What’s in a name?

pp. 73 - 75

Group Discussion

Why is it important that Moses is given the Name of God?

What’s in a name?

Moses is given a new name for God: YHWH

“I shall be (for you) who I am; I am there beside you, and I shall be there as the God who helps and saves.”

The Name reveals God in what God will do for others.

1) The name has consequences for Moses This encounter with God changes Moses’ life radically.

He receives the Name of God as part of his mission.

The Name has the power to liberate people.

As a prophet, Moses gives witness and reveals the the meaning of the Name.

2) YHWH is a Name with power The Name changes history and releases Israel from slavery.

A slave people become a nation by the Name.

The people at Sinai respond” Here I am” just as Moses did – echoing the Name.

There can be no Israel without YHWH – the Name is revealed in what happens to the people.

3) The Name results in a new way of living This is an ethical event. Israel receives the Ten Commandments.

The reason for keeping the Commandments is, “For I am YHWH, your God.”

The Ten Commandments are a legal and ethical commentary on the divine Name.

We are called to be agents of God’s nearness by acting out of responsibility for others.

4) The Name is a source of judgment The revelation of the Name provokes a decision from those who hear it.

The Name is not only a blessing but a curse.

The prophets act as spokespersons for God in Israel making the people aware fo the repercussions for breaching the covenant and neglecting their identity as God’s people.

In the Book of Exodus, the people of Israel come to understand themselves as God’s people – adopted sons and daughters.

We understand ourselves as people of the covenant in continuity with the Jewish people.

When God chooses them, God’s choice – mirrored in Israel’s choice – is addressed to all nations.

Today the Ten Commandments still describe this covenant with God, making us responsible for others.

This and the other stories of the bible testify that for us and for Israel, life is about relationship with God.

We are not meant to be alone and isolated – by our very being we are oriented towards others. In the second creation story we are told this when woman is created.

The steadfast relationship between God and Abraham was called the covenant – a word which expresses the most solemn unbreakable bond.

When Moses encounters the burning bush, he recalls the covenant made by Abraham.

Because of this promise to Abraham, God delivers them from slavery.

God makes another covenant on Sinai and Israel understands itself through this covenant – it becomes their identity.

As Christians, this covenant is even more powerfully renewed in Jesus.

Our identity as Christians is rooted in God through our relationship – a covenant – with Jesus Christ.

Activity: Internet Name Search What does your name mean?

Why do you think you were given this name?

Contemporary Prophets Search Prophets were the spokespeople for God who often saw the world differently from everyone else. Through their teachings and actions they revealed God to the people of their times.

With a partner, use your smartphone and find a contemporary prophet (someone who today is a spokesperson for God, revealing Him to us). Make sure you are able to explain why you feel this person is a contemporary prophet.