Personal Reflection on Adonai

One of my favorite parts of the book, "16 Names of God: a Strong Tower to Run to" is the personal reflections. Each of the 16 chapters in the book contains a personal reflection written by a different girl.

These personal reflections are moving! They challenge us. They are thought-provoking and we are better off having read them.

​I want to share one of these with you so that you can get just a bite-sized sample of what to expect when you read "16 Names of God."

I appreciate Diane's reflection and perspective on the name of God Adonai—Lord Master. She writes from the perspective of a Jewish Christian and I find that her extensive knowledge of the Hebrew language and Jewish customs brings an extra depth to her reflection.

"​The name Adonai is not only life-changing for me. It IS life for me. As a Jewish believer, Adonai is THE name.
 
YHVH is the ineffable name of Hashem, of God. It is the name, also called the tetragrammaton that we do not pronounce because in Hebrew, without vowels, we do not know the exact pronunciation. So rather than risk assigning the Lord the wrong name, we do not say it at all. It is the name that is too great to be described in words.
 
So, rather than attempt to pronounce this name, we have used the name “Lord” instead…which is Adonai in Hebrew.
 
In Genesis 15:2, we see Abram say “O lord יהוה (Heb. ’adonai y-h-w-h, traditionally read aloud as ’adonai ’elohim rather than ’adonai twice) what can You give me, seeing that I shall die childless, and the one in charge of my household is Dammesek Eliezer?” (Sefaria.org)
 
Adonai is the Lord, the Creator, and the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Adonai is the Giver of Life. Adonai is a name so holy that we do not even use it in trivial writing and instead substitute Hashem so that we do not diminish it or defame it in any way. It is treated as though it were the ineffable name itself.
 
Adonai is life-changing for me because it is the name used in the declaration we as Jews (yes, even those of us who follow Jesus) make three times a day called the Shema.
 
Shema Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord Alone
 
When I say the Shema, I meditate on each word. When I say Yisrael, I think about how blessed I am to not only be chosen as one of His people but also to have chosen. I have chosen to follow Yeshua…Jesus. I know my Messiah.

I say the name Adonai, and I focus on the Lord of all. I focus on how He brought the Nations to Himself and grafted them in and made them a covenant people in Yeshua.
 
I say the name Eloheinu, our God, and how He is MY God. He is the God of Israel and the Nations but He is MY God. He chose ME. He loves ME! He sees ME!
 
Then I focus on Adonai Echad. He is God Alone. There is no other! He is our God and we are His people. Our Lord. Our God. How could this not be life-changing?
 
Whether Jew or Gentile, He is Lord of all. He has brought ALL near. Adonai Tzva’ot…the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. There is NOTHING outside His reach. There is nothing and no one outside His command.
 
Adonai – LORD! Lord of Hosts! Lord of All! MY Lord. YOUR Lord
 
There is no other like Him. And He stepped out of Heaven, put on flesh as One New Man, the living Torah, the One Man Israel, Who reconciles and unites Israel and the nations and brings them to Adonai.
 
Now THAT is life-changing."—Diane

Share your personal reflection on the name of God Adonai in the comments.

Read more: Adonai: Lord Master

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