Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” Exodus 3:13 NKJV
And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.” Exodus 3:14
Called For Freedom
Exodus 3 is the testimony of Moses as he is being called by God to set the captives of Israel free from the bondage of Egypt. You see there is always someone called to lead the way to freedom and most of the time that person responds, at first, just like Moses did in when he said "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"
Next, as if “I AM WHO I AM” isn’t enough, God continues to identify Himself;
I AM Defined
Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD 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, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ Exodus 3:15
The Hebrew definition for I AM is translated from the Hebrew word Hâyâh, [haw-yaw]. The simplest definition is “I will be.”
As I read the words used to define I AM in the Strong’s Concordance, as if there are any words adequate enough to describe God, I began to ponder them. I felt a poetic flow in my spirit as it leaped at the name I AM! I have always been fascinated at the thought of God describing Himself this way. I AM! I AM WHO I AM! This way that God identifies Himself to Moses always gave me the idea that He was everything and in “I AM” all things were encompassed, nothing was left out.
I AM the One who exist and the One who has Become. I AM a Beacon that has come to pass and is still illuminating. I AM the Breaker, I AM the Cause, I AM Altogether, I AM Accomplished, I AM Committed, I AM Existing, I AM Happening, I AM BREATH!
Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega the Beginning and the End,” says the LORD, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” Rev 1:8 and again “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,”… vs 11. This can be found again in Revelation 21:6, 22:13.
Let me insert here, I do not believe there are words enough that can express the nature of God. If we truly understand Him as being ALL then how can we define Him? And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:17 I cannot nor do I attempt to do so; I merely want the readers to get some faint understanding of the awe of God and how He identifies Himself when He sends a person out to break the others free. Perhaps you are being sent. When I was “called out” by the Lord I had a similar discussion with Him as His servant Moses did. I was afraid and unwilling to go forth alone. I didn’t know God in His greatness, though I feared Him indeed. I pondered often about my worth and how someone with a history like mine could go forth to help with setting captives free, go forth and preach the gospel! Who am I God? I’m certain many mighty servants of the LORD have gone through the same experience. Coming out of the valley of death into the marvelous light is a trek indeed but one that is well worth the climb, should you decide to follow Gods dream for your life.
Jesus is First, Jesus is Last
One thing I quickly noticed was that God said “I AM” twice in Exodus and this is the only time you will find this specific wording, “I AM.” In Revelation, He said “I am the Alpha and the Omega” twice. I believe there is a sovereign purpose in God identifying Himself in the beginning of the Holy Bible and in the end of it as “I AM.” Everything in the middle is God. Jesus. Holy Spirit. All of it is His story of creation, mercy, and love and how He shares it with those whom He will share it with.
Notice the Prophet Isaiah spoke of the LORD being the First and the Last.
"Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel, And his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: 'I [am] the First and I [am] the Last; Besides Me [there is] no God. Isa 44:6 NKJV and
"Listen to Me, O Jacob, And Israel, My called: I [am] He, I [am] the First, I [am] also the Last. Isa 48:12 NKJV
There’s a promise in God’s response to Moses when He said “I AM.” God is saying I AM the same as I was to your forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and My promises remain. God is announcing Himself to Moses as that same God who made a covenant with all the ancestors of Abraham and now He is remembering those promises. He is not remembering as we think of remembering but rather it has occurred to Him that now is the season for deliverance of Israel. Since God knows all and is all then He alone knows why He chooses the time, place, and people to begin His supernatural work of remembrance. But He did and He does.
Pray
In the name of The God Most High, our Heavenly Father I pray that the God of peace bring you to a working knowledge of His identity and yours in Him. May the Everlasting God, the Lord of Sabaoth go before you in every adventure in life that He might lead you into. May the perfume of His presence ever be in your midst as you seek His face on your ascension to the Holy Place. May the God who see's you provide all you are in need of and may you be carried out of Egypt in this season and be released into the Paradise of His making. May you have eyes to see and ears to hear the works of His Majesty in your life, may His strength be within you and may you learn how to lean upon it. God's grace is always sufficient for you and His throne room is open at all times for you to enter where you can find an abundance of grace and mercy. In the name of His Beloved, Jesus Christ Amen.