Manna Moments
⏱️3 min read
The God of the Hebrews
"The elders of Israel will listen to you. Then you and the elders are to go to the king of Egypt and say to him, 'The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the LORD our God.'" Exodus 3:18
The title “God of the Hebrews” appears only six times in Scripture, all within the opening chapters of Exodus as Moses stands before Pharaoh demanding the release of God’s enslaved people. To grasp the weight of this name, we have to understand the meaning behind the word Hebrew. It comes from the verb avar, meaning “to cross over, to pass through.”
So every time Moses declared, “The God of the Hebrews has sent me,” God was announcing something far greater than a title. He was saying to Pharaoh, “I am the God who causes My people to cross over—through the waters, through oppression, through whatever stands in the way—into freedom.”
Even as Moses appealed for their release, God was already declaring the outcome. Their crossing over would not depend on Pharaoh’s permission. It was rooted in God’s identity.
Why does this matter for us today?
Romans 11 tells us that we have been grafted into the olive tree—brought into the family, the blessing, and the covenant life of God’s people. In Christ, we too become those who cross over. Our spiritual lives are marked by movement:
- from faith to faith (Rom. 1:17)
- from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18)
- from strength to strength (Ps. 84:7)
Each “to” signals transition. Growth. A crossing. And with every crossing comes resistance—an enemy who prefers we stay where we are. This is why stepping from one season into the next often feels like pushing against an invisible wall.
Jeremiah 12:5 paints this picture vividly:
“If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in a peaceful land, what will you do in the thickets of the Jordan?”
The “thickets of the Jordan” were places where lions hid—just as the Jordan itself was a place of crossing. Israel faced the Red Sea with Moses and the Jordan with Joshua, and both crossings required courage. Ours do too. But on the other side of every crossing is a new level of spiritual capacity. We move from running with footmen to running with horses. New faith. New strength. New