El Olam meaning in the Bible

As I use the Lord’s Prayer as the framework for many of my morning prayers, it reminds me God is our Father, and that I am part of His body. And when I pray hallowed be thy name, I praise his names with new understanding as I continue in my study on the names of God. Today’s post will look at El Olam, and at the end of this post I’ve included a list of the names we’ve already studied with quick explanations of how I incorporate them when praying. 

El Olam in the Bible

"Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God” (Gen. 21:33). This NSAB translation tells us the El Olam meaning. He is our Everlasting God, without beginning or end. But in my mind, I wanted to know why Abraham used El Olam as he planted the tamarisk tree. How is it related?

 

What is a tamarisk tree

I looked into the tamarisk tree to help provide context. Research revealed it is an evergreen tree native to dry areas of southern Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia. It can grow up to 30 feet tall. According to The Natural History of the Bible by Henry Baker Tristram (1868) it is a “very graceful tree, with long feathery branches and tufts, closely clad with the minutest of leaves, and surmounted in spring with spikes of beautiful pink blossom, which seem to envelop the whole tree in one gauzy sheet of color.”

That evergreen quality of the tamarisk tree represents:

• Hope and life
• New beginnings
• Reminder that better days are ahead

Abraham’s use of El Olam

With this in mind, I looked at Abraham’s use of El Olam and the planting of the tamarisk tree and the context of the rest of the chapter.

Isaac born (vs. 1-7): Earlier in this chapter, Sarah had given birth to her promised son, Isaac. The LORD had fulfilled his promise made to Sarah. She conceived and bore a son to Abraham when she was past the age of conceiving and Abraham was 100 years old! Abraham (and Sarah) witnessed God’s faithfulness.

Hagar and Ishmael sent out (vs. 9-17): In these verses we see Abraham faced with a big challenge. He is told to send Hagar and Ishmael away. It distressed him greatly because he loved his son Ishmael but Abraham didn’t hesitate to obey. He rose early in the morning, gave Hagar and 16-17 year old Ishmael some supplies, and sent them peacefully on their way. God had told him not to be distressed “for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant” (vs. 13-14). Again, Abraham trusted God’s faithfulness.

The Treaty at Beersheba (vs. 22-31): Just before the planting of the tamarisk tree, we see a treaty made between Abraham and Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces. Abimelek had said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”  Abraham swore it in vs. 24 Abraham says, “I swear it.”

At the start of the next chapter, Abraham is challenged to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice. I mention this, because all these things deal with Abraham as a man of faith. In Gen. 15, Abraham "believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness." All these things in chapter 21 reflect that faith. He had eternity in view and faith in an Everlasting God. The tamarisk tree served as a reminder that El Olam, the Everlasting God” keeps his promises throughout time."

 

Hallowed be Thy name

As a quick reference, here are the names we’ve already took a look at here at Lightbearers and how they help us focus our praise and thanks to Him:

Jehovah Jireh (The Lord will provide): Reminds me of his love and how he provided Jesus to take away my sin.

Jehovah Nissi (The Lord my banner): Reminds me that he is the standard to look to while in the chaos of this world and the spiritual battle we are in.

Jehovah Raah (Rohi, Roi) (The Lord is my shepherd): Reminds me of his role as shepherd: Protector, Guide, and the one who brings us home. It also reminds me to be watching for the Lord’s return for his church.

Jehovah Rophe (The Lord your healer): Reminds me of my spiritual healing.

Yahweh Sabaoth (The Lord of hosts): Reminds me that my confidence is in the Lord of hosts who goes forth before me. To get my eyes off the “giants” of this world and on my Lord.

Adoni (God is sovereign): Reminds me that God is supreme in power; possesses supreme dominion and is sovereign ruler of the universe. That he is supreme; superior to all others; chief. That God is the sovereign good of all who love and obey him.

Jehovah Shalom (The Lord is Peace): Reminds me that Jehovah (the becoming one) (in his relationship with you) desires to give you a (sense of completeness and tranquility). It is an inner peace, not outward peace that depends on circumstances.

