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Introduction

In previous articles of the "PLIM REPORT," we have covered the true names of our Heavenly Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit; Yahweh, Elohim, and Yahshua. What we have not explained is the context or circumstances in which the True name of Yahweh was revealed unto Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:1), which will be the intent of this article. To fully understand Egyptian reverence of a name, one must have a basic knowledge of Egyptian concepts and customs.

Many times when reading the scriptures, one does not have a context for the world that no longer exists at the time the scriptures were written. Unless one has the proper perspective, the true interpretation cannot be fully understood.

To grasp why Moses asked the angel at the burning bush for Elohim’s name, one has to understand the importance of a name and magic in the Egyptian culture. This insight into the Egyptian belief system will also explain why Israel substituted the title Adonai for Yahweh. In short, the Egyptians believed in magic and that names had great importance long before Elohim gave His name at the burning bush.

One of the first points one must understand is that Egyptians practiced magic at the time of Moses and were very superstitious from a modern point of view.

Egypt was the land of black magic and names were of primary importance in their superstition.

One has to understand that Moses spent 40 years in Egypt as a member of Pharaoh’s household. This meant he was educated as a member of the royal family and was familiar with all the customs of Egypt (Acts. 7:22).

Moses killed an Egyptian for ill-treating an Israelite and fled into the wilderness of Sinai, where he spent 40 years. It was here that he married Jethro’s daughter, who was the priest of Midian.

Now Moses had a vision of an angel in a burning bush who gave him a commission to return to Egypt and deliver Israel out of Egyptian bondage. Moses asked the angel the following question. "… Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The Elohim (God) of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And Elohim (God) said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM (I will be what I will to be): and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM (I will be) hath sent me unto you (Ex 3:13-14)."

Now the point being made here is that Moses asked the angel for a name? The Israelites had been in Egypt many years and had adapted a number of their customs. So, to understand the question, one has to understand the Egyptian custom concerning the name and magic.

The Old Testament gives very little history of Egypt or the Egyptian customs concerning magic and the names. One must do some research to determine what the Egyptians believed to fully understand the importance of a name in Egyptian culture.

Manly P. Hall, a 33o Mason, wrote in his classical work The Secret Teaching of All Ages the following. "Egypt, a great center of learning and the birth place of many arts and science, furnished an ideal environment for transcendental experimentation. Here black magicians of Atlantis continued to exercise their superhuman powers until they completely undermined and corrupted the morals of the primitive Mysteries."

Mr. Hall goes on to define ceremonial magic as the ancient art of controlling spirits by applying specific scientific formulas. A magician in his robe with his wand could use certain words of power and symbols to effect certain results.

Now quoting from the book Words Of Power by (Llwellyn Publications) Brain & Esther Crowley, they state the following about Egyptian magic being the basis for all science. "Ritual magic, or za, permeated all aspects of ancient Egyptian civilization, not only the expected areas of medicine, healing and prophecy. To the Egyptians, magic was regarded as an exact science. All gods, people, creatures and objects were considered to be imbued with a definable spiritual force that at once could be contacted, and controlled-when the correct words of command were utilized. There was a distinct belief in divine guidance and divine involvement in all human affairs (p. 111)."

In the Egyptian mindset the utterance of the correct words brought about certain spiritual powers for the person. The book Words Of Power further explains this scientific magic. "The first of three major basic principles governing Egyptian magical science was that sound itself possessed an intrinsic dynamic form. It was widely held that by simply uttering the name of a being or an inanimate object that being or object could be called into existence, thus paralleling the very act of original creation. A reigning pharaoh would preface any new decree with the words ‘I am the Great Word’ indicating that he was capable of conferring life. A magician would begin all spells with the words "peret herou," literally "that which comes forth at the voice."

Thus, the mere utterance of an object’s name brought its materialization in Egyptian magic. With this understanding of magic one can see the importance of a name, especially in terms of a god. This was why Moses asked for the name of the god of Israel’s fathers, for he knew that names had power.

Now that an understanding of the basic principles of Egyptian magic have been grasped, one can examine the concept of "names of power" in the Egyptian culture. Today in our modern scientific culture these concepts appear very superstitious, but one has to keep in mind that this was an era where magic ruled, as modern science and technology do today.

E. A. Wallis Budge in his book Egyptian Magic (Dover Publications Inc.) states the following about the power of the names to the Egyptian. "The Egyptians, like most Oriental nations, attached very great importance to the knowledge of names, and the knowledge of how to use and to make mention of names which possessed magical powers was a necessity both for the living and the dead. It was believed that if a man knew the name of a god or a devil, and addressed him by it, he was bound to answer him and to do whatever he wished; and the possession of the knowledge of the name of a man enabled his neighbor to do him good or evil (p. 157)."

Lewis Spence (Senate), in his book Egypt shows the following connection between the names of power and magic. "One of the most striking circumstances in connexion with Egyptian magic was the use of what has come to be known as ‘names of power.’ … To return to Egypt, we find that many Egyptians received two names-the ‘great’ name and the little ‘name,’ or the ‘ true’ name and the ‘ good’ name, the latter was made public, but the ‘true’ or ‘great’ name was most carefully concealed. We find the use of these ‘names of power’ extremely common all over the East. Even today, in reading the sacred name, Jahveh, the Jews render it ‘Adonai’; but nowhere was its use in such vogue as in Egypt (p. 258-259)."

Understanding Egyptian magic and "names of power," it becomes clear why the angel of Elohim gave Moses a name Yahweh or Ayah Asher Ayah and miraculous signs and wonders. In order for Elohim to reveal himself to Pharaoh and Israel, Elohim had to work with the mindset of the people who were immersed in superstition, magic, and names of power.

Since the Egyptians defined reality in this way, Elohim worked through their mindset. To introduce himself, as the true and only Creator of Heaven and Earth, He gave Moses the name Yahweh in which great signs and wonders were manifest. Moses wrote that Elohim said: "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Yahweh (LORD), when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them (Ex 7:5)."

In reality, this was a contest between Moses and Aaron versus Pharaoh and his magicians, which represent the two mysteries; the Mystery of Righteousness and the Mystery of Iniquity. It was at this time that Elohim choose Moses and Aaron to cast down the sorcery and magic by the higher power of Yahweh and establish Israel as a people that had power with Yahweh. Although neither Israel nor the Egyptians understood at the time, it was not the literal vocalization of the name "Yahweh" that invoked power, but faith in certain principles. Thus, Israel was supposed to be a model to the Gentile nations by magnifying His name and following His divine laws (Deut. 4:6).

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