I Love You

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people 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 thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.’” (Exodus 3:11-15 ESV).

In the first chapter of the prophecy of Malachi, the prophet introduces himself: The oracle of the word of the Lord to Israel by Malachi (Malachi 1:1 ESV). The name Malachi means “my messenger.” In this case, as is so often true, God has a message that he wants Israel to take seriously from the start. This is a prophecy, God says; this is my word through my messenger. God even uses his covenant name, which in the Hebrew text is YHWH (Yahweh). In English we often render it as “the Lord” (with small capital letters). This is the name God used to describe himself when he made a covenant with his people through Moses, as we see in our reading today. Then, in the message through Malachi, God adds again, “says the Lord,” making clear that this is important. If that is true, don’t we need to pay very close attention to it as well? It is the simple message laced throughout the Scripture. Simply, it is “I have loved you.” God’s love is the most important message of the entire Bible, and God’s love is the central message of the Gospel. In the midst of crisis we tend to question God concerning “how” He has loved us. God always has an answer, and he has never once let his love slip, not even for a moment. God loves you, even if you aren’t sure that he does. Even if you have been resisting him or living in rebellion against him. He still loves you, and he very much wants you to know that. The significance of God giving Moses His personal name is in affirming this message of love. And, this is the greater significance of the Incarnation. Jesus becoming a man, living as we do, experiencing the hardships that we experience, suffering the trials as we do underscores this message over and over. God is showing us overwhelmingly that He loves us. Take some time today and dwell on that thought!