While writing Chapter 6, I spent a fair amount of time reading and rereading the genealogy of Jesus listed in Matt.1:17. On the surface nothing seemed to be there other than the obvious list of names we see. It was not until actually counting the generations that a very important concept is revealed. The point I am making is this: what at first glance appears to be only a simple list of names, may very well contain some important, or at the very least, interesting information that God has placed there for those of His children who will search for it.
In this regard a very revealing statement is made by Abigail to David when she is pleading with Him to spare her husband Nabal (I Sam.25:10-12). In vs. 25 she says, "May my lord pay no attention to that wicked man Nabal. He is just like his name - his name is Fool and folly goes with him."(emphasis added) A direct link is made therein between the man's character and the meaning of his name. If that is true, then maybe, if we search out the meanings of some of the other names we find in Scripture, we may discover some additional facts which might offer additional insight into the events in which those names are found. We may also find that the meaning of the names we are given in an Old Testament story, actually show us that the story is a clear foreshadowing of some New Testament concept or event. It is also possible that we may discover that the depth and intricacy of God's planning is even deeper, and more thorough than we ever imagined.
Let me give you three examples of what I mean. Have you ever wondered why Jesus was born in Bethlehem and placed in a manger? Now I realize that the correct answer to that question is that Jesus was born in Bethlehem to fulfill the prophecy of Micah 5:2 which said that it is from Bethlehem that the ruler of Israel, whose origins are from eternity, would come. We could also say that since David came from Bethlehem, which was itself known as the City of David (I Sam.16:18 & 20:6, Lk.2:4), and since Christ was to be born of the lineage of David, then Bethlehem is where Jesus had to be born.
However, David could have been born in Bethshemesh or Hebron. And Micah could have foretold of the Messiah's coming from one of these cities instead. Why did God cause David to live in Bethlehem, and then cause Micah to prophesy that it would be from there that the Savior would come? While it is true that God is sovereign, and can do whatever He wants without giving us an explanation, I believe that He has given us the answer to that question; only it is hidden in the meaning of the name "Bethlehem."
According to several different Greek-English Lexicons, the word 'Bethlehem' means "House of Bread", and if you will recall, in John 6:35 & 41 Jesus tells us that He is the "Bread of Life." How fitting then that the Bread of Life should come from the city of Bread. Yet, God's attention to detail goes even deeper then that. Remember that the angels, while announcing Jesus' birth to the shepherds, said that He would be wrapped in "swaddling clothes" (KJV), and found lying in a "manger?" Well, the word 'manger' means "a place of food". So it was then, that the "Bread of Life" was delivered to the world in the City of Bread, and placed in a "Bread Basket."
A little deeper search will reveal that the "swaddling clothes" in which the baby Jesus was wrapped (Lk.2:12) were actually 'strips of cloth,' and as we know from John 19:40, it would be in strips of linen that He would again be wrapped some 33 years later. Not only that, but one of the gifts brought to the child Jesus by the Magi, namely Myrrh (Matt.2:11), was also destined to be used in His burial (John 19:39). Again, the point is, the same names, and their meanings, show us a greater depth to God's plan for man-kind then we had ever before imagined. I believe that they also give added depth to the Proverb, "Every Word of God is flawless." (Prov.30:5).
If we examine the names associated with certain Old Testament events which, on the surface, do not have anything to do with prophecy, we may find a whole new dimension of God's Word opening up to us. As an example of this let's look at the story of Nehemiah. In brief, Nehemiah was one of the Israelites led into captivity and, after finding favor with his captors, became cupbearer to king Artaxerxes (Neh.1:11).
