God Most High
Notes
Transcript
Preliminary:
Preliminary:
Read Psalm 97
1 The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad thereof.
2 Clouds and darkness are round about him: Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
3 A fire goeth before him, And burneth up his enemies round about.
4 His lightnings enlightened the world: The earth saw, and trembled.
5 The hills melted like wax at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
6 The heavens declare his righteousness, And all the people see his glory.
7 Confounded be all they that serve graven images, That boast themselves of idols: Worship him, all ye gods.
8 Zion heard, and was glad; And the daughters of Judah rejoiced Because of thy judgments, O Lord.
9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods.
10 Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: He preserveth the souls of his saints; He delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.
11 Light is sown for the righteous, And gladness for the upright in heart.
12 Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; And give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
I want you to notice tonight Psalm 97:9
9 For thou, Lord, art high above all the earth: Thou art exalted far above all gods.
There are two names for God in this verse. The first one we are more familiar with
LORD - Yahweh - the I Am that I Am!!! Jehovah - the God revealed to Moses.
but then our English translation completely ignores the next Hebrew name for God - “art high”
ʿelyôn - {el - ye - awn} Most High
Here we have one of the mighty names of God that reveals part of his character and attributes to us.
It talks about his transcendence, his sovereignty, his almightiness
this is not the first encounter with this name - you have to go all the way back to Genesis for its first time use -
The first place we see this name of God used is found in Genesis 14.
A familiar story is found there -
Lot has moved toward Sodom and has settled in and things seem to be going well.
Then some kings came against Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and Zeboiim, and Zoar and conquered them and made them servants for twelve years.
Then one day the thirteenth year they rebelled and that didn’t sit well with Cheorlaomer and the other kings with him. And he came down with a mighty army and vengence, and terror, and violence
And those who didn’t fall in the slimepits were taken or fled to the mountain.
One poor escaped victim ran and told Abram that Lot and his family had been taken
As soon as Abram heard this news he gathered his vast army of 318 and took of after to rescue his nephew from this mighty collabrative army of several kings.
he chased down the enemy a full 240 miles— without a vehicle.
Well God gave him victory - marvelous victory
Abraham says in Gen 14:21-24
21 And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
22 And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
23 That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
24 Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
Abram was not going to give the tinyest amount of glory to this king of Sodom - it was the MOST HIGH GOD - Elyon who gave him victory and
But actually even before this - when Abram comes back from the victory - before he meets with the king of Sodom he meets with a more important person
16 And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
17 And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
19 And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
Here Melchizedek the priest and king of Salem - blesses Abram and identifies him as one of Elyon’s
In Gen 14:18-20 we encounter the MOST HIGH GOD three times
Now it is true there was a Cananite god called by this name the top one amongs their pantheon of gods - but Abram and Melchizedek make sure the people know they aren’t talking about that false god
This MOST HIGH GOD IS THE POSSESSOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH
HE OWNS EVERYTHING
He’s big enough to meet our needs - to help us win our battles, to encourage, to conquer our foes,
David took five stones - but he only needed one - because Elyon was with him
The multitude was mighty thousands of people - but because THE MOST HIGH GOD was there it only took a few loaves and fishes to feed them all.
Nebuchadnezzar threw in three men into the burning fiery furnace he didn’t see the Fourth Man slip by - but he sure did see him in the furnace
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Nebuchadnezzar thought he was all that and a bag of chips but he found out that “ELYON the MOST HIGH GOD ruled in the kingdom of men, and that he appointeth over it whomsoever he will”
Zecharias was so moved after his voice returned he blessed his son John with “Luke 1:76
76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord To prepare his ways;
The demons railed at Jesus Mark 5:7
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
They put a dead, breathless, cold, clammy, lifeless body in the tomb on that dark day in Jerusalem - securing it with guards and seals the authority from the highest in the Roman empire -
But there was a Higher Power they didn’t realize they were dealing with
and Elyon THE MOST HIGH GOD wasn’t stopped or hindered - he had the power to tear the bars of death away
Your battles, struggles, discouragements, temptations, and misunderstandings are no match for ELYON
the MOST HIGH GOD - give them to HIM!!!
Elyon means
13. El Elyon: The Most High God - TOny Evans
13
EL ELYON
THE MOST HIGH GOD
On August 5, 2010, 33 Chilean miners were trapped 2300 feet underground in a copper and gold mine just outside of a small town called Copiapå. A cave-in confined the men in a dark place with no way
out. They were imprisoned in a seemingly impenetrable fortless of rock.
