#DailyDevotion Jesus Is YHWH, Yahweh In The Flesh
Phil. 49That is why God also exalted Him up on high and gave Him the name above every other name 10that at the name of JESUS everyone in heaven and on earth and under the earth should kneel, lland everyone should confess, “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD!” and so glorify God the Father.
As Jesus humbled himself to death, even the death of a cross, the Father also exalted him to his right hand high about every other name. There is no other name in heaven above, on earth or below the earth we should turn to. Jesus is the one the Father hears. It is as Isaiah says, 4522“Turn to Me to be saved, all you most distant parts of the world, because I am God, and there is no other. 23I swear by Myself; what I say is right and can’t be changed: ‘Every knee will bow to Me, and every tongue will swear allegiance.’ 24‘Only in the LORD,’ one will say, ‘have I righteousness and strength.’” Paul points us to Jesus as the LORD this applies to.
In Isaiah 45 in particular, the LORD is letting his people know there is no hope, no salvation, no righteousness, no redemption but in him alone. All other hopes, props, idols, gods, princes, powers and the like are all posers. There is no God but the LORD. Paul is letting us know that Jesus is that LORD. Now LORD is the personal name of God to the Israelites. It is the Hebrew YHWH or Yahweh or Jehovah (applying the vowel point for adonai (lord))over the Hebrew consonants for YHWH). Wherever you see in the Old Testament LORD in all caps that is YHWH. In some places you will see Sovereign LORD or Lord GOD. LORD and GOD in those cases is YHWH. Sovereign and Lord there are Adonai (lord).
Now here is the biggie, every one will kneel at the name of Jesus and confess Jesus Christ is LORD. Paul says 1 Cor. 12:3 “no one is able to say, ‘Jesus is the Lord’, except by the Holy Spirit.” When Paul says this he is not only saying Jesus is the Lord i.e. rule, king, sovereign of my life (though those things are true) but that he is the Old Testament LORD, i.e. YHWH, LORD. Plenty of heretics can claim Jesus is Lord i.e. ruler, sovereign, king. But because they do not have the Holy Spirit they cannot confess him as YHWH, the God of the Israelites in the flesh. Only true Christians who have the Spirit can confess and believe Jesus is YHWH, LORD, in the flesh, crucified, dead, buried, risen and ascended to the right hand of the Father.
On the Last Day, every knee of every creature, every angel and fallen angel, every Christian and unbeliever, indeed all of creation will bow down and confess Jesus is LORD. Not all because they want to, nor because they have the Holy Spirit but because the One holding the rod of iron will make them. Thankfully we confess it now and will with joy then.
What does this mean? It means, as Isaiah prophecies, only in Jesus do we have righteousness and strength. It means you can replace LORD with Jesus as you read the Old Testament. It means you can replace most of the Lords in the New Testament with LORD or YHWH. In Jesus Christ alone is there salvation and he offers it to free to all from the throne of God. Not only that, but all who believe in him, because he bore and bears our flesh at the right hand of God, will sit where he sits as gives us his glory now and on the Last Day.
Almighty God and Father, you sent your Son Jesus Christ, who is YHWH into the flesh that we may receive from him righteousness and strength. Grant us faith and your Spirit to confess Jesus is LORD to your glory and honor. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.