S7 Episode #1
THE ONE WITH JES FRENCH!
The Collected Podcast is BACK! We’re so excited to start Season 7 with a renewed vision and a new name… for our host! Jes (now French!) is sharing a summer update about her wedding and the plans for this upcoming season. Join us as we review the nine names of God that we have studied over the past three seasons and look ahead to more exciting deep dives in the future! Check out the links below for each episode that is referenced in the show today:
LISTEN
WATCH
SHOW NOTES
2 Timothy 3:14-17
“But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.”
This was part of Paul’s final letter– written when he was in a Roman prison. Even when Paul was in prison – presumably without a Torah in sight, he still knew the Word of God. He had studied the Old Testament and the teachings of Jesus in a deep and meaningful way, and when he found himself stuck without those life-giving words, he already had them hidden away in his heart.
In this particular section of the letter, we are reminded that God’s Word holds the key to the message of salvation. As Believers, we must be spending time on God’s Word to know Him and understand who we are in Him. The Bible has everything that we need for life and godliness. Another translation of verse 16 says that all Scripture is “God-breathed”. His presence is on every page and all of it is useful for every aspect of our lives.
All of it. Every part of it– even the long stretches in Leviticus and Numbers, or the monotony of the books of the Judges. Every single book points directly to Jesus and is beneficial to us here on earth.
So we must dig into what it says, and that is one of the key goals of this podcast– to take you on this journey with me as I learn more about the character of God and the truth found in His Word. We have covered a lot of ground in the past 6 seasons, and we are just getting started!
BUT Before we look ahead to all that is in store for Season 7, I want to take a few moments to clear the cobwebs and remember where we have been. We have studied 9 names of God so far, and each one has a full episode that dives deep into what the Bible says about it. If you head over to the show notes, I’ve linked the original episode for each name in case you missed one or want to listen again!
Ok, let’s begin!
NAMES OF GOD REVIEW:
EL OLAM
Way back in S4E5 we started by learning about El Olam – The Everlasting God, extending forward and backward in all of eternity. The first time we see this name used is with Abraham in Genesis 21:33. At the time this is written, Abraham has been living as an unsettled nomad for many years. It’s in this state of weary hopelessness that God reveals the new name of El Olam. Abraham was overwhelmed with the world’s insecurity, and God revealed that HE is divinely sufficient, HE is the God of Eternity. He has no beginning and He will never cease to be. In the middle of all Abraham’s uncertainty, he came face to face with an Everlasting God who was his true home.
Maybe this is the reminder that you needed today– that is the middle of your uncertainty, you serve an everlasting God who will not leave you in a state of weary hopelessness forever. He is divinely sufficient.
Immanuel
Next we came to Immanuel- God With Us in S4E13… This name of Jesus reminds us that He is with us always and in everything – in our suffering, in our pain and sorrow, in our joy, in our conflict, in our sin, in our facing death– in all the things that we experience in a broken world. Jesus did not shy away from these things. Jesus is with us through everything. His presence will never leave us. Herbert Lockyer shares, “It is this character, as the ever present companion, that the living bond and most intimate fellowship between God and man was summed up in one word: Immanuel.” Whenever you feel stressed or anxious, draw near to the Lord and take it as an opportunity to recognize new things about Him and His provision for you.
EL ROI
S5E5 - El Roi – The God Who Sees … If you feel or have ever felt overlooked, forgotten, or invisible, this name is for you. God sees you. God sees you in the middle of your mess and chaos, and He will never leave your side. The first time we learn the name of El Roi is in Genesis 16, when The Angel of the Lord meets a woman named Hagar on the road to Shur. She is fleeing Abram and Sarai, pregnant with Abram’s child, and attempting to return to her homeland of Egypt. In her moment of greatest fear and uncertainty, God meets with Hagar and promises to make her descendants into a great nation. Hagar then refers to God as “El Roi”. In saying this, Hagar recognized that God saw her and met her on the road to Shur, but also that God saw everything in her life that led up to that moment. God was not a far-off, distant, sleeping God. He saw her when she was being used and mistreated. He was her tears, He saw her run, He saw the depths of pain in her heart. He also sees you– in every moment of your life, past, present and future. He has never left you and He never will.
El Shaddai
S5E14- El Shaddai – God Almighty, All-Sufficient One, Our Provider, the All- Bountiful One. The first time we see El Shaddai is in Genesis 17, when God once again appears to Abraham. At this point, Abraham is 99 years old and he STILL has not had a son with his wife Sarah. If there was ever a time that someone needed a reminder that God is all-sufficient, it would be now! In this encounter, The Lord reminds Abraham who He (God) is and who Abraham is because of who God is. The Lord goes on to remind Abraham that Abraham is not forgotten. What a relief it must have been for Abraham to be reassured that God had not forgotten the promises that He made with Abraham nearly a quarter of a century before. Finally, God gives Abraham a new name and a revived purpose. The name of El Shaddai is a powerful reminder that God is in the business of doing the impossible!
Jehovah Jireh
S6E1 - Jehovah Jireh – The Lord Who Provides, The Lord Who Sees to It. This name embodies how The Lord foresees and provides for every need. He is sovereign, all-knowing, and able to provide when our own resources have run dry. The first and only time that we see this name of God in the Bible is in Genesis 22:14 when God provided a ram for Abraham to sacrifice in place of his son, Isaac. This story foreshadows the ultimate thing that God would provide to fulfill our needs, and it is not a thing at all– but rather it’s himself. Jesus gave His own life, because God foresaw the need for a Savior from the beginning of the world. Every single story in the Old Testament is pointing toward Jesus and our need for a Savior.
