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GENESIS
2:4
FIRST OCCURRENCE
OF JEHOVAH
Genesis 2:4 This is the account
of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the
LORD (Yahweh/Jehovah) God (Elohim) made earth and heaven.
LORD...God - Two names of God
should not confuse us. We do not have a pantheon of gods. We worship
one God, Elohim, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, Who reveals
Himself in such a manner (Jehovah) that we can know Him in a personal way.
Criswell has an excellent
summary of Jehovah/Yahweh noting that...
Up to this point only elohim
(Heb.), translated "God," indicating the transcendent God of Creation, has
been used (1:1); but here the personal name occurs, introducing God in His
redemptive capacity. The divine name Yahweh is identified as God's
covenant name (Ex. 3:13, 14, 15, 16; 6:1, 2, 3), showing His personal relationship to
those who believe. This is the appropriate time for the appearance of God
as Redeemer -- at the very moment that man appears in history. Yahweh
is man's tutor (Ge 1:9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17); He is man's benefactor, providing him with the
garden in which to work out his stewardship; and He is man's provider,
supplying man with a counterpart, i.e., a wife, equal to him in all things
and indispensable to the continuity of the race (Ge 1:18-25). The precise
pronunciation and spelling of the name Yahweh has been lost.
Judaism in the postexilic period (fifth century B.C. and later) prohibited
the pronunciation of the name, reasoning that the most certain way not to
take God's name in vain was never to pronounce it at all (Ex. 20:7). The
Jews substituted for this name in their reading tradition the title "Lord"
(Adonai, Heb.), reminding the reader to say Adonai instead of Yahweh
by writing the vowels of Adonai with the consonants of Yahweh. The result
appears to be the hybrid form YeHoWaH, which
many unfamiliar with the Jewish tradition came to pronounce "Jehovah."
Today, Jews and Christians alike refer to Yahweh as Lord. The precise
etymology of Yahweh is uncertain, but it evidently derives from the verb
"to be" (hayah, Heb.). The explanation for the divine name is given in Ex.
3:14, 15, where God identifies Himself as "I AM WHO I AM" (see Ex. 3:14).
This expression means that God is the self-existent One who is independent
and autonomous. Another view interprets the name as causative, meaning "He
causes to be." Thus, in addition to being an appropriate personal name for
God as the covenant-making and covenant-keeping God of the Hebrews, it is
a fitting name for the God of salvation, the Deliverer, the Friend of His
people. Thus, the title Yahweh Elohim, "Lord God," together
with implications throughout the creation narrative, pictures God as both
transcendent and immanent. Though He is self-sufficient, He has chosen to
bind Himself in covenant to His creation.
(Criswell,
W A. Believer's Study Bible: New King James Version. 1991. Thomas Nelson)
EXODUS 3:14
I AM
WHO I AM
The Context Exodus 3:1-13:
Exodus
3:1 Now Moses was
pasturing the flock of Jethro (See
note - Moses' father in law
also called Reuel) his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the
flock to the west side of the wilderness, and came to Horeb, the mountain
of God.
Comment: Remember that the
background for this chapter is the fact that the children of Israel were
slaves in Egypt and had been crying out to God for deliverance.
Horeb (description)
- most interpret Horeb as synonymous with Mount Sinai (ISBE
article on Sinai - discusses Horeb)
(cf. Deut 5:2) which could be the 7,363 ft peak in the SW Sinai Peninsula,
although the exact peak is open to question.
Now Moses - You never know what a day may bring, so
keep your eyes and ears open to the leading of the Lord. Childlike
curiosity completely changed Moses’ life. God calls busy people to serve
Him, and He reveals Himself to them. God is faithful. He called Abraham,
cared for Isaac, guided and protected Jacob, and He would be with Moses.
He is the God of the individual as well as the nation, and He does not
change from generation to generation. God is concerned and compassionate.
He saw the affliction of His people, and He heard their cries. Then why
didn’t He act sooner? Because He was following a perfect timetable Ge
15:16 ("Then in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the
iniquity of the Amorite is not yet complete."). You must learn to wait
on the Lord. See Ps 37 (Spurgeon's
notes). God is
long-suffering. The Lord answered all of Moses’ objections and gave one
assurance after another to encourage him. Moses said, “I am not!” and God
replied, “I AM!” Faith lays hold of what God is and obeys what God
says. Faith sees the opportunities while unbelief sees the obstacles.
Are you arguing with God
about something He wants you to do?
Exodus
3:2
And the
Angel of the LORD
appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked,
and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.
Comment: The idea of appeared
is clearly that God allowed something of Himself to be seen in the
Theophany (Christophany), the
Angel of the LORD.
It is notable that God only appeared this way to individuals and never to
large groups of people, to whom it was His glory that was revealed
(although
Judges 2:1ff
may be an exception).
He looked - The NET Bible note
says "The text again uses (a construction) traditionally rendered “and
behold.” The particle goes with the intense gaze, the outstretched
arm, the raised eyebrow – excitement and intense interest: “look, over
there.” It draws the reader into the immediate experience of the subject."
(Note)
Fire - Fire frequently
accompanied the revelation of Jehovah (Yahweh) in Exodus in various
contexts - delivering, guiding or purifying her (His "wife", Israel). Some
like Philo (a Jewish writer in the first century AD) interpreted the
burning bush allegorically (for
more discussion of allegory and related topics see
[i.] Art and Science of Interpretation;
[ii.] The Rise of Allegorical
Interpretation;
[iii.] Understanding Symbols and
Figures
and
[iv.] Understanding Numbers).
Allegorical interpretation assigns so-called "deeper
meanings" to biblical persons, events, things or institutions, thus minimizing and even destroying the
literal and historical meaning. The allegorical method of
interpretation is to be assiduously avoided! Moses saw a
bush actually burning, but not consumed. Explanations such as Philo's
allegorical interpretation or others that it was like a bush with
brilliant berries or leaves do not do justice to a
literal interpretation
of the text. God said it. That settles it, whether I believe it or not!
Exodus
3:3 So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why
the bush is not burned up."
I must turn aside now -
As Matthew Henry reminds us "Things revealed belong to us, and we ought
diligently to enquire into them."
Are you taking advantage of the
things revealed to you by God in His holy Word?
As someone has well said sin will keep
you from the Bible or the Bible will keep you from sin. Bibles that are
"falling apart" usually belong to people who are not. God has chosen to
reveal Himself to us in ways just as miraculous and supernatural as He did
to Moses. May God grant that each of us have the same reaction of "I must
turn aside now and see this marvelous sight." Amen.
Exodus
3:4 When the LORD (Jehovah, Yahweh) saw that he turned aside to look, God (Elohim)
called to him from the midst of the bush (remember this is still in the
context of the
Angel of the LORD),
and said, "Moses, Moses!" And he said, "Here I am."
Moses, Moses - The repetition of the
name of the person addressed always seems to indicate a message of special
importance - here the repetition of Moses' name adds emphasis and makes
the appeal direct and immediate. Other examples of repetition of one's
name include: Abraham (Ge 22:11);
Samuel (1Sa 3:10); Jerusalem (Mt 23:37) Martha (Lu 10:41) Simon (Lu
22:31), Saul (Acts 9:4, 22:7, 26:14). Furthermore, this same response (Here
I am) was given to God by several other OT saints - Abraham (Ge
22:11), Jacob (Ge 46:2), and Samuel (1 Sa 3:4).
Exodus
3:5 Then He said, "Do not come near here;
remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are
standing is holy ground."
Remove your sandals -
Removing one’s sandals was a sign of respect toward a superior, or toward
a person’s dwelling. Sandals were often removed before entering someone’s
home, or before entering a sacred place like a temple.
The removal of sandals in the East is still a sign of humility and
reverence. It pictures one removing the dust and dirt of this world, so as
not to profane that which was set apart from the world (i.e., Holy). The
ground God says is "holy" or "set apart, distinct, unique" ground, because
of the presence of the Holy One of Israel.
Have you ever set aside a time and/or a
place as "holy" (under grace and in the spirit not under law or in
ritual) that you might have a reverent time of communing with the
precious Holy One of Israel? Or are you too busy to "give Him the time of
day" (and in so doing miss the very best portion of that entire day!)?
Exodus
3:6 He said also, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Then Moses hid his face, for he was
afraid to look (gaze) at God.
I am the God of your father... - It is significant that
God first identified Himself in terms of His historic relationship to
Israel's patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the recipients of the
eternal covenant. This designation (the naming of the three patriarchs)
obviously brings to mind His covenant and His immutable covenant promises.
He is a covenant keeping God, unlike the so-called fickle, vain "gods" of
this world. Moses' response of hiding his face reflects a combination of fear,
reverence and humility.
