Who Shall I Say Sent Me
“If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
What distinguishes the Bible, and Judeo-Christian religion in particular, is that God has revealed Himself. He is not a fabrication of man’s innate need for understanding or purpose. He is not a member of some pantheon of anthropomorphic supermen. The true, living God is not made in man’s image; indeed, we find our highest dignity for mankind in knowing that we were created in God’s image. God is the creator of the world and master of the universe, and it is His intention to foster knowledge and relationship by revealing Himself to men.
Now it happened one day that Moses led his flock far into the wilderness near to Sinai, the mountain of God. To his amazement he saw a bush engulfed in flames that was not burned up. “When the Lord saw Moses coming to take a closer look, God called to him from the middle of the bush, “Moses! Moses!” (Exodus 3:4) God then reminds him of the faith of his ancestors and reassures him that He is aware of the suffering of His people under the Egyptians. Then, He instructs Moses, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.” But Moses feels unworthy and protests that he is not able to do what the Lord commanded. When God promised, “I will be with you,” Moses answered, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?”
At this moment, God pulls the veil away to reveal the highest essence of His being; His self-existence and eternal nature. When He replies to Moses,”I am Who I am,” He is exalted to the highest place. There is no other above Him or beside Him. In Hebrew, this name sounds like a breath of wind, the exhaling of eternal spirit. We read and say it as ‘Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah’. God reveals Himself in the names by which He is called. And this name speaks forth from eternity into our finite and fallen world to say, “This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.”
Read: Exodus 3
Listen: Jehovah