What Did Moses Hear Part 3: His Name, The LORD

What Did Moses Hear Part 3: His Name, The LORD

Exodus 34 tells us that at God’s command, Moses cut two new stones, replacing the two that he broke over the golden calf, and took an early morning hike up Mount Sinai. There, in the midst of the cloud, the LORD descended and stood with Moses. As described in What Did Moses See, we know that something special happened at that moment and yet we are not sure exactly what Moses saw. The passage does tell us exactly what Moses heard as the LORD kept His promise from chapter 33:

Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you.”

Exodus 33:19 (NKJV)

Exodus 34:5-7

As the LORD’s goodness passes before Moses, the Bible says He proclaimed His name but what He says beginning in Exodus 34:6 seems more like a proclamation of a title as opposed to a “name” as we would think of today. This title gives us a description of God’s nature which was often true in the Old Testament where names reveal a person’s character. And because this is coming from the LORD, I believe this is an important passage to understand.

The first thing He says is, “The LORD.” I looked at a handful of sources and it seems that the word used here is, “Yahweh,” which is the covenant name used by God in the Old Testament. According to biblestudytools.com, “The English language doesn’t have an exact translation of the word “Yahweh,” and this is why we see it written as “LORD”. The website goes on to point out that in Exodus 3:14 (in the passage where we first see the name used in the Bible), “...God uses ‘I AM’ and ‘Yahweh’ interchangeably.” 

So what we have is the word “LORD” which is very different from the word “Lord”. “Lord” is a title for someone who is in control: someone who is the master over someone else or over some domain. Most certainly God is Lord but “LORD” is different. LORD or “Yahweh” is about God being self-existent and eternal, as again pointed out by biblestudytools.com. God has always existed, does not need anyone in order to exist and will always exist. And so in declaring Himself as “The LORD”, God is telling Moses and us about His eternal nature.

As His covenant name, “Yahweh” is also God’s declaration that He will keep His end of the covenant even though the people had broken it when they worshipped the golden calf. Going once again to biblestudytools.com we see that this is a name that says that He is a relational God. He wants to have a very close personal relationship with us, so much so that He gave His only begotten Son (John 3:16). This is still very important today as it means He will not break His covenant with us, a covenant sealed in the blood of Jesus our Lord.

Exodus 3:15 tells us that this is His name forever and is how He should be known to all generations. I believe that means that this is how we should know Him today: Eternal and relational. He is the everlasting God and He wants to share in a close relationship with you. Will you open your arms to “The LORD”?

See also:

What Did Moses See?

Biblestudytools.com

Which is More Important? God’s Love or God’s Glory?

I wrote the following in my personal journal about six years ago. Let me know what you think? Do you agree? Contact me on Twitter  (@denniswcoleman) or via email (dcwriter1@hotmail.com) and yes I know it’s no longer called Twitter.

Which is More Important? God’s Love or God’s Glory?

God spoke to my heart this morning, correcting an error I have long carried. I have always seen Him as about His glory first, me second. God challenged me to reconcile this with Christ. Christ gave up what He had in Heaven, taking on human flesh which clothed His glory. The creator made himself like the created. He endured humiliation and pain even though He could call an army of angels to His side for battle. He died on the cross that I might live. These are not the actions of someone Who puts His own glory first. My erroneous view cannot be reconciled with Christ.

God is love. This is what was demonstrated in Christ, especially at the cross. This is the truth. This is God, who loves me. Yes He is to be glorified but somehow He can do so while putting His children (including me) first. He loved me first, making it easy to set aside His glory for the cross. That love is still strong. I must learn to live as if God loves me, not as if He puts His glory first.

Who Do You Love More?

In the first 6 verses of Zechariah 7 God asks the people if their fasts were about Him or about them. He then describes what should have been the results of fasts and prayers and of lives lived in a way that is God centered. What should have happened if they were about God? They should have obeyed what God told them to do when they were still on their land and still blessed with all God had given them. In essence, God is saying here, “If you love Me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15)

Israel was blessed because God loved them. He asked them to return that love and described what this should look like. Jesus has given the gift of salvation because God loves us (John 3:16). All He asks is that we love Him in return. This means believing in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is how we get saved. It also means keeping His commandments which is the outflowing of a heart that loves the Lord.

