“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.'”
– Exodus 3:14
Oh, Exodus 3:14 is breathtaking. When you stop and realize the revelation of God that Moses just received and for that matter we just heard. What is happening here is God is sending Moses to the Israelites where they are enslaved in Egypt to represent them and to bring them out. And Moses is thinking, I can’t do this. Who am I? And he asks God, who will I tell them sent me?
God is not dependent on anyone or anything. He is immutable, and He is with you.
God is Immutable
And this is the name God reveals himself as: “I am who I am. Tell them I am has sent me to you.” Like, what does that mean? Well, there’s so much. If we had time, we’d just dive into so much that is wrapped up in the meaning of this name of God.
For him to be the ‘I am’ means that he’s self-existent. He is. He is not dependent on anyone or any thing for his existence. Instead, He is, that he is the creator, always has been, always will be. He is the sustainer of all things, that he is immutable, unchanging in his being. So he’s not in the process of becoming something.
I am, in my life, you are in your life continually changing in one way or the other. You’re progressing or digressing. Same thing for me like physically and emotionally, racially. We are changing. God is not. He is. He’s unchanging, immutable. The same yesterday, today and forever. He’s eternal. For him to be I am means he is always existing. Eternity past, eternity future. There was a time where you and I began, not God. He is. He has always been. And He will always be.
There’s so much summed up in this name of God that just brings us to our knees in worship and then, just think about the mammoth meaning of this. When Moses is thinking, well, who am I to go to the Israelites in Egypt to bring them out and God says, “It’s not about who you are. It’s about who I am.” You think about that in your life?
God Is With Us
There’s so many things that God has called you to do, me to do, that we cannot do, and I’m not just thinking about like big assignments in this way or that. I’m thinking about daily, to be the husband God calls me to be, to be the dad God calls me to be, to be the man God calls me to be. Well, these are massive assignments that I cannot do. Like, who am I? I can’t do this. Who am I to lead the church, pastor the church God’s entrusted me to, for you to do whatever work God has called you to, to be the person God’s called you to.
These are massive assignments and you can’t do them, but the whole point is it’s not about who you are, it’s about who he is and he is the self existent, eternal, immutable, all-powerful creator and sustainer of the world, and he is with you.
Exodus 3:14 Can Remind Us Of God’s Unique Identity as Lord Of All
Oh, God, we praise you. We exalt you for who you are. You are the great I am. You are an immutable, the internal, the omniscient, omnipotent creator, sustainer, self existent, God over all. Holy God, there is no one like you. No one like you who is the same yesterday, today and forever. And we bow our hearts in worship of you, in awe of you and in gratitude to you. Thank you for being with us. Thank you for promising to give us all we need for all that you have called us to, for being sufficient for us, for being our sustainer, for being our strength, for being our unchanging hope. We praise you as the I am.
We pray for your help in all that you’ve called us to do and we praise you that the tasks you put before us today are not ultimately dependent on who we are, but on who you are and your power and your presence and your gracious work in our lives. Oh, God, we praise you. Oh, God we praise you and trust in you as the great I am. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