You may not get the job or the relationship or the house, or the …. fill in your blank…. BUT you WILL get access to the peace, power and presence of the God of the Universe. He will always provide a way for His promises to be true. He did not promise that life would be easy, but HE did promise that He would never leave you nor forsake you.
Jehovah Ropheka
S6E6 – Jehovah Ropheka– He restores our souls, he is healer and solace. The healing power of The Lord has the ability to bring sweetness to the things in your life that were once bitter. The ultimate act of Jehovah Rapha, our Healer, is sending Jesus to die on the cross to bring healing and freedom from sin.
The first time that we see this name of God in the Bible is in Exodus 15:26. The Israelites had just been freed from slavery in Egypt. They had just witnessed the miraculous parting of the Red Sea, and they had seen God wipe out the Egyptian army that was pursuing them. And yet, three days later, when the Isrealites were facing their next challenge (potentially dying of thirst), they quickly forgot all that The Lord had done for them and they reverted back to a slave mentality of scarcity and fear.
In verse 26, The Lord “heals” the water at Marah by making sweet that which was once bitter. The water that was undrinkable, leading to certain death, now brought life. The healing power of The Lord has the ability to bring sweetness to the things in your life that were once bitter. The ultimate act of Jehovah Rapha, our Healer, is sending Jesus to die on the cross to bring healing and freedom from sin.
Jehovah Nissi
S6E8 – Jehovah Nissi– The Lord is our banner, our source of victory, He fights for us … In ancient times, a banner was a bare pole with a bright shining ornament that would sparkle in the sun. The Lord is the light that we shine into the world, and the world will recognize we are His by the light that we carry.
The first time that we see this name of God in the Bible is in Exodus 17:15, during the nation of Israel's war against the Amalekites. Many Biblical scholars believe that the Amalakites are a representation of our flesh, or our sinful nature. Therefore, The Lord, Our Banner, is shining light into the darkest places of our sinful nature. He is the One providing victory over the darkness in our lives.
Whatever season you are in, you can be confident that Christ has the ultimate victory! Even if we don’t experience the freedom and relief on this side of Heaven, we know that Christ has the final say and one day every knee will bow and every tongue will proclaim that He is Lord.
Jehovah M’Kaddesh
S6E11 — Jehovah M’Kaddesh– The LORD Who Sanctifies. He sets apart and makes holy. The first time that we see this name in the Bible is in Exodus 31 when God is speaking to Moses on Mt. Sinai. After 40 days of receiving 613 laws, the grand finale is the revelation that it is only The LORD God, Jehovah M’Kaddesh, who can sanctify us and make us holy. The Lord knew it would be impossible for us to uphold our end of the covenant. He knew that there was no way we could possibly uphold all 613 laws in our own strength.
From the very moment that sin entered the world, God had a plan for our redemption– for our sanctification. Out of His great love, He was not going to leave the pursuit of holiness in our own hands, because all would fall short. Instead, He allowed for the blood of a spotless animal to be shed in our place. Throughout the Old Testament, we see over and over again the use of blood sacrifice to take the place of the people, protect them from the wrath of God, and make them right with God when they fall short.
Jesus lived a perfectly holy life– set apart for a divine purpose. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is what created a way for us to be seen as holy by a Holy God. When Jesus took his last breath on the cross, the curtain to the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle was ripped in half, signifying that all people could now have free access to the presence of God. The final and ultimate sacrifice had been paid. Jesus atoned for the sins of humanity– past, present and future.
Jehovah Shammah
Jehovah Shammah- The Lord is There …The first time we see this name in the Bible is in the book of Ezekiel, when the prophet receives a vision of God– Jehovah Shammah– in the New Jerusalem.. At this point, the Isrealites have been in captivity in Babylon for 25 years. The temple and city was in ruins, and yet this vision from God was a reminder that God is still there in the city and with His people– even when they are in captivity because of their sin. This name is a powerful reminder to the ancient Israelites that God has NOT forsaken them, He was there with them, and He will be faithful to fulfill His promises. This name is also a powerful reminder to us that wherever we are, whatever our circumstance, God is there. You are not forsaken or forgotten, no matter what you have done!
LOOKING AHEAD
Our theme in this new season of the podcast and in my personal life season is: “I surrender. I want to know you more.”
Following that theme, we are going to keep learning about the Names of God and drawing closer to him.
The next Name of God that we will be looking at is JEHOVAH ROHI. This name highlights The Lord as our loving shepherd. In the Ancient Near East, a good shepherd would endure danger, extreme weather conditions and sleeplessness in order to protect and provide for his sheep. In the same way, God protects us from danger, provides us with nourishments through His Word, stays by our side through times of struggle, and seeks after our hearts when we wander away. This is such a beautiful picture of care and selfless love and I can’t wait to dig deeper and share the richness of this name with you!
TEASER
I’m so excited for our episode with author, Jack Mooring, coming out in two weeks! His book, Portrait of God: Rediscovering the Attributes of God through the Stories of His People, is an incredible guidebook, using the stories of influential Christian figures like C.S. Lewis and St. Augustine to help modern-day believers find stability in their faith amidst the chaos of the world. In Portrait of God, Mooring provides thought-provoking questions and a list of further readings about each faith leader, allowing readers to dig even deeper into the truths about the unchanging character of God.
NEXT STEPS
Here are a few action steps to help you dip deeper this week!
Pick one of the Names of God that we reviewed this week and listen to the full deep dive.
Take time in prayer, thanking God for who He is and the ways that you have seen him work in your life.
Thank you, as always, for listening! Please remember that everything we do is funded by those who benefit from our ministry. Our ministry a 501(c)3, so your contribution is tax-deductible.
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The Collected Podcast is produced by Jes Biondo and edited by Jacob Early. Cover art designed by Ben Biondo.