The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
a light has dawned
on those living in the land of darkness.
—Isaiah 9:2

Weekly She Reads Truth podcast episodes correspond to the current community reading plan.
Click here to listen to this week’s episode.

During this reading plan, we have been memorizing our key verse. Let’s memorize the whole verse together. 

“I am the LORD. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.”
—Isaiah 42:8

JESUS: The name of the incarnate Son of God

Iesous, or “Jesus,” means “Yahweh saves.” It is the Greek form of the Hebrew word Yeshua, a shortened version of Yehoshu’a, which is translated as “Joshua.” Jesus, a common name in the first century AD, was the human name the Lord was given on earth. Mary and Joseph obediently gave the child this name because an angel of the Lord visited Joseph in a dream and told him, “you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). 

Scripture often combines the name Jesus with the Greek word for messiah, Christos, or “Christ.” The name “Jesus Christ” joins the two names in order to recognize Jesus as the anointed Savior. The New Testament keeps Jesus’s human name and His designation as the Christ linked after the resurrection, emphasizing that He remains fully man and fully God with all authority in heaven and on earth. 

During this reading plan, we are memorizing our key verse. We’ll continue with the second half. 

“I am the LORD. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.”
—Isaiah 42:8

This is why you are great, Lord GOD. There is no one like you, and there is no God besides you, as all we have heard confirms.
—2 Samuel 7:22

Weekly She Reads Truth podcast episodes correspond to the current community reading plan.
Click here to listen to this week’s episode.

GOD MOST HIGH: God’s superiority over all other gods and idols

El Elyon, “God Most High,” is a frequently used name for God in the Old Testament. The name Elohim was paired with adjectives that described the God of Israel. This name emphasizes that God is greater than all others. 

The name God Most High elevates the God of Israel over all other gods and highlights that He is superior to all other objects of worship. 

GOD ALMIGHTY: God’s power over all things

El Shadday, or “God Almighty,” is a name God used to describe Himself throughout the Old Testament. He appeared to Abraham in Genesis 17 with the greeting, “I am God Almighty.” Then God made a covenant with Abraham, promising to make him the father of a great nation, even though Abraham was old and his wife was unable to have children. God offered His name, God Almighty, as the guarantee of this improbable promise. Bound up in God’s covenant promise to Abraham is the Lord’s proclamation of His power. 

The name God Almighty also appears frequently in the book of Job to emphasize God’s power over all things. El Shadday is a powerful, awe-inspiring name for our God.  

LIVING GOD: God’s superiority over all other gods and idols 

Elohim Chay, “Living God,” is one of the most frequently used names for God in the Old Testament. The name Elohim was paired with adjectives that described the God of Israel. It emphasizes the unique nature of God: He is alive. 

The very notion of a living God distinguished Elohim from idols constructed of wood or iron. The Israelite God was—and is—living and active in and among His people. 

LORD OF ARMIES: The security, power, and strength of God in the face of His enemies

The Hebrew root word tsaba, or “a gathering of people,” is frequently used in the Bible to describe armies preparing for war. When paired with the name of God in Yahweh Tsebaoth, it reveres Him as being over hosts of angelic armies who gather in His name and serve at His command, with all creation subject to. “LORD of Armies,” “LORD of Hosts,” “God of Armies,” and “LORD God of Armies” are versions of this name. 

LORD of Armies most frequently appears in the Minor Prophets, especially in Malachi, where almost half of the verses in the book contain this name in some form. During the time of the prophets, the people of God were living in exile in Babylon and then under foreign rule after their return from exile. They faced daily reminders of the presence and power of the enemy armies that kept them in captivity. They called out to God as the LORD of Armies, whose vast angelic hosts could deliver them from trouble. LORD of Armies is a name that assures us of the power of our mighty God.

For this plan, we are memorizing our key passage, Psalm 8:3–4. We will continue with the fifth line.

When I observe your heavens,
the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars,
which you set in place,
what is a human being that you remember him,
a son of man that you look after him?
—Psalm 8:3–4