He Calls Us By Our Names

Exodus 5: 1-2

“1 Afterward, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Let my people go, so that they may celebrate a festival to me in the wilderness.” 2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord, that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.”

Pharaoh did not know the one true God, but knew the names of many false gods and even regarded himself as a god.  

The divine Pharaoh was considered the intermediary between all other gods and Egyptian people.  The Egyptian people could not speak directly to any god, except through the Pharaoh.  And the Egyptian gods spoke to no one except through the Pharaoh.

Because Moses, who was not divine, brought the Pharaoh a message from the God of Israel, the Pharaoh refused to hear Moses, or  to believe what this God said.  All gods spoke only to and through the Pharaoh.

Christians, at times, have trouble believing that the God of the universe speaks directly to them.  The same God that spoke to Moses, to Abraham, to Noah,to the prophets, and to Paul speaks to us.

The Holy Spirit of that same God dwells in us.

We do not need an intermediary.  We know the Lord.  

He is involved in our personal lives.  We can pray to Him directly.

And He calls us by our names.

“To him the gatekeeper opens. The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.”  (John 10:3)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)