For more Than two weeks, rescuers heard nothing at all from the trapped miners. It's bad enough to be in a pit, but it's even worse when you can't get out and you don't see anyone who can help you.
The men couldn't help each other out of this pit. They were stuck together, sitting, sleeping, hungry', cold.. .and sometimes without hope. They were helpless and desperate. If they were going to be saved.
help would to come from above.
Finally. after 17 days, rescuers found a note taped to one of their drill bits—the miners were alive. The rescuers drilled a larger hole down through the earth, inserted a small tube, and provided the
miners with food. water, light. medicine, and communication equipment. The hole did not deliver them, but it gave them hope.
Perhaps today you find yourself in a similar circumstance. Life has caved in on you spiritually, financially, relationally, or emotionally. You see no way out. Like the trapped miners, you aren't even
sure anyone up above even knows where you are.
Of knowing God's names doesn't automatically or immediately change all of life's negative realities. Christians still face the same troubles evetyone else does (John 16:33). But knowing God
intimately through His names does provide a sustaining hope in the darkest of times. Ilope comes through the knowledge that God is tille to His name and aware of our plight, working on our behalf for
good. No matter how dark the situation, we don't have to throw in the towel because He is faithful to HIS name. He will sustain us until He either changes our situation in history or delivers us in eternity.
The miners were finally freed when a nvo-foot-wide capsule called the Phoenix lifted them one by one fmm their prison. All 33 were saved. After they had been set free, one of the trapped miners said
they had gathered as a group in the pit and called on God to rescue them. They appealed to His name and the character attached to it.
Without Hope
You don't have to be trapped 2300 feet underground to find yourself in a hopeless situation. The citizens of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah found themselves without food and supplies just as those
Chilean miners did in their pit.
13. El Elyon: The Most High God
An evil king named Chedorlaomer. Idng of Elam, and three other power-hungry kings faced off against five other kings who were seeking to defend their livelihood, countrymen, and homes. Two of
the five defending kings represented the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah,
They waged war in the valley of Siddilll, which was riddled with tar pits. As the battle escalated, the five defensive kings began to reheat. The two from Sodom and Gomonah fell into the tar pits. Their
people were taken captive, and all Their possessions were confiscated. Abram's nephew, Lot, was one of the prisoners.
Scripture wastes no time in highlighting Abram's courageous rescue mission.
When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he led out his trained men, born in his house, three hundred and eighteen, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. He divided his forces
against them by night. he and his selvants, and defeated them, and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. He brought back all the goods, and also brought back his relative
Lot with his possessions, and also the women, and the people (Genesis 14: 14-16).
Abram made it clear that no one was to mess with his people. Rounding up the best men he could find, he took on the responsibility to fight the battle and quickly recover what had been stolen in war.
With 318 trained men, he chased down the enemy a full 240 miles—without a vehicle,
Whatever it took to get back what had been wmngfully stolen, Abram did it. Even though the odds were against him—just as the odds were against the Chilean miners trapped underground—Abram
held out hope of recovering it all.
Peace
The story of this battle, defeat, and rescue serves as the backdrop for the name of God introduced to us in this chapter of Genesis. After the king of Sodom had been released from the consortium of
armies that had attacked, he came to Abram in a place called the King's Valley. He brought with him another king named Melchizedek (verse I S). Melchizedek was the king of Salem. Transliterated, The
name Salem aligns with the Hebrew word shalon, which means "peace." A derivative of sha/ern is shalowm, which means "complete," "sound," "content," and also "peace." In fact, most Jewish
commentators concur that Salem is Jerusalenu "the city of peace."
This king of peace brought bread and wine to Abram. He came as the priest of El Elyon, God Most High (verse I S), and blessed Abram.
Blessed be Abram of God Most High [E/ E/yon],
Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High [E/ Ebon],
Who has deliveled your enemies into your hand
(Genesis 14:19-20).
To this, Abram replied and acknowledged E/ El.lon by saying. have sworn to the LORD God Most High (El Elyon). possessor of heaven and earth... " (verse 22).
When we look at the meaning of the name El Elyon, we need to remember that El is the abbreviated fonn of Elohim. Elohim is the name given to God in creation, referring to His power. "In the
beginnmg, [Elohim] created the heavens and the earth." When El is combined with Elyon, the compound connection refers to God as the highest or as the most It's literally translated as the Most Exalted
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13. El Elyon: The Most High God
High God (see also Psalm 57:2).
