1/2/2023 0 Comments Elyon account name![]() ![]() Daniel alone could reveal and interpret Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (chapter 2) and his three friends alone stood faithful to Yahweh in the face of certain death and experienced a miraculous deliverance from the fiery furnace (chapter 3). They were wiser than Babylon’s renowned wise men (1:20). Yahweh showed favour to his faithful servants so that, time and again, they proved to be remarkable among the servants of Nebuchadnezzar. These faithful servants of Yahweh would not abandon their allegiance to him to El Elyon to serve lesser gods. Part of this proselytisation process was partaking of food and drink offered to Babylonian gods, which Daniel and his friends refused (Daniel 1:8ff). Their names were changed (Daniel 1:7) and they were required to undergo a process of proselytisation, whereby they were expected to abandon allegiance to their God and pledge allegiance to the gods of Babylon. Forced to relocate to Babylon and to serve Nebuchadnezzar, these young men underwent a process of assimilation. Daniel and his three friends had been captured by Nebuchadnezzar during his first attack on the city of Jerusalem. The king of Sodom certainly did not recognise Yahweh as the supreme God, but that did not change the fact that he was supreme, even over those who did not recognise him as such.Įl Elyon also plays an important part in the book of Daniel. Immediately after parting ways with Melchizedek, Abram spoke to the king of Sodom of “Yahweh, El Elyon, possessor of heaven and earth” (v. This is true whether people acknowledge it or not. This name of God highlights the truth that Yahweh, the God of the Bible, is the one and only supreme God. He and Melchizedek worshipped the same God. He was not alone in his worship of the true God. But when he identified El Elyon as “creator” or “possessor of heaven and earth,” he knew that he had encountered a spiritual brother. When Abram heard Melchizedek speak of El Elyon, it might have been unremarkable, because many pagans claimed to have a supreme god. To speak of a God who was “creator” and “possessor” of heaven and earth was unique to Yahweh. While the gods were considered to be more powerful than human beings, they were simply on a higher plane of existence. Spirit and matter came into existence at the same time. In ancient thought, spirit and matter were strangely fused so that there was no real distinction between the two. 19, ESV) or “creator of heaven and earth” (CSB). When Melchizedek spoke, he pronounced a blessing on Abram from El Elyon, who was “possessor of heaven and earth” (v. ![]() Of course, every culture claimed their god (or one of their gods) as the supreme god, but there is something in this text that sets El Elyon apart from other gods who claimed supremacy. Other gods were acknowledged in the culture in which Abram and Melchizedek lived, but this God was the supreme God. It is a Hebrew title that describes this God as the supreme God. The Hebrew name translated “God Most High” is El Elyon. Moses introduces us to Melchizedek as “priest of God Most High” (v. Indeed, the casual reader of Genesis might be forgiven for thinking the same, were it not for the story of Melchizedek. With his background steeped in idolatry, Abram might have been forgiven for thinking that he alone worshipped of the true God. Where other gods remained silent and took what he offered, this God proactively revealed himself, spoke directly to him, and gave great promises. When Yahweh revealed himself to Abram, he quickly realised that this God was not like the other gods he served. ![]() The Bible tells us quite plainly that, before Yahweh had called him to leave Ur, Abram and his family “served other gods” (Joshua 24:2). ![]() Returning from this successful campaign, Abram was met by a mysterious figure named Melchizedek (Genesis 12:17–24). When Abram was informed, he immediately gathered together his best trained servants to rescue Lot and his family (Genesis 12:13–16). Before long, Lot was captured by a coalition of pagan tribal leaders (Genesis 12:1–12). Sometime later, after Yahweh had abundantly blessed both Abram and Lot, the two were forced to separate (Genesis 13). He took with him his wife, Sarai, and his nephew, Lot (Genesis 12:1–5ff). When God called Abram to leave Ur of the Chaldeans, he left a pagan lifestyle to serve the living God, who had revealed himself to him. ![]()
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