God The Great I Am

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Scripture: Exodus 3:13-15 (ESV)

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 forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

Devotion:

            In this scripture passage we consider the divine name of God. Moses who had turned aside from what he was doing to see the awesome sight of a bush that was on fire yet not consumed, was being instructed to go back to Egypt to lead the Hebrew slaves out of slavery. However, Moses had several objections or excuses that he believed disqualified him from going. In this passage we meet his first objection.

            Moses felt that the people were going to doubt his ability to do the thing that God was asking him to do. So, he asked for God’s name. God replied, “I AM WHO I AM”. God shows us in these words how we are to understand God. Our God is not a regional God, he is the God who created the entire universe by speaking it into existence. He is complete in and of himself. He needs no help to accomplish His goals, yet He has chosen Moses to lead the people out of slavery into glorious freedom.

            The meaning of God’s name is simple yet profound. Jesus some 3,000 years later would take the divine name as His own. A bold move that in was, in part, the reason He was eventually crucified. No other human being could claim what Jesus was proclaiming about Himself and be justified in doing so. Jesus was, of course, justified by His rising from the dead on that first Easter morning.

            The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses is still alive today. God is active in the world. God has given us a Bible we can read and discern His will for us in everyday life. The Holy Spirit comes among us and makes God’s presence real to us even though we can never physically see Him. We are assured by the scriptures that the great I AM loves us, and He will see to it that we live forever with Him.

            So, do not be fooled by our culture that tells us that we can be the “I AM” apart from God. We cannot claim the title “I AM” for ourselves. True, we may struggle with our identity from time to time, but we who follow Jesus have our identity in Him. The identity that we have in Jesus is permanent, never changing, and powerful. Let us rejoice that we can be united with God.

Prayer:

            Lord we lift our hearts and voices in praise for your Holy Name. You are forever set above the heavens and the earth on your glorious throne. Let all your people rejoice that you are our all in all. Glory to you Heavenly Father, Redeemer Son, and Blessed Holy Spirit. Amen. 

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