Exodus 3
Today's Passage: Exodus 3
Malachi 3:11, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my Name will be great among the nations.”
This verse has stood out to me for a long time—how important it is for us as believers to magnify, elevate, proclaim, and make famous the NAME of the Lord. Today, as we read Exodus 3, Moses learns the Lord’s name—Yahweh.
Although God’s name had appeared in Scripture before this moment, including verses 4 & 7 of this same chapter, God had not yet revealed it in this same way. Verse 15 declares this revealing that He is the God of the Patriarch’s (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), but then He goes on to say, “This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Remember also, Moses recorded the first five books of the Bible. So even when Yahweh’s name appears all the way back in Genesis 2, it was because it had already been revealed to Moses.
In Exodus 3, and the scene of the burning bush, we get a sense of what it means to be “holy.” Verse 5, God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. He then shared with Moses His holy name.
You may not realize, but the word Yahweh is only an educated guess as the pronunciation of the Lord’s name (albeit a highly educated guess). Hebrew only recorded consonants and no vowels. The vowel markings were added later as the language began to die so that future generations might know how to pronounce certain words. The Hebrews feared taking the Lord’s name in vain and pretty much struck its pronunciation from existence (Leviticus 24:16). Even today, our Jewish friends consider God’s name too holy to utter, such that when God’s name (Yahweh) appears in the text they say “Adonai” (meaning “lord” or “master”). Part of what helps them to never accidentally say “Yahweh” is that the vowel markings surrounding YHWH are the markings for Adonai (YaHoVaH: this is where Jehovah comes from) rather than Yahweh.
Why does this matter? Well, with the utmost respect to the Israelites who came before, I don’t think God revealed His name to have it struck from existence. However, I think we are often guilty of treating it with less than the utmost respect. That disrespect for the name bleeds into every area of our lives. Defaming God’s name isn’t just blasphemy or slander. In the case of God, defaming His name is also treating it as something common or like it doesn’t really matter in our lives. Every sin in our lives, or wandering heart moment, defames His name because it betrays our allegiance to it and the power of it.
God shared his name with Moses and then told him to take it to the most powerful man in the most powerful empire in the world at the time. Pharaoh was considered a living god on Earth responsible for maintaining order. When Moses declared “I AM” has sent me, the plagues confirmed Pharaoh can’t control diddly.
Do we trust God’s name in our lives like that? Are we willing to risk it all to magnify His name? Or rather, do our lives proclaim that God isn’t necessary to our daily life? Obviously, if you’re reading this, none of those are really “yes” or “no” questions. It’s more gray than that. However, it’s worth considering. If “God’s name will be great among the nations,” are we living like it’s great in our lives now?
Written By: Tyler Short
Malachi 3:11, “For from the rising of the sun to its setting my Name will be great among the nations.”
This verse has stood out to me for a long time—how important it is for us as believers to magnify, elevate, proclaim, and make famous the NAME of the Lord. Today, as we read Exodus 3, Moses learns the Lord’s name—Yahweh.
Although God’s name had appeared in Scripture before this moment, including verses 4 & 7 of this same chapter, God had not yet revealed it in this same way. Verse 15 declares this revealing that He is the God of the Patriarch’s (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), but then He goes on to say, “This is My name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." Remember also, Moses recorded the first five books of the Bible. So even when Yahweh’s name appears all the way back in Genesis 2, it was because it had already been revealed to Moses.
In Exodus 3, and the scene of the burning bush, we get a sense of what it means to be “holy.” Verse 5, God told Moses to take off his sandals because he was on holy ground. He then shared with Moses His holy name.
You may not realize, but the word Yahweh is only an educated guess as the pronunciation of the Lord’s name (albeit a highly educated guess). Hebrew only recorded consonants and no vowels. The vowel markings were added later as the language began to die so that future generations might know how to pronounce certain words. The Hebrews feared taking the Lord’s name in vain and pretty much struck its pronunciation from existence (Leviticus 24:16). Even today, our Jewish friends consider God’s name too holy to utter, such that when God’s name (Yahweh) appears in the text they say “Adonai” (meaning “lord” or “master”). Part of what helps them to never accidentally say “Yahweh” is that the vowel markings surrounding YHWH are the markings for Adonai (YaHoVaH: this is where Jehovah comes from) rather than Yahweh.
Why does this matter? Well, with the utmost respect to the Israelites who came before, I don’t think God revealed His name to have it struck from existence. However, I think we are often guilty of treating it with less than the utmost respect. That disrespect for the name bleeds into every area of our lives. Defaming God’s name isn’t just blasphemy or slander. In the case of God, defaming His name is also treating it as something common or like it doesn’t really matter in our lives. Every sin in our lives, or wandering heart moment, defames His name because it betrays our allegiance to it and the power of it.
God shared his name with Moses and then told him to take it to the most powerful man in the most powerful empire in the world at the time. Pharaoh was considered a living god on Earth responsible for maintaining order. When Moses declared “I AM” has sent me, the plagues confirmed Pharaoh can’t control diddly.
Do we trust God’s name in our lives like that? Are we willing to risk it all to magnify His name? Or rather, do our lives proclaim that God isn’t necessary to our daily life? Obviously, if you’re reading this, none of those are really “yes” or “no” questions. It’s more gray than that. However, it’s worth considering. If “God’s name will be great among the nations,” are we living like it’s great in our lives now?
Written By: Tyler Short
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