Adonai

Build Day 12 Building Renewal: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Building Renewal!

The Questions

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?

Daniel 9:3-10

3 So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

4 I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed:

Ah, Lord—the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands— 5 we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. 6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the people of the land.

7 Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but this day public shame belongs to us: the men of Judah, the residents of Jerusalem, and all Israel—those who are near and those who are far, in all the countries where you have banished them because of the disloyalty they have shown toward you. 8 Lord, public shame belongs to us, our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, because we have sinned against you. 9 Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord our God, though we have rebelled against him 10 and have not obeyed the Lord our God by following his instructions that he set before us through his servants the prophets.

Original Intent

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
If you think of a series of progressive, story-telling books, you’ll have a good idea of what’s happening with Daniel and Nehemiah. In brief, Israel was a budding nation birthed through Abraham’s son Isaac, the child of promise, by which God had covenanted with Abraham that He would turn a childless, aged man into the “father of many nations”. (Genesis 12:1-3) Isaac’s sons were twins, Jacob and Esau. Jacob had 12 sons who became the 12 tribes of Israel (God changed Jacob’s name to Israel). These 12 families became slaves in Egypt as they had become so numerous that Pharaoh felt threatened. God called Moses, an Israelite, to lead the people out of slavery and into the Promised Land (also part of God’s covenant with Abraham). Twelve plagues later and 40 years of desert wanderings, Israel stepped into Canaan. Eventually, Israel grew tired of God’s rule over them and demanded a human king. Saul, Israel’s choice, was her first king, but he was self-focused and lacked real love for God or Israel. God chose David as the next king, and this shepherd-boy turned king, loved and cared for Israel well. David died and his son, Solomon, took over, but after Solomon’s death, the kingdom of Israel split. The Northern Kingdom (Israel) and the Southern Kingdom (Judah) continued rebelling against God, loathing Him, committing idolatry, and rejecting God’s covenantal love for them on repeat for centuries. During this time, God raised up prophets to warn Israel and Judah to repent of their sin, but they adamantly refused. Per the original covenant forged when Moses led Israel from slavery, God would punish His people by sending them into exile for their rebellion. Exile occurred at the hand of the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and would last 70 years. Youthful Daniel was taken captive from his homeland of Jerusalem and died in exile. The first exiles returned to Jerusalem around the year 537 BC, Nehemiah’s story began around 445 BC, nearly 100 years since Daniel’s death.

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Verse 3 begins with an interesting phrase usually translated in English, “I turned my attention”. The original Hebrew reads less eloquently, “I gave my face”. This wasn’t simply looking with the eyes, but the willful determination of Daniel’s entire being given in steadfast surrender. It was as if he were saying, “The whole of my face is set firmly upon You as I pray, and more so, as I await Your answer; I will not be moved, for so important is the cause for which I plead.” Also interesting are the titles for God Daniel chooses to use as he prays. In your Bible, verse 4 probably capitalizes all 4 letters of the title LORD, signifying God’s personal name for Himself, YHWH, (Yahweh). By calling out, “I prayed to the LORD (YHWH)…”, Daniel reminds himself and God of the deeply personal nature of God’s relationship with Israel. He chose them, He crafted them, and He birthed them as a nation. Daniel continued his petition, “…my God.” (verse 4, emphasis mine) While other Israelites had proven they cared for Yahweh in name only, while quite willing to worship false gods as it benefited them, Daniel verbalized his personal choice to respond to God’s invitation by reciprocation. Daniel chose YHWH as his own God. These insights, gained by studying the original language for a few words, is about to deepen as we read Daniel’s next two words, “Ah Lord…” (verse 4) No longer capitalized, the lowercase for “Lord” references the Hebrew word “adonai”, meaning lord, ruler, or sovereign. First, Daniel addressed God personally, and then followed on with the two-fold understanding that YHWH was also Adonai, King and Sovereign over all. Nothing was beyond His lordship and reign, and Daniel was His servant.