So, who do you love more? How you live reveals the answer.

“Say to all the people of the land, and to the priests: ‘When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months during those seventy years, did you really fast for Me—for Me?

Zechariah 7:5

God Delights In Mercy, Even in the Old Testament

It’s a conversation I’ve had many times and it usually starts with the statement, “The God of the Old Testament seems so different from the God of the New Testament.” The person making this statement usually goes on to talk about how God seems so judgmental and harsh in the Old Testament and so forgiving in the New Testament. They point to times when people died for sinning against God, like in 2 Samuel 6:6-8 when Uzzah touched the ark and was immediately struck down. Even David was a little ticked off about that one. While it’s a little confusing to say that the God who forgives would do such a thing, the fact is that it is the same God. Therefore, we must reconcile these acts of judgment with the forgiveness that is found throughout the New Testament, lest we misunderstand the true nature of our God.

Who is a God like You,

Pardoning iniquity

And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage?

He does not retain His anger forever,

Because He delights in mercy.

Micah 7:18 (NKJV)

Micah believed that the God of his time (in the Old Testament) was a God who forgave sins. Micah describes God as one who “delights in mercy.” Other translations use the words “Grace,” “steadfast love” and “loving-kindness,” Some even use both “mercy” and “loving-kindness” together. In Micah’s eyes the God of the Old Testament was more like what we think of about the God of the New Testament.

Keep in mind that Micah wrote this after prophesying of the judgment which was to fall upon Judah and Israel (Micah chapters 1-3), so the prophet was not overlooking the fact that God at times will unleash His anger upon those who sin against Him. But Micah also understood the fact that God is a just God and that the people of his nation had earned their sentence of death because of their iniquities. That being said, Micah trusted that God would have compassion and would cast their sins into the sea (verse 19).

Micah’s God was the God of the Old Testament. His God was also a God of mercy and compassion who loves His people and forgives them of their sins. This same Old Testament God gave His Son as a sacrifice for our sins because He loved the world (John 3:16) and while at times it may be difficult to accept, God has not changed. He is Lord in every book of the Bible. He was a God of mercy in the Old Testament and He is a God of mercy in the New Testament. And right now He wants to show you how much He loves and cares about you.

When Lightning Strikes Twice

In 1993 my wife and I were still newlyweds and still getting used to living life together. For my wife this meant getting used to being a football widow every Sunday from September to February. So on January third, with my new mother-in-law in town, I figured it was best for my fledgling marriage if I gave in to my wife’s request and took her and her mother shopping. Full disclosure, shopping is one of my least favorite activities but I decided to be nice figuring I would only miss one NFL playoff game.

We made a few different stops, including one in Strawbridges in nearby Willow Grove Park Mall. For those of you not from Pennsylvania, New York or New Jersey Strawbridges was a department store that evolved from a local store called Strawbridge and Clothier, which was eventually bought by Macy’s. At some point the folks at Macy’s did away with the Strawbridges name but my story takes place back when the mall had both Macy’s and Strawbridges as anchor stores and when department stores still had a wall of televisions in their electronics sections.

On that day it seemed like every television in the store was turned to the game and there was a large group of men watching. Somehow they seemed unusually excited about what was at that point an overtime game, so I decided to stick around to watch how the game ended. Little did I know that I was seeing the end of what was then the greatest comeback in NFL history which ended with a Buffalo field goal in OT. As the ball went through the uprights I decided that from that time forward I would regularly remind my wife that I missed this historic game because she wanted to go shopping. Fortunately she has a good sense of humor and we have both learned to laugh whenever I tell this story.

After this past weekend the laughs are all on me and this will probably be the last time that I ever tell the story of missing the Bills’ comeback win. This weekend I was the one who planned an afternoon shopping trip, even though this was one of the Saturdays when there would be NFL games. Both my son and my wife thought it odd that I would choose shopping over football but I needed to finish my Christmas list. Besides, I figured I would only miss one game and that’s where I made my mistake. 

