God Wants Us to Know Both His Name AND His Acts!

Exodus 6:2-3 – An God said to Moses, ‘I am Yahweh – the Lord’. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai – ‘God Almighty’ – but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. (NLT)

We know from this, as well as from other scriptures, that God appeared and made Himself known to the patriarchs. He also made a covenant with Abraham (Genesis 15:1-21). God then reiterated this same covenant with Isaac (Gen 26:1-3) and then again with Jacob (Gen 28:1-4 & 35:9-12). Since He spoke to these patriarchs in such a defining way, what then is meant in Exodus 6:3 where it states that He did not reveal His name (YHWH or Yahweh) to them?

Before we answer this question, let’s give a little more background. First, in Exodus 6:3 the name for God used here is El-Shaddai. It is translated “God Almighty” and can also be translated as “The God Who is Enough”, “The All-Powerful” and “The One Who is Self-Sufficient”. These are wonderful names that speak to God being Israel’s protector, source of strength and blessing. There are two times in the book of Genesis where God reveals Himself as “I Am El Shaddai” – once to Abraham (17:1) and then to Jacob (35:11). These two verses are the background verses to help us understand Exodus 6:3. [1]

Second, in Exodus 3:14 says “God said to Moses, I Am Who I Am. And He said, ‘Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I Am has sent me to you.’”  The name used here is YHWH. According to the notes in the “New Spirit Filled Life Bible” pg. 80 – “God identifies Himself as ‘I Am Who I Am’. Revealing His divine name declares His character and attributes, reinforcing that the issue is not who Moses is, but who is with him. This name is related to the Hebrew verb meaning ‘to be,’ and so implies the absolute existence of God. The Hebrew here is also the source of the English, ‘Yahweh,’ ‘Jehovah,’ or ‘Lord’ (vs. 15).”

Third, during the Patriarchal period, the name YHWH was used frequently. As a matter of fact, it appears 148 times in the book of Genesis.[2]

So, as asked above, if God was known by the His name (YHWH) prior to Exodus 6:3, what does He mean when He says that He did not reveal His name?

Context is always important to consider. Therefore, in order to help us better understand Exodus 6:3 we need to read 6:4-8, which states:

    ⁴ And I (YHWH) reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. ⁵ You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them. ⁶ “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. ⁷ I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. ⁸ I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’” (NLT)

In this portion of scripture, YHWH/the Lord reveals the answer to our question. God is saying that He is going to do something that He has never done before. He is about to act and act very decisively on behalf of Israel against the oppression of Pharaoh and Egypt. To reiterate, God tells Moses: (1) He will establish His covenant with His people [v. 4]; (2) He has heard their groaning and has remembered His covenant [v. 5]; (3) YHWH states that He is their God and that He will redeem and deliver them [v. 6-7]; (4) He will bring them to the land He promises for them [v. 8].

Israel will not only have a knowledge and familiarity of God’s name (YHWH), as important as that is to know the character and person of God. But, by the deliverance of YHWH they will gain an in-depth experiential understanding, far beyond what the patriarchs knew about God. As a matter of fact, “A knowledge of God as Lord/YHWH will emerge from the experience of these events that would be impossible without the experience of these events." [3]

God “appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (in limited form) as El Shaddai (who makes covenantal promises). But I (God) was not the object of (full) covenantal knowledge to them as conveyed by my name Yahweh (who keeps covenantal promises).” [4]

In other words, they will come to know YHWH/Lord/God in a much deeper way, not just by His NAMES (El Shaddai and YHWH) but also, by God's deliverance, because of His mighty ACTS!

It is also wonderful to look at this in terms of the covenant promise and blessing. God not only establishes covenants, but also acts powerfully to fulfill the terms of the covenant for the sake of His people.

Just as Exodus chapter 6 marks the restoration of the Israelites in covenanted relationship with God in order that they would know both His NAME and His ACTS, so now God wants to show us His NAMES and His ACTS. The overriding goal of God is to bring us into deep, abiding, and intimate relationship with Him and this in how He does it. 

Just as He delivered Israel from the bondage and oppression in order to start them on the journey toward the Promised Land, His heart’s desire is to deliver us from sin, thereby redeeming us, and grant us liberty and freedom. The purpose of this liberty and freedom is so that we are free from the entanglement of sin (Galatians 5:1) and are empowered to  live in faith and faith that is expressed by love (Gal. 5:6, 13-14).

Every Christian needs to know God by His character, promises, and the historic written testimony of the Word of God. As mentioned above, and in the context of this article, we call this - knowing God’s NAME. This is absolutely wonderful and necessary. All of us need to know who our God is because this is foundational for our capacity to have trust and relationship in Him.

However, as stated previously, God wants us to know even more than just His NAME. He wants us to know His ACTS as well. Knowing the ACTS of God is vital to the growth of our faith and for participating with Him by allowing Holy Spirit to flow in and through us with demonstrations of His power which confirm His Word. 

This is something important to understand so that we will align our lives to God, have faith and expectation based upon the Word (knowing who He is and His promises to us). As we put to death the deeds of the flesh, renew our minds, and look to live only for Him, we open up the gate of our spirits and souls (mind, will, and emotions) for God to flow by His presence and power. This is how we are called to live. This is a reality that is meant to be ours because of the covenant promises we have in our Lord. 

To know God by His NAME and ACTS is what God wants us to experience, to grow in, and walk in - knowing greater victory, His anointing and the awesome power and presence of His Spirit. It was true for the Israelite in Exodus and it is even truer for us today!

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[1] Exodus – An Exegetical Commentary by Victor P. Hamilton, Baker Academic, div. of Baker Publishing Group, 2011, pg. 99.

[2] Exodus – An Exegetical Commentary, Victor P. Hamilton, p. 100.

[3] Exodus – An Exegetical Commentary, p. 101.

[4] Exodus – An Exegetical Commentary, quoting Garr (1992:408), p. 102.