Exodus: 3: 13-14: Moses said to GOD, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The GOD of your fathers has sent me to you,” and they ask me, ‘What is his name? Then what shall I tell them?” GOD said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: “I AM has sent me to you.” [New International translation]
Summary
The Israelite people lived under Egyptian bondage for at least 400 years. GOD told Abraham that this would happen. (Genesis 14:4). Generation after generation of Israelites was born in Egypt and lived a subservient lifestyle to a people who worshipped idol gods and who thought themselves superior. The Egyptian gods were numerous. Each one had a name. There was Ra (the Egyptian sun god); Yah (the Egyptian moon god), Baal (the Egyptian god of thunder) and others. After 400 years of living in an idol worshipping society, not only had the Israelites forgotten who they were but they had also forgotten who GOD was.
Moses, the child of an Israelite mother, raised by a pharaoh’s daughter, also had “identity” issues. Was he Hebrew, a prince, a criminal, a second class citizen like the other Israelites, privileged because he was raised in the house of Pharaoh, a foreigner living in Jethro’s (his father-in-law) house, or just a shepherd tending Jethro’s flocks? Moses didn’t know who he was either.
When Moses encounters GOD, on the edge of a desert near Mt. Horeb, called the mountain of GOD, (Ex. 3:1) and received a “mission assignment” from GOD to go back to Egypt, and give the Israelites a message, it was not unusual that Moses, who had been raised Egyptian his adult life, would ask GOD for “HIS name. That was Moses “frame of reference.” Just like Ra (the Egyptian sun god) and Yah (the Egyptian moon god) had names, Moses wanted to know GOD’s name. You can almost imagine the next question Moses might have asked. The next question probably would have been, “what you look like,” because then Moses and the Israelites could make an idol, just like the Egyptians, and worship the idol. In asking GOD’s name, Moses hoped to “fit GOD” into his and the Israelite’s “frame of reference.”
However, GOD is a SPIRIT. HE does not “fit” within humanity’s “frame of reference.” GOD answer to Moses was this: You just tell them “I AM” or “I AM WHAT I AM” or “I WILL BE WHAT I WILL BE.”
GOD was trying to create a “GOD frame of reference” for Moses and the Israelites. GOD could have said:
- “I AM the bread (the manna) you will eat in the wilderness for survival;”
- I AM the light of the world because before the beginning of time and there was any light, I WAS there. And I just said “Let there be light,” and it was so;”
- “I AM the way out of danger and harm and just as I rescued Noah, Joseph, and many of your forefathers, I WILL rescue you and MY people;”
- “I AM will be your gate and your strong tower. Just like a city is fortified against by a strong gate and a watchtower, so I will be for you; “or
- “I AM….and so much more than you could ever think or imagine.”
Instead of saying everything GOD is, could be and would be for the Israelites (and to each of us), GOD just said: “I AM.”
OUR EATTING FRAME OF REFERENCE
There is an old expression that says: “You are what you eat.” An important “frame of reference,” in satisfying nutritional needs is to eat what you need instead of what you want.
So often people give little thought to what their nutritional needs are. Most people just eat what they want. When addressing what a person’s nutritional needs are, a number of variables may be considered. Some of those variables include the person’s: age, level of physical activity, physical health (e.g., whether a doctor has diagnosed a disease or condition) and the person’s emotional health.
The nutritional needs of an active teenager will be quite different from the nutritional needs of a sedentary adult watching television 3-4 hours or more a day. Similarly, the nutritional needs of adults change over time. A person who was more physically active in their 20’s and 30’s and much less active in their 40’s, 50’s and beyond may not be paying attention to their nutritional needs, if they are still eating the same way throughout all their adult years, despite the fact that their level of physical activity has markedly decreased. Most people have to adapt their diets as they age.
Diane Rodriguez, in “Meeting Your Nutritional Needs As You Age,” reviewed by Cynthia Haines, MD at www.everydayhealth.com, gives some “tips” for boosting nutritional health. According to Dr. Rodriguez:
“Rough up” your diet. Include a variety of high-fiber foods every day, such as raw fruits and vegetables and whole grains. These foods help cut down on constipation; provide the vitamins, minerals, fiber, and nutrients that you need for healthy aging; help maintain your weight; and reduce your risk of heart problems. If you’re not sure you’re getting enough fiber, talk to your doctor
Emphasis added. Id. If you don’t know what your nutritional needs are for your age, weight, level of activity and physical and emotional health, consult your physician.
PRAY FOR A GODLY FRAME OF REFERENCE
Sometimes we just need to change our “frame of reference.” Instead of “eating what we want,” perhaps we should shop and “eat what we need.” Instead of praying for what “what we want,” perhaps we should pray that GOD “provide what we need.” Instead of “trying to tell GOD,” perhaps we should study HIS WORD and allow HIM to “reveal HIMSELF to us.”
Let Wednesday (or every day) be a day of study, prayer and reflection.
May GOD, THE GREAT “I AM” direct your path and BE BLESSED!
