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 Abraham is Unique.
Like many countries, Israel had its god. This god is described as the One True God, meaning He is the only God. All other gods are false gods, created in the minds of mortal men. Israel’s God created the world, people, and all that it contains. He is the God who called Abraham to be the father of the nation of Israel, through which the promised Messiah would come.
If you fast-forward to Exodus 20, you will see that God has a strong prohibition, a commandment about these pagan gods and how He alone is to be worshipped by the Hebrew people. As a matter of fact, this thing about other gods is the first of the commandments,
” I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and fourth generation of those who hate Me. But showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep my commandments.” Exodus 20:2-6
When Moses approached the blazing bush on Mount Horeb, God warned him to take off his shoes because he was on holy ground. The ground was “holy” because God was there!
Then, He identified Himself this way: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:6. He was identifying His relationship with Abraham and the enslaved Israelites. This would certainly get Moses’ full attention.
The God of Abraham, unlike pagan gods, was not confined by space or geographical boundaries! He had heard the prayers of the enslaved Israelites and had come down to free them from Egypt. Undoubtedly, this was “music” to Moses’ ears. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was going to set His people free! However, Moses doesn’t like what he hears about the details of how this is going to happen. Imagine the shock, his utter bewilderment when God said, “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.
What ensues is a series of arguments and excuses that Moses makes to convince God that he has the wrong man for this job. This is a great thing, but someone else needs to do it.
Does the God of Abraham have a name?
Yes, and we will discover His name in a moment. However, it is necessary to distinguish between a title or position and a name. God is not the name of Abraham’s god. God is a word to describe His role or position. The same is true of words such as president, senator, mom, dad, son, daughter, and so on. These words are not names, but descriptors of a position or relationship the person has.
In Exodus 3:7 and 3:9, God told Moses that He was responding to the prayers of the enslaved Israelites. Does this imply that some of the Israeli leaders may have known God’s name? Yes, I think it does, and you will see why as you read further.
As the conversation continues, Moses gives God another excuse why he can’t do what God has told him to do. As you read Exodus 3:13, do so with a bit of a sarcastic tone, ” Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall say to them, ‘ The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” Instead of a bolt of lightning to vaporize Moses, God patiently brushes Moses’ objection aside with these words,
“I AM WHO I AM.” And, further, He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘ I AM has sent me to you.'” Exodus 3:14. Thus, we have God’s Hebrew name, YAHWEH, derived from the verb HAYAH (to be).
In Exodus 3:15, God repeats His instruction to Moses, “You shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and this is my memorial name to all generations.”
God’s name, Yahweh, is rich in meaning and purpose! We will explore His mighty name in some detail in the next blog. In the meantime, may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless and keep you.