I AM THAT I AM
אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה
’ehye ’ăšer ’ehye
Exodus 3:14
We begin our study today with a question - the question Moses asks the Lord, in Exodus chapter 3 verse thirteen. Moses encounters the Lord in a burning bush where Elohim appoints him to set the nation of Israel free from bondage in Egypt. Moses responds by asking, “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?”
Names in the ancient Hebrew culture had power and significance and they intended to uncover the individual’s character and essence. The Lord answers: “Ehye Aser Ehye … Say this to the people of Israel ‘Ehye’ has sent me to you.” Elohim’s answer reveals His divine nature and character – the great I AM.
Translating Biblical Hebrew to English can pose a challenge. Verbs in Biblical Hebrew have two tenses (i) perfect and (ii) imperfect. A perfect tense refers to a completed action. An imperfect tense means the action is incomplete. English tenses, on the other hand, relate to time and are (i) past, (ii) present and (iii) future.
“Ehye” is the verb “to exist.” “Aser” is a relative pronoun meaning: (i) who, (ii) that, (iii) which, or (iv) because. “Ehye Aser Ehye” carries the meaning:
I AM who I AM
I will be that what I will be
I exist because I exist
After four hundred years living in Egypt the Lord’s answer was a clear reminder to the nation of Israel of the infinite and eternal nature of the Almighty God. I AM is a declaration of existence. They needed to separate from the culture of Egypt and return to and worship the Lord the living God.
At the same time, Exodus chapter 3 verses 6, 15 - 16 show that the Lord is also to be known to the children of Israel as the God of their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. These verses serve as bookends for the conversation between Elohim and Moses and an important reminder of the relationship Elohim had with the forefathers of the Israelite nation. It is His hesed steadfast love as portrayed in the book of Ruth and the renewed covenant set out in Jeremiah chapter 31 that draws us to Him and provides the promise of a personal relationship with the King of Kings.
Scripture does not stop there, rather the nature of the I AM is made known via hundreds of references from Genesis 15:1 (I AM your Shield) to Revelation 22:15 and 16 (I AM the Bright and Morning Star). The Gospel of John speaks clearly to the nature of the I AM and Jesus states in John 8:24 to be the I AM, the fulfilment of the renewed covenant.
Today, let us thoughtfully consider the descriptive illustrations Jesus himself gives us as to both the eternal and personal nature of who He is - the great I AM.
I AM He – John 4:25-26
I AM the Bread of Life - John 6:35
I AM the Light of the World - John 8:12
Before Abraham was: I AM - John 8:58
I AM the Door - John 10:9
I AM the Good Shepherd - John 10:11, 14
I AM the Resurrection and the Life - John 11:25
I AM the True Vine - John 15:1, 5
I AM the Way – I AM the Truth – I AM the Life - John 14:6
In Matthew 16:13-16, Mark 8:27-29 and Luke 9:18-20 Jesus poses to his disciples the question “Who do people say that I am?” Their response covered a wide spectrum from the prophets of old to John the Baptist.
We end our study the way we began, with a question, the same question our Lord Jesus asked the disciples:
But, who do you say that I AM?
- By Sharon Fletcher, Founder of Promise Bible Study
promisebiblestudy@gmail.com
BONUS CONTENT!
“A Song of Deliverance”
Writers
Barry SweetJackson, Barry Lindsay, Mike McDonough
Production
Barry SweetJackson, True That Studios
Musicians
Barry SweetJackson - keyboards, vocals, percussion
Mauro Savino - keyboard and vocals
Tommy Porto - sax, flute, vocals
Barry Lindsay - guitar and vocals
Gabriel Delgado - drums
Mike McDonough - bass and vocals
Linda Bergenn - vocals
Cheri SweetJackson - vocals
Recorded at Niki Records
Mastered at Leopard Studios