Exodus 6:1-8
1 Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.
2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
3 And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.
4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
7 And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
8 And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

Here was Israel on the cusp of redemption. The bondage of Egypt was cruel and harsh and becoming more and more unbearable. The time for their full deliverance was drawing near. God had raised up Moses to be the leader of the people and the go-between between God and Pharaoh. And as He sends Moses on this mission, He reveals Himself by this powerful and prominent name. To Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He had been El Shaddai, Almighty God. But to Moses and the entire nation now, He would be Jehovah, I AM THAT I AM, the eternal, self-existent one, the only true God. He is without beginning or end. He exists independently of everything else that exists. And in this showdown with Pharaoh, the plagues, the signs, the miracles, and the ultimate victory and triumph would prove Jehovah to be the one and only God.

The name “Jehovah” is the beginning, the starting point for real relationship with God. This is the name that God declared when He revealed His law, when He revealed His covenant, when He revealed His glory. The world had fallen away to false gods and idols. Israel had been entrenched in Egypt, a land of gods ruled by a Pharaoh who considered himself to be god. And this tiny nation that God had built, that God had preserved, that God had separated unto Himself, would be the one to reveal God to the world around them. The standards of God would come through Israel. The Son of God would come through Israel, and thus the salvation of God would come through Israel. They were to be His witnesses that He is Jehovah, the LORD, the God of all—and that all others were imposters and no gods at all.

This was who Moses knew face-to-face. This was who Moses encountered on the mount, who showed His glory, who wrote the law with His own finger, and who made an eternal covenant, swearing essentially on Himself to bring not just deliverance from Egypt, but deliverance from sin. Redemption begins with Jehovah. Freedom and deliverance begin with the only one who existed in the beginning. Following Him, then, begins with a commitment and acknowledgment of Him as the one and only God. The first commandment is to set aside all others that may be gods in your life and forsake the worship of lowly, created, man-made things, and to open your whole heart and your whole life to Jehovah alone. To not only claim Him as your God with lip service, but to actually love Him, follow Him, obey Him, and serve Him. To give Him your all. To surrender fully. To believe in Him as who He says He is.

It is our choice, too. The truth has been proclaimed. There is God and there are the gods we try to pretend are gods or make into gods for ourselves, or maybe we make ourselves as gods. And what does it mean to us to believe in Him and accept Him as such? A God with no beginning and no end. A God who was never created but who Himself created all things. A God who is above all and over all. A God who made us so we could know Him, so the love that is part of His very nature could be expressed as it couldn’t be expressed any other way. A God who determines the course of this world and the course of our lives. Who stands outside of time and yet dwells within our hearts. Who embodies such things as mercy, truth, grace, and love. Who alone has all power. Who alone can justify and save and redeem. Who exerts His might over this Earth and brings wrath on those who reject and everlasting life to those who believe.

This is Jehovah, beyond El Shaddai, the Almighty God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Not the mightiest of all the gods, but the only God. The only one who always exists and always exists as God. The one who spoke the worlds into existence and yet spoke to our world, to our hearts, to our needs and our desires. Moses knew Him first this way and could never get enough. He sought more and more. He served tirelessly. He would not go forward without Him. He would devote himself solely to His cause. Out of all of the amazing things that he witnessed personally, it was his glimpse of Jehovah that impacted him the most.

Psalm 68:1-35
1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
2 As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
3 But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
5 A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation.
6 God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains: but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.
7 O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wilderness; Selah:
8 The earth shook, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God: even Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel.
9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.
11 The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it.
12 Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.
13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.
14 When the Almighty scattered kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon.
15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan.
16 Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which God desireth to dwell in; yea, the LORD will dwell in it for ever.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them.
19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.
20 He that is our God is the God of salvation; and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.
21 But God shall wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of such an one as goeth on still in his trespasses.
22 The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring my people again from the depths of the sea:
23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same.
24 They have seen thy goings, O God; even the goings of my God, my King, in the sanctuary.
25 The singers went before, the players on instruments followed after; among them were the damsels playing with timbrels.
26 Bless ye God in the congregations, even the Lord, from the fountain of Israel.
27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the princes of Judah and their council, the princes of Zebulun, and the princes of Naphtali.
28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength: strengthen, O God, that which thou hast wrought for us.
29 Because of thy temple at Jerusalem shall kings bring presents unto thee.
30 Rebuke the company of spearmen, the multitude of the bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himself with pieces of silver: scatter thou the people that delight in war.
31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
32 Sing unto God, ye kingdoms of the earth; O sing praises unto the Lord; Selah:
33 To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
34 Ascribe ye strength unto God: his excellency is over Israel, and his strength is in the clouds.
35 O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.

David knew God well. Much of what we know of the character of Jehovah comes from David’s psalms and his intimate knowledge of an eternal God who cannot be fully known. David sought Him with his whole heart. He was committed to following God’s ways. He praised endlessly. He spoke highly. He saw God’s power and His hand upon his own life and proclaimed it to any who would listen. And it was always an acknowledgment of the person of God, who He is, what He can do, and what, then, that meant for him. It is Jehovah who scatters, wounds, and ultimately defeats His enemies, and yet invites the castoffs into His family. He demonstrates both His unmatched power and equally unmatched mercy and grace. He pours out wrath on those who oppose Him and blessings on those who seek Him. All of these things culminate for David in a desire to praise the Lord, to worship the true God, to proclaim His name above all others, and to recognize the privilege it was to know Him.

