Chapter 4 Review: The Naming of God and Ethics
Definitions
God’s Call: Must find love to communicate with God. God speaks, gives a mission,
the person being called objects, they are reassured by God. Like the men and women
in the bible, we often hear God’s voice but struggle to respond for to do so would
require a life of change.
Covenant: A binding agreement between two parties that spells out the conditions
and obligations of each party. God’s covenant is a bond of love that calls to us in our
freedom to respond in love.
Encounter: God reveals Him/Herself to humanity. I.e. Holy Scripture
Passover: Commemorates the liberation of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt by
the hand of God.
Prophet: Messengers or Spokespersons for God. When God calls them they receive
new identities. The summons transforms them. The prophet is only God’s
messenger – the message belongs to God
Revelation: People have the ability to know God through God’s works. But there is a
higher order of knowledge, which comes not from human reason, but from Divine
Revelation. God makes himself fully known by sending his beloved son, Jesus Christ,
and the Holy Spirit. The Sacred Scriptures reveal the loving actions of God in human
history.
Theophany: describes a direct encounter between God and an individual or one
representing a group which has been recorded in Scripture
Revelation:
•God makes Himself fully known to humanity by sending his son Jesus Christ and
the Holy Spirit.
•Henri Nouwen says that God’s voice is something that we must gradually learn to
listen to
•We need to be faithful in prayer and be silent to allow ourselves to rest in God and
become aware of His presence.
•God is also encountered through scripture.
•For example, C.S Lewis had an indescribable experience in which he encountered
God.
Moses
•Leader of the Israelites and most important prophet of the Old Testament
•Born in Egypt to unnamed Hebrew parents
•His mother sent him down the Nile River to protect him from the Pharaoh’s decree.
•Found by the Pharaoh’s daughter and grew up in the Pharaoh’s house
•Killed an Egyptian to protect a Hebrew slave and was exiled by the Pharaoh
Revelation of the Name of God – Moses’ First Theophany
•While tending sheep, Moses encounters the Angel of the Lord in the form of a
burning bush.
•God commissions Moses to go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites of out slavery and
into freedom.
•When Moses asks what he should tell the Israelites when they ask who sent him,
God responds by telling Moses his name, “I am who I am”
•Moses is reluctant to accept God’s mission and insists that God has chosen the
wrong person
•God reassures Moses by telling him what to say to his people and has Moses’
brother Aaron act as a mouthpiece.
Moses’ Mission
•Moses goes to the people and with Aaron’s help convinces the Israelites that they
were sent by God.
•Pharaoh refuses to allow the Israelites to leave so God sends the ten plagues to
Egypt:
1. Water Turned to Blood
2. Frogs
3. Gnats
4. Flies
5. Livestock Diseased
6. Boils
7. Thunder and Hail
8. Locusts
9. Darkness
10. Death of the Firstborn
The Egyptians tried once more to hold the Israelites in slavery. However, they
escaped after the parting of the Red Sea.
Israel at Mt. Sinai
•Moses went back up to God and He told Moses that if the Israelites upheld the
covenant, they would be a priestly nation and would be his treasured possessions
out of all people
•The Lord then told Moses to consecrate his people, have them wash their clothes
and prepare for the third day when He would descend upon Mt. Sinai
•On the morning of the third day a trumpet sounded and there was thunder and
lightning. Then the mountain was wrapped in smoke as the Lord descended upon it
in fire.
The Decalogue
•Then God gave Moses the Ten Commandments/The Decalogue
•These were the guidelines of what was expected of the Israelites and the conditions
that must be met in order to uphold the covenant between them and God.
•After all the people witnessed the thunder and lightning; they were frightened of
the Lord and feared for their lives. However Moses reassured them and said “Do not
be afraid; for God has come only to test you and to put the fear of him upon you so
that you do not sin.” (Exodus 20)
Guiding Questions - Pg 65
What happened to C.S Lewis in his experience?
 In this experience C.S Lewis had a revelation with God. He notes that the
experience was almost beyond words and has difficulty explaining exactly
what happened. Before the experience, Lewis says he was wearing stiff
clothing, which refers to feeling of isolation, guilt and a lack of freedom. He is
given the choice by God to experience true freedom. After the experience
Lewis says that he began to open his eyes and ears to see what was
presenting itself in his everyday life.
How did this encounter with God being to change C.S Lewis?
 Lewis begins to change as a person after the experience. He begins to open
himself to God and in a gradual process, begins to see and hear God in his
everyday life. Lewis also makes the discovery, “I am what I do”. He then
advises people to resist our culture’s tendency to be sceptical and instead
learn to listen.
