{"id":7185,"date":"2023-02-26T09:45:22","date_gmt":"2023-02-26T08:45:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/?post_type=wpfc_sermon&p=7185"},"modified":"2023-05-09T11:36:27","modified_gmt":"2023-05-09T09:36:27","slug":"der-gottesname-am-dornbusch","status":"publish","type":"wpfc_sermon","link":"https:\/\/sermons.seetal-chile.ch\/en\/sermons\/der-gottesname-am-dornbusch\/","title":{"rendered":"The name of God on the thorn bush"},"content":{"rendered":"

Moses\u00bb encoun\u00adter with the holy God at the thorn bush com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly chan\u00adged his life. As the basis for his maxi\u00admal\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adging mis\u00adsi\u00adon \u2013 to lead a nati\u00adon of mil\u00adli\u00adons out of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty into an unknown land \u2013 the LORD<\/span> intro\u00addu\u00adces hims\u00adelf by name. \u00abI am the one I will pro\u00adve mys\u00adelf to be.\u00bb The holy God is incom\u00adpre\u00adhen\u00adsi\u00adble to us humans, but HE<\/span> is also not arbi\u00adtra\u00adry. His holi\u00adne\u00adss gua\u00adran\u00adtees the purest good\u00adness, mer\u00adcy, love and empathy.<\/p>\n

The qua\u00adli\u00adty of a Chris\u00adti\u00adan group depends pri\u00adma\u00adri\u00adly on how serious\u00adly they take the Holy God. We want to beco\u00adme a church that mar\u00advels at God\u2019s majes\u00adty, beau\u00adty and unavai\u00adla\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty and does not degra\u00adde Him to an avun\u00adcu\u00adlar super-good-man. From the bur\u00adning bush came the cry: \u00abMoses, Moses!\u00bb (Exodus 3:4). The holy God knew the name of Moses befo\u00adre Moses knew the name of God. But the ques\u00adti\u00adon fol\u00adlows: \u00abIf I go to the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes and tell them, \u00abThe God of your ances\u00adtors has sent me to you,\u00bb and they ask me, \u00abWhat is his name?\u00bb what should I ans\u00adwer them?\u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:13 NLB<\/span>). In the Jewish con\u00adtext, the name has even grea\u00adter signi\u00adfi\u00adcan\u00adce than it does for us. It is the pro\u00adgram\u00adme that belongs to a per\u00adson. It is the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre under\u00adstan\u00adda\u00adble that Moses wants to know the name of his employer.
\nNew name
\n\u00abGod repli\u00aded: \u00abI am who I always am. Just tell them, \u00abI am the one who sent me to you\u00bb \u00bb (Gene\u00adsis 3:14 NLB<\/span>). Luther trans\u00adla\u00adtes: \u00abI will be who I will be.\u00bb In the Hebrew Bible, the let\u00adters J\u2011H-W\u2011H stand for the name of God (6828 times in the Tanakh). The holy God the\u00adr\u00ade\u00adfo\u00adre does not intro\u00addu\u00adce hims\u00adelf with a \u2019name word\u00bb, but with the \u00abaction word\u00bb \u00abto be\u00bb. You could also trans\u00adla\u00adte this as: I am who I will pro\u00adve mys\u00adelf to be. The\u00adre is no name that could cap\u00adtu\u00adre the great\u00adness and majes\u00adty of God. A noun would be far too sta\u00adtic, too self-contained.
\nLater, God will give Moses two tablets with God\u2019s ins\u00adtruc\u00adtions. One of them says that man should not make an image of God (cf. Exodus 20:4). Any image that we make of God falls short and dimi\u00adnis\u00adhes Him in His uni\u00adma\u00adgi\u00adnable great\u00adness. No image \u2013 neither con\u00adcep\u00adtu\u00adal nor mate\u00adri\u00adal \u2013 can even come clo\u00adse to cap\u00adtu\u00adring God. It is part of God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss that He remains unavailable to us. We do not have Him under con\u00adtrol. He is not a mas\u00adcot that we can put in our trou\u00adser pocket. For the Jews, the name of God YHWH<\/span> is so holy that they never use it. That\u2019s why later, when the Hebrew Bible was voca\u00adli\u00adsed, they did\u00adn\u2019t even know how to pro\u00adno\u00adun\u00adce the name. That\u2019s why some churches say Jeho\u00advah, while others pre\u00adfer Yahweh.
