God's name 'I Am' is the eternal, self-existent name He commanded Moses to give Israel as the name of the One who sent him.
At the burning bush, Moses knew Israel would ask which god had sent him, since Egypt had many named gods. God answered, 'I AM THAT I AM' and told Moses to say, 'I AM hath sent me unto you' (Exodus 3:14). Les Feldick explains that this I AM is the same as Jehovah, the eternal, preexistent God, and that Jesus later took up the same 'I AM' language in the Gospel of John.
Exodus 3:14 — The verse where God reveals His name as 'I AM THAT I AM' and instructs Moses to tell Israel that 'I AM' sent him.
Exodus 3:15 — God further identifies Himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, calling this His name forever and a memorial to all generations.
When Moses asked what to tell Israel, God commanded him to say, 'I AM hath sent me' (Exodus 3:14). He also said, 'The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations' (Exodus 3:15). In the same context, God told Moses that He would send him to Pharaoh to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10).
Les Feldick points out that the children of Israel were surrounded by and inundated with the gods of Egypt, all of which had names. Moses knew that when he returned to tell them that God had sent him, they would immediately ask, 'What's His name?' So at the burning bush, God answered, 'I AM that I AM,' and told Moses to tell Israel that 'I AM hath sent me' (Clips 1, 3).
The children of Israel had lived in Egypt and were surrounded by the gods of Egypt, all of whom had names. When Moses came speaking of a God who had sent him, the first question would naturally be, 'What's his name?' That is why Moses asked God for His name, and God answered with the great I AM (Clips 1, 3).
Les Feldick teaches that the term Jehovah, as used throughout the Old Testament, stands for the I AM. The definition of Yahweh is the eternal, preexistent I AM, and Havah means 'the I AM is to be revealed'—a continuing action that unfolds through history. The Lord Jesus also referred to Himself with the same 'I AM' language (Clips 0, 2, 4, 5).
Les points out that the children of Israel had seven distinct needs, each fulfilled by a seven-fold operation of Jehovah (Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rapha, etc.). In the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the I AM seven times—I AM the bread of life, the true vine, the resurrection, the way, the truth, and the life. After the seven of completion, there is an eighth and final I AM found in Revelation 22, indicating finality (Clip 0).
Seven I Am Statements of Jesus
Les explains that the seven I AM statements in John fulfill the seven-fold operation of Jehovah in Israel's needs, and the eighth I AM in Revelation 22 marks finality.
Moses Asks for God's Name
God told Moses to tell Israel that 'I AM has sent me,' and Les identifies this I AM with Jehovah.
Jehovah Stands for I Am
Les states that the Old Testament name Jehovah stands for the I AM, and God sent Moses to say, 'the great I AM hath sent you.'
The Setting in Egypt
Israel, surrounded by Egypt's named gods, would ask Moses for God's name, and God answered with the capitalized 'I AM that I AM.'
Jehovah Not Known to the Patriarchs
God was known as El Shaddai but not by the name Jehovah, which implies the I Am; Jesus also used the I Am title.
I Am Is Yahweh, the Eternal Preexistent One
Les defines 'I AM that I AM' as the eternal, preexistent I AM, with Havah adding that He is to be revealed through history.
The Memorial Name of the Patriarchs
God also told Moses to tell Israel that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had sent him, and that this is His name forever.
God Calls Moses
God announced from the burning bush that He was sending Moses to Pharaoh, and Moses asked 'Who am I?'—the context after which God said 'I AM hath sent you.'
Exodus 3:13: And Moses said unto God, 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?
This shows Moses anticipating Israel's question about the name of God, which sets up the revelation of 'I AM.'
Exodus 3:14: 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.
This is the central verse where God reveals His name as 'I AM.'
Exodus 3:15: And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
God ties the name to His covenant with the patriarchs and declares it a perpetual memorial.
John 6:35: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Les cites Jesus' words as one of the seven I AM statements in John that echo the Old Testament Jehovah titles.
John 14:6: Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Another I AM statement Les mentions as Jesus using the same language as the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
John 15:1: I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
A further example Les gives of Jesus' seven I AM sayings.
John 11:25: Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Les names this among the seven I AM statements that parallel the seven needs of Israel.
In Exodus 3:14, God told Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM' and that 'I AM hath sent me.' Les Feldick explains that this defines Yahweh, the eternal, preexistent I AM, and that the related word Havah means 'the I AM is to be revealed.'
Les points out that in the Gospel of John, Jesus uses the I AM seven times—such as the bread of life, the true vine, and the resurrection—corresponding to the seven-fold operation of Jehovah. The eighth and final I AM appears in Revelation 22.
Moses knew the children of Israel, surrounded by the named gods of Egypt, would ask what the God who sent him was called; God answered with 'I AM.'
Watch the Teaching: Who is Melchizedek? Understanding the "Most High God" & His Names