03/01/21 PITIFUL EXCUSES and GOD’s PATIENCE and PROVISION #2 —

Exodus 3:13-15 (ESV) 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?” 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.’” 15 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.

“THEN MOSES SAID TO GOD”: Was Moses at this point crossing the line from reasonable inquiry to unreasonable doubt? GOD'S PATIENT REPLIES instructing Moses on what He would do and what the results would be, including Israel's being viewed with favor by the Egyptians (3:21), ought to CAUTION THE READER FROM HASTILY CLASSIFYING MOSES' ATTITUDE AS ALTOGETHER WRONG from the very beginning of the interaction between him and the Lord. A response of divine anger comes only in 4:14 at the very end of Moses' questions and objections. See 4:1.

“‘WHAT IS HIS NAME?”: Moses raised a second objection. Israel might ask for God's name in validation of Moses' declaration that he had been sent by the God of their fathers. Significantly, the question was NOT "WHO is this God?" The Hebrews understood the name Yahweh had been known to the patriarchs (which Genesis well indicates). Asking "WHAT" meant they sought for the relevancy of the name to their circumstances. "WHO?" sought after TITLE, NAME, and IDENTITY, whereas "WHAT?" inquired into the CHARACTER, QUALITY, or ESSENCE of a person.

“I AM WHO I AM”: This is the ONLY time God announces this particular name in ALL the Scriptures! This name for God points to His SELF-EXISTENCE and ETERNALITY; it denotes "I AM THE ONE WHO IS / WILL BE"… The significance in relation to "THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS" is immediately discernible: HE'S THE SAME GOD THROUGHOUT THE AGES! (adapted from The MacArthur Study Bible) Praise the Lord!