Exiting Egypt Chapter 3B P3

Exiting Egypt Chapter 3B P3

“Moses: A Reluctant Prophet”

Exodus 3:11-4:17

By Dennis Lee

Now let’s take a look at Moses second excuse and God’s reply

Read Ex. 3:13-22

Excuse #2 – Moses Didn’t Know God’s Name

On the surface this seems like a reasonable request. Moses didn’t know God’s name. So what would he tells the people if they ask, and they would ask. You see, in Egypt every deity had their own name, and people believed that it was necessary to know a god’s name in order to approach him and ask of him a favor, which would then give them a one-up on that deity, that that deity had to grant their request.

But like I said, it seemed reasonable on the surface, but what it really hinted at, and what was questioned wasn’t so much knowledge of his name, but whether God had the power to save and deliver them as promised.

You see, up to this point the people of Israel had been enslaved and tortured for hundreds of years, and in their minds God hadn’t shown any interest in them up to this point, so who is He, and if He hadn’t saved up to this point, what makes them now believe that He will, and it is all tied to His name.

We live in a world of unbelief and skepticism. Where has God been during the hurricane that swept away New Orleans? Where was God when the Tsunami killed and washed away thousands of people in Southeast Asia? Where was God when this latest earthquake hit Haiti killing thousands of people? Where was God when we lost a loved one, or when something bad went on in our life?

The problem is that people don’t know God, and so they question not only his power to save, but also they doubt His very existence. And this very fact should spur up to forward to declare that our God is mighty to save.

People need God; they need to be delivered from their bondages and saved from their enslavement to the sin and death. And to get this truth across, God says,

I AM WHO I AM." And He said, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you’ (EX. 3:14 NKJV)

What the Lord is literally saying is “I will be who I will be.” “I am who I always have been.” And so the name is meant to relay the reality that God is self-existent, eternal, perfect, absolute and uncaused by anyone’s imagination.

Throughout the Bible, God gives to us different names explaining a little more about his nature and character, like Jehovah-Jirah (the Lord our provider), Jehovah-Rahpa (the Lord who heals), Jehovah-Shalom (the Lord our peace), Jehovah-Tsabaoth (the Lord of hosts), Jehovah-Tsidkenu (the Lord our righteousness), or Jehovah-Shammah (the Lord is there).

You see, God’s character is wrapped up in His name, and so by giving us the name “I Am,” what is God telling us? First of all, this is not the first time humanity has heard this name, it was given by God to the descendents of Adam, as it says to Seth that God then began to be known by this name (Gen. 4:26). Later on, Jesus used this name in describing Himself. He called Himself, “I Am,” or by the holy name of God (Jn. 8:58).

The name that is associated with this is the name ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah.’ The name actually is only made up of four consonants, YHVH, and therefore has no real way of being pronounced. And so, through the ages, the name of God hasn’t been repeated, for to the Jews it is a holy name and cannot be stated. The names Yahweh or Jehovah are taken from these four consonants and then from the vowels of the word ‘Adonai’ which means lord or master. That is where we get these names.

And while that debate has raged throughout the centuries, what is important to understand is what the name means. It means that Jehovah is the redemptive name of God. That God, Jehovah, is the God of redemption, salvation and deliverance.

And to make this point, the Lord told Moses to gather the elders and declare this to them, that the great I AM is the same God of their forefathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and that the promises that He had made to them are the same promises that He makes to the people now.

Further, as the great I AM, God is concerned and cares for us even as He cared for Israel. As God saw and responded, so God sees everything that we are going through in our lives and, that as the great I AM, He will save and He will deliver.

And when you think about it, this is really the only name that Jesus could use to describe Himself. That He is the eternal I AM who has come to save and deliver.

And this is what we need to be proclaiming; that Jesus is the great I AM who came down from heaven to die upon the cross in order to deliver all who believe in Him from their bondage to sin and death. And Jesus rose again on the third day to prove His point.

Now, God told Moses that Pharaoh wouldn’t believe him at first, but he will have no choice but to let the people go, and when they go, God would give them favor so that they could ask the Egyptians for silver, gold and clothing. Basically, God was recompensing them for all of their labors in Egypt.

But seeing that the Pharaoh wouldn’t believe got Moses to thinking, which brings us to his third excuse.