When
Moses was told to go to Egypt and demand the release of the
Israelite slaves,
he was understandably hesitant. “Who
am
I that I should go to Pharaoh?” he asked (Exodus 3:11). More specifically he said,
“Suppose I go to
the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent
me to you,’
and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”
(verse
13). Moses needs God’s
name!
Names
are interesting. Your name
is one of the
most personal things about you, but you did not choose it. It was given to you. Names come with baggage, both
good and
bad. When Sara and I were
choosing baby
names, we had a terrible time! One
would
suggest a name, the other would say something like, “No! That name reminds me of a
rude kid that went
to school with me”. Names
sometimes
have a character about them and that makes us say things like,
“She does not
look like a Nancy! A
Betty, maybe, but
not a Nancy!”
In
fact, there is a sense in which you really do not know someone
until you know
their name. I did not grow
up here, so I
am always asking people, “Do you know a guy who works at the
Credit Union and
drives a blue truck? Plays
hockey. Tall dude”.
You can know a lot about a person, but until you know their
name, you
really do not know them.
In
response to Moses’ request, God says, “I am who I am” (verse 14). This phrase could be
translated “I was”, “I
am”, or “I will be”. It
was a reminder
to Moses that he was dealing with the creator who was before all
things, is in
all things now and will outlast everything in the end. This is also the phrase from
which the Jews
get the name “Yahweh” which is their special name for God. It is a reminder of the fact
that he cares
for, protects and loves them. Yahweh
is
a relationship name!
Interestingly,
once Moses hears that name and focuses on his relationship with
God, he is
ready to go! In fact,
nothing can stop
him!
It
is
not enough to a know a little bit about God.
We need to know
God by name!
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