I AM THAT I AM

by  ELDER JONAH TAWIAH OTABIE

– EXODUS 3:14

a.      The quotation talks about the sovereignty of God, the All-Powerful. He decides what to do and how to treat mankind in any state of life.

b.      The supplementary quotations below will prompt one to question if God is partial, discriminatory in the punishments He metes out to people committing the same crime or sin.

c.     THEFT: Achan – Joshua 7:1 & 25

              Ananias – Acts 5:1 &5

                                 Acts 5:10

Achan stole what did not belong to him at all and he was stoned to death together with his family members.

Ananias and his wife Saphira promised and sold their own land to support the ministry. They kept part of the proceeds and sent the rest to Peter. They died instantly for telling lies.

Why should Achan who stole what did not belong to him and Ananias who kept part of his vow suffer the same punishment?

d.      DISBELIEF: Zachariah – Luke 1:18/20

                    Abraham/Sarah – Gen 17:17

                                                           Gen 18:12/15

An angel of the Lord told Zachariah that his wife Elizabeth though advanced in age would bear a son to be called John but he doubted.

Zachariah went dumb until his son was born because he did not believe the promise of God.

Abraham and his wife Sarah also laughed and doubted their possibility of giving birth when they were promised by God that they would bear a son to be named Isaac. Sarah further denied having laughed about the message.

Of all the laughter, lies and disbelief, Abraham and Sarah did not suffer any punishment but rather the promise was reiterated (Gen 18:14) and fulfilled.

Why should the disbelief of Zachariah about the promise of a child render him dumb but Abraham and Sarah were pardoned of their disbelief, lies and laughter of the promise of a child?

e. SACRIFICE OF A CHILD – Gen 22:9-13

                                                 Judges 11:30-35

 Abraham was asked by God to offer his only child as a burnt offering to God Himself. When Abraham attempted to kill Isaac, God substituted Isaac with a ram. Jephtath promised to offer whatever came out of his house unto the Lord if he won victory over the Ammonites. Much to his disadvantage, his only child was the first to meet him. He was therefore bound to offer her daughter unto the Lord. He obeyed and fulfilled his vow.

Why didn’t God substitute the only child of Jephtath with an animal this time around?

f. THE ARK OF GOD – I Chronicle 15:2/25

                                   2 Samuel 6:6-7/11

                                   I Samuel 5

The ark of God was supposed to be carried by only the Levites. The Levites shirked their responsibilities by putting the ark on the oxen. Uzzah was worried about the ark being shaken. There was the possibility of the ark falling down. He cared so much and held the ark to keep it in balance. He was rather killed instantly by God but the Levites went scot free. Why should the “irresponsible” Levites go unpunished?

Let us assume that Uzzah did not qualify to touch the ark of God. The same ark was put in the house of Obededom the gate keeper of the ark of God, instead of the tent made by David but he was superfluously blessed.

The Philistines captured the ark of God, and brought it from Ebenezer unto Ashdod. They set it before a god called Dagon. The following day, the god was found broken into pieces and the people of Ashdod began to suffer the wrath of God.

The ark at Ashdod could be presumed to be in the wrong place. Hence the punishment on Ashdod. The ark of God was again at a wrong place – the house of Obededom – but Obededom was blessed.

In the case of Zachariah and Abraham, some may argue that Zachariah was punished for disbelief because he was a priest. If so, why were the Levites (priests) not punished for leaving the ark at the mercy of the oxen but rather Uzzah punished for trying to avert the fall of the ark?

YES! That is the decision of the “I AM THAT I AM” GOD, THE SOVEREIGN LORD OF HOST! 

g. MURDER: Genesis 4:8-15

                       Exodus 2:11-14

                       Exodus 3:10

Cain killed his brother Abel and God instantly pronounced punishment on him.

Gen 4:12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

Gen 4:13.  And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

God further pronounced punishment on whoever may slay Cain meaning God does not tolerate murder at all.

Meanwhile, Moses killed an Egyptian for fighting with his brother, a Hebrew and no punishment was seen meted out to Moses. Moses was later appointed by God as a “saviour” to deliver the Israelites from bondage in Egypt.

h. ADULTERY: 2 Samuel 11:1-5/:14-17

                          2 Samuel 12:10-15

David committed adultery with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. He further directed Joab to place Uriah at a point in war where Uriah was killed. David was given the privilege to repent after being condemned by Nathan the prophet. David himself agreed that the culprit must die (2 Samuel 12:5). Instead of David dying, it was the innocent child from that pregnancy who died.

i. The decisions about punishment taken by God in all the above examples demonstrate the SOVEREIGNTY, SUPERMACY, SELF-GOVERNANCE and AUTONOMY OF GOD. NO ONE CAN CHALLENGE HIM. The decisions are warnings to every soul that sins.

j. GRACE PERIOD:

Nehemiah 9:17 … but thou art a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and forsookest them not.

Psalm 103:8-12. The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.

He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.

For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Jonah 4:2 … for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repentest thee of the evil.

Nahum 1:3

After reading the above quotations, ask yourself the following questions:

1.      How will God treat my sins? Forgive me naturally, punish me instantly, give me grace period to repent, punish me by death or postpone my punishment?

2.      For how long will God be merciful unto me?

3.      Is the grace period for my sins up?

Read Romans 6:1-14  What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?...

v12, Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

v13, Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.4

v14, For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.

Repent or give no sin a chance in your life. Do not abuse the grace period: you may die in your sin.

I John 1:8-9, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness

Psalm 95:7-8 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart ..