O Antiphons Day 2: O Adonai

O Sacred Lord of ancient Israel,

who showed yourself to Moses in the burning bush,

who gave him the holy law on Sinai mountain:

come, stretch out your mighty hand to set us free.

Today is the second day of the O Antiphons in Evening Prayer.  Yesterday proclaimed Jesus Christ as the ancient Wisdom that was present at the founding of the world, the very logic of all creation, he through whom all things came to be.

Our antiphon this evening draws us into the mystery of the lordship of Jesus Christ.  

To call Jesus "Adonai" is no small thing.  Adonai is one of the terms used in the Hebrew language to speak about God, the God who appeared to Moses in the burning bush and revealed his name to be "Yahweh".  God's name is so sacred that they would never pronounce it, nor would they ever write it out completely.  This is why in some Bibles you'll notice reference to the diving name as spelled out in all caps without the vowels: YHWH.  His name is simply too sacred to be spoken by mortal tongues.

After the crossing of the Red Sea, the event that definitively set them free from slavery in Egypt, the Hebrews wanted to speak and write about this God who so marvelously kicked Pharaoh-butt.  Wanting to keep holy the name of the Lord, they used a new words to reference him, namely Adonai and Elohim.  These words are what you will find in the Hebrew manuscripts when our English translations have LORD in all caps.

This LORD is the one who saved them.  This LORD gave them the Law to guide them to righteousness.  This LORD is the one whose mighty arm beat down their foes.  This LORD is the one who spreads out his wings like an eagle to gather in his brood.  This LORD is Jesus Christ.

To call Jesus "Adonai" is to associate his saving action on the cross with the saving work that had been at work for the previous several thousand years.  Jesus saves us from our sins, he gives the new law that leads us to righteousness through sacrificial love; his victory beats down our foes; he spreads out his arms to gather into one fold all his sheep.  Jesus Christ is LORD!