The Name

[0:00] A Pastor's Reflections. The Name. Exodus 6.3. And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty. But by the name Jehovah was I not known to them.

[0:16] Psalms 1.13.2-3. Blessed be the name of the Lord, from this time forth and forevermore. From the rising of the sun, unto the going down of the same, the Lord's name is to be praised.

[0:30] Matthew 1.21. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins. It is not surprising that God has a name.

[0:43] Most things do. However, what is surprising is what is revealed through that name. In Exodus 6, Moses and the nation of Israel were at a low point. All of their hope and trust in the deliverance that had been promised by God had long since vanished in the haze of exhaustion and oppression inflicted by Egypt. Pharaoh had doubled down on his refusal to let Israel go, and he had also doubled down on the burdens he was placing upon God's people.

[1:16] When Moses comes to God in despair at the end of chapter 5, he is in search of some real, tangible help. He needs answers. God's reply to Moses is not what he or we would expect or perhaps desire at the moment of our lowest despair. When all of our efforts have failed, and we find ourselves before the Lord with our heads hung low, what we want is real, tangible help. And God knows this, and so he gives the greatest help he possibly can give. He reveals himself.

[1:54] Acts 4.12 Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. The name of God is the revelation of who God is. Contained in his name is the very essence of his character and nature. Did Moses need his circumstances altered? Yes, he did. But not because God could not be God in those circumstances. God is able to be God in all circumstances and all situations.

[2:27] This was the key to Moses understanding the name of God. Jehovah, the existing one. In all circumstances and situations, God exists and God overcomes. Do you and I recognize that about our God today?

[2:42] Are we living in the light of who God is? Or are we only hoping for a change of circumstances? Jesus, Jehovah, is salvation. And he is salvation at all times and in all circumstances. Today, don't let the oppression of the enemy or your own failed efforts convince you that God is not God in all of your circumstances. Not only is he God in all things, he is especially fond of revealing himself as such in the midst of our greatest need. Psalms 20 verse 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.

[3:25] Father, thank you that in knowing your name, we can know who you are. Help us in every circumstance, no matter how high or how low, to remember that you are the sufficient one. Thank you for revealing yourself through the name Jesus, our salvation. Amen.