Understanding Exodus 3:15: I Am Still God

God's Name and the Promise to the Patriarchs

This moment at the burning bush is where God formally reveals His personal name - YHWH - and ties it directly to the promises He made long ago to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

God tells Moses to announce that 'The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you,' grounding the exodus mission in the covenant He made in Genesis 12:1-3, where He promised to bless Abraham, make his descendants a great nation, and bless all peoples through him. Now, centuries later, that same God is stepping into history to fulfill those promises by delivering His people from slavery. This is not a new god or a distant deity, but the faithful God who has been present all along, now acting decisively.

By linking His name YHWH to the patriarchs, God shows that He is unchanging and that His promises endure across generations. This connection changes the Exodus from a simple rescue into the next stage of God’s plan to restore blessing to a broken world, as He promised long ago.

The Eternal Name: I Am Who I Am

When God says, 'This is my name forever,' He is giving a name that reveals His nature as the self-existent, ever-present One who keeps His promises.

The name YHWH, known as the tetragrammaton, comes from the Hebrew verb 'to be' and connects directly to God’s earlier words in Exodus 3:14: 'I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I am has sent me to you.' By saying this, God declares that He exists on His own terms, depends on nothing, and will always be present with His people. Unlike the gods of other nations, who were tied to places or seasons, YHWH is eternal and unchanging. This name becomes the heartbeat of God’s identity throughout Scripture, showing up over 6,000 times.

This is a theological idea that is also personal and practical. By tying 'I am' to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, He shows that the same presence that guided their lives is now stepping into Israel’s suffering. Every time the people hear 'The Lord,' they’re reminded that the God who made promises long ago is still active, still faithful, and still with them. It turns their history into a living story of rescue and relationship.

Later, this name shapes how Israel understands God’s character - Exodus 34:6 describes YHWH as 'merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.' Even when Israel fails, God remains true to His name. This same 'I am' shows up in the New Testament when Jesus says, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58), claiming that divine presence for Himself.

Trusting the Same Faithful God Today

The God who revealed His name to Moses is both a figure from the past and the same living God who invites us to trust His promises today.

He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and God still keeps His word to those who rely on Him. This isn’t about earning favor through perfect behavior, but about resting in the character of the One who says, 'I am who I am' - always present, always faithful. We don’t need to wonder if God will show up. His name tells us He already has.

Even when life feels like slavery - overwhelming, hopeless, or stuck - this passage reminds us that the eternal 'I am' hears, sees, and acts. The same God who delivered Israel is ready to walk with us now, not because we’ve earned it, but because His name means He stays true to His promises.

The Name That Echoes Through Scripture

The name YHWH, revealed in Exodus 3:15, belongs to the past and also pulses through the entire Bible story, pointing to Jesus as the one who embodies God’s presence and promise.

God declares through the prophet Isaiah, 'I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols' (Isaiah 42:8), showing that His name is inseparable from His unique identity and saving purpose. This makes it all the more striking when Jesus steps into that same identity, telling the religious leaders, 'Before Abraham was, I am' (John 8:58). In that moment, He claims not to be merely old but to be the eternal 'I am,' the very presence of God in human form.

By using 'I am' in John 8:58, Jesus ties Himself to the burning bush, revealing that He is more than a prophet like Moses; He is the source of the divine name itself. The apostle Paul confirms this continuity when he writes that 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved' (Romans 10:13), quoting Joel 2:32 and applying it to Jesus - meaning that calling on Jesus is the same as calling on YHWH. This shows that the salvation promised under the old covenant - rooted in God’s name and faithfulness - is now fulfilled in Christ. The name YHWH, once spoken only by the high priest once a year, is now freely available to all who believe in Jesus.

The revelation of God’s name is not merely a detail from Exodus; it is a thread that runs from the patriarchs to the prophets, from the desert to the cross, and from the tomb to the throne. It reminds us that the God who said 'I am' is still speaking, still saving, and still present in Jesus.

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