Our Coming King
December 8th
The Meaning of the NAME of God
“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.“
Exodus 3:13-14
Daily Devotional
December 8th
The name of God, rendered as the LORD in English Bibles, is distinguished from all the epithets and descriptive phrases used of Him in Exodus 3. The word that Moses is emphasizing is the word in verse fifteen that is in all capital letters (LORD). Printers of Bibles have used that convention for centuries to indicate where the NAME of God occurred in the text of the Old Testament. That word, capital “L,” capital “O,” capital “R,” and capital “D” is not technically an English word. It is a symbol for God’s holy NAME. That is the word (LORD) that God was making a play on when He said to Moses “I am that I am” (Exodus 3:14). “I am” begins with the Hebrew letter Aleph, indicating first person singular pronoun (I) while God’s NAME begins with the Hebrew letter Yod indicating third person pronoun “He.”
“I am that I am” in verse 14 is a play on God’s NAME found in verse 15. What is the sense of this play on words? “I AM” and the NAME of God come from the same Hebrew verbal root. With “I AM” God was pointing to His eternality, the fact of His existence, and the lack of any requirement on His part to offer any explanation. His NAME, however, points to His role as the Creator and Sustainer of all things.
The Name
On every page and line
the echo of the Name–
To listen for a sign
To see a plan in frame.
A tiny scarlet thread
woven between each line
Not just the letter read
the Spirit ear inclined.
Whispered is the voice
Sometimes shouting loud
that leaves for us the choice
to choose against the crowd.
On every page and line
the echo just the same…
and to my ear it’s fine
for Jesus is the Name.
Kilpatrick, 10-28-1982
About Lakeland FBC
Lakeland First Baptist seeks to glorify God by encouraging all people into a relationship with Jesus Christ, discipling them in spiritual growth, and equipping them to make disciples of the nations.