Exodus - What's in a name?

"...and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have beome an alien in a foreign land." (Exod 2:22 NIV)

The children of Israel had lived for over 200 years in Egypt...initially as guests of the Pharaoh after Joseph saved their bacon during an earlier famine. Now they found themselves slaves and captives - and Moses' new discontent at the situation is summed up in how he named his son.

In chapter 3 of Exodus, Moses meets God at the burning bush and is commissioned to return to Egypt to confront Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free....

"Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' Then what shall I tell them?"

God said to Moses, "I am who I am . This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' "

God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation." (Exod 3: 13-15 NIV)

Israel had lived for two centuries under the polytheistic Egyption system of gods. They had multiple gods - even Pharaoh was considered the earthly incarnation of a god. You could probably argue that ten ensuing plagues that occur from Exodus chapter 7 are all designed by God to discredit a large number of these gods. The plague of the Nile turning to blood disempowers Hapi - the god of fertility; the plague on livestock - Apis the bull god; darkness - Amon Ra - the sun god - and the final plague where the first born of Egypyt is killed would have proven that not even Pharaoh was immune to the great "I AM."

God reminds Moses that He was also known as Yahweh or Jehovah - maybe some memory of Jehovah had been passed down through the 10 or so generations that had lived in captivity in Egypt.

To have one God - simply "I AM" - one single all-powerful, pre-existent and individual God was in stark contrast to the collection of gods in Egypt.

The Septuagint - the original translation of Scripture into Latin - translated "I AM" as "Ego Eimi." - a phrase that also crops up in the Latin New Testament.

In John 8:58, Jesus was challenged by the Jews about His claims of who He was. His answer was simple..."ego eimi"..."I AM!" Jesus claims to be God - a claim that was clearly not lost on the Jews who tried to catch him and kill him. (he disappeared though!)

Jesus elaborates.."I tell you the truth...before Abraham was born I am!" Jesus, as a distinct one third of the Godhead was present at creation and has watched over and intervened throughout history.

In fact the Hebrew root of God's name Jehovah means literally "I am eternally present to help you."

Genesis - Nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them

"Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."

But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The LORD said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." [1]

I have note in the margin of my Bible on page 10….”Nothing is impossible for people in unity.” I am intrigued by God’s statement that “If they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.”

It speaks to me of the immense creative potential that God has endowed us with. John F Kennedy’s 1961 challenge to the USA – to put a man on the moon within the decade stands as an incredible example of what we can achieve when we work together. Unfortunately, often our collaborations have the aim of killing or repressing those who differ from us, amassing ridiculous fortunes and frequently damage our fragile planet. As a result of the free will that God created us with, our potential comes back to bite us – God does not protect us from ourselves.

My margin note also cites Psalm 133…”How good and pleasant it is when brothers live in unity!” [2] It then goes on further…” For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life evermore.” [3]

Jesus understood what a potent force Unity is. In His final prayers for all believers – including us – he prays…”May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”[4]

God’s first words to mankind – before the whole Tower of Babel incident were…

”God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground." [5]

By gathering in one place the people were in direct contradiction to God’s plans to spread out and fill the earth.

More recently Jesus said to His followers…

“Go and make disciples of all nations.” [6]

I wonder what would happen if we applied our God-given power of unity to the great commission?

"If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.” [7]


[1] Gen 11:1-7 New International Version
[2] Psalm 133:1 New International Version
[3] Psalm 133:3 New International Version
[4] John 17:23 New International Version
[5] Gen 1:28 New International Version
[6] Matt 28:19 New International Version
[7] Gen 11:6 New International Version