SCRIPTURE: Exodus 3
OBSERVATION/APPLICATION:
God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” [Exodus 3:14] Moses was a Hebrew raised in Pharoah’s courts. How much does He know of His ancestry? Does He know Who God is? If Moses was confident in His early years (killing the Egyptian indicates a boldness of character), 40 years of exile in the wilderness as a shepherd has deflated that confidence. Here we see him making excuse after excuse to not fulfill God’s mission. God’s answer is not “you can do it” or “you are uniquely qualified” but “I AM…” This is still God’s answer today!
In Hebrew, the letters for God’s Name are YHWH (Yahweh). Today’s bibles translate this Name as LORD. In order not to dishonour this holy Name, Jews would pronounce adonai, which is Hebrew for Lord or Master. Because the original Hebrew does not contain vowels, some have added the vowels of adonai to YHWH to make yahowah (or Jehovah).
The meaning of God’s name is mysterious, and this is good. The One who is revealed by a burning bush cannot be explained or defined. But neither is He totally irrelevant or beyond us. His Name “I Am Who I Am” can also be “I Am That I Am” or “I Will Be What I Will Be”. In the context, I see this Name meaning: All that I am is everything that you need.
Jesus sheds light on this when He takes the words “I AM” and bread of life, resurrection and the life, the way, truth and life, the gate, the light of the world, etc. I other words, you need light, I AM your light; you need life, I AM your light; you need hope, I AM your hope, etc. Jesus states categorically that He is the God Who appeared to Moses: Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was even born, I Am!” [John 8:58].
In the case of Moses: you need miracles, I AM your source of miracles; you need help speaking, I AM your voice; you need confidence, I AM your confidence. I am with You, all that I am is everything that you need!
In our case today, whatever our circumstance, He is everything that we need. He is our strength, our hope, our purpose, our healer, our guide, our friend, our master, our judge, our king, etc.
PRAYER:
Lord, You are YHWH, my Lord, everything that I need. May I rely on You today as I fulfill my mission.
This reading describes the start of the mid years of Moses’ life – the second forty years. God prepares His people for service. Moses was prepared not only in the courts of Egypt but also out with the sheep. Both a high and low education. One man focussed and one time spent with God – all in preparation. God uses Moses for His purpose, yet Moses needed the eyes to see – the burning bush and stop and go and listen and then go and do as the Lord commanded.
As God prepared Moses, so too He has prepared me. I too need to stop and listen to the I AM Who supplies all my needs. All too often I state that I am a slow learner, not standing on the promises of the I AM Who sent me. I need to stand on the His promises and not my own strength and power. He too has equipped me by my previous experiences and years of service.
As we prepare to celebrate the reason for the season, we (my wife and I) reflected on what the Lord has given us – more than we even imagined or dared hope for. And we continue our ministry here, and stand on the threshhold of a new year, help me Lord, always to depend on You – the I am – Who supplies all of your needs, even the words you need to speak. WoW!
Lead on, O King eternal,
The day of march has come;
Henceforth in fields of conquest
Thy tents shall be our home.
Through days of preparation
Thy grace has made us strong;
And now, O King eternal,
We lift our battle song.