Portion for Reading Exo 1-4Message Exo 3:14
Then Moses said to God, "Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?" And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM ." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
Hebrew words Eheyeh Asher Eheyeh
I AM THAT (who or what) I AM – or, I AM the self –existent One; the eternal; the one who always has been and always will be (Ps 90:2). This is short lined to I AM here, the ever- present and living one. It is equilent to Jehovah the eternal.
1. And God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." Is there a difference between I AM WHO I AM and I AM and Yahweh? Not really, because each of these sayings express the same idea.
i. Cole on: I AM WHO I AM: "This pithy clause is clearly a reference to the name YHWH. Probably 'Yahweh' is regarded as a shortening of the whole phrase, and a running together of the clause into one word." In verse 15, when God says: Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "The LORD God of your fathers . . .", God is referring back to the name I AM WHO I AM.
iii. How did this name come to be pronounced Jehovah? The pious Jews of later years did not want to pronounce the name of God out of reverence, so they left the vowels out of His name and simply said the word Lord (adonai) instead. If the vowels of the word adonai are put over the consonants for YHWH, you can get the name "Jehovah." All this came about much later; in the days of Bible, the name was pronounced Yah-weh or Yah-veh.
2. And they say to me, "What is His name?" what shall I say to them? Rightfully, Moses sensed he needed credentials before the people of Israel. Before, he thought he had the credentials because he was a prince of Egypt. 40 years of tending sheep took away his sense of self-reliance.
i. When God revealed Himself to man in the days of the patriarchs it was often associated with a newly revealed name or title for God.
Abraham, in the encounter with Melchizedek called on God Most High (Genesis 14:22)
Abraham later encountered Almighty God (Genesis 17:1)
Abraham came to know the LORD as Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33), and The-
LORD-Will-Provide (Genesis 22:14)
Hagar encountered You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees (Genesis 16:13)
Jacob met El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20) and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7).
3. I AM has sent me to you: God tells Moses His name is I AM because God simply is; there was never a time when He did not exist, or a time when He will cease to exist.
i. The name I AM has within it the idea of aseity - that God is completely independent; that He relies on nothing for life or existence (Isaiah 40:28-29; John 5:26). God doesn't need anybody or anything - life is in Himself.
ii. Also inherent in the idea behind the name I AM is the sense that God is "the becoming one"; God becomes whatever is lacking in our time of need. The name I AM invites us to fill in the blank to meet our need - when we are in darkness, Jesus says I am the light; when we are hungry, He says I am the bread of life, when we are defenseless, He says I am the Good Shepherd. God is the becoming one, becoming what we need.
4. I AM: This is a divine title that Jesus took upon Himself often, clearly identifying Himself with the voice from the burning bush.
i. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM [He], you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)
ii. Then Jesus said to them, "When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM [He], and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things." (John 8:28)
iii. Jesus said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM." (John 8:58)
iv. Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I AM (John 13:19)
v. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, "Whom are you seeking?" They answered Him, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I AM [He]." And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, "I am [He]," they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6)