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In last week’s post, I emphasized two ways in which God’s name is sacred to devout Jews and Christians. His name is a covenant name and a memorial name. Today, I want to explore a couple of questions about how we “handle” or use God’s name. My questions are based on God’s commandment to the Israelite nation in the second of the “Ten Commandments.” I know I am “jumping ahead,” knowing  Moses has not yet led the Israelites out of bondage, but since we have been focusing on God’s name, […]

Today, we continue to consider some implications of God’s name for those of us who want to honor it. If you missed last week’s post, here’s a link that will help you connect it to what we’re discussing today. https://www.cosdavis.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=5486&action=edit&classic-editor&classic-editor__forget God’s Name is a Covenant Name Remember, God made a covenant with Abraham, a promise that was passed on to Isaac, Jacob, and ultimately to the Jewish people. Yahweh was the name of the God of Israel, not that of other countries or cultures. This was a special name for […]

In the last post, we learned that God’s name, Yahweh, means “I will continue to be what I have always been.” Remember that God said this to Moses after introducing Himself to Moses, saying, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  What is Moses supposed to conclude about God from what God has said to him? Moses was so busy arguing his position that he didn’t fully grasp the impact of what he was hearing. It’s impossible […]

When Moses encountered God at the blazing bush, God introduced Himself as ” The God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:6. God continues to talk with Moses about His plan to free Moses’ kin from Egyptian bondage. Everything God had to say was exceedingly pleasing to Moses until He said this, “Come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” Exodus 3:10. As you […]

As mentioned in earlier blogs, Moses lived in a polytheistic world where each nation or culture had its god or gods. For example, the Canaanites worshipped a god named Baal. The Ammonites’ primary god was Molech. And, the Egyptians had many gods. These gods were said to be contained or confined to their own country; leaving your country meant that you left your god behind. If your army defeated another country in battle, it meant your god was stronger than the god of the country you defeated. The God of […]

Life has a way of testing what we say we believe. Following Jesus is a costly proposition; sometimes costing us our job, a relationship, a promotion, or perhaps our life. History is replete with instances where a person’s belief in God brought criticism, threats of violence, and imprisonment. Such was the case of Martin Luther, founder of the Reformation movement that sowed the seeds of Protestantism in the sixteenth century. Charlie Kirk was recently assassinated for voicing his beliefs on biblical principles that many conservative Christians say we believe. What […]

Today, we delve deeper into the fascinating story of Moses’ encounter with Yahweh in the wilderness near Mount Sinai. Moses was going about his daily routine of shepherding, something he had been doing for forty years, when a blazing bush arrested his attention. We are told in Exodus 3:2 that ” The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush.”  You may want to review last week’s post concerning this “angel of the Lord” before continuing. https://www.cosdavis.com/the-angel-of-the-lord/ Today’s post is entitled […]

Moses’ ordinary day of shepherding near the Mountain of God was suddenly interrupted by a fiery bush, an intense blaze that was so unusual that Moses stopped what he was doing to investigate. What was it that made him want to check this out? He had seen blazing fires before, but he could not understand what was before his wondering eyes; this bush wasn’t being destroyed by the raging flames. So, Moses did what most of us would do. He told himself what he was going to do about the […]

How does God usually get your attention? How does He interrupt your daily routines to try to tell you something or get you to do something you need to do? Does He use the voice of your conscience to chasten you, to redirect your words and actions? Have you been stopped in your tracks by a medical diagnosis, accident, death, financial crisis, or loss of a job? Perhaps it hasn’t been as dramatic as what Moses experienced while shepherding on the Mountain of God, but I think we can all […]

Today, we begin considering one of the most significant events in the Old Testament, Moses’s surprise encounter with Yahweh in the wilderness. Exodus 3:1-6 is one of the most significant passages in the Old Testament, filled with graphic detail concerning Moses’ encounter with Yahweh in the wilderness near Mount Horeb. “Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord […]