Yahweh – The Unchanging “I AM”

I was listening to a very encouraging podcast recently on the different names of God. (You can listen to it here or search for the Daily Thunder podcast on the podcast app. I highly recommend it!!) In this particular episode, the teacher was looking at the personal name of God – Yahweh. It was the name that God told Moses to declare to the children of Israel when they asked who had sent him. “And God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” -Exodus 3:14

There are many names that God uses to refer to Himself – Elohim (“God, Judge, Creator”), Adonai (“Lord, Master”), El Shaddai (“Lord God Almighty”), El Elyon (“The Most High God”), and the list goes on. But did you know that this self-proclaimed, personal name of God – Yahweh (written as LORD in most translations), is the name that appears the most in the Old Testament, a total number of 6,519 times?! Another interesting note about the meaning of this name is that, in the Hebrew, there is no past, present, or future tense. You can usually determine the tense based on the context of the verses. So based on the context of Exodus 3, God’s “I AM” declaration is most likely including the past, present, AND future tense. A translation of this phrase could be: “I was God, I will be God, and I always and forever am God.” Wow! What an amazing thought!

One aspect of the definition of this name is that God is constant, unchanging. When I was thinking about the attribute of God’s immutability, three things came to mind:

1. God’s character never changes

Every single one of God’s attributes – His holiness, omnipotence, eternality, self-sufficiency, love, goodness, mercy, justice, faithfulness, etc…they are constant and never change. He never ceases to have one part of His character, but He has always been every single one of them. He is the same God today, and He forever will be!

“For I am the LORD (Yahweh), I do not change.” -Malachi 3:6

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” -James 1:17

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8

2. God’s Word never changes

I think it’s amazing that God’s Word is timeless. The truths in it are relevant for every single generation in the past, present, and in the future. God guarded the process of His words being written down and copied, and we can trust the Bible as the infallible, perfect Word of God. No matter how hard man may try to discredit or destroy God’s Word, his efforts will be in vain because God says that it will “by no means pass away” and it “stands forever”!

“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” -Matthew 24:35

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” -Isaiah 40:8

“The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” -Psalm 119:160

3. God’s promises never change

There are said to be around 8,000 promises of God in the Bible. And He has kept every single one of them!!

God promised Abraham that He would make of him a great nation, and He did.

God promised that He would bring the children of Israel out of exile and back into their land, and He did.

God promised that He would send the Messiah to redeem mankind from their sins, and He did.

God promised that He would raise Jesus from the dead. And He did.

God promised that He would come back to the earth a second time, and He will!

“Not a word failed of any good thing which the LORD had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.” -Joshua 21:45

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” -2 Peter 1:4-5

“Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments.” -Deuteronomy 7:9

When God promises something, we can fully believe that He will fulfill that promise! He is not like mankind who breaks promises and goes back on their word (Numbers 23:19). He is Yahweh, the LORD, the perfect covenant keeping “I AM”! We can trust the many promises He gives to us in His Word, such as…

“God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” -John 3:16

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” -1 John 1:9

“And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” -John 14:16-17

“In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” -Proverbs 3:6

“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” -James 1:5

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” -Philippians 4:9

“He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength.” -Isaiah 40:29

“God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” -Psalm 46:1

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.” -Isaiah 26:3

Not only do I know God’s promises to be true and unchanging because I see that in His Word, but I’ve also seen His promises fulfilled in my own life! I have experienced how He is my Gentle Shepherd who leads me and restores my soul (Psalm 23, Isaiah 40:11). He instructs me and teaches me in the way I should go (Psalm 32:8). He satisfies my longing soul (Psalm 107:9), and He is my Heavenly Father who knows and provides for my needs (Matthew 6:25-34)!

In a world where people and times are constantly changing, what a comfort to hold on to the fact that our God NEVER CHANGES, His Word is true, and He keeps His promises! The same God who created everything, who parted the Red Sea, who fed thousands in the wilderness, is the SAME God who is living and working today. He has provided a way to save us from our sins that would destroy our life, and He offers a place in His family and life with Him forever to all who repent and trust in His Son, Jesus! What an awesome God we serve!

Sincerely,