“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.” (Exodus 3:13-14)
What’s in a name? I awoke this morning feeling rather philosophical (after all, that is the nature of my degrees). This question was my first conscious thought oddly enough. What does your name mean to you and others, what does it do for you. Conversely, what could it do to hinder you? What does it matter?
It seems to me that one of my fellow wordsmythes, William Shakespeare had this same discourse in his work “Romeo and Juliet.” In this soliloquey Juliet is mourning the fact that their families are at odds with each other – thus causing them to be kept from one another. She reasons, “That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;” She wished it was as simple as Romeo changing his name; but, alas, you and I know it isn’t that simple.
The Jewish scholars have debated this for millenia – the importance of words. Not just names but words in general. Words are but buckets of meaning wrapped up in letters and sounds. Each letter carries weight which, combined with other letters, create a thing – a thought, an idea, a concept. Those same words influence others and affect our individual atmospheres. We have the ability to both create and destroy simply through the use of our words. Yet how often do we stop and think before we speak? They further clarify that the minute one associates a word or a name with something, that thing is limited.
For example, the minute I call myself a son, I am cutting away the idea that I am a father, brother, friend, minister, whatever. The minute I identify as a son – that is what I am and that is all I am. When you meet someone for the first time and give them your name, usually the next question they have is “What do you do?” The moment you open your mouth to speak, you are immediately dissecting your life – cutting away the fulness to answer this simple question. If you answer, “I am a doctor” you divorce your identity from being a father or mother, a son or daughter, a civic leader, a generous donor, everything. Perhaps you have never thought about this before. A name or a title becomes a self-limiting identity.
Back to Moses. His question is quite sincere and has been echoed through the years by trillions of people. Who is God? Why should I give Him my heart, my life, my money? What can He do for me? More importantly, if He Is all that and a bag of chips, what could I possibly offer to Him?
God has called Moses to lead the Israelites out of their Egyptian bondage. Moses realizes that in himself he is nobody. Born in a time where he was supposed to have been killed at birth, he never had the opportunity to build his own individual personality. He grew up under the tutelage and provision of the pharaoh’s daughter with an assumed identity. He wasn’t allowed to celebrate his heritage as a child of the people of God. His entire life was a facade – empty and empty. He was, in his own eyes, merely an actor on a stage – playing a part for which he wasn’t born, living a life to which he was never meant to be entitled, following the leading and obeying the orders of a mere mortal (pharaoh). In the words of the evil spirit quoted in the book of Acts, “And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?” If Moses had gone in the name of Pharaoh, the people understood the power and significance of that name. But here he is commanded to go in the name of God; therefore, he needs an answer to those who would ask.
God’s answer to Moses still speaks to us today, for God identified Himself in a very shrouded, yet overwhelmingly powerful, way. I AM THAT I AM. Notice even in scripture it is all capitalized, for there is no proper interpretation, no comprehension of the scope and full meaning of this answer. Thousands of years of debates by millions of scholars have attempted to fully explain this mystical answer, yet it is there for all of us to see and appropriate for ourselves. If we would but have eyes to see and ears to hear, if we would but open our hearts to receive we would (and will) be blessed beyond our wildest imagination.
In the moment Moses asked this question all he really wanted to know was God’s official title or identity. By what means could Moses show that he really had an encounter with the all-knowing One, the Almighty, Jehovah God? God’s response, by way of identifying Himself, is both an answer to the immediate need and cry of Moses’ heart and to all the future cries, worries, and needs Moses (an you) would ever have. I AM. Years later, as the Israelites wandered through the desert and needed water, I AM became their Source of water. When they lacked food, I AM became their Source of food. When they needed salvation from the snakes that were attacking and killing them by the thousands, I AM was raised up on a pole that they might look to Him and be saved. I AM kept them healthy through those wandering years (not one was sick among them), I AM kept their clothes from wearing out during those years, I AM was their guidance both in the daylight (by a pillar of a cloud) and by night (by a pillar of fire). I AM was the Healer for Miriam and Aaron when they spoke out against Moses. Are you beginning to see the beauty of His answer? I AM was whatever they needed at the moment. And so He remains to us today.
What do you need today? Is it healing? I AM is there for you. Is it hope? I AM is the only hope any of us have in this world. Is it friendship? HE IS the friend that sticks closer than a brother. I AM THAT I AM is all-inclusive. Whatever it is you have need of today, run to Him. He Is the answer.
Be blessed.
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