#DailyDevotion Jesus Is Yahweh & Adonai
Psalm 8 O LORD, our Lord, how wonderful is Your name all over the earth! Your glory is sung over the heavens. 2From the mouths of children and babies You have established strength despite Your foes, in order to silence the enemy and the avenger.
This psalm seems to be not one of an individual but something the congregation would sing. It is a hymn of praise. It begins with the name of God, YHWH (LORD). His invocation is followed by our Lord. So we have these two “LORDs” in English but the first in Hebrew is Yahweh, the second is Adonai. Yahwah being the name He revealed on the mountain to Moses but in the third person, “He is” rather than “I am (Ethweh)”. Adonai means excellence or lord, but it is in the plural with a first person plural possessive ending (nai=our). Adonai is only used of the LORD in the Old Testament. You will see these two together later in the psalms when David says, “The LORD says to my Lord.”
So now after that detour, we can see how wonderful is the name of Yahweh our Adonai all over the earth. He is one and He has a pluralistic nature, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God’s name is wonderful over all the earth for by His name He created and He sustains all things. Though man does not always recognize Him the mountains, streams, oceans, and animals continually sing his praise.
God’s glory is sung over the heavens also. Paul writes in Romans one, “ 20Ever since He made the world, they have seen the unseen things of God — from the things He made they can tell He has everlasting power and is God.” We marvel with unaided eye at the stars above. We marvel even more when we see what it looks like out there with our new powerful telescopes. The heavens themselves sing of Yahweh’s glory.
Then we see this familiar passage, “From the mouths of children and babies You have established strength.” When Jesus is entering Jerusalem for the Passover feasts, the people are praising him. When the priests and scribes hear the praise Jesus is getting they tell Jesus to make them stop. Jesus quotes the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament), Mat 21:16 “And said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (KJV) Now when Jesus says this he is making a claim about himself. The priests and the scribes certainly understand but do not believe the praise the crowds give Jesus and his references to Psalm 8:2. Jesus is claiming here to be the One whom David refers to in this psalm. He is Yahweh. He is their Adonai.
The LORD our God, Jesus Christ of Nazareth, Adonai does not need the strength of men, or strong fortress. His Wisdom surpasses our wisdom and understanding. The simple praise from suckling children establishes strength. Their praise of Jesus silences the enemy and the avenger. Jesus tells us in Matthew 11, 25“At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for hiding these things from wise and intelligent people and uncovering them for little children.” So we adult believers in Jesus Christ grow down with the suckling infants and give “praise and honor, glory and might forever!”
Heavenly Father, open our mouths that we might sing the praise of your Son Jesus Christ as our Adonai to your praise and glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.