Tony Evans
This is the first book I have read by Tony Evans, and I thoroughly enjoyed this read. I have been wanting to do a study on the names of God myself, but I found it easy to follow Evans as he goes through God’s names. I think he approaches each name with a good background of why God has that name and how it can be applied to your situation.
As a Hebrew and Greek student, the only thing I found annoying about the book is that he goes along with the traditional “Jehovah” names. I guess I got over this eventually, but it annoys me that people use Jehovah instead of Yahweh. It’s a personal pet people mine. Other than that, the authors very thorough in his approach.
He actually discusses briefly the pronunciation of Yahweh or Jehovah, but he moves on fairly quickly from that to discuss the names of God. He starts in chapter 1 by describing God’s names as majestic and glorious. We need to keep that point in front of everything else that’s set in the book. He breaks the study up into three parts.
In Part 1, the author discusses the “foundational names of God.” These are the names that commonly appear in the Old Testament: Elohim, Jehovah, and Adonai. In chapter 2, he explains how Elohim is the most common name for God. It literally is the plural form for God, but when it refers to the God of Israel, we translate it as singular. It shows God’s power and refers to Him as the creator God.
Chapter 3 discusses God’s more personal name as Jehovah (Yahweh). This is the covenantal name of God for Israel and how Israel knows Him personally. Chapter 4 finishes the discussion of God’s foundational names by talking about Adonai, the ruling God. He explains how Adonai is the Hebrew name for a Lord, and how God rules the earth.
Part 2 brings forward the compound names of God. These are made by taking one of the above three names and combining its shortened form with another word. It has always fascinated me that many of God’s compound names come from people giving Him names based on the situation where He came through for them.
Evans begins in chapter 5 by talking about Jehovah Jireh, the God who provides. He explains the background of how this name came to be, and then he applies it to your life. All of God’s names are easily applicable to our lives. They help us realize who He is and how He takes care of us and our needs. Chapter 6 is the next name for God, Jehovah Tsaba, the Lord our Warrior. This is the Hebrew for “Lord of Hosts.” He is the God who controls the angel armies of heaven. He fights for us.
In chapter 7, the author continues with God’s names by introducing us to Jehovah Shalom, the Lord is peace. He is the God who brings peace to our situations in life. He started with bringing peace between us and Him. But He does much more than this. He can bring peace to every situation that causes you confusion or anxiety today.
Chapter 8 brings the next name, Jehovah Rohi, the Lord my Shepherd. He gives a rich background through the Scriptures of Jesus as the good Shepherd and God as our Shepherd. He leads us and ministers to us in ways we don’t often think of. We must let Him be the Shepherd of our lives. In chapter 9, he continues with Jehovah Nissi, the Lord my Banner. This is the God of victory who brings victory to our lives. This all starts at the Cross, where Jesus for victory over death and sin. But God brings victory into our lives in many of the situations we face.
Chapter 10 minutes to God’s next name, Jehovah Mekkodishkem, the Lord who Sacrifices. The word behind us is the word for holiness. He makes the sacrifice that brings holiness into our lives. We are becoming like Him through His efforts to make us holy before Him, and make us pleasing to Him. Chapter 11 discusses Jehovah Rapha, the Lord my Healer. This was an especially tear chapter to me because I am waiting for Jesus to bring me
from this paralysis. Evans talks about the background of this name for God and how it applies to us today.
Chapter 12 highlights Jehovah Tsidkenu our Righteousness. Jesus imputes his righteousness on to us. We cannot be righteous in ourselves, but must rely on the righteousness of Christ. The Lord is righteous first, and He shows us how to be righteous. In chapter 13, the author proceeds to God’s next name, El Elyon, God Most High. He describes how this name describes our God as the goal of high places. Chapter 14 is the final chapter of Part 2, and it describes El Shaddai, Lord God Almighty. He is the God of the mountains, the supplier of every need.
Evans calls God’s final categorization of names in Part 3 God’s incarnational name. The final chapter describes this name as Immanuel, which is Hebrew for “God with us.” He explains how God is with us at all times. This was one of the names for Jesus. He gives the biblical background for this name and applies it to us today.
The book has two appendices. The first tracks Jesus from the first book of Genesis to the last book of Revelation, and the second appendix gives an extended list of God’s names and titles. These are very helpful, and probably come out of the authors study of this topic and preparation to write the book. This is a great book for anyone wanting to do a study on God’s names. I will certainly be looking into more of Tony Evans’ books. This was a thorough and engaging study for me. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in studying God by His names. There truly is great power in God’s names, and the book is aptly named.
