The Burning Bush
Remember the story of Moses in the wilderness and the bush that was on fire but didn’t burn up? Just like you or me, Moses was curious. He went over to check it out. And wow, was he in for a surprise! A voice spoke out of the burning bush to him. The Voice knew his name, too!
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” —Exodus 3:4 (NIV)
By this time I would have been both shocked and terrified! The curious burning bush that didn’t burn up spoke! And it knew me (if I was Moses) by name! Whoa! And then The Voice identifies itself to Moses.
…“I am the God of your father,[a] the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.”… —Exodus 3:6 (NIV)
To put this in perspective these were the respected names of the fathers of the nation of Israel. These were people who had lived more than four centuries before Moses. And this Voice? It was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The Voice of God continues to tell Moses that He has seen the misery of the nation of Israel who are currently brutally treated slaves in Egypt under the reign of a powerful Pharaoh. God continues to tell Moses that he will be the man to lead Israel out of the bondage in Egypt.
Moses asks God about how this will happen. How will the Israelite leaders know that God is sending him (Moses) to lead Israel? The reply of the Voice in the Burning Bush to Moses is talked about often in churches.
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.’” —Exodus 3:13-14 (NIV)
Now if you are like me you may wonder at this passage. “I am who I am”. And “I am has sent me to you”. Hmm. Those lines have left me scratching my head many times. What does that really mean? And how is it that this worked? The Jewish leaders understood it back then.
Maybe the next verse will explain it better.
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 you shall call me
from generation to generation. —Exodus 3:15 (NIV)
Wait. What? This helps? I’m left with more head scratching. You, too? Let’s look at another version of the same verse.
God said further to Moshe, “Say this to the people of Isra’el: ‘Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh [Adonai], the God of your fathers, the God of Avraham, the God of Yitz’chak and the God of Ya‘akov, has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered generation after generation. —Exodus 3:15 (CJB-Complete Jewish Bible)
Yud-Heh-Vav-Heh represents four Hebrew characters often transliterated in English versions of the Scriptures as YHWH. These four characters are all vowels in Hebrew. Many have rendered it by inserting consonants to make it into Yahweh or LORD. In Jewish translations, this is most often translated as Adonai meaning Lord and Master of the Universe. They will sometimes simply refer to it as HaShem, or The Name.
Additionally, I AM carries with it a sense of eternalness. I AM, I was, I always will be. Compare this sense to a passage in Revelation:
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” —Revelation 4:8 (NIV)
This makes more sense to me now. The I AM is a statement recognized as the Eternally Existent Supreme Lord and Master of the Universe. Yep. Got my attention now.
It was this I AM who then cursed the Egyptians with the ten horrible plagues. It is this I AM who led the children of Israel out of the bondage of slavery in Egypt. It is this I AM who guided them and protected them in the pillar of fire and the cloud. It is this I AM who split the Red Sea and allowed the children of Israel to cross on dry land. And this I AM left the walls of water crash over the chariots of the Egyptian army killing them all.
Ok. I got a bit geeky there. But I like words and language. They are the building blocks of communication and understanding.
Waffles
Eggo Waffles. You’ve probably had them at some point in your life. They are frozen waffles you can put in a toaster and have a hot waffle in a very short amount of time. But how does this tie into this post? What do Eggo Waffles have to do with the burning bush we just talked about?
The language of the Old Testament is Hebrew. It is were we started with YHWH, or Yahweh. The language of the New Testament is Greek. What is I AM in Greek? Ego eimi. It’s roughly comparable to I myself, am. And Ego in Ancient Greek is pronounced like the waffles we just mentioned, Eggo. Haha. So now you may be groaning about the association. Sorry. I can’t help it. I like groaner humor. It’s wonderfully tacky.
But “I am” is used commonly in everyday language. I am going to the grocery store. I am going to get my hair cut. I am going to the doctor’s office. The Ancient Greeks used it much the same way. So how does one tell when “I am” is really “I AM”? Context. How it’s used. Let’s find out if it is used in the New Testament.
By now, some of you have already raced ahead in you minds. You are probably thinking that Jesus may have referred to himself as I AM. You got me. It’s true. There are actually many references in John’s Gospel account. But one stands out because of how obvious it is. This is the in-your-face Jesus that roused the ire of the Jewish religious leaders of that time.
“Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” —John 8:58 (NIV)
The “I am” portion of this verse is “ego eimi” in Greek. Jesus is saying here that He existed before Abraham was born, or roughly 2,000 years before the time of Jesus. But the real kicker is how the Jewish religious leaders responded.
At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. —John 8:59 (NIV)
The leaders were so agitated by this statement that they wanted to kill Jesus right there on the spot. They interpreted it as blasphemy and worthy of instant death! Whoa! Jesus comes right out and means to say, the Lord of the burning bush? That’s me. The Lord who led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt? That’s me, too. The pillar of fire and the cloud? Me again. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? Yep. Me. The Supreme Lord and Master of the Universe? Me, Jesus.
Sounds over-the-top, doesn’t it? It’s easy to read over this passage and say (and maybe even a bit smugly) “I would have recognized that. I’m not like those angry religious leaders.” But now when one puts it in context these words are so blatant that it almost makes you take a step back. Jesus displays take-your-breath-away audacity. Can you imagine anyone in church saying this in a Sunday morning service?
But are there other references to I AM made by Jesus? Yes. How about this one?
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. —John 14:6
“I am” again is “ego eimi”. Read it again with any of the substitutes that I AM stands for. “I am who I am the way and the truth and the life”. Or “I am the Voice in the burning bush and I am the way and the truth and the life”. Or “I am the Lord and Master of the Universe and I am the way and the truth and the life and I am the only way to get to the Father”. Did the Jews of the day actually recognize this? I think they did.
And here is another amazing reference—do you remember the woman at the well in Samaria?
The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” —John 4:25-26
You already guessed it. “I am” at the end of verse 26 is “ego eimi”. It’s a double whammy here. Not only does Jesus make use of a reference to “I am who I am—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and Lord and Master of the Universe” but he also agrees with the Samaritan woman with a positive affirmation that he is the Messiah, the Christ.
How did others refer to Jesus? Take a look at what the author of letter called Hebrews says:
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. —Hebrews 13:8
Doesn’t this sound like the reference above in Revelation 4:8? Why yes. Yes, it does. He is the Living Lord and Master of the Universe who always was and always will be. He is eternal.
This whole study has meant a lot to me. Now, as a Christian, I know that Christ lives in me. The I AM of the burning bush lives in me. The I AM that led the children of Israel out of Egypt is the I AM that protects me. The I AM—Lord and Master of the Universe cares for me. Every day. Every night. Always. The I AM—Yahweh—Lord Most High looks out for me. He cares about every detail of my life. He knows all my thoughts. The hairs on my head are counted. And yet He is the One who holds all things in place by His Word.
And it is this Eternal Living I AM that loves me with an unconditional, unimaginably wonderful love and calls me His own. The I AM that parted the Red Sea? That One. He lives in me. He loves me. Because I am good? No. Because He is the one and only good. In my mind I imagine Him taking my hand and looking at me with a gentle smile and saying, “Walk with Me”. And I take His hand and reply as a child, “Ok Father. Let’s go.”
Finally, here are a few of the I AM references in the Gospel of John for you to read at your leisure.
“I am the bread of life” (John 6:35,48,51)
“I am the light of the world” (John 8:12)
“I am the door of the sheep”(John 10:7,9)
“I am the good shepherd” (John 10:11,14)
“I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25)
“I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
“I am the true vine” (John 15:1,5)
May the Great I AM be with you today and forever!
Duct Tape Rx 