Exodus 3:1–22 (NIV) 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3   So Moses thought, “I will go over

Understanding God's simplicity is the key to understanding this complex world. Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 1 We all believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that there is a single and simple spiritual being, whom we call God— eternal, incomprehensible, invisible, unchangeable, infinite, almighty; completely wise, just, and good, and the overflowing source of all good. Summary One of the first pieces of information we learn about a person we've just met is their name. It's likely that prior to this encounter at the burning bush, Moses had a vague concept of God, but he comes to know Him up close and personal here, and unsurprisingly, the first thing Moses wants to know is the name behind the mysterious voice. You might expect God to have a long and complex name, similar to the official titles European kings sometimes have - names that sometimes take up a whole paragraph! But the LORD God Almighty, who is referred to by a number of names throughout scripture, refers to Himself with a name that is both surprisingly simple, yet massively profound. God instructs Moses to call Him: I AM who I AM. God continues, "This is my name forever, the name you should call me from generation to generation." The simplicity of this name is quite apparent: two single syllable words, repeated twice. It's even simpler in Hebrew: YWHW. This name is often referred to by its simplicity. Theologians call it the Divine Tetragrammaton, meaning the four letter word. But don't let the simplicity of this name fool you! The name God chooses to call Himself sets Him apart from from anything else in creation. Dig Deeper One of the first things our Confession says about God is that He's simple. Often in our culture, that's not a flattering description for a person, but it certainly is in theology, and God is the only one who can be described as such. On the other hand, you are a complex creature. You are both physical and spiritual. You have days when you're pleasant, and other days when you're cranky. Since you're made in God's image, you, like Him, have thoughts, emotions and a will, but most of the time it's hard for us to keep all three of those things aligned. So we feel differently from what we know is right, and do things that don't really match the way we think or feel. In His simplicity, God exists as the fullness of His attributes, all at once. God is merciful all of the time, but at the same time His mercy never restricts His justice. His thoughts, emotions, and will are never in conflict. Another way of expressing God's name of I AM is to say that God Is. He defines Himself. He's not just a good God, He is good; He defines the very concept of goodness itself, as well as all of His other attributes. Dutch theologian Herman Bavinck puts it this way: God is the real, the true being, the fullness of being, the sum total of all reality and perfection, the totality of being, from which all other being owes its existence. Simple, right? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: The LORD, the God of your fathers and the only one who simply exists in Himself; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be able to give God the reverence and respect that His simple holiness demands; ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Mark 2

God's name for Himself may seem simple, but it's amazingly profound. Read / Listen Listen to passage & devotional: Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 25 Q. Since there is but one God, why do you speak of three: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit? A. Because that is how God has revealed himself in his Word: these three distinct persons are one, true, eternal God. Summary We come to the famous story of the burning bush in the context of understanding our Triune (three in one) God. Moses arrived at the burning bush from a far different context: he'd been keeping his head down, doing his job and hoping that the Egyptians wouldn't find and prosecute him for a murder he'd committed 40 years earlier. He's lived a quiet, peaceful life as a shepherd, when out of nowhere a bush erupts into a flame that doesn't fizzle out. As he approaches the burning bush, he hears: Do not come near... the place on which you are standing is holy ground! (v5) The voice proceeds to tell Moses he's been drafted to lead the massive community of Hebrews from their slavery in Egypt to the Promised Land, flowing with milk & honey. Dig Deeper It's customary for a royal figure to be announced with what's known as a heraldry, which is often a long and complicated recitation of all of that person's titles. Each of the names read off has meaning, and the more names a royal has, the more important he is. The official heraldry God gives for Himself is neither long nor complicated, yet it is immensely profound: I AM who I AM In other words, GOD IS. God is His attributes; that is, He isn't just good, rather He defines goodness. He doesn't just act lovingly, love exists because God exists. God exists in and of Himself. He had no beginning and will never end. Time itself is one of His creations, and He lives outside of and above it. He always was, is now and always will be. The concept of God being both three and one doesn't easily harmonize with our understanding of logic. But remember, logic, just like time, is God's creation. He wrote the laws of logic, but He's not obligated to conform to them as we are. None of us will ever full comprehend who and what God is. Many people reject God because they can't understand Him. But let these incomprehensible aspects of God comfort you rather than push you away. Afterall, if our God controls rather than conforms to logic, what is there that He can't control? AAA Prayer (About) ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Father in heaven, your name is holy and you are above all things; ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will be able to fully trust God even though you don't fully understand Him. ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED: Read the New Testament in a year, a chapter a day - Acts 24

Exodus 4:18–31 (NIV) 18  Then Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Let me return had commanded him to perform. 29  Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, 30 He also performed the signs before the people, 31   and they believed. This is the first of ten times in the book of Exodus that we'll read about the LORD hardening Pharoah's

Exodus 1 (NIV) 1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2   Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3   Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4   Dan and Naphtali Summary The book of Exodus starts way more dramatically in the original Hebrew than it does in the English

Exodus 5:1–21 (NIV) 5 Afterward Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the L ORD , the I do not know the L ORD and I will not let Israel go.” 3   Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped ( Ex. 4:30 -31 ).

Exodus 5:22–6:12 (NIV) 22  Moses returned to the L ORD and said, “Why, L ORD , why have you brought trouble my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” 2   God also said to Moses, “I am the L ORD . 3   eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent ( John 17:3

In the next chapter, Exodus 20, God expresses these covenantal stipulations in 10 categories we often

Exodus 34:1-16 (NIV) CONTEXT: After a long time, Moses had returned to Israel carrying two tablets of Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. 3  No one is to come with you or be seen anywhere very visible image of a calf, before which they bowed down and then "got up to indulge in revelry" ( Exodus devotionals like this one published on the internet, my guess is that very few, if any, have focused on Exodus Today: 1 Timothy 3

Exodus 12 (NIV) CONTEXT: We began this passage yesterday in which the Israelites were commanded to protect Listen to passage & devotional: Belgic Confession of Faith, Article   33: The Sacraments We believe