"I Am" by Don Hatfield
changes.” Gabe spoke and said that is called immutable. It means that God is perfect and He never changes in being who He is. He is always the same in His purposes, His attributes and His promises. Don, we are getting more acquainted with Him by learning about His attributes as we sit here this morning. What does the word attribute mean to you?” I had heard the word before but had never given any thought to its meaning. Gabe was now telling me that we were learning about God’s attributes. I sat there thinking on this. I finally came up with the following and said to Gabe, “It is what we think of when we think of a person. When I think of some people certain words come into my mind.” Gabe said, “Like what?” I responded well there are certain people that I think of as funny, some I think of as proud or boastful. Others I think of as kind or polite.” Gabe said, “So what you are describing is what you know about them. It is what you are allowed to see.” I said, “Yes, there is probably much more that I do not know about them. What are you getting at Gabe?” Gabe said, “Don, these things or attributes of God that we are discussing today are the things that God lets us see about Himself. Though we live for eternity we will never know all there is to know about the, I AM. However, the wonderful thing about that is we can spend eternity learning to know Him. Let’s get back to that word immutable and look in the Book of Life to see what Jehovah says about Himself. Turn to Psalm 102 verses 25-27.” I found the Psalms without any trouble and read these verses to Gabe, “Of old thou hast laid the foundation of the earth and the heavens are the works of thy hands. They shall perish but thou shall endure: yea of them shall wax old like a garment: as a vesture thou shall change them, and they shall all be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” After reading these verses Gabe asked me to briefly explain what I thought that verses 25 and 26 were saying. I began by saying, “Of old God laid the foundation of the heavens and the earth.” Gabe stopped me and said, “What do you mean by the words of old.” I was stumped for a definition and just sat there trying to come up with something. Gabe rescued me and said, “Let me help you a little. That word old means before and behind. In other words there was no time when God did not know that He was going to laid the foundation or establish the heavens and the earth. In verse 26 however, He tells us that the heavens and the earth as we know it will pass away. They will be like you changing your clothes. They shall be changed. They will wear out and God will change them.” I interrupted Gabe and said, “I know this is a stupid question but why does it say that God made the heavens and earth with His hands. Does He have hands?” Gabe said, “I think you already know that He doesn’t but He often uses terms that we can understand like hands, feet and eyes. Don, we just looked at verses 25 and 26 but let’s take a closer look at verse 27 for that is the one we want to examine. Tell me in your words what you think of it.” I again looked at verse 27 and replied, “I see that He says that He is the same.” What do you mean by same Gabe asked me? “He does not change I answered. I guess it means that what He was before I was born or even existed He will still be when I am no longer here on this earth. His years have no end as they had no beginning.” Again, when I thought of God in this way I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed to think that Jehovah, the Existing One, would take noticed of me. We sat there in silence for a few moments and Gabe said, “Now turn in the Book of Life to Hebrews 13:8.” I did so and read out loud to Gabe, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today and forever. I looked up at Gabe and said He is describing the same I Am that we found in Exodus 14.” Gabe smiled and said, “Yes, not only do we not have to worry about our Father not changing towards us but we can also be sure that our Savior is of the same mind. I wanted you to see that verse because there are many in this world that will try to tell you that your Savior is less than your Father. However they are the same. Just as your Father was there in the beginning so was your Savior. As your Savior is here now so is your Father and it will be the same for eternity. What a glorious salvation our God planned for us. It is as He is. It is unchangeable.” I looked at Gabe and said with a smile, “you mean it is immutable don’t you?” Gabe chuckled and got up off the bench. He then said “let’s walk down by the lake.”
