selected scripture adonai november 17, 2019 · 2019-11-19 · selected scripture adonai november...

Selected Scripture Adonai November 17, 2019

READ Psalm 9:1-10 READ Isaiah 6

When I was in high school I worked in the bus ministry in my home

church. That meant that on Saturdays we would drive the route that was assigned to us, and we would (through previous contacts) visit kids and

their families to remind them that the church bus would swing by and pick them up and take them to Sunday school and church.

That ministry was a lot of hard work, and it carried a lot of difficult challenges. We were responsible for visiting these kids. We were expected

to be in an early Sunday school class that began at 7:30; so we would be back in time to get the kids to church in time. But the main difficulty were

the areas that we picked kids up in. There was a range, but usually it tended towards some of the areas in our city that were stricken with

poverty, and generational poverty is a hard thing to work through when you a 7-18 years old.

I met “Tank” when he was six years old. He was actually too young to ride the bus, but his older siblings rode with us, and his mom had given

Corey M. Minter Page of 1 13

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written consent; so Tank became a regular on our church bus. But Tank was not your average six year old (as his name suggests…Honestly I do

not remember if that was his real name or nickname). He did not have any of his own teeth, only stainless steel replacements. He was rough…really

rough. The first day we picked him up, he ran at me full bore in the aisle of the bus, and at the last second, jumped up and head-butted me right in

the sternum. We were obviously limited with how we could correct (and rightfully

so). Really the only thing that we could do was (if the acting out went far enough) not allow kids to ride to church. Which is a very hard punishment

when you are in that kind of ministry, because it’s the very thing that you know every kid needs.

We tried to be really long-suffering with Tank, but eventually, we had to tell this six year old little boy and his mom that we would not be picking

him up anymore if he continued. His answer came in three sharp sentences…(I can see it all like it was yesterday), “You can’t tell me what

to do! You don’t own me! This is a free country!” Pretty soon, his siblings stopped riding to church with us. I have no

idea what happened to Tank after that, but even though that happened almost two decades ago, I remember, “You can’t tell me what to do! You

don’t own me! This is a free country!” Adults and more mature people may not scream that at a boss or

someone in authority, but sometimes we sure wish we could. No one enjoys feeling subservient or “less than” to another. It grinds against our

own pride and ego. So we build up a degree of unhealthy self-sufficiency



that does not spit those taunts. We get a little more cultured. We read and live by William Ernest Henley’s poem “Invictus” as our self-anthem.

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance

I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade,

And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate,

I am the captain of my soul. 1

From our immaturities to our more refined rebellion whether claiming to not being owned or screaming out that I am the master of my fate, I

would like to introduce us to a name of God in Scripture that stands in stark contrast to each: Adonai.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51642/invictus1



Adonai is found more than 300 times in Scripture as a reference to God and over 200 in a more generic sense when it speaks to about a

human being. As best as we can understand this name of God, it means Ruler, Master, and it is most often translated as “Lord.” (Remember, when

Jehovah is translated into English, it is usually as LORD, but Adonai is translated in low caps).

Right off the bat in the Word, we see that it is often coupled with Jehovah. For instance, in Genesis chapters 2 and 3 alone, you will read

the title “Lord God” some twenty times. In these instances, Adonai serves both as a title and a name of God. In the New Testament, you will find that

the Greek word Kurios is closely related to Adonai as it is often translated as Lord too.

For our time together this evening, I would like to focus on three powerful scenes in Scripture that either use the name Adonai or best

describes what is meant by this title for God. Scene 1: Isaiah’s Vision (Isaiah 6)

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the

temple. Isaiah was a prophet of God during the split kingdom stage when

Israel and Judah were separated. King Uzziah was one of the most powerful kings that the Southern Kingdom (Judah) had ever seen. He

began reigning when he was 16, and he reigned well for over 5 decades, ushering in a prosperity that the Hebrews had not seen since Solomon or

Jehoshaphat. But later in his life, Uzziah rebelled against God, one of his



final acts was to barge into the temple and light the incense instead of allowing the priests to do this holy act. He was powerful, but it had gone to

his head. That is the setting in which Isaiah receives this vision of the Lord

sitting on a throne. A fallen and disgraced king has died, but God reigns. As we read, underline every time Lord is used

Isaiah 6:1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the

temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he

covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

God’s throne is high…unattainably high. His train (or the hem) of His robe fills temple. This place that is supposed to mimic the glory of God on

earth is left shamed by the very stitching of the robe that God wears. The hem fills the temple…covering it up.