So what exactly causes the introduction of this name of God as one who is higher than anyone else? A battle of nine human kings—four against five. The kings most likely thought they were each
rather high up. And in the world's definitions of significance, power, and might, they actually were. But when God got into the fight—when El E/yon stepped in the ring—31S men who had traveled 240
miles by foot were able to take back what the oppressors had stolen. This is because when God enters the fight. He truly is the Most High, not only of heaven but also of earth.
Why is this tnlth so important to us today? What is the significance of the character of this name? Well, most likely there are people in your life who are sitting pretty high. Perhaps they'le high up in
worldly position. Maybe they a higher rank than you do. It could be that they're higher in the amount of money or possessions they own. Or they could have higher lecognition, power, or pelt•eived
influence than you have. Yet what I want you to remember is that no matter how high they are, El E/von is higher still. El Ebon is the maker of heaven and earth. People who appear to be higher than you
are users of heaven and eafih. They don't call the shots. They don't have the final say. No one is higher than E/ Elvon_ He puts evelyone in their place,
When people or powers seek to intimidate you, your recourse is to call on the name of E/ Elyon. Know that there is always someone higher, stronger, and more influential than them. No circumstance
intimidates Him—not the tar pits of Genesis 14, and not the mines of Copiapö.
Knowing the name E/ E/yon and what it means helps you to understand that you're never to elevate people, places, or circumstances above their appropriate level. No one but God is to be your final
court of appeals. He is the one who has the final say-so. Man may have a say—your boss, the doctor, your kids, your spouse, your banker—but El Elyon has the final say.
El Elyon means that God has the right to overrule. In Abram and Lot's case, God used 3 IS men to overpower a collection of kings and their armies. The numbers weren't in Abram's favor. Neither were
the cimimstances. Yet 31 S men plus one E/ Elyon is more than enough to defeat humanity's biggest armies because El E/yon is the God who is Most High over heaven and earth.
Friend, never look at your odds first. The odds won't give you the final story. Never focus on the size of your problem. Rather, focus on the size of your God.
David had only five smooth stones, and he needed only one to defeat the giant before him. Abram had 3 IS men going up against four kings and their adrenaline-high, victory-shouting armies. But he
also had E/ Ebon, which is more than enough to win any battle.
You are to respect your boss, mate, circumstances, banker, doctor, and so on. But you are to never view them as El Elyon because they do not possess he&nen and earth.
When you lift someone else or some other situation higher than God, you create an idol. An idol isn't just a carved object to be worshipped with candles burning and incense. No, an idol is anything
you elevate above the one tale God.
Sharing God's Glory
Abram's intrinsic understanding of God's character, holiness, and might is illustrated at the end of the story. Following Melchizedek's blessing and Abram's lesponse—he gave Melchizedek a tenth (a
tithe)—a revealing verbal exchange occurs between the king of Sodom and Abram.
The king of Sodom said to Abram, "Give the people to me and take the goods for yourself" Abram said to the king of Sodom, "I have swom to the LORD God Most High, possessor of heaven
and earth. that I will not take a thread or a sandal thong or anything that is yours, for fear you would say, 'I have made Abram rich. ' I will take nothing except what the young men have eatem
and the share of the men who went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their share" (Genesis 14:21-24).
Ille king of Sodom ruled one of the nations that Abram had delivered Of course, the king was pleased with what Abram had done. Most likely, he was impressed by Abram's tenacity and prowess.
Knowing Abram was a force With which to be reckoned, he sought to strike a deal. He asked Abram to give him the people he had recovered, and in exchange, Abram could keep all of the loot. He and his
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13. El Elyon: The Most High God
men could profit from the rescue.
The first problem with this pitch is that the king of Sodom had somehow forgotten that he had lost the battle himself. He had forgotten he had been captured by a consortium of kings. So when Abram
delivered him, he sought to make a deal—to split the victory down the middle when the victory didn't belong to him at all.
Abram had just lescued the long and his people. and he didn't Think this was a time for negotiation. He knew the long wanted the credit. He knew the king wanted to parade the captured people back
into his city so he could claim them as servants and slaves. Abram knew this king wanted some ofthe glory that belonged to God alone. Scripture tells us in Isaiah 428, am the LORD, that is My name; I
will not give My glory to another."
