MOSHEH’ SOJOURN IN MIDIAN

MOSHEH at the burning bush, you stand on set apart ground

YAHWEH declared who HE was: ‘I am YAHWEH of your father, the ABBA of Abraham, the ABBA of Yitschaq (Isaac) and the ABBA of Yacob’ (Shemoth 3:6)

Mosheh saw a flame rising from a bush. There now followed a series of pictures in stark outline and in a quick succession.

1. Surprise and very human curiosity: ‘I must go and look at this strange sight and see why the bush is not burnt.
2 The encounter with ABBA: YAHWEH saw him go forward to look, and ABBA called to him from the middle of the bush, ‘Mosheh, Mosheh I’ ‘Here I am,’ he answered.
3. An announcement of the set apart nature of the place and consequently of the command: ‘Come no nearer. Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is set apart ground.’

In their archaic forms of worship, the Semites, before drawing near to a Qadash place, in the open air or in a building, took care to bathe; they put on clothes that had been scrupulously washed; and before entering the set apart enclosure they took off their shoes. All these precautions were taken to make certain that no alien influences, no hostile elements accidentally associated with the believer’s body or clothes through previous contacts, should be near the deity to be worshipped, It is a strange spiritual precaution which is exemplified in Islam today; a Mohammedan must remove his shoes before crossing the threshold of a mosque.

YAHWEH declared who HE was: ‘I am the ABBA of your father, the ABBA of Abraham, the ABBA of Yitschaq (Isaac) and the ABBA of Yacob.’ Each of these three patriarchs had been favoured with an experience of the only ABBA, probably through their minds or imaginations. He appeared to give them a message, a revelation, or to correct some spiritual deviation in their lives. In this series of theophanies, that granted to Yacob was historically the last. In Egypt, Yoseph had been made aware of the effects of YAHWEH's protection, but this had made itself felt solely through those secret and subtle ways which saints call Providence. Neither he, nor his eleven brothers nor any other of Yacob’s descendants had been summoned to receive any instruction or message from YAHWEH. During both the centuries of happiness spent by the Hebrews in the Delta area, and in their time of servitude in the region of Pi-Rameses, the ABBA of Abraham had not thought it necessary to manifest HIMSELF to the People of the Covenant. Now, suddenly, in the magnificent setting of the Sinai range, HE appeared -or rather, HE spoke -to Mosheh: ‘I am the ABBA of your father, the ABBA of Abraham, the ABBA of Yitschaq (Isaac), and the ABBA of Yacob.’

At this Mosheh covered his face. According to ancient Semitic belief, no human being can bear the sight of YAHWEH: it would strike him dead. For the Being thus shown him is utterly transcendent.

Mosheh was told his mission. For the moment it seemed to be a work entirely on the plane of history: ‘I mean to deliver (MY people) out of the hands of the Egyptians and bring them up 4 out of that land to a land rich and broad, a land where milk and honey flows.5 …I send you to Pharaoh to bring the sons of Yisrael, MY people, out of Egypt. ‘

Mosheh’ immediate reaction to this mission was to plead that the task was too great for him: ‘Who am I to go to Pharaoh and bring the sons of Yisrael out of Egypt?’ The answer was rapid and brief: ‘I shall be with you.’

Everything seemed to have been said. But the narrative continues with an unexpected note of explanation. This concerned the NAME by which the ABBA of the Old Covenant wished to be invoked and reverenced: it was the revelation, or at least the solemn proclamation of the SET APART title YAHWEH -‘I Am who I Am’.

4 For the traveller going towards the mountain ranges of Palestine from the lowlands of the Delta, the way lies ‘upward’.

5 The highly chalky nature of the soil of Canaan does not in fact merit such exalted terms. But all things are relative; and to nomad shepherds, compelled to journey across regions of semi-wilderness burnt up by the sun in summer, the cultivated plains and grass-covered valleys of the land we call Palestine might well have seemed delightful places.

