1. Jehovah Makkeh

    1. Background

      1. Ezekiel,

        1. I want to first place this text in context before we look at in light of the Children as they traveled through the desert.,

        2. Ezekiel was called to prophesy and warn the Nation of Israel, or at least the people who were in exile around the Kebar River,

          • in about 597 B.C. The first of the sieges of Jerusalem from the Babylonian empire took place,

          • this carried some of the people off, while leaving others.

          • This would leave mostly common people and Ezekiel .

          • Ezekiel would prophesy to the remaining people, and let them know that the events that had just happened were not the last things to happen.

            • The entire nation would suffer because of sin, not just the top run.

            • He let them know the number of years they would be captive, and also that Jerusalem would be destroyed.

        3. But, Ezekiel never watered down the fact the destruction was because of the sinfulness of the Nation:

          • in the way they practiced the law, on a daily basis, as well as in the ceremonial practices of the law,

          • in their way of dealing with others, and the way they have dealt with God.

          • Ezekiel let them know that yes, even tho, God is a God of Grace, He is still Holy and Demands Justice to be executed.

            • And the sins of Israel had come before the Lord, and it was time for God to show them He is still God.

              • In fact this is one of the repeating themes of Ezekiel, God would respond, “then they will know that I am the Lord”

      2. The Nation of Israel Continuing Murmuring,

        1. How many time do you think it would take get it through the nations head that God is all powerful and in control?

      3. God is a God of Discipline,

        1. this is not because He enjoys it or likes to do it, but it is for our benefit,

        2. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews says about it:

          • Hebrews 12:6-11 “ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. 7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? 8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons. 9 Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness. 11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby ”

          • God is not doing it just as punishment, but to correct behavior.

          • We should always have a desired outcome for discipline, when it comes to our kids,

            • the discipline should be to correct behavior, get them to either do something they should, or to not do something they shouldn’t.

            • For criminals discipline should be to get people to not do things, and/ or to set an example for others to not do something.

        3. God doesn’t just punish simply because he wants to pour out His frustration, it is to lead us to become more like Him.

          • Read Psalm 90

        4. So, Ezekiel revealed the name of God as: Jehovah Makkeh

    2. Meaning

      1. The LORD that Smiteth Thee,

        1. the proper name of God, the eternal, unchanging, self existent one.

        2. wound, strike, punish,

          • just for fun, I thought I would translate the word using the pictographic from last week,

          • Nun- Kaf- Hey (Active, Hand, Lo!) or (actively using the hand to get attention)

        3. It is when God is trying to get our attention on some matter.

    3. Application

      1. Why Do we tend to take it to the point where God needs to get our attention?

        1. Why can’t we simply see all the wonders He has done, then place our trust in Him?

        2. Why can’t we trust Him for deliverance, and trust Him for Provision before we get in trouble.

      2. Don’t let discipline drive away, Let it Bring Closer,

        1. We need to realize when God is disciplining us, it is for our benefit, it is for our perfection, not to soothe over His ego, but for us.

        2. When God disciplines us, we should use it to bring us closer.