ADONAI
INTRO
1. Review:
a. What is the first name we talked about? Elohim
[spelled in Bible: God]b) What are the characteristics of Elohim? Keeper of His Covenant/Preserver/Creator/Love
never changes
c) What is the next name we learned about? Jehovah
[spelled in Bible: LORD, GOD]d) What do you know about Jehovah? Holy/Righteousness/Revealer of Truth/Redemption/
Jehovah loves us according to the quality of our right-
living.
e) What is the last name we studied in class? El-Shaddai
[spelled in Bible: Almighty God]f) Name some characteristics of El-Shaddai. Almighty God/One who makes us fruitful/ Bountiful Supplier/Our all sufficient supply/ Bestower of Power
ALL OF THESE NAMES REVEAL
THE NATURE OF GOD OR THE PERSON OF GOD.
2. The remaining names of God especially deal with His relationship to people or to things
whether in Heaven or earth.
[Please keep in mind that we are talking about ONE God.God has different traits/characteristics, and His name helps us to see more into the
very nature of God. Most of us have three names, but God is a little more complicated
than we are and we are learning more of God’s character through His name.]
3. ADONAI means Lord.
(The Bible spells it "Lord.")4. Adonai is used 300 times in the Bible. Almost always it is in the plural or possessive, meaning
"my Lord’s."
5. Read Psalm 110:1...
The LORD
[Jehovah] said unto my Lord [Adoni],
Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.
a. Please notice that here Lord is singular; talking about just one Person of the Trinity, Jesus.
b. So it is Adoni, rather than Adonai.
6. Definition of Adonai:
a. Signifies OWNERSHIP or LORDSHIP
(Mastership....He is the Master of our lives).b. This is the truth that God is owner of each member of the human race, and that He
claims the unrestricted obedience of all.
7. Read Malachi 1:6...
a. The first part of this verse shows that God is to be Master of our lives.
b. God demands that we be under His Lordship.
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I. THE USE OF ADONAI IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
A. Note:
1. The use of this name in the Old Testament reveals the relationship which God sustains
towards his creatures and what He expects in return.
2. Illustration:
a. Read Genesis 15:1,2.
b. Notice that Abram refers back to God using Adonai.....Abram is recognizing that
God owns him, like a purchased slaved. There is a difference between a
purchased slave and a hired servant.
c. A hired servant:
#1. was considered "a stranger."
#2. could not eat of the passover.
#3. did not have his master’s affection or protection.
d. A purchased slave:
#1. was a member of the family.
#2. could eat the passover.
#3. had his master’s protection and affection. (See Exodus 12:43-45.)
3. The purchased slave had the right of the master’s PROTECTION, HELP, AND
DIRECTION.
4. We can depend upon the faithfulness of the Master like Abraham did.
(Gen. 15:1,2)
B. Illustrations of Those Who Understood This Relationship:
#1. MOSES
a. Read Exodus 4:10.
And Moses said unto the LORD
(Jehovah),
O My Lord
(Adonai), I am not eloquent, neither heretofore,nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant:
but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue.
b. Moses was not a Charlton Heston. Moses really had problems speaking.
c. But here Moses recognizes that God is His Lord, still Moses’ Master.
#2. GIDEON
a. Read Judges 6:15.
And he said unto him, Oh my Lord
(Adonai),wherewith shall I save Israel?
behold, my family is poor in Manasseh,
and I am the least in my father’s house.
b. Gideon understood this slave-master relationship.
c. Wouldn’t it be great if Christians today saw God this way? They’d never again get
up on a Sunday morning trying to decide if they should go to church today.
They never have to decide on Sunday night or Wednesday night.
#3. THE PSALMIST
a. Read Psalm 8.
b. Read Psalm 114:7.
c. Read Psalm 135:5.
#4. ISAIAH
a. Isaiah was an aristocrat; he was from one of the upper class.
b. Isaiah lived with King Uzziah and had a great deal of respect for the king.
c. It wasn’t until Isaiah’s hero/master/ lord died, that God gave Isaiah the truth that
He was a greater Master than Uzziah.
d. Read Isaiah 6:1...who shall I send? Isaiah’s answer is in Isaiah 6:8. Notice the
use of Adonai to show the proper relationship between Master and servant.
#5. JEREMIAH
a. Read Jeremiah 1:6.
b. Jeremiah responds, "My Adonai Jehovah" or "My Master Jehovah."
#6. EZEKIEL
a. Adonai occurs 200 times in the book of Ezekiel.
b. It recognizes Adonai is not only Master of Israel, but of all the peoples of the earth.
c. Against the King of Babylon in Ezekiel 24:24.
d. Against Tyre in Ezekiel 28:24.
#7. DANIEL
a. Read Daniel 9:4,5.
b. Daniel cries to Adonai because it is the Master they have disobeyed.
c. See Daniel 9:19.
d. If more of us recognized God as our Master, perhaps we would not have to be
disciplined by God as often as we are. When Adonai tell us to do something
too often our response is not one of an obedient servant.
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II. THE USE OF ADONAI IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
*The meaning of the word "Lord" is not Adonai in the N.T.
*The word in the N.T. is Kurious.
*It is used hundreds of times of the Lord Jesus Himself.
A. We As N.T. Christians Are Purchased Slaves.
1. Read I Cor. 6:19,20.
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
which is in you, which ye have of God,
and YE ARE NOT YOUR OWN?
For YE ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
2. Also see Romans 12:1; I Peter 1:14; II Peter 2:1.
3. Clearly this shows us the Master-Servant relationship.
B. As Lord He Bestows Gifts For Service.
1. Read Eph. 4:11,12.
C. As Lord He Protects and Sustains His Servants.
1. Read Acts 23:11.
And the night following the Lord [Master] stood by him,
and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem,
so must thou bear witness also at Rome.
*When Paul was down, the Master comes lovingly to encourage him.
2. Read II Timothy 4:17.
Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me;
that by me the preaching might be fully known,
and that all the Gentiles might hear:
and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.
*This Master who sees me as His slave, will be there with me when no one else is
around.
D. As Lord He Gives As A Great Reward...Himself!
1. Note Genesis 15:2 and Psalm 73:26.
*So Jesus Christ becomes our portion in the N.T.
E. As Lord He Renders To Every Man According to His Work.
1. Note Psalm 62:12; I Cor. 3:13-15; Luke 12:48.
F. As Lord He Is Our Great Example of the Faithful Servant.
1. Note Phil. 2:7,8; Heb. 10:7; John 8:29; Romans 15:3.
2. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet.
(John 13:13-16)a) This is the great example of servanthood.
b) And Jesus said, "You will have no part with me if I wash not your feet."
c) This lesson is extremely important to Christians.....the lesson of servanthood.
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CONCLUSION:
1. Either we are God’s servant or we are the devil’s servant.
2. God calls His servants to a separated life...holy, standards, Lordship, sanctification.
3. Wouldn’t you rather be a slave of Christ than a king under Satan’s authority?