El Elyon - God Most High

My dear friends in Christ,

     We’re almost finished—just four names left in our series on the Names of God. Let’s take a minute and quickly review the names we’ve covered so far: 1) Trinity—Father, Son, Holy Spirit; 2) Jehovah-Shammah—The LORD Is There; 3) Adonai—Lord; 4) El—The Mighty God; 5) El-Roi—The Mighty God Sees; 6) Jehovah-Tsidkenu—The LORD Our Righteousness; 7) Jehovah-Sebaoth—The LORD of Hosts; 8) Elohim—God; 9) Jehovah / Yahweh—I AM, LORD; 10) El Shaddai—God Almighty; and 11) El Olam—God Everlasting.

     Do you remember which name of God is used most in the Bible? Jehovah, about 2800 times. Do you remember which one comes in second? It’s the name El and its different combinations, used about 2600 times. Today we’re going to look at one of those combinations, the name El Elyon. Here’s what it looks like in Hebrew: אֵ֣ל עֶלְי֔וֹן. You remember what El means? God, or Mighty God. Elyon means “Most High.” This name is used just twice in the Bible, and we’re going to take a look at both of those sections to learn what this name means for us today.

     This name of God takes us back to the story of Abraham. Abraham’s nephew Lot was living in the city of Sodom. The kings of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with 3 other kings rebelled against the king of Elam, Kedorlaomer. They fought and lost badly. Kedorlaomer and his allies carried off the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, along with their goods. Included among the captives were Lot and his family.

     As soon as Abraham heard the news, he called up his own private army (318 trained men born in his household) and pursued the armies to the north. Abraham's force attacked at night and drove the enemy army north of Damascus. He rescued Lot and his family, along with all the other people who had been taken captive and recovered all the goods that had been taken.

     On the way home, Abraham met an individual mentioned one time in the Old Testament—Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a unique individual because he was the king of Salem (later on known as Jerusalem) and also “priest of God Most High.” Melchizedek blessed Abraham. Let’s take a look at the first part of the blessing: "and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth" (Genesis 14:19). What does “Most High” tell us about God?

     There is no one and nothing that is higher than God. He is “God Most High.” In Psalm 97 the psalmist wrote, "For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods" (Psalm 97:9). El Elyon is the Most High God. No one is greater than him. No one is more powerful than him.

     Melchizedek’s blessing emphasizes that truth. “And he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth." (Genesis 14:19). What amazing thing has El Elyon done? He is the Creator of heaven and earth.

     Do you know what the word “creator” means? Usually it means that God brought everything into existence out of nothing. The Hebrew word that God chose to use here has a little different meaning. Here “creator” has the idea of someone who paid for something and owns it.

     How valuable is the lot on which your house is built? A week ago I read that 15 acres of undeveloped land in Stillwater is worth 3 million dollars. What price tag could we put on the state of Minnesota? North America? The Earth? The universe? We can’t put a price tag on it. God did. He owns it—every last bit of it. He is El Elyon—God Most High!

     El Elyon had already blessed Abraham and would continue to bless him. Abraham was a wealthy man. God promised to make him into a great nation. He had also told Abraham, "I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you" (Genesis 12:3). El Elyon promised that he would send a Savior from Abraham’s descendants who would rescue the world from sin. God Most High had provided everything Abraham needed for his body and life.

     When do we usually enjoy a meal like this? Turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, pumpkin pie? Thanksgiving! Should we wait until Thanksgiving Day to recognize the blessings that El Elyon has poured out on us? No!

     What can you count as blessings from God? Vacation time, sleeping in for the summer, a summer job, plenty of rain and lots of fruits and vegetables from the garden, time with family, a job, offerings that continue to support our congregation through the summer months, the volunteers who mow the grass and keep our grounds looking beautiful. We could spend the rest of the day listing the blessings we’ve received through the summer! All of these blessings come from El Elyon, who created heaven and earth!

     El Elyon does much more than simply provide everything we need for our bodies and lives. Let’s go back and look at the second part of Melchizedek’s blessing.

     "And blessed be God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:20). This time Melchizedek praised El Elyon. Why? He had protected Abraham in an almost impossible tactical situation—318 trained men vs. 4 kings and their armies.

     After Abraham heard Melchizedek’s blessing, God himself appeared to him in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:1). What was the first thing God told Abraham to do? Don’t be afraid! What promise did El Elyon make? I am your shield, your very great reward.

     El Elyon knew Abraham needed that reminder because Abraham was a sinful human being. He had his doubts. God hadn’t given him a son yet. Would it ever happen? God wanted him to know that the Creator who owned him and everything else would never forget about him. "He took him outside and said, ‘Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.’ Then he said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be’” (Genesis 15:5).

     After all those promises, after all of El Elyon’s reassurance, what was Abraham’s response? "Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). Abraham trusted that God would do exactly what he had said. God Most High kept his promise—in his own way, at just the right time. He provided a son for Abraham when he was 100 years old.

     God sent the Savior in his own way, at just the right time. In our gospel reading for today we see the connection between Jesus and this Old Testament name, El Elyon. Jesus confronted a man who was possessed with a large number of demons. Listen to the name given to Jesus by the man: "When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. He shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?’” (Mark 5:6-7). How did the demon-possessed man address Jesus? As the Son of El Elyon.

     The demons recognized that Jesus had come to save the man. Jesus said, “Come out of this man, you evil spirit!” (Mark 5:8). El Elyon spoke, and the demons obeyed. With Jesus’ permission, they entered a herd of pigs. The pigs were so terrified that they rushed down the bank into the lake and were drowned. Jesus had delivered the man from the demons’ power. Jesus is El Elyon! He can deliver someone from the power of the devil.

     What are you afraid of? Thunderstorms, lightning and tornados? The dark? Are you afraid that your house might burn down? Are you afraid of strangers? Are you afraid of relationships? Are you afraid to tell the truth? Are you afraid your friends will find out what you’ve really been up to?

     Fear and sin are closely related, aren’t they? That goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve had eaten the fruit and God asked them where they were, Adam answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (Genesis 3:10). Sin makes storms and darkness scary—our brains tell us we have to be afraid instead of trusting God. Sin makes strangers scary—so many terrifying stories are in the news. Sin makes relationships scary—we don’t know what to do, so we let our emotions or our bodies lead us. Sin does more than make life scary. It separates us from God!

     That’s when El Elyon comes to us and says, “Don’t be afraid!” We don’t have to be afraid because the God Most High came to rescue us. Look at these three verses from the Psalms. "They remembered that God was their Rock, that God Most High was their Redeemer" (Psalm 78:35). "My shield is God Most High, who saves the upright in heart." (Psalm 7:10). "I cry out to God Most High, to God, who fulfills his purpose for me" (Psalm 57:2). What does El Elyon do for us? He is our Redeemer, the one who saves us, who fulfills his purpose for us.

     El Elyon accomplished all of that when he came to this earth. He came to be our Redeemer. He came to buy us back from our sins when he died on the cross. He came to save us from the devil’s power. Hebrews chapter 2 tells us, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death" (Hebrews 2:14-15). He came to fulfill his purpose for me—to make sure that the day I die, I will spend eternity with him in heaven!

     El Elyon—this name shows us another beautiful facet of our awesome God. He is God Most High. He created us and blesses us with everything we need. He has delivered us from our sins and guarantees eternal life in heaven. “Blessed be God Most High!” Amen.

 

To God alone the glory!                Pastor Jon Brohn