Adonai - Lord, Master
Adonai literally means my Lord and is the plural form for Adon which means Lord or Lordship. When the tetragram YHWH became too holy to say Adonai was used instead. Adonai is used 315 times in the Masoretic text; 310 preceeding YHWH and 5 times following it; and another 134 times without YHWH.
Anytime you see "LORD" in the Old Testament it is translated from Jehovah (God). When you see "Lord" it is translated from Adonai (Lord, Master).
The first place Adonai is used is in Genesis 15 during the covenant with Abram:
Genesis 15
1- "After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying,
'Do not fear Abram,
I am a shield to you;
Your reward shall be very great.'
2- "And Abram said, 'O Lord God, what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?'"
What Abram really said here was, "O Adonai (my Lord, Master, Owner) Elohim (Supreme, self-Existent, Eternal God), what wilt Thou give me, since I am childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Do you see Abram's attitude here? Can we call God my Lord, Master, Owner, and acknowledge Him as Supreme, self-Existent and Eternal God, and be sincere about it?
The following is from Precept Austin. I just found this website. It has a great section on the names of God.
"Servant's Relationship to Master - When
Americans try to illustrate the master/slave relationship, it is tempting to
think in terms typified by the book Uncle Tom’s Cabin. But because of the abuse
of black slaves portrayed in the book, the imagery does not accurately
illustrate God’s relationship to us as Adonai. The relationship of slave and
master in the Bible was more often one of love and allegiance. In the Jewish
relationship, a slave had more privileges than the hired help. A slave could
participate in the Temple
sacrifices and was a member of the household. The hired help was excluded from
these privileges. The servant is assured that his Master has the resources and
ability to care for him. As a member of the master’s household, the master
provides for all the servant needs. The servant need not worry about his basic
provision. The servant is assured that help and resources are available for him
to carry out his duties as a servant. The master provides what is needed, not
only for basic needs, but also for the fulfillment of the tasks assigned to the
servant. The servant has the privilege of calling upon his relationship with
the Master to get the help he needs. Access to the Master is guaranteed, and is
only a prayer away.
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Let's continue on to verse 5:
"And He took him outside and said, 'Now look toward the heavens, and count the stars, if you are able to count them.' And He said, to him, 'So shall your descendants be.'"
And here is the results of Abram's attitude and faith:
Verse 6:
"Then he believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness."
This is again, from Precept Austin:
"b. When the title Lord or Master was used to address God, at least four things were meant:
⇒ First, God's sovereign position. The Lord is the Sovereign Ruler and Supreme Master of the universe. He is the Lord who holds the highest position within the universe: He is before all, above all, and over all. He (Adonay) is "God of gods, and Lord of lords" (Deut. 10:17). He is "the Lord of all the earth" (Joshua 3:11; Psalm 8:1).
⇒ Second, God's supreme authority. The Lord is the Supreme Master over the whole universe. He rules as He wills, rules according to His own purposes and pleasure. The Lord does not hold authority just like all other authorities upon earth and throughout the universe. The Lord is the One Supreme Authority who rules, governs, and executes justice as He sees fit, rewarding the obedient and punishing the disobedient (cp. Hosea 12:14).
⇒ Third, God's right to demand submission or obedience. The Lord is the Supreme Master over all beings—the Creator and Sovereign Lord over all—both visible and invisible. Therefore, He alone has the right to demand obedience and submission. We owe our lives to the Sovereign Lord and Supreme Master of the universe; consequently, we should give our lives to Him, totally subject ourselves to His control and rule (Isaiah 6:1, 8-11; Joshua 7:8-13).
⇒ Fourth, God's power to provide. The Lord is the One who can provide all things for His servant; the One who can meet all the needs of His dear follower, both his spiritual and physical needs (cp. Genesis 15:2; Genesis 44:10, 11, 12). (Preacher's Outline and Sermon Bible)
Ps 97:5 Lord (adon) of the whole earth."
In Psalms 110 the LORD speaks to the Lord:
A Psalm of David.
1: *The LORD says to my Lord:
"'Sit at My right hand,
Until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet." ...
*Jehovah says to Adonai:
And in Philippians 2:5 through 11:
5: Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7: but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
8: and being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
9: Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
10: that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE SHOULD BOW, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth,
11: and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Also from Precept Austin:
"He is Lord - Many are ready to acknowledge God as Elohim, but have a hard time truly given themselves to Him as Adonai. Remembering that Christ is Adonai, calling Him Adonai requires that we give up our self-sufficiency and personal control and give Him complete reign over our lives. Yet, it is only when we know Christ as Adonai that I experience His full sufficiency and power for my life. Jesus stated this truth in Jn 8:31, 32. Paul articulated the difference knowing God as Adonai makes in Ro 6:16, 17-note, Ro 6:18-note. Commitment and unconditional submission to the will of God ought to be the norm for every one of His children. Paul was able to say, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Php 1:21-note). Do not write off those who live in this way as the fanatics, the super saints, the ones whose duty it is to live that life because they are called to full-time service of some sort. It is the relationship we all have to God as Adonai! How will you bend your knee – and your will – to Adonai today?"
Lord Jesus, Adonai, my Lord and Master
I hope you enjoy your day today!
Terrie
