No other name. Exodus 3:11-22 I feel like a bystander watching from a distance, as a prepared man meeting with his God is being commissioned to do God's work so that God might work through him. There is no question that this is holy ground. I, too, stand with my shoes off, feeling the impression of the ground beneath my feet. Feeling as insignificant as Moses, and even more so, I sense the pressure of the moment and the awareness of being singled out by God. There is rarified air here to breathe. There is an unseen world I am made more conscious of when my feet are bare. I can understand the phrase, "My heart is like wax." I have a real sense of the reluctance Jewish writers had, rather than mispronounce or misuse the name of God, to use the word "Adonai." Even printers had to find some way to identify the One who is indescribable, so they capitalized the word "LORD" in a feeble attempt to exalt Him.
When we find ourselves listening to God, who is the One inhabiting eternity and whose name is Holy, and then hear His word identifying us, that alone produces a sense of reverence and awe. When He assigns us a clear mission and designates us to carry it out, we become frightened by what seems impossible and even more because of the expectations God has for us. We are aware of our ability to accomplish such a task and fear the consequences of failing. It is then that we face the reality of our faith in Him.
Will God truly be with me? Will He work through me doing what I cannot do myself? Is His power accessible to me so I can achieve what is beyond my strength? Will He genuinely guide and help me do what He desires? Being aware of our need for God to serve Him acceptably and stepping forward in faith occurs when our trust and commitment to Him become genuine. The less we focus on ourselves and our abilities, the more prepared we are to serve our blessed LORD.
God told Moses, “I will be with thee,” and that phrase is the same word in Hebrew as “I AM.” The assurance of God's presence with us in any God-given endeavor requires obedience and trust first, and then God’s presence and blessing are confirmed after the task is completed. To seek a sign that suits us before acting solely on God's word is evidence of a lack of faith and doubt in God’s honesty. What a terrible thing it is for a man to doubt the One who is the sovereign of the universe!
How, then, can one explain who God is? We can't. If we could define God, He wouldn’t be God. He is beyond description. Anything or anyone who is infinite cannot be compared with what we know through our limited experience and ability. We can only rely on what we have personally experienced of God. Anyone who comes to God "must believe that He is..." - He exists. Faith in God is essential. There is evidence of Him all around us and even within us. The Creator has wired into our being an unrest that only finds rest in God.
Anyone who approaches God must believe He exists and be willing to sincerely seek Him. His infinite qualities, power, and authority surpass our understanding. He is unchanging in all aspects of His being, nature, standards, character, plans, and words. Human values, morals, and laws evolve and, as they do, tend to decline to meet human desires. People are not consistent, trustworthy, or reliable because they change, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today and forever.”
Many seek Him in their own ways. They might look for Him in nature, but that is God's creation — not Himself. Some stop there and say, "Nature is God." Others look for God within themselves, pondering their own person and personality, believing that the "image of God" is God. These people end up worshiping the creature instead of the Creator and make a self-centered choice that they themselves are a god. They claim a man is his own god.
God is eternal in His being, so there is no past, present, or future in Him as there are in mortals. God lives in an “eternal now,” and the words “I AM THAT I AM” describe One who is self-existent, eternal, and unchanging. God is who He is, what He was, and what He will be forever, and at this moment, He remains the same in His relationship with us as He was when He saved us. Even His name, “I AM,” defies a precise description, but we are confident He is True, Faithful, and Just, and His promises are trustworthy. God, who cannot lie, promised eternal life to those who put their personal faith in Him.
In the Gospel of John, our Lord Jesus Christ described Himself as the I AM in seven different ways. The amazing fact is that such a Person would love us and desire us to be with Him forever and enjoy eternal life with Him in a way that is full of satisfaction and meaning. We were created by Him and for Him, and we owe our very existence to Him. His intention is for people who choose to love Him to have a relationship with Him that lasts forever because they want that. Those who do not want Him in their lives now will face the consequences of their choices in this life. The eternal result of that choice is to be lost to God and separated from Him forever.
God instructed Moses to tell the elders of Israel that the One who sent him was the Lord God of their ancestors. The same God who made a covenant with the patriarchs was the One who authorized Moses to speak on their behalf to Pharaoh and to them for God. They had turned to Egypt's idols and were held captive in slavery, but now they were to understand their true identity. God had not abandoned them as they had abandoned Him. He had heard their suffering and cries and was about to show them that He is all-knowing and ever-present, demonstrating His power in a short time.
The best way to overcome our hesitation to share the truth of God with others is to tell them about our own experiences with Him. Moses was guided by God on how to do this. We are not left without guidance in this matter. "Go home and tell what great things God hath done for you." Our testimony of faith in Christ and His work in and through us cannot be refuted. No one can claim that our experiences are not true. We can judge whether what is testified to is of God. If an activity in our life shows evidence of godliness, it will bear the mark of Christ's life. The scriptures present images of Jesus and His life as examples, "that we should walk in His steps."
