“Ego Sum Qui Sum”
Exodus 3:13-17
Today we are continuing our sermon series in the 3:16s of the Bible. John 3:16 is perhaps the most famous Bible verse in all of Scripture. Other books of the Bible have a chapter 3 and some significant verses occur on or around the 16th verse. Today the significant verse happens to be 3:14 which is pretty close to 3:16!
INTRODUCTION… Baby Names, buzzle.com/articles/weird-baby-names.html; babycenter.com/0_most-popular-baby-names-through-history_1508595.bc; behindthename.com/names/usage/biblical
Today we will be thinking about names. As we think about names, let’s take a look at what the popular names are for babies. From what I can tell, Sophia and Emma have reigned supreme for girls’ names for quite some time. For boys, Jackson and Liam seem to be quite popular. There are unusual names which crop of every so often and I like to read those. For boys, I can imagine Gordo, Ham, Nice, Neon, and Perky being made fun of on the playground. Let me put it this way, I’d make fun of them. For girls, Bossie and Flick seem to be two that I would probably shy away from.
The 21st Century is all about technology and this website shared some names of actual babies. You could always name your child Hashtag and you can be confident they’ll always be trending. Your son Facebook would always check-in with you. Your daughter Google will be a know-it-all. Like is a weird name and Siri seems to be a natural name that should be trending up there with Sophia and Emma.
I happen to think that names mean something and are given for a purpose. Perhaps you have a family name or bear a middle name that was important to your mother or father. Names in the Bible were believed to be intimately connected to the essence of the individual (OT IVP Background Commentary, pg 80). In the Bible, names of children often reflect what God was doing in the parent’s lives at the time of their birth. Names of children also are given to signify something significant going on in the world around them. Some people received a change in name from God to match what He was doing in their lives.
Absalom son of David’s name means “my father is peace”
King Rehoboam son of Solomon’s name means “he enlarges the people”
Onesimus was a slave in the NT whose name meant “profitable”
Abram “high father” to Abraham “the father of many”
Jacob “supplanter” to Israel “struggled with God”
Saul “prayed for” to Paul “humble”
In Exodus 3 a very important name is given. In Exodus 3 we find Moses, future leader of the Israelites, tending flocks and living his life (verse 1). He finds himself out and about and is confronted with a sight he’d never seen before. He sees a bush that is on fire, but is not burned up in the flame (verse 2). Natural explanations of the burning bush abound from a bush that exudes a flammable sap to a bush covered brightly in leaves and berries. The passage tells us specifically God causes the flames to be in the bush (verse 2) and God uses the flames to speak to Moses (verses 4-21)… so I’m going to go with that miraculous explanation as to what happened. As Moses approaches the bush, he is instructed to take off his sandals because God’s presence is there and the ground is holy (verses 5-6). God explains to Moses that He has kept a watchful eye on the people of Israel and it was now time for them to come out of slavery and occupy the land promised to Abraham. God calls Moses to lead His people.
Moses does not immediately accept the job, but rather complains and offers excuses. He complains that he is a nobody (3:11). He claims that he has no authority (3:13). Later on he says he has no power to complete the task (4:1) and also that he cannot speak well in front of people (4:10). God accepts none of Moses’ excuses and meets every need he has and those he has yet to anticipate.
Amidst the back and forth dialogue of Moses and God, Moses asks a great question. Verse 13 shares with us that question and God’s answer that follows. Let’s read.
READ EXODUS 3:13-17
“Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" 15 God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob-- has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation. 16 "Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers-- the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob-- appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 And I have promised to bring you up out of your misery in Egypt into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites-- a land flowing with milk and honey.'”
I. THE NAME OF GOD (verse 14)
Moses asks God His name. This was not an unusual request coming from Moses since he will be showing up in Egypt speaking to the people of Israel and he will need more than just… hey… let’s get out of here. We should not forget that Moses’ first 40 years of life were in Egypt where there were a plethora of gods and each one had a name that reflected their area of influence. It was in this second 40 year period of his life that he came to know and firmly believe in the God of his family and heritage (verse 6).
