“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. When he feels the force of my strong hand, he will let me people go…I am YAHWEH-the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai – God Almighty – but I did not reveal my name YAHWEH to them.”
YAHWEH (יְהֹוָה)
“The divine name was increasingly regarded as too sacred to be uttered, it was replaced vocally in synagogue by Adonai (Lord)…Many scholars believe that the most proper meaning may be “He Brings into Existence Whatever Exists” (Yahweh-Asher-Yahweh)”
-Encyclopedia Britannica
I guess there’s a lot about this name that remains a mystery. But what caught my attention in Your answer to Moses’ cry was this: You had more to reveal about yourself than he had seen so far.
His ancestors called You ‘God Almighty,’ but Moses was about to see how strong your hand was. His ancestors had known You as ‘El Shaddai.’ Moses was only now introduced to YAHWEH.
I’m not sure what all is lost in translation across the years, cultures, languages. It’s 2017, I am snuggled up in my recliner in front of an electric fireplace with a fake flame, journaling as I prepare to travel a hundred miles to go to work flying in a helicopter.
I am worlds apart. But reading this, this morning, the name struck me.
Moses came to You, upset at the worsening situation, wondering why You didn’t act, and You answered with:
Your fathers knew me as Lord Almighty, but I am about to show Pharaoh who I am with force. And you shall call me
YAHWEH.
Silence. Holy. That’s what the statement left resounding through my morning. You were about to unleash upon Egypt a display the whole world would recognize. You were about to reveal a side of you Moses didn’t know yet.
And then, thousands of years later, You did it again. You still had more to reveal about Yourself than Israel had seen so far.
“…and you shall call his name Jesus…”
Savior. Rescuer. King.
Gentle. Feisty. Healer.
Man of puzzles. Friend of scum. Opposer of the Pharisees.
The One who forgives sinners.
So here I am, recognizing that in all of my situations, I must come to You, not only hoping to remember all I have learned of You before, but expecting to be surprised by a side of You I didn’t know yet. Always expecting that You still have more to reveal about Yourself than what I’ve seen so far.
So keep my heart intrigued with You, Lord. Leaning forward, not knowing what to expect, not sure what side of You I will see, but settled in this:
You are so, so good, and the deeper I go with You, the more I want to truly know You.
dig deep | draw close 