Somehow, once again, I missed the greatest comeback in NFL history as the Vikings came back from being down by 33 points to beat the Colts in overtime. Yes, somehow lightning did strike twice and it’s finally time for me to put an old story to rest. Now my wife can tell everyone how I made her miss the greatest comeback in NFL history and if you see me shopping during a football game you might want to run to the nearest television.

When the Answer to Prayer is Not What You Expect

Over the last few years I have been praying for a family member who has been dealing with a chronic health issue, praying on and off for deliverance which seemed at times to be unlikely. This year I felt moved to begin praying for overall good health, not just about the issue at hand. I expanded the scope of my prayers, asking for the removal of all obstacles to good health. Little did I know that the biggest obstacle was hidden away: a small area of precancerous cells that would be discovered almost by accident.

I say by accident but the discovery was no accident. I believe God directed the search, leading doctors to find this very small patch of cells before they could become something else. I had been praying without knowing the real need, while thinking that changes in diet and other lifestyle changes would help along with a little divine intervention. The real need was surgery and God put us on the right path, leading us to doctors who (under God’s direction) made the right choices. The cells were found by a doctor who is the only one in the region who performs the procedure that led to the discovery and we know that it was God who took us to this doctor in the first place. Fortunately God sees all and His answer, while unexpected, uncovered a hidden issue and likely prevented a much bigger problem.

I could only see the obvious problem, which is what I was praying about. God saw the problem lying beneath the surface. I was asking for what I thought was the biggest health need but God saw an even bigger need. Seeing what we could not, God intervened  and I am thankful. From this I am reminded that while I think I know what I should pray for, God answers with what He knows we need. That’s the key thing we need to remember when God’s answer to prayer is not what we expect. God’s answer, though different from what we would do, is always what’s best.

Has Marriage Been In Trouble From the Beginning?

It’s a story that all church goers and perhaps most people know. God creates man and woman. Man and woman sin against God by eating from the tree. Man and woman sew fig leaves together and wear clothes for the first time. To be honest, it seems weird that Adam suddenly wanted his wife to put clothes on but I believe this was a sign that things had changed between them. In looking at this change I wonder if this is a sign that marriage has been in trouble from the beginning.

What’s interesting here is that the normal external threats to marriage did not exist yet. Adam and Eve did not have an argument over money or over how to raise the children. Their in-laws were  not an undue influence nor were their neighbors’ lifestyles. Cultural influences were not yet a thing. What led to a change in Adam’s marriage relationship with Eve stems simply from a change in how they were thinking about each other. That change came from the inside, not from the outside, and it’s a change called sin.

In my lifetime I’ve heard the repeated refrain of how a number of external forces are destroying marriage. Don’t get me wrong, I am not trying to downplay those threats as each carries its own danger for the institution. But I believe the greatest threat to marriage comes from the inside, from wrong attitudes between husbands and wives and from those same couples not being good examples for their children. Because of this, I believe the only way the institution survives is if we see more examples of men and women living up to the high calling of our Creator, knowing who they are in Christ while seeing their spouses through the eyes of God. I believe we need Jesus’ followers being the light they were called to be, both as individuals and as husband and wife.

Abiding in God’s Love

As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

John 15:9-10

Christians often talk about how God loves all of us unconditionally. It really doesn’t matter if you believe in Him or not, God still loves you as demonstrated on the cross. As Jesus explained to His disciples,

Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.

John 15:13

Not only did Jesus lay down His life for His friends but He also did so for the ungodly and for all of us who have sinned against God:

For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

Romans 5:6

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8

God’s unconditional love is a fact that should be embraced by every believer. Even in those difficult times when we struggle to believe in God’s love, the simple fact is that He does love us unconditionally. We need to remind ourselves that we are loved. We then need to remind others by loving them unconditionally just as God has loved us. This is the example we have in Christ as He describes in John 15:9.

We must also recognize the second part of that verse. Yes, God loves us unconditionally but we must learn to abide in His love. Jesus tells us that if we keep His commandments (if we live in recognition that He is our Lord) we will abide in His love. Does this mean that God’s love IS conditional? No. What Jesus is telling us is that we can move ourselves into a situation where we do not receive the love that God so generously pours out for us all.

Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Lost Son

In the parable of the Lost Son Jesus gives us an example of someone who stopped abiding in his father’s love. Jesus describes how the younger of two sons went to his father and asked to receive his part of the family’s wealth. Shortly after receiving what appears to be a generous sum, this son leaves his family and his life behind. Jesus describes how this son went off to a far country where he spent all of his money, most likely living the high life.

The New King James says that he wasted his possessions with prodigal living. The word “prodigal” is an adjective describing wasteful and reckless spending. Other versions of the Bible describe his lifestyle as “riotous” or “wild” or even “foolish.” Today we might say that he was careless or even dumb when it comes to money. Whatever word we use, the point is that he rejected what he had at home in order to do something stupid.

And then there was a famine during which he found himself struggling to find something to eat. It is at that point that he realizes that his father’s servants were eating better than he was. After seeing the truth, he comes to his senses and goes home.

So here’s the question of the day. While the son was off squandering his possessions, did the father stop loving his son? Based on the response we see as the son is walking up the road that leads to the house, I would say that the father never stopped loving his son. The father’s love was not based on the son doing the right thing. His love was not based on anything other than the fact that this was his son, whom he runs out and meets with an embrace. However, while the father continued to love the son, the son cut himself off from this love by the choices he made. I believe this is what Jesus is telling us in John 15:9-10. He loves us unconditionally (and without interruption) but we must choose to abide in His love.

If you are a Christian who has chosen not to abide in God’s love or if you are someone who has not even received God’s free gift of salvation, you are missing out. God loves you but if you choose not to abide in his love you will only find the emptiness that comes when the “fullness” of the life you have chosen runs out, leaving you with an emptiness that will never be filled apart from Jesus.

Yes, God’s love is unconditional and He loves you right now no matter what you have done or are doing. Do you want to abide in God’s love? Do you want to receive His love and to have that emptiness you feel from time to time filled with something that will last forever? Jesus calls you to repentance and instructs that in order to abide in His love you need to keep His commandments.

Will The Church Be A Source of Hope?

Back in 2020 I wrote a post asking “Is The Church Still A Source of Hope?” Today I find myself once again thinking about this question, wondering if the church will be a source of hope if Roe v. Wade is overturned. For the record, this is not a post about the Pro-Life vs. Pro-Choice debate nor will I comment on the leaked Supreme Court Document and its implications. My intention with this post is to get you to think about how you will respond to women in need if abortion is no longer an option in your state. Will you (and your church) be a source of hope?

Since news broke of the leaked document I’ve heard a lot about what women will lose if the court votes as indicated. The picture painted by the Pro-Choice side is that the court is planning to take away a source of hope for women and perhaps in the future more minority groups will lose the hope given them by various court rulings. There seems to be a lot of fear of what might happen and of what the path we seem to be on will mean for our future.

As I pointed out in 2020, God’s church is called to be the salt of the earth. Jesus expects us to touch the community around us, making situations more palatable by showing others the hope that is only available from God. I believe that means rising above political debate in order to help those who are in need. In this case that means helping women see that nine months of pregnancy does not mean the end of life. We must be willing now to roll up our sleeves in order to offer hope and to show that in Christ the future is bright.

Some would say that if the court votes as indicated in the leaked document, the church has won a victory. Will the church respond by being poor winners or will we continue (or perhaps once again become) the source of hope that God intends for us to be?

Yes, But Wait

It has been a few months since I received my diabetes diagnosis. Since then I have heard the word “No!” more often than I expected. Quite often I’ve heard it from my family who gently and lovingly remind me that my diet must change. At times it has also come from my church family, all of whom have my best interest at heart. I’ve also heard myself saying it. For example, I’ve had to tell myself “No!” when I feel the urge to eat seven or ten cookies. The most disappointing “No!” came from my health insurance provider who declined a request for a constant glucose monitor. Among the long list of reasons was something about me not demonstrating an understanding of the need to take glucose readings. (Why else would I want a constant glucose monitor?) But there is One who has not said “No.” Instead, He said “Yes, but you have to wait.”

