Day 911: What's in a name? - Exodus 3 vs 9 - 15

The Lord said: 9-11 “Behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you - and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name for ever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Exodus 3:9-15 English Standard Version

The setting here was that while Moses was shepherding sheep near a mountain known as Horeb, God appeared to him through the means of a bush that looked to be aflame, but not consumed. That may have been a lesson in itself for Moses, that a mortal man could be used by an almighty and holy God without being consumed! Verses 9-11 describe Moses' understandable concern about attempting to do what God was calling him to do. But was the assurance God gave him for his encouragement? (vs 12)

God promised His presence with Moses in the task. When Jesus gave orders to His disciples to take the gospel into all the world He said to them “behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) We may not be called to great tasks, but even just being faithful to Christ when so many around us may be hostile to Him can require courage. We too can draw strength from the Lord's promised presence with His people.

In vs 13 Moses raised a legitimate problem he would face when telling the Israelites that “God has sent me to lead you out of Egypt”. Especially having had to flee Egypt in disgrace 40 years earlier. The answer God gave Moses in vs 14 is more complicated in English than in its original Hebrew form. One of the most common titles used for God in the Old Testament was the Hebrew word Elohim. But God tells Moses to use the name 'I am'. Now I'm not a Hebrew scholar, but I'm told that the Hebrew word there is 'Ehyeh', and implies 'being' or 'existence'. It's as if God declares Himself to be the self existent one. No surprise that in the New Testament book of Revelation we read the words “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8)

An English translation called 'The Expanded Bible' makes the comment that the Hebrew words in vs 14 are related to the name Yahweh, which is usually translated as “LORD,” and suggest that God eternally lives and is always with his people. Older English translations put this name as Jehovah. What was the important addition God gave to Moses to clarify to the Israelites just who it was who was sending him to lead them out of Egypt? (vs 15)

Moses was to tell them that it was the same God who had made Himself known to their forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and who had given them wonderful promises of an inheritance of a land of their own. What does this teach us about the message of the Bible?

I suggest it shows the harmony and consistency of the word of God. God created Adam and Eve, gave promises to Abraham, and was now raising up Moses to bring those promises to pass. He is a God who is always there, and who doesn’t change in the way that people do. So Proverbs 18:10 tells us that “the name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.” The New Testament endorsement of that was when the apostle Peter preached about the risen Saviour and said: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 2:38)