The king allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the devastated walls of that city (2.8). He arrived quietly on the scene, and after three days he began to survey the situation (2:11-12). After completing the survey, he informed the Israelites as to why he was there, and the renovation began (2:17). The occupying officials, one of whose name was Sanballat were less then thrilled to have Nehemiah there (2:10), and set out to stop this project from going any further. In their attempts to thwart construction they used false accusation (2:19), mockery (2:19), ridicule (4:1), plotting evil (4:8), dissension amongst the workers (4:8), co-laborer's complaints about conditions (4:12), persistence in their efforts to stop Nehemiah (6:5) blackmail (6:7), false prophets (6:12), and intimidation (6:13). However, the wall was built, and when Nehemiah's enemies saw this, they were the ones who lost their self confidence. At that point they realized that God was the one who was behind the project all along (7:16).
As I said before, for all practical purposes, Nehemiah's story appears to be little more then a history lesson, having nothing whatsoever to do with prophecy, However, I believe this story is, in effect, a foreshadow of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. It is also a warning to us, telling us how satan will attempt to stop that ministry from accomplishing it's task within us. Before His crucifixion, Jesus promised His disciples "I will ask the Father and He will give you another COUNSELOR to be with you forever - the Spirit of Truth (emphasis added -John 14:16, 15:26 & 16:7).
It is at this point that we can begin to see a parallel. You see, the name Nehemiah means "Counselor", or "Comforter", and like the Holy Spirit, he came to rebuild. As we saw in the chapter 2 of Needful Things, the Holy Spirit reveals unto us all truth (John 16:13 & 14:26), and it is upon the rock of revelation knowledge that Jesus said He would build His church (Matt16:17-18). Nehemiah added to and strengthened the foundations and the walls of Jerusalem; whereas, the Holy Spirit adds to and strenghtens the Church (Ro.15:18-19 & I Cor.14:26), whose foundation is Jesus (I Cor.3:11).
Notice that Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem quietly. He did not make his presence known to any great degree, or announce his purpose for several days (2:11). Even then it was not until after he had thoroughly surveyed the situation (2:17).I believe that in a like manner, so also does the Holy Spirit indwell us and surveys the situation before He begins His major internal renovation project on us (John 20:22 & Acts 2:4). We know he is there, for He doesn't hide, but then neither did Nehemiah. However, the Holy Spirit does not begin tearing out "walls" in our lives, or immediately reveal the totality of the clean-up job He has been sent to accomplish the minute He arrives on the scene. If He did, many of us would not welcome Him, and while satan cannot drive Him out, we can ask Him to leave.
We know that satan is enraged at the Church, and has declared war on it (Rev.12:9,13 & 17). Now, if you will turn to Nehemiah 4:1 you will see that Sanballat reacted in a like manner, and became incensed and greatly angered over Nehemiah's building project. The similarity though is heightened as we discover that the name 'Sanballet' means "hate in disguise." This hatred is concealed. In the case of Sanballet, it masqueraded behind his capacity as one of the officials sent to administer the captured territory of Israel (Neh.2:10). In the case of satan, his hatred of us is concealed behind his image as an angel of light (I Cor.11:14). His purpose however, is still the same.
We have already seen the list of things Sanballet used in his attempts to stop Nehemiah. I cannot think of any place in Scripture where we are given, in so short a span of verses, such a detailed explanation of the schemes and devices satan will use against us today. However, we are not unaware of His schemes (II Cor.2:11), and as we can see throughout the New Testament, he still uses the same tricks on us, as he used on Nehemiah. These are, dissension (Jude 19), deception (Col.2:8), false prophets - apostles (II Cor.11:13), mockery (II Pe.3:3), weak co-workers (II Tim.1: 15), persistence in his attacks (Lk.4:12), intimidation (Acts 4:18), false accusation (Matt.26:59), plotting evil (Matt.26:4), and ridicule (Acts 2:15).
Eccl.1:9 tells us that there is nothing new under the sun, and as we can see, satan provides clear evidence that this is indeed the case. We can take heart from this story because, as was true in the case of Nehemiah, God is behind our building project. Like Nehemiah, if we will only persevere, it is satan and his cohorts who will end up losing their self-confidence - not us.
So far we have seen that the meanings of names may reveal a greater depth to God's plan then can be seen from a surface examination of Scripture. We have also seen that names in the Old Testament may actually be a prophecy in disguise of some future move of God.