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
“We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances. We have not listened…” (verses 5-6) “…public shame belongs to us.” (verse 7) “…public shame belongs to us (…) because we have sinned against You.” (verse 8) The litany of Israel’s sins against the Lord were long, deep, and wide. They had offended His holiness and broken relationship with YHWH, their personal God, and the cut was deep against Him. They had violated the terms of their covenant with their sovereign Lord, Adonai, and they deserved death per the legal binding agreement of their covenant vow. According to the stipulations laid out, they had literally “missed the mark” (Hebrew hata for “sinned” in verses 5 and 8) of righteous living as was spelled out in their covenant. Legally, Israel’s situation was absolutely hopeless. Restitution with the Almighty was impossible. Their sins were too great and their ability to cleanse themselves of shame and offensive reproach was equally impossible. Yet, stunningly, Daniel did not plead without hope. He clearly knew Israel’s situation, it was his own words that laid it naked before the Lord God, but Daniel had one hope, and he clung to it with remarkable tenacity as he gave his face to God in prayer. “Compassion and forgiveness belong to the Lord…” and dare he say it? Yes, he spoke it, “our God.” Daniel went beyond saying YHWH was “my” God, to boldly re-claiming the Sovereign Lord as Israel’s God. Why? How could he make such a claim in the face of their reprehensible pile of sin? One reason alone, because He knew God’s character to be rich in compassion and forgiveness.

Everyday Application

1) How does Daniel’s prayer relate with Nehemiah’s prayer in Nehemiah 1:4-11?
The similarities between Daniel’s prayer and Nehemiah’s are uncanny, given their prayers were recorded nearly a century apart from each other. This fact alone should give us pause to consider the weightiness of their model and reflect how our prayer lives would benefit by following their examples. Both men had set their lives unswervingly upon honoring the Lord God, and they both had become keenly aware of their nation’s sinful rebellion after reading Scripture. (Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11) Daniel pleaded for God’s mercy in remembering Israel in their exile, while Nehemiah, also living in Babylon, pleaded with the Lord for mercy as well, even though the specifics of their requests were quite different. Both men called upon the very same covenant of love as evidential reason for God to grant them mercy and favor. The two prayers evidence nearly exact addresses for God and model the same flow of adoring God (Daniel 9:4 and Nehemiah 1:5), confessing sin (Daniel 9:5-6 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), interceding for the nation (Daniel 9:7-8 and Nehemiah 1:6-7), and requesting favor (Daniel 9:17 and Nehemiah 1:11). Go see for yourself, it’s quite amazing! As you read Daniel 9:3-10 and Nehemiah 1:5-11, take note of the portions that make you curious and stick out to you as if bolded, this is the Spirit of the Lord inviting you to commune with Him over His Word! Prayerfully reflect on these things as you read the two passages side-by-side again. What is the Lord teaching you and convicting you of as you read His Words?! Take the challenge set forth by these two men who never met on earth and begin intentionally modeling your own prayers after their example. Go ahead and start right now in prayer!

2) Daniel uses various titles and descriptions of God in his prayer; how is this significant?
Daniel and Nehemiah both leaned on God’s covenant as grounds for their request, but we must remember who began the covenant relationship, God. God told Abraham He would make him into a great nation. God allowed Jacob (Israel) to have 12 sons, who would become the 12 nations. When it was time to ratify the covenant in writing (ie: Ten Commandments), God came down from Heaven in a cloud instead of insisting His people rise to Him in His grandeur. (Exodus 19:16-19) Here is the humble YHWH! Fast forward a few centuries and this same God fulfills His covenant to Abraham by sending Jesus, God in the flesh. True to His character, He began the relationship, He set His love upon humanity. (1 John 4:19, John 15:16) What was humanity doing while Adonai humbly sacrificed Himself for us? We hated Him. Still, He came. (Romans 5:8) This is YHWH, the sacrificing, covenant-keeping God. I came to a place where I faced the reality that, for all my self-proclaimed “goodness”, I too was a God-hater. My sins brought the punishment of death upon Christ, by His choice. While I hated Him, He loved me. Like Daniel, there was a point when I reciprocated His invitation to make me His own, and I claimed Him as my God. I turned from my perverted sins and became His, welcomed into a covenant relationship I had done absolutely nothing to earn. Like Daniel, the more I grew in my faith, the more I realized I could also call Yahweh my Adonai. Christ was my precious friend, but also my sovereign Lord. I was both friend and His joyful servant. How might seeing God as Yahweh and Adonai shift your relationship with Him?

