I Am

 July 11, 2020

I Am

I Am.

God

 

It was a dark and stormy night…

 

I don’t know if it was dark and stormy, but it was a bit tumultuous. From the base of the mount, observers could hear rumblings, like thunder. The people Moses had led pleaded with him to not let God speak to them, they thought surely they’d die.

 

But, Moses did bring the word of God down to the people. You know this word to be the 10 Commandments. And, not only did he bring them down once, he had to a second time as well.

 

But, what’s more interesting I think is that Moses spoke to God. The people were afraid to hear God’s voice while Moses had a conversation with God. AND, Moses once asked God if he could see God. Well, that was probably going too far God thought but God did allow Moses to see his shadow walk past- it’s almost as if God let Moses see God’s backside- but that was all.

 

Enough of the trivia and on to the conversation. Yes, there was conversation about Moses and the people and how everyone was acting but what I find most interesting about the conversation was when Moses asked who he should say sent him down to the people with the 10 Commandments. God answered, “I Am. Tell them I Am” sent you.

 

Interesting, huh? I think that too. It wasn’t Abraham or Isaac, it wasn’t Mary or Ruth- it was “I Am”. It’s pretty simple and it conveys a message. But, it didn’t reveal a lot of personality did it? While all the actions attributed to God in the Hebrew Scriptures gives God a great deal of personality, God did not go for it in the name game.

 

I Am. It’s descriptive, active, and concise. It says, God- IS. And, it says it personally.

 

Moses asked God what God’s name was. You’ve been given a name. But if you had the opportunity, or, you needed to change or give yourself a name- what might it be?

I know this might be difficult since most of us have stuck with our given name. I think God called God’s self that because God wanted one specific thing to be conveyed. God thought it important for that one thing to be known about God. “I. Am.”

 

What is most important about you? If pressed, what word or few words would you choose that would serve you well and would tell others what they need to know?

 

Rev. Grateful