This week in Living on the Rock, we are discussing the primary name of God: YAHWEH. I am that I am, the name by which God introduced Himself to Moses and Israel.

In Exodus 3, God shows up in a burning bush and introduces Himself to Moses as Yahweh, I AM THAT I AM. In this introduction Yahweh says (3 x in Exodus 3) “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” He places Himself squarely in Israel’s history.

This is the God who made Israel a tribe and a people. And He is now intervening directly in their history.

In this first introduction of Yahweh to His people through Moses (Exodus 3), we learn several things about Yahweh:

• He sees, gives heed to, is aware of their affliction.
• He responds to their affliction by coming down to deliver them.
• He hears their cries.
• He promises to be WITH them (Moses in this part of the story, but the promise is extended to all of the people later.)
• He has come DOWN to bring His people UP from affliction and slavery.

All of this would have been called to the Jewish mind in the name YAHWEH, as well as what follows this story:

• Yahweh delivers Israel from Egypt, through the Red Sea on dry land, and leads them over 40 years in the wilderness, until delivering them into the promised land.

In the Jewish mind, the name Yahweh would have brought with it deliverance, presence, a God who intervenes on behalf of His people.

A God who comes DOWN to bring them UP out of slavery. Read more