Summary - As God calls Moses at the Burning Bush, Moses asks God how a nobody like him could approach the King of Egypt and demand the release of all the Israelites! God assures Moses he will not accomplish this in his power, but that God will go with him. Moses follows up that answer with another question - Who are you? In other words, who is the God of Israel that He is able to overcome and defeat the gods and power of Egypt? Egypt is the greatest power on the planet - their gods have made it a great nation. The children of Abraham are slaves who don’t even have any land of their own, much less a glorious country like Egypt! What are they, and what is their god in comparison to Egypt?
God’s answers Moses by giving His name. His name is more than just identifying which of the many possible gods is the god of the Jews. In ancient times, names did far more than identify a person or god. A name was a description of their character. As one commentator explains “the designation of God, specific of Yahweh = His reputation, fame; especially as embodying the revealed character of Yahweh" (Durham p 38). God answers “I AM who I AM,” and “Tell them, I AM has sent you.” Moses was no doubt hoping for a name that would give an image and designate a location where the God of Israel would have authority and power to operate. That is they way it worked with the pagan idols of Egypt - they had a sphere of influence - the sun, the Nile, the wind, and they could be easily “imaged” by their name. But, this is not the kind of name God gives to Moses. I AM is a description of present
