There was a time, however in the
1800’s when many birds of prey were killed on sight in some areas of the
country! They were demonized as chicken
thieves and as worthless flying creatures.
Because of this characterization and fifty-cent bounty on all hawks and
owls, over 180,000 birds were eliminated from the landscape! The ramifications of such action created a
new problem for the residents as they became overrun with the rodents and
snakes the birds of prey naturally controlled. 1
Laws again were put in place out of
desperation, once the mistake was recognized, to preserve the birds. In the
process many were “renamed.” The Marsh
Hawk was renamed the Northern Harrier, while duck, pigeon and sparrow hawks
were reclassified as falcons and others were also renamed to aid in their
protection and to help to more readily identify the different kinds of hawks.
As I search God’s Word, I am
fascinated by the different names of God. Like the different hawk specifics for
identification, God’s different names allow us a glimpse of His different
characteristics, and I wonder if like the hawk, we need to know what each name
means so we can understand Him better.
El Elyon,
one such name of God, means “The Most High God” and expresses the “extreme
sovereignty and majesty of God.” 2 To
be sovereign is to have total jurisdiction, rule, supreme power, dominion,
prerogative, control, authority and influence. 3 Along
with sovereignty, God also has majesty, defined as supreme greatness, royalty,
grandeur and worthy of tribute. 4 Consider kings and queens of other countries
who are addressed as “Your Majesty.”
Isn’t God greater than any of these?
We have no idea what God looks
like. There are pictures of what artists
believe Jesus looked like, yet I wonder if they are accurate. When visiting an art store recently there
were paintings of Jesus in modern clothes; jeans and a tee-shirt, interacting
with children and adults. It was a
delightful image, yet again, is it an honest depiction?
Even if the pictures aren’t exactly
what Jesus looks like, I found it comforting to imagine Christ in this very
modern way, much like I envision Him holding me close when I cry or laughing
with me when I do something totally ridiculous!
Yet when I think of the sovereignty of God it doesn’t really matter what
I think He looks like. What does matter is I remember He is “The Most High God”
….. and “King”…. and in control of my
life.
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