KJV Exodus 3:14 “And God said unto Moses, I Am that I Am”
NASB Exodus 3:14: God said to Moses, “I am Who I am.”
As you read through Exodus, you cannot help but be impressed with the many links with John’s Gospel. You travel only a few verses into John Chapter 1 and read of the Lamb of God, the antitype to the Passover lamb of Exodus 12. There follows three Passovers that divide the Gospel record.
In John 1:14, the Lord Jesus replaces the tabernacle: “The Word was made flesh and tabernacled (Newb margin) among us.” The bondage from which men need deliverance is highlighted in John 8. The manna of John 6 is another link. In contrast to water becoming blood, in John 2, water is turned into wine to give joy to all at the wedding feast. There is living water, not from a rock but from a Savior (John 4).
The reader may well draw other comparisons from the two books, but the link before us is in the title by which God revealed Himself to Moses. In Exodus 3, Moses complained of His inability: “Who am I that I should go unto Pharaoh?” (v 11).
To Moses’ query, “Who am I,” God responded with “I am that I am.” It was meant to convey to Moses that all he needed was to be found in the “I am.” Here is one of the most majestic and profound titles of deity. It expresses His absolute completeness. There is no growth or development. He just “is.” There is no change. “I am.” There is no beginning and no end.
Now, bring those concepts to John’s record of the “I am.” When we come to John’s Gospel, we are met by seven “I am” statements of the Lord Jesus Christ, with which we are all familiar. Again, the message is clear: all we need is found in Him. Each of us can echo the words of Moses, “Who am I.” And to each of us comes the Lord’s reply, “I am.”
Do you need life? He supplies it. Food? He is the Bread of Life. A Shepherd to care, guide, and protect? He is the Good Shepherd. Are you struggling and longing to produce Christ-like fruit in your life? He is the Vine; abide in Him. Go through the full complement of the seven “I am” statements to see the fullness of all we have in Him. From the inception of life, the enjoyment of that life, the production of fruit, the consummation and resurrection to life, He is the great “I am.” The all-sufficient Christ for every need we have.
The Jehovah Who appeared in the bush to Moses is the same “I am” Who walked the streets of Galilee and has revealed Himself to us. In Exodus 3, the bush burned and was not consumed. The “I am” of John’s Gospel was lifted on a cross to endure the fire of God’s judgment. The “bush” burned once again, but He was not consumed. In contrast, He consumed the fire. In Exodus, the waters of the Red Sea parted to allow safe passage; at the cross, the waters overflowed in judgment.
Consider:
Find seven other “I am” statements that stand alone and consider the implications of each—for example, John 8:58; 18:5.