Ten Minute Bible Talks Devotional Bible Study - The Importance of God's Name | Torah | Exodus 3

Episode Date: May 11, 2022

What is God's name? Does he even have a name? What does it mean? Is it important to call God by his name? Jensen uses Exodus 3 to share what God's name reveals about who he is. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Like this content? Make sure to leave us a rating and share it with others, so others can find it too. Use #asktmbt to connect with us, ask questions, and suggest topics. We'd love to hear from you! To learn more, visit our website and follow us on Facebook, and Twitter @TenMinuteBibleTalks. Don't forget to subscribe to the TMBT Newsletter here. Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now. Passages: Exodus 3 Your support makes TMBT possible. Ten Minute Bible Talks is a crowd-funded project. Join the TMBTeam to reach more people with the Bible. Give now.

Welcome to 10-minute Bible talks, where we connect the Bible to your life and the time it takes to get to work. I'm Jensen Holt McNair, and right now we're going through Exodus. Moses and the Burning Bush. That's the title of the section of text we're conquering today. It sounds a little like a children's book to me, and oftentimes when I think of the burning bush, that's kind of the category I put it into. It's a fun story about a magic bush that's on fire, but doesn't burn. If you like Harry Potter at all, I always, always think about the use of flu powder. The characters can travel and communicate between fireplaces in the wizarding world as long as they use flu powder. They throw it into the fire

and then they can stick their heads or their whole bodies into the fire and not burn up. The thing is, with the burning bush, it isn't about the magic of a bush that isn't burning. Because it isn't magic at all, is it? It's God. And to be completely honest, the main hit of this chapter isn't even the fact that the bush didn't burn. It's cool. I'll admit. But the coolest part of this chapter is that it's all about God coming face to face with humanity and inviting them to know him on a deeper level. And he does that through his name. In his book, God has a name. John Mark Homer says what we're all thinking. God has a name. And just to clarify, it's not God. God isn't a name. God isn't a name. In Moses's day and age, they were far more comfortable with the idea of gods.

They have gods for all sorts of things. And so in the midst of all that noise, today we learn what makes the God of the Israelites different. And we'll do that by learning his name. Of course, this chapter begins with Moses encountering a burning bush. Moses is taking care of his father-in-law's flock out in the middle of nowhere, and a bush near him appears to be on fire. but it isn't burning up. So naturally, Moses decides to get closer to the bush and check it out.

Picking up in the story in verse four. When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called him from within the bush. Moses, Moses. And Moses said, here I am. Do not come any closer, God said. Take off your sandals for the place where you are standing is holy ground. Then God said, I and the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. At this, Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. Moses, thinking he is just inspecting a trick of nature, instead comes face to face with his God. And we learn here that Moses fears God. He knows of his power and his glory. He recognizes the awe he should feel as he stands.

on holy ground and he hides his face. After this, the Lord tells Moses that he has seen the misery of his people in Egypt. He has heard them crying out and he is concerned about their suffering. And he tells Moses that he has come down to rescue his people and that he's sending Moses to return to Egypt and stand before Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. But at the mention of Pharaoh, Moses, forgetting who he stands before, the God who moments ago he hid in fear at his power, he questions the plan. Moses first asks, who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you. When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.

Moses said to God, suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you. And they ask me, what is his name? Then what shall I tell them? So Moses is being asked to take a risk, to step out in faith. And it seems that he's imagining every worst case scenario. You can imagine feeling this way, can't you? What if the people don't want to listen to me? Who am I to tell them what to do? Who am I to tell Pharaoh what to do? And God responds gently. God reminds Moses who he stands before. God is sending him. The God of his fathers will be with him as he stands before Pharaoh. It's not about Moses. It's about who is standing with him. But Moses still isn't sure. He continues to wonder,

Well, what if the people don't know you? Who is it that even has the power to take the Israelites away from Pharaoh? He's asking God to tell him not just a name, but who he is. What makes him him? In the ancient Near East, names meant more than just what your mom and dad thought sounded nice. If you remember, we've talked about how God changed Abraham and Sarah's names to reflect things that would become true about them. names told you something personal about someone. It let you in on what they were like, what their character was. And so, God said to Moses, I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites.

I am has sent me to you. God also said to Moses, say to the Israelites, 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. The name you shall call me from generation to generation. It may not sound like God gave a name. On the first read, there's no Henry or Harry or Joe. No, God's name is Yahweh. He first says, I am who I am, which may seem confusing. Is he I am? Is he Yahweh? To fully understand, we'd need a deep lesson in the original Hebrew text. But for the 10 minutes that we do have, what we need to know is that the Hebrew word for I am,

Ejia, is in the first person. And Yahweh is in the second person, meaning he is. And all over your Bible, the word Yahweh has been translated into the Lord, with Lord being in all caps. And so as you read your Bible, every time you see the word Lord written in all caps, you're reading the name of God. Yahweh, He is. Hopefully, now that we understand some of the

semantics, we can dive into what God's name tells us about who he is. Because remember, names mean something. So when God says, I am who I am, he's telling Moses that he is and always has been who he is. He is unchanging. He is steady. He has always been these things and he has always been. His goodness will never change. His justice will never tarnish. His power will never fade. He is. There's no one who came before and no one who will come after. He is not dependent on anyone or anything. He is. Everything comes from God. He is the creator of all life. From him flows everything we know, everything we are, everything we have.

He is. God is clear. If anyone is wondering if he has the power to set his people free, if anyone is wondering about whether or not he can overcome Pharaoh, if anyone is wondering if his presence and power can sustain Moses, he can because he is. God's name should tell Moses everything he needs. to take the next faithful step. And yet, as we'll see, Moses still doesn't get it. We'll go more

into that in the passages to come. But today, in a world where we pick names off the internet top 100 list, let this name mean something in your life. Yahweh, he is, the great I am. When you read scripture and see in all caps Lord, read the name of your God. Let the truth of who He is encourage you. When you face troubles, remember that He is. He is in control. He has a plan for your life and you have a greater hope because the one who created all life is preparing a place for you in His kingdom.

When you are in times of rejoicing, remember He is. God is your ultimate provider. He is good. goodness and all that you have comes from him. He will not change. He will not falter. And so we can rejoice and thank Yahweh for his good gifts. Let the knowledge of who God is, shape the way that you read scripture, and transform the way you live your life. You do not follow one of the many gods that people have created to explain their world and satisfy their desires. No, you follow Yahweh. And just as with Moses, he has promised to be with you and to rescue this world from its present

darkness. And his way of doing that is through the faithful obedience of his people. Even when it's difficult, and obedience leads us to face the pharaohs of our world, Yahweh is with you. He will sustain you and he will never change. Before you forget, sign up for the 10-minute Bible Talks newsletter. hit the link in the show notes and you'll get an email every Wednesday that will help encourage you in the middle of the work week and bring you deeper in your walk with Jesus. Thanks for listening.