How does God's name in Exodus 3:13 reveal His eternal nature? Setting the Scene Exodus 3 places Moses at the burning bush. He knows Israel will want proof that the God of their fathers still lives and reigns. So he asks, “What is His name?” (Exodus 3:13). Moses’ Question, God’s Answer • Moses: “When I go to the Israelites and say, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me,’ and they ask, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I tell them?” • God replies (Exodus 3:14): “I AM WHO I AM. … Say to the Israelites, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” “I AM WHO I AM”: Hebrew Nuances • Hebrew: Ehyeh ʾăšer Ehyeh – literally, “I will be what I will be,” yet equally rendered, “I AM WHO I AM.” • The verb “to be” appears in a timeless form—neither strictly past, present, nor future. • God names Himself with the very verb of existence, underscoring that existence itself depends on Him. What the Name Reveals About God’s Eternal Nature • Self-existence (aseity) – God depends on nothing outside Himself to be. – Acts 17:24-25: “He Himself gives to everyone life and breath and everything else.” • Timelessness – Not bound by past, present, or future. – Psalm 90:2: “From everlasting to everlasting You are God.” • Unchangeableness – The God who was, is the God who is, and will forever be the same. – Malachi 3:6: “I the LORD do not change.” • Sovereign presence – “I AM” assures Moses that God is actively, presently with His people. – Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” • Eternal authority – Because He eternally IS, His promises and purposes cannot fail. – Isaiah 46:10: “My purpose will stand, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.” A Thread Woven Through Scripture • Exodus 3:15 – God links “I AM” to His covenant name YHWH, tying eternal being to covenant faithfulness. • John 8:58 – Jesus applies the divine name to Himself: “Truly, truly, I tell you, before Abraham was born, I am!” • Revelation 1:8 – “I am the Alpha and the Omega… who is and was and is to come.” • Hebrews 13:8 – “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Living in Light of the Eternal Name • Confidence: The God who called Moses still IS—unchanged in power and promise. • Assurance: His presence is not limited by time or circumstance; He meets us in every “now.” • Worship: Because He alone is self-existent, all glory rightly belongs to Him. • Hope: His eternal nature secures an everlasting salvation (John 10:28). |
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