“Jehovah” is one of the names of God, and the one that appears MOST
often in the Old Testament. In the King James Version, Jehovah is most
often translated as “Lord.”
The word, “God,” is really
the name of the Divine Nature (Acts 17:29; 2 Peter 1:4). This Divine
Nature is possessed by all three members of the Godhead and, thus, each
of them is referred to as God in the Scriptures (John 1:1; 3:16; Acts
5:3-4).
Occasionally, the name
Jehovah is used in contexts referring to Christ (Jesus). In Isaiah
40:1-5, the prophet says, "Comfort, yes, comfort My people!" Says your
God. Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, That her warfare is
ended, That her iniquity is pardoned; For she has received from the
Lord's hand Double for all her sins. The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD (Jehovah); Make straight
in the desert A highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted And
every mountain and hill brought low; The crooked places shall be made
straight And the rough places smooth; The glory of the LORD (Jehovah)
shall be revealed, And all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of
the LORD (Jehovah) has spoken."
Malachi reveals that the One
whose way was to be prepared was “the Lord, “(Malachi 3:1). In Mark
1:1-3, we read, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God.
As it is written in the Prophets: "Behold, I send My messenger before
Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.
The voice of one crying in the
wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight.” Mark
applied the prophecy of Isaiah to Christ.
Therefore, it is proper to
refer to Christ with the name or designation of Jehovah.
In Isaiah 9:6, we read, "For
unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will
be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah refers
to Christ (Jesus) in this prophecy given over 700 years before God
became flesh and dwelt among us. In the context, Isaiah, by inspiration
of the Holy Spirit, refers to Jesus as, “Mighty God,” and “Everlasting
Father.”
How
could Jesus be both The Father and The Son? In His nature, He was Divine
or God. Therefore, He is in perfect “oneness: with the other members of
the Godhead (Colossians 1;19; 2:9). In John 17:21-22, the Bible says,
"…that they all may be one, as You,
Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that
the world may believe that You sent Me. And the glory which You gave Me
I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one." Also, Jesus
said, "I and My Father are one." (John
10:30)
Therefore, when certain names are used to refer to God in Scripture, the
context of the passage should be used to determine which member of the
Godhead is being referred to. In their closeness of nature, purpose, and
function, the being we call God is well represented by any member of the
Godhead. "Jesus said to him (Philip),
"Have I been with you so long, and yet you
have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so
how can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
(John 14:9).
David Decker