THURSDAY November 7th
As I continue to take us through some of the names and tiles that are given to Jesus, today I will look at the title which in the Old Testament God used to identify himself to Moses, but which also Jesus used of himself when explaining to people around him as to who he really was. It is the well-known title or very important name the ‘I am’.
Let’s today consider it in the context in which it was used as God revealed himself to Moses. Found in Exodus 3. First in verse 6
‘And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.’
Then in verses 13-15
‘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.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’
An encounter with God and he tells Moses that he is the ‘I AM WHO I AM’, and then says to him when you go say that the ‘I AM has sent me to you, then he clarifies it further by saying that as the ‘I AM’ he is the LORD, the God of your fathers.
What we learn is that the two words ‘I AM’ is a title that God used concerning himself as the true and living God, who always has been and always will be. He is the eternal God; he has never known a beginning and he will know no end. The word LORD in the Old Testament (notice it is all in capital letters) is the divine name YHWH.
Now, when it comes to Jesus, it had already been declared by Isaiah that one of the names he was to be given was to be Immanuel, which means God with us. In John 1, we have already seen that John has declared Jesus to be the Word (logos) who was there in the beginning, who was with God, and who was God. But should there still be any doubt concerning Jesus and his deity, and who he really was (and is) we are about to see that in conversation with those around him, he would make several statements that should have finally silenced the doubters, by his declaring to them that he was the ‘I am’! Declaring himself to be God. And it is to those statements, seven in all we will turn to.