Names of God – Part 10

Elohim Azar

God our Helper

O God, [Elohim] save me by your name,
and vindicate me by your might.
Behold, God is my helper; [Elohim Azar]
the Lord [Adonai] is the upholder of my life.
Psalm 54:1, 4.

A cry for help and a prayer of trust. David is in dire straits, He has been anointed king, and that, understandably does not please the present king. King Saul is neglecting his duty as king, that of being protector of his people, in order to hunt down David. David is scared for his life.

David needs help, so he turns to God, He uses three different names for God. Adonai will be dealt with in a later blog.

Elohim is the creator, the first name used for God, in the creation of the universe. David calls on the might of God to vindicate him. But he also expands the name to Elohim Azar. God the helper.

There is a contrast here between Saul the king of Israel and David, the future king of Israel. The present king, who should be defending the people, who should be the helper of the people, has abandoned them in order to settle a vendetta. The king is not doing what kings of his day are supposed to do. In contrast David is calling on God to be king to him, the helper of armies (David had his troops with him in hiding) is the kings job. David, the anointed future king, turned to God to do the king’s work for himself and his men.

But Helper is also a title of the Holy Spirit. When Saul was anointed he  was filled with the Spirit, he even threw off his clothes and prophesied naked, (1 Samuel 19:4) but Saul, the Spirit filled king, has stopped living by the Spirit. David, using the plural form of God and a title of the Holy Spirit, is calling on the Holy Spirit for help. He may not realise it, but that is what is happening.

At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came on the Church, the Spirit became available to all Christians. If you are a Christian you have two choices, you can either ignore the Holy Spirit in your life like Saul, or you can ask the Spirit for help and guidance in your life.

Which are you going to do?