Tag: say

40.w. “I AM WHO I AM.”

 

 

Exodus 3:13   Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 

There are many names given to God in Genesis: God Most High, Almighty God, Everlasting God, The Lord will Provide, and the God Who Sees. When God answers Moses question, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?”, it might seem strange to refer to one’s self with the phrase, “I AM WHO I AM” I AM sent you. God has no equal. If we say God is Love we cannot say Love is God for He is greater than love. 

God told Moses His name was I AM because God simply is; there was never a time when He did not exist, or a time when He will cease to exist. God told Moses His name was I AM because God simply is; there was never a time when He did not exist, or a time when He will cease to exist. I AM: This is a divine title that Jesus took upon Himself often, clearly identifying Himself with the voice from the burning bush.

i. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM [He], you will die in your sins. (John 8:24)

ii. Then Jesus said to them, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I AM [He], and that I do nothing of Myself; but as My Father taught Me, I speak these things.” (John 8:28)

iii. Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” (John 8:58)

iv. Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I AM. (John 13:19)

v. Jesus therefore, knowing all things that would come upon Him, went forward and said to them, “Whom are you seeking?” They answered Him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I AM [He].” And Judas, who betrayed Him, also stood with them. Now when He said to them, “I am [He],” they drew back and fell to the ground. (John 18:4-6) (Guzik)

It is also connected with the idea that God is eternal and unchanging. “Strictly speaking, there is no past or future tense in the Divine Vocabulary. When God appears to employ them, it is by way of accommodation to our limited horizons.” (Meyer)

“I AM” is everything and so much more than we can imagine. We can fill in the blank “I AM       “, and still understate who God is; “The Bread of Life, Living Water, Love, Grace, Mercy, Everlasting, Ever-present, All-knowing, All-Powerful, Creator of Heaven and Earth, Redeemer, Good Shepherd, Light in the darkness, All-Mighty, Heavenly Father, Author, and Finisher, etc…….” 

With reverence and awe, we should live out our lives in such a way that brings honor and glory to “I AM”.

11. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God

Jeremiah 23:17     They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”

Jeremiah 6:14    They have healed the wound of my people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.

Ezekiel 13:10    Precisely because they have misled my people, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and because, when the people build a wall, these prophets smear it with whitewash,

Luke 10:16    “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

1 Thessalonians 4:8    Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Isaiah 57:21     There is no peace,” says my God, “for the wicked.”

Ezekiel 13:22     Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life,

Zechariah 10:2   Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for lack of a shepherd.

Deuteronomy 29:19    one who, when he hears the words of this sworn covenant, blesses himself in his heart, saying, ‘I shall be safe, though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart.’

Zephaniah 1:12   and I will punish the men who are complacent, those who say in their hearts, ‘The LORD will not do good, nor will he do ill.’

Jeremiah 18:18   and let us not pay attention to any of his words.”

Peace, Peace, there is no peace. People wander like sheep for they lack a shepherd. God’s word whitewashed. Walking in stubbornness following their own heart.  Complacent and pay no attention to any of His words.

These scriptures speak to those who play and pretend to be followers of God.  They are false followers.  They deny God.  They spend little to no time in His word.  They whitewash their heart with words of peace but the great shepherd has no place in their life.  They blindly follow the wind of ideas that flow from society and find comfort in that folly.  God is not real in their life.  There is no relationship with Him.  There is no want to serve Him.  There is no desire to seek Him unless something bad has transpired.  There is no need of God and His leading.  They walk this life with the guidance of their own heart.  They never ask God to lead them or show them their sin.  There is no fruit of the spirit in their life.  God is void most days.  Their ears are deaf to Him.  Their eyes are blind to Him.  His word is foreign to them.  His warnings go unheard. They see no need for the bread and water of life found in His word.  There is little to no place of God in their life.

What kind of life it this?  How is God honored by being complacent?  How is God glorified when He is neglected?

God is worthy of all praise, honor, and glory.  In Him, we find true peace.  In Him, we find abundant life.  In Him we see eternity.  In Him we find redemption.  In Him we find hope.  In Him we find rest.  In Him we find refuge.  In Him we find strength.  In Him, we are encouraged for each new day.  In Him, our worries are put to rest.  In Him, we are filled with a spirit of love.

Intentional commitment to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey God is a choice.  Do not choose the way of the world that whitewashes a dedicated life to God.