What is your biggest fear? For a lot of people, it is the fear of public speaking. When God called Moses, his lack of ability to speak became a point of contention. God wanted to use Moses to deliver his people but Moses, whether it was the real reason for his apprehension or a cover, used his lack of speaking ability to try and say no. However, God reminds Moses who both of them are. I find this to be one of the most encouraging Old Testament passages for preachers and teachers. God will help us share His gospel if we are faithful to obey the calling of God in our life.
Read Exodus 3:1-4:17
To my wife, I am called husband. My children call me daddy. My parents call me son. The people at the church I serve call me pastor Jeremy. When I teach, I am professor Kamer. The same person is behind all of these names, but each one denotes a different aspect of my life or activity that I am engaged in. One name or title does not encompass everything about me, except maybe my full name, but that name only means something to you if you really know me. God is the same way. The Bible is filled with the different names used to reference the One True God of Israel (that’s one of the names). Why so many names? Each title typically focuses on a single attribute or group of God’s attributes. There is one name, however, that seeks to encompass all of God’s essence. It is used whenever you see the name “LORD” in all caps (if you see Lord not in all caps, it is the word Adonai, meaning master). The Hebrew pronunciation here is “Yahweh.”
We have seen a general Hebrew word referring to God, “Elohim.” It means God is powerful. It refers to God’s power in creation and His greatness. Still, because of its generic background (“El” could refer to any god), the use of it by the Israelites kept God distant and largely unknown. Moses asked God “who shall I say sent me?” God told Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” He told them, simply the one that is, the one who is self-existent. The God who does not depend upon anything for existence is our God. This is God’s personal name. It is sometimes called God’s covenant name and notes a personal relationship. It’s like me telling someone “they usually call me Professor Kamer, but you can call me Jeremy.” My personal name is the name I use to sign. It’s who I am. Now, all of God’s people have entered into a truly intimate relationship with Him. He knows us by name, and we know Him by name.
In the first chapter of Genesis, Moses referred to God as Elohim. In the second chapter, where we see a more intimate creation of humanity, Moses uses both names, Yahweh Elohim, the LORD God. Why would Moses in this repeat of man and women’s creation use the personal name of God? Perhaps, he eventually connected the dots that this Yahweh now speaking with Him is the same Elohim that created the world and called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees. God told him that he was the one that created man and could help Moses speak. This creator God had given his personal name. He was no longer distant, but God was near. Nothing, in the mind of Moses, would show God closer to humanity than breathing life into the nostrils of man. Wow! What an amazing God we serve. He is not far but near. He is not a stranger, He is a personal friend of mine and can be yours too.
Jeremy Kamer Ministries 