There are three great names that are usually used in reference to the Creator and Ruler of our universe. Each is used in the opening verses of Psalm 136. “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the God of gods! For His mercy endures forever. Oh, give thanks to the Lord of lords! For His mercy endures forever” (vv. 1-3).
Jehovah (“Lord” in verse 1) is His personal name, the enduring description of His personality and character. “I AM that I AM” is the divine definition of this name (Exodus 3:14). It speaks to God’s personality, eternality, and unchanging nature. He is not fictional; He is not a theory; He is not simply the necessary and impersonal conclusion to a valid syllogism of logic. He is not the work of man’s hands nor the figment of human imagination. He is the holy, self-existent, and autonomous One—from everlasting to everlasting.
Elohim (“God” in verse 2) is the distinct description of His power and ability. This Hebrew word is plural in form, intimating a supremacy of power and a plurality of persons. It speaks of His unlimited ability to create and provide. It is a declaration of omnipotence. He is the God of gods.
Adonai (“Lord” in verse 3) is the declaration of His authority. He is sovereign. He answers to no one; everyone answers to Him. No creature in heaven, on earth, or under the earth is outside of His dominion. He is Lord of lords.
Verses four to twenty-five document how this personal, powerful Sovereign created the universe and introduced the scarlet thread of redemption into the warp and woof of human history. How fitting and timeless is the psalm’s conclusion: “Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven! For His mercy endures forever” (v. 26).
Amen and Amen!
