The Revelation of the Name
The Revelation of the Name
From the Burning Thornbush to the Crown of Thorns
Introduction
Stepping Onto Holy Ground
The moment when Moses turns aside to see the burning bush in Exodus 3 marks not only a personal calling but a seismic moment in the unfolding of divine revelation. This bush—thorny, lowly, yet ablaze without being consumed—becomes the throne from which the Most High speaks. And from within the fire, God utters a mystery that reverberates across history: “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh.”
The Name
Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh
Translated most commonly as “I Am Who I Am,” the Hebrew phrase ” Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh” carries layers of interpretive richness. “I Will Be What I Will Be,” “I Am That I Am,” and “I Am Becoming Who I Am Becoming” are all valid translations based on the fluidity of the Hebrew verb “hayah” (to be).
This revelation marks the first time in Scripture that God self-identifies in such a mysterious and open-ended way. Unlike the concrete names used with the patriarchs—El Shaddai, El Elyon, or Elohim—this name is both infinite and intimate, revealing a God who is active, present, and unfolding.
The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
When God says to Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” He situates this profound revelation in history. These names are not abstract—they are relational. Abraham, who walked by faith under the stars; Isaac, who carried wood up a mountain; Jacob, who wrestled and was renamed. Each patriarch encountered God differently, yet the same God was behind each moment.
The Burning Thornbush
Divine Presence in Lowliness
That God chooses to speak from a thornbush—a wild, thorny plant associated with pain and desolation—flips our expectations. This is no cedar of Lebanon, no mighty oak. The thornbush, ablaze and unconsumed, becomes a paradox: lowly yet luminous. Jewish tradition often sees this as a sign of God’s presence with Israel in affliction. Christian tradition sees foreshadowing here: the One who will wear thorns as a crown.
The Reflection of the Trees
A Parable of Kingship
In Judges 9, the parable of the trees seeking a king casts a haunting echo. The noble olive, fig, and vine all decline the offer to rule. Only the thornbush accepts, offering false shade and threatening fire. This imagery paints a picture of misguided human ambition—where fruitless authority steps in where wise humility abstains. In this context, the thornbush symbolizes destructive leadership and self-serving power.
When contrasted with the burning bush of Exodus, the irony becomes stark. One thornbush seeks control and threatens; the other simply is, and becomes the vessel for divine revelation. The message is clear: God’s true kingship is not about domination, but about presence. Not about imposing fire, but sustaining fire that purifies and calls.
The Name and the Tetragrammaton
Shortly after revealing “Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh,” God introduces the Tetragrammaton: YHWH (יהוה), a Name so sacred that it is not pronounced in Jewish tradition. Instead, titles like Adonai (Lord) or HaShem (The Name) are used.
The Tetragrammaton is derived from the same root as “Ehyeh” and implies a being who is beyond time: past, present, and future simultaneously. Jewish mystics see in this Name the echo of breath itself—YH-WH—an inhalation and exhalation. God is not just the Creator; God is the Breath of all that exists.
The Thornbush Becomes a Crown
Revelation Fulfilled in Jesus
The image of the thornbush returns at the climax of the New Testament story. Jesus, the one who says, “Before Abraham was, I AM” (John 8:58), is crowned not with gold but with thorns. The bush of Exodus becomes the crown of Calvary.
In Jesus, the Name becomes flesh. The unknowable becomes knowable. The fire that does not consume now walks among us, healing, teaching, weeping. The One who is Being itself allows Himself to be broken, crowned with the curse from Eden—thorns—to redeem all creation.
The Spiritual Kingdom of the Name
This is no ordinary kingship. Just as Moses had to remove his sandals to stand on holy ground, so too are we invited to shed our pride, our self-made crowns, our illusions of control. The Kingdom revealed in Jesus is a reign of paradox: power in weakness, life through death, glory in a thornbush.
The divine Name, once spoken from flame, now breathes through us. As followers of Jesus, we carry this Name not merely as a title, but as a calling—to be vessels of the fire that purifies, not destroys.
Meditation Card
I AM – Eternal Being
Visual Meditation (based on burning thornbush image)
I AM… That I AM
Eternal Being. Living Flame.
The One Who Was, Who Is, and Who Will Be.
I dwell in fire, yet do not consume.
I speak from thorns, and wear them as a crown.
I burn — not to destroy, but to declare:
I Am. And I Am with you.
Scripture
“God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’ And He said, ‘Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14)
Reflection
The fire speaks. The thorns shimmer. Remove your shoes—the ground beneath your doubt, your calling, your longing—is holy.
Prayer
O Eternal I AM, Flame of Presence, Breath of Life—
Speak to me from the fire.
Burn away illusion, not with wrath, but with wonder.
Crown my heart with humility and love.
Teach me to live the Name—not just to speak it.
That I may be, in You, as You are: ever present, ever true. Amen.
Contemplative Retreat Guide – The Name That Was Not Made
Day 1: Breath of the Name
Practice silent breathing: inhale Yod–Heh, exhale Vav–Heh. Let the divine Name become your breath. Meditate on Exodus 3:14.
Day 2: Flame That Calls
Read the story of Moses and the burning bush. Journal: Where do I see fire that purifies, not consumes, in my own life?
Day 3: The Unspoken Name
Reflect on the sacredness of YHWH. Practice silence. Avoid saying any name for God—simply be present with the I AM.
Day 4: The Crown of Thorns
Read John 19. Imagine Jesus, crowned with thorns—the living bush now bearing suffering for the world. What thorns in your life are being transformed?
Day 5: Living the Name
Commit to a simple act of compassion today in the name of I AM. Let your life whisper His presence.
Conclusion = Living the Name
“I Am That I Am” is not a riddle to be solved but a relationship to be entered. It is an invitation into divine mystery, into presence, into purpose. From the burning bush to the empty tomb, the Name speaks: not in domination, but in liberation; not in fear, but in love.
