LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Wednesday 29th September 2021
WHAT IS YOUR NAME, LORD?
Scripture Reading: Exodus 3
Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?” Exodus 3:13
Having been in Egypt for close to 400 years, Israel had lost touch with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They knew the gods of Egypt and worshipped some of them. Moses asked for the name of the God who was speaking to him for two reasons:
1. Moses needed to assure himself that he was talking to the right deity. He had seen a supernatural event, but what kind of supernatural force was it? Having lived in the royal house of Pharaoh, Moses knew the Egyptians could perform supernatural acts. He wanted to assure himself that he was communicating with the Almighty God – the God of Abraham.
Like Moses, we also need to test supernatural events and know which power is behind them. Not everything supernatural is attributable to Jehovah.
2. Moses needed to show the difference between the God of Israel and the gods of the Egyptians. The Hebrews knew that anyone who wanted to deliver them from Egypt would have to contend with the gods of the land. They needed to be assured that their Deliverer was more powerful than their oppressors.
In the days of Moses, the names of deities represented the scope of their power. There were deities related to the heavenly bodies, rivers, animals, fire, metals and activities such as wars, famine and love. The name that God would give to Moses would determine the scope of His power. The name would determine if He was strong enough to deliver Israel from the hand of the Egyptians.
As the representative of God, Moses had to disclose His character to the Jewish people. Of course, God’s name “Jehovah” had been known centuries ago and was familiar to the patriarchs. What Moses asked was, “What does Your name mean? What kind of God are You?”
What name did God give to Moses? The name He gave him, revealed the scope of His power.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, magnify your name in my situation. Let all the world know that you are God Most High. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