3) How is this prayer of gut-wrenching confession still anchored in hope?
Oh Sisters, I cannot stop the tears streaking my cheeks as I write of God’s beautiful compassion and forgiveness! Israel’s sins were grievous and perpetual, indeed they were. Yahweh had every right to be forever angry with them, toss them aside, and forget them for eternity, but as the psalmist wrote, “He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve or repaid us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10) Breathe. That. In. What was true for Israel on the day Daniel pleaded with God for release from exile, and the people were welcomed Home, is true for you and me. It was true for Nehemiah when the people wore sackcloth, ashes, and wept violently over their sin, knowing it was only God’s compassionate forgiveness that could rescue them from the consequence of their rebellion. His response to Israel’s weeping with Nehemiah is precious and life-giving, “Do not weep…do not grieve, because the joy of YHWH is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:9-10) As if the Lord’s response to both of these prayers is not stunning enough, look at the disciple John’s words to all people who look to Christ for their sole rescue from the consequence of our own sin, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9) If you’ve ever wondered if it could possibly be true that God would forgive your awful sin, whatever it is, read the stories of these two men, read the words of John who walked beside Jesus in real life, and know beyond all assurances that YES, Christ will forgive your sin completely, welcome you Home to Him (John 14:23), and will free you (John 8:36) to walk in delight with Him all your days (Psalm 23:6).

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Building Renewal!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is Build Week Three!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

The GT Weekend! ~ He Week 1

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The GT Weekend!

At Gracefully Truthful, weekends aren’t for “checking out”.
Use this time to invite the Almighty’s fullness into you life in a deeper way!
Saturdays and Sundays are a chance to
reflect, rest, and re-center our lives onto Christ.
Don’t miss the opportunity to connect with other women in prayer,
rest your soul in reflective journaling,
and spend time worshiping the Creator who
longs for intimacy with each of us!

Worship Through Journaling

Worship Through Journaling

1) Grab paper and pen, or open the notes on your phone, and quickly jot down what comes to mind when you think of God. What is it about His power? How far-reaching is His authority? Can you sneak under His radar? Are there people He does not care about or sins He does not see? Scriptures teach us God is the God above all other gods. No religion compares, there is no room for exception clauses, only the Lord God of the Bible holds all authority and sovereignty over, well, all. He alone is Elohim. What circumstance, or relationship, or person have you perhaps unwittingly put in a category of “beyond God’s reach or rule”? What might it look like if you began praying for that scenario or person based on the reality of God being God of all?!

2) Rights. What comes to your mind as you consider this word? Maybe you begin thinking of the rights you have as a person or in your various relationships. What thought have you given to God having lordship rights? He is Adonai of adonai. He is Lord of all lords. None has a right to rule and authority as He does. Adonai has the right to declare what is holy, and what is not. Amazingly, though He holds all power and authority as Elohim and Adonai, He still offers us the freedom to choose to follow Him and be rescued for eternity. Adonai does not force Himself upon you, insisting you follow His rule. Rather, He invites with love. In the matters of your everyday life, are you consistently leaning in to Him as Adonai or are you struggling to pull away and hold life together on your own?

3) The Lord God is the self-naming God. He looked to no one else to define Him. Beautifully, as He reveled Himself to us, He chose a name that encompassed the entirety of His all-consuming presence. I Am. Yahweh. Across all of time, in every scenario, in every relationship, in every celebration, in every grievous loss, Yahweh is I Am, the fully present, deeply intimate God. He is Yahweh, Elohim, Adonai. Take a brief couple of minutes to write down as many scenes of your life as you come to mind. The broken ones. The happy ones. The peace-filled ones. The tragic ones. Slowly, breathe each of these in and prayerfully remember, Yahweh is I AM in each of them. His presence is near. Draw near to this powerful, mighty, invitational God!

