“And Moses said to God, Behold, when I come to the sons of Israel, and shall say to them, The God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they shall say to me, What is His name? What shall I say to them?” (Ex 3:13). Moses asked a question that, according to scripture, had been asked before, during the history of the patriarchs, which had apparently not been answered. The answer to this intriguing question though, after God gave it, the answer which can be considered as most important and revelatory, has however been the cause of an age-old debate on the name of God, and causing the abuse and misuse of two specific words in Scripture. The source of this confusion can be found in Gods response to Moses in the very next verse where He says, “I AM THAT I AM. And He said, So you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you.” Based on verse 14 many people defiantly claim that “ I AM” is the name of God. BUT, by making the common error of not continuing reading, or due to a lack of knowledge of the original Hebrew language, or of being totally indifferent thereto, Gods next words in verse 15 is overlooked, or, blatantly ignored. God also told Moses, Tell the Israelis, The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob sent me to you. This is my name forever, and this is how I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (ISV) So what is going on here? Where does the confusion enter into this? When the reader sees the words “I AM” written in capital letters, they inadvertently must think that is the eternal name of God. This the more so as they read on and see that the Hebrew name of God, YHVH, is absent from verse 15. Instead it has the traditional rabbinical replacement “LORD,” written in capital letters. Of course, “Lord” is not a name; it is a title. Seeing the title “LORD” in verse 15 must surely act as some form of confirmation that Gods eternal name is “I AM.” However, what they miss is that “I AM THAT I AM” in verse 14 is the explanation of His holy name revealed in verse 15. When God said at the burning bush, “I am that I am,” He was explaining the significance of His own name. The Hebrew word for “I am” is Ehyeh, derived from the Hebrew root meaning, “to be.” In Biblical Hebrew, “I am” really means something like “I exist.” By saying “I am that I am,” God is saying that He is the one who is, the one who really exists. He is making it clear that He is different from the other pagan gods who only exist in the imagination of men. Gods name יהוה (YHVH) derives from the exact same Hebrew root as “I am.” Strictly speaking, this name is a combination of three forms of this Hebrew root: Hayah, Hoveh, and Yihyeh. These three words respectively means: “He was,” “He is,” and “He will be.” When we call Him by His name we are affectively saying, “He has always existed, He exists now, and He will always continue to exist.”God says, “I am” about Himself but we are to call Him YHVH meaning, “He was, He is, and He will be.” What all this means is that “I am” is not Gods name; it is the explanation of His name. BUT, let us see whether God confirms His name in scripture. In Exodus 15:3 it is written, “The LORD (YHVH) is a Man of war; YHVH is His name.” Again in Psalm 68:4: “Sing to God, sing praises to His name; praise Him who rides on the heavens by His name YHVH, and rejoice before Him,” and Psalm 83:18, “So that men may know that Your name is YHVH, that You alone are the Most High over all the earth.” God clearly says in Isaiah 42:8, “I am (Hebrew אני ani) YHVH; that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another, nor My praise to graven images.” So now we may ask whether it really matters what name we use when referencing to God? Please, let us hear what scripture has to say on this matter. “The name of YHVH is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe” (Pro 18:10); “Also the sons of the stranger, who join themselves to YHVH to serve Him, and to love the name of YHVH, to be His servants, everyone who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, and takes hold of My covenant” (Isa 56:6); “So they shall fear the name of YHVH from the west, and His glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of YHVH shall make him flee” (Isa 59:19); “For You are our Father, though Abraham does not know us, and Israel does not acknowledge us. You, O YHVH, are our Father, our Redeemer; Your name is from everlasting” (Isa 63:16). Are you beginning to get the bigger picture here, and the importance of Gods name. In conclusion consider this: “Therefore, behold, I will make them know; this time I will cause them to know My hand and My might; and they shall know that My name is YHVH” (Jer 16:21).
Posted on: Thu, 24 Jul 2014 08:25:17 +0000
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