Yet that is exactly what Satan often tries to get us to do. He seeks to cut a deal with you just as the king of Sodom sought to cut a deal with Abram. In this deal, he entices you with a piece of God's
g101y. God's victories turn into joint ventures—pmtnetships in which you can share the cledit_
So adamant was Abram against the king of Sodom stealing any of God's glory, he told him that he wouldn't even take "a thread or a sandal thong" just so the king couldn't claim that he had contributed
to Abram's success. El Elyon had won the battle, and El Elyon would receive the praise due Him.
A Priest and a King
Unlike the king of Sodom, the king of Salem understood who had won the battle for Abram. As we saw earlier in his blessing to Abram, he made that point perfectly clear. We read, "And blessed be
God Most High [E/ Ebon], who has your enemies into your hand" (Genesis 14:20).
Melchizedek was more than a king. He was also a priest. Apriest's job is to stand between God and the people and be the point of communication from God to the people and from the people back to
God again. The priest is the in-betueen person, or mediator.
As both priest and king, Melchizedek made it clear that the 318 trained men who traveled more than 240 miles weren't the ones who turned defeat into victory They were not the source of deliverance
at all. However. they were the resource of deliverance. The difference between the two is enormous, yet few CIM•istians truly grasp this truth and live it out on a daily basis.
This spiritual principle of the Source versus the resource came to me in my late thinies as I studied God's Word. When it did, it was as if a lightbulb turned on in my mind's eye. It made a revolutionaty
difference in my choices, my level of and my planning. Friend, if you will fully grasp this truth, it will change for you: God is your Source Even-rhing else is a w.source
Melchizedek underscored this he pointed out that Abram conquered his enemies because El Ebon had delivered them into his hands. And El Elyon could deliver Them into Abram's hands because
of His name—the Most High God over heaven and ealth.
The kings who were causing Abram and his relatives trouble were kings of earth. His problem was an earthly situation. Yet El Elyon owns both heaven and earth. That's why 3 IS trained men can look
like 30.000 Trained men in a battle against four kings and their armies. They can do so when they are accompanied by El Elyon.
The principle is simply this: You only have one Source. And one of the worst things you or I could ever do is to treat a resource as if it were our Source. God is the owner, the Most High over all, so He
is the possessor of everything on heaven and earth. He is the Soun•e. Everything else is merely a resource at His disposal.
That means that whatever resource in your life is messing with you, it doesn't have the last word. God can find another resource tlu•ough which to bless you. He has more than one way to accomplish
His purposes.
Understanding the power of El Elyon is a freeing experience. For example, sometimes when I take the interstate to downtown Dallas, some lanes are closed due to construction. I have an appointment
to keep, but the traffic is sitting still. There appears to be no way to go because The cars have blocked me in.
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13. El Elyon: The Most High God
Situations and circumstances in life can have a similar effect. They seem to block our progress, and we can feel stalled on the path to our destiny. However, because I've lived in Dallas for so long, if I
get stuck on the interstate, I just take an exit. I know other routes to my destination, I don't have to take the interstate to get downtown. The interstate is just one resource on my pathway—it's not the only
resource. I actually llave five options to choose from when I need to get downtown. Similarly, God has multiple options for getting you to your destiny even when things, situations, or people seem to stand
in the way.
No one can tnlly block you from God's plan. No scenario can tntly stop you—not when you're paired up with El Elyon. He knows the right path you can take if you will but turn your eyes on Him and
get them off of the problems in front of you.
A resource is merely the means God uses to provide whatever you need or do whatever He wants to do through you. With Abram, it was 318 men. For Gideom it was 300 men. For the young boy with
some hungty disciples and thousands of people wanting to eat, it was a sack lunch of fish and crackers. God has many resources. He is not tied to our finite understanding of the odds.
When El Elyon is your Source, anything that's blocking you is not your only resource. It may be the only resource you can see. You may look at your resources and conclude they're not enough to
overcome the dire situation in front of you. But the possessor of heaven and earth can use your mustard-seed faith to move a mountain.
As long as you think what you're seeing dictates your destiny, then that which you can see is your idol—it is your E/ El.von. Even your job isn't your source. Nor is your boss. If you get a pink slip, if
things don't work out as you had planned, if you don't get the promotion you thought was yours.. God has a myriad of ways to provide for you, open doors for you, and lead you on His path for you.