Praying Scripture back to the One who wrote it in the first place is a great way to jump start our prayer-life! Pray this passage from Genesis 1:1-3 back to the Lord and
let His Spirit speak to you through it!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

Prayer Journal
Sovereign rule. Almighty reign. Nothing is beyond Your scope, Your power, Your knowledge, or Your ability. I tremble at the thought of such sheer magnificence. I am like dust in comparison to You, oh Elohim. Yet, because of Your unfathomable kindness, You have extended love to me, inviting me to dwell with You, to be one with You. Lord, this is too marvelous! As I submit to Your rule in my life, You become my Adonai, the Lord of myself. With glad surrender, I turn over all to You. But Lord, I confess how quickly I defy Your lordship as Adonai, how swiftly I push myself ahead of You as Sovereign. Be present here, oh Yahweh, tenderly call me back to walk in tandem with Your Holy Spirit. What a gracious, kind God You are!

Worship Through Community

Can we pray for you? Reach Out! We’d love to pray for and with you!
Send us an email at prayer@gracefullytruthful.com

Build community, be transparent, and encourage others:
Share how God spoke to you today!
Comment Here or in our Facebook Community Group!

Worship Through Prayer

Worship Through Music

He Day 4 Adonai: Digging Deeper

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Digging Deeper Days

Finding the original intent of Scripture and making good application to our everyday lives as we become equipped to correctly handle the Word of Truth!

Yesterday’s Journey Study connects with today’s!
Check out Adonai!

The Questions

1) The title “Lord” is all throughout this passage, what is the difference between Yahweh, Adonai, and Elohim?

2) According to this passage, what sets apart Adonai from all other adonai?

3) What is our response to this Adonai of adonai?

Deuteronomy 10:12-22

“And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all his ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul? 13 Keep the LORD’s commands and statutes I am giving you today, for your own good. 14 The heavens, indeed the highest heavens, belong to the LORD your God, as does the earth and everything in it. 15 Yet the LORD had His heart set on your ancestors and loved them. He chose their descendants after them—He chose you out of all the peoples, as it is today. 16 Therefore, circumcise your hearts and don’t be stiff-necked any longer. 17 For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe. 18 He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing. 19 You are also to love the resident alien, since you were resident aliens in the land of Egypt. 20 You are to fear the LORD your God and worship him. Remain faithful to him and take oaths in his name. 21 He is your praise and He is your God, who has done for you these great and awe-inspiring works your eyes have seen. 22 Your ancestors went down to Egypt, seventy people in all, and now the LORD your God has made you numerous, like the stars of the sky.

Original Intent

1) The title “Lord” is all throughout this passage, what is the difference between Yahweh, Adonai, and Elohim?
Because the Bible was originally written in Hebrew (the Old Testament) and Greek (the New Testament), it’s extremely important for us to always study Scripture through the lens of its first languages and culture. For some practical examples of why, check out our Reasons for Digging Deeper. Adonai is a commonplace Hebrew title for “lord”. In the Old Testament, we see plenty of examples where adonai is used as a title of respect as in the passage where some men addressed the prophet Elisha, “My lord (adonai) can see that even though the city’s location is good, its water is bad.” (2 Kings 2:19) However, in a much fuller sense, we also read Scripture passages comparing the Lord God to all other “lords” by using the phrase, “Adonai of adonai”, literally translated as Lord of lords. This is intended to signify that only the God of the Bible has true authority and rights to rule as sovereign Lord of all things. Joshua says of the Lord God, “(He) is the Lord (Adonai) of all the earth.” (Joshua 3:11) The psalmist centers his entire praise song around God’s total rule and authority as God and sovereign Lord, “Give thanks to the LORD (Yahweh) for He is good (…), Give thanks to the God (Elohim) of gods (elohim) (…), Give thanks to the Lord (Adonai) of lords (adonai) (…).” (Psalm 136:1-3) Granted, it is quite difficult to simply pick up our English Bibles and know precisely when each different name of God is being used because our English words don’t take on various forms as the Hebrew words do, Bible translators do provide some help when it comes to distinguishing between Yahweh and Adonai. For most translations of the Bible, when the Hebrew name, Yahweh, is used, you will notice all 4 letters of the word LORD are capitalized. Comparatively, when you read the title Lord with only one capital, it signifies the title Adonai.