\nDoes the name of God (I am the one I will pro\u00adve mys\u00adelf to be) mean that Yah\u00adweh is capri\u00adcious, unpre\u00addic\u00adta\u00adble and arbi\u00adtra\u00adry? Capri\u00adcious and arbi\u00adtra\u00adry \u2013 no. Unpre\u00addic\u00adta\u00adble \u2013 yes! Yah\u00adweh is holy, so pure, full of love, mer\u00adcy and good\u00adness that we can never cal\u00adcu\u00adla\u00adte this. God is abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly pure and beau\u00adtiful, in Him the\u00adre are no shadows, so we can only be posi\u00adtively sur\u00adpri\u00adsed by His unpre\u00addic\u00adta\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty. Befo\u00adre Yah\u00adweh gives His name, He says to Moses, \u00abI have seen how my peo\u00adp\u00adle are oppres\u00adsed in Egypt. And I have heard their cries. I know how much they are suf\u00adfe\u00adring. I have come to res\u00adcue them from the power of the Egyp\u00adti\u00adans and to lead them out of Egypt to a beau\u00adtiful, wide land, a land flowing with milk and honey [\u2026] I have heard the cries of the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes and I have seen how they are oppres\u00adsed by the Egyp\u00adti\u00adans\u00bb (Exodus 3:7\u20139 NLB<\/span>). Last Sun\u00adday, a woman told me that God had pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly for\u00adgot\u00adten her. The peo\u00adp\u00adle of Isra\u00adel pro\u00adba\u00adb\u00adly felt the same way during their 400-year cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty. Yah\u00adweh has seen, heard, He knows about the need, the suf\u00adfe\u00adring and has come.
\nYah\u00adweh has such a pure and excel\u00adlent cha\u00adrac\u00adter pre\u00adcis\u00ade\u00adly on the ground of His holi\u00adne\u00adss that His name can only arou\u00adse posi\u00adti\u00adve expectations.
\nNew fear of God
\nThe appro\u00adpria\u00adte human reac\u00adtion to God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss is awe, respect and wor\u00adship. The Jews wear a kip\u00adpah out of rever\u00adence for God so that they do not come into direct cont\u00adact with God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss. Moses took off his shoes and kept his distance from the bur\u00adning bush.
\nPeo\u00adp\u00adle have been asking me this week what the rela\u00adti\u00adonship is bet\u00adween distance and clo\u00adsen\u00adess to God. Should we love or fear Yah\u00adweh? Yah\u00adweh demands both at the same time: \u00abNow, O Isra\u00adel, what else does the LORD<\/span> your God requi\u00adre of you but to fear the LORD<\/span> your God, to walk in all his ways and to love him, and to ser\u00adve the LORD<\/span> your God with all your heart and with all your soul, to keep the com\u00admandments of the LORD<\/span> and his sta\u00adtu\u00adtes which I com\u00admand you today, that it may go well with you?\u00bb (Deu\u00adte\u00adro\u00adno\u00admy 10:12f LUT<\/span>). Tho\u00adse who fear God are expres\u00adsing that they mar\u00advel at God\u2019s beau\u00adty, majes\u00adty and holi\u00adne\u00adss. Yah\u00adweh is the Crea\u00adtor, I am a crea\u00adtu\u00adre, He is the Lord, I am His ser\u00advant. From this atti\u00adtu\u00adde of won\u00adder and humi\u00adli\u00adty, love finds the right track and paves the way for ser\u00advice and obe\u00addience. The fear of God and love do not con\u00adtra\u00addict each other.
\nRespect, rever\u00adence and taking God serious\u00adly is the basis for fri\u00adend\u00adship. David wri\u00adtes: \u00abFri\u00adend\u00adship with the Lord belongs to tho\u00adse who take him serious\u00adly (fear him)\u00bb (Psalm 25:14 New Tes\u00adta\u00adment). What we find dif\u00adfi\u00adcult to bring tog\u00ade\u00adther in our world of expe\u00adri\u00adence belongs tog\u00ade\u00adther with God. Moses expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adced the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God seve\u00adral times, which fos\u00adte\u00adred his fear of God and made fri\u00adend\u00adship with Yah\u00adweh pos\u00adsi\u00adble in the first place: \u00abThe LORD<\/span> spo\u00adke to Moses face to face, as one who speaks to his fri\u00adend [\u2026]\u00bb (Exodus 33:11 NLB<\/span>). God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss and fri\u00adend\u00adship with God are not contradictory.
