To be honest the concept of the Old Testament God is somewhat intimidating to me…it always has been when it comes to my personal studies and even when listening to sermons in church. I always ask myself how I can apply the Old Testament lessons and the Old Testament God to my life today.
Malachi 3:6 (NKJV)
For I am the Lord, I do not change;
Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.
Well, there it is! There’s the answer to my question. He does not change. The Old Testament God is the same as the New Testament God who is the same as the God of today.
That’s easy enough to understand but sometimes (well, a LOT of times) I need to be reminded who the I Am is, and I need to be reminded that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. I need to be reminded of this not because there is a lack of His beautiful creations around me, and not because I don’t see His blessings every time I look into the eyes of my children. I am grateful for these reminders because it is so easy to become caught up in the goings-on of the day, and in the busyness of the day that I begin to lean on myself rather than rely on God. Days when He seems far away.
When I looked at the verses listed today I saw where I can use them each day. I was reminded who the I Am of the Old Testament is. I love how there is a starting point to go back to when it seems as if He is so far away. The statements listed below are only a few of the reminders He gives us:
- I Am the Lord your God, I do not change.
Never
- I Am who I Am.
God is God and always will be
- I Am the Lord in the midst of the land.
Our lands, homes, work, even the grocery store
- I Am the Lord who heals you.
Headaches, sore throats, emotional pain, our loved ones. Anything and everything.
- I the Lord your God am a jealous God.
He wants to be Number 1
- I Am gracious.
His grace and mercies are new each day
- I Am the Lord who sanctifies you.
Forgiveness and redemption
“Because God is creative, organized and thorough, He has given us markers and clues as we read His Word.” These markers and clues are reminders of who He is, reminders of how much He loves us, reminders of who we are within who He is.
This week my personal goal—a goal that I invite everyone to join me in—is to pay attention to the I Am statements within the Old Testament. Let’s highlight, underline, write on note cards the I Am statements that we find, and then begin to better understand who He is. I want to go back to the beginning and be reminded of the I Am of the Old Testament.
*****
Let’s Pray:
Dear Heavenly Father, Thank You for reminding us of who You are. Like a parent who reminds their child throughout the day, You remind us of who You are and of Your love for us. As You said in the Book of Malachi, “I do not change.” Lord, through this study, please open our hearts and allow us to remember who You are. Allow us to draw into our hearts the beauty and truth of Your words.
In Jesus’ name we pray.
Amen
About Tonya Ellison
Many people only see God in the Old Testament as a wrathful God, but as we dig into the Scriptures and read all of the I AM verses they give us a much different picture of God. Tonya, your list clearly shows God in a much different light–ever with us, Healer, wants relationship with us, gracious, merciful, Forgiver, Redeemer. As Teresa said, “People leak. We tend to forget were we came from and Who we came from. We leak out the knowledge of the One Who created us for a purpose,…and will be at the end when we fulfill our purpose.”
It amazes me that the God of the Universe wants me to know Him so intimately, but Jeremiah 31:3 explains why, “long ago the Lord said to Israel: ‘I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting(never ending, never-changing) love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.'”
So I am thankful for this study, to remind me again of the Great I AM, Who He is, and who I am to Him and in Him. “Oh how He loves you and me.”
That never ending, unfailing love is something that I try to remind myself of on a daily basis. It ia a reminder of the old testament God I don’t fully know but that I am going to strive to learn about.
Sometimes when am faced with troubles of this world and when am perpexed to the wheels i feel God has left me. I am not assured that he never changes he has been helping people he will intervene into my situations even now and he shall continually transacct with me. all i need to do is exert Faith to it, it will work for me. His love endureth forever indeed.
His love does endure forever… in certain areas of life we need to exercise faith to remind ourself of this.
“We leak,” Oh yes we do, but thank our Gracious and Merciful Father for his forgiveness. That He is: Who I am, What I am, and What I will Be. He never changes. Forever remains the same. I love what Teresa wrote in the last paragraph of the reflection section “He did not change His mind because we want to behave differently,” and Praise the Lord He did not change. I know that I have many times decided to “Behave Differently,” throughout my walk with God, and Praise His Glorious name that He never left me nor forsaked me. He was right there waiting for me and completely forgave me and accepted me, and STILL loved me with a “Never-ending, Never-changing Love. Because He is the “I AM.” Tonya what a beautiful-heart-felt blog today. Thank you! We are blessed. What really reached out and grabbed my heart today what in the second to last paragraph of the reflection section when Teresa wrote “Go back to the beginning and give Him your heart again.” How blessed are we that the great “I AM” never changes, is willing to take us right back; forgive us, love us, and is willing to take us to the place He wants us to go. BEAUTIFUL Tonya!! Thank you.
Mary, both of the comments you mentioned also touched my heart. I am more than thankful that God did not stop loving me because of my behavior, and that He is waiting for me with open arms. Forgiveness and acceptance. Thank God!
