I AM WHO I AM

 

In Ancient Egypt, around the time of Ramses II, the Hebrew people worked as hired servants. They had lived in Egypt for several hundred years before being enslaved. As the new generations grew up, they would become familiar with the Egyptian gods. The Egyptians worshipped many gods including Ra, Thoth, Horus, and many others. The Egyptians did not worship the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. No temple for the Hebrew God lay in Egypt. The Hebrew people would be very knowledgeable about the Egyptian gods, each god having authority over something different. They would know that Ra was the god of the sun, and Thoth was the god of science. Even Pharaoh himself was looked upon as a god.

When God spoke to Moses at the burning bush, calling him to go to Egypt and set His people free, Moses knew that the people would ask to know what god would deliver them. [Exo 3:13-14 ESV] 13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?"

There were so many gods, and each had a name, they would want to know which would come to their aid. [Exo 3:14 ESV] 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

God called himself I AM WHO I AM. To some that may be a strange thing to call yourself. It seems that it does not give much description if you are unsure who He was. However, it reveals more about who he is than would first appear.

The name in the original Hebrew language is where we get the name YHWH or Yahweh. It is a name that reminds the people that while they had become familiar with all the Egyptian gods, He was still there. He never left them.

By saying he was I am Who I am, he is declaring that He is always there. He is self-sufficient, all-knowing, and all-powerful. He is not just a god with authority over one realm. He is the God of all creation.

Understanding who the great I AM is makes a world of difference in your perspective. The Hebrew people needed many things soon. The great I AM would be those things.

The name declares what he will do for them not because He had to do it, but because it is in His very nature to do it due to His great love for them.

His name declares to them: I AM your deliverer, I AM your protector, I AM your shield,  I AM your shelter, I AM your peace, I AM your guide, I AM your restorer, I AM your healer, I AM your provider, I AM whatever you need, and I AM your God.

God was all those things as they escaped from Egypt.

The good news is that God never stopped being I AM WHO I AM. He was not just for the Hebrew people. He is the great I AM to anyone who receives him as their God. He is all you need. He wants you to have peace, deliverance, provision, shelter, and everything else that he has to offer. He wants you to have this because he loves you. His name also dictates that I AM love.  [1Jo 4:8 ESV] 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God because God is love.

We all need help. We try to do things on our own, but something always seems missing. Nothing and no one else can fill the void that only God can fill. Don’t waste your time looking for others to meet whatever need you have. Search for the great I AM, who has already made himself available to be found.

[Deu 4:29 ESV] 29 But from there you will seek the LORD your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.

From The Penthouse to the Pavement

I love a good rags-to-riches story. People who start with nothing and become successful. Others with no education invent something that everyone wants or needs. Some became vastly popular because of the good they had done while growing up being told they were useless and would amount to nothing. People who have started at the bottom and worked their way to the top without shortcuts but by blood sweat and tears. These are the real-life ugly ducklings becoming the beautiful swan stories.

I do not like seeing people fail and give up. I think people are capable of much more than they believe. People can succeed if they remain persistent. Many successful people return to their childhood communities to give others the tools to make them successful.

There are those, however, that forget about their beginnings. They are self-important. They neglect family, old friends, and God because their eyes are on something different now.  Some equate success with money and possession. Others associate it with fame.

[Pro 16:18 ESV] 18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.

I just finished watching Big George Foreman on Netflix. George grew up poor. He grew up in a family that believed in God and thanked him for the little that they had. George would eventually make it to the top of the boxing world and become the champion. The things that once mattered to him meant very little now. Sometime later, he loses everything. He returns to fighting after not being in the sport for 10 years. At one point while losing a fight, he realizes that he went “from the penthouse to the pavement.” When he does, he realizes everything important to him was always there, and he delivers the knockout blow to his opponent and regains the championship belt.

[Rom 8:18 ESV] 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.

Sometimes life knocks us down. Being at the bottom especially when you have been to the top is extremely unsettling. Embarrassment, guilt, and shame may cause us to hide what we are going through. That does not help. We may think that the bottom is what we deserve and choose to quit. Being at the lowest point of your life is an opportunity to bounce back. Leave the past in the past and move forward. See things for what they are and respond positively. Where you are now is nothing compared to what awaits you.

[Pro 4:25 ESV] 25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.

We need to keep our eyes open to the things that matter. Money, possessions, and fame do not matter. The people around you matter. The people who love you matter. The God who created you matters. When you understand this and love them the best way you can, you find a new definition of success.

[Jos 1:7 ESV] 7 Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law that Moses my servant commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go.

God wants you to be successful in everything you do. If you try to help someone, he wants you to be effective. If you are at work, he wants you to be productive. Whatever you put your hand to do, he wants it to be fruitful. If we quit focusing on ourselves and obey what God tells us to do, success will follow.