El Elyon ~ The God who is in Charge

El Elyon ~ The God who is in Charge

Gen. 14:18 "Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bead and wine. He was priest of God Most High"

El Elyon is the first compound name for God, "El" being short for Elohim and "Elyon" for Highest. So, the name is translated El Elyon ~ The Most High God". What is unique about this name is that it is only found 30 times in the OT and is only found in the Mosaic books, Psalms and Daniel. In Gen. 14:18, Melchizedek is giving praise to the Most High God for delivering the people from their enemies.

The Most High God is able to deliver us from our enemies. In 1 Peter 5:8 we learn that our spiritual enemy is Satan, therefore, God can deliver us from Satan! In Psalms 57: 2-3 we are told that God can save us from all who pursue us ~ El Elyon is able to defeat all our enemies because He is the Supreme Ruler of heaven and earth. Through the book of Daniel we also see that God is in control of all the circumstances that happened to Israel in order to show that God is Supreme. That is the same in our lives ~ all circumstances come into our lives for a purpose and to draw us towards the Most High God.

So, what is our response to El Elyon?

1. Abraham gave a 10th (Gen. 14:18) back to Him in response to the victory He gave.
2. Malachi 3:8 tells us not to rob the God who gave them everything. (James 1:17)
3. As the Most High God we owe everything to Him - so our attitudes toward our circumstances and possessions should reflect that.
4. He desires my all: Check out the verse of the Old Hymn by Isaac Watts, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross," says it best: "Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all."

How are you daily responding to El Elyon? Who is Most High in your life ~ God, you or maybe someone or something else?

LDJ