Reflections

¹³Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?”  14God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.'”  Exodus 3:13-14

Before God appeared to Moses, the Israelites knew God to be the God of their forefathers.  God was referred to as the God of Abraham, God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.  When God appeared to Moses and told Moses that he was being sent to Egypt to free Israel, Moses asked God His name.  God responded “I AM WHO I AM”.  In other words, there is no one like God.  He is who He is.  He exists within Himself.  There is no one that created God; He is the creator of all things.  God does not change.  He is the same yesterday, today, tomorrow and forever.  We cannot fully comprehend who He is.  He is the beginning and the end.  He is eternal.  In God we have our being.

God had not revealed Himself as “I AM” before Moses.  So when Israel spoke about God, they referenced Him by the God that the forefathers worshipped.  In other words, there were those that worshipped other gods but Abraham, Isaac and Jacob worshipped God, so that is what Israel referred to until God revealed Himself as LORD to Moses.  He is Master.  He is above all names.  He is above all other gods.  He is Jehovah – Lord, the omnipotent One.