2) According to this passage, what sets apart Adonai from all other adonai?
This passage is full of beauty and depth of God’s character as Adonai of adonai (Lord of lords)! He is ruler of all creation, nothing is beyond His authoritative reach, rule, and reign. (verse 14) As Jesus says thousands of years later, not even a sparrow falls to the ground, or a strand of your hair, without the Father knowing. (Matthew 10:29-30) Also unlike other adonai who demanded sacrifices for their own selfish gain, Adonai of adonai, gives no such ultimatums because this Adonai loves. He has called apart a people, sin-wrecked though they were, and He willingly set His love upon them. (verse 15) This Adonai is just, never coy or able to be “bought” as was often the case with ancient “so-called-deities”. Whoever held the most power, could also be bought at the right price, but this was clearly not the case with Adonai of adonai. He is utterly just and righteous in His judgements, while also acting with compassionate benevolence to the foreigner, the outcast, and the weak. (verses 17-18) There is none who holds both love and justice along with incredible humility like the Lord of lords who, though holding all authority, uses His power for tender loving compassion. Who is like Adonai of adonai?!

3) What is our response to this Adonai of adonai?
I love this passage in Deuteronomy because not only does it lay out who our God is, why He is worthy of the title Adonai of adonai, but it also succinctly clarifies our response. “And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you except to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, and to worship the LORD your God with all your heart and all your soul?” (Deuteronomy 10:12) The core of God’s desire is to be in relationship with each of us individually and corporately as a whole so we can experience His love and delight in Him as He delights in us. (verse 15) Though He holds all power and authority, He will not use this sovereignty to force us into obedience because His goal is love. He invites us to experience fullness by submitting to His rule; when we do, we respond by walking in His ways, loving Him, and worshipping Him with every aspect of our entire lives. (verse 12) We love this Adonai, moving far past title of Lordship to the intimacy of experiencing Him as Yahweh, Savior, and even, Abba Father. The deeper we enjoy this love relationship with Him, the more we will love others just as He has loved us. When we love God and love others, we are reflecting the beauty of submitting to the Lord of lords. (verses 18-19)

Everyday Application

1) The title “Lord” is all throughout this passage, what is the difference between Yahweh, Adonai, and Elohim?
Each name, or title, of God reveals more of His character, helping us to more fully understand who He is. When we read of the Lord of lords (Adonai of adonai), we are reminded that nothing is beyond the rule and reign of the Lord our God. There is nothing beyond His power, no mystery that will confound Him, and no aspect of our humanity that is beyond His ability to save and rescue us from. What a refreshing, powerful gift to apply this truth to the believer’s life! There is no sin He does not have the ability to forgive. There is no place we can flee from His presence. There is no circumstance where He does not have absolute control. As a God who infinitely loves and treasures us, this reassurance goes far beyond any comfort a human being could provide, no matter how wealthy or powerful they are! Yet, for the unbeliever, the one who hasn’t chosen to surrender everything to this Adonai of adonai, the idea of such limitless power, authority, and lordship should bring a sense of dread fear. Without the sacrificial blood of Jesus to forgive our sins, the fullness of God’s just wrath is upon us because we have rightly earned it for every instance when we chose sin over holy living. Adonai is indeed Lord of all, “the great, the mighty, the awesome God who is not partial and takes no bribe.” (Deuteronomy 10:17) On the day when this earth passes away, each of us will stand before the throne of God whose fierce Name is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:16). Either we will be declared righteous because we have trusted in Christ for salvation, or we will receive the just punishment we deserve for our sins, which is eternal living death in Hell. Turn to Him, love Him, worship Him, and follow His ways for your own good! (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