God tells Moses His name is “I Am Who I Am.” Verse 14 shares with us that God told Moses to tell the people “’I Am’ has sent me to you.” In Hebrew, the letters are YHWH which is why when referring to God in church or Bible studies you might hear the name Yahweh. In Greek, transliterated letters are JHVH which is where we get “Jehovah” from and you can find this word often in the KJV. In Latin, the name is “Ego sum qui sum” (eggo-suma-kwee-suma) In English, the name is “I Am Who I Am.”
What is significant about this name? The name God gives Moses to tell the People of Israel is a significant one and is a Name that teaches us about many qualities of the God we worship. It is good and right that you and I have a correct view of God as we worship Him and as we live our lives obeying His commands.
First, I AM teaches us that God is Eternal. [TIME] God is always. God is continual. One of the ways that I AM informs us about God is that our God is outside of time and is not bound to time like you and I are. We grow old. We endure every second of every day. God simply exists and always has. Another way of putting this is that the God we love and serve is omnipresent and is always with us no matter where we find ourselves. God’s eternal nature is spoken about often in Scripture:
* Genesis 21:33, “Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.”
* Isaiah 26:4, “Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.”
* Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.”
* 1 Timothy 1:17, “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
Second, I AM teaches us that God is Uncaused. [POWER] God by His very nature and existence is the Creator of all things. To put it another way, God is the First Cause of all things that exist. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) was a Catholic Priest and Christian Thinker who said, “Nothing is caused by itself. Every effect has a prior cause. This leads to a regress. This has to be terminated by a first cause, which we call God” (Summa Theologica). When God says that His Name is “I Am,” He is claiming that He is the cause of everything that exists. God’s power is spoken about often in Scripture:
* Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
* Isaiah 44:6, "This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God.”
* Romans 11:36, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.”
Third, I AM teaches us that God is Unconditioned. [ABSOLUTE]. What do I mean by that? I don’t mean He is without air conditioning. By saying God is unconditioned, I mean that God exists as the absolute quality of everything. There are no conditions or “ifs” “ands” or “buts” on the characteristics of God and His qualities. He exists as the absolute form of everything He possesses.
God is not only faithful, but Absolutely Faithful (Deut 7:9, Deut 32:4, Amos 5:14, 1 Cor 1:9, 10:13, 2 Cor 1:18)
God is not only good, but Absolute Good (Psalm 73:1, Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19, 3 John 11)
God is not only holy, but Absolutely Holy (Joshua 24:19, 1 Samuel 2:2, Psalm 77:13, Psalm 99:5, 9, etc)
God is not only just, but Absolutely Just (Deut 32:4, Job 8:3, 34:12, Isaiah 30:18, 2 Thessalonians 1:6)
God is not only love, but Absolute Love (1 Kings 8:23, Joel 2:13, Jonah 4:2, 1 John 4:8).
Fourth, I AM teaches us that God is Independent. [WILL] God has a purpose and a will that is not dependent on anything or anyone else. God’s will does not shift from one thing to another for it is constant. God’s will is not fickle. God’s will is not dependent on our obedience or disobedience and is accomplished to matter what. God’s will is something that can guide us in our lives as the perfect path of life because it is always holy, always good, and always best.
* Matthew 6:9-10, "This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
* Romans 8:27-28, “And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”
* Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is-- his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
* 1 John 3:9, “No one who is born of God’s will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.”
Fifth, I AM teaches us that God is Self-Sufficient. [NEED] What does God need to exist? Nothing. What does God need to make Himself complete? Nothing. What does God need to accomplish what He started? Nothing. What relationship does God need to fulfill His desires? No one. God exists as a complete whole being that is in need of nothing or no one.
