In the Bible every verse counts, every verse is Crystal Clear and precious. Yet some verses are also magnificent in isolation. The reader holds his breath, his heart is pounding and suddenly, a Glorious verse emerges that is life-changing, devastating, shattering.
For me, that verse is Exodus 3:14.
Let us examine this in detail.
Moses is questioning God. What is your name? How shall I address my brethren? Perhaps they will have suspicions of me, of you? I'm gonna need to tell them your name, you know!? This is bad, do they trust me? Come on - gimme something! God responds with power and might. "I AM that I AM!" A shattering exclamation. Moses probably wets his pants and loses all bowel control. I almost do so every time I read this verse. It is undoubtedly one of the key verses in the Bible.
This verse teaches us many pivotal things especially to our time of widespread opposition to Biblical truths. Nothing has changed since Moses. False Christians, atheist scholars and heathen are doing it all over again. Always questioning. Even worse, lieberal denominations are discarding all that this verse encompasses in favor of a lukewarm caricature of God. It is all about "love" nowadays. "God loves everybody". "A loving God would not do that". Still negotiating with God, giving God attributes that are not totally fallacious but forgetting what God is all about.
FEAR. TOTAL SUBMISSION. NO QUESTIONS!
I AM THAT I AM. God cannot be described by a name in the same manner as we can. He is beyond simplifications. I AM THAT I AM. God is WHAT HE IS. He does what he does. Our only way to influence His wrath is to pray and obey and follow His Word.
Deuteronomy 6:2
That thou mightest fear the LORD thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments, which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged.
Deuteronomy 6:13
Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.
Deuteronomy 6:24
And the LORD commanded us to do all these statutes, to fear the LORD our God, for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.
Deuteronomy 8:6
Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.
I AM THAT I AM. A fearsome roar from the Heavens. Fear. The key to God's Grace. God does what He pleases and we keep His commandments. Then love can also make an entrance. FEAR is primary. Love is only possible trough extreme ultimate fear. Total submission. Doing what God demands.
John 8:23
And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
Revelation 1:8
I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
We are lowly creatures compared to Jesus, God. He is that He is.
Isaiah 46:9
Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me,
I AM THAT I AM. None is like God. Why should we even attempt to judge His doings and commands. God may do whatever He considers necessary. And He's gonna do it regardless of what we might have to say.
Luke 12:51
Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:
I AM THAT I AM. If God decides to butcher, torture and destroy whole nations, their temples, women and children (e.g., Exodus 23:27, Exodus 34:13, 1 Samuel 15:3) is is for the GOOD. We may not understand it but so what?! We are perhaps not supposed to understand this violent nature of God. We are supposed to FOLLOW THE COMMANDMENTS and OBEY. So a child dies of leukemia (i.e., sin) despite fervent prayer and another is saved without. So what? God commands. It is ultimately all for the best. A sodomist gives millions to charity, gets the AIDS contagion is dies to find himself in Hell. So what? All he ever did was nauseatingly disgusting in the eyes of God.
Fear.
Enough fear to lose bowel control. It is necessary to soil oneself physically and spiritually and vomit and tremble when one first realizes the nature of God.
HE IS THAT HE IS. No names necessary, no questions asked. Realization of this -> FEAR -> habit of following commandments -> automatism in obedience -> Grace -> Salvation.
Then it is possible to get a glimpse of the other side of "I AM".
Atheists have the habit of trying to discover Biblical passages that show God as merciless, violent and destructive. Of course they find them. God is merciless, violent and destructive and loving and caring and protecting. He is that He is. In fact, these God-mockers have realized something that fluffy bunny false Christians never understand: God does not need our acceptance before He does what He does. He does not need our acceptance at all. He does what He does anyway.We need acceptance. We need to accept that God is that He is. That way He may give us His grace. When atheists ask me this question, I can now answer.
Yes, Mr./Mrs./Ms Atheist.
You are right. God is all that.
He is violent.
You should fear Him.
Shouldn't you take that into account when you mock Him?
As He is capable of all those things you find gross and fearsome, should you not be
veeeeery
careful and actually start following Him.
I AM THAT I AM.
Yours in Christ,
Elmer