Exodus 3:13–22 (ESV)

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?” 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 also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘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, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us, and now please let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, but each woman shall ask of her neighbor, and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Moses has just been told that God is sending him to deliver Israel, and his first question is, “Who am I?” Now he asks the next question: “Who are You?”

It is such an honest moment. Moses knows that when he goes back to the Israelites, they will want to know who this God really is. So he asks for a name, and God gives him one that is unlike any other: “I Am Who I Am.”

This name, Yahweh, tells us that God simply is. He is not defined by anyone else. He is not changing or dependent. He just is. He is the living, self-existent, eternal God. Everything else in the world depends on Him, but He depends on nothing.

That might sound abstract, but it is actually very personal. When God says, “I Am,” He is saying, “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever. I am the God who was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I am still with you.” The name “I Am” means He is always present.

God also gives Moses His covenant promise again. He reminds him that He has seen the suffering of His people and will bring them into the land He swore to give. He tells Moses that Pharaoh will resist, but God Himself will compel him. The outcome is not in doubt. God’s plan will stand.

This is what Israel needed to hear, and it is what we need to hear too. The God who calls Himself “I Am” is not distant or changing. He is faithful and near. When we doubt, when we wonder if He still cares, He says, “I Am.”

This name finds its fullest meaning in Jesus. In John’s Gospel, Jesus takes that same name on His own lips. “Before Abraham was, I Am.” He is the same God who spoke to Moses from the burning bush, now come in human flesh to redeem His people. In Him, the eternal “I Am” has come down to dwell among us.

So when we face fear or uncertainty, we can remember who God is. He is not the “I was,” or the “I might be.” He is the great “I Am,” always present, always faithful, always enough.

Prayer

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself as the great “I Am.” Thank You that You are not distant or changing, but faithful and near. When we are afraid or unsure, remind us that You are still the same God who heard the cries of Israel and sent a deliverer. Help us to trust You as the unshakable foundation of our lives. We praise You for Jesus, the eternal “I Am,” who came to save us and who will never leave us. In His name we pray, Amen.

Exodus 3:1–12 (ESV)

Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then he said, “Do not come near, take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. Then the Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of my people who are in Egypt and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters. I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land to a good and broad land, a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And now, behold, the cry of the people of Israel has come to me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. Come, I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring my people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you, when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.”

Moses is out in the wilderness tending sheep. It has been decades since he fled Egypt. He probably thought that part of his life was over. Then one day, he sees something that stops him in his tracks. A bush is on fire, but it is not burning up. He goes closer to look, and that is when God speaks.

“Moses, Moses.”The same man who once acted out of pride is now being called out of humility. The one who ran away is being called back.

God tells him to take off his sandals, because he is standing on holy ground. The fire that does not consume is a picture of God’s holiness, pure and burning, yet full of grace. And God identifies Himself, not as some new deity, but as the same covenant God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God who made promises is now fulfilling them.

Then God tells Moses why He has come. “I have seen the affliction of my people. I have heard their cry. I know their sufferings. I have come down to deliver them.” Those are some of the most comforting words in the Bible. God does not stay far off. He comes down.

And then comes the surprising part. God says, “Come, I will send you.” Moses, the man who failed, is the one God chooses to use. No wonder Moses asks, “Who am I?” He knows his weakness, and that is exactly what God can work with.

God’s answer is everything: “I will be with you.” That is what makes all the difference. Deliverance will not depend on Moses’ strength, but on God’s presence.

That is the heart of God’s call. He does not choose people because they are strong, capable, or impressive. He calls those who know they cannot do it alone. He promises His presence, and that is enough.

This story points us straight to Christ. He is the One who truly came down to deliver His people, not from Pharaoh, but from sin and death. And just like God sent Moses, Jesus sends us to bear witness to His salvation, not in our strength, but in His. “I will be with you” is still His promise to us.

Prayer

Father, thank You that You see, You hear, and You come down to save. Thank You that You use weak people to do Your work. Forgive us for the times we have said, “Who am I?” and forgotten that You are with us. Give us courage to obey when You call, and faith to trust that Your presence is enough. We praise You for Jesus, who came down to deliver us and who is with us always. In His name we pray, Amen.