May 7, 2026; ELOHIM - The Mighty Creator

Daily Dose of Hope May 7, 2026   Name of God: Elohim – The Mighty Creator Scripture: Genesis 1:1, 1:26-27, Psalm 90:2, Ecc. 12:14   Prayer:  Almighty Father, Elohim, Mighty Creator, Thank You for speaking light into my darkness, order into my chaos, and my life into being. I submit again to you and welcome your creative work in me and through me for Your glory.  It's in your name I pray, Amen   Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Church daily Bible reading plan.  We are now doing a 16-day reading plan that goes through the Old Testament names of God.  We mentioned this yesterday but it's worth repeating - names in ancient times were believed to reveal a person's character. As we study God's name, we study His character and His ways.    Today is day two of that plan and the name we are covering is Elohim.  Elohim is the name for God as Creator. Elohim is the plural form of El. El was a word borrowed from the Canaanites and is one of the oldest designations for divinity in the world. In the original Hebrew of the Old Testament, El means mighty or strong and is used for any reference to gods, including the one true God.  He is the God of gods, the highest of all. Elohim occurs 32 times in the first chapter of Genesis and more than 2,500 times in the Old Testament.   That actually leads us to our first two Scriptures for today from Genesis 1. I'll insert this Hebrew name as I read: "In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth.  Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of Elohim was hovering over the waters.  And Elohim said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light.  Elohim saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.  Elohim called the light 'day,' and the darkness he called 'night.'"  Elohim created the heavens and the earth. The power of his voice formed substance from nothing, brought order to chaos, and exploded light into the vast darkness. It was Elohim who created man and woman in his own image and breathed into them the breath of life as we read in Genesis 1:26-27. As we will discover in this reading plan, a Biblical author is not choosing a name for God willy-nilly.  There is purpose in the name they choose.  With Elohim, this name communicates God's royal majesty over all creation and nations.  Thus, in Genesis 1, the creation of the world and humanity is attributed to Elohim, the mighty creator.  But in Genesis 2, God is referred to as YHWH, God's sacred name, which we talked about yesterday.  The Scripture that uses Elohim is making a specific point.  Look at another Scripture from our reading, Psalm 90:2, Before the mountains were born or you brough forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God (or Elohim). One other example is Isaiah 45:18 when the prophet writes, The One who made the heavens and the earth, He is God (Elohim). Paul reminds us that while many other so-called elohim (false gods) want our attention and worship and attempt to pull us away from our mighty creator, we are subject to the one Elohim and one Elohim only.  We are subject to the Elohim who created us, sustains us, and sent us Jesus Christ.   He created the universe and yet He is intimately personal to you. He personally, intricately made you. Let's close by meditating on another word from Psalm 139:14-15, "For You formed my inward parts; You knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise You for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are Your works; my soul knows it very well."  May you be reminded today that the God of all created you with a purpose.  You were not accident, you were wanted and desired, and Elohim is still active and creating new things in YOU! Blessings, Pastor Vicki