Monday, June 24, 2019

The One Who Is


                                                                                                                   
Image result for moses at the burning bush kjvAloha Dearest Family,

            In Exodus chapter 3, God is calling Moses and telling him that He is going to send him back to Egypt to lead the children of Israel out. Moses has many excuses about why God has chosen the wrong man for the job.
“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?” 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.” (Exodus 3:13-15)
The Egyptians and all of the other nations had many gods and Moses knew many of them having grown up in Egypt. He asked God “which god are you?” God replied “I Am who I Am.” In the Hebrew language, this phrase means “I will become what I will become” or “I will be what I need to be”. At this point Moses didn’t really know God. God told Moses to tell the children of Israel the I Am has sent me to you. “I AM” in Greek means, the One who is. This would set Him apart from every other god they knew in Egypt. And He would show Israel that He would surely be whatever he needed to be to lead them out of Egypt and into the promised-land.

God revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as EL Shaddai-God Almighty. El Shaddai, in scripture, means that God is bountiful, protective, supportive and a supplier of every need. But God told Moses that He would reveal Himself as Jehovah, giving Moses a more personal relationship than what Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had. God uses the name “Jehovah” to signify a relationship with what He has created (Exodus 6:3). This relationship would be vital to Moses in accomplishing the task set before him. 
   
In the Bible God is shown as having many characteristics. He will be whatever he needs to be to help, protect and guide the ones that believe in Him. Throughout His Word, God has shown us these characteristics of Himself by the titles that He is referred by. Here are some of the names of God that He gives himself.

Jehovah-Jireh – The Lord will see and provide. (Genesis 22:14)
Jehovah-Rapha – The Lord will heal. (Exodus 15:26)
Jehovah-Shalom – The Lord is our peace. (Judges 6:21-24)
Jehovah-Ra ah – The Lord is my shepherd. (Psalm 23:1)
Jehovah-Nissi – The Lord is my banner or canopy. (Exodus 17:8-15)
              Jehovah-Shammah – The Lord is present. (Ezekiel 48:35)
These are just a few of the titles that God refers to Himself in the Bible. There are many more.

So, why would God tell us this? Because God truly wants us to know who He is and to let us know that He will be whatever we need him to be, for He fights for us, He wants us to prosper, He is on our side. He is our God. If you have a question, He is the answer.

The one title Israel could never call God was Father. This title is reserved only for those who are His true children. This name can only be used by Jesus Christ and Christians. Just as a good father desires that his children grow up knowing that he is there to help and guide them along the way, God does that and much, much more for His children. He will fight the battles that they can’t. Our heavenly Father wants us to come to Him with our every need so that he can supply it. He wants us to grow in our relationship together with Him. This is what God truly wants. For us to truly know Him, our Father, the One who is. Give thanks to God, your Heavenly Father, always. 

                                                            Love Always, Ray

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