What's Your Name

"...Now they may say to me,

'What is His name?'

What shall I say to them?"

Exodus 3:13

For four generations the Israelites had been in Egypt. Egypt was a polytheistic nation. They worshipped many gods, all who had a name. In all honesty if Moses had announced to the Israelites that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and appeared to him, most all of Israel would have been satisfied with this name. I believe Moses was still searching for more strength to be obedient. He was trying to cover all the angles and answer all the possible questions.Which can be a good thing when it comes with the attitude of obedience.

God answers Moses with "...I AM WHO I AM..." (Exodus 3:14). I heard a pastor preach on this glorious name of God and he shared that God could not look around at anything or anyone and say "I am like that" or "I am like him." God is incomparable.

I AM WHO I AM translates in Hebrew to YHWH and appears in Scripture as LORD. When God gives Moses this name He does not remove the part of His name that designates Him in this time of the sons of Israel. Exodus 3:15 declares, "God, furthermore, said to Moses, 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob has sent me to you.' This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations."

Why did God continue to include Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

He included them because of covenant. God is in covenant with Abraham and his descendants and this covenant still holds. This covenant is what distinguishes Him for us from all other gods. Many claim that they serve the same God as Jews and Christians. Many say it is the same God just a different name. The Word of God, however, is very clear, any god is not God. The One True Living God is the LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In John 4:22 Jesus is speaking with a Samaritan woman and He tells her, "You worship what you do not know: we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews."

Now as we take this memorial-name of God and we remember that there was no one to whom God could compare Himself, we go through the time of man, through the generations, through the covenants, and we stop at the birth of Christ. "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." (Matthew 1:23) Finally God would look down from heaven and say I AM like HIM. Jesus, God in the flesh, God with us.

Jesus first appeared to His own, to those who should know His name. He said "Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins." (John 8:24)

Jesus went on to say to them in John 8:58, "...Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am." The Jews knew that Jesus was declaring Himself the I AM because they picked up stones to throw at Him.

He used God's memorial-name to all generations and attached it to Himself. He could because He was and is God.

And He is the radiance of His glory

and the exact representation of His nature,

and upholds all things by the word of His power.

When He had made purification for sins,

He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

Hebrews 1:3

Oh Father,

I bless Your name. I bless Your holy name. I thank You my LORD, for You have revealed yourself to me. You have revealed Yourself to the world. You have revealed Yourself through Your creation, Your Law, Your Word, Your covenants, Your prophets, and finally through Jesus Christ. You have left us without excuse to claim ignorance. My Jesus You are the I AM. I believe that You are God with us and I believe that You made purification for my sins by Your blood. I believe that You rose again and that You now sit at the right hand of the Majesty on high, interceding on my behalf. I believe and therefore I know that I will not die in my sins, but I too will rise again and join You for all eternity. Oh Father, in this I rejoice and in this I praise Your name, for You are forever my LORD.

My Jesus it is in Your name I pray,

Amen