Exodus
3:7 And the LORD said, "I have surely
seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to
their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their
sufferings.
I have surely seen - Hebrew verb
structure intensifies this statement so that there is no doubt that God
has seen and no doubt that He will respond!
Would it be that we all grow to
trust that He sees our plight and in His timing He will deliver us either
out of or through the fire!
Exodus
3:8 "So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians,
and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land (both good
in quality and large in size), to a land
flowing with milk and honey (hyperbole describing a land with an abundance
of these products and so a very desirable land), to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite
and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.
I have come down -
an idiom describing divine intervention
and a frequent anthropomorphism in Genesis and Exodus which speaks of
God's direct involvement, often in carrying out judgment but in the
present context of bringing about deliverance
To deliver - (Hebrew = natsal)
means to rescue, snatch out of danger, to save, to deliver from enemies or
troubles or death. Deliverance often indicated the power of one entity
overcoming the power of another and was frequently expressed as
deliverance from the hand or power of another. The idea can be to
deliver so that one is safe from danger and thus in a more favorable
circumstance. The
Septuagint (LXX)
translates the Hebrew
verb natsal with the Greek verb exaireo which means to pluck out,
tear out, draw out or remove (Jesus used it to describe what we should do
with our right eye if it makes us stumble "tear
[exaireo] it out!"
Bring them...to a good and spacious
land - God was reminding Moses
He would fulfill His covenant promises to Abraham. An deep understanding
of God's covenants, especially the Abrahamic, Mosaic and New, will greatly
strengthen your trust in God and His Word, especially His covenant
promises of provision, protection and prospects (future). I am not just
referring to being able to list off the details of each covenant, but of
truly understanding the foundational aspects of each covenant. God has
chosen to reveal Himself in two testaments (virtually synonymous with the
word covenant [Concise Oxford English Dictionary - testament = a covenant
or dispensation]) (If you have never studied covenant in this way, you are
strongly encouraged to study the notes beginning with
Covenant: Why Study It? -
even better order Precept's course on
Covenant - download lesson 1 free.
Kay Arthur also has an excellent book on Covenant [Our
Covenant God: Learning to Trust Him
and the also get the accompanying guide
Our Covenant God Study Guide:
Learning to Trust Him].
Whichever you choose to do, be sure to carefully read the Scriptures that
relate to the specific aspects of covenant which you are studying. The
word and the truth of covenant will take on an entirely new meaning and
significance in your life. Guaranteed!)
Exodus
3:9 "And now, behold, the cry of the sons
of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with
which the Egyptians are oppressing them.
Cry - The Hebrew word is a
technical term describing the outcry that one might make for example to a
judge. Jacobs writes that "God had seen the oppression and so knew
that the complaints were accurate, and so he initiated the proceedings
against the oppressors" (Jacobs, B. Exodus: The Second Book of the Law)
Oppressing - (Hebrew = lachats)
means to oppress, to crush and conveys the idea of pressure with the
oppression and thus a squeezing or pressuring. This word was used later
for torturing or tormenting. The Greek
Septuagint (LXX)
translates the Hebrew
verb lachats with
thlibo (see word study)
(see also picturesque
related noun
thlipsis = affliction) which literally
conveys the idea of pressing or rubbing together and hence compressing or
making narrow. Figuratively, thlibo means to oppress or afflict.
Exodus
3:10 "Therefore,
come now
(or "Go"
- a command), and I will send (Septuagint
= apostello - English "apostle") you to Pharaoh, so that you may
bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt."
I will send... bring My people...out
- The NET Bible Note comments that...
These instructions for Moses are based
on the preceding revelation made to him. The deliverance of Israel was to
be God’s work – hence, “I will send you.” When God commissioned people,
often using the verb “to send,” it indicated that they went with his
backing, his power, and his authority. Moses could not have brought Israel
out without this. To name this incident a commissioning, then, means that
the authority came from God to do the work (compare John 3:2).
Exodus
3:11
But Moses said to God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that
I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?"
Who am I -
Some commentators consider Moses' question, "Who am I?"
as
irrelevant as well as irreverent, because the covenant God had just
promised that He Himself would deliver Israel. They reason that Moses'
question was irreverent because it called into question God's judgment in
His choice of such a lowly servant. To be sure later on Moses gave God excuses
about his inability to speak or to stand before the Pharaoh. But who could
imagine the created one arguing against the Creator? And yet don't we find
ourselves reacting in a similar way when God asks us to do something like
"Husbands, love your wives" or "Wives, respect your husbands" or "Children
obey your parents"? We're just like Moses and we say "Who am I?" We each
have our excuses why God's commands don't seem reasonable in our
particular situation! Fallen human nature hasn't changed much since the
days of Moses! We make excuses about our inability to love, to respect, or
to obey and we question God's right or wisdom in calling us to do so.
Hemphill adds that...
We, like Moses, suffer from the
mistaken idea that we can do God's work in our own strength. When God
calls us to a task, we can rest assured that He has created us for this
very purpose and will empower us to accomplish it. He is active in the
present. I believe that Moses asked such an irrelevant and irreverent
question because he suffered from a problem that affects men and women
today. Until God approached Moses at the burning bush, He was only a God
of history to Moses, not a God of the present. Perhaps Moses had absolute
confidence that God had worked miraculously in the lives of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. He probably never would have considered calling these
historical accounts into question. Yet, at the moment of truth, he
struggled to believe that the God of history could work through his life
to deliver Israel.
Tragically, many of us are at the same point in our Christian pilgrimages.
We have no problem affirming the historical accuracy of the Bible. We
don't question that God opened the Red Sea. We may not be sure how He
accomplished this feat or how wide the opening was, but we're sure it was
big enough to get the children of Israel through on dry land. We believe
that God fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fishes. We believe
that all the miracles are historically true!
What if you were asked: "Do you believe that God can work in your life
today? Do you believe He can use you to change your nation? Do you believe
that God can work in your church today to transform your city and the
world? Do you believe that God can change your marriage and restore broken
relationships? Do you believe that God can forgive your sin? Do you
believe that God can work in your life, enabling you to teach that Sunday
school class? Do you believe that God can work in your life to reach that
unsaved friend that you've been thinking is beyond His reach?" Is your God
merely a God of history, and not necessarily a God of the present?
(Names of God)
Warren Wiersbe interprets Moses'
interaction with God in a totally different light writing...
We admire Moses for his humility, for
forty years before he would have told God who he was! He was
“learned...and mighty in words and in deeds” (Acts 7:22). But years of
communion and discipline in the desert had humbled Moses. A person acting
in the flesh is impulsive and sees no obstacles, but a person humbly
walking in the Spirit knows the battles that lie ahead. God’s reply was to
assure him: “I will be with you!” This promise sustained him for forty
years, as it later did Joshua (Josh. 1:5). Who we are is not important;
that God is with us is important, for without Him we can do nothing (John
15:5). (Wiersbe,
W. W. Wiersbe's Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill.:
Victor Books)
Exodus
3:12
And He said, "Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to
you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out
of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain."
Certainly I will be with you -
God responds to Moses’ first concern about his own inadequacies. Jehovah's
promised presence is enough! And Jesus says the same thing to believers
today who feel inadequate for the task to "Go therefore and make
disciples" promising them "lo, I am with you always, even to the end of
the age." (Mt 28:19-20, cf Heb 13:5-notes)
Worship - John Hannah writes
that...
The purpose of the deliverance was that
Israel might “worship God.” This purpose is stated frequently in Exodus
(Ex 4:23; 7:16; 8:1, 20; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 7, 8, 11, 24, 26; 12:31). The Hebrew
word for “worship” is the same word for “to be a slave” ('abad). Israel
had been slaves ('abodim) of Egypt (Ex 6:6), and was in slavery ('abodah,
Ex 2:23) in Egypt (“the land of slavery,” lit., “the house of slaves, ”bet
abadim Ex 1:3, 14; 20:2). Having served as slaves to the Egyptians, Israel
was now to serve the LORD, worshiping Him as His subjects. (Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
Exodus
3:13 Then
Moses said to God, "Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I shall
say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you.' Now they may
say to me, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?"
What is His name? -
Moses second question/concern (the first was "Who am I?" which shifts to
"Who are You?") is both both relevant and reverent and is really the
only question that has any relevance in his life or in ours.
What is His Name? This should be our
objective for the remainder of our life on earth, to grow in our knowledge
of His Name which ultimately reflects His character and His attributes.
Intimately, experientially knowing His personal name Jehovah should be the
warp and woof of our lives, beloved. And in this task we shall never reach
the end for the more we know, the more we know we don’t know!
Jesus said...