At this point I would like to take a glance at a list of names which appears, for all intents and purposes, to be just that - a list, and see that in it God is actually making a promise to us. Turn to I Chron.11:10-47 and you will see the list of David's Mighty Men. Vs 25 tells us that these were his bodyguards. And as we know, a bodyguard is charged with the duty of protecting the king. (For point of future reference, remember that we are now kings - Rev.5:10)
As you may recall from your own studies David's army in the wilderness did not always consist of 'mighty men.' Initially it was composed of what would be known today as losers (I Sam.22:2). Yet, as David spent time in the wilderness, going through a period of purification (Ps.66:10), God added to his strength. God increased the degree of protection or number of bodyguards assigned to protect David (II Sam.3:1). God is not a respecter of persons (Acts 10:34), and will also provide us with these bodyguards if we also will stand during our time in the wilderness.
Since God is not going to physically clone a copy of each of these men to actually stand next to us, who or what are these protectors that God will send to us? The Commanders of David's unit were Jashobeam, Eleazar, Abishai, and Benaiah (I Chron.11:11, 12,20,22&23). Looking at the meaning of their names, we discover that Jashobeam is God's promise to us that we will return among the people after our time in the wilderness. Eleazar is the help of God to make it through. Abishai is God's providing for us during this time as the Father of gifts, and with Benaiah we grow in understanding of the Lord.
So much for the leaders of the bodyguard. As for the troops that God adds "day after day" (I Chron 12:22), we see that He gives us, among others: the grace of God (Elhanan), liberation (Heiez), life (Heled), strength (Abiel, and power (Uzzia). He presents us with a thickly woven defense against satan (Sibeccai) and enables us to even stand against death (Azaueth). This bodyguard makes it possible for us to remember that even though we will have sorrow (Ithamah), Jesus also wept (Lk.19:41) and, while God has ordained both times of joy and sorrow (Eccl.7:14), we are known of God during both (Uediaeh). We are, during all these times of testing, the children of God (Naarai), and are both His brothers (Ahijah) and servants (Obed). In the body of Christ we are all part of each other's bodyguard. We should at all times and in all ways remember that this body is like the name 'Hanan' in that it is graciously given of the Lord for it is a most choice work of God, provided for our deliverance (Mibhar, Asahel, and Eliphal).
Obviously, what we have just looked at is not meant to be an exhaustive study on the topic of names. Space limitations prevent such a study. Rather, it is meant to be an introduction to another concept which you may wish to keep in mind as you study God's Word. It is also important to remember that not every name may in fact have a secondary meaning, (or perhaps I should say that if they do, there are many which I have researched whose significance the Lord has not yet made known to me.) More importantly though, we must be aware of the fact that when God does reveal something to us through His Word, we cannot afford to ignore it (Ja.1:22, Matt.7:24 & Lk.6:49). This is especially true in regards to the names God has used in revealing Himself to us, and how their meanings can or should, effect our understanding of exactly who He is, and what He desires both from us and for us.
I am not going to reiterate everything here concerning the name of God known as El Elyon which was mentioned in Chapter 10, but it is imperative that you understand the concepts covered there before you continue with this study. While I believe that each study we have undertaken so far has had something to say in and of itself, they are all at the same time interrelated. One lesson may very well be a building block wherein certain concepts serve as a foundation to our understanding of another topic.
Much of what we have talked about in this lesson has been said to bring us to this point. If your name is Bill, how long would you allow a mature man to continue calling you Tom? While that may appear to be a rather senseless question to ask in a lesson dealing with the Word of God, please bear with me. With regards to that question, I realize that you may not correct a small child who gets your name mixed up. You may not even correct a stranger the first time he did, but at some point you would tell a person who is seeking to be your close friend which name you prefer to be known by. Also, if you were the person who was making the error, I am sure that you would like to be corrected; especially if that knowledge could, in some way, effect your relationship.
