When God appeared to Moses in the bush that burned with fire but was not consumed and told Moses "I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt," Moses asked God in Ex. 3:13: "...Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel and shall say unto them, the God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name?  What shall I say unto them?"  God's answer in v.14 was: "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."

    We are all creatures of change.  When I think of myself as a child and compare what I was to what I am today, I see much change.  I am much larger today than when a child.  My hair is graying, my skin is more wrinkled, while I am stronger, yet I seem to have a lot less stamina. Hopefully I have more wisdom and knowledge than I did as a child.  There have been numerous technological and sociological changes from my childhood.  Changes are constantly abounding.  Yet with all the changes about, God is not changing.  We quote the following two verses that show the unchanging nature of God:
1.  Mal. 3:6 - "For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."
2.  James 1:17 - "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning."

    The name for God, "I AM," speaks to us of God's eternal, unchanging, existing nature, character, and purpose.  We never find where God says, "I was that, but I will be this."

    When God appeared to Moses, the children of Israel had been in Egyptian bondage for 400 years as God had prophesied to Abraham (Gen. 15:13).  Their hope of deliverance rested on a covenant promise God had made to Abraham, "And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterwards they shall come out with great substance," and on a God that changes not.  If God's will, purpose, character, or ability could change, then they had no hope of deliverance.  No doubt in that long period of bondage the children of Israel longed for the God of the covenant with Abraham to arise and deliver them.  When the appointed time came, the great I AM arose (who changes not) and delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian bondage as he had promised to Abraham!

    Jesus Christ is described as the great I AM in Heb. 13:8, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today, and forever."  In verifying to a group of Jewish Pharisees his deity, Christ responded to their question in John 8:57, "...Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" with: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM."  These Pharisees who did not believe in the deity of Christ took up stones to destroy him.  In Rev. 1:8 Jesus said, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending..."  As the great I AM the character, purpose, will, nature, and ability of Christ has never changes.  It is the same when this time world shall end as it was when and before he created all things.  This has particular significance to us in light of the covenant of redemption God made with himself before the world began.  In that covenant he chose a people to live with him and conformed to the image of Christ before the world began and these same people shall stand before him glorified as he purposed when time shall be no more (Rom. 8:28-30).  This would not be possible if God could change his mind, purpose, or will or if God's essential nature, character or ability could change.  Our hope of eternal glory rests on the great I AM and his unchangeableness.

    Similarly, God's unchangeableness is important to us as we live out our lives in this time world.  In the book of John, Jesus describes himself to us as the great I AM in seven different ways:
1.  "I am the light of the world." (John 8:12; 9:5)
2.  "I am the bread of life." (John 6:35; 4:8)
3.  "I am the door." (John 10:7, 9)
4.  "I am the way, the truth, and the life." (John 14:6)
5.  "I am the resurrection, and the life." (John 11:25)
6.  "I am the true vine." (John 15:1)
7.  "I am the good shepherd." (John 10:l1)

    Now, knowing the unchangeable nature of God, we don't have to look back and say that God was these things to generations past, but is he still these things to us today?  We know as the great I AM he is still our light, our bread, our door,  our way, truth, and life, our true vine, our resurrection and life, and our good shepherd!  This knowledge is a comfort and blessing to God's people in ALL generations.

    In our next essay we will consider the name of God, "The Lord of Hosts."

Elder Vernon Denton is the pastor of Denton Primitive Baptist Church, Denton, Texas.