Understanding Elohim: The Kingly Attributes of God
Review
In my Bereshit-Part 3 post, I emphasized that people need to understand three things in order to grasp the purpose of Jesus’s death on the cross:
- Who God is?
- Who God intended us to be? and
- Why eating the forbidden fruit was so significant?
Key Question
In this post we are focusing on the first question: Who is God? Specifically, we are addressing our wondering from the Noticing and Wondering Routine: Unleash the Power of Observation Part 2: post: Why did God decide to start the Bible by identifying himself as Elohim?
Who is Elohim?
The Genesis 1 account of creation uses the Hebrew word “Elohim” to refer to God: “In the beginning Elohim [God]….” In the Old Testament, “Elohim” is a title not a name. It indicates a ruler, judge, or divine being. Sometimes it refers to the one true God as in Genesis 1, and sometimes it refers to an angel, false god or other human ruler.
Elohim in Genesis 1 is a God of action, so the best way we can learn about this aspect of God’s character is to read Genesis 1 and see what Elohim does.
Elohim the Creator
The world was without form, and it was void and dark. It was chaotic and dysfunctional. God is going to not just create objects, but he is going to create order or function things/systems/beings.
How did God create? He created by—
- speaking (verses 3, 6, 9,11, 14, 20).
- fashioning or making (verses 7, 16, 25, 26).
- commanding something else (the Earth) to fashion or make or bring forth (verses 11-12, 24)
- dividing/separating (verses 4, 6, 7, 14)
- gathering/collecting (verse 9)
To be honest until doing some research to write this post, I never considered the fact that God used the role of division/separation in the creation process.
- He divided light (day) and darkness (night) (Genesis 1: 4). If I’m reading it right, there is like this mass of stuff. He created light and interjected it into it and then divided it out.
- He created an expanse (heavens/sky) that divided the waters from the waters (Genesis 1:6-7). It’s almost as if there are three layers: water, heavens, water. Theologians debate about the what the water above the expanse is called.
- He created lights, the sun and moon, whose purpose was to separate/divide the day and night. It seems the purpose of this division was to create time (seasons/days/years). Why did God want time divided up? (verse 14)
- Then he indirectly separated the land and sea by gathering all the water up and putting it one place. Although, this uses a different Hebrew word than the word in the previous three bullets. (verse 9)
Elohim the Definer
Not only did Elohim create things, but he also defined what they were by naming them: Day and Night, Sky/Heaven, Earth, Seas (verses 5, 8,10).
Elohim the Powerful (Omnipotent)
The name Elohim means strong or mighty one. It’s the plural form of the word “El,” but used with a singular verb. Although, the word powerful is not stated directly in the chapter, the ability to create, define, and judge is what makes one powerful. Not only does God create objects but He also creates the governing laws of the universe (e.g., laws of mathematics, physics etc.)
Elohim the Judge
Elohim didn’t just create things; He also acted as a judge by evaluating what He had made. He declared things as good (functional), or very good (abundantly functional), or not good.
Elohim as a Simultaneous Singular and Plural Being
Elohim is a plural noun used with a singular verb. Also, Genesis 1: 26 states, “Let us make mankind in our own image, in our own likeness, so that they may rule….” This is something I don’t fully understand, and many theologians have debated over the years. Genesis 1 allows for the idea that a monotheistic God can also have more than one part. This is what New Testament theologians describe as the Trinity. I believe that it’s the idea that somehow within himself God strives for both unity and community simultaneously. Some theologians think the term “us” is being used as kingly plural to emphasize his majesty, and other theologians think it’s an early indication of the Trinity. It may be a both/and situation instead of an either/or situation. Jews of Jesus explains it much better than I can hope to do in their article: Is the Trinity in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Elohim the King
Delegating King
Kings create leadership structures for their kingdom. Elohim does the same thing. He is a God of action, but He also delegates some of his governing/ruling power to the earth, water, sun, moon, and man. In a sense, the earth and water are supposed to bring forth vegetation and creatures. The sun and moon are supposed to govern the day and the night. Man was supposed to have dominion over all the creatures and subdue the earth.
Resting King
Kings (not slaves) get time to rest and enjoy their work. God does the same. He also made the world self-sustaining, so that it has the ability to run without his intervention (although He can and often does intervene in the world.). He also has the ability to make something holy and set it apart from the rest of creation.
Eternal King
In the beginning Elohim was already existent. He was there before creation and is still there and will be in the future as He transcends both time and space.
Father King
As we are begotten/created by our earthly father, so our creator God, Elohim, is also our Heavenly Father. (Deuteronomy 32:6, Malachi 2:10)
So What?
Impacting Ourselves
How should our understanding of Elohim impact our lives and those under our care?
- Understanding God as Elohim should provoke in us a worshipful response; He is our king. We have this great powerful being who created us and created everything around us. However, if we only view God through the lens of Elohim, our worshipful response would be solely one of fear and awe. Luckily, God reveals Himself to us using other names and attributes later in Scripture.
- Understanding who Elohim is helps understand what it means to be created in the image of Elohim. (This will be the topic of a later post.)
- Understanding that God is a God or order. He created order out of chaos. He also made the laws of the universe. He knows what he’s doing, so we can trust Him! After all he wrote the instruction manual.
- I think the Elohim aspect of God helps me trust Scripture even more. If he can create and sustain the universe, then he can preserve his Word throughout the millennia. Although admittingly there is a lot I don’t understand, so if something seems confusing or contradictory, I can recognize that my small, finite knowledge just doesn’t understand what is written—not that what is written is incorrect.
- Understanding that Elohim is the ultimate judge about what is good and not good. It’s not about what I feel or think is good or bad; it’s about what He has revealed to us in His Word, with the caveat that in my limited knowledge and sinful nature I may be misinterpreting something.
Impacting Our Students
How do we communicate God as Elohim to our students/children?
I want to add hear from you! How do you think we can communicate Elohim to others? Here are some of the things I’m brainstorming:
- In Science class we can show the wonder and magnitude of creation.
- We can observe in Art class the beauty that he created and discuss how beauty and functionality coexist.
- In Social Studies class we can discuss divine law vs civil law.
- For social and emotional learning (from a Biblical perspective) we can emphasize the need for both community and autonomy and strive for unity.
- Unfortunately I don’t have any ideas for math class before Calculus class. Please share any ideas you have with me!
Summary
The title Elohim emphasizes God’s kingly attributes of power and justice. He is the king who desires order, so he creates and divides. His power is shown by his ability to create both objects and laws and he has the power to define and name the things he creates. He also is able to evaluate or judge his creation to be either good, bad, or very good.
Your Response
Based on what you learned (or your own previous knowledge), why do you think God decided to start the Bible by identifying himself as Elohim?
Bible Study
If you want to teach someone about Genesis 1, please check out my Bible Studies page.
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