Before we continue, allow me to reemphasize another point which is critical. When I refer to the various names of God, I am not referring to multiple gods; rather, I am referring to the different revealed natures of the One True God. As I have said so often before, there can be no question that there is only one true God (II Sam.7:22, Ex.9:14 & Ja.2:19). As we continue in this study, remember also that the word "name" can be defined to mean "nature of." So, when we consider the names of God, we are in fact considering His different natures. (see B. F. Meyer The Christ Life or the Self Life Moody Press)
Concerning the concept of revealed names; that is names which God Himself has used to describe Himself, did you know that the name Jehovah is actually not in the Bible? I know that it may be in some 'translations' of the Bible, but it is not in the original Hebrew text. In point of fact, it is an artificial word made up by combining the vowels from the word Adoani with consonants from the word Yhwh. (see Websters New Collegiate Dictionary, 1966 edition definition for the word "tetragrammation") It is believed that the word 'Jehovah' was actually coined by Peter Galatinus in 1520 AD, and that it is actually the phonetic spelling of the Israelite creation. As was pointed out in the previous chapter God revealed Himself to Moses as the 'Father-Lawgiver', and in so doing, used the name Yhwh (Isa.33:22 & Deut.32:5-6). The reason for creating the artificial name we have come to know as Jehovah goes back to the post-exile Israelite's fear of profaning God's name by mispronouncing it. Rather then mispronounce it, and thus incur God's anger, they solved the problem by coming up with their own variation on it.
It would not be correct to say that the name Jehovah was invented solely because of the Israelite's reverence for the nature of God they knew as Yhwh. They were convinced that if they mispronounced this name, they would be punished. Remember, it was Yhwh who directed Moses to caution the people not to come near Mt. Sinai or suffer the pain of death (Ex.19:12). It was Yhwh who directed Moses to have the Levites kill 3,000 of their fellow Israelites for the golden calf incident (Ex.32:8). It was Yhwh's fire which consumed the outskirts of the camp when they complained (Nu.11:3). I am not saying that they did not love Yhwh, but I am saying that their fear overrode their love.
Ex.20:19 shows us that the Israelites didn't even want Yhwh to speak to them else they might die (let alone the idea of them actually speaking to Him!) They were afraid to even listen. This attitude of fear was continually reinforced, for Nu.16:35 tells us that it was Yhwh who killed the 250 followers of Korah for burning incense; an act which was against the rules Yhwh had imposed. Again, it was the nature of God known as Yhwh that sent the venomous snakes among the people as punishment for their grumbling (Nu.21:6). Last of all, we must not forget the awesome lesson of the forty years in the wilderness where 605,550 Israelites died because they tested Yhwh ten times, and He finally pronounced a death sentence over them (Nu.14:20-23 & 1:46).
As far as they were concerned, they had every reason to fear offending the Yhwh nature of God. Whenever they did, they were punished. To state that the name we pronounce as Jehovah was developed simply out of reverence for Yhwh actually causes a misconception when it comes to our attempts to understand God's nature's. Are we now to assume that because the Israelites did not come up with their own names for the nature of God known as Elohim or El Shaddai, that they did not have the same reverence for those natures? Certainly not! Remember, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn't even know the nature of God revealed in the name Yhwh.
Nor can it be said that the Yhwh nature is the uppermost revealed nature of God, and is therefore worthy of the greatest reverence. As we have already seen lesson, that distinction must go to the nature which Jesus knew as 'Father', and that name is El Elyon, the Most High God. Remember, no nature or name of God is less then any other name or nature. However, there is one name that encompasses all the natures which God has thus far revealed to us. That name is the one God Himself used in the Bible. That name is EL ELYON, not the man-made one Jehovah.
Heb.4:16 tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace, and John 16:23 says to ask the "Father." Keeping in mind those instructions, plus the fact that Ro.8:15 tells us to call upon our "daddy", do you feel that we, like the Israelites in the wilderness, should live in terror of mispronouncing God's name? Remember, I John 4:18 tells us that the perfect love of God drives out all fear. Note, I am not saying that we should not have an awesome respect for, and deep reverence for God. After all, Prov.1:7 tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but we are not to live in stark terror of Him. The Israelites feared punishment if they mispronounced the name Yhwh, but Jesus has born our punishment on the cross (Isa.53:5), and we are therefore told not to walk in fear of punishment (I John 4:18).
