Moses comes to lead Israel from Egypt, but Pharaoh has another plan: to make secure his slave labor base. Pharaoh tightens his grip on Israel, makes their work harder, and they groan at Moses for the burdens their attempts at liberation have brought. Moses cries out to God on their behalf, and God replies:
Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh: Indeed, by a mighty hand he will let them go; by a mighty hand he will drive them out of his land."
God also spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and 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 resided as aliens. I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians are holding as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.
Say therefore to the Israelites, 'I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.'"
Exodus 6:1-9 – NRSV
How does the Lord respond to the complaints of this troubled people? He answers in the same two ways that he will throughout the years to come: these are the people who have worshiped me, and these are the works that I have done.
“I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” If you are going to have a faith like they have, if you are going to know the blessings that they know, if you are going to experience the saving power of their God, then you must believe and follow their God.
That God is not removed and uninterested in history, or even worse, capriciously involved in it. Instead this God moves with a mighty purpose: to call a people who will live in relationship with him, blessed by him and blessing him. In this case, God looks forward to the defining event that he will refer back to many times in the centuries to come: “I am the God who frees Israel.”
This God is the liberator God. This God is the God of Justice. This God is the saving God. He goes by many names, none of which is adequate, for he will always be beyond our understanding. He has befriended many, but each uniquely. He has acted many times, though not necessarily in ways we can understand in the moment, for he is a mysterious God. Although C. S. Lewis has reminded us that he is not a “tame God”, we can be sure of this: his steadfast love for us never ceases.
May we never cease to call out to the God who is beyond all names. May we never cease to befriend this God who has so many friends. May we never cease to worship our God, who has acted in so many surprising ways to save us. May we never cease to trust him, even when we have yet to understand the ways that he is acting, day by day, in our personal history.
Grace, and peace,
Ron
Showing posts with label name. Show all posts
Showing posts with label name. Show all posts
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh ...
Hear the word of God:
Moshe said to God, “Look, when I appear before the people of Isra’el and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”
God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’” God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation.
Go, gather the leaders of Isra’el together, and say to them, ‘Adonai, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, has appeared to me and said, “I have been paying close attention to you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt; and I have said that I will lead you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ They will heed what you say. Then you will come, you and the leaders of Isra’el, before the king of Egypt; and you will tell him, ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert; so that we can sacrifice to Adonai our God.’ I know that the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so. But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go. Moreover, I will make the Egyptians so well-disposed toward this people that when you go, you won’t go empty-handed. Rather, all the women will ask their neighbors and house guests for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, with which you will dress your own sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Ex 3:13-22 - CJB
People worshiped many gods in the time of Moses. Was Moses (Moshe) really confused about which god he was speaking to, or was he just imagining the struggle of telling other people that he has been conversing with God? I think the latter. So God gives his name, YHWH, or I am/will be. He then connects his identity with the ancestors of the Israelites who have worshiped him: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
At this time, many people believed that to have the name of a person was to potentially have power over that person. God did not fear this. But such was the respect of the people of God for the holiness and otherness of their God that when they encountered these four characters that they would not pronounce them, but instead would say, “Adonai,” which is Hebrew for Lord.
May we practice a reverence for the name of God, and teach our children a respect for the name of God, that is commensurate with the holiness, the otherness, and the mystery of our mighty God. Language is powerful, and although the language we use about our God cannot change who he is, it can change the way that we understand or relate to that God. Let us be holy people before our holy God.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Moshe said to God, “Look, when I appear before the people of Isra’el and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you’; and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?”
God said to Moshe, “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be],” and added, “Here is what to say to the people of Isra’el: ‘Ehyeh [I Am or I Will Be] has sent me to you.’” God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation.
Go, gather the leaders of Isra’el together, and say to them, ‘Adonai, the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov, has appeared to me and said, “I have been paying close attention to you and have seen what is being done to you in Egypt; and I have said that I will lead you up out of the misery of Egypt to the land of the Kena‘ani, Hitti, Emori, P’rizi, Hivi and Y’vusi, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ They will heed what you say. Then you will come, you and the leaders of Isra’el, before the king of Egypt; and you will tell him, ‘Adonai, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert; so that we can sacrifice to Adonai our God.’ I know that the king of Egypt will not let you leave unless he is forced to do so. But I will reach out my hand and strike Egypt with all my wonders that I will do there. After that, he will let you go. Moreover, I will make the Egyptians so well-disposed toward this people that when you go, you won’t go empty-handed. Rather, all the women will ask their neighbors and house guests for silver and gold jewelry and clothing, with which you will dress your own sons and daughters. In this way you will plunder the Egyptians.”
Ex 3:13-22 - CJB
People worshiped many gods in the time of Moses. Was Moses (Moshe) really confused about which god he was speaking to, or was he just imagining the struggle of telling other people that he has been conversing with God? I think the latter. So God gives his name, YHWH, or I am/will be. He then connects his identity with the ancestors of the Israelites who have worshiped him: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
At this time, many people believed that to have the name of a person was to potentially have power over that person. God did not fear this. But such was the respect of the people of God for the holiness and otherness of their God that when they encountered these four characters that they would not pronounce them, but instead would say, “Adonai,” which is Hebrew for Lord.
May we practice a reverence for the name of God, and teach our children a respect for the name of God, that is commensurate with the holiness, the otherness, and the mystery of our mighty God. Language is powerful, and although the language we use about our God cannot change who he is, it can change the way that we understand or relate to that God. Let us be holy people before our holy God.
Grace and peace,
Ron
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)