I received this in answer to my first response after receiving my diagnosis. Okay, maybe it was my second response. My first response was asking myself how I could be so stupid. (For the record diabetes has nothing to do with intelligence.) My second response was to ask God for healing. I even wrote about my healing in my post “All Things Work for the Good: Even Diabetes.” I was ready for a quick turn around, looking forward to that day when I could brag about being healed. But then I “heard” God’s answer. It was not anything audible but God found a way to make His answer clear. As I said in the first paragraph, that answer was, “Yes, but you have to wait.”

In the meantime God wants me to learn to trust in Him as He helps me live in victory over the diagnosis. That’s a little different than being completely healed. It’s a recognition that I am a diabetic but I am not a slave to my condition. God’s grace is sufficient and by His grace I have access to His wisdom when it comes to how I should live. By His grace I am still enjoying life, just with fewer calories. In Christ I’ve been empowered to move my A1C from a 14 to under 7 in less than a year.

I still believe God will heal me of diabetes, if not while I am on this earth than later during the eternal life which He has promised me. Until then, God’s grace is sufficient. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

What Do You Love More Than God?

I read the In Touch Devotional, written by Dr. Charles Stanley, just about every morning. It serves to help me focus on God and is a great way to start my day. In his December 23, 2021 devotional, Dr. Stanley (founder of In Touch Ministries) spoke of having an intimate relationship with God. And while it was not the main focus of the devotional, the lesson got me thinking about the things that I allow to come between me and God. I realized that I need to start asking myself a question whenever I am tempted. It is a simple question that brings with it a boat load of conviction. What do I love more than God?

You see, one of the things I am saying when I give into temptation is that I love the thing I am being tempted to do more than I love God. More accurately, I am saying that I love the way I feel when I do that thing or that I love my own wisdom more than I love God. My own actions speak louder than words (especially those words I claim to believe) and my sin speaks volumes. They say that there are areas of my life where I have not fully surrendered to God: Areas where God is not number 1.

Fortunately my salvation is not earned. It is a free gift given to me (and offered to you) by God, paid for on the cross when Jesus died. So, my actions do not earn a ticket to heaven nor can they cost me my future position in Heaven. My actions do, however, affect my current relationship with God, keeping me from fully enjoying my position as His child. I love God and there is nothing more valuable than my relationship with God. I’ll remember to remind myself of that when temptation comes.

What about you? What do you love more than God?

Who Shall Stand In the Gap?

The list was very long. God spoke to Ezekiel, listing all of the wrongs committed by the people of Israel and their leaders. It quickly becomes clear that they were a nation that was in rebellion and God had decided to do something about it. But first, as He had so many times before, God would give them one more opportunity. He would search for that one man: the one who could stand in the gap before God. The LORD searched for that one person who, like Moses in the wilderness, was devoted to God and to the people and who was qualified to intercede on behalf of the nation. Finding none, God poured His anger out on the people (Ezekiel 22:30-31).

On both an individual and on a national level, I suspect our lists today are just as long as what was described to Ezekiel. If God were to look for one person to stand in the gap today, would he find such a person? Fortunately the answer is yes. In fact we benefit from having that Man standing before God, interceding on behalf of the believer right at this moment. Jesus of Nazareth, God’s only begotten Son, stands at the right hand of God. There He speaks on the behalf of all who believe in His name, talking us up in prayer before the One Who created all things (Romans 8:34).

Those who have received the gift of salvation by faith in Jesus Christ need not worry about what will happen when we stand before the Father. Jesus has already put in a good word for us. We need not worry about God’s wrath. That was poured out on Jesus on our behalf. Jesus died on the cross, paying for our salvation with His life and redeeming us unto the Father so that in Him we might have life. He is already standing in the gap on your behalf. Remember this as you seek in prayer.

Are You Abiding in Jesus’ Love?

