Did You Know? - Pt. 1

 

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:1-6 ESV).

 

Garfield has been another comic staple for me through the years. The cartoon, created by Jim Davis, was originally published locally as Jon in 1976, then in nationwide syndication from 1978 as Garfield, it chronicles the life of the title character, Garfield the cat; Jon Arbuckle, his human owner; and Odie, the dog. Today’s selection is appropriate as we begin looking at some of the lesser known principles and truths of the Scripture. Unlike Garfield, learning something new every day is something we ought to seek. The Scripture says it is the beginning of wisdom (cf. Proverbs 1:1-7).

 

Today we will begin with some of the things I have learned, some recently and others through this journey of over five decades. I owe the thought for today to my oldest son, Kyle. While I was working on a project in the shop he was finishing up the yardwork while listening to a podcast. He stopped and came into the shop and asked, “Dad, do you what the name God gave Moses means?” At first I thought that might be a trick question. That’s something I have studied since my days in seminary. So, I answered by asking a question in return: “Do you want the Hebrew etymology?” (a fancy word always helps – it merely means the study of words). He said, “No. Why did God choose that name? He has hundreds of others in the Bible.” Then I was sufficiently stumped.  

 

Let me refresh your memory a bit. Moses’ encounter at the burning bush is a pivotal moment in the Bible. Standing on holy ground in the presence of God, Moses hears God’s deep concern about the suffering of his people in Egypt. The moment also marks the beginning of Moses’ call to lead the people of Israel. Most important, Moses learns the name by which God wants to be known and worshiped by his people: “Yahweh,” or, “I AM WHO I AM.” Written with only the consonants YHWH, this name was the most sacred name of God to the Israelites. Because they avoided saying this holy name, its exact pronunciation has been lost. Eventually the word for “Lord” was always spoken instead of the proper name, so wherever YHWH occurs, our English Bibles today use the word “LORD” (printed with small capital letters). God tells Moses to tell the Israelites in Egypt that Yahweh, “I AM,” has sent him.

 

For as long as I can remember, I only saw one meaning. Traditionally scholars believe this highlights God’s immutability, that he is the constant, the same yesterday, today, and forever. While that is true, Kyle shared the opinion of one of the speakers in the podcast. He was absolutely correct. The key is in the context. At the burning bush, there was fire without burning the bush. The fire simply existed. There was no need for it to be sustained by anything else but itself. The nature of God is that He IS. He is apart from all things because He is the source of all things. This means that whatever our needs may be at any time, He is sufficient! Now, I need that knowledge!