EL ELYON – MOST HIGH GOD

In this post we will begin looking at other names of God that are not combined with Yhwh or Jehovah.  In Genesis 14 Melchizedek blesses Abram as a servant of the “most high God,” El Elyon.  This name is a reference to God’s supremacy over all of creation.

Genesis 14:19–20 “And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand.”

Note that God is identified as the “possessor” of heaven and earth.  I thought it was interesting to see that the Hebrew for that word references God both as Creator and Redeemer.  It is an early affirmation of the truth recorded by Peter that God had the plan of redemption in place even before He created heaven and earth.

1 Peter 1:18–20 “Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world….”

Melchizedek also recognizes El Elyon as He that can empower His servants to defeat their enemies—be they human or supernatural—as affirmed by the Apostle Paul.

Ephesians 6:12–13 “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”

The prophet Daniel also talks about Elyon, “the most High.”  He uses this name to declare that when God establishes His kingdom on earth, the saints, true followers of God, will take possession of that kingdom forever.

Daniel 7:18 & 22 “But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever….Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”

God as “the most High” is in ultimate control of the outcome of the war for control on planet earth.  Though the devil has been given temporary reign as the “god of this world” when he succeeded in getting man to sin, he is destined to lose.  Though possessed with a desire to position himself as God’s equal… 

Isaiah 14:13–14 “For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”

…he will never achieve his goal.  I think it is significant to note that Satan not only desires to rule on planet earth, but also wants to rule “above the heights of the clouds,” the heavenly realm. 

King David recognized Elyon as He who only has to utter His voice to direct the lightning to accomplish His purposes.  As Creator He established channels or currents in the oceans.  With the breath of His voice He can roll back the waters to expose the land that forms their foundation as He did when He delivered the Israelites from Egypt. 

2 Samuel 22:14–16 “The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice. And he sent out arrows, and scattered them; lightning, and discomfited them. And the channels of the sea appeared, the foundations of the world were discovered, at the rebuking of the LORD, at the blast of the breath of his nostrils.”

In light of Bible prophecy there is one other verse that I want to highlight regarding the “most High.”

Deuteronomy 32:8 “When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.”

In this verse the Holy Spirit reveals through Moses that God was the One who determined the inheritance or boundaries of the nations and determined their population in accordance with the number of the children of Israel.  I believe this is a reference to the table of nations recorded in Genesis 10, and that the nations there recorded form the primary people groups on planet earth.  No matter how determined the nations on earth are to eradicate Israel from the table of nations, they will fail.  God has chosen Israel as His portion and according to His covenant with Abraham will establish His descendants in “all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”