11 February

Throughout the first 18 chapters of Exodus, it is complicated to get a read on who God truly is. God appears to Moses frequently throughout Exodus. He appeared to Moses in a burning bush while He was concerned for the suffering of the Israelites. He tells Moses of his plan to return the Israelites to Canaan, which will be “a land flowing with milk and honey,” as well as to send Moses back to Egypt to accomplish this task. After Moses acts timidly and refuses God’s order because he didn’t believe in his abilities to complete the task, God is still positive and encouraging to Moses, and presents him with a staff in order to perform miracles and to take his brother Aaron with him. God’s personality can be described well in this story of Moses as a positive and encouraging figure who wants the best for his people. Finally, when Moses asks God what his name is, God replies “I AM WHO I AM.” I believe this is a very complicated quote and could be interpreted in various ways. It is a simple quote and does not really explain who God truly is. Although, this quote does explain that since human beings were created by God, the only figure who can say “I am” is God. Ratzinger says that to accept God is to accept the fact that he is powerful than any worldly leader. This is important in the Biblical sense that God was extremely more powerful than the Pharaohs of Egypt at the time.

God is also given the two names of Yahweh and Elohim. Yahweh is referencing a “being” and also has many interpretations and meanings. A few of these meanings include “God of our fathers,” “he who makes that which has been made,” or “He brings into existence whatever exists.”

3 thoughts on “11 February

  1. To build on God’s name Yahweh, I think we can interpret its meaning, “being,” as an indication of who God is. God creates everything. He gives humans life, and he puts the world into existence. The name “being” implies that God is the origin of all existence. This includes the existence of our human experiences like success and failure. In naming Himself “I am who I am” to Moses, God reveals Himself as the being that allows all other beings to exist. For this we owe Him gratitude and obedience as seen by Moses in Exodus 1-18.

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  2. In your response, you speak of God’s “personality.” To me, this implies you view God in the traditional sense of a man in white robes and a beard. Do you think the term “God” can also be applied in a more abstract way? For example, I see God as an intangible being that can manifest Himself in thought, imagination, and reality. From this context, it would be true that God is the one who “brings into existence everything that exists.”

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  3. You mention that one of the roles God assumes in his name is the “God of our father’s.” Ratzing concludes that the significance of this is that God is available to all who want to be found. In other words, God is immune from engaging in discrimination, since he transcends all physical boundaries and is available to all.

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