Who Is Jehovah?

JEHOVAH told one of his faithful worshipers: “No man may see me and yet live.” (Exodus 33:20) “God is a Spirit,” and humans cannot see him with their physical eyes. (John 4:24) Just as looking directly at the sun at midday would be disastrous to our eyes, so it would be devastating for us to see the tremendous Source of energy that created not only our brilliant sun but also the countless other suns in the universe.

Happily, we do not need to see God to find out about him. The Bible both identifies the One who prepared that wonderful package, the earth, for us and reveals his personality. So it is worthwhile to look into the Bible to find out about the Father who gave us life and supplied a delightful home in which to enjoy that life.

Significance of His Name

All names have meanings, even though many may not be aware of them today. For example, the common English name David comes from a Hebrew word that means “Beloved.” The Creator’s name, Jehovah, also has a meaning. What is it? In the original Bible language Hebrew, the divine name is written in four letters, YHWH, and occurs nearly 7,000 times in the Hebrew part of the Bible. The divine name is understood to mean “He Causes to Become.” It implies that Jehovah wisely causes himself to become whatever he needs to be in order to accomplish his purposes. He is Creator, Judge, Savior, Sustainer of Life, and therefore he can fulfill his promises. What is more, in Hebrew the name Jehovah is in a form that denotes an action in the process of being accomplished. Yes, Jehovah is still causing himself to become the fulfiller of his purposes. He is a living God!

Jehovah’s Predominant Qualities

The Bible describes the Creator as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abundant in loving-kindness and truth, preserving loving-kindness for thousands, pardoning error and transgression and sin.” (Exodus 34:6, 7) The expression “loving-kindness” translates a very meaningful Hebrew word. It denotes a kindness that lovingly attaches itself to an object until its purpose for that object is realized. It can also be translated “loyal love.” Jehovah’s kindness lovingly attaches itself to his creatures and accomplishes his wonderful purpose. Would you not cherish such love from the One who has given life to you?

Jehovah is slow to anger and quick to forgive our errors. It is heartwarming to be close to such a person. Yet, that does not mean that he condones wrongdoing. He declared: “I, Jehovah, am loving justice, hating robbery along with unrighteousness.” (Isaiah 61:8) As the God of justice, he will not forever tolerate brazen sinners who persist in their wickedness. Thus, we can be sure that in his due time, Jehovah will correct the injustices in the world. He will not turn his back on the afflicted.

It is not easy to maintain a perfect balance between love and justice. If you are a parent, do you find it hard to decide when, how, and to what extent to correct your children when they misbehave? To balance justice with loving compassion calls for great wisdom. That quality Jehovah displays in abundance when he deals with humans. (Romans 11:33-36) Indeed, the Creator’s wisdom can be seen everywhere, for example in the wonders of creation that surround us.—Psalm 104:24; Proverbs 3:19.

Having wisdom, however, is not enough. To accomplish his will, the Creator must also have power, and the Bible reveals that he is very powerful: “Raise your eyes high up and see. Who has created these things? It is the One who is bringing forth the army of them even by number, all of whom he calls even by name. Due to the abundance of dynamic energy, he also being vigorous in power, not one of them is missing.” (Isaiah 40:26) With an “abundance of dynamic energy,” Jehovah gets things done. Would not such a quality attract you to him?

God of All Nations

‘But isn’t Jehovah the God of the “Old Testament,” the God of ancient Israel?’ you may wonder. It is true that Jehovah revealed himself to the Israelites. Still, by virtue of having created the first human couple, Jehovah is the God “to whom every family . . . on earth owes its name.” (Ephesians 3:15) If you believe that it is proper to respect your ancestors, would it not be appropriate to do obeisance to the One who gave life to the first man, our common ancestor, who is at the root of all the genealogies that exist on earth today?

The Creator of mankind is not narrow-minded. True, at one time he had a special relationship with the nation of Israel. But even then, he opened his arms to all who called on his name. A wise king of Israel said in prayer to Jehovah: “To the foreigner, who is no part of your people Israel and who actually comes from a distant land by reason of your name . . . , may you yourself listen from the heavens, . . . and you must do according to all that for which the foreigner calls to you; in order that all the peoples of the earth may get to know your name.” (1 Kings 8:41-43) To this day, people of all nations can come to know Jehovah and have a meaningful relationship with him. But how does that affect you?

Benefits of Knowing Jehovah

To return to the illustration in the preceding article, if you received a nicely wrapped package, you would naturally want to find out what the gift was for. How should it be used and looked after? Similarly, we want to know what God had in mind when he prepared the earth for us. The Bible says that he “did not create it simply for nothing,” but he “formed it even to be inhabited,” that is, by humans.—Isaiah 45:18.

Most humans, though, have not cared for the Creator’s gift. They are in the process of ruining the earth, much to Jehovah’s displeasure. Yet, true to what his name stands for, Jehovah is determined to fulfill his original purpose for man and the earth. (Psalm 115:16; Revelation 11:18) He will repair the earth and give it as an inheritance to those who are willing to live as his obedient children.—Matthew 5:5.

The last book of the Bible describes how things will be when that happens: “Look! The tent of God is with mankind, and he will reside with them, and they will be his peoples. . . . And he will wipe out every tear from their eyes, and death will be no more, neither will mourning nor outcry nor pain be anymore. The former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:3, 4) No one will then shed tears of sorrow or mourn because of the loss of a loved one. No one will cry out for help in desperation or suffer the pain of deadly diseases. Even “death is to be brought to nothing.” (1 Corinthians 15:26; Isaiah 25:8; 33:24) This describes the kind of life that Jehovah originally wanted us to enjoy when he created our first ancestors.

Indeed, you can have a preview of such paradisaic conditions now among the worshipers of Jehovah. He tells them: “I, Jehovah, am your God, the One teaching you to benefit yourself, the One causing you to tread in the way in which you should walk.” (Isaiah 48:17) Jehovah is a kind Father who teaches us, his children, the best way to live. His guidelines for humans provide, not undue restriction, but loving protection. Following them will result in true freedom and happiness, just as it is written: “Now Jehovah is the Spirit; and where the spirit of Jehovah is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17) By following the guidelines set out in the Bible, those who accept his rulership are now experiencing a peace of mind that one day will permeate the entire world of mankind.—Philippians 4:7.

What a benevolent Father Jehovah is! Are you willing to learn more about the One who is behind all the wonders of creation? For those who are, the benefits are priceless even now. And in the future the blessings will be eternal.

[Picture on page 5]

The divine name written in the four Hebrew letters can be seen on the walls of many old churches