“God spoke to Moses and said to him, ‘I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them.'” (Exodus 6:2–3 ESV).
In this passage, God spoke to Moses at a moment when Israel groaned under Egyptian bondage and Moses himself felt discouraged about the mission. He spoke to reassure Moses of His covenant faithfulness by reminding him of His revealed name, Yahweh, the LORD. This verse has long puzzled readers because the patriarchs clearly used the name Yahweh in Genesis. Yet the Lord’s point was not that they had never heard the name, but that they had not yet experienced its full meaning. God had revealed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob primarily as El Shaddai, “God Almighty,” emphasizing His power to make covenant promises. But now, in the days of Moses, God was about to reveal Himself more fully as YHWH, the covenant name that displayed His faithfulness to keep those promises through mighty acts of redemption. This marked a major turning point in redemptive history: the shift from promise given to promise fulfilled. As Scripture unfolded, God progressively revealed more of His character, allowing His people to grow in experiential knowledge of who He is.
We now live in the fullest stage of this unfolding revelation. For God has made Himself known to us in an even greater way through the name of Jesus. Just as Israel came to know the deeper meaning of Yahweh through deliverance from Egypt, we come to know the fullness of God’s saving character through Christ’s deliverance from sin and death. Scripture tells us that there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12). Through faith in Jesus’ name, we are not only rescued but welcomed. We are given the right to become children of God and to call Him Father (John 1:12). This means we don’t approach God as strangers hoping for mercy, but as adopted sons and daughters confident in His love. When we pray, when we worship, when we cry out in need, we come in the name of Jesus, the name that opens the way to the throne of grace. As we walk with Christ daily, we grow in experiential knowledge that our God is still the promise-making, promise-keeping God. And one day soon, He’ll keep His promise to come again.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we thank You for revealing Yourself to us so fully through Your Son. Thank You that in the name of Jesus we have salvation, access to Your presence, and the privilege of being called Your children. Teach us to rest in Your covenant love and to call on You with confidence and gratitude. Deepen our understanding of who You are as we walk with You each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.