In the fourth installment of his series, Professor Kingsley introduced us to one of two defining characteristics of God revealed in Exodus 3:14. Today, we will look at the second characteristic of God and explore how it is true not just of God in the Old Testament but of Jesus Christ in the New Testament.
A Relational God
The first characteristic of God revealed in Exodus 3:14 is that God is transcendent. He is completely other, not bound by human categories. But the verse also reveals that God is relational. He makes Himself known to His people by revealing His name: “I AM WHO I AM.” It is hard to have a relationship with someone if you do not even know their name. By giving His name to Moses to share with His people, God made Himself knowable. He brought Moses close to Himself and will soon bring the entire nation close to Himself as well. He knows His people. He has seen their suffering and heard their cries. Soon, He will bring Israel out of Egypt, calling the nation His firstborn son. The love He has for His people is unconditional and sacrificial because He is the great I AM. In many ways, Exodus 3:14 serves as the thesis statement for the entire book of Exodus: God is both completely transcendent and yet intimately involved with His people.
Jesus Christ is God
The transcendent and relational characteristics of God are not confined to the God of the Old Testament. They are seen just as clearly in the person of Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The Gospel of John simultaneously walks through the Old Testament and the life of Christ, showing that Jesus is the God of Israel come in the flesh.
The book of John opens by stating, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1, LSB). He “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The word “dwelt” is the same word as the Old Testament word “tabernacle”. Just as God used the tabernacle to dwell among His people, He became flesh to dwell among them again. Furthermore, John also describes Jesus as being full of grace and truth, a quotation directly from Exodus 34:6. Yahweh was full of grace and truth, pouring out His kindness on a wicked and undeserving people. Just as God has always done, Jesus embodied the same grace and truth for the broken world around Him. It is clear that Jesus is more than a messenger of God. He is God Himself.
The climax of this truth comes in John 8:38, when Jesus calls Himself I AM, proclaiming that He is the transcendent and relational God from the Old Testament. We can rest in and proclaim this truth, knowing that just as God delivered His people from physical slavery in the book of Exodus, now through Christ, He is delivering us from spiritual slavery and bringing us the hope of eternal life.
This blog post captures the essence of Professor Jared Kingsley’s series on Jesus and the Wells. You may click on the video above to hear more insightful details about the provision of the LORD shown through the image of the well. Professor Kingsley is professor of Hebrew and Old Testament for The Master’s University traditional on-campus program.