And this is eternal life, that they may
know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom Thou hast sent. (John
17:3)
Paul declared the warp and woof
of his life was...
that I may know Him (Jehovah Jesus),
and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings,
being conformed to His death in order that I may attain to the
resurrection from the dead. (See notes
Philippians 3:10;
11)
Wiersbe adds that...
This was no evasive question, for the
Jews would want assurance that the Lord had sent Moses on his mission. God
revealed His name, Jehovah—“I AM WHO I AM” or “I was, I am, I always
will be!” Our Lord Jesus added to this name in the Gospel of John
where we find the seven great I AM statements (John 6:35; 8:12;
10:9, 11; 11:25; 14:6;15:1, 2, 3, 4, 5). If God is “I AM,” then He is always
the same, and His purposes will be fulfilled. God promised Moses that He
would see to it that the work was done, in spite of the opposition of
Pharaoh. (Ibid) (Bolding added)
Fretheim explains Moses'
question of God this way reasoning that...
God’s commission is that Moses go to
Pharaoh. Moses understands that this entails being sent to Israel. But
Israel has not acknowledged his leadership; he in fact may be a stranger
to most. Hence the importance of going to the elders first (Ex 3:16). Moses’
question is natural: Will the people listen to him? The name of the God
for whom he speaks will establish his credentials. For this purpose the
divine self-identification given in verse 6 is insufficient. The
assumption seems to be that, if Moses has been commissioned to bring the
people out of Egypt, Moses should have a divine name commensurate with
this new development in God’s relationship with Israel. God’s double
command (Ex 3:15, 16) that the new identification be repeated to the people
shows its importance. (Fretheim, T. E. Exodus. Interpretation, a Bible
Commentary for Teaching and Preaching. Louisville: John Knox Press)
Exodus
3:14 And God said to
Moses, "I AM WHO I AM"; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the
sons of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"
Is God-?' 'Does God-?'
Man's 'Why?' and 'How?'
In ceaseless iteration storm the sky.
'I am'; I will'; 'I do'—sure Word of God,
Yea and Amen, Christ answers each cry;
To all our anguished questionings and doubts
Eternal affirmation and reply.
I Am - The Hebrew verb for
I AM is hayah means to exist or to be or become. The
Septuagint (LXX)
translates the Hebrew phrase with the Greek phrase "Ego eimi"
where the verb eimi is in the
present tense.
This Greek phrase is exactly what Jesus used in His claims in John 8:24
and John 8:58 (see discussion below).
The most common translation is "I AM WHO I AM”
(NASB ,ESV, GWT, ICB, NKJV, NRSV, TEV)
Other renderings include:
I AM WHO I AM and WHAT I AM, and I WILL
BE WHAT I WILL BE (Amplified)
I AM THAT I AM (Darby, KJV)
I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE (Marginal
Readings of NIV, NRSV)
I Am He Who is (NJB)
I AM THE ONE WHO ALWAYS IS (NLT)
I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE (NLT Marginal
reading)
I AM THAT WHICH I AM (Young's Literal)
“I will cause to be what I will cause
to be”
“I will be who I am / I am who I will
be”
Gianotti reasons that...
If Moses indeed had a revelation from
God, then the Israelites would want to have that verified with Moses
relating something hitherto unknown about their God. Exodus 3:14 is God’s
response to Moses’ concern about validating his mission to the Israelites
with newly revealed information about God’s character. (The Meaning of the
Divine Name YHWH: Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume 142, 1985).
Wiersbe explains God's answer to
Moses this way...
What Moses asked was, “What does Your
name mean? What kind of a God are You?” God explained that the name
Jehovah is a dynamic name, based on the Hebrew verb “to be” or “to
become.” He is the self-existent One who always was, always is, and always
will be, the faithful and dependable God who calls Himself “I AM.”
Centuries later, Jesus would take the name “I AM” and complete it: “I am
the bread of life” (John 6:35), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12),
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1), and so on. (Wiersbe, W. W.. Be
Delivered. Page18. Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub. 1998)
Guzik writes that...
Rightfully, Moses sensed he needed
credentials before the people of Israel. Before, he thought he had the
credentials because he was a prince of Egypt. 40 years of tending sheep
took away his sense of self-reliance.
When God revealed Himself to man in the days of the patriarchs it was
often associated with a newly revealed name or title for God.
Abraham, in the encounter with
Melchizedek called on God Most High (Genesis 14:22) -
El Elyon
Abraham later encountered Almighty God (Genesis 17:1) -
El Shaddai
Abraham came to know the Lord as Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33), and
The-Lord-Will-Provide (Genesis 22:14) -
Jehovah Jireh
Hagar encountered You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees (Genesis 16:13) -
El Roi
Jacob met El Elohe Israel (Genesis 33:20) and El Bethel (Genesis 35:7).
Now, when Moses comes to the elders of
Israel with a "new message" from God, it is logical to think they would
ask, "What name did He reveal Himself to you under? What new revelation
from God do you have?"
The name I Am has within it the
idea of aseity - that God is completely independent; that He relies on
nothing for life or existence (Isaiah 40:28, 29; John 5:26). God doesn't
need anybody or anything - life is in Himself.
Also inherent in the idea behind the
name I Am is the sense that God is "the becoming one"; God becomes
whatever is lacking in our time of need. The name I Am invites us to fill
in the blank to meet our need - when we are in darkness, Jesus says I am
the light; when we are hungry, He says I am the bread of life, when we are
defenseless, He says I am the Good Shepherd. God is the becoming one,
becoming what we need. (Guzik
- Enduring Word Commentary)
Hemphill commenting on I Am
notes that...
Various scholars have suggested
different translations of the name of God used in this passage. The name
is from the imperfect stem of the Hebrew verb "to be." The imperfect tense
denotes an action that started in the past, continues in the present, but
is not yet complete. Many Bible scholars follow the simple translation
that we have in our text, "I am who I am." One of our Old Testament
scholars at Southwestern translates it this way: "I AM who I have
always been." I like this translation because it affirms that the God
who spoke from the burning bush is the same God who worked through the
lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. It also implies His ability and desire
to work through Moses in the present and the future. However we translate
this name, we can be assured that it affirms God's self-existence and His
eternality (Hemphill, K. Names of God)
Keil and Delitzsch suggest
that...
The repetition of the same word [I am]
suggests the idea of uninterrupted continuance and boundless duration.
Thomas Constable quotes several
sources writing that...
“To the Hebrew ‘to be’ does not just
mean to exist as all other beings and things do as well—but to be active,
to express oneself in active being, ‘The God Who acts.’ ‘I am what in
creative activity and everywhere I turn out to be,’ or ‘I am (the God)
that really acts.’ (Sigmund Mowinckel, “The Name of the God of Moses,)
“I am that I am” means “God will reveal Himself in His actions through
history.” (Charles Gianotti, “The Meaning of the Divine Name YHWH" Bib
Sac)
Another writer paraphrased God’s
answer, “It is I Who am with you.” In other words, the One Who had
promised to be with the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had sent
Moses to them.
“The answer Moses receives is not, by
any stretch of the imagination, a name. It is an assertion of authority, a
confession of an essential reality, and thus an entirely appropriate
response to the question Moses poses. (Durham) (Expository
Notes)
Swanson writes that
I AM WHO I AM, i.e., a title of
God with a focus on presence, care, concern, and
relationship (Swanson, J. Dictionary of Biblical Languages with
Semantic Domains : Hebrew (Old Testament)
I Am sent you - In His giving
the name "I Am" to Moses to declare to the people, God was expressing the
unchanging, eternal, self-existence of His being. He is ever able to act
at will, to keep promises, to redeem Israel.
Related Resource:
Barry Beitzel- Ex 3:14- The Divine Name: A Case of
Biblical Paronomasia - Trinity Journal, 1980
In his
Expositions of Holy Scripture, Alexander Maclaren beautifully
connects God's self revelation with the burning bush writing
That is to say, the fire that burns and does not burn out, which has no
tendency to destruction in its very energy, and is not consumed by its own
activity, is surely a symbol of the One Being, whose being derives its law
and its source from itself, who only can say—“I AM THAT I AM”—the law of
his nature, the foundation of His being, the only conditions of His
existence being, as it were, enclosed within the limits of His own nature.
You and I have to say, “I AM THAT WHICH
I HAVE BECOME,” or “I AM THAT WHICH I WAS BORN,” or “I AM THAT” WHICH
CIRCUMSTANCES HAVE MADE ME.”
He says, “I AM THAT I AM.” All other
creatures are links; this is the staple from which they all hang. All
other being is derived, and therefore limited and changeful; this being is
underived, absolute, self-dependent, and therefore unalterable
forevermore. Because we live, we die. In living, the process is going on
of which death is the end. But God lives forevermore, a flame that does
not burn out; therefore His resources are inexhaustible, His power
unwearied. He needs no rest for recuperation of wasted energy. His gifts
diminish not the store which He has to bestow. He gives and is none the
poorer. He works and is never weary. He operates unspent; He loves and He
loves forever. And through the ages, the fire burns on, unconsumed and
undecayed. (Ed note: And all God's people said "Hallelujah!")
