Saturday after Ash Wednesday

Exodus 3:1-22

God Reveals His Name, Himself

It’s a great thing when God reveals Himself, especially when you live in a time before any holy book was written.  We take God’s revelation for granted since we have his infallible word written before our very eyes: The Holy Bible.  But not Moses – he hadn’t written it yet.  That would come later when the Holy Spirit would breathe His words through him so that he could write those books which came to be called “the Law,” that is, Genesis through Deuteronomy.  No.  Moses didn’t have the Bible.

But Moses had God, or God had Moses, we should say.  So when Moses one day spied a burning bush that wasn’t burning up, he turned aside to see what for.  That’s when God revealed Himself, and the divine “gotcha,” otherwise known as a “call,” came to Moses.  God explained to Moses that He had heard the cries of His people, knew their sufferings, and intended to send Moses to Pharaoh with the news, “Let my people go!”  Pharaoh, of course, would decline.

What is most significant about this passage is the way God revealed Himself to Moses, the way he described Himself.  He comes to Moses calling Himself “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  One might argue, “What other way was there that God might use to tell Moses who He was?”  Perhaps.  But I think more is being said about God here.  God wants us to know that He is not some God who just showed up on the scene.  He is the God of our fathers whose plan of redemption He laid before the foundation of the world.  He has claimed not only us (we have such short memories and tend to be arrogant about our own generation) but previous generations as well, and will not save us without them (Hebrews 11:39-12:2).

And then he revealed to Moses that wonderful personal name: “I Am,” otherwise known as “Jehovah” or “Yahweh,” depending on transliteration, or simply “the LORD” in most Bibles.  “I Am.”  Why in the world, out of all the personal names God could have chosen for Himself, did He pick this one?  Actually, it’s a perfect name for God.  Why?  Because He just simply, well … is.  And the rest of us are, only because He is.  It’s a way of expressing that only He has life in Himself, and is eternal, infinite, holy, beyond all of our puny attempts to describe Him.  He was, is, is to come, and ever shall be.  Upon whom else will you cast your burden, your faith, your salvation?  He is.  Hallelujah!

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor View all posts by The Reformed Baptist