I do know that God is a Personality - He is not an idea or a figment of man’s imagination. There cannot be less in the Creator than in His creation. He is in everything but is distinct from all. The uniqueness of the Lord Jesus Christ when He was here revealed God to us. He was like us but different. Because He made us, we bear certain characteristics of Him. Our contact with God occurs when our dead spirits are awakened, and the quickening power of the Holy Spirit of God gives us life. Then, we begin to understand what previously were only questions. That’s when real life comes — life that grows and matures, rather than a deadness that lies motionless in spiritual darkness.
This I know: God is unchangeable. The passing of time and years does not affect God. He exists in an eternal "NOW." He has nothing to learn, for He is omniscient. He has nothing to gain because He is omnipotent and has created all things "by the word of His power." He is full of grace and mercy. He is, by His nature, love. He has "all power in heaven and earth." God remains unchanged in that He has nothing more to become. He is the Creator of life and glory. He is the sustainer of all things. He is the Father of the fatherless and the husband to the widow. We know in the Lord Jesus Christ "dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." He remains unchangeable. "Jesus Christ, [is] the same yesterday, today, and forever."
This I know: God is Reality. He cannot be, nor does He need to be in any way changed. He is without the need to adapt to anything, for "by Him, all things consist." His creation changes by the word of His power. We change by our nature and the passing of time. There is nothing to compare Him with. There is no way to describe Him. If we could describe Him, He wouldn't be God. We can, in a limited way, describe what He is not. The few words that speak of Him in the negative are at our disposal. "He is of holier eyes than to look upon sin." "God is greater than..." and we use the greatest things we know to make a negative comparison.
This I know: God has plans. There is unity in His creation. Divine imprints are in everything from atoms to the universe. An obvious order exists in everything, from seasons to years. These are simply physical and observable things that show evidence of a plan. From His Word, we know He has a plan to redeem lost souls, just as He revealed to Moses a plan for delivering Israel from Egypt. God planned for Redemption to be accomplished when the sinless substitute died in place of the sinful person. In Egypt, it was to be the sinless Passover lamb for the firstborn of each family. For us, it is the truth that "Christ died for the ungodly." He became one of us so we would have a substitute who permanently meets our needs. God has a kingdom to come in His plans. He has a family He calls His own in His plans. "We become children of God by faith in Jesus Christ." He has been choosing "a people for His name from among the nations."
God instructed Moses to tell the children of Israel that they would receive back pay for all their years of hard labor. It would be generously given by the Egyptians in gold, silver, precious stones, and clothing to compensate for what they had endured. Both they and we learn about God’s nature and His insight into human affairs on earth. He knows what His people go through and the attitude of unbelievers toward Him and His followers. His holiness, compassion, faithfulness, patience, and concern for His people's well-being are recorded for our blessing.
He wanted Israel to be a kingdom of priests, but Israel did not fulfill His demand of a holy nation. He has created through a "new creation" a kingdom of priests from all people who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and will "worship the Father in spirit and in truth." God reveals Himself to people at the right time in a way that best encourages them to act in faith and trust His word. He promises to be with us and guide us through His truth. Clear evidence of Him surrounds us so that we will not only act in faith but also worship Him when we remember His mercy and grace toward us.
Our worship and interaction with God are not merely repetitive acts rooted in the past; they reveal that God is with us now, manifesting Himself in ways that impact our lives, shape our purpose, and even offer us glimpses of the future. Although “eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man the things God hath prepared for them that love Him,” we are still motivated by our love for Christ and His love for us to live by faith in Him and for Him.
The nature of God is described and observed by Moses as a flame of fire. "Our God is a consuming fire" is another description. He is like the sun that reveals what has been hidden by the dark. The warmth of the sun gives comfort and has the power to bring forth life that is hidden and dormant in the seed. The sun can purify and provide light to guide the footsteps of the traveler. God is a covenant-keeping God. He formed covenants with those of old. Now, by means of a new covenant with the blood of Christ to ratify it, He has formed this agreement with those who believe. "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish." "He that hath the Son hath life."
Those who have already died in Christ are secured forever with Him. We who are alive now are confident that we possess the life of God that He has promised. Although God's nature cannot be fully described, we know Him as the Great I AM. We understand that there is "none other name under heaven, given among men, whereby we must be saved." God, through the perfection of our Lord Jesus Christ, has drawn near to us, and we do not need to be afraid. Moses had his mission to fulfill in his time to the people of Israel. We have ours today to reach the lost who are living in this ungodly world.
EXODUS 4.