When you understand He is your Source. you don't need To fear what mankind can say because mankind doesn't have the final say.
When Abram recognized God as the one who had delivered him and brought about the victoty in the battle, Abmm "gave him [Melchizedek] a tenth of all" (Genesis 14:20). This was before the
commandment of the tithe had even been given. Yet Abram instinctively gave a tenth as a visible, physical recognition that El Ely-on owned it all.
Abram responded this way because he had been blessed The tithe was his response to all that God had already done. One of the reasons people seem to struggle with tithing is that they don't recognize
what it means. To tithe is to demonstrate to God that He owns you—that you want Him to own you, to be responsible for you. It's an acknowledgment that He is your Source.
On June Il, 1963, Governor George Wallace and his police force stood on the steps ofthe University ofAlabama to prevent tuo black students from entering. But the federal courts had already decided
in the students' favor. Deputy US Attorney General Nicholas Katzenbach and federal marshals amved with the message, 'Mr. Governor, step aside. "
Wallace replied vehemently that he wasn't about to go anywhere. The National Guard stepped in, explaining that he could voluntarily move out of the way or they could forcibly move him. WIIen those
instructions had become clear, Wallace and his men backed down.
Wallace held the highest position in Alabama. However. The federal court was higher still, and it overruled Wallace. This higher authority opened the doors for not only the two black students but also
for integration that ultimately spread across the college campuses in our countly,
That's a practical example of how even those who are considered high up must adjust when an even higher authority makes a decision. WIIen heaven decides to move, everyone else needs to adjust.
When El Elyon lays down a decisiom it doesn't matter what anyone's title is down here—God will see His decision through, and He will make a way where there seems to be no way from a human point
of view.
Jesus, the Great High Priest
I opened this chapter talking about the 33 Chilean miners who had been trapped 2300 feet beneath the ground. They had found themselves in a hopeless situation in which their circumstances and the
rocks caving in around them seemed to dictate the outcome. Yet when help came from above, each of these men was lifted to safety through a metal Transport system called the PhoenLx.
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13. El Elyon: The Most High God
The Phoenix was named after a mythical birdlike creature that was said to have died and then been resurrected out of its own ashes. Lifting the miners out of the belly of the earth is about as close to a
resurrection as humanity can muster.
Yet 2000 years ago a true resurrection occurred out of the silent rocks that held a lifeless body in a cold cave. He llad died after only 33 years on eartlu crucified on a cross for a crime He didn't commit.
But death couldn't keep Hlln in the ground. El Elyon Himself raised Jesus up in order to give each of us an oppormnity to receive eternal life. Because of His resurrection out of a hopeless situation, we
now have hope. Because of His life, we now have life as well.
Ileblews tells us even more about the role Jesus plays in bringing us to the Father. "Having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of etemal salvation, being designated
by God as a high priest according to the order of Melchizedek" (Hebrews 5:9-10).
is this order of Melchizedek? A few chapters later, we're given insight into this man they called the king of Salem.
This Melchizedek, king of Salem. priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham apportioned a
tenth pan of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. Without father, without mother, without
genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he lemains a priest perpetually (Hebrews 7: I -3).
Many people believe Melchizedek was a theophany in the Old Testament—a manifestation of the preincarnate Clu•ist. After all, his name meant "king of righteousness" and "king of peace," and he was
also priest of the Most High God, He had neither mother nor father, but was 'inade like the Son of God." And Jesus Christ is "according to the order of Melchizedek." Jesus Christ is to us
Melchizedek was to Abraham. He is our King of righteousness, our King of peace, and our Priest, who mediates between us and God the Father.
If your boss fires you, ifyour circumstances say you'll always be in debt, or ifyou wonder if you'll forever be single. remember to fix your eyes on Jesus. He can bring peace despite your desperate
situation. He can bring hope in spite of the challenges. He can remind you that E/ E/yon doesn't need a lot to do a lot and that He can deliver your enemy into your hands.
But like Abraham, you need to align yourself underneath God's standard, operating by His authority and giving Him the glory that's due His name. You need to always remember that you have one
Source, and He "is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20). Afier all. He is The High and Mighty God, the possessor of heaven and eaflh.
When I go through the drive-thmugh at McDonald's, they ask me ifl want to supersize my order. They want to know ifl want more than the regular serving. Likewise, God wants to know whether you
simply want to settle for legular living or you want a supersized experience with Him. El Elyon is God supersized in your life.
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