TULIP GEMS

YAHWEH: THE GREAT "I AM"

 

 

 

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.  Exodus 3:14

 

 

At the Burning Bush, God revealed himself to Moses as the great “I AM”.  God is eternal and has life in Himself.  He lives because He lives.

 

We live only because He gave us life.  God’s life had no beginning and will have no end.  He is the all powerful Creator and Ruler of the Universe.

 

The Hebrew statement “I AM” can be transliterated into the Roman letters YHWH.  In English, it is sometimes written as either Yahweh or Jehovah.

 

Theologians refer to this name of God as the “Tetragrammaton”.  Religious Jews are forbidden to say or write the Tetragrammaton.  When reading the Torah, they use the word Adonai instead.

 

In the KJV Bible, "LORD" is used in place of the Tetragrammaton.  It is in all CAPS to distinguish it from other words translated as "Lord" such as the Hebrew word transliterated “Adonai”.

 

God proved that He is the great "I AM" by sending ten plagues on the wicked Egyptian slave masters.  He delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt.  The Passover shows God's power to redeem His chosen people.

 

The Passover shows us the love and mercy of God for His elect on the one hand.  It also shows us His hatred and power to crush His proud, rebellious enemies on the other hand.

 

Redemption by the blood of the Passover Lamb was followed by the giving of the Ten Commandments.  God prefaces the Law on Redemption from bondage.

 

And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods before me.  Exodus 20:1-3

 

The only proper response to God’s Redemption, through the blood of the Lamb, is obedience out of a heart of thanksgiving, love and worship.  We ought to have no other gods before God.

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ taught the same thing in the New Testament.  He said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  John 14:15

 

Jesus also said:

 

Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.

 

 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

 

 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I AM.   John 8:56-58

 

 

Abraham lived two thousand years before the birth of Jesus.  When we read a statement like the one Jesus made, we have only three (3) choices.  Either Jesus was liar, lunatic or LORD of all.

 

The Gospel accounts are full of evidence that Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.  Take, for example, His many miracles.

 

Some of the writers of the Jewish Talmud were alive in the time of Jesus.  They did not believe his claim to be the great “I AM.”

 

Yet these Talmudic scholars never denied that Jesus did the miracles.  They couldn’t deny it.  There were just too many Jews who had been healed by Christ and too many others who had witnessed the healings.

 

Rather than deny that Jesus did the miracles, these writers of the Talmud simply claimed that Jesus did these miracles through “sorcery.”  In other words, they chose to believe that Jesus was either a liar or a lunatic.

 

But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? Because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub.  Luke 11:17-18

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ made seven (7) great “I AM” statements recorded in the Gospel of John.  All were claims to Deity.

 

In future articles, we hope, if the Lord wills, to expound on each one of His seven great “I AM” statements.  But for now, let me just list them:

 

 

 

John 6:35   And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

 

 

 John 8:12   Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

 

 John 10:9   I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.

 

 

 

 John 10:11   I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

 

 

John 11:25-25   Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:  And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

 

 

 John 14:6   Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

 

 

 John 15:5   I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

 

 

We might also point out that Jesus specifically claimed to be the Messiah and that his miracles proved His claim to be true.  Consider the following:

 

 

 John 4:25-26   The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

 

 

John 8:24   I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.

 

 

 John 10:37-38   If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.  But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

 

 

 John 15:24   If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.

 

 

Friend, let me ask you some questions.  What will you do with Jesus?  Is he liar, lunatic, or LORD of all?  Have you bowed before him and asked him to be your Lord?  He offers you forgiveness based on His shed blood as the Lamb of God.

 

 

 

As for me, Jesus is my Lord and only Saviour.  He is my Passover Lamb. He is Yahweh: The Great “I AM.”

 

 

 

 

I am the Bread of Life