The LORD tells Moses Who He Is
And God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. Exodus 6:2-3 RSV
How would someone describe you? Or me? Physical characteristics would probably be part of the description. I’m tall woman. I have curly hair that is changing from dark tresses to more gray every year. A physical description does not tell you who I am, nor does it identify who you really are. If someone wants to know what we are like, they also want to know what makes us who we are. For example, I am a wife, a mother of two adults, a Christian, a teacher, and a writer. I like to garden. I Knowing answers to the following questions helps us to know each other: What do we like? What are our interests, our strengths and weaknesses, our values and what do we stand for? What are our roles in life?
God tells us about Himself in Exodus 6:2-8 [RSV]. Some have said that the writer of Exodus was ignorant of the many times people and God Himself referred to God as LORD in Genesis. A commentary I read mentioned that it was that God was now emphasizing to the Israelites that He was self-existent.
Let’s pick out some of the traits of the LORD. [Emphasis below is mine.]
And God said to Moses, “I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they dwelt as sojourners. Moreover I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold in bondage and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment, and I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the LORD.'”
Isn’t it exciting to know God better! From the passage above we learn that the LORD God Almighty is a promise keeper. He made a promise, He remembered it, and He fulfilled it. The LORD hears. He is a burden lifter. The LORD is our Deliverer and our Redeemer. We also learn that He is a personal God who wants us to know Him. I will take you for my people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the LORD your God.
Here’s a challenge: Let’s find out names of God and His attributes as we read the Bible this week, and write them down. I’d love to see what you find! Please post them in the comments section.
Dear LORD, thank you for revealing Yourself to me in Your Word. Please help me know You better. Amen.
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Thank you for joining me and for reading my devotional blogs. I hope and pray that you will be touched by God in a special way each time you visit. Blogs usually post every other Thursday. Past devotionals are archived for your convenience.
Kathryn Breckenridge 