Exodus
3:15 And God,
furthermore, said to Moses, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel,
'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, and
this is My memorial-name to all generations.
God not only declares His absolute
existence as in verse 14, but here He declares His relationship to His
people. He is the God Who made an eternal covenant with Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob. Jehovah is His name forever and is His memorial name, a name
that causes Him not to be forgotten.
EXODUS
6:3
JEHOVAH
MADE KNOWN
WHAT DO WE LEARN
ABOUT THE REVELATION OF JEHOVAH IN EXODUS 6:2-4?
God spoke further to Moses and said to
him, "I am the LORD (Jehovah) and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, as God
Almighty (El
Shaddai), but by My Name, LORD (Jehovah), I did not
make Myself known to them. And I also established My covenant with
them,
to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned." (Ex
6:2, 3, 4)
Septuagint of Exodus 6:3
reads...
And I appeared to Abram and Isaac and
Jacob, being their God, but I did not manifest (deloo
[word study]
- make clear or
plain, of something divinely communicated) to them my name Lord.
Related Resources:
Davis, John J. "The
Patriarchs' Knowledge of Jehovah," Grace Theological J 1963 - discussion
specifically of Exodus 6:3
J. A. Motyer emphasizes the
association of God's Name with His character
rendering Exodus 6:3...
And I showed myself to Abraham, to
Isaac, and to Jacob in the character of El Shaddai, but in the
character expressed by my name Yahweh I did not make myself known to
them. (Bolding added)
Motyer concludes that
it was the character expressed by the
name that was withheld from the patriarchs and not the name itself. To
know by name means to have come into intimate and personal acquaintance
with a person.
Gianotti Pastor, Hillside Bible
Chapel, Orillia, Ontario, Canada agrees noting that...
Without doubt, the Tetragrammaton,
YHWH,1 is the most significant name in the Old Testament. As one writer
observed, “no single word in Hebrew has ever evoked such a torrent of
discussion as…YHWH, the personal name of the Hebrew god [sic].”2 In
distilling the vast amount of literature on the subject, five popular
views rise to the surface. But before discussing these, certain
observations should be made.3
For the Biblicist, the divine name YHWH was known as early as the time of
Enosh (Ge 4:26) and was used not infrequently during the patriarchal
period (cf. Gen 12:1, 4; 13:4 , etc.). Yet Exodus 6:2–3 seems to indicate
that the name was not known until the time of Moses hundreds of years
later: “God spoke further to Moses and said to him, I am the Lord and I
appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty (Shaddai, but by My
name, Lord - YHWH], I did not make Myself known to them.”
But this tension is resolved by a correct understanding of the passage.
Motyer offers an excellent exegesis translating it as follows: “And God
spoke to Moses, and said to him: I am Yahweh. And I showed myself to
Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob in the character of El Shaddai, but in the
character expressed by my name Yahweh I did not make myself known to
them….”4 He concludes that “it was the character expressed by the name
that was withheld from the patriarchs and not the name itself….to know by
name means to have come into intimate and personal acquaintance with a
person.”5 Mowinckel concurs in reference to the burning bush incident
that:
Exodus 3 does not support the theory that the name of Yahweh was not known
to the Israelites before Moses…. A name may have deeper meaning than the
one discernible at first glance and recognizable to everybody…a man who
knows the “real” deeper meaning of the name of a god, really “knows the
god” in question.6
Thus though the name YHWH existed well before the time of Moses, the
meaning of that name was not revealed until the time of Moses. To
understand the meaning of the divine name is to understand the character
of God revealed by that name. Clearly Exodus 3:14 provides the beginning
point for this discussion. (The
Meaning of the Divine Name YHWH: Bibliotheca Sacra: Volume 142, 1985).
The comments of the liberals and
"higher" critics who say this verse is indicative of an error in
Scripture should be totally discounted as errant comments! Admittedly,
some texts may be difficult to resolve with other texts, but this reflects
man's partial, finite understanding of the infinite God's inerrant Word!
(See
also related note on Exodus 6:3)
Guzik writes that...
Yahweh was not a new name, nor an
unknown name - it appears more than 160 times in the book of Genesis.
Moses' mother's name was Jochabed meaning, Yahweh is my glory. Moses and
Israel knew the name Yahweh. God did not give Moses a "new and improved"
name of God, but the name they had known before. (Ibid)
Hemphill writes that...
We first encountered the name Yahweh
in Genesis 2:4, but with no explanation of its meaning. Here in Exodus,
Moses, the author of the first five books of the Bible, shows us the
significance of God's name by connecting it to the covenant and a promise
to the people. He affirms that the God of creation is the God of the
patriarchs who has now manifested Himself as a personal, living God who
will fulfill to the people of Israel the promise that He made to their
fathers. The name Jehovah declares that God is personal, self-existent,
and unchanging in His desire to reveal Himself in the personal redemption
of those He has created (cf. Exod. 6:3-6). (Ibid)
Scofield comments that...
On the basis of this verse (Exodus 6:3)
many critics have claimed that two of the sources of the books of Moses
are a document using Elohim for the name of God, and one employing
Jehovah; and that this passage reveals that the writer was ignorant of the
many sections of Genesis in which Jehovah (usually written LORD) is used.
It is further assumed that the writer of Exodus 6:3 believed that the name
Jehovah was first made known in Moses' time. The answer to these
assumptions is as follows: (1) The statement, "by my name the LORD
[JEHOVAH] I did not make myself known to them" can also be translated as a
rhetorical question, "By my name the LORD [JEHOVAH] was I not known to
them?" (2) In the O.T. the verb "to know" generally means far more than to
have an intellectual knowledge. There are many instances of this, such as
Hosea 6:3: "Let us acknowledge the LORD." (3) The patriarchs were familiar
with the name Jehovah, but their experience of God was largely that of Him
as El-Shaddai (cp. Ge 17:1), the One who provided for all their needs.
Here in Exodus 6:3 God tells Moses that He is now about to be revealed in
that aspect of His character signified by Jehovah - i.e. His
covenant-relation to Israel as the One who redeems her from sin and
delivers her from Egypt (cp. Ex 6:6-8). (4) Actually there is no contrast
in Ex 6:3 between Elohim and Jehovah, the names in this text being
El-Shaddai and Jehovah. And (5) the Genesis record over and over reveals
knowledge of the name Jehovah; for an outstanding example, cp. Ge 49:18.
(Scofield Study Bible notes)
Although Jehovah
was identified with the establishment of the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis
15:18, it was not until the time of the Exodus some 400 years later that the
experiential knowledge of the name Jehovah was revealed to Israel.
In other words, although Abraham and the other patriarchs Isaac and Jacob
were clearly familiar with the name Jehovah as God's name
associated with His covenant (Genesis 15:18) and had received specific
covenant promises (Abraham received the son of promise, Isaac), they still
did not possess a full knowledge of the meaning of Jehovah. In the
redemptive events of the
exodus from Egyptian bondage, Jehovah demonstrated not only His
immutable (note) (unchangeable) character but also His
faithfulness (note)
to keep His covenant.
In other words, in the Exodus
which Jehovah supernaturally brought about, Israel
received a
revelation and
experiential knowledge of Jehovah. Previously, as shepherds in Palestine, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob had known God experientially, primarily as
El Shaddai (note)
(God Almighty) the Name which revealed His power and sufficiency
but they had not known Him experientially as the God Who would
bring about redemption in order to keep His covenant promises.
(See
additional note)
Recall that the name Yahweh (Jehovah,
LORD) was known to Abraham even before the Name El Shaddai, as we note in
such passages as Genesis 12:8, 13:4, 15:7 (and to Jacob in Ge 38:13).
Clearly in Exodus 6 Jehovah does not introduce a new Name but a new
revelation of that Name. Remember that the OT Names of God were a
revelation of some aspect of His character and/or attributes. And so in
Exodus 6 we see Jehovah reveals His character as the Covenant keeping God,
faithful to keep His promises and faithful to redeem Israel from bondage.
In other words, God would make Himself known to Israel in actions by which
He had not revealed Himself to the patriarchs and which they knew only as
promises of the covenant.
If we remember that God is
infinite, it is not at all surprising that the generation of the
patriarchs might not "know" God experientially in the same way that
a later generation
would come to know Him.
John MacArthur agrees reasoning
that...
