September 8 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

The children of Jacob, or Israel, had been in Egypt for nearly four hundred years. Then God declared that their time of estrangement was finished. He led them to the land he had promised to Abraham, the grandfather of Jacob.

But the Israelites had not had many revelations from God. They hardly knew God. True, they had their traditions and they still feared God, as you can tell from the story of Moses' parents. But they had no frequent voices speaking to them and they had no Bible scrolls.

On this occasion God shows himself to Moses. He must tell the Israelites that the God of their fathers has spoken. Then they will be reminded that God has not forgotten his promises. But from this time on, the Israelites would also know God by a new name—Yahweh, explained as "I AM WHO I AM." That name means, I am here and I am alive.

Since God revealed this name when he delivered Israel out of Egypt, the name Yahweh is going to be the most sacred name. To all of God's people, the name means that the holy God loves them and is always present to help them according to his covenant faithfulness.

The name Yahweh was already used by Eve in Genesis 4:1. Yet it was a name of God not known before the liberation from Egypt.

Many people know the names husband and wife as labels for two people in a marriage relationship. But it is only when a person enters into that relationship that he or she really learns to say the name. In the moment in which the man and the woman get to know each other, he calls her wife and she calls him husband. They look at each other with new awareness. They know the meaning of the name.

The Israelites did not know God as Yahweh until they had tasted God's faithfulness, seen God's power, and experienced God's redemption. In the same way, the name of God is a mere label to us until we have experienced his salvation. Only when we know Christ and have received the Spirit do we know him by a new name—Abba, Father.

REFLECTIONS

How does knowing God as your Father in heaven affect the way you pray to him?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.