Ultimately, though, the revelation of this all-important name of God comes from God Himself. He has defined it and proclaimed it in His Word. Much of Isaiah’s writing is an exposition of Jehovah, the awesome majesty, power, and presence of God and what all of that means, mainly to Israel, but also to any who would behold the LORD in the pages of his book. Like Moses, Isaiah caught a glimpse of the glory of God and then couldn’t stop talking about God and His greatness, His magnificence, His majesty, His holiness, and what He was doing in and through Israel since the very beginning.

Isaiah 40:28-31
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

Jehovah is the God who eternally exists. There was no beginning of God. He just always was. There is no ending of God. He will always be. And thus all that exists originates from Him. He fashioned the Earth and the universe that contains it. He created man. He created each of us. From Him came life, and from Him comes new life and renewal. As He is eternal, all that is in Him is eternal, as well. So there’s no end to His wisdom or His power or His love or His mercy or any of the other things that are in Him that He shares with us.

Isaiah 43:10-28
10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour.
12 I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God.
13 Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it?
14 Thus saith the LORD, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.

Here we see God’s purpose for Israel. He revealed Himself to them before they worshiped other gods, when they knew Jehovah and were following Him, when they witnessed the miracles and signs of the deliverance He wrought for them, when they could point to all the things that He did and say, “It was Jehovah who did that. He is God.” They were His witnesses, to proclaim to those idol-worshiping nations who the true God is. But unfortunately, they turned aside. Instead of leading other nations to Jehovah, they started worshiping those false gods and idols themselves. It was this constant back-and-forth—looking to God as the only God, rejecting Him in favor of idols, God reaching out to the people, seeking them and revealing Himself anew, the people accepting Him again only to forsake Him again. It was a continual cycle of drawing near and then pushing Him away.

It can be that way for us, too. How little it takes at times for us to turn away, to believe in something else above God, to trust something more than God, to give credit to something other than God for what He is doing. But the good news and the gracious truth is that we can always go back. He invites us to do so. He pleads with us to return. He welcomes all who repent.

Isaiah 44:6-28
6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
7 And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them shew unto them.
8 Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
9 They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.
10 Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for nothing?
11 Behold, all his fellows shall be ashamed: and the workmen, they are of men: let them all be gathered together, let them stand up; yet they shall fear, and they shall be ashamed together.
12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.
13 The carpenter stretcheth out his rule; he marketh it out with a line; he fitteth it with planes, and he marketh it out with the compass, and maketh it after the figure of a man, according to the beauty of a man; that it may remain in the house.
14 He heweth him down cedars, and taketh the cypress and the oak, which he strengtheneth for himself among the trees of the forest: he planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it.
15 Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.
16 He burneth part thereof in the fire; with part thereof he eateth flesh; he roasteth roast, and is satisfied: yea, he warmeth himself, and saith, Aha, I am warm, I have seen the fire:
17 And the residue thereof he maketh a god, even his graven image: he falleth down unto it, and worshippeth it, and prayeth unto it, and saith, Deliver me; for thou art my god.
18 They have not known nor understood: for he hath shut their eyes, that they cannot see; and their hearts, that they cannot understand.
19 And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?
20 He feedeth on ashes: a deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say, Is there not a lie in my right hand?
21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
22 I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, thy sins: return unto me; for I have redeemed thee.
23 Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.
24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself;
25 That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;
26 That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof:
27 That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers:
28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.

Here is the foolishness of idols, of choosing some created thing to take the place of an eternal God. This was Jehovah’s plea to Israel before their captivity, a judgment that was coming due to their sin of idolatry. What could a golden statue do for them? What kind of power could something they made have over their enemies? What kind of knowledge could a tree stump have that stood there as they carved it into a figure? What kind of help could they expect from such things? And they worshiped them, devoted themselves to them, elevated them to the realm reserved for God alone. The irony was that God created all those things they were using to create their gods. He created everything, and He didn’t need any help with that. And anytime we elevate the work of our hands, our knowledge, our doings above God, we are just as foolish as these people were.

Isaiah 45:18-25
18 For thus saith the LORD that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.
19 I have not spoken in secret, in a dark place of the earth: I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
20 Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save.
21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me.
22 Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.
23 I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.
24 Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed.
25 In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

Here God comes to Israel and says, basically, “Everything you are looking for in those gods you create, those false idols to which you bow, those mythological creations of other nations, is in Me. I am what you’re really looking for. I have been what you were looking for all along. And I can really, absolutely, in actuality, give you all the things your heart so desperately needs.” It was Jehovah who delivered from Egypt. It is Jehovah who delivers from sin. It is Jehovah who offers redemption and salvation. It is Jehovah who offers life, who has the power and authority to give life and hope and help and anything else we truly need. So why did they turn aside? Why do we? What are we really looking for? And where can we really find it?

We find it in God’s Word, because we find God in His Word. He has declared it. He has spoken it. He gave it to us so we could know the truth. So we could know Him. So we could know His love. So we could be justified. So we could partake of His glory. So we could receive His mercy. So we could have all those things He wanted us to have, namely fellowship with Him. And that comes through Christ, the Son of Jehovah, the eternal Word, the eternal Lamb, the eternal King.

It culminates, as always, in Jesus Christ, the Savior Isaiah describes. The one God had prepared before He even created the world and the man who would sin and create the need for a Savior. This is the ultimate redemption that comes through Christ. He conquers, once and for all, all other gods that could ever hold any power in our lives. He sets us free from a world of sin and the domination of evil that seeks to pull our hearts away from Him. He sets us free. He brings deliverance. He grants us eternal life. And so we shall ever be with the Lord. The God with no beginning and no ending will welcome us into His house, His prepared place, His intimate fellowship, to share with us those good things that are part of Him for all eternity in abundance and perfection.