#DailyDevotion Jesus Is LORD & Adonai Above Our Idols
Psalm 135 5I know the LORD is great and our Lord is above all gods. 6The LORD does anything He wants to do in heaven, on earth, in the seas and all the depths of the ocean. 7He has fog come up from the distant parts of the earth; He makes lightning flashes for the rain and brings wind out of His storerooms.
The psalmist having called out for praise to the LORD in the previous verses now starts to praise the LORD for who He is and what He can do. The first LORD here is Yahweh and He is great. The second Lord (notice not in all caps) is Adonai. Adon is the Hebrew word for lord or master. Adonai is the plural form which is only used of God. In some contexts it may look like Adoni which is “my lord.” Context will tell you. Well the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is both LORD and Adonai and He is above all gods. Gods here are probably the false gods of all the nations surrounding them. It could also be angels and men in power but context here is most likely the gods of the nations. Then the psalmist starts to tell uswhy the LORD is great and above all gods.
He does anything He wants to wherever He wants to do it. You see the gods of the nations were insulated in their power. There was one for the sea, one in the heavens, one for the earth, etc. The LORD is not insulated in His power and control. So He is praised for having power over land, sea and air. He can command the fog. He brings lightning, wind and rain from His storerooms. All which is important for agriculture. The psalmist then begins to tear down the gods of Egypt.
8He struck down the firstborn of men and animals in Egypt. 9He sent signs and wonders into the middle of Egypt against Pharaoh and all his men.
He recalls how the magicians and gods of Egypt could not save the Egyptians from the hand of the LORD. He sent plagues to kill both the firstborn of men and animals. He did the other nine signs and wonders which showed the LORD was above all the magic of men and the gods of Egypt. They could not overcome the LORD and His works.
10He struck down many nations and killed mighty kings: 11Sihon king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and all the kingdoms of Canaan. 12He gave their land as a possession to His people Israel.
After striking down the gods of Egypt, the LORD began striking down the gods and peoples of Canaan who did not repent after Abraham, Isaac and Jacob preached the name of the LORD to them. They preached the name of the LORD there for a couple of hundred of years and then the people of Canaan had 400 years to repent. They just got worse. So the LORD gave their land to the Israelites as promised to Abraham. He conquered the two great kings there, Sihon and Og, and then all the rest of the cities fell and became the possession of Israel.
This same LORD is our LORD Jesus Christ. He is Yahweh and He is Adonai in the flesh. He, by His life, death and resurrection, has overcome all of our false gods. He overcomes our fears, the fears that drive our sin to look to people, places and things to take care of us. He gives us the Father to take care of us. He overcomes our slavery to the fear of death. He overcomes the power of sin in our life as He provides the true things that sin promises but never really delivers on. While we have been delivered from the Egypt and Pharaoh of this world, He is taking us through the wilderness of this world to deliver to us the New Heavens and New Earth where righteousness lives and reigns. Jesus is indeed the LORD and Adonai over all our false gods.
Heavenly Father, we thank You for sending Jesus to us, to reveal You to our hearts that we may look to You for all good and perfect gifts. We praise You for sending Jesus to overcome the idols of our hearts to give us perfect freedom in Your love. Keep us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.