Moses, realizing that he was not backed by his own people after killing an Egyptian, fled from Egypt to Midian, to save his own life. He became complacent with a good father-in-law, wife, two sons and sheep, to settle as a shepherd in the wilderness. He entered Midian as an Egyptian and saved the daughters of Jethro from the local shepherds and now God was sending him on a mission to save his people (shepherds) from the Egyptians, knowing that shepherds were an abomination to the Egyptians (Genesis 46:36b).
After the burning bush experience, God commanded Moses to tell Pharaoh that He (God) had sent him to deliver His people out of Egypt. It was here in the wilderness that Moses asked God – ‘what will I tell Pharaoh about Your Name? What is Your Name?’ God said, “I AM” and from this we got the name Jehovah which means ‘that which was, that is and that is to come’ – ‘I AM WHO I AM’ (Exodus 3:13).
In the New Testament, the author of the letter to the Hebrews declared that ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Hebrews 13:8) meaning that Jesus was I AM, is I AM and will be I AM - ETERNAL NAME JEHOVAH. When the band of soldiers came to arrest Jesus, He asked them, ‘Whom do you seek’ to which they replied ‘Jesus of Nazareth’. When Jesus said to them “I AM HE” the entire band of soldiers drew back and fell to the ground on hearing the words “I AM” (John 18:5).
When we talk of human beings, we say that we know this man – yesterday he was like that, today he is like this and do not know how he will be tomorrow! But with Jesus Christ our Lord – He is always I AM.
Thought for the day: In all our joys and sorrows - be it yesterday, today or tomorrow, Jesus says “I AM”.