I Will Be What I Will Be

‘ehyeh asher ehyeh’ – I will be what I will be

Exodus 3 

“13 And Moses said to God, "Behold I come to the children of Israel, and I say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they say to me, 'What is His name?' what shall I say to them?"

14 God said to Moses, "Ehyeh asher ehyeh (I will be what I will be)," and He said, "So shall you say to the children of Israel, 'Ehyeh (I will be) has sent me to you.'"”

Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks explains in a speech at Berkley, how this declaration of the Almighty’s, when asked His name by Moses is a declaration of God being a radically free agent.

That is, he argues that God is declaring He is a God of the present and future who can and will do and be what he wants. Thus the future is not pre-determined but open to the will of God.

Rabbi Sacks then goes on to explain that, in being made in the image of God, we human beings are also creative beings who are also radically free to create our own futures, to choose what we want to become and what we want to be.

This is a liberating concept that is at the heart of Judaism. 

The understanding that, while we may have ‘two hearts’ or two inclinations (Yetzer HaRa and Yetzer HaTov), we also have a great capacity to create a good and positive future for ourselves and those whom we touch. 

We are not ‘totally depraved’ sinners as Christian Reformed theology teaches (based on the false doctrine of ‘Original Sin’ - see 'Original Sin and the Seed of Abraham' by Frank Selch).

So the Almighty declares His freedom and power over the future; power to bring great blessings to man, as well as to bestow curses and punishment. At the same time He gives us the power and freedom to choose to heed His direction and receive His blessings or to turn our back on Him and ultimately receive some unwanted and painful attention from Him.

This understanding should give all who acknowledge the God of Israel great hope. That is we should trust that together we  can make things better. 

This is true faith and this faith is not a faith in the past but a faith in and for the future.

Be radically free; create your future; work to turn both your ‘hearts’ to true trust and obedience in God and be overwhelmingly rewarded!

These ideas were presented by Rabbi Sacks in a brilliant talk at Berkley late 2012 – watch here

(- this is a long video – Rabbi Sacks starts talking some 10 minutes in).

PS: Many 'Christian' translators have translated Ex 3:14 and the phrase 

 'ehyeh asher ehyeh' as 'I am that I am' and then tried to argue that this 'name' is used by Yeshua to label himself in John 8:58. The leading Hebrew scholars from Rashi to today inform us that this phrase is properly translated as 'I will be what I will be' and not 'I AM'.