 

 

 

Lord, teach us to pray (Part 1)

 It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” Luke11:1

Teach us to pray

The disciples saw Jesus praying and when he finished, they asked Him to teach them to pray. Note that they didn’t say, “teach us HOW to pray.” They knew how to pray. We see that in Jesus’ response. He says, “When you pray….” They also knew they ought to pray and by their request we can see that they understood that they fell short in the discipline of prayer. They asked that he teach them “to” pray.

Most of us can echo this request today, because we don’t spend enough time in prayer. It’s not that we don’t know how to talk to God. It’s that we don’t.

In response to their request, Jesus gave them a model prayer. It is very similar to the prayer he prayed during the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13) which today we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. But this model he gives in Luke 11 differs from that prayer.

And He said to them, “When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. (v. 2)

 

Prayer is about relationship

The first thing we learn from this model is the importance of relationship found in the word “Father.” Prayer is the privilege of God’s children—those who are born again. It is necessary for us to have a relationship with God before we can really pray. If you aren’t a child of God, your only approach to God is through Jesus Christ (see John 14:6). As a child of God, our relationship opens the door to God. Our Father in heaven always hears our needs and is willing to commune and fellowship with us. He is always available through our relationship. He is our Father. It is an intimate relationship with God and prayer draws us closer. We have a Father in heaven who loves us, will listen to us, and help us. This encourages us to pray.

Hallowed be thy name

“Hallowed by Your name.” His name. This isn’t referring to his title, God, but his name. We can’t pronounce His name. It has no vowels in the Hebrew. What’s interesting is that in the Hebrew, his name is a verb that means “the becoming one.” “I am.” It is a name by which God reveals his desired relationship with you. He is willing to become to you what your need is. If you look into the namesof God used in the Old Testament, this brings a deeper understanding to how God becomes what we need. For instance, Jehovah-Raah means The Lord My Shepherd and Jehovah Rapha means The Lord that Heals. Through Jesus Christ he has become God our Savior.

As we pray, we declare His name hallowed (holy). This is one of the reasons the Jewish scribes left the vowels out of the name of God, because they thought the name so holy that people were not worthy to even say it or read it to themselves. So they made it unpronounceable. We can say that is extreme, but in our culture we’ve gone the other direction. It isn’t unusual to hear people call God, “The big guy upstairs” or similar euphemisms. 

Thy kingdom come

“Your kingdom come.” In this phrase we come to the real purpose of prayer. Let me say, God didn’t intend prayer to be a negotiation to bring your kingdom to earth. But many treat it this way. They think prayer is how you get your heart’s desires. We see this in some of the formulas for prayer that promise results in getting what you want from God in this life now. This is not the purpose of prayer. God is not a genie that grants your wishes. Praying in this way reveals a person who thinks they are sovereign, rather than honoring God as sovereign. Prayer isn’t about accomplishing our will on earth. Prayer is about God’s will. It opens the door for God to do the work he desires in our hearts, which reminds me of Ps. 37:4, “Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart.” If we delight ourselves in the Lord, our desires line up with his desires.

This brings me to praying in Jesus’ name. Jesus taught his disciples to pray in his name in John 14:13–14; 15:16; 16:23–24. Many people tack the phrase "in Jesus name" onto the end of a prayer without understanding what it means to pray in Jesus’ name. Praying in Jesus name isn’t a mantra that makes prayer "work." It goes back to our relationship with God. It is through Jesus that we have our access to God in prayer. By grace, the Holy Spirit unites us to Christ and grants us entrance into the fellowship that Jesus has with His heavenly Father. Praying “in His name” means praying according to His will. Yes, we can express our desires and our will in matters of prayer but when we pray in Jesus name we submit our will to His. We don’t have to say, “In Jesus name,” we only need to pray in Jesus name--his will.In this way, you yield yourself to God’s will in prayer.

Lord, teach us to pray (Part 2)

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Written within the allegorical tradition of classics like Pilgrim's Progress, The Inheritance offers a literal but symbolic story for today's fantasy enthusiasts. This cleverly devised tale doesn't tell you what to think, but stimulates thought as to why you believe what you believe in your own quest for the Eternal City. The Inheritance is an ideal discussion starter for youth groups, homeschoolers, and families who enjoy meaningful discussions.

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