We walked together in silence and sat down on a bench overlooking the lake. I saw a fish jump out of the water. A mother duck came quacking down the hillside with a brood of babies and went into the water. I sat there amazed at the life that was going on all around me. As I watched all of this a wondrous thought came to me. I said to Gabe, “There is nothing that He does not know, is there? When that fish jumped in the water He knew that it would. He knew that mother duck would lead her babies into the water. Gabe there is nothing that my Father does not know.” Gabe just said, “Turn to Psalm 139.” I began to read and was astounded as I began to realize what my Father knew about me. Here is what I read. “To the chief musician, a psalm of David. O Lord thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knows my down sitting and my uprising thou understands my thoughts afar off. Thou compasses my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord thou knows it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain unto it. Where shall I go from thy Spirit? Or where shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from thee: but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou has possessed my reins: thou has covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the sum of them! If I should count, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with thee. Surely thou will slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” After I had read this I sat there in amazement that God could know me so well. I turned to Gabe and again said, “There is nothing that He does not know is there?” Gabe said, “No there is nothing. He tells us in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 10 that He the LORD, the Existing ONE, searches the heart. He examines our thoughts and emotions to give to every man according to his ways and to the fruit of his doings. If this is true Don then tell me what you know about your creator from reading these verses.” I looked over Psalm 139 again and read it over two more times. Then I zeroed in on a couple verses. The first was verse 23. The word search stood out to me and I said to Gabe. “You just said that the LORD, the Existing ONE, searches the heart in Jeremiah. Does the word search in this verse in Psalm 139 mean something different than the same word search in Jeremiah 17 verse 10?” Gabe smiled and said, “Yes it does. There is a difference in those two words but what is the difference Don?” I sat there a little while and thought about those two verses and those two words. Then it hit me. In Jeremiah the LORD was showing that He was all knowing. Whereas in Psalm 139 David was showing His all willingness to be searched out. I looked at Gabe and said, “There is a big difference in knowing that God knows all and being willing to have Him search all that is in us. I think that when I say to Him that I want to be searched
then I began to know Him more intimately. It seems kind of crazy that we do not want Him to search us when He knows anyway. He is searching us for our benefit not His. That is amazing to me Gabe.” Gabe said, “Someone else found that amazing look at verse six in Psalm 139.” I looked down and began to read verse six out loud, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me: it is high I cannot attain unto it. “ Gabe said explain that verse to me in your own words, Don.” I had learned a little from listening to Gabe so I began to look at one word at time instead of trying to explain them all at once. As I looked I said to Gabe, “That word knowledge means to understand or discern what something means. So I am beginning to discern that God by knowing everything is actually beyond my understanding. It is too wonderful as David states in that verse. It is.” I struggled for a word to describe what I was feeling when suddenly it came to me. With a smile I looked at and said, “It is
We walked together in silence and sat down on a bench overlooking the lake. I saw a fish jump out of the water. A mother duck came quacking down the hillside with a brood of babies and went into the water. I sat there amazed at the life that was going on all around me. As I watched all of this a wondrous thought came to me. I said to Gabe, “There is nothing that He does not know, is there? When that fish jumped in the water He knew that it would. He knew that mother duck would lead her babies into the water. Gabe there is nothing that my Father does not know.” Gabe just said, “Turn to Psalm 139.” I began to read and was astounded as I began to realize what my Father knew about me. Here is what I read. “To the chief musician, a psalm of David. O Lord thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knows my down sitting and my uprising thou understands my thoughts afar off. Thou compasses my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord thou knows it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high, I cannot attain unto it. Where shall I go from thy Spirit? Or where shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hides not from thee: but the night shines as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. For thou has possessed my reins: thou has covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knows right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being imperfect, and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the sum of them! If I should count, they are more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with thee. Surely thou will slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise against thee? I hate them with a perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” After I had read this I sat there in amazement that God could know me so well. I turned to Gabe and again said, “There is nothing that He does not know is there?” Gabe said, “No there is nothing. He tells us in Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 10 that He the LORD, the Existing ONE, searches the heart. He examines our thoughts and emotions to give to every man according to his ways and to the fruit of his doings. If this is true Don then tell me what you know about your creator from reading these verses.” I looked over Psalm 139 again and read it over two more times. Then I zeroed in on a couple verses. The first was verse 23. The word search stood out to me and I said to Gabe. “You just said that the LORD, the Existing ONE, searches the heart in Jeremiah. Does the word search in this verse in Psalm 139 mean something different than the same word search in Jeremiah 17 verse 10?” Gabe smiled and said, “Yes it does. There is a difference in those two words but what is the difference Don?” I sat there a little while and thought about those two verses and those two words. Then it hit me. In Jeremiah the LORD was showing that He was all knowing. Whereas in Psalm 139 David was showing His all willingness to be searched out. I looked at Gabe and said, “There is a big difference in knowing that God knows all and being willing to have Him search all that is in us. I think that when I say to Him that I want to be searched