Since the name Yahweh was spoken before
the Flood (Ge. 4:26) and later by the patriarchs (Gen. 9:26; 12:8; 22:14;
24:12), the special significance of Yahweh, unknown to them, but to be
known by their descendants, must arise from what God would reveal of
Himself in keeping the covenant and in redeeming Israel. (MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word
or
Logos)
The Jewish rabbi Rashi explains
that this the text means
“I did not make Myself known, I did not
allow My real character to be recognized.“ (prior to the time of the
events of Exodus)
Some feel that the last clause in
Exodus 6:3 might represent a rhetorical question which is permissible in
the Hebrew and which would read "by my
name JEHOVAH was I not also known to them?" Given the fact that God's
Names are a revelation of His character, I think this is a less likely explanation.
Richards agrees writing
that...
While the four–letter name YHWH appears
in Genesis, its true significance was only revealed in the acts of power
by which God intervened in Egypt to free Israel. From this time on, God’s
people will know not only what God’s name is, but what that name means!
(The Bible Readers Companion)
KJV Bible Commentary explains
that...
They had not known the riches of God as
Jehovah, the name now to be associated with God’s activity in keeping His
covenant with Abraham. This is not to say that they did not know the name
of Yahweh (thought by many to be the original pronunciation of the name,
Jehovah); but they would now come to know the benefits of that name as
Israel’s covenant-keeping God... God’s gracious loving-kindness would be
manifested to them through a powerful deliverance. (Dobson,
E G, Charles Feinberg, E Hindson, Woodrow Kroll, H L. Wilmington: KJV
Bible Commentary: Nelson
or
Logos)
Keil
and Delitzsch add that
When the establishment of the covenant
commenced, as described in Genesis 15, with the institution of the
covenant sign of circumcision and the promise of the birth of Isaac,
Jehovah said to Abram, “I am El Shaddai, God Almighty,” and from that time
forward manifested Himself to Abram and his wife as the Almighty, in the
birth of Isaac, which took place apart altogether from the powers of
nature, and also in the preservation, guidance, and multiplication of his
seed.
It was in His attribute as El
Shaddai that God had revealed His nature to the patriarchs; but now He
was about to reveal Himself to Israel as Jehovah, as the absolute
Being working with unbounded freedom in the performance of His promises.
For not only had He established His covenant with the fathers (Ex 6:4),
but He had also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, and
remembered His covenant (Ex 6:5; not only—but also). The divine promise
not only commences in Ex 6:2, but concludes at Ex 6:8, with the emphatic
expression, “I Jehovah,” to show that the work of Israel’s
redemption resided in the power of the Name Jehovah. In Ex 6:4 the
covenant promises of Ge 17:7, 8; 26:3; 35:11, 12, are all brought together
and in Ex 6:5 we have a repetition of Ex 2:24, with the emphatically
repeated "I". On the ground of the erection of His covenant on the one
hand, and, what was irreconcilable with that covenant, the bondage of
Israel on the other, Jehovah was not about to redeem Israel from
its sufferings and make it His own nation.
This assurance, which God would
carry out by the manifestation of His nature as expressed in the name
Jehovah, contained three distinct elements:
(a) the deliverance of Israel from the
bondage of Egypt, which, because so utterly different from all outward
appearances, is described in three parallel clauses: bringing them out
from under the burdens of the Egyptians; saving them from their bondage;
and redeeming them with a stretched-out arm and with great judgments;
(b) the adoption of Israel as the
nation of God;
(c) the guidance of Israel into the
land promised to the fathers (Ex 6:6-8). a stretched-out arm, is
most appropriately connected with great judgments; for God raises,
stretches out His arm, when He proceeds in judgment to smite the
rebellious. These expressions repeat with greater emphasis the “strong
hand” of Ex 6:1, and are frequently connected with it in the rhetorical
language of Deuteronomy (e.g., Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19). The “great
judgments” were the plagues, the judgments of God, by which Pharaoh was to
be compelled to let Israel go. (Keil, C. F., & Delitzsch, F.. Commentary
on the Old Testament 1:303-304).
><>><>><>
JOHN 8
I AM
John 8:24
(Jesus in the Temple declared to the Jewish audience including scribes
and Pharisees when they asked "Who are You?") "I said therefore to you,
that you shall die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am
(Ego eimi =
present tense
- "I am continually" is what Jesus is saying) He (note that
"He" is in italics in NAS indicating that it is not in the original
Greek text), you shall die in your sins." (Compare the
paraphrase TEV [The English Version], noting how interpretative it is "you
will know that 'I Am Who I Am'". Although the TEV is accurate in this
interpretation, paraphrases [or the NIV = dynamic equivalence = not word for
word] are not recommended for in depth Bible study.)
Commenting on John 8:24 MacArthur
explains that...
The Lord’s use of the absolute,
unqualified phrase I am (the pronoun He does not
appear in the Greek text) is nothing less than a direct claim to full
deity. When Moses asked God His name He replied, “I AM WHO I AM” (Ex
3:14). In the
Septuagint - LXX (the
Greek translation of the Old Testament), that is the same phrase (ego
eimi) Jesus
used
here (the Septuagint similarly uses ego eimi of God in Deut 32:39;
Isaiah 41:4; 43:10, 25; 45:18; 46:4). Jesus was applying to Himself the
Tetragrammaton (YHWH, often transliterated as Yahweh)—the name of God that
was so sacred that the Jews refused to pronounce it. Unlike many modern
cult groups (such as the Jehovah’s Witnesses -
see notes),
the Jews of Jesus’ day understood perfectly that He was claiming to be
God. In fact, they were so shocked by His use of that name, in reference
to Himself (cf. vv. 28, 58), that they attempted to stone Him for
blasphemy (v. 59). (MacArthur,
J. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary : John 1-11. Page 348. Chicago:
Moody Press)
John 8:58
Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, (Amen, Amen - this should get their
attention) I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am
(Ego eimi =
present tense
- "I am continually" is what Jesus is saying)." 59 Therefore (term
of conclusion)
they picked up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself, and went out
of the temple. (See
discussion of John 8:58 and Jehovah's Witnesses)
(See
related discussion of JW's and John 8:58 and John 10:30-33 and "I AM")
Comment: Why did they attempt to
stone Jesus? Obviously they understood that He had just claimed to be God
and to their ears was blaspheming. Remember who it is that sought to stone
Him. From the
context
we see that these are the same group that John described earlier as "those
Jews who had believed in Him" (John
8:31) They are the same
audience to whom Jesus declared "you are of (the Greek preposition ek
which here emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus was saying in
essence that they were the devil’s very offspring) your father the devil"
(John
8:44) What is your
conclusion? They had believed in Jesus but were they genuinely saved? Did
they bring fruit in keeping with repentance? Who was their father - God or
the devil? Clearly they were unregenerate. They believed He was Messiah
but they did not really know Him for their believe was intellectual assent
without a genuine heart response (see related notes
Matthew 7:23)
MacArthur comments that...
Jesus’ climactic reply, “Truly,
truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am,” was nothing less
than a claim to full deity. The Lord once again took for Himself the
sacred Name of God. Obviously, as
the
eternal God (John 1:1-2), He existed before Abraham’s time.
Homer Kent explains, “By using the
timeless ‘I am’ rather than ‘I was,’ Jesus conveyed not only the idea of
existence prior to Abraham, but timelessness—the very nature of God
Himself (Ex
3:14)” (Light in the
Darkness [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1974], 128-29). (Ibid)
The NET Bible agrees writing
that...
I am is an explicit claim to deity.
Although each occurrence of the phrase “I am” in the Fourth Gospel needs
to be examined individually in context to see if an association with
Exodus 3:14 is
present, it seems clear that this is the case here (as the response of the
Jewish authorities in the following verse shows).
><>><>><>
JESUS OF
THE NT
IS JEHOVAH OF THE OT
John in explaining the judicial
hardening of Israel records
that the word of Isaiah the prophet
might be fulfilled, which he spoke, "LORD, WHO HAS BELIEVED OUR REPORT?
AND TO WHOM HAS THE ARM OF THE LORD BEEN REVEALED? (quoting Isaiah 53:1
- note that in the NAS, NT verses in all caps are indicative of direct OT
quotes - and most of the OT quotes are actually from the
Septuagint
rather than the Hebrew text)"
39 For this cause they could not believe, for Isaiah said again,
40 "HE (Who is He? Jehovah = Jesus) HAS BLINDED THEIR EYES, AND HE
HARDENED THEIR HEART; LEST THEY SEE WITH THEIR EYES, AND PERCEIVE WITH
THEIR HEART, AND BE CONVERTED, AND I HEAL THEM."
41 These things Isaiah said, because he saw His (Whose? Jesus')
glory (When? Isaiah 6:3 "Jehovah of hosts"), and he spoke of Him (of
Jesus). (John 12:38-41)
Here is Isaiah's record of this
event...