2) According to this passage, what sets apart Adonai from all other adonai?
In today’s culture, and in your everyday life and mine, there are a million and one things that vie for our attention and devotion. Our children’s education, the dream home (or even a clean one with folded laundry!), a spouse who fills our expectation, a friends’ approval, or maybe it’s a position and title that holds our lust for more. We are much too quick to “bow down” to these lords, these adonai, and willingly surrender our sanity, and our peace, for the allure they dangle before our eyes. None of us are immune to insatiable pride. Hope for this condition of our hearts is found only in total surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. When we align our lives, our everyday mundane moments, under the Lordship of the Adonai, the doorway is open for Him to pour out abundance and fullness through our humble surrender. This surrender is not a squeezing to fit into a snug box of “dos and donts”, rather this is a pathway of freedom to live as we were originally designed to live. Only under the Lordship of Adonai do our lives truly begin to flourish! It is nothing short of miraculous when we begin this process of surrendering every detail we give over to Adonai, is redeemed and repurposed in His time and His way, precisely because He Is Lord! Then, these details are returned to us to use in fullness and beauty. This is the work our Lord Jesus Christ, Adonai of adonai!

3) What is our response to this Adonai of adonai?
The reality of God being Lord of all is true regardless of whether we choose to acknowledge it or not. We do have a choice in how we respond to that unchanging reality. We can either live in arrogant rebellion of the One who answers to no one, or we can choose to submit our will to His. (verse 16) This act of surrender follows naturally as we glimpse the all-surpassing power and authority of the Lord God while also considering how small and insignificant we are in comparison. (verse 21) As we understand and experience His love wash over us, our hearts respond with adoring worship. As His Holy Spirit shapes us to become like Christ, we begin to experience what it is to love like this magnanimous God Himself who generously loved us first. We begin emulating the Adonai of adonai in beautiful reflection of love and grace on display in our everyday moments. (verse 12) Like the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle fitting flawlessly together, when we follow God’s intended pattern for living, we experience the best of life and relationships. (verse 13) Our parenting, our marriages, our relationships with co-workers, the way we view ourselves, and our priorities all fall into place with God as our Adonai ruling over every other false, self-seeking adonai. Who will be adonai of your life?

What do YOU think?! Share Here!
Missing the connection to our other Journey Study?
Catch up with Adonai!

Digging Deeper is for Everyone!

1) Take this passage (or any other passage).
2) Read it, and the verses around it,
several times
3) Write down your questions
as you think of them.
4) Ask specific culture related questions and be ready to dig around for your answers. Google them, use www.studylight.org, or look them up in a study Bible and read the footnotes (click on the little letters next to a word and it will show you
other related verses!). (www.esvbible.org)
5) Check your applications with other trusted Christians that you are in community with and embrace the fullness of God
in your everyday!

Digging Deeper Community

Share What You’ve Learned!
Pray Together!
Join us in the GT Facebook Community!

Our Current Study Theme!

This is He Week One!
Don’t miss out on the discussion!
Sign up to receive every GT Journey Study!

Why Dig Deeper?

Finding the original meaning is a huge deal when we study Scripture and can make all the difference in our understanding as we apply God’s truths to our everyday lives.

In our modern-day relationships, we want people to understand our original intention as we communicate; how much more so between God and humanity?!

Here’s a little bit more on why we take Digging Deeper so seriously.

Study Tools

We love getting help while we study and www.studylight.org is one of many excellent resources, providing the original Hebrew (Old Testament) or Greek (New Testament) with an English translation.

Want to know more about a specific word in a verse? Click on “Strong’s Interlinear Bible” then click the word you’d like to study. Discover “origin”, “definition” and hear the original pronunciation – That Is Awesome!

Want more background? Click “Study Tools”, then pick a few commentaries to read their scholarly approach, keeping in mind that just because a commentary says it, doesn’t mean it’s true. (just like the internet :-))

Memorize It!

Download this week’s verse and make it your phone’s lockscreen!
Tap and hold on your mobile device to save.

He Day 3 Adonai

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Read His Words Before Ours!

Deuteronomy 10:12-22
Jonah 3
Acts 8:26-40 

He, Day 3

“Through your love and through the ram,
You saved the son of Abraham;
Through the power of your hand,
Turned the sea into dry land.
To the outcast on her knees,
You were the God who really sees,
And by your might,
You set your children free.”

