Name of God - Jehovah-Jireh: God My Provider

Daily Verse: “Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught in the thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering in place of his son. And Abraham named that place The Lord Will Provide, so today it is said: ‘It will be provided on the Lord’s mountain.’”

☆ Genesis 22:13-14 HCSB

Let's Talk About It: If you have been listening to Christian praise and worship music within the past year, you more than likely heard the term Jireh. Before we dive into today’s name of God, I feel it’s important to share something that you may not know. The Hebrew alphabet does not have the letter “J” in it nor the sound that we as Americans make. The letter “Y” is the closest letter to the actual sound of the Hebrew letter used. An example of this is the name Jehovah (Juh•ho•vuh or Jĕ-hō-vah). According to the pronunciation in Hebrew, it should actually be spelled Yehovah (Ye•Ho•VaH).

You may sometimes see the letter “w” is used instead of the letter “v”, in modern-day translations as well. According to the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, the way we pronounce Jehovah is the Latinized form of YHWH (Yahweh). For sharing purposes, we will be using the “J” spelling. As we continue working our way through the names of God, you may see the letter “Y” is used. Please know that it is our desire for the main focal point to be on His name and meaning and not to debate on the spelling.

Moving forward, in Hebrew the name Jehovah means Lord or God. Jireh is the Hebrew word used for provide. Studying this verse out, we can see that Abraham is acknowledging and giving the glory to God for providing the ram, a suitable sacrifice, to stand in the place of his son. In remembrance of this event, Abraham chose the affirmation simple form of provide (will provide) instead of the indicative present perfect form (have or had provided).

By doing this, Abraham is saying God not only provided, but He will continue to provide. So after this particular encounter with God, Abraham began to know God as his provider and used the name Jehovah-Jireh as a reminder of what happened and what God will continue to do. This is certainly a characteristic of our loving, Heavenly Father…One who will provide.

I remember when Crystal and I became faithful tithers. It was really tough in the beginning. Like many Americans, we were already living paycheck to paycheck. We had faith that God will make a way, however, there were many times during the month that we faced faith shaking moments. One particular time, Crystal’s car had gotten a flat tire. We didn’t have the money to replace it, so we patched it up until payday which was a couple weeks away. It did not last that long. While on the highway, it gave out and we had to use the tiny spare tire.

Within a day or 2, Crystal had received a check in the mail from an insurance company that she had canceled over a year prior (we had switched to another company to bundle). The check was for overpayment due to cancelation of the policy. The amount of the check was almost the exact amount down to the penny, for the cost of a new tire we had gotten quoted on. We have this and many more testimonies of how God provided for us, just like He did for Abraham, just in the right time.  

We know our Father as Jehovah-Jireh, our constant provider. He will always provide. How do you know Him as Jehovah-Jireh?