The Father of Creation
Series: CREATIO | Bible text: Exodus 3:14, John 3:16
God is often addressed as YHWH in the Old Testament. This name is so sacred to the Jews that they do not pronounce it. It is precisely this God who also created the earth. We want to trace the one who says «I am who I always am» (Exodus 3:14) and ask what this being means for my existence. Followers of Jesus Christ are allowed to participate in this being, because through his «I am» words he ties in directly there. Through this, I am allowed to be in the one who says, «I am».
With today’s sermon, something will change fundamentally. As some of you have noticed, my wife and I are expecting our first child. This is a very joyful event for us and so, for better or worse, in the future I will be one of those pastors who always refer back to their children for practical examples. I would like to apologise here for the next 100 sermons and hope that you will forgive me for this.
Although our son’s due date is not until mid-June, we, or rather my wife, are already fully occupied with the preparations. There is new furniture to buy, clothes to organise and a few walls to paint. But the most important, most beautiful but also most challenging task for me is to find a name for our child. Previously I had to find names for our cats with my sisters, but this is a completely different story. The name will be with the child for the rest of its life. Therefore it should sound nice, but at the same time not be too 08⁄15. It should be a little unusual, but it would still be practical if the grandparents could pronounce it without mistakes. In the beginning we had many different names, but now it is slowly narrowing down. We are noticing more and more that two things are important to us in a name. On the one hand, we have to like the name. Secondly, it should have a good meaning. Most names have a meaning and it would be nice if you could give the child something to take with it.
In the Bible, names have a deeper meaning. Yes, they say something about a person, a place or an object. A name is not just a label, it also says a lot about the content. This year we are dealing with the annual theme Creatio – Hope and Responsibility. So far, we have been very much concerned with God’s good creation. God appears as Holy Spirit, Son and Father. In the two previous sermons we dealt with the Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. Today we want to turn to the Father. Yes, it should be about the Father of creation, it should be about the one of whom it is said «In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth». (Genesis 1:1). Let us ask ourselves who this God is and what his Hebrew name has to tell us.
1. the name of God
Every name has its firm justification in Hebrew thought. Since a name is not only about addressing, no name is chosen at random. The name of the first man, for example, has two meanings. On the one hand, Adam is the German proper name for the first man, but on the other hand Adam simply means «man». Eve, on the other hand, means «the life-giving one».
In creation, God is described with two Hebrew words. One is Elohim in Genesis 1:1–2:3. On the other hand, in Genesis 2:4–25 it is YHWH in connection with Elohim. Both names mean God, but place a different emphasis. Elohim is a plural, but is always translated as God in the singular. This is called the pluralis majestatis. There are several theories as to why God is written in the plural. A very old thesis, which I personally like very much, suggests that the Three Persons of God are indicated in it. Namely, that God consists of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. YHWH, on the other hand, stands much more for the Father and is translated as LORD in German. This is also the much more common name of God in the Old Testament. It occurs over 6700 times, while Elohim is mentioned just under 2500 times.
Today I would like to focus on the name of God, YHWH. What is special about this name is that its original pronunciation is obscure. This is because the name was so sacred to the Jews that they did not pronounce it. Therefore, today we often speak of YHWH. This in turn has its origins in the Hebrew script. For a very long time, the Hebrew script did not know vowels, only consonants were written. For native speakers, this does not matter, since the grammatical form and the word itself arise in the context. Therefore, vowels were dispensed with in the Hebrew script. This also makes the text much shorter, which saves an enormous amount of time and space when everything has to be written by hand.
From the 7th century AD, the challenge arose that more and more people no longer had Hebrew as their mother tongue. There was a group of Jewish scholars, the Masoretes, who took it upon themselves to add vowels to the Hebrew text so that it would still be accessible to future generations. But since they did not want to change the Word of God, they wrote the vowels in with the consonants. And here comes the crunch when it comes to the proper name of God, YHWH. For the Jews had such great respect and, although it says YHWH, they read Adonaj, which means my Lord. Therefore, much is uncertain about the meaning and pronunciation of the name. Most circumstantial evidence suggests that it was pronounced Yahweh.
This fascinates me extremely. We humans would like to know everything down to the very last detail. But with creation we come to a point where it doesn’t go back any further. At some point we are back at «in the beginning God created…». It starts with him, but not with him. Therefore, he deserves extreme respect as the creator of the earth.
2. The self-revelation of the Father
Unfortunately, the meaning of the name YHWH cannot be determined exactly. However, it can be said who this God is. For YHWH has revealed himself. The first book of the Bible describes on the one hand the beginning of the world and of humanity, and on the other hand it describes the history of God with a specific people. In the process, God chose the people of Israel. Some time after this election, this people settled in Egypt. So that they would not become a danger, the Pharaoh of Egypt had them work for him as slaves. The people had to suffer so much that God took pity on them and sent Moses to save them. When Moses was called for this unimaginably difficult task, he asked God what he should say when he was asked who had sent him. «God replied: «I am who I always am». Just tell them: «I am» has sent me to you». (Exodus 3:14 NLB). The Luther Bible translates with «I will be who I will be». Both are in the Hebrew. God is always the same, He does not change (James 1:17).
