Good
Monday morning (7-12-10),
I saw a cartoon in which a little kid asked a preacher, “Does God have a last name?” The idea was to discredit religion and God too. But I took the bait and gave that silly question a moment of my time. The answer which instantly came to my mind was “No, God doesn’t have a last name, because He’s first.”
That question did get me to thinking about the many names of God. Names are important, and God does disclose His nature to us through His names in the Bible, names such as Jehovah-Jireh, The Lord Our Provider.
A name is everything. It establishes what a person or thing is called or known as, and it especially distinguishes and designates their influence and reputation.
In Exodus, Moses saw the Glory of God as it was being revealed in a burning bush, a burning bush which was not consumed by the fire. This sight so fascinated Moses that he turned aside to check the manifestation out. From this first encounter, God captured Moses’ heart by revealing His nature and the love He had for those He had chosen to be His people.
Until that moment, Moses had a very
limited understanding of who God is. We know this because Moses said unto the
voice, “Behold, when I come unto the children of
Out of that burning bush, the voice said
unto Moses, “I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shall you say unto the children
of
Ask anyone around this earth to define god and the answers will be as varied as snowflakes. Generally speaking, most think of god as a supernatural being or force. A personality, or maybe not. Some think of god as some sort of non-personal spiritual glue which holds our dimension together. Yet others think god is a male deity, under contract to a female deity, a goddess.
A name is everything. When Moses
wanted to know who he was which was sending him, he was really saying, “Who are
you, and are you all powerful enough to destroy the gods of
This revelation revealed the nature of God. “I AM” able!
“Moses,” I AM able to deliver you from
the hand of Pharaoh. Fear not! I AM able to give you the wisdom you’ll need to
pastor my flock,
When Jesus was being challenged by the Jews, they wanted to know who He was and by what authority He spoke. As a type, Jesus was that burning bush, and out of His words, “Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.”
By answering, “Before Abraham was, I am,” Jesus identified Himself to the Jews as the one and same who spoke to Moses.
God had again revealed Himself.
The I AM has
been made flesh; His name is Jesus. The Shepherd which once led
When Jesus revealed Himself as “I AM,” He was telling the world that, “I AM the way, the truth, and the life.” “I AM the good shepherd, the great physician, the Alpha and Omega –The beginning and the end.” “I AM the Word of God and the Bread of Life; Lamb of God and The Light of the World.” This Chief Cornerstone and Mighty Councilor, our Gate into eternal life, is the one and same I AM who was revealed to Moses on that wonderful day.
What is God’s name?
To that I quote some wonderful scriptures found in John. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made…. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
His name is Jesus, the Great I AM!
Wayne
Witcher