The Irruption of the Wild God into Human History

2007-06-08

There is much that separates God from created entities. In the Creation Hymn, God is seen as all-powerful, who commanded things to come forth out of nothing. The term elohim emphasizes His power (a plural noun), and His ability to not only create all things, but also subdue the chaotic waters that covered the face of the earth. His Spirit (ruach) hovered over the waters and divided the waters. In His destruction of the Flood, He repeated this process when He subdued the waters with a wind (Genesis 1:2; 8:1; wind is also ruach). God creates things, and because of His omnipotence, He can also subdue His Creation.

In Genesis 2:4, there is a shift in the narrative, where many scholars see a shift in sources to a second creation story (from Elohistic to Yahvistic). But the author intends this shift for good reason: He uses both the generic term elohim to signify God’s strength, but it is coupled with God’s covenantal name Yahveh (Jehovah), which is not as common in the Old Testament. Before the Fall, Moses desires to stress that in the Garden, God could be known by humankind both as omnipotent Creator and as loving Father of the newborn race in His image. God could be seen by humankind because they had not sinned, for imperfection cannot enter into the presence of a holy God.

Yahveh, though He is called this throughout Genesis, is not truly introduced by this name until He revealed Himself to Moses. This name is the covenantal name by which the commonwealth of Israel came to know Him. In the context of the Israelites, to call on His name was the grandest privilege of being a part of the covenantal people. To know the living God and the power of His salvation from Egypt was recalled constantly throughout the Old Testament narrative and the Psalter.

The name Yahveh (literally meaning ‘He Is’) states a lot about His character. There was never a time when He did not exist. In fact, He exists outside of time; therefore, by necessity He has always existed and never will cease to exist. Yet this name by which God is known ceases to be used in the New Testament. It had ceased to be pronounced out of respect or fear. But one significant reason why it is no longer used is because of the coming of the New Covenant with the house of Israel, which was by the blood of Jesus Christ, the Messiah. It is by His name that Israel, and the whole earth, can be saved from their sins. People are baptized in the name of Jesus, and people are healed by this name. Acts 4:12 reads, “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Yet Joel states (2:32), “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord [Yahveh] shall be delivered.” This name is one in the same. Jesus, or Yehoshua or Yeshua, means ‘Yahveh saves.’ Compare this characteristic of God with His ability to subdue the chaotic primordial waters: God chooses to save those who call on His name.

God’s progressive revelation throughout history shows us that God wants to be known. He became virtually unknown except by eight people in the time of Noah because of the consequences of sin. He was known by the twelve sons of Jacob and their families at the time of their sojourning in Egypt. By the Exodus, probably millions had known His salvation. In these times, the message of God’s salvation is engulfing the entire globe because He wants to be known intimately, and He wants to save all people. God can be known, and if we wait on Him, and look to Him in the person of Jesus Christ who died for our sins and rose from the dead, all uncertainties and fears about the future can be alleviated.