* Acts 17:24-27, “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”
SUMMARY: TRUST
Moses is called by God to lead His people out of Egypt in Exodus 3. In the course of the conversation, God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth, revealed His name to Moses. It is a special name reserved for God that at the same time encapsulates Who He is and also describes our ability NOT to define Him. Our God is Eternal. Our God is Uncaused. Our God is Unconditioned. Our God is Independent. Our God is Self-Sufficient.
What does that mean for us exactly? In my mind, the character of someone, their motivations, their needs, and their track record all factor into whether or not I can trust them. The same, in my own mind, applies to God. Based on His character… based on His motivations… based on His lack of needs… based on His track record throughout recorded human history… the Lord God Almighty, the I AM, the omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, omnitemporal, and omnibenevolent God is worthy of my trust.
ILLUSTRATION… http://www.pedagonet.com/blog/2006/10/god-and-forrest-gump.html
It is an old old joke with a horrible punch line, but I am going to use it anyway because I like it and even after I have heard it 100 times and probably told it 100 times I still think it is funny.
Forrest Gump dies and goes to Heaven. He is at the Pearly Gates, met by St. Peter himself. However, the gates are closed and Forrest approaches the Gatekeeper. St. Peter says, "Well, Forrest, it's certainly good to see you. We have heard a lot about you. I must tell you, though, that the place is filling up fast, and we've been administering an entrance examination for everyone. The test is short, but you have to pass it before you can get into Heaven."
Forrest responds, "It shor is good to be here , St. Peter, sir. But nobody ever tolt me about any entrance exam. Shor hope the test ain't too hard; life was a big enough test as it was."
St. Peter goes on, "Yes, I know, Forrest, but the test is only three questions:
First: What two days of the week begin with the letter T?
Second: How many seconds are there in a year?
Third: What is God's first name?"
Forrest leaves to think the questions over.
He returns the next day and sees St. Peter who waves him up and says, "Now that you have had a chance to think the questions over, tell me your answers." Forrest says, "Well, the first one -- which two days in the week begin with the letter "T"? Shucks, that one's easy. That'd be Today and Tomorrow." The Saint's eyes open wide and he exclaims, "Forrest, that's not what I was thinking, but you do have a point, and I guess I didn't specify, so I'll give you credit for that answer.
How about the next one?" asks St. Peter. "How many seconds in a year?" "Now that one's harder," says Forrest, "but I thunk and thunk about that and I guess the only answer can be twelve." Confounded, St. Peter says, "Twelve? Twelve!? Forrest, how in Heaven's name could you come up with twelve seconds in a year?"
Forrest says "Shucks, there's gotta be twelve: January 2nd, February 2nd,March 2nd. . ."
"Hold it, " interrupts St. Peter. "I see where you're going with this, and I see your point, though that wasn't quite what I had in mind.....but I'll have to give you credit for that one, too.
Let's go on with the third and final question. Can you tell me God's name"?
"Sure" Forrest replied, "Its Andy." “Andy?!" exclaimed an exasperated and frustrated St. Peter. "Ok, I can understand how you came up with your answers to my first two questions, but just how in the world did you come up with the name Andy as the first name of God?"
"Shucks, that was the easiest one of all," Forrest replied. "I learnt it from the song. . . . "Andy walks with me, Andy talks with me, Andy tells me I am his own . . ." St. Peter opened the Pearly Gates and said: "Run Forrest, run." [Hymnal #425]
II. WHAT DOES GOD DO? (verses 16-17)
God is sending Moses to the Israelites who are under oppression in Egypt. God commands Moses to go to Egypt and gather the leaders of the people together and speak to them. Not only is Moses armed with the name of God as proof that God has sent this stranger into their midst to lead them, but Moses is also armed with a message from God. Moses is to share two things from God that He has done for them while they have been in the midst of slavery and oppression. In verses 16-17, the phrase “I have” is repeated twice and shares with us what God Almighty has been doing for His people.