\nWhen Jesus pray\u00aded for his fol\u00adlo\u00adwers befo\u00adre his death, he said: \u00ab[\u2026] Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, so that they may be one, just as we are one\u00bb (John 17:11 NLB<\/span>). He thus brings tog\u00ade\u00adther the father\u00adhood of God and his holi\u00adne\u00adss. That\u2019s why I like the sen\u00adtence: I talk to my loving Father and fall silent befo\u00adre the holy God. The addres\u00adsee is the same. It may seem ambi\u00adva\u00adlent to us, but with God, father\u00adhood ari\u00adses from his holi\u00adne\u00adss. That which is born out of holi\u00adne\u00adss is abso\u00adlut\u00ade\u00adly pure and good.
\nNew chap\u00adter in life
\nMoses was given a mis\u00adsi\u00adon by Yah\u00adweh that \u2013 in human terms \u2013 sim\u00adply frigh\u00adten\u00aded him. The life-threa\u00adtening call reads: \u00abNow go, for I am sen\u00adding you to Pha\u00adraoh. You are to lead my peo\u00adp\u00adle, the Israe\u00adli\u00adtes, out of Egypt\u00bb (Exodus 3:10 NLB<\/span>).
\nFour cha\u00adrac\u00adte\u00adristics stand out that Moses did not have befo\u00adre the encoun\u00adter with God\u2019s holiness:<\/p>\n

\tMoses was fearless: let us not for\u00adget that Moses fled Egypt becau\u00adse he feared for his life. And now he is sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to lead a nati\u00adon of mil\u00adli\u00adons out of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty. A quo\u00adte from Arno Back\u00adhaus reve\u00adals the secret: \u00abThe more fear of God, the less fear of the hea\u00adthen.\u00bb The best reci\u00adpe against the fears in our ever\u00ady\u00adday lives \u2013 be it of situa\u00adtions or of peo\u00adp\u00adle \u2013 is the fear of the Lord. Tho\u00adse who can kne\u00adel befo\u00adre God can stand befo\u00adre peo\u00adp\u00adle. \u00abBy faith Moses left the land of Egypt. He was not afraid of the king, but went on stead\u00adfast\u00adly, kee\u00adping his eyes fixed on him who is invi\u00adsi\u00adble\u00bb (Hebrews 11:27 NLB<\/span>).
\n\tMoses was obe\u00addient: we can also learn from Moses to keep God\u2019s word even when we don\u2019t under\u00adstand it. Jesus repea\u00adted\u00adly draws atten\u00adti\u00adon to the con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween loving God and kee\u00adping His com\u00admandments (e.g. John 14:21). A love that does not take God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss serious\u00adly is in dan\u00adger of tur\u00adning in on itself.
\n\tMoses did not seek his own com\u00adfort: tho\u00adse who take God serious\u00adly take His word serious\u00adly, even if it is incon\u00adve\u00adni\u00adent to put it into prac\u00adti\u00adce. After the thorn bush, Moses first asked: What does God want? And not: What is most con\u00adve\u00adni\u00adent for me? From the per\u00adspec\u00adti\u00adve of the aut\u00adhor of the Let\u00adter to the Hebrews, it sounds like this: \u00abBy faith, Moses, when he was an adult, refu\u00adsed to be cal\u00adled the son of Pharaoh\u2019s daugh\u00adter. He pre\u00adfer\u00adred to suf\u00adfer with the peo\u00adp\u00adle rather than indul\u00adge in the flee\u00adting plea\u00adsu\u00adre of sin\u00bb (Hebrews 11:24f NLB<\/span>). Moses could have made his life com\u00adfor\u00adta\u00adble. At Pharaoh\u2019s court, a life of luxu\u00adry and at the cent\u00adre of world poli\u00adtics beckon\u00aded. Later, after his escape from Egypt, he mar\u00adried Zip\u00adpo\u00adrah in Midi\u00adan. Now a tran\u00adquil life as a young fami\u00adly was within reach, with child\u00adren who could grow up in a safe envi\u00adron\u00adment. But Moses was pre\u00adpared to give up his own com\u00adfort. Jesus also chal\u00adlenges us to take up the cross and fol\u00adlow Him. The con\u00addi\u00adti\u00adon for this is an encoun\u00adter with the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God.