Hovering above the throne were angelic creatures whose sole purpose in creation is to praise God. They have six wings. With two they

cover their face because even they are not worthy to look upon God on the throne. With two wings, they cover their feet…the shameful physical

attribute that would normally be hidden with a long robe in human beings is now covered by wings because they are not worthy to be looked upon

by God. Finally, with two other wings, they do the bidding of God. They are wholly devoted to doing whatever He says, when He says it.

Notice what they are shouting:



Isaiah 6:3 And one cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;

The whole earth is full of His glory!” There are not superlatives enough to shower upon God on the throne

so they just continuously cry out “Holy!” The earth…much like the temple filled with the hem of God’s garment…is filled to the brim with the glory of

God, making the beauty of creation look like nothing in comparison to God ruling.

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

The incense that Uzziah had tried to burn of his own accord in the temple is now replaced with a smoke that needs no one to light it for God.

The smoke was thick in the house, and the huge timbers set in place to hold up the structure are struggling, vibrating to hold up the building just

because of the voices of the seraphim crying out to God. Isaiah had had enough. He knew that he was not worthy to be in this

scene. Even as a prophet of God looking on in a vision, this place was too holy for him.

Isaiah 6:5 So I said: “Woe is me, for I am undone!

Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;

For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.”



I’ll just say this as an aside. This is the proper response to such a vision. You may turn on your tv tonight and hear someone say that they

saw God in a vision and that God looked kind and gentle, and that God just wanted to encourage them and tell them “Good job.” That is a lie.

Isaiah’s view of God has him confessing personal sin, other’s sins and claiming that he is unworthy to be there. So God does not leave him where

he was: 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live

coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. 7 And he touched my mouth with it, and said:

“Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away,

And your sin purged.” 8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:

“Whom shall I send, And who will go for Us?”

Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.” In short, Isaiah’s vision has him confessing his unworthiness to God

but it also has him jumping in readiness to do whatever God says. Notice that: Isaiah commits to going and saying before God even tells him where

to go or what to say. He sees God for Who He is, and he knows that he can do whatever God has called him to do.

In verses 9-10, God gives the details of the assignment, and it is kind of anticlimactic.

9 And He said, “Go, and tell this people:



‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’

10 “Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy,

And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes,

And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart,

And return and be healed.” Essentially, God tells Isaiah that his message is going to be long,

hard to hear, unresponsive but to do it anyway…preach any way…even when people don’t respond…keep on saying what God says to say.

11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?” And He answered:

Until I call you home… That is what Adonai means. Sign up to go before I tell you where.

Volunteer to speak before He tells you what to say. Continue to be faithful to Him until He calls you home.

It is an undying, unquestioning allegiance to God as your Master… Scene 2: Thomas’s Claim (John 20)

Fast forward about 800 centuries. Jesus has died, but Peter, John and several of the women are spreading rumors that He rose from the

dead. They have seen the open tomb, and many of them have actually seen Jesus in an upper room when He just appeared to them, walking

right through the locked door.



