This month of our study introduces us to the Savior as we learn about the name(s) of God. If you started today and just spent time studying the biblical titles and shades of meaning of the names of God, you would not be able to complete the assignment.

So much to learn.  So little time.  We can never plumb the depths of such an endeavor. It is so wonderful to know that we will have limit-less eternity to expound on the work.  We will be face to face with The One who made us, loves us, designed us for service, gives us strength for the work—The One who will be there to receive us into His arms at the finish line!

We begin our study on the back side of the desert in the land of Midian, east of Egypt.  Moses is minding his own sheep herding business as an employee of his father-in-law Jethro the priest of Midian.  For forty years, Moses has been hiding away from Pharaoh ruler of Egypt after he murdered an Egyptian who had been mistreating a fellow Jew. 

Moses has blown out 80 candles on his most recent birthday cake.  He doesn’t know it yet, but he is about to enter the third and final 40-year segment of his 120-year-old life herding knot-headed Israelites to the Land of Promise.  Covenant promises made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Genesis are about to be fulfilled.

Moses sees a familiar mountain named “Horeb” which means “wasteland.”  Mt. Horeb is also called Mt. Sinai.  Moses had become very familiar with this lay of the land as he herded sheep there.  “Seneh” means bush, especially a thorn bush.  Some writers say this could have been a thorny blackberry bush.  This time, there was a fire in the bush, but the bush was not being consumed by the fire.  The last time we saw a thorny bush was Genesis 22 and a ram was caught there.  This bush caught the attention of Moses.

The “angel of the Lord” appeared to Moses in this flame in the thorn bush.  Usually when this phrase is used in the Old Testament, these are “pre-incarnate” or “pre-flesh” or “pre-birth” appearances of Jesus.  In Acts 7:30-44, Stephen says that an angel appeared in the bush and the Lord spoke to Moses when he turned aside to investigate the flame.

When the Lord calls your name twice, you better report for duty!  God said, “Moses, Moses!”  Ole Mo replied, “Here am I!”  Then, God made sure to connect the Jewish nation covenant “dots” for Moses.  God declares Himself to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Moses removes his shoes and hides his face.  This is Holy God and Holy Ground.  Tenderly and personally and specifically to Moses, God also declares Himself to be the God of the father of Moses.  Amram, the father of Moses, would have been born from the tribe of priestly Levi during the 400+ years of captivity in Egypt. 

Exodus 1:4 declares that a king of Egypt arose who never remembered anything about Joseph and his brothers from 400+ years ago.  Earthly kings forget people, but God never forgets anything or anyone or any of His promises.  He has now come to use Moses to bring His people out of Egyptian bondage and into the Land of Promise. 

Moses then has two main questions for God.  First, “Who am I?” Then, “Who are You?” My grandmother had a book with this title, “Here am I, Send Aaron!”  The words convicted my soul every time I passed the bookshelf. When Moses basically asked, “Why Me, Lord?” God simply said, “I will be with you.”  That OUGHT to be enough!

Moses’ main concern was what to say to the leaders of Israel.  They are going to ask me for your name.  By announcing His name to Moses, God handed him a two-word “business card” that read: I AM.  His name is Yahweh.  In scripture, you will see the name LORD in all capital letters when the Hebrew reads Yahweh.  This word is derived from the verb HAYAH which means “to be.”  This name appears 6,800 times in scripture. His website could be www dot I AM dot come.

God declares Yahweh to be His forever name and His memorial name for all eternity.  This is His covenant promise name.  In His name we have the assurance that the Covenant Making God is the Covenant Keeping God.  The Patriarchs knew God by this name:  Genesis 4:26 (Seth), Genesis 12:8 and 15:1 (Abraham), Genesis 25:21-22 (Isaac), Genesis 28:13 (Jacob). Jesus declared Himself to be “I AM” at His arrest in Gethsemane as recorded in John 18:5. 

I like to think of it this way…God is eternally present tense.  He knows everything about the past.  God has never NOT been.  God knows everything about the future.  God will never NOT be.  God simply…is!  A precious black pastor friend of mine described God this way: “Gawd is Gawd all by Hisself.  He don’t need NO help!” Anne Graham Lotz has written, “God stands in the solitude of Himself.”  God stands outside of time and space, creator of all, limited by nothing or no one!  God is the Self-Existent One.

This name can also be connected to the Hebrew word “cayaim” which means life.  Yahweh can be expressed as “I am Who I am.  I will be Who I will be.”  You can also intensify the name to say, “I cause to be what is.” 

Moses got to stand at the burning thorn bush and hear Covenant God declare His holy name.  Moses would spend a year at this mountain again shortly after he led the Israelites out of Egypt through the Red Sea. Shall we gather at the blackberry bush?