Episode 350 - "God reveals his name" - Exodus 3:13-22
Ex. 3:13 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. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
In this section, Moses asked the LORD a simple question and received a lot more information than he probably expected. It’s already appearing that Moses has not yet bought into the idea of going back to Egypt. I don’t know whether his question is born of skepticism, curiosity, or perhaps a measure of both. I suggest we give Moses the benefit of the doubt and that he is truly curious. He knows that the Egyptians worshipped many gods. It’s reasonable to assume these Israelites have become accustomed to the names of at least some of those gods. They would want to know the identity of this supposed god that Moses is claiming will deliver them out of their bondage. In other words, Moses suspects that they will be as skeptical or curious as he is.
Scholars debate the best interpretation of the Hebrew that is translated in the ESV as “I AM WHO I AM.” Without getting into the weeds of the interpretation of the Hebrew text, let’s consider the implications of this statement based upon what has already been revealed about the LORD in Genesis and the first few chapters of Exodus. The first thing the Scriptures reveal about God is that he already existed in the beginning. God never became. He never used to be. God is the Creator and the source of life. He never had a beginning. He is always, “I am.”
The God of Abraham single-handedly judged the world of rebellious humanity in the flood, and yet divinely and graciously preserved a man named Noah, whom the LORD deemed righteous, along with his family. God chose a man named Abram to be the progenitor of a people group through whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed. God knew in advance what would happen much later and made promises to Abram and his descendants that he would fulfill. It’s good to know that a God who is both just and merciful is “I am.” He was just and merciful in the past. He is just and merciful in the present and will be just and merciful in the future because he always is “I am.”
God defies exhaustive explanation. He cannot be labeled and limited. When he told Moses to tell the people, “I AM has sent me to you” (Exo. 3:14), it seems the LORD knew that name would get their attention. The LORD continued to explain that this is his name forever and it was to be remembered for generations. This is a God that doesn’t change or evolve. This revelation should be understood as conveying the idea that future generations can trust this God to be faithful to his word and to fulfill his promises.
Finally, the LORD promises again that he will deliver the Israelites to a land flowing with milk and honey (plenty of food and provision). He reveals that Pharaoh will not like the idea of letting the people go, but that the LORD will compel him to do so. Furthermore, the LORD will inspire the Egyptians to give them valuables. The LORD is not just laying out a strategy. He is foretelling the way things will happen. In doing so, he is setting himself up to demonstrate that he can truly do whatever he promises and is true to his word. If things transpire according to what the LORD has foretold, there is no excuse not to trust his word and obey his commands.
Spoiler alert: He pulls it off.