1. Exodus 3:15 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

Why does God refer to himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

Exodus 3:15 (ESV)

15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘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.’ This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations.

God’s revelation in Exodus 3 is not an incident. He is with his people (Exodus 3:12) throughout the generations. This faithfulness is emphasized in the expression The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob (see also Exodus 3:6). He is the God of each generation in the past, and that is a promise for the future: from generation to generation. This promise is a piece of poetry: This is my name forever, and thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations. This is also seen in Psalm 135:13: Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all ages. Israel has learned who God is, see Psalm 135:9: He sent his signs and wonders into the midst of Egypt, against Pharaoh and all his servants.