However, the simple fact that the name Jehovah is not in the Bible is not really the crux of the problem. The name Jehovah, as it is commonly used today, is subtly misleading when it comes to our understanding of the different revealed natures, or names by which God has made Himself known to us. Let me show you what I mean. There is a very popular song today which sings of "Jehovah-Jirah, my provider." This refers to the name Abraham used in Gen.22:14 (KJV) when God provided him with a ram as a substitute sacrifice for Isaac. Now remember, the name Jehovah refers to, and is in fact derived from the revealed name or nature of God known as Yhwh. Yet, Ex.6:2-3 tells us that God had not revealed Himself to Abraham as Yhwh, which we established earlier was the 'Father/lawgiver' nature of God.
Abraham, while knowing the word Yhwh, did not understand what it meant. Abraham knew and understood God as El Shaddai, the feminine gender word meaning "provider." Therefore, the name Abraham would have understood was not but El Shaddai-Jirah. While that may not sound as poetic when set to music, it is more Scripturally correct. Similarly, the 'God of Creation' in that same song was not Jehovah or Yhwh alone; but rather, the creating nature of God revealed to us as Elohim, which is a combination of BOTH Yhwh and El Shaddai. It may not seem important to make this distinction, but by lumping all of God's attributes together under the name Jehovah or Yhwh, we would miss something that God is trying to tell us.
These name differences are important for us to understand. If His names were not important, God would not have given them to us. Since they are there, we should look at them. Many denominations which are somewhat legalistic in their approach to God, concentrate on God's nature as Yhwh. While this gives them a strong foundation in the areas of holiness and reverence, it reveals only a part of God's nature. Likewise, many charismatic groups have the tendency to concentrate solely upon the revealed nature of God known as El Shaddai. However, their specialization on the 'providing' nature of God reveals only a portion of God's total revealed nature. Even the combined nature known as Elohim still does not give us the whole picture as God has thus far revealed Himself to us. Please understand, I am not claiming to know all there is to know about what God has revealed about Himself to us by using these names. However, while it is true that at this time we see only partially (I Cor.13:12), it is important that we do not ignore, or gloss over, that which God is telling us about His names.
Ja.2:19 tells us that the demons shudder when they think of the One True God, and Lk.8:28 tells us that they are aware that His name is the MOST HIGH GOD. As you know Jesus is the Son of the Most High God (Lk.1:32), and it was this all inclusive nature of God known as 'The Most High God', whom Jesus called 'Father.' Jesus tells us that the reward He has for us is interrelated with our being Huios, or mature sons of the Most High God (Lk.6:35).
Dan.7:25 tells us that the anti-Christ will speak against the Most High (El Elyon), but after all is said and done, the kingdoms of the world will be turned over to the saints of Most High (Dan.7:18-19). Notice, those verses do not say that the kingdoms of the world will be given to the saints of Yhwh, or of El Shaddai, or of Elohim, or any other revealed nature of God other than El Elyon. It is incorrect to say that either the name Yhwh or El Shaddai, by themselves, would represent the totality of God's nature as He has thus far revealed it to us.
While this may be redundant, it is important that we clearly understand this concept. Allow me to make this analogy. My name is 'Fred.' However, the totality of that which makes up my personality includes my attributes as a teacher, husband, daddy, friend, neighbor, brother, pastor and attorney. Now, to call me a teacher would be an accurate description of me, UP TO A POINT. However, to say that my nature as a teacher totally describes all of me would be wrong. If the only thing you knew about me was that I was a teacher, then you would relate to me solely from that perspective. And that may well be different from the way you would relate to me if you knew me only as a neighbor, or your brother, or a lawyer. Likewise, if you saw me do something out of character as a teacher, such as giving a woman a kiss on the cheek after class, you may become confused by my unteacher like conduct. However, once you knew that the lady I kissed was my wife, your confusion would be cleared up, and you would then understand how my actions fit into the totality of my nature. Therefore, to truly KNOW me, you must know all of my natures, and thereby understand all my ways. You need to see me function in all my individual natures. Most importantly, you would need to know how my natures interrelate with each other, and how those various natures cause me to interrelate with different people during the day.