How wonderful to know that our God never changes! He is always faithful and full of love and mercy for us. LIke Mary, Ann and Cella stated above it is us who changes, moves or forgets that He is the great “I Am” and that He is all we need. I know that I have had to be reminded of this countless times in the past year. Thank you Father for never letting go of us when we forget who you are!
“Thank you Father for never letting go of us when we forget who you are!” Amen to that!
Beautifully written, Tonya. I AM amazed at the grace and mercy of the Father to continually forgive me when I mess up. He restores me to right fellowship when I repent and seek Him. He doesn’t change or move away from me, I move. My earthly vessel leaks His goodness. I constantly need to be refilled to reflect His character. Love, love, love your heart, Tonya.
Sometimes we judge our own sins as whether or not they are worthy of God forgiving them, and what a beautiful thing to remember that He is faithful and JUST to forgive us our sins! What an amazing God we serve, who loves us so very much…the good, the bad, and the ugly! AMEN!
So often I have heard people say that the God of the OT is different than the God of the NT…the I Am statements show this to be so untrue! Thank you God for never changing, for Your never-ending patience & mercy. Thank You for ALWAYS being faithful to me, even when I wasn’t faithful to You.
In the beginning of when I became a new Christian, it was so hard for me to understand or grasp a God that never changes. We humans are so used to others humans who change, and are sometimes not very dependable. But God is so good to us, to show us that He will never change…He will always be the same..yesterday, today, and forever more. We can always depend on that!!
Thanks Tonya and Theresa!!
When reading the I AM’s in the old testament, God shepherd’s HIS people back to HIM.
He is merciful, loving, and caring. We like the old testament people allow ourselves to get in the way of HIS merciful plan. Like us they are unable to give their ALL to him and because they like us are sinners they fall short. Thanks be to God that he had a plan to send his son to be our Savior. I am reminded daily in this study of my need for the Great ” I AM”.
Can you only imagine what our lives would be like if Jesus had never come to earth; if God had just given up on the human race when Adam and Eve sinned? I don’t even want to think about that!
I have been guilty of leaning on myself rather than God. I feel God dealing with me in this area quite a bit lately. It’s so comforting to know God is never changing and we can fully rely on Him.
Depending on our own selves can be such a tricky thing, in that how easily it sneaks its way into our lives, without us noticing it from the very beginning!
oh i just LOVE reading through and thinking about these ‘I AM’ statements—seeing how God chooses to make Himself known!
tonya, i love where you shared your goal/idea to keep them right in front of your face by writing them out and highlighting them AND to pay attention to them… i’ll be joining you! <3
I have to echo Becky’s comment….I am guilty at times of leaning on myself instead of the great I AM who is all sufficient and never changing. Great encouraging word and reminder for us today Tonya…thank you so much!
I am echoing Lannette comment , I am so guilty of jumping in with both feet and not thinking and leads ing myself and then I get in hot water , espically when it comes to things I just want to run ahead and fix them and I have to allow God to be the one to fix things and lead me in the right direction
I think we all look and desire the “God who does not change” it is comforting and scarey. I know I crave and desire this.
When I read your comment that you crave and desire this, Esther, I just wanted to jump off the computer and SHOUT OUT, ‘Esther You Have It!” No need to crave and desire it. You already have it! God has promised us that He will never change! We CAN depend on that!! PTL!!!
I love where you shared, “I Am the Lord in the midst of the land. — Our lands, homes, work, even the grocery store” Sometimes we don’t realize that God really IS with us, no matter where we are! He is with us because He wants to be! He wants to help us with every single detail of our life…from the BIG things to the smallest of things. And yes, even as you mentioned, even at the grocery store! I love this blog today hon! Your heart, and God’s, shines through!! <3
Thanks Tonya,
It brings me peace and comfort to remember that he is and always will be “the Healer” and “gracious” father of my life
AMEN,Crystal!!!
Great lesson today, and wonderful blog…two nuggets that spoke mounds to me from today’s lesson, first from the lesson “people leak”. WOW just reading that phrase took my mind in many different directions…I began asking ” God how am I leaking”? Is it a slow, gradual leak forgetting everything about You as my life passes by, is it a never ending leak, where what You put in I am not allowing to stay inside my heart and learn from, or am I leaking everything to the world that you give me so that they will begin to have the knowledge too of who You are….I always want my leak to be the last one I mentioned, I want to pour everything I possibly can from God into others so they can know the “I AM” the one and only… And secondly Tonya’s statement in the blog “He wants to be number 1”. And that is exactly where I want Him to be as well, I never want to give Him my leftovers. The God of the Old is the God of New
He was–He is–He will be!!!! he is my constant, my stability, my security (3 WOW factors you and I will never find anywhere else)!!!!! Thank you Lord for Your promise
Spectacular lesson as God leads us in His introductions to His son. What an awesome God who cared enough to give us these intimate details.