Daily Devotionals
Devotional: 20th of Teves
God said to Moshe [Moses], "Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh [I am/will be what I am/will be]" (Exodus 3:14).
In biblical Jewish understanding, a "name" was more than simply a series of sounds that, when pronounced together, formed a word. To the mind of an ancient Israelite, a name communicated the nature of the person.
In the case of deities, the name described a god's nature or function. When Moses asked for God's name in Exodus 3, he received a response that immediately set God apart from anything that could be fully communicated to or grasped by the human mind. God declared himself to be independent of all things and above all things, including all other gods. No name (in the biblical sense) could contain him, for everything was made by him. That is why he says, "I Am Who I Am." He is the eternal constant, "upholding all that exists by his powerful word" (Hebrews 1:3).
The investors in Lloyds of London (the company that insures the treasures of the rich and famous) are simply referred to in the British press as "the names." This acknowledges the fact that they are some of the most wealthy and powerful people on earth. It might be nice to have some of those "names" as friends. But I would much rather have him who calls himself Ehyeh (I Will Be, or, I Am), the eternal constant of the universe, as my friend.
Has it hit you today that the ruler of the universe is your friend?
...smile in the knowledge that God is my friend.
DR
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