Amy Grant.
Just her name triggers an avalanche of childhood memories.
From concerts, to cozy Christmases at home, to road trips with my mom, and, oddly enough, my alone time playing with Barbies, because yes, I totally named one after my favorite singer.

Her voice, along with Rich Mullins’ and Michael W. Smith’s, filled the quiet and stillness of my childhood home, and has worked its way into all of my memory’s cracks and crevices. One of the first songs I remember singing along to was,  “El Shaddai”.

As I’ve studied Adonai, and pondered this Journey Study, the song has been echoing in my mind constantly …

“El shaddai, el shaddai,
El-elyon na Adonai,
Age to age you’re still the same,
By the power of the name.”

This song was my first, and until recently, only interaction with the term Adonai. I’ve heard this name of God over the years, but never understood its meaning. As I looked up the lyrics to refresh my memory, I had the “Aha!” moment I get every time I write a Journey Study. I need the topic to be real for me, to hit home. Then I am able to share what God is revealing to me.

Adonai is used throughout Scripture, not only in reference to God, but to anyone with authority as “lord” or “master.” Jews have been careful not to take the Lord’s name in vain, and often believed YHWH (Yahweh) to be so holy, they couldn’t even utter His Name aloud. In fact, Jews will still say Adonai, even if YHWH is written.

Additionally, Adonai was often the name Gentiles used for God, instead of YHWH. As we read Scripture, when LORD is spelled in all caps, then the translated word is YHWH. However, if it is spelled Lord, whether referring to God or anyone else, the translated word is Adonai. And when we see “Lord of lords” in the Bible, the phrase is actually “Adonai of adonais.”

Finally, in Scripture, YHWH is often used in God’s dealing with the Jews, while Adonai is used in His dealings with Gentiles. This subtle change paints a beautiful picture of God’s heart and character; as my friend, Rebecca, explains, “He wasn’t the one who changed; neither was His message of hope and redemption. Rather, simply by being called a different name, He flung wide the door for all to see He is for ALL peoples and ALL cultures.”

The idea of a God for all peoples of all cultures is seen throughout the Bible. Immediately, I am reminded of the Ninevites and their story of salvation in the book of Jonah. The inhabitants of the infamous city of Nineveh were Gentiles, yet God used His prophet to declare the freedom and peace found in repenting from sin and living for the Lord.

Adonai.

I’m reminded, again, of when Philip shared the Gospel with the Ethiopian traveler. The Holy Spirit directed Philip to a chariot on the road, where Philip had the opportunity to present the Gospel to a man who was so excited about the Good News of Jesus, he insisted on being baptized that very moment!

Adonai.

Now back to my “Aha” moment …
“To the outcast on her knees…
You were the God that really sees.”

These lines struck a chord in my heart as I imagined a myriad of encounters between God and an outcast woman in which He proved He saw her, both for who she was and who He created her to be . . .

Rahab. The prostitute.
Hannah. The wife who struggled with infertility.
Esther. The Jewish orphan-turned-Gentile-queen.
The Samaritan woman who was living in shame from failed marriages and relationships.
Maria Skobtsova. The single mom who was divorced twice and eventually became a nun.
Jackie Hill Perry. The woman who was a lesbian.
Kendra Kuntz. The woman who struggled with sexual sin in high school, shame throughout college, and eventually became a single mama to three girls.
You. All of your story.

Adonai.

And we’re just the very tip of the iceberg.

God is the Master. He is the Lord. He is the God who is for all people and the God who really sees.

We get yet another beautiful glimpse of who He is when we read Deuteronomy 10:12-22.
This whole section of Scripture gets my heart beating faster and my eyes welling with tears, but for me, the most meaningful part is in verses 17-19:

“For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords [read: Adonai of adonais], the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God, showing no partiality and taking no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the resident alien, giving him food and clothing.”

We serve a God who is for ALL PEOPLE, from orphans and widows to immigrants. He is YHWH and He is Adonai.

He is MY Adonai.

He is my Lord.

And He is Lord for all people.

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