Yahweh is Elohim (God), but no other Elohim (god), is Yahweh.
IN GOD WE TRUST? - Which God?
The presentation of this study was inspired by this morning's message by pastor Tim at Oneal Church of God. Pastor Tim has been preaching on the Hebrew Alphabet in Psalm 119 for quite some time now. The message this morning was on Psalm 119:121; specifically, on the sixteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, AYIN - meaning 'eye'.
His message was on the all-seeing eye of God. In addition, he also touched on the "evil eye" using Matthew 6:22-23 and the American one-dollar bill as an example. After requesting a dollar bill, and showing it to the congregation, he highlighted the all-seeing eye on the back side, at the top of the pyramid. He then went on to say that even though the bill also says "IN GOD WE TRUST" the eye on the pyramid is proof that it is a fallacy to say that this country was built entirely on Christianity.
His message made me think of a study I did in recent years. In this particular study, I discovered that there was a difference in how the Hebrews used the term 'God', in contrast to how the term 'God' is used in western culture today.
As I sat in my pew at church, I couldn't help but to wonder... Does the dollar really contradict itself as preacher Tim seemed to insinuate? Perhaps it does. Maybe the founders really did have their trust in the One True God of the Bible (Yahweh), but let's not be easily fooled by the term 'GOD' on the dollar. The dark side can just as easily say they worship God, even while worshipping the devil, without lying to you or me.
Come with me as we look at some raw Hebrew data of the terms surrounding the English translation spelled G-O-D.
Hebrew Originals for the English Term G-O-D
When we see or hear the word G-O-D in our culture today, our minds usually and innocently turn to Yahweh. When we do a word study, however, of all sentences that include the word G-O-D in the Bible, we will soon see that the term G-O-D does not always refer to this Supreme Being that some (for good reasons) prefer to address as Yahweh.
The English word G-O-D appears 3,273 times in the NKJV Old Testament section of the Bible. The Hebrew originals for this English translation G-O-D are Elohim, ha Elohim, Yahweh, El, Elah, Eloah, l Elohim, and ha El.
Elohim (God; god, deity)
Mentioned 2,180 times, 206 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
Genesis 31:30, 31:32, 35:2, 35:4. Exodus 12:12, 20:23, 22:20, 23:13, 23:24, 23:32, 23:33, 32:1, 32:4,32:8, 32:23, 32:31, 34:15-17. Leviticus 19:4. Numbers 25:2, Numbers 33:4. Deuteronomy 4:28, 5:7, 6:14, 7:4, 7:25, 8:19, 10:17, 11:16, 11:28, 12:2, 12:30, 12:31, 13:2, 13:6, 13:7, 13:13, 18:20, 20:18, 28:14, 28:36, 28:64, 29:18, 29:26, 30:17, 31:16, 31:18, 31:20, 32:17, 32:37. Joshua 22:22, 23:7, 23:16, 24:2, 24:14-16, 24:20, 24:23. Judges 2:3, 2:12, 2:17, 2:19, 3:6, 5:8, 6:10, 6:31, 9:27, 10:6, 10:13-14, 10:16, 11:24, 16:23-24, 18:24. Ruth 1:15. 1 Samuel 4:8, 5:7, 6:5, 7:3, 8:8, 17:43, 26:19, 28:13. 2 Samuel 7:23. 1 Kings 9:6, 9:9, 11:2, 11:4, 11:8, 11:10, 11:33, 12:28, 14:9, 18:24, 18:25, 18:27, 19:2, 20:10, 20:23. 2 Kings 1:2, 1:3, 1:6, 1:16, 5:17, 17:7, 17:29, 17:33, 17:35, 17:37-38, 18:33-35, 19:18
19:37, 22:17. 1 Chronicles 5:25, 10:10, 14:12, 16:25-26. 2 Chronicles 2:5, 7:19, 7:22, 13:9, 25:14-15, 25:20, 28:23, 28:25, 32:14-15, 32:17, 32:19, 32:21, 33:15, 34:25. Nehemiah 9:18. Psalms 82:1, 82:6, 86:8, 95:3, 96:4-5, 97:7, 97:9, 135:5, 136:2, 138:1. Isaiah 21:9, 36:18-20, 37:12, 37:19, 37:38, 41:23, 42:17. Jeremiah 1:16, 2:11, 2:28, 5:19, 7:6, 7:9, 7:18, 1:10, 11:12-13, 13:10, 16:11, 16:13, 16:20, 19:4, 19:13, 22:9, 32:29, 35:15, 43:12-13, 44:3, 44:5, 44:8, 44:15, 46:25, 48:35. Ezekiel 28:2, 28:6, 28:9. Daniel 1:2, 11:8. Hosea 3:1, 14:3. Amos 2:8, 5:26, 8:14. Jonah 1:5. Micah 4:5. Nahum 1:14. Zephaniah 2:11.