“I HAVE WATCHED OVER YOU”
In verse 16, God says “I have watched over you” (verse 16). I can imagine as Moses approaches the people of God that they might be wondering where God is at. They have been in slavery for 400 years. Some of them might be discouraged because they felt abandoned by God. Moses arrives on the scene and explains to the people of God that God Almighty, the I AM, has seen their plight and slavery and in His timing and will it is now time for them to come out of slavery.
I thought the word used in verse 16 was interesting… “watched.” That word is not a passive word, but an active one. Watchful is more than just seeing, but implies an action. Watchful applies to a guard on duty on a military base. Watchful applies to a lifeguard at the beach or at a pool. Watchful applies to a good babysitter. Watchful means seeing and being aware, but also taking action to protect, heal, guard, and discipline or anything else needed. “Watchful” is vision plus action.
I encourage you today by telling you that the same God who “watched” over His people in slavery in Egypt also watches over us. The same God who miraculously appeared to Moses in a burning bush sees us in our lives and in our pain. The same God who is Eternal, Uncaused, Unconditioned, Independent, and Self-Sufficient watches us and blesses us and celebrates with us in the good times. God watches over those who believe in Him.
* Psalm 33:18, “But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love…”
* Psalm 34:15, “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry…”
* Psalm 121:7-8, “The LORD will keep you from all harm-- he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”
God is watchful over your cancer, dementia, broken bones, hurt back, stabbing pain, and surgery recovery.
God is watchful over your hurt heart, mourning soul, tears of grief, and feelings of lost-ness.
God is watchful over your addiction to alcohol, pornography, marijuana, or the prescription pills.
God is watchful over your struggle with gossip, homosexuality, temptation to steal, and temptation to cheat.
God is watchful as you endure a horrible boss, disappointing co-workers, rising bills, or a loss of income.
This passage, those in the Psalms we read, as well as other passages in the Old and New Testaments, tell us that I AM is watchful and does not just see what is going on, but acts for our good in the midst of our lives and accomplishes His perfect will in us (Romans 8:28). What I hope we understand and believe that God is able to watch over us and care for us because He is I AM. There is nothing He cannot see. There is nothing He cannot redeem in us. God is all about vision plus action.
“I HAVE PROMISED TO BRING YOU UP”
In verse 17, God says, “I have promised to bring you up” (verse 17). This particular verse communicates to the Israelites that God is promising to bring them out of Egypt from slavery and place them in a land of plenty and in a land of safety.
God promises them a land of their own.
God promises them freedom.
God promises that His presence will be with them constantly.
God promises them that their material needs will be met.
Can the Israelites in slavery in Egypt trust God? Can the people trust this Moses who will be coming to them who says God has a plan for their release from captivity? Can the people trust that God’s will for them is best? Can they trust in God even though they cannot see exactly where He is leading them? Can the people trust God?
Based on who God is as I AM, I hope you know and believe what the Israelites should have known and believed. Our God is completely trustworthy and will accomplish everything He has promised. Passage after passage in the Bible assures us that our God is One who keeps His promises to His people. He is trustworthy.
* Numbers 23:19, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”
* Joshua 23:14, “You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the LORD your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”
* 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.”
What does God promise us?
ILLUSTRATION… http://www.gotquestions.org/promises-of-God.html
God promised salvation to all who believe in His Son (Romans 1:16–17)
God promised that all things will work out for good for His children (Romans 8:28)
God promised comfort in our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3–4)
God promised new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
God promised every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3)
Our inheritance is reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4)
God promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6)
God promised peace when we pray (Philippians 4:6–7)
God promised to supply our needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19)
Jesus promised rest (Matthew 11:28–30)
Jesus promised abundant life to those who follow Him (John 10:10).
Jesus promised eternal life to those who trust Him (John 4:14)
The Good Shepherd also promised to hold us securely (John 10:28)
Jesus promised His disciples power from on high (Acts 1:8)
Jesus promised that He will return for us (John 14:2–3)
CONCLUSION
