Episode Overview

Title: I Am Who I Am
Podcast: Things Unseen with Sinclair B. Ferguson
Host: Ligonier Ministries
Date: March 3, 2026

In this devotional episode, Sinclair B. Ferguson explores the profound question, "What is God like?" Focusing on the divine revelation at the burning bush in Exodus 3, Ferguson unpacks the meaning and significance of God's answer to Moses: "I am who I am." The episode invites listeners to reflect on the eternal, self-existent nature of God and how this shapes our understanding of Him—not just as a distant figure, but as a God who reveals Himself and cares for His people.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of God's Name: "I AM"

• [00:08] Ferguson recalls Moses' encounter with God at the burning bush, referencing Exodus 3: "God said to Moses, I am who I am. Say this to the people of Israel, I am has sent me to you."
• He explains that "I am" became a name treated with utmost reverence by the Jewish people, to the extent that it's not uttered aloud—they say "Hashem" (the Name) instead.
• Quote:

  "I admire that respect for the name of God. But we need to remember that he specifically said, this is My name forever. And thus I am to be remembered throughout all generations." — Ferguson [01:08]

• Ferguson stresses that, rather than hiding His name, God intended His people to know it, to declare it, and to pass it along "throughout all generations and even to the ends of the earth."

2. The Mystery and Incomprehensibility of God

• Ferguson reflects on the mysterious nature of God’s self-identification, acknowledging that if someone else answered, “I am who I am,” it could sound evasive or cryptic.
• He clarifies that God is not hiding from Moses but revealing Himself in a way that exceeds human comprehension.
• Quote:

  "He didn't become. He's not becoming, and he has no ending. God simply is. He is all he is, and he always is all he is." — Ferguson [03:50]

• The incomprehensibility of God is addressed:

  "However simple the words 'I am' seem to be, they're really beyond us to grasp. Truly, his greatness, none can fathom is just too much for our little minds to be able to comprehend." — Ferguson [04:20]

• Ferguson shares the sense of awe and difficulty humans face when contemplating an eternal, uncaused being:

  "The harder I try to understand one who is without beginning or ending, who has not been caused by something else, the more I'm likely to get a headache. How can there be anything that doesn't have a beginning?" — Ferguson [05:00]

3. God’s Desire for Relationship and Redemption

• Despite the unfathomable nature of His being, God seeks to be known by His people.
• Ferguson underscores that God’s self-revelation at the burning bush was not only about His essence but about His intention:

  "He wanted them to know Him. And what he also makes clear is that he wanted them to know. He saw their need and he cared about them, and he was going to save them." — Ferguson [06:00]

4. God’s Name and His Actions

• Some scholars suggest that "I am who I am" also carries the meaning, "I am exactly who I will be in what I’m about to do."
• For Moses to know God, he needed to witness both what God said and what God would do.
• Quote:

  "To know God better, Moses needed to know both what he said and what he would do. And the same is true for us, only by God's grace. You and I know so much more than even Moses did." — Ferguson [06:50]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On the unspeakable name:

  "If you hear the Hebrew Bible being read by Jewish people, when they come to this name, they don't pronounce it. They say Hashem instead, the name." — Ferguson [00:42]

• On God’s unchanging nature:

  "You and I became. Our existence had a beginning, and we're changing Every day. We're becoming... But God is simply I am." — Ferguson [03:15]

• On our limitations:

  "If I try to think simply of that name, my mind begins to reel and stagger, doesn't yours? I'm able to grasp only things that have come into being and change and then die." — Ferguson [04:30]

• On God’s caring initiative:

  "He saw their need and he cared about them, and he was going to save them." — Ferguson [06:10]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:08 — Introduction, setting up the question "What is God like?" and the context of Exodus 3.
• 00:42 — Reverence for God’s name among Jewish tradition.
• 01:10 — God’s intention for His name to be known and proclaimed.
• 03:15 — Contrast between human beings (becoming) and God (being).
• 04:20-05:10 — The incomprehensibility of God and the limits of human understanding.
• 06:00 — God's care and intention to save His people.
• 06:50 — The importance of knowing God through both His words and His deeds.

Summary

Sinclair B. Ferguson guides listeners through a profound reflection on God's self-revelation as "I AM," emphasizing both the mystery and the intimacy of that name. He invites us to contemplate God's self-existent, eternal nature—so different from our own changing and finite selves—while also assuring us that God desires to be known by His people and acts compassionately to save. The devotional style, supported by biblical insight and thoughtful analogies, creates a foundation for spiritual reflection and renewal. As Ferguson concludes, there's even more to understand about how God has ultimately revealed Himself, setting the stage for the next episode’s continued exploration.