“Then the Lord came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the Lord. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin….”” (Exodus 34:5-7, NIV)
That awkward moment when you’re at a social gathering and someone asks, “Who are you?” At this point, you have to make a decision. Is this just a query about your name? Then the answer is simple: “I’m Jim.” Or is this perhaps a deeper, existential question… “Who are you?” I’m a husband and father and pastor and American and… And if I’m going with the philosophical answer, I’m going to tell you only most important stuff. I’m pretty sure you don’t care about my favorite foods and music style.
When Moses was with God on Mt. Sinai, God gave both answers. First, he gave his name. His name is Yahweh (translated in most English versions as Lord). But he also gave the existential response. He told Moses everything the prophet needed to know about him:
- I’m full of mercy
- I’m full of grace
- My patience is unending
- My love knows no limits
- I can be counted on 24-7 by you AND your kids
- I’m loyal and
- I’m forgiving
That’s him. That’s God. That’s his name and that’s what he does…it is who he is. If you don’t know him, please give me the pleasure of introducing you!
Pastor Jim
