Take a moment and read Exodus 3:13-17 (I believe this post should actually include a link that, if you scroll your mouse over the reference, the ESV version should pop up). To put this into its context, the people of Israel had been in Egypt for over 400 years. They were now slaves in Egypt. Moses had fled to the wilderness after killing an Egyptian slavedriver. Through a burning bush, God spoke to Moses, to let him know that he would be leading the people out of Egypt. And Moses had started to give his list of excuses as to why he didn't want to do this job.
One of the things Moses brought up was asking God about His identity. In particular, Moses wanted to know which God this was who was talking to him, and who would bring the people out. And God told Moses who He was. I AM who I AM. The God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. And then God told Moses what He would do, that He would bring them out of Egypt by His mighty, powerful hand.
An identity is a powerful thing. Knowing who you are has tremendous repercussions throughout your life. Maybe the best way to demonstrate this is to look more at someone who doesn't know their identity. You've all known a person who didn't know who they were, and so they became a different person around others, depending on the group. They worked hard to make others happy because they didn't find happiness or joy in who they were. They strove to be accepted because they hadn't accepted who they were.
God knows who He is. He identified Himself to Moses, not only saying what His name was, but also identifying Himself in His relation. He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. We even see this identity come out when God had brought the people out of Egypt and gave them the Ten Words, or Commandments. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." And then, God proceeded to tell the people what it looked like to be identified with such a God.
Identity is crucial. Knowing who you are becomes crucial to knowing what you do and why you do it. This is no less important for groups of people as it is for individuals. So this week, we'll take a bit of a closer look at the issue of identity, and what our Christian faith informs us about concerning our identity.
One of the things Moses brought up was asking God about His identity. In particular, Moses wanted to know which God this was who was talking to him, and who would bring the people out. And God told Moses who He was. I AM who I AM. The God of your fathers, of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. And then God told Moses what He would do, that He would bring them out of Egypt by His mighty, powerful hand.
An identity is a powerful thing. Knowing who you are has tremendous repercussions throughout your life. Maybe the best way to demonstrate this is to look more at someone who doesn't know their identity. You've all known a person who didn't know who they were, and so they became a different person around others, depending on the group. They worked hard to make others happy because they didn't find happiness or joy in who they were. They strove to be accepted because they hadn't accepted who they were.
God knows who He is. He identified Himself to Moses, not only saying what His name was, but also identifying Himself in His relation. He is the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. We even see this identity come out when God had brought the people out of Egypt and gave them the Ten Words, or Commandments. "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery." And then, God proceeded to tell the people what it looked like to be identified with such a God.
Identity is crucial. Knowing who you are becomes crucial to knowing what you do and why you do it. This is no less important for groups of people as it is for individuals. So this week, we'll take a bit of a closer look at the issue of identity, and what our Christian faith informs us about concerning our identity.
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