Jehovah in the Old Testament is God the Son—the same Person who later became Jesus in the New Testament.
Les Feldick teaches that once man appeared, the Godhead needed a communicator, and that Person is Jehovah. The name Jehovah comes from the Hebrew contraction 'Yahweh Havah' and means the I AM who is to be more and more revealed. In the New Testament, this same Person takes on human flesh, and His name becomes Jesus.
Exodus 3:14 — God identifies Himself to Moses as 'I AM THAT I AM,' the foundational revelation of the name Jehovah.
John 1:1 — The Word who is God and is with God identifies the second Person of the Trinity, whom Les teaches is the Jehovah of the Old Testament.
John 8:58 — Jesus applies the divine name 'I AM' to Himself, linking Himself to the Jehovah who spoke to Moses.
The Old Testament reveals God to Moses at the burning bush as 'I AM THAT I AM' and commands him to tell Israel that 'I AM' had sent him (Exodus 3:14). Beginning in Genesis 2:4, the Bible uses the combined title 'LORD God' (Jehovah God), especially once man is on the scene and fellowship with God begins. In the New Testament, John opens his Gospel with 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' (John 1:1). Jesus later tells the Pharisees, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), directly claiming the divine name for Himself. Thus Scripture itself presents the I AM of the Old Testament and the Jesus of the New Testament as the same divine Person.
Les Feldick identifies Jehovah as God the Son, the second Person of the Trinity, who from Genesis onward is the Person of the Godhead involved with humanity. He explains that the name Jehovah is built from the Hebrew words Yahweh (the 'I AM' of Exodus 3) and Havah (the thought of becoming increasingly revealed), so Jehovah is the I AM who is progressively revealed in Scripture. Les shows that this same One walked with Adam, appeared to Abraham and Moses, and was the God of Israel throughout the Old Testament. When the Virgin Birth brought the Son into the world, the name of Jehovah became Jesus. This is confirmed when Saul of Tarsus asks 'Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord answers, 'I am Jesus.'
Les Feldick points out that Genesis 1 refers to God as Creator, but in Genesis 2:4 we suddenly read 'LORD God.' He says this is not a misprint. Once man has come on the scene, someone in the Godhead has to communicate with this created being, Adam. That Person is Jehovah, who is also to be the Redeemer and Savior of mankind.
According to Les Feldick, Jehovah is a contraction of the Hebrew terms Yahweh and Havah. Yahweh carries the 'I Am' thought from Exodus 3, and Havah adds the idea of becoming increasingly revealed. So Jehovah is the I AM who is to be more and more revealed. The Greek extension of the Hebrew name Jehovah is simply the name Jesus, and the Old Testament equivalent, Joshua, means 'Savior.'
Les highlights Jesus' statement in John 8:58, 'Before Abraham was, I am,' as Jesus telling the Pharisees that He is the same one who spoke from the burning bush—the Jehovah of the Old Testament. In Acts 9, Saul of Tarsus, thinking he is serving Jehovah, asks 'Who art thou, Lord?' and the Lord answers, 'I am Jesus.' Les explains that Saul had to realize that the very Jesus he was persecuting was his Jehovah all along.
God the Son as Communicator
Les shows that Genesis shifts from 'God' to 'Lord God' when man appears because humanity needs a communicator from the Godhead—that communicator is Jehovah.
Jehovah Is the I AM
Les connects the name Jehovah to the burning bush revelation where God tells Moses to say 'I AM hath sent me,' showing that Jehovah is the great I AM.
Continuing Revelation of the I AM
With Adam on the scene, the eternal pre-existent I AM, God the Son, is more and more revealed throughout human history.
Jehovah Is the Person Involved with Humanity
Jehovah is the Person of the Godhead who communicates with man, fellowships with Adam, appears to Abraham and Moses, and is the Redeemer and Savior.
Meaning of the Name Jehovah
Jehovah is a contraction of Yahweh Havah, meaning the I AM who is to be more and more revealed, and its Greek extension is Jesus.
Saul Addresses Jehovah as Lord
Saul's question 'Who are you, Lord?' uses 'Lord' as the substitute for Jehovah, showing that he recognized the speaker as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Jehovah and Jesus Are the Same Personality
Les teaches that God the Son and Jehovah are one and the same personality from Genesis 2:4 onward, and that when the Son became flesh, His name became Jesus.
Jesus Claims the Name 'I AM'
Jesus' words 'Before Abraham was, I am' are His direct claim to be the same Jehovah who spoke from the burning bush.
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 foundational Old Testament revelation of the divine name behind Jehovah.
Genesis 2:4: These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
The first use of 'LORD God' signals the appearance of Jehovah in relationship to man.
John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Les teaches that the Word is a divine name for the Person who later becomes Jesus, the same Jehovah of the Old Testament.
John 8:58: Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
Jesus claims the divine 'I AM' title, identifying Himself with the Jehovah who spoke to Moses.
Acts 9:5: And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Saul encounters the risen Jesus and learns that the Jehovah he served is the same Person he had been persecuting.
According to Les Feldick, yes. Jehovah is God the Son in the Old Testament, and when He became flesh through the virgin birth, His name became Jesus. Saul's encounter on the Damascus road confirms this.
Genesis 2:4 is the first place where the title 'LORD God' appears. Les explains that this change takes place once man is on the scene and needs a communicator, whom Les identifies as Jehovah.
Because in Exodus 3:14 God tells Moses, 'I AM THAT I AM.' Les teaches that this name combines the idea of the eternal I AM with the thought of becoming increasingly revealed throughout Scripture.
Watch the Teaching: Who Spoke from the Burning Bush? The Mystery of "I AM" Revealed