The Ten Commandments
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The Ten Commandments have been interpreted in the traditionally known
Catechetical texts. (Ex. “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the
land of Egypt out of the house of Bondage” is the same as “I am the Lord your
God” in Traditional Catechetical sense)
There are two versions of the Ten Commandments found in the bible. One is
the Exodus 20, which is the longer version and the second version Is in the
Book of Deuteronomy
Not intended just for the Jews
Addresses each and every one of us individually.
The “you” in the Commandments is in the second person (and therefore,
singular) for the simple fact so that it can be relevant to what it means to you
as an individual
States and explains to us what God's expectations are for us outlined through
our covenant between God
Jesus was asked by one of his followers which Commandment was the most
important. Jesus answered the first as it is to Love your Lord they God with
all you heart mind and soul.
The second greatest is to love thy neighbour as yourself. These two
Commandments are the foundation all the rest of the Commandments lay on.
Ten Commandments are the Law and Covenant to the people of God; this
makes it not just rules and commandments, to remind us of what the Lord
did especially to the children (people) of Israel.
 The Second part of the Commandments it shows and describes how to treat
God and by treating our neighbours with Love and compassion we are also
giving this love and respect to God as well.
 Jesus has taught us that the first three Commandments hold the key to Love
and honour God. The last seven helps us with the human community we live
in.
The covenant between the people of Israel and God brought them out of slavery. The
Lord chose them because they cried out to him to help them; all he asks in return is
to Love him and abide by the Law of the Ten Commandments.
Covenant- In order to understand Covenants we must take a look at their origins:
The Preamble
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The treaty always begins with the name, the titles and attributes
The Historical Prologue
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The Leader gives a historical overview which describes the relationship
between the Leader and what is expected from the one entering into the
covenant.
It includes the benefits if followed
The prologue forms the foundation
It can be said many ways depending on the circumstances at the time of the
treaty.
The Submission
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The submission states what is expected
It declares future relationship of the partnership
Requests Loyalty
It is expressed frequently for example- “Love thy God-I am your God”
The Witnesses
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Every document needs a witness
Treaties and covenants
Witnesses can be God, Moses, people, prophets heaven, earth and so forth
The Blessings and Curses
 The treaty or covenant explains what will happen if you remain faithful or
unfaithful
What's in a Name?
 Your name is who you are
 This is your identity which you were given at birth by your parents
 Like the story of the burning bush, Moses is given a new name for God;
YHWH
The Name “I AM” who is God has consequences for Moses:
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It changes his life forever because it has given Moses a mission and part of
this mission is the name “I AM”
“I AM” is who will free the Israelites
The name “I AM” in this case is the liberator who frees them
When Moses is called by “I AM' from the bush, Moses answers, “Here I Am”
Moses has now declared his call as a prophet to God
As a prophet his name has now given new meaning and identity and as a
witness of God
Information is now given to us about God through Moses because of the “I
AM” name
“I AM' or YHWH is a name with great power which changes history forever:
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The slave people become a nation by this great power of this name
Therefore, now the nation Israel has been given a vocation
The Israelites are now bound forever to reveal this name.
There can never be an Israel without “I AM”
The Name now results in a very new way of living:
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The name is now an ethical event
The most important part of the meeting between God and Moses is the Ten
Commandments that were given to him by “I AM”
The reason for keeping these commands is that “I AM” is your GOD; this
covenant is an ethical bond between God and the people
It is in obeying these Ten Commandments that we actually give witness
ourselves to God
The name is not something we can understand by name only, but rather acting
ethically towards the other is what gives us the knowledge of what the name means.
We are agents of God therefore and need to act responsibly for the other.
The Name is a source of judgment:
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When you hear the name God it provokes a decision on who ever hears it
The Name can not only be a blessing, but it can also be a curse
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For example, the Name “I AM” became a curse for Egypt as when the people
decided not to abide by HIS covenant it was cursed
Life as a covenant with YHWH
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The book of Exodus explains to us all how the people of Israel began to
understand that they were the people of God
Their stories became our stories , making us understand ourselves as people
of God today
Even in today's society we understand that this applies to all nations not just
Israel and that this covenant with God makes us responsible now to others
There are many stories in the bible we can read that has the same universal
meaning for example stories such as the creation, faiths of the Israelite, Moses and
so forth
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All these stories unite us together with our relationship to God
We were never meant to be alone but with each-other
Just like the creation of the story regarding Adam when God created him he
saw that he was alone and then created Eve
The story of Abraham and Sarah says that all nations were to be blessed and
through him all nations would be born. His faith helps him leave his homeland on
the blind faith based on a promise from God, to find the new land. Like Abraham, we
too must have faith in God and each other so that our relationship with God is made
into an unbreakable bond and trust.