‘I Am WHO I Am’, the mark of a new beginning of great importance in history

At this point it is essential to quote the passage in which YAHWEH tells Mosheh HIS SET APAR NAME: YAHWEH. This done we shall be better placed to evaluate some particular Scriptural terms and to enter into the general meaning of the dialogue which the modern reader may find somewhat obscure. It marks a new beginning of great importance in the history of the beliefs of Yisrael and saints and in the spiritual development of mankind. It is brief and yet bristling with difficulties.

Then Mosheh said to YAHWEH, ‘I am to go, then, to the sons of Yisrael and say to them, “The ABBA of your fathers has sent me to you”. But if they ask what HIS NAME is, what am I to tell them?’ And YAHWEH said to Mosheh, ‘I Am who I Am’. ‘This’ HE added, ‘is what you must say to the sons of Yisrael: “1 Am has sent me to you”.’ And YAHWEH also said to Mosheh, ‘You are to say to the sons of Yisrael: “YAHWEH, the ABBA of your fathers, the ABBA of Abraham, the ABBA of Yitschaq (Isaac), and the ABBA of Yacob, has sent me to you”. This is MY NAME for all time: by this NAME I shall be invoked for all generations to come’ (Shemoth (Exodus) 3:13-15).

Why Mosheh asked YAHWEH to reveal HIS NAME

 Shemoth (Exodus) says that it was in order that Mosheh might convince the people of the authenticity of his mission. All the same, modern man is a little startled to find Mosheh asking the NAME of the Being WHO had just told him that HE was the ABBA of the fathers, that is, the patriarchs. In fact, however, the reasons for Mosheh’ question are much more profound than might appear at first sight. He needed to know ‘the NAME’, ABBA’s real NAME; and the sons of Yisrael also needed to know it accurately. The ritual of the ancient eastern beliefs throws a strange light on this matter.

In earlier books in this series, the importance attached to a name in these regions has been emphasized. 6 In the ancient Middle East the name borne by an individual cannot, as with us, be compared to a label identifying us and enabling us to identify one of our fellows and to differentiate him in practice from another. In the East, the actual syllables of a man’s first name (for at this time surnames did not exist) were thought to contain a real power that exercised a controlling influence over his character and even determined his destiny. A name affected the personality, expressed and conditioned it. So that to know someone’s name was to penetrate his inner nature, in some way to take possession of him, to exercise a ‘dominion’ over him.

Proper allowance being made, this explains why Mosheh considered it imperative to know with accuracy the NAME of the ABBA WHO was speaking to him and not merely by a vague paraphrase such as ‘ABBA of the fathers’. This need was inherited, as we have seen, from polytheistic belief of the past, and it may be opportune to give the historical reasons for the urgent concern of the Easterns to know what their protecting divinities were called.

Take the case of a group of believers before an altar. (Among the Semites this was of extreme simplicity, a heap of stones, or a block of beaten earth,) Their aim would be to compel the tribal god to answer their petition and to come in person to the place where sacrifice was being offered to him. To this end, he was summoned by his true name, usually a secret known to his worshippers alone. It is understandable that in the ancient legends the gods should be represented as very reluctant to tell their names: it put them, so to say, into the hands of men. 7

This historical background illustrates the inner meaning of Mosheh’ theological request: ‘What is YOUR NAME?’

6 See the preceding volume in the series, )Abraham, Loved by YAHWEH: it explains why the name Abrarn was changed into Abraham (p. 117): cf. also, Yitschaq (Isaac) and Yacob, ABBA’s Chosen Ones (p 77), why YAHWEH bestowed on Yacob the new name of Yisrael