God is the epitome of being. He is always being in the truest sense of the word. Being has its fulcrum in him. Outside of God there is no being. Through his Word, God has called everything into being, since all being has its anchor point in God’s being. But when it comes to grasping God in his essence, it must be said that our grasping only ever depicts a partial aspect. For it can be said to the Church Father Augustine that: «If you have understood it, then it is not God». (Augustine of Hippo).
Many people still find it difficult in this enlightened age to believe in a God, let alone that a God created and lovingly sustains this whole world. Thomas Aquinas, a theologian from the Middle Ages, developed various proofs of God. It should be said at the outset that these do not prove the God who presents himself as «I am who I always am». But they do suggest that there must be something outside our time and space.
One such proof is the proof of causality. This states that there are causes and effects everywhere in the world that are connected with each other (premise). Every effect presupposes a sufficient cause, which is decisive for the effect (axiom). An effect always has a cause, this cause can in turn be an effect of another cause. But at some point the question of the first cause arises. This first cause of effect is itself uncaused, thus has no cause itself (conclusion). In relation to creation, this means that many things can be deduced from each other, but in the beginning there was God. The Father of Creation, who is the first active cause. He is the existence which is the cause of the existence of the earth. Yes this «I am» claims for himself that he is also the originator of heaven and earth. Moreover, he is not simply one among many gods, but he is the God who exists. His most primal quality is being. «This says the Lord who created the heavens, who is God, who formed and made the earth. He founded it. Not as a desert did he create it, but to inhabit. «I am the Lord,» he says, «there is no other.» » (Isaiah 45:18 NLB).
3. The «I am» of the Father as the starting point for your being
As God’s creatures, our existence as human beings also has its basis in God’s being. You may be because he is. In the «I am» and in the name lies the connection between God, the Father of creation, and Jesus Christ, the Son. For Jesus means YHWH saves, so a connection is already obvious in the name. But it is also found in the life and actions of Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, Jesus often makes the statement «I am». In John’s Gospel he connects this with bread, door, shepherd, way, vine, light, truth, resurrection and life. By referring these terms to himself, Jeus claims and shows that he is God.
Let us take a closer look at two «I am» statements. «I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me need not wander in darkness, for he will have the light that leads to life.» (John 8:12 NLB). In Genesis 1:3, God created the light for this world. Here Jesus claims to be this light in a much broader sense. Just as the light shows us the way and helps us to find our way, Jesus also helps us as light. It shows us the way to God. By his life we can see how we are to live. When we observe his life in the Bible, we see how people could come to God through Jesus.
While this first «I am» may still come across as rather abstract, the next is much more absolute in its statement. «I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me»(John 14:6 NLB). After God had wonderfully created the earth, he placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the middle of the garden he planted two trees. The tree of life and the one of the knowledge of good and evil. They were allowed to use everything in the garden, except they were not allowed to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. This tree would enable them to distinguish between good and evil. It would give people the opportunity to decide for themselves what they considered to be true or false. It went well for a while, but the people’s curiosity finally won out. In doing so, they showed that they distrusted God. As a consequence, they had to leave the garden. So the people lost their position in the garden, but what was even more drastic, they lost direct access to God. Yes, God placed an angel in Eden so that the people would not reach the tree of life. Through their rebellion, the people not only cut off the direct path to God, but also the path to life.
So when Jesus says that he is the way, the truth and the life, he makes it clear that he can and will restore the relationship with God that has gone to pieces. He himself is the way on which we can walk. We do not have to walk alone, but we may cling to him. Yes, Jesus not only has the truth, he is it in person. Jesus gives you life by laying down His life to die for the transgressions of men. Jesus Christ and His Father YHWH are interested in you. God wants you as you are. He does not want your religious or earthly performance, but you.
How do you respond? Are you ready, perhaps for the first time or again, to consciously place your life in his hands and trust him? I want to promise you that you can be, because God is being in person.
Possible questions for the small group
Read Bible text: Exodus 3:14; John 14:6
- Names have meaning. Do you know what your name means? Have you been allowed to name someone? What did you pay attention to?
- When you pray to God, how do you address Him? Why do you use that name?
- How do you understand God’s statement in Exodus 3:14 «I am who I always am»? What does this self-designation of God say about him?
- Can you understand Thomas Aquinas» proof of causality? Can you agree with it? If not, where do you have a different opinion?
- Which of Jesus» words «I am» do you know? Where in the Old Testament does Jesus pick up on this and what does this claim of Jesus mean for you personally?
- How do you respond to the statement of Jesus in John 14:6? «I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me»?
