Adonai: The God Who Rules

Adonai: The God Who Rules

Today we want to consider another of the names of God: Adonai. This is also a plural word and is found over 400 times in the Scriptures. It contains the concepts of dominion, rulership, and ownership. An interesting side note is that when adon is used to refer to man, it is always singular; when it is used to reference God, it is always plural.

The cultural background to the word adon is associated with masters who owned slaves. Yet this name doesn’t JUST denote ownership, but it also conveys a responsibility for the care and well-being of the servants. The master was to provide for, protect, and guide that which he owned. Thus, when God is referred to with the plural form Adonai, He is seen as owner. Before you can know God as any other name, you must acknowledge His ownership and bow before Him as Adonai, your Lord and Master.

The New Testament depicts Jesus as both Lord and Servant. In the latter role, He exemplifies what our relationship to Adonai is to be. Lord (Adonai) is more than just a word; it indicates a relationship. Lordship means complete possession on the one hand and  complete submission on the other. God is Lord and we are His servants. God alone has the right to tell us what to do. However, the good news is that with submission comes all we need for the task He puts before us. Whatever it is, as Adonai, He supplies what His servants need in order to perform their Master’s will.

When the Apostles in the New Testament called themselves bond servants or slaves of Jesus Christ, they were using this language to let everyone know they were owned by Christ. This is extremely significant not merely because of ownership. It includes certain responsibilities and duties. Ownership has much more to do with responsibility than with dominion. God, in His role of Adonai, fulfills all the responsibilities of ownership. He provides, protects, guards, leads, cares for, and so much more.

Just as we saw that one can know Elohim without knowing Jehovah, it’s possible to settle for Jehovah without experiencing the full power of Adonai. To experience all that God can do for you as ruler, master, and owner over your life, you have to knowingly and willingly surrender to Him. Many people want God to do what His Word says He can do, but they don’t give Him the right to own them.

There are those in our world who would use people up and then discard them, but God never fails to sustain us. Knowing that the Lord we serve is also the Lord who loves us, we need not fear that He will take advantage of us, or that He will ask us to do something we cannot possibly do. We can be confident that we can do whatever He asks through the grace He supplies.

As we look at how this idea of ownership and lordship apply to our lives as widows, let’s take a moment to consider all that He does to provide for us, protect us, and lead us. There’s a certain security in knowing that He is carrying out the responsibilities of ownership as it relates to me! As I acknowledge His Lordship, I can trust that He will never require something of me that is impossible. This brings a deep peace.

The One who created you (Elohim) and the One who desires relationship with you (Jehovah) also desires to be your Lord. He knows how you are wired, and He knows your capabilities. Everything He asks for you to do will be perfectly fitted to how He has equipped you!

Since He is all-knowing and we are not, it’s always in our best interests to acknowledge His ownership of my life. The stories each of us could share would fill a large book! Since our husbands have passed, God has cared for, provided for, protected, and guided in ways too numerous to count.

Have you acknowledged His Lordship in your life? I encourage you to think about this question if you are journeying through grief as a widow. Hidden away in our relationship with Him, we find peace and comfort and security that enable us to keep moving ahead one day at a time. He waits to take ownership of you so that He can care for you!

Como siempre, sus pensamientos y comentarios son bienvenidos aquí o puede enviarme un correo electrónico a sheryl@freshhope.us. Si está buscando un nuevo propósito y un camino para seguir adelante, considere unirse a uno de nuestros grupos de Refocusing Widows, ya sea en persona o en línea. Puede registrarse en www.refocusingwidows.org/Groups. ¡Esperamos conocerle!