הָיָה – Yahweh

Exodus 3:1-14

¹Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ²And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. ³And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” ⁴When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” ⁵Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. ⁷Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, ⁸and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. ⁹And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. ¹⁰Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” ¹¹But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” ¹²He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” ¹³Then 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?” ¹⁴God 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.’ ”

After 40 years as a prince in Egypt and 40 years as a shepherd in the desert, Moses comes to the pivot point of his life. God – Yahweh – appears to him and calls him into the role that would fulfill his purpose in life. Moses has wandered far from his home in Midian in search of good grazing land for his sheep. He finds himself at Mt. Horeb (also known as Mt. Sinai – the same Mt. Sinai where a few months later Moses will meet with God and receive the 10 Commandments). There, a most unusual sight awaits him; a bush is burning but not being consumed, just as candle wick burns but is not consumed; the wax provides the fuel. In this case, God provides whatever is needed to keep the fire blazing without consuming the actual plant. This is of course an incredibly curious thing that Moses simply must investigate.

With the speaking of the words “Moses, Moses!” God begins a conversation with a man who probably knows very little about Him. God’s first words indicate to Moses a sense of care, concern, and intimacy. Whenever a person’s name was spoken twice it was an indication of good will and friendship. Of course Moses’ curiosity is piqued and he steps closer to learn more. Immediately he is instructed that this is God who is speaking to him and he now stands on holy ground; it’s time to stay back at a respectful distance and remove his sandals as a sign of his recognition of God’s holiness. God shares His great concern for the Children of Israel back in Egypt and His plan for Moses to go and speak with the Pharaoh on His behalf. Of course Moses says “who am I to receive such an assignment.” Finally, God tells Moses His name. This is a huge moment and one that Jesus Himself accesses as He speaks with His disciples, the people, and the Pharisees. “I AM who I AM.” These words mean “I Exist”. In that moment Moses knows that this is the Creator God who has always been. “I Exist” points to the fact that God is eternal; He has always been and will always be. Moses knows that despite living in a polytheistic world he is meeting the only One True God.

This is the same God that we worship today – the Eternal I AM. Just to be allowed to speak the name of God is a privilege and an honor. This is the God who created all things, called Abraham out of the darkness of paganism, anointed David as King, and sent Jesus into the world to die for our sins. We do a disservice to God and even to ourselves to take that name lightly or misuse it in any way. Jesus lays claim to the title of “I AM” and we bow down to Him with humble gratitude that the Great I AM shed His blood for our sin. Like Moses, we stand in humble awe and adoration.