God Defines Attributes
Exodus 3:14-15
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The LORD, 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 and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”
God Defines Attributes
When God spoke to Moses through the burning bush He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’.” The term “I AM” is not the name God wanted Moses to use but the name “Lord” when speaking to the Hebrews and Pharaoh. My heart burns when I hear this because at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father! I look forward to the devotional about the name Lord but we are going to focus on the term “I AM” for this week’s devotional, specifically how that single phrase begins to define God and His attributes.
The term “I AM” speaks of God being the absolute Supreme Being. Jesus used the “I AM” statement several times. John 19:6, “So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground.” There is power in the term “I AM” as seen in the reaction of the officers of the Chief priests and Pharisee’s. Jesus used the term correctly as in “He is” the God of all creation, the Supreme Being. Out of fear, the Jew’s dropped to their knees thinking something catastrophic would happen because a Man just said He was, “I AM.” The Jews would not say the name of God out of reverence and fear. His name is Holy. This may have been a prophetic look into the future as every knee will bow and tongue confesses that Jesus Christ is Lord.
God is the absolute Supreme Being. He is the source of all things and therefore defines all things. The term “I AM” speaks of God being the beginning, middle and end. “I AM” speaks of the centeredness of God in everything. He is the designer, builder and sustainer of everything. God defines what is pure, lovely, good, wonderful, amazing, right, peaceful, joyful, faithful, beautiful, and evil. What is not of God is evil. God’s attributes do not define God but God defines His attributes.
God has two types of attributes that He is; communicable and non-communicable. Communicable attributes are ones that we were created to understand and imitate. Non-communicable attributes are those that our finite minds cannot fully understand as they only belong to God. God’s attributes define God’s nature.
An example of God’s incommunicable attributes is His ability to be everywhere at all times. He has power that is unlimited. He knows all things. He sustains all things by the power of His Word. He creates just by speaking. He exists in three Persons but is One being. He is invisible. He has all authority over every event that has ever happened. These are attributes of God that we have to just take with faith as these are who He is.
God’s communicable attributes are ones that we can define. Over the next few weeks we are going to look at the communicable attributes of God such as God is Creator, God is Holy, God is Just and God is Love. Let’s worship Him for who “He is”, the great I AM who is the absolute Supreme Being, who has absolute authority over all things and who defines absolutely everything. May we fall in love with Him more as we study His attributes.