Ha Elohim (The God; god, deity)
Mentioned 363 times, 8 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
Genesis 6:2, 6:4. Job 1:6, 2:11, 38:7. Psalms 29(see title) 29:1, 89:6.
Yahweh (Lord God)
Mentioned 307 times, all of these refer to Yahweh.
El (God)
Mentioned 197 times, 15 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
Exodus 15:11, 34:14. Deuteronomy 3:24, 32:12. Psalms 44:20, 81:9. Isaiah 44:10, 44:15, 44:17, 45:20,46:6. Ezekiel 28:2, 28:9. Daniel 11:36. Malachi 2:11.
Elah (God; gods)
Mentioned 94 times, 12 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
Daniel 2:47, 3:12, 3:14, 3:15, 3:18, 3:28,4:8, 5:4, 5:11, 5:23, 6:7, 6:12.
Eloah
Mentioned 58 times, 4 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
2 Kings 17:31. 2 Chronicles 32:15. Daniel 11:37-39. Habakkuk 1:11.
L Elohim
Mentioned 35 times, 2 of these do not refer to Yahweh.
Judges 8:33. 2 Chronicles 13:8, 25:14
Ha El (The God)
Mentioned 15 times. All of these refer to Yahweh.
El Shadday
Mentioned 7 times. All of these refer to Yahweh.
El Elyon (God Most High)
Mentioned 5 times. All of these refer to Yahweh.
Bet El (House of God)
Mentioned 4 times. All of these refer to Yahweh.
Mr Elohim (God Said)
Mentioned 1 time. Refers to Yahweh.
In all of these different Hebrew originals for the English term of God, a few things shine clearly:
1. They do not all refer to the ONE that most believers know as Creator God.
2. They are definitely not all on Yahweh's side.
3. In the instances where they refer to an entity opposing Yahweh, they are not always referred to as just dead idols; they have supernatural powers. Mostly they set themselves up within systems of power (Ephesians 6:12).
3. They are usually a reference to a supernatural being (this can be God, supernatural 'sons of God', angels, demons, Satan, spirits etc). If the direct reference is an idol, it is most certainly an idol made with the idolator's intent to create a space for their "god" to inhabit.
Some Closing Thoughts
Although, in no way, do I wish to make a hard claim about how or what our country was founded on, I often find myself cringing when people make the claims that the United States was founded on Godly principles. When I say that, I am not speaking so much of the regular people like you and me, but rather of the founding leaders and systems that were put in place from the very start.
In 1776, blacks certainly lacked the right to liberty and the pursuit of happiness. American Indians lost their lands and faced what must have looked at times like a campaign of extermination. The Mexican bloodshed that happened in the name of greed, is concerning to me, and I undoubtably have trouble seeing Yahweh in the details. The causes for the disregard for the life and value of a person, depending on what race, ethnicity, and gender, at our country's foundation may not have been a policy officially sanctioned by the statute books, or constitution, but it is undoubtably, a problem that was acutely evident, just like it has been in most earthly empires since the foundation of the world.
When we see a culture where life is cheap, and the sacrifice of others is acceptable to sustain its own obsession with wealth, freedom, entertainment, and pleasure, we see a culture that is working against the mission that Jesus left when He walked as an exemplar for us to follow in His steps.
Let's not be fooled by the 'IN GOD WE TRUST' that can be seen on the dollar bill. As we can see by investigating the breakdown of each reference posted above, for some, the term GOD can also mean an entity working against Yahweh and the Edenic plan for His people. Let's study history and exercise careful consideration before putting our trust in any earthly empire, country, or system.