Today’s author is Prince of Peace member, Scott Tunseth.
This week the Narrative Lectionary moves to the story of Moses in the book of Exodus. Remember that the family of Jacob, the Israelite people, were living in Egyptian territory because of famine in Canaan. Jacob’s son Joseph had become an important leader in Egypt and his presence and reputation kept the Israelites safe and thriving. Exodus 1:7 says the “Israelites were fruitful and prolific.” But when the book of Exodus begins, Joseph has been dead for some time and his influence in Egypt is a distant memory. In fact, the new king in Egypt “didn’t know Joseph,” so he decided that the Israelites had become too numerous and therefore were a threat to “pure” Egyptian governance and culture. The king conscripted the Israelite people into forced labor. For all intents and purposes, they became slaves in Egypt.
The story for this week skips over the birth of Moses and his life in the pharaoh’s court. Pharaoh’s daughter found him floating in the Nile River in a basket that Moses’ mother had fashioned to save him from the pharaoh’s genocidal order to kill all the Hebrew baby boys. Like his ancestor Joseph, Moses grew up as part of the Egyptian court. But he is forced to flee Egypt when he kills an Egyptian guard who was beating a Hebrew worker. Moses ends up in Midian, over 300 miles from Egypt.
In Midian, Moses marries the daughter of Jethro and settles into a life of tending flocks. His life in Egypt is a distant memory, but God is about to change Moses’ life forever. When Moses leads his flock to the area around Mount Horeb (the mountain of God), he encounters a burning bush and hears a voice call to him from that bush. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (Exod 3:6). God has observed the misery of the “my people” in Egypt and then stuns Moses, saying, “Now go, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people, the Israelites, out of Egypt” (3:10).
Imagine how you might react to such a dangerous calling. Moses initially doubts that he is the one for the job but realizes the call set before him is not going away. So, if he does go back to Egypt and tells the people that “the God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” they will probably want to know God’s name. “What shall I say to them?” Moses asks. God answers, “I am who I am. . . . I am has sent me to you” (3:14).
Old Testament Professor Esther Menn says this about God’s divine name introduced in Exodus 3:
“In Hebrew thought names embody the essential character of a person or god. The Hebrew root of God’s personal name (YWYH) means “to be,” or more accurately, “to be present” or “to encounter.” So, I Am who I Am may also be translated “I will be present where I will be present.” God’s name expresses both freedom and availability. So when God tells the reluctant Moses “I will be with you” in Exod 3:12, it is an interpretation of God’s name.” [Lutheran Study Bible, p. 128)
This name of the God of the ancestors is translated in English in most Bibles as Lord (in all caps) and represents the four-letter name of God or YHWH. Out of respect for the name, many Jewish people stopped saying it out loud, so the Hebrew word Adonai (meaning Lord) replaced the pronunciation of the divine name. But we generally say the name as Yahweh.
It’s hard to describe all that this name is or implies. And it is only one of the hundreds of names for God that appear in the Bible. What other names for God come to mind? Is there one that is particularly meaningful for you? If you were asked to describe who God is for you, what would you say?
O God, reveal yourself to us, just as you revealed yourself to Moses. May we hear your voice through the clutter and confusion all around us. Be present in our thoughts, words, and actions. Amen