At this point you may be asking yourself how this relates to El Elyon, and our understanding of His composite natures, each one being complete in and of itself, yet each only a part of the whole The answer to that question is found in Dan.11:32. Notice therein that it says that it is those who "KNOW THEIR GOD" who will firmly resist evil. Furthermore, we are told that it was "BECAUSE" Daniel trusted in his God, whom he knew as El Elyon, that he came out of the lion's den without a mark on him (Dan.6:23 & 4:3). We are also shown that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, "SERVANTS OF THE MOST HIGH GOD" came out of the fiery furnace with only that which had previously bound them being burned up in the flames (Dan.3:25). It is also important to remember that Ps.91: 1 & 9 shows us that the protection promised therein is tied to our understanding of our relationship with the Most High God.
Without confusing things further, let's return for a brief moment to the discussion we had about knowing a person in all his natures. In an ideal relationship, who knows a man best? Who, at some point sees him function in all his natures? I believe that the answer to this question has to be his wife. To me an inescapable parallel is drawn here, in that Daniel clearly indicates that it is those saints who know El Elyon who will overcome, and as we saw in Chapters 7 & 9, these mature overcomers- these saints of the Most High -will be the Bride of Christ.
In each of these studies I have attempted to show that the points under consideration relate to both the Old and New Testaments. We have already seen that the name God revealed to us as the Most High God is carried over into the New Testament, but so also is the concept of physical protection. Heb.7:8 tells us that Melchizedek "is declared to be living", and that he became a priest "on the basis of an indestructible life." (Heb.7:6) Gen.14:18 tells us that Melchizedek was (still is) a priest of the Most High God. Melchizedek is not Jesus, for Heb. 7:3 tells us that "like the Son of God, he remains a priest forever" (emphasis added). I do not feel that the word 'living' used in Heb.7:8 is referring to eternal spiritual existence. If it were limited to that, we would be forced to say that the 'death' of the priests under the old Levitical order referred to earlier in that same verse, must be referring to eternal spiritual death, and we know that this is not the case at all.
A relationship between being a priest of El Elyon in the order of Melchizedek, and physical immortality is clearly indicated. This takes on phenomenal possibilities to those who are in the final end-time generation. Unhappily though, the mere mention of not dying also draws criticism; most of which comes from people who talk about being in the last generation with one breath, and then turn around and sing about dying and going to heaven with the next. As was discussed in Chapter 1, I cannot walk by faith in the area of immortality, ie. not physically dying before Jesus returns, for the timing of that event is strictly up to the Father.
However, present day members of the Body of Christ have, by tradition, been looking forward to the hope of dying and going to heaven, and have totally ignored the hope of Ro.8:23-24, "THE REDEMPTION OF OUR BODIES." Ro.2:7 tells us to "seek glory, honor, and IMMORTALITY" (emphasis added), and that immorality comes from the "power of an indestructible life," (Heb.7:16) and THAT power comes from the totality of God's nature known as EL ELYON, the Most High God. Since God directs us to seek immortality, it must be something which is available; whereas, many people seem to think that those of God's children who are alive and remaining when He returns are in that condition because of some 'luck of the draw', or mere happenstance. Jesus says to seek it, and then shows us the relationship between immortality and El Elyon. Would it seem correct to now turn our backs on that relationship. When Jesus told us in Matt. 6: 33 to "seek first HIS kingdom and HIS righteousness..." (emphasis added), who was the "HIS" that Jesus was referring to?
