Reflecting on the names of God can help us know Him better and draw nearer to Him. There are so many things He wants to be for us (Comforter, Counselor, King, Daddy, Friend….). I long to embrace Him as all that He longs to be for me. I also long for myself to be for Him all that He longs for me to be. An essential part of that is realizing all that He is and wants us to know Him to be in our lives. This name of God has been speaking to some of my deepest felt needs, so I wanted to share it. I hope it encourages you as well!
What Does Yahweh-Jireh Mean?
This is a compound name of God. Both meanings go together to form the whole.
Yahweh: God’s Personal Name
This is God’s most sacred name. It is His personal name in Scripture. You can read more about it here: Yahweh: God’s Personal Name . The name Yahweh is rich and deep, carrying with it the history of God’s covenant-keeping, holy and just, redemption-bent relationship with His image-bearers. He is the eternal, unchangeable One who is and was and is to come. The One who reveals Himself to His people, whose holiness reveals their need of Him, and who personally makes it possible for them to come to Him.
Jireh: To See, Appear, Provide
The literal translation of this word is a form of “to see” or “to appear.” It carries with it the rich meaning of God seeing beforehand. He will “see to it.” Why do so many people translate Jehovah-Jireh/Yahweh-Jireh to mean that God will provide?
Think about the meaning of these Latin words:
- Prevision: Noun that means the ability to see beforehand.
- Provision: Verb that means the act of seeing beforehand.
Provision is essentially seeing what is needed and seeing it into action.
Yahweh-Jireh or Jehovah-Jireh?
This is pretty simple, really, Jehovah was an older translation of the sacred name for God not spoken for many generations. Scholars believe a more reliable translation is Yahweh. Read more here: Yahweh or Jehovah?
Where Yahweh-Jireh Used in the Bible?
This name is used by Abraham at the climax of his life. He has obeyed God. He has waited. God promised him a son, and when all seemed lost, in his old age, God delivered for him. Now, he is rejoicing in God’s provision of the promised son, the seed of many nations, through whom the promised Messiah would come to bless the whole earth.
During this season of contentment and satisfaction, God calls him to do the unthinkable- to sacrifice his son. Genesis 22:2
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
So, Abraham takes his son to Mount Moriah. He sees God provide and names the mountain the mount of God’s appearance and provision (Genesis 22:11-14):
11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”
God saw before the need. He secured a ram in the place of Abraham’s son.
God’s Continued Provision
Later on Mount Moriah, Solomon would build the temple of the LORD, on which many more animal sacrifices would be made to atone for sin.
Then, in the climax of history, God would send his own Son, the seed of Abraham, the seed of his son Isaac, the promised Messiah. And Yahweh-Jireh, Who saw beforehand the need created by our choice to sin, would then again provide. He would provide the ultimate need of our soul- the ability to be forgiven of all the wrong we have thought, said, or done- and the ability to enter into an eternal, life-providing relationship with Yahweh-Jireh.
How Can I Recognize When Yahweh-Jireh is Used in the Bible?
This one is pretty simple. It occurs once in Genesis 22:14.
The Strong’s Reference for Yahweh is H3070
To see the use of this name in the Bible, click here.
Reflect on Yahweh-Jireh
As you spend time with God this week, consider the reality that He:
- Sees beforehand
- Sees to it that our needs are provided
- Provides for our deepest need for Himself
- Fulfills His promises to us
- Provides for all of our needs
Search through where this is found in the Bible, and consider the depth of this name in the context of the verse.
As I’ve reflected on this, I’ve begun to realize the deepest felt needs that I have. The ones that come after my need for God’s forgiveness and presence in my life. Those longings that have haunted me since childhood. And, I’ve begun to realize that, no matter how I feel in the difficult seasons, God saw these needs beforehand. He knew before the creation of the world the longings of my soul. And He provided. In Himself, His provision is complete.
Pray to and Praise Yahweh-Jireh
Take some time to reflect on what you long for the most. Do you truly believe God to be the One to meet your deepest needs and longings?
Dear Yahweh Jireh,
You saw me before you formed me in my mother’s womb. You knew what my needs would be. You knew the good works you had prepared for me to do, and you knew all that I would need to complete them.
Thank you for providing for the very deepest need of my soul, of the souls of those I love, and of all the souls of all time. You provided your very own Son. And when the time came for the death blow to be driven, you could not stay your own hand, as you had stayed Abraham’s hand over his son. You delivered your own son up to death so that we would not have to die for eternity.
Thank you for redeeming me with the precious blood of your very own Son.
Thank you for providing for all of my needs. And thank you for providing for all of my longings. Thank you that my deepest longings for ____________ and ____________ can be met in You alone.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
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