Moses’ question about God’s name might seem strange to us but in a culture that had a large number of different gods it is not strange at all. Moses anticipates that the Israelites are going to want to know which ‘god’ Moses is claiming to speak for. The answer is spectacular: God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”. (The name ‘YHWH,’ translated as ‘LORD’ in most Bibles, is derived from the Hebrew ‘I AM’.) This name with which God refers to himself at once casts his divine person infinitely beyond anything that people were dealing with in the religions of the ancient world. It is as though God were saying to Moses, “You are dealing here with one who cannot be fathomed. I am the one and only transcendent, absolute God. The one who was, is, and will always be.” It is important for us to reflect on the magnitude of what we are dealing with when we think about God. Though God has revealed himself, the reality of his being is an infinitely transcendent mystery. God cannot be known as we know other things or other beings. He can only be known through the mysterious spiritual capacities he has given to us. And even then, as we connect with him, our experience is only touching the very surface of an unfathomable reality. No wonder we are called to fear God. To know God is to fear him, that is, to be overwhelmed and awestruck by the magnitude of what we face. To know God in this way is the beginning of all wisdom and true knowledge (Proverbs 9:10).
Reflect on the infinite greatness of God.
Read Exodus 3:13-15
