Getting Job-ed
God replied to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This what you are to say to the Israelites: I AM has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the Israelites: YAHWEH, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation.” Exodus 3:14-15 (CSB and Hebrew Interlinear)
It may sound silly to start the conversation on something that seems so simple, but I wanted us to start on this journey together by making clear that we know who we’re talking about when we use the term ‘God.’ If we’re wanting to bank our eternity on this Being, we want to make sure we have the right one! This will take multiple discussions to unpack, so buckle up.
So, in the Bible, you will see a mixture of names of this Being which the they, in and of themselves, are talking about the same Being. In contrast, you will also see a mixture of terms used as ‘god’ (lower case ‘g’ noting that this is not the Being we are talking about) and then ‘God’ (upper case ‘G’ noting that this is the Being we are talking about). Ok, enough English, let’s get to the point.
“The essence of God, who He is and His glory, is wrapped up in the name YAHWEH…”
I want to discuss the word LORD in the Bible. Notice it as LORD, all capitalized, and not Lord. LORD, in the English Bible, is the translation of the Hebrew word YAHWEH. This is the name of God presented in Exodus 3. The name is actually a verb. There are many translations of YAHWEH but here are a few: I Am who I Am; I AM Existence; I Am which I cause to be; the One ever coming into manifestation (that’s not to be taken as God is always changing to becoming something, but that He always causes Himself). YAHWEH is who He was, is who He is, is who He always will be. The essence of God, who He is and His glory, is wrapped up in the name YAHWEH.
In Exodus 33:18-19 CSB, Moses asks to see YAHWEH’s glory. Let’s read the text:
Then Moses said, “Please, let me see your glory.” He (YAHWEH) said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim the name ‘the LORD’ before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.”
YAHWEH, as His name states, is Him being who He is and doing as He does without constraint or having to answer to anyone because He is the only one worthy to do so. His mere acting is He Himself doing what is righteous, just, holy, and loving. Not as others define them, but as He defines them. This is to see His glory: to see YAHWEH for who He is.
“YAHWEH acts according to his own Plan and purposes…”
YAHWEH acts according to His own plan and purposes, which is to uphold His glory. A pivotal verse that states this claim is Isaiah 48:9-11 CSB:
I will delay my anger for the sake of my name, and I will restrain myself for your benefit and for my praise, so that you will not be destroyed. Look, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tested you in the furnace of affliction. I will act for my own sake, indeed, my own, for how can I be defiled? I will not give my glory to another.
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Self-help theology and Prosperity Gospel theology teach that God exists for me. That’s actually no different from any other religion in the world. What do these verses say? Is this offensive to you? YAHWEH upholds His glory, and that is actually for our benefit.
– Ephesians 1: 11-12 CSB and Greek Interlinear:
In him (God/Jesus) we have also received an inheritance, because we were predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the counsel of his will, so that we who had already put our hope in Christ would bring praise to his glory.
Let’s boil that down: God works out EVERYTHING for His purpose, according to His will, all to bring Him Praise! That is huge.
-Austin
Excerpt taken from Getting Job-ed