7 We may remember that when Yacob crossed the Jabbok he passed the night with a mysterious being WHOM he finally recognized as the ABBA of his fathers. (Cf. Yitschaq (Isaac) and Yacob, ABBA’s Chosen Ones, p. 75.) Dawn was breaking when Yacob’s adversary (doubtless to be understood in a purely spiritual sense) gave him a new name indicating his future mission; it “’Jas Yisrael, that is May ABBA show HIS strength. Yacob-Yisrael was emboldened to ask ‘I beg you, tell me YOUR NAME’ YAHWEH absolutely refused ‘Why do you ask MY NAME?’ Evidently, therefore, in. the still-clouded age of the patriarchs, we encounter the old Semitic prudence of an ABBA WHO will not lightly reveal HIS NAME. In fact, Yacob had gone ahead too quickly. YAHWEH seems to have thought that the time was not yet ripe; it was not until Sinai that the ineffable NAME was -as we shall see in a moment -given to Mosheh with the injunction to proclaim it and to demand that it should be used for all time... for all generations to come (Shemoth (Exodus) 3:15).

Is the enlightening and powerfully original reply a genuine reply to Mosheh’ question?

Some Hebrew scholars say No, whereas most theologians say Yes. Before examining the two views and to be able to follow their arguments, a brief word must be said on the etymological and grammatical meaning of the SET APART word YAHWEH.

Modern orientalists are practically all agreed that YAHWEH was the original and authentic spelling, the w being pronounced au. This, as we shall see is important.

Literal translations of the word have not been lacking. It has, for instance, been said to stand for: ‘HE causes to exist’ (that is, creates): ‘HE brings to life’; ‘HE brings things about’ (that is, historical events in particular). Others see it as expressing the special powers of a storm YAHWEH: ‘HE blows’; ‘HE destroys’; ‘HE speaks’. But this exegesis is out of date, and has few defenders.

The view now held is that it is an archaic derivation of the verb ‘to be’: hayah. In some passages in the Scriptures, and even outside it, we find, as a designation of YAHWEH, the words Yah or Yaoh, very ancient forms of ‘to be’. So the translation of the phrase (in Greek) given in the Septuagint 8 would appear to be most fortunate; the Hebrew words ‘Ehyeh asher ‘ehyeh are best understood as meaning ‘I am the ONE WHO am’.

Two lines further, YAHWEH, speaking to Mosheh, again declared ‘You are to say to the sons of Yisrael: HE is, ‘Ehyeh, has sent me to you’,

This additional aspect ends the discussion: the verb ‘to be’ unquestionably underlies the set apart name. ‘I am the One who is his own existence’, ‘I am the ONE WHO eternally is’. Hence: the Eternal,

Some orientalists take the view that the expression: ‘I am the ONE WHO is’ cannot be considered to be a sufficient reply. The question asked by Mosheh is clear and direct, but the phrase ‘Ehyeh asher ‘ehyeh’ implies at least according to these scholars -a kind of refusal to reveal ‘the NAME’. They agree that at first sight it might be thought that YAHWEH had complied with Mosheh’ request. But it was not so: it was a cautious paraphrase which HE put into circulation, without in any way involving HIMSELF. The ABBA of Sinai took great care not to reveal HIS NAME and so enable men to lay hold of HIS essential reality.

This point of view has been strongly contested by eminent theologians who are students of Hebrew as well. They believe that the expression ‘Ehyeh asher ‘ehyeh is an enlightening and powerfully original reply, given by the CREATOR of all things to Mosheh and thereby to all men. It is surely obvious that our finite minds lack the ability to grasp the essentially infinite transcendence of YAHWEH. The definition given, they say, befits our intellectual stature, and is the very opposite of a cunning refusal to reply. The ‘Ehyeh asher ‘ehyeh gives us all that a human being can comprehend about YAHWEH: HIS unity, eternity, power, uniqueness and infinite perfections. An ABBA on all points utterly different from the foreign gods who are non-existent and to be considered by the Hebrews as nought.

YAHWEH is ‘the ONE WHO is’. He said: This is MY NAME for all time; by this NAME I shall be invoked for all generations to come.’

8 This is the first translation of the Scriptures into Greek; it was made in Alexandria. Formerly, on account of various documents (the letter of Aristeus), it was held that it dated from about 200 BC It is now believed that the books of the Scriptures of ‘the seventy’ (that is, the team of translators) appeared at different times; the dates cannot be precisely determined.

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