\n\tMoses was hum\u00adble: the encoun\u00adter with God at the thorn bush rai\u00adsed Moses\u00bb life to a hither\u00adto unknown level. From now on, he was no lon\u00adger ten\u00adding his father-in-law\u2019s sheep, but lea\u00adding a nati\u00adon of mil\u00adli\u00adons into a com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly unknown, still occu\u00adp\u00adied land. The\u00adre could hard\u00adly have been a more deman\u00adding task. Despi\u00adte the huge respon\u00adsi\u00adbi\u00adli\u00adty and expe\u00adri\u00aden\u00adcing many mira\u00adcles, Moses remain\u00aded hum\u00adble. \u00abMoses was very hum\u00adble; the\u00adre was no one on earth more hum\u00adble than he\u00bb (Exodus 12:13 NLB<\/span>). Tho\u00adse who fear God remain simp\u00adle and hum\u00adble \u2013 even in the grea\u00adtest of successes.<\/p>\n

 
\nLoo\u00adking at the life of Moses around the thorn bush expe\u00adri\u00adence trig\u00adgers a new lon\u00adging in me. Could it be that a deeper dis\u00adco\u00advery and expe\u00adri\u00adence of God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss could satis\u00adfy my hun\u00adger for more of God? One thing is cer\u00adtain: the more we under\u00adstand about God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss, the more valuable Jesus Christ\u2019s act of redemp\u00adti\u00adon beco\u00admes to us. HE<\/span> has fil\u00adled the gap bet\u00adween us and Yah\u00adweh. What He has not fil\u00adled in, howe\u00adver, is the holi\u00adne\u00adss of God. Thanks to Jesus, we can approach the thro\u00adne of our mer\u00adciful God with con\u00adfi\u00addence. Let us do so and mar\u00advel at the beau\u00adty, majes\u00adty and pure love in which He is plea\u00adsed to show Hims\u00adelf in your life!
\n 
\nPos\u00adsi\u00adble ques\u00adti\u00adons for the small group
\nRea\u00adding the Bible text: Exodus 3:7\u201314<\/p>\n

\tWhat does it take for deal\u00ading with the mys\u00adtery of God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss to beco\u00adme a qua\u00adli\u00adty fea\u00adture of see\u00adtal chile?
\n\tWhy does the Lord intro\u00addu\u00adce Hims\u00adelf not with a noun but with a verb? What does this have to do with the fact that we are not sup\u00adpo\u00adsed to form an image of God?
\n\tThe Lord will pro\u00adve Hims\u00adelf. What gives us the cer\u00adtain\u00adty that He does not act arbitrarily?
\n\tWhe\u00adre is the con\u00adnec\u00adtion bet\u00adween Moses\u00bb fear of God and his cou\u00adra\u00adge to accept the com\u00admis\u00adsi\u00adon and the humi\u00adli\u00adty in which he lives it?
\n\tWhat has chan\u00adged in the con\u00adtext of God\u2019s holi\u00adne\u00adss through Jesus Christ? What has remain\u00aded the same?<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Moses\u00bb encoun\u00adter with the holy God at the thorn bush com\u00adple\u00adte\u00adly chan\u00adged his life. As the basis for his maxi\u00admal\u00adly chal\u00adlen\u00adging mis\u00adsi\u00adon \u2013 to lead a nati\u00adon of mil\u00adli\u00adons out of cap\u00adti\u00advi\u00adty into an unknown land \u2013 the LORD<\/span> intro\u00addu\u00adces hims\u00adelf by name. \u00abI am the one I will pro\u00adve mys\u00adelf to be.\u00bb The holy God is\u2026<\/p>","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":7193,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[23],"wpfc_sermon_series":[90],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[12],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-matthias-altwegg","wpfc_sermon_series-heilig-heilig-heilig","wpfc-sermon-single","post-7185","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","wpfc_service_type-gottesdienst"],"acf":[],"sermons_blog_filters_topics":"\t\t\t\t

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