God of gods
Elah Elahin // GOD of gods
“The king answered and said to Daniel, “Truly, your God is God of gods and Lord of kings, and a revealer of mysteries, for you have been able to reveal this mystery.” // Daniel 2:47
Our next series on Imposing Grandeur will be summer long, and we will be exploring the incredible names of our God. The names of God are amazing because hidden behind every name is a meaning, and a meaning reveals characteristics. As we explore such a small amount of the names of God, we pray that you will be encouraged and that your faith will grow alongside your knowledge and love for the Lord.
First of all, we will be exploring the name ELAH ELAHIN, which means “God of gods."
What is your god? Is it yourself, your pride? Is it your success? Or is it a thing like sex or money? The list could go on forever asking the "what is your god" question, but at the end of the day, we all have an answer to this question that isn’t THE God. We all struggle daily with identifying gods that we have made in our lives or of ourselves. So I think a question we may need to start asking is, how do we stop these thoughts right in their tracks and start giving to GOD the attention and worship He is so worthy of?
I always find it interesting in the Old Testament when leaders of other nations recognize God as the true God over their false idols, and I think it is so stupid that they could have ever worshipped something made from wood or stone so deeply and seriously. Once I change the medium of the idol, the idea of worshipping something other than God seems not so far off. I don’t think I will ever be able to vanquish all the idols from my life forever, but with the strength of the Lord, I am confident in his powers to change my heart and desires.
My friend always says, “your feelings won’t knock God off His throne.” I love this because it is the important first step to recognize that God is THE God of all. Your heart is chasing after other things but God is still God despite that.
“For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality not take a bribe.” Deuteronomy 10:17
At the beginning of this blog, I referenced a passage in Daniel where the king finally has his dream explained to him, and because of this, he recognizes God as the true God over all. Daniel was the Lord’s vessel in this revelation, and it is worth considering how Daniel’s faith played a part in his devotion to the Lord. Daniel didn’t just wake up and serve the Lord against all odds. Daniel’s life as far as we know involved him being faithful in the big and the small things despite the circumstances surrounding him (you should just stop now and go read through all of Daniel- it’s amazing). For example, In Daniel 6 a decree is signed where no one is allowed to pray to anyone other than the king himself and in return, this is what happened, “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10) His devotion to the Lord was born while he was on his knees with God.
While it is important to recognize God as the only god it isn’t enough to just know that. The heart starts to yearn for the Lord and push idols out when we spend time with the Lord and subject ourselves to true devotion to him by choosing to spend time with him. Daniel could have chosen to make the king the center of his worship for a time or he could have chosen to pray more privately, but God had established within his heart to worship Him as the God of gods regardless of consequences (by the way, the consequence was being thrown into a den of hungry lions resulting in being eaten alive).
Worshipping God for who His name says He is, brings boldness in our faith and true satisfaction despite all odds and consequences. He is Elah Elahin, God of all gods.