Matt.6:32 clearly tells us that it is the FATHER'S kingdom and righteousness that we are to seek. When all we understand of the Father is His nature as Yhwh, or El Shaddai, or Elohim, then we are not totally seeking HIS kingdom or HIS righteousness. HE is Jesus' Father, and Jesus' Father is THE MOST HIGH GOD (El Elyon). We are declared in I Pe.2:9 to be a royal priesthood, and since Jesus is our High Priest in the Order of Melchizedek (Heb.7:24-26), that is the order we are to be serving under. Our order of priesthood is not Levitical in nature, and must therefore not be limited to the nature of God which He revealed to Moses as Yhwh.
If this is indeed the last generation, and it is to the saints of the Most High God that the kingdoms of the world are to be turned over to (Dan.7:18), then we should begin to know who EL ELYON is. Perhaps also we should stop calling Him by made up names such as Jehovah, which had their origins in fear. As maturing children we should seek to ascribe the correct nature of God to the corresponding attribute which goes with that nature. We do this not out of legalism, but from an understanding that, according to Ps.82:6, we are all "sons of the Most High." This understanding may very well increase the effectiveness of our prayers.
While it is true that we have one God, it is also true that He works through these different natures; and while we pray to the Father, we may also wish to appeal to the appropriate nature of the Father to accomplish that which is requested. Our understanding of these natures may also help us to better understand why David wasn't punished for allowing the Ark of the Covenant to be viewed by all during times of worship, when such an act was a clear violation of the Law of Moses. Furthermore, what may appear to be a conflict is also more clearly understood when viewed in the light of this information.
God told Moses that no man could see His face and live (Ex.33:30); yet Abraham talked directly with God (Gen.18:22). How could that be? Moses was talking to the nature of God known as Yhwh, and Abraham saw the 'face' of El Shaddai. Hosea, who knew of God's nature as EL ELYON (Hosea 7:16), tells us that God's people are destroyed from a lack of knowledge. It would be such a waste to needlessly die in some end-time "lion's den" simply because you did not know the totality of protection which comes with the totality of commitment we are to offer to the Most High God.
Every so often I mention this, and I feel led to do so again lest what I am saying be misunderstood. Just because some concept concerning God's nature, or His method of dealing with us is not easily discernable, does not make it heresy, elitist in nature, or "from our head and not our spirit." It must be clearly understood that I am not making any claim that knowledge of El Elyon means we understand all of God, for Ro.11:33 tells us quite clearly that His judgments and paths are beyond tracing. Indeed no one can say they "have known the mind of the Lord" (Ro.11:34). But He does want us to understand that which He has revealed to us. He sent His Holy Spirit to us to REMIND us of that which Jesus said, and Jesus spoke to, and about His Father, who was, and is, the Most High God (John 14:26).
In the Bible there are, in a sense, two different types of harvests spoken of. One is the comparatively easy task of going along and cutting the full grown plants. The other is the back breaking task of gleaning the fields; that is, picking up that which has fallen and has become hidden under the stubble, or is just not so easily gotten to. Yet for those who sought that gleaned grain, it meant life itself.
While gleaning barley, Ruth came to the attention of Boaz who eventually
married her (Ruth 2:2&5 & 4:13). But notice, when Boaz first saw
her he didn't run up to her and say, "Stop that hard work my dear, let
me give you all the barley and wheat you need." He allowed her to continue
gleaning until the barley and wheat harvest were finished (Ruth 2:23).
The name Boaz means established in strength (The Brown Driver Briggs
Gesenius Hebrew Lexicon). As we glean the Word of God, we take the
first steps necessary towards the marriage which will establish us in strength
forever. As we glean the Word of God, we begin to TRULY understand that
because of God, we can accomplish all things through Christ which strengthens
us (Phil.4:13 KJV). That which God may have for us to accomplish could
include emerging alive from some end-time 'lion's den.' But like Daniel,
we also will have to trust in the nature of God revealed to us as El
Elyon, the Most High God, and you cannot trust in Him who you do not
know.