The Covenant with Moses
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It is when Moses encounters God in the burning Bush that the covenant was
made
Because Abraham (Moses) and this bond with God and heard the cry of his
people he came to help them
God was very moved from their suffering and their faith and cry to Him. “I
am” also made a covenant to search for Israel’s heart and the bond is
everlasting
If Israel forgets this bond or ignores it then they will be lost
As Christians we understand this theory because we too can be lost without
abiding to the covenant with God
Our covenant is continuously renewed and becomes more powerful through
Jesus
It is this identity that has been rooted in God and through our relationship
with Jesus Christ
Prophets of God
 Moses is not the only prophet; Israel’s history contains several prophets
 When God calls a prophet, they receive new identities; it transforms them
 The call from God defines a person’s vocation; our personal way of life
 The prophet’s vocation defined who they became
Structure of a Call Story
1. Confrontation with God: Each call story begins with an encounter with God
that is always unique. We recognize the immense disproportion between God
and the prophet. God sends them on their mission that completely changes their
life.
2. Introductory Speech: God always speaks first and makes himself announced.
The heart of the call is an assurance that God is with the prophet.
3. Imparting of a mission: Sometimes the mission is brutal and takes on identity/
mission of the prophet. This is the prominent phase of the story
4. Objection by the prophet-to-be: Prophets are strongly aware of the mission
and know it will set them apart from people. It is their burden, but God is with
them.
5. Reassurance by God: God reassures the prophet that they will succeed in their
mission. Words the prophet speaks are God’s word; the prophet is taken over by
the lord’s word.
6. The Sign: Delivering on promise; not always a clear sign
The Structure of Isaiah’s Call:
1. Saw lord sitting on throne; hems of robe filled the temple; seraphs in
attendance (6wings)
2. “Holy, holy, holy is the lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory
“(God)
3. Whom shall I send? His mission is preceeded by a request.
4. His unclean lips
5. Seraph touches his lips, cleans away sins and doubts
6. “Until cities lie waster...when it is felled” (bring upon themselves) 
Babylonian exile
The Structure of Jeremiah’s Call:
1. Lord came to him (in which form is undefined)
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5.
6.
“Before I formed you I knew you”
Prophet to the nation
Jeremiah felt that he was only a boy
God put his words in Jeremiah’s mouth
“To pluck up and pull down ... to build and to plant”
The Structure of Ezekiel’s Call:
1. Vision
2. “ O mortal, stand up I will speak with you
3. Sent to Israel who has rebelled against God
4. Ezekiel stubborn, doesn’t say anything; stunned for seven days
5. Eats scroll to fill stomach/soul
6. Lifted up ; glory of Lord rose in his place
Prophets of Judgement
 A prophet is given a mission to tell the people that their cities will be laid
waste of inhabitants etc is given a bitter/difficult mission
 The prophets are ordinary people and yet they are called to being judgement
over God’s people
 The prophets are expressing God’s action to keep the covenant from
unravelling
 Past tragedies of Israel need to be understood in terms of the covenant
 Not to symbolize end of covenant, but rather the need to embrace it
 In times of misery, it is the prophet’s job to interpret the significance of the
events; recognizing that freedom involved realizing sinfulness
Sin and Transgression
 Sin was a word used by the prophets to mean transgressions; events judged
by God
 Realizing that our actions do not measure up before God; no one is as holy as
God
 Breaking the commandments is sinful because we wilfully distance ourselves
from God; breaks our covenant with God and one another
 Sin shows itself when moral commandments are broken; sins turn us away
from God
 The prophets broke down the infractions of sinning; you are a sinner by
stealing, killing, polluting etc.
 Sins reveal the holiness of God
Guiding Questions – pg 81 & 82
What does “Revelation” mean in the context of sacred Scripture?
God makes Himself fully known to humanity by sending his son Jesus Christ
and the Holy Spirit. The Sacred Scriptures reveal the loving actions of God in human
history.
Why does the Revelation of God always call us to respond in some way?
God’s revelation demands a response.
What is Israel’s understanding of sin?
Sin is seen through the eyes of Israel as a transgression against God. By sinning we
distance ourselves from God, breaking moral commandments (Ex. 10
commandments)
How is God’s action of sending prophets to point out Israel’s sin a loving and
constructive thing to do?
By sending prophets, God allows the Israelites to recognize their the immorality of
their action. This is especially true in comparison to God’s holiest of actions. This
comparison reveals the Israelites’ sins.
How do you think that sending prophets to the people is God’s way of keeping the
covenant relationship intact?
Prophets are a vessel for God’s voice. By sending them to the people, God is
able to show us our faults when we stray from the covenant. God’s prophets bring
his judgement and allow us to recognize our captivity to sin.