6:1 In the year of King Uzziah's death,
I saw the Lord (Adonai) sitting on a throne, lofty and
exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his
face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the
LORD (Jehovah) of hosts, the whole earth is full of His
glory."
Numerous commentators in this
century and prior centuries have concluded from this passage that Jesus is
Jehovah or Yahweh.
One note of caution - Please be aware that the fact that Jesus appeared as
Jehovah in the OT in no way impugns the integrity of the Trinity of the
Godhead. God is Triune. Jesus is NOT the Father. There are two
cultic teachings to be aware of...
1) Beware
of the very subtle, dangerous (because it is so subtle) false
teaching of
Oneness Pentecostal theology
(Jesus only theology).
2) Beware
of one other danger when speaking of Jesus as Jehovah in the OT. Reed
and Farkas explain the false teaching of the Mormon Church in the
area of Jesus and Jehovah...
Unlike many pseudo-Christian cults that
deny the deity of Christ, the Mormon Church teaches that Jesus Christ
is Jehovah (the Lord) of the Old Testament. Mormons may even properly
associate Old Testament verses with New Testament verses to show that
Jesus is Jehovah: Deuteronomy 1:32, 33 with 1 Corinthians 10:1–4; Isaiah
43:3, 11 with Luke 2:11; and Isaiah 48:17 with Romans 3:24. If the
discussion goes only this far, a Christian may assume that his Mormon
acquaintance agrees with him theologically.
But that is not actually the case.
While the Christian understands Jehovah to be one of the Hebrew
names of the triune deity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—the Mormon believes
quite differently. His church’s Bible Dictionary (Salt Lake City, 1990
printing, p. 681) explains it this way:
When one speaks of God, it is generally
the Father who is referred to; that is, Elohim. All mankind are his
children. The personage known as Jehovah in Old Testament times, and who
is usually identified in the Old Testament as Lord (in capital letters),
is the Son, known as Jesus Christ, and who is also a God … he being the
eldest of the spirit children of Elohim.… The Holy Ghost is also a God.
The Mormon sees the Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit as three Gods who are merely “unified in purpose.” While
Christians understand Elohim and Jehovah to be names belonging to the one
true God of the Bible, Mormons believe that each of these names designates
a different God.
This view, however, that Elohim
and Jehovah are distinct individuals can be maintained only when
reading a Bible that substitutes the less specific words God and Lord.
Examination of the Hebrew text immediately shows that Elohim and
Jehovah are one and the same. For example, throughout
Genesis chapter 2 wherever “the Lord God” is spoken of, this is “Jehovah
Elohim” in Hebrew. When Jacob says to Isaac, “Because the Lord thy God
brought it to me,” the literal reading is, “Because Jehovah thy
Elohim brought it to me” (Gen. 27:20). When the Lord (Jehovah)
speaks to Moses at the burning bush, he introduces himself by saying, “I
am the God [Elohim in Hebrew] of thy father, the God of Abraham,
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.… And the Lord [Jehovah in Hebrew]
said … ” (Ex. 3:6, 7). (Reed, D. A., & Farkas, J., R. Mormons: Answered
Verse by Verse. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.) (Bolding added)
MacArthur concludes that...
This is a reference to Isaiah 6:1. John
unambiguously ties Jesus to God or Yahweh of the OT (see John 8:58).
Therefore, since John 12:41 refers to Jesus, it makes Him the Author of
the judicial hardening of Israel. That fits His role as Judge (see John
5:22, 23, 27, 30; 9:39). (MacArthur,
J.: The MacArthur Study Bible Nashville: Word
or
Logos)
(Bolding added)
James Montgomery Boice
commenting on John 12:41 writes that
The Gospel of John is a book filled
with many extraordinary verses. But none is more extraordinary than (and
few are equal to) the verse to which we come now. It is a verse in which
John refers to one of the most glorious visions of God ever given to a
human being—the vision received by Isaiah at the beginning of his ministry
as a prophet, in which he saw Jehovah sitting upon a throne, high
and lifted up, with his train filling the temple—saying quite naturally,
it would seem, that this applies to Jesus. John says, “Isaiah said this
because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him” (v. 41). (The Gospel of
John : An Expositional Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books)
(Bolding added)
MacDonald explains that...
In
Isaiah 6
the prophet was described as seeing the glory of God. John now
added the explanation that it was Christ’s glory which Isaiah saw,
and it was of Christ that he spoke. Thus, this verse is another
important link in the chain of evidence that proves Jesus Christ to be
God. (MacDonald,
W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or
Logos)
(Bolding added)
Edwin Blum in the respected
Bible Knowledge Commentary agrees writing...
John wrote that this glory Isaiah saw
was Jesus’ glory. The implication is startling: Jesus is Yahweh! (Walvoord,
J. F., Zuck, R. B., et al: The Bible Knowledge Commentary. 1985. Victor
or
Logos)
(Bolding added)
Adam Clarke adds that...
It appears evident, from this passage,
that the glory which the prophet saw was the glory of Jehovah:
John, therefore, saying here that it was the glory of Jesus, shows
that he considered Jesus to be Jehovah. (Bolding added)
Jamieson et al write that John
12:41 is...
a key of immense importance to the
opening of Isaiah’s vision (Isaiah 6:1-13), and all similar Old Testament
representations. “The Son is the King Jehovah Who rules in the Old
Testament and appears to the elect, as in the New Testament the Spirit,
the invisible Minister of the Son, is the Director of the Church and the
Revealer in the sanctuary of the heart” [Olshausen]. (Jamieson, R.,
Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the
Old and New Testaments) (Bolding added)
Life Application commentary
writes that...
Isaiah had seen the Lord of
glory, Who is none other than Jesus Himself—Jesus is God, yet
He is also a distinct part of the mysterious Trinity, and He is also Jesus
the Son. (Bolding added)
Matthew Poole writes that...
Isaiah’s sight of God’s glory is
described,
Isaiah 6:1,
“I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, etc.” The
evangelist expounds this of Christ, which is an evident proof of the
Deity of Christ, that He is Jehovah; for it was Jehovah Whom the
prophet there saw (Matthew Poole's Commentary on the New Testament)
(Bolding added)
Believer's Study Bible
(Criswell) writes that...
The passage undoubtedly refers to the
magnificent vision of Isaiah (cf.
Isaiah 6),
but also to the great Suffering Servant prophecy of Isaiah 53 (v. 38).
Again the theme is sounded: the Messiah’s glory is revealed in His
suffering. Since John declares that Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus,
it is certain that this vision was a Christophany, i.e., a
preincarnate appearance of the living Lord. (Bolding added)
Beasley-Murray
The glory of God that Isaiah saw in his
vision (Isa 6:1-4) is identified with the glory of the Logos-Son, in
accordance with John 1:18 and 17:5. (John 8:56 is a little different;
Abraham had a vision of the day of Jesus in the future, i.e., in the time
of the coming kingdom of God, see Comment adloc). (Beasley-Murray, G. R.
(2002). Vol. 36: Word Biblical Commentary : John. Word Biblical
Commentary. Dallas: Word, Incorporated)
John Calvin commenting on
John 12:41 writes...
Lest readers should think that this
prediction was inappropriately quoted, John expressly states, that the
prophet was not sent as a teacher to a single age, but, on the contrary,
that the glory of Christ was exhibited to him, that he might be a
witness of those things which should take place under his reign. Now the
Evangelist takes for granted, that Isaiah saw the glory of Christ.
(Bolding added)
Jameison comments that...
JEHOVAH, (is) a name implying
His immutable constancy to His promises. From the Hebrew
root, meaning "existence." "He that is, was, and is to be," always the
same (see notes
Hebrews 13:8
;
Revelation 1:4;
Revelation 1:8; compare
Ex 3:14, 15; 6:3).
As He was unchangeable in His favor to Jacob, so will He be to His
believing posterity. (Jamieson,
R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on
the Old and New Testaments)
(Bolding added)
Spurgeon comments...
“Behold, he cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him” (Revelation
1:7). This judgment by Christ is by our apostle proved from an Old
Testament prophecy which certainly refers to Jehovah himself. Read
Isaiah 45:23, and learn from it that our Lord Jesus is Jehovah,
and let us joyfully adore Him as our Savior and God, to Whom be glory for
ever and ever.
Spurgeon in his comments on
Psalm 47:5 writes...
The Lord with the sound of a trumpet.
Jesus is Jehovah. The joyful strain of the trumpet betokens the
splendor of his triumph, leading captivity captive, and well might the
clarions ring out the tidings of Emmanuel’s victorious return.
Harry Bultema in Bibliotheca
Sacra writes that Jesus...
is the Jehovah of the Old
Testament as appears from the quotation of Isa 40:3: “Prepare ye the
way of Jehovah.” John the Baptist prepared the way of Jehovah-Jesus,
Jehovah is Jesus manifested in the flesh as a real man. (Dallas
Theological Seminary. Volume 96:325. 1939)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon on
Psalm 68:4...