Have you ever stopped to think about what it means to abide in Jesus’ love? If you haven’t, I suggest you make it a regular part of your schedule. Jesus tells us in John 15:9-10 that we should abide in His love just as He abides in His Father’s love. The Bible tells us that nothing can separate us from His love and yet, we must learn how to abide in His unconditional, never ending love. How do we reach that point of abiding in His love? Jesus gave us a parable that I believe shows us our first step in abiding.

It might surprise you that this lesson in abiding in God’s love comes from the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32). But before we see how to abide in God’s love, we first get a lesson in how to miss out on His love. This lesson comes in the form of the decision made by the younger son, when he chose his inheritance over the love of his father.

In choosing to take the money and run, the younger son chose to chase after all that the world had to offer. I suspect his father’s house, with all its rules and daily chores, had become too restrictive for the young man. He looked at all that the world had to offer and felt that he would be better off doing things his own way. Think about it, this wasn’t just about having the money. It was about using the money to live life on his own terms and for a while I bet it was a lot of fun.

Meanwhile back at home, the father waited. The fact that he saw the son when he returned seems to imply that he was on the lookout hoping one day to see his son on the road. He never stopped loving his son and our Heavenly Father never stops loving us. But his son was not experiencing that love. What was he experiencing? Initially he had a lot of fun. He may have even called it the experience of a lifetime. Eventually, though, he began to experience hunger. He learned what it’s like to be in want. What he was not experiencing was his father’s love and this is where we find ourselves when we choose the ways of the world over the way of our Lord.

So what did the prodigal son have to do in order to get back to where he could abide in his father’s love? He simply had to make the choice to accept the truth. What was the truth? The truth was that his father’s servants were living better lives than he was. The truth was that his life had become empty and meaningless, amounting to nothing more than ministering to the needs of pigs. In truth he had sinned against his father and was no longer worthy of being called his father’s son. Still, he understood that being home was better than anything the world had to offer. He chose to believe the truth and in response he went home.

So, what happens when he gets home? Before the son can turn off of the road his father is running to meet him. The father does not even stop to see what the son wants. For all he knew, the boy could have been back to ask for more money. But the father did not care. He loved his son and wanted nothing more than a hug. At that point, even before he had fully confessed his sins, the prodigal son was once again abiding in his father’s love. That love was always there but until the son returned home his father could not pour that love out on him.

Of course this parable is not about a real human father and son. Jesus uses this parable to reveal how He feels about us. Jesus loves us all. However, when we turn away from Him, seeking to live according to what we think best apart from God, we are no longer in position to receive His love. We cannot embrace the teachings and the allures of this world, and expect to experience His gift of abundant life or of His love. It’s not that He cuts us off. We walk away, rejecting all that God has to offer us through His Son. How do we return to where we can abide in His love? Choose to seek the truth and to believe the truth. And in response to the truth, humble yourself before the Lord. Then you too will feel His warm embrace as He pours His love out in your life.

No Matter How Irritating...

It was not the answer I expected. In fact, I was praying about something else and for someone else. Initially I tried to ignore what I was hearing in my heart. I wanted to focus on that thing I thought was a priority but God had other matters that He wanted to deal with. In fact, He would not let me move on in prayer until I responded to the instruction He had so clearly impressed upon my spirit. What was it that was so important? God was calling me to love someone whom in the past I had spent time complaining about.

Come on, be honest. You know the type of person I’m talking about. It’s that person that, if you could, you would turn and run in another direction when you see them coming but for one reason or another you can’t avoid them. I won’t get into why I wish I could avoid this person (that would be gossiping) but I’m guessing many of you have THAT person in your life. So, when God told me that I had to love THAT person, His words knocked me back on my heels for a bit. I know that what He  asks is the right thing to do but...I mean...really?

Unconditional love: It’s a concept that is easy to talk about but not always easy to implement. In this case there are two hurdles: the abrasiveness of the other person and the need to keep from falling into the pit of becoming an enabler. God does not want us to join in something that is wrong (or in some cases a relationship that is dangerous) but He does want us to reflect His love in every situation. The bottom line is that Jesus loves even the most irritating among us, doing so without getting sucked into that person’s sin. If we are to do the same we must ask God to equip and guide us. In Him we can answer the call to love unconditionally, even when we would rather run.