So here we are at the last post in the series and the final C: continuity. As always, before we begin, we’ll define the word. According to Merriam-Webster, continuity is defined in the following manner:

1:  uninterrupted connection, succession, or union

2:  uninterrupted duration or continuation especially without essential change

So, why is continuity important? Well, as normal human beings, we usually want assurance that an institution is stable before we put too much faith in it. As I mentioned in the previous post, a promise or bond is only as good as the person or institution backing it. There’s an old saying: “Solid as the Rock of Gibraltar”. This was meant to describe something that was very safe or firm. Basically, it meant this thing was going to be around for a while. With this in mind, let’s take a look at the following exchange between God and Moses:

Moses says to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” God says to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”

So, what would you do today if someone came to you and told you that God said you should follow them? You’d probably ask what God? If they said the god Bob sent me, would you follow them? Well, unless you were familiar with a god named Bob, you probably wouldn’t. You’d, at the very least, want to hear a familiar name before you even thought about following that person. God knows this. And since He is not the author of confusion, it’s unlikely that he would give the Israelites a name that they wouldn’t recognize, so let’s take a deeper dive.

The Hebrew word translated as I AM in the 3^rd chapter of Exodus is the same word used in the very first chapter of Genesis when God was creating the earth. It is the same word translated as be when God said let there be light. In fact, this word appears 17 times in the book of Genesis alone. His name and aspects of who He is are woven into the very fabric of creation. Nothing came into being without it being created by Him. He is in our DNA! To further blow your mind, yah, a contraction of the word Yahweh helps to make up the name yokheved, the first name of this type in the bible. You might recognize this name better as Jochebed: the mother of Moses. The name Jochebed means glory of Yahweh or Yahweh’s glory.

We don’t worship a fly by night God. As I mentioned earlier, we tend to put our faith in organizations and institutions because they have longevity and a track record of success. If a business has been around for 20, 50, or 100 years, they’d brag about it because they know it matters. It shows stability, strength, and reliability. It lets you know that it’s okay to trust in them. Well, this God have been around since before our beginning. How much faith should we put in Him?