Sing unto God, sing praises to His
name. To time and tune, with order and care, celebrate the character
and deeds of God, the God of His people. Do it again and again; and let
the praise, with resolution of heart, be all directed to Him. Sing not for
ostentation, but devotion; not to be heard of men, but of the Lord
Himself. Sing not to the congregation, but "unto God,"
Extol him that rideth upon the heavens by His name JAH. Remember
his most great, incomprehensible, and awful name; reflect upon His self
existence and absolute dominion, rise to the highest pitch of joyful
reverence in adoring Him. Heaven beholds Him riding on the clouds in
storm, and earth has seen Him marching over its plains with majesty. The
Hebrew seems to be: "Cast up a highway for Him who marches through the
wilderness," in allusion to the wanderings of the tribes in the desert.
The marches of God were in the waste howling wilderness. His eternal power
and Godhead were there displayed in His feeding, ruling, and protecting
the vast hosts which He had brought out of Egypt. The ark brought all this
to remembrance, and suggested it as a theme for song. The name JAH
(or "YAH") is an abbreviation of the name Jehovah; it is not a
diminution of that name, but an intensified word, containing in it the
essence of the longer, august title. It only occurs here in our version of
Scripture, except in connection with other words such as Hallelujah.
And rejoice before Him. In the presence of Him Who marched so
gloriously at the head of the elect nation, it is most fitting that all
his people should display a holy delight. We ought to avoid dulness in our
worship. Our songs should be weighty with solemnity, but not heavy with
sadness. Angels are nearer the throne than we, but their deepest awe is
consonant with the purest bliss; our sense of divine greatness must not
minister terror but gladness to our souls; we should rejoice before him.
It should be our wish and prayer, that in this wilderness world, a highway
may be prepared for the God of grace. "Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
make straight in the desert a highway for our God," is the cry of gospel
heralds, and we must all zealously aim at obedience thereto; for where the
God of the mercy seat comes, blessings innumerable are given to the sons of
men.
><>><>><>
JEHOVAH
THE RIGHTEOUS ONE
Psalms 11:6
Upon the wicked He
will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind will be the portion
of their cup (Why?). 11:7 For (because)
Jehovah is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright
will behold His face. (See
Righteous = Attribute of God)
Spurgeon commenting on Psalm
11:7 writes that...
The delightful contrast of the Ps
11:6 is well worthy of our observation, and it affords another
overwhelming reason why we should be steadfast, unmoveable, not carried
away with fear, or led to adopt carnal expedients in order to avoid trial.
For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness. It is not only his
office to defend it, but his nature to love it. He would deny himself if
he did not defend the just. It is essential to the very being of God that
he should be just; fear not, then, the end of all your trials, but "be
just, and fear not." God approves, and, if men oppose, what matters it?
His countenance doth behold the upright. We need never be out of
countenance, for God countenances us. He observes, he approves, he
delights in the upright. He sees his own image in them, an image of his
own fashioning, and therefore with complacency he regards them. Shall we
dare to put forth our hand unto iniquity in order to escape affliction?
Let us have done with byways and short turnings, and let us keep to that
fair path of right along which Jehovah's smile shall light us. Are we
tempted to put our light under a bushel, to conceal our religion from our
neighbours? Is it suggested to us that there are ways of avoiding the
cross, and shunning the reproach of Christ? Let us not hearken to the
voice of the charmer, but seek an increase of faith, that we may wrestle
with principalities and powers, and follow the Lord, fully going without
the camp, bearing his reproach. Mammon, the flesh, the devil, will all
whisper in our ear, "Flee as a bird to your mountain;" but let us come
forth and defy them all. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
There is no room or reason for retreat. Advance! Let the vanguard push on!
To the front! all ye powers and passions of our soul. On! on! in God's
name, on! for "the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge."
Stephen Charnock
writes that...
The righteous Lord loveth
righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright; he looks upon him
with a smiling eye, and therefore he cannot favorably look upon an
unrighteous person; so that this necessity is not founded only in the
command of God that we should be renewed, but in the very nature of the
thing, because God, in regard to his holiness, cannot converse with an
impure creature. God must change his nature, or the sinner's nature must
be changed. There can be no friendly communion between two of different
natures without the change of one of them into the likeness of the other.
Wolves and sheep, darkness and light, can never agree. God cannot love a
sinner as a sinner, because he hates impurity by a necessity of nature as
well as a choice of will. It is as impossible for him to love it as to
cease to be holy. Stephen Charnock.
><>><>><>
Spurgeon
on Psalm 9:10 writes that...
Ignorance is worst when it amounts to
ignorance of God, and knowledge is best when it exercises itself upon the
Name of God. This most excellent knowledge leads to the most excellent
grace of faith. O, to learn more of the attributes and character of God.
Unbelief, that hooting night bird, cannot live in the light of divine
knowledge, it flies before the sun of God's great and gracious name. If we
read this verse literally, there is, no doubt, a glorious fulness of
assurance in the names of God. We have recounted them in the "Hints for
Preachers," and would direct the reader's attention to them. By knowing
his name is also meant an experimental acquaintance with the attributes of
God, which are every one of them anchors to hold the soul from drifting in
seasons of peril. The Lord may hide his face for a season from his people,
but he never has utterly, finally, really, or angrily forsaken them that
seek him. Let the poor seekers draw comfort from this fact, and let the
finders rejoice yet more exceedingly, for what must be the Lord's
faithfulness to those who find if he is so gracious to those who seek.
"O hope of every contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall how kind thou art,
How good to
those who seek.
"But what to those who find, ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show
The love
of Jesus what it is,
None but his loved ones know."
><>><>><>
The
Lord shall guide thee
Isaiah 58:11
Not
an angel, but Jehovah
shall guide thee. He said he would not go through the wilderness before
his people, an angel should go before them to lead them in the way; but
Moses said, “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.”
Christian, God has not left you in your earthly pilgrimage to an angel’s
guidance: He Himself leads the van (Ed note: "I Am
anything and everything you will need for your pilgrimage). You
may not see the cloudy, fiery pillar, but
Jehovah
will never forsake you. Notice the word
shall
—“The Lord shall guide thee.”
How certain this makes it! How sure it is that God will not forsake us!
His precious “shalls” and “wills” are better than men’s oaths. “I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Then observe the adverb
continually. We are not merely to be guided sometimes, but we are to have a perpetual
monitor; not occasionally to be left to our own understanding, and so to
wander, but we are continually to hear the guiding voice of the Great
Shepherd; and if we follow close at his heels, we shall not err, but be
led by a right way to a city to dwell in. If you have to change your
position in life; if you have to emigrate to distant shores; if it should
happen that you are cast into poverty, or uplifted suddenly into a more
responsible position than the one you now occupy; if you are thrown among
strangers, or cast among foes, yet tremble not, for “the
Lord shall guide thee continually.”
There are no dilemmas out of which you shall not be delivered if you live
near to God, and your heart be kept warm with holy love. He goes not amiss
who goes in the company of God. Like Enoch, walk with God, and you cannot
mistake your road. You have infallible wisdom to direct you, immutable
love to comfort you, and eternal power to defend you. “Jehovah”—mark
the word—“Jehovah shall guide thee
continually.”
(Bolding added for emphasis -- from
Spurgeon: Morning and evening : Daily readings -December 27 PM)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon's devotional on
Lamentations 3:24
:
"It is not “The
LORD ("I
AM")
is
partly my portion,” nor “The Lord is in my portion”; but He
Himself makes up the sum total of my soul’s inheritance. Within the
circumference of that circle lies all that we possess or desire. The
LORD
("I
AM")
is my
portion. Not His grace merely, nor His love, nor His covenant, but
Jehovah
Himself.
He has chosen us for Hs portion, and we have chosen Him for ours. It is
true that the LORD ("I
AM") must first choose our inheritance for
us, or else we shall never choose it for ourselves; but if we are really
called according to the purpose of electing love, we can sing— The
LORD ("I
AM") is our all-sufficient portion. God
fills Himself; and if God is all-sufficient in Himself, he must be all-
sufficient for us. It is not easy to satisfy man’s desires. When he dreams
that he is satisfied, anon he wakes to the perception that there is
somewhat yet beyond, and straightway the horse-leech in his heart cries,
“Give, give.” But all that we can wish for is to be found in our divine
portion, so that we ask, “Whom have I in heaven but Thee? and there is
none upon earth that I desire beside Thee.” Well may we “delight ourselves
in the
LORD
” who makes us to drink of the river of His pleasures. Our faith stretches
her wings and mounts like an eagle into the heaven of divine love as to
her proper dwelling-place. “The lines have fallen to us in pleasant
places; yea, we have a goodly heritage.” Let us rejoice in the Lord
always; let us show to the world that we are a happy and a blessed people,
and thus induce them to exclaim, “We will go with you, for we have heard
that God is with you.”
(Note:
comments in parentheses added to emphasize God's Name, Jehovah, I AM from
Spurgeon - Morning & evening - Nov 16 AM)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon's devotional on
Isaiah 26:4
"Seeing that we have such a God ("I
AM") to
trust to, let us rest upon him with all our weight; let us resolutely
drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears,
which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God ("I AM") is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved
if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our
conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has
never failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were
banished from the household of God; but it is to be feared that old
Unbelief is as nimble nowadays as when the psalmist asked, “Is his mercy
clean gone for ever? Will he be favourable no more?” David had not made
any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet
he said, “There is none like it.” He had tried it once in the hour of his
youthful victory, and it had proved itself to be of the right metal, and
therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so should we speak well of
our God ("I AM") , there is none like unto Him in the heaven above or the earth beneath;
“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being
judges. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we will take
the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of Baal, and slay
them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will select the
sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour’s wounded side.
We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we
could not find in our God ("I
AM")
all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the LORD ("I
AM") for ever, assured that his ever
lasting strength will be, as it has been, our
succor
and stay." (Note: comments in
parentheses added to emphasize God's Name, Jehovah, I AM from Spurgeon's
Morning and evening : Daily readings -December 27 PM)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon's devotional on
Isaiah 26:4
"Seeing that we have such a God ("I
AM") to
trust to, let us rest upon him with all our weight; let us resolutely
drive out all unbelief, and endeavour to get rid of doubts and fears,
which so much mar our comfort; since there is no excuse for fear where God ("I AM") is the foundation of our trust. A loving parent would be sorely grieved
if his child could not trust him; and how ungenerous, how unkind is our
conduct when we put so little confidence in our heavenly Father who has
never failed us, and who never will. It were well if doubting were
banished from the household of God; but it is to be feared that old
Unbelief is as nimble nowadays as when the psalmist asked, “Is his mercy
clean gone for ever? Will he be favourable no more?” David had not made
any very lengthy trial of the mighty sword of the giant Goliath, and yet
he said, “There is none like it.” He had tried it once in the hour of his
youthful victory, and it had proved itself to be of the right metal, and
therefore he praised it ever afterwards; even so should we speak well of
our God ("I AM") , there is none like unto Him in the heaven above or the earth beneath;
“To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.”
There is no rock like unto the rock of Jacob, our enemies themselves being
judges. So far from suffering doubts to live in our hearts, we will take
the whole detestable crew, as Elijah did the prophets of Baal, and slay
them over the brook; and for a stream to kill them at, we will select the
sacred torrent which wells forth from our Saviour’s wounded side.
We have been in many trials, but we have never yet been cast where we
could not find in our God ("I
AM")
all that we needed. Let us then be encouraged to trust in the LORD ("I
AM") for ever, assured that his ever
lasting strength will be, as it has been, our
succor
and stay." (Note: comments in
parentheses added to emphasize God's Name, Jehovah, I AM from Spurgeon's
Morning and evening: Daily readings -December 27 PM)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon
writes on:
Absolute Assurance:
“He hath said,
I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.”—
He 13:5-note
SEVERAL times
in the Scriptures the LORD ("I
AM") hath said this. He has often repeated
it to make our assurance doubly sure. Let us never harbor a doubt of it.
In itself the promise is specially emphatic. In the Greek it has
five negatives, each one
definitely shutting out the possibility of the
LORD’s
ever leaving one of His people so that he can justly feel forsaken of his
God. This priceless Scripture does not promise us exemption from trouble,
but it does secure us against desertion. We may be called to traverse
strange ways, but we shall always have our
LORD’s ("I
AM's")
company, assistance, and provision. We need not covet money, for we shall
always have our God ("I
AM"),
and God ("I
AM")
is better than gold. His ("I
AM's") favor is better than fortune.
We ought surely to be content with such things as we have, for he who has
God ("I
AM")
has more than all the world besides. What can we have beyond the Infinite?
What more can we desire than Almighty Goodness. Come, my heart; if God ("I
AM") says He will never leave thee nor
forsake thee, be thou much in prayer for grace, that thou mayest never
leave thy
LORD
("I
AM"),
nor even for a moment forsake His ("I
AM's") ways."
(Note: comments in parentheses added to emphasize God's
Name, Jehovah, I AM from
Faith's Checkbook)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon on JEHOVAH YOUR GOD
(Leviticus
11:44)
In the worst of
times our great consolation is God. The very name of our covenant God,
“The LORD
your God,” is full of good cheer. “The
Lord your God” is
Jehovah,
the Self-existent
One,
the unchangeable
One,
the ever-living
God,
who
cannot
change
or be
moved
from
His
everlasting
purpose (Heb 7:24).Child of God, whatever you
do not have, you have a God in whom you may greatly glory. Having God, you
have more than all things, for all things come from Him. If everything was
blotted out, He could restore it by His will. He speaks and it is done. He
commands and it does not move. Blessed are you if the God of Jacob is your
help and hope (Ps 146:5). The Lord Jehovah is our righteousness and
everlasting strength (Isa 26:4).
Trust Him forever. Let the times roll on; they cannot affect our God. Let
troubles run like a storm; they will not come close because He is our
defense. Jehovah
is as much your God as if no other person in the universe could use that
covenant expression. All His wisdom, all His foresight, all His power, all
His immutability—all of Him is yours. Let us rejoice in our possession.
Poor as we are, we are infinitely rich in having God. Weak as we are,
there is no limit to our strength since the Almighty
Jehovah is
ours. “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Ro 8:31). Sorrowful
one, rejoice! If God is yours, what more do you need? He is our God by our
own choice of Him, by our union with Christ Jesus, and by our experience
of His goodness. By the spirit of adoption, we cry, “Abba, Father” (Ro
8:15)." (Note: bolding added to emphasize God's Name,
Jehovah, I AM from Spurgeon, C., & Clarke, R. H. - Beside still waters :
Words of comfort for the soul)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon's devotional on
Psalm 34:6
The Lord Heard Him
The poor man cried out, and the LORD
heard him” (Ps
34:6).
The man was alone, and the only one who heard him was the LORD
. Yes, the LORD
, Jehovah
of Hosts, the All-glorious, heard his prayer. God stooped from His eternal
glory and gave attention to this cry.
Never think that a praying heart pleads to a deaf God. Never imagine that
God is so far removed that He fails to notice our needs. God hears prayer
and grants His children’s desires and requests. We can never pray
earnestly until we believe that God hears prayer. I have been told,
“Prayer is an excellent exercise, highly satisfying and useful, but
nothing more. Prayer cannot move the Infinite Mind.” Do not believe so
gross a lie or you will soon stop praying. No one prays for the mere love
of the act. Amid all the innumerable actions of divine power, the LORD
never ceases to listen to the cries of those who seek His face. This verse
is always true, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD
hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles” (Ps 34:17).
What a glorious fact! Truly marvelous! This is still Jehovah’s special title: the
God who
hears prayer.
We often come from the throne of grace as certain that God heard us as we
were sure that we had prayed. The abounding answers to our supplications
are proof positive that prayer climbs above the regions of earth and time
and touches God and His infinity. Yes, it is still true, the
LORD will
hear your prayer." (Note: bolding added to
emphasize God's Name, Jehovah, I AM from Spurgeon,
C., & Clarke, R. H. - Beside still waters : Words of comfort for the soul)
><>><>><>
Spurgeon's devotional on
Psalm 119:55
When we hear the night songs of revelers, we have evidence that they do
not keep God’s Law. But the quiet thoughts of the gracious are proof
positive that the LORD’s Name is precious to them. We may judge
both people and nations by their songs. The singing and thinking of the
righteous show their love for God, and whether they lift their voices or
sit in silence, they are the LORD’s. Blessed are those whose night
thoughts are memories of the eternal light. They will be remembered by
their Lord when the night of death comes. Are your night thoughts full
of light because they are full of God? Is His Name the
natural subject of your evening reflections? If so, it will give tone to
your morning and noonday hours. Or do you give your mind to the fleeting
cares and pleasures of this world? If so, it is little wonder that you do
not live as you should. No one is holy by chance. If we have no
memory for Jehovah’s Name, then we are not likely to
remember His commandments. If we do no
think of Him secretly, we will not obey Him openly."
(Note: bolding added to emphasize God's Name, Jehovah, I AM
from Spurgeon, C., & Clarke, R. H. - Beside
still waters: Words of comfort for the soul) |