Thomas disagrees. He wasn’t there to see it; so he won’t believe it. He says

John 20:25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”

So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into

His side, I will not believe.” Just over a week later, all of the disciples are again huddled

together, scared of the Jewish leaders, but this time Thomas is among them. In walks Jesus same as before, right through the door, and He

makes a beeline right for Thomas, thrusting His hands out to him. 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at

My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”

Notice Thomas’s response. Even though it is not the blind faith of Isaiah he still cries out:

28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”

No longer does Thomas just view Jesus as a Messiah…or Deliverer…not just some mere Miracle Worker either. He uses the

prophetic language of David from Psalm 35 and 38 in his own tongue. Where David says, “My Adonai and My Elohim,” Thomas says, “My Kurios

and My Theos!” He is not just some nebular, impersonal Creator, but He is also the

God standing right in front of you, proving Himself to be Who He says He



is to us. To this, Thomas pledges his undying devotion. If extra-biblical church history is correct, it is possible that Thomas travels the furthest

among the disciples as a missionary to share his faith. Some hold that he may have even gone as far as parts of India. In fact, that is what many

traditions hold to that he was martyred for his faith by Hindu priests having brought many in a town to Christ.

He is Lord worthy of our devotion. Scene 3: Revelation 5

Our final scene rivals Isaiah’s vision for the one that my imagination runs most wild. John is a prisoner on the Isle of Patmos, and one Sunday,

he was “in the Spirit” when the Lord showed him a vision of God on the throne and of future events.

After he spends the entirety of Revelation 4 describing a very similar vision to Isaiah’s, but a little more is unveiled for John.

Revelation 5:1 And I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a scroll written inside and on the back, sealed with seven

seals. 2 Then I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is

worthy to open the scroll and to loose its seals?” 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able

to open the scroll, or to look at it. This scroll…we do not have time to get into all of what it is and what

it symbolizes. Some have suggested that it is the title deed of creation. It is the proof of ownership for all of humanity. I tend to agree but whatever it is

suffice it to say that humanity needs to see what is written on the scroll.



This scroll must be opened, and no one is worthy to break the seven seals that bind it up. But no one will.

One of our family’s favorite songs is “Is He Worthy?” By Andrew Peterson. It is a responsive call to worship based upon Revelation 5. In the

song, Peterson asks the congregation: “Is anyone worthy?

Is anyone whole? Is anyone able to break the seal and open the scroll?”

One of the first times that we were listening to it, Claire asked “Why can’t anyone open it?” She knows what a scroll is. She understands the

idea of a seal. That doesn’t seem very difficult to open a letter. No is able…willing…holy…or responsible to open the seals on the

scroll. Responsible: all of the other words apply to worthiness, but in the original language, that is what it speaks to. No one…not you, not me, no

saint in Heaven, no one who had gone before is responsible or entitled to open this sealed document, and they have looked everywhere.

4 So I wept much, because no one was found worthy to open and read the scroll, or to look at it.

You see with lordship comes responsibility upon the Master. A master owning someone means that he is responsible for that person.

Mankind has lived lawlessly as if they were the masters of their fate, the captains of their soul. We have screamed at God, “You can’t tell me what

to do! You don’t own me!” And now, our cries of spiritual self-sufficiency has landed us in a horrible predicament…unowned…unspoken for. So

John weeps…bitterly screams.



5 But one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep. Behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has prevailed to open the

scroll and to loose its seven seals. 6 And I looked, and behold, in the midst of the throne and of the

four living creatures, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as though it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes,

which are the seven Spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him

who sat on the throne. 8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and

the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the

saints. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll, And to open its seals;

For You were slain, And have redeemed us to God by Your blood

Out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, 10 And have made us kings and priests to our God;

And we shall reign on the earth.” 11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the

throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of

thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice:



“Worthy is the Lamb who was slain To receive power and riches and wisdom,

And strength and honor and glory and blessing!” 13 And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and

under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying:

“Blessing and honor and glory and power Be to Him who sits on the throne,

And to the Lamb, forever and ever!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four

elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever. Christ is worthy because He is the only Holy One. He is worthy

because He is willing and able, and He is worthy because He is the Owner, Master, Lord, The One Responsible for All Creation. He is Adonai.

Now, let us serve Him unquestioningly.


selected scripture adonai november 17, 2019 · 2019-11-19 · selected scripture adonai november...

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