Today’s Scripture: Exodus 3:1-4, 7-8, 13-15 (ESV-text and audio) (KJV) (The Message) What might God be saying to me?
My thoughts (Tyler Connoley):
“Hi, I’m Tyler. What’s your name?” It’s just normal conversation in the social hall after church. We make people feel at ease by opening the conversation with something casual and friendly. We let them know we care enough about them to want to know their name.
When Moses asks for God’s name in this passage, he’s not just making small talk. This is not the social hour at church, and Moses wants something more than a simple name by which to remember the God speaking to him in the burning bush.
In ancient Egypt, the name of a god was a way to control that god. People believed that by invoking the name of a supernatural being, you could make that being do things for you. If you knew their secret name, then they had to obey you, just like Alladin’s genie.
There was also another level to Moses’s question. Remember that in ancient times people’s names told you something about them. For example, Jacob’s name meant “grasper,” and he was always grasping after his brother Esau (whose name meant “hairy”). When Jacob wrestled with the angel and won, the angel renamed him Israel, meaning “wrestler,” to commemorate the event. So, when Moses asked for God’s name, he was also hoping to get some information about what kind of god he was speaking to. Was this a river god, or a fertility god, or some other kind of god? The name would give him a hint.
However, God didn’t want to be controlled or put in a box. So the name God gave Moses transcended all labels, and gave Moses no handle by which he could lead God around. God said simply, “I am who I am.” I believe God was letting us know that God is beyond all names. God simply is.
Thought for the day: As Moses learned, God is too big to be controlled or pinned down. God is, and that’s as much as you need to know.
We encourage you to include a time of prayer with this reading. If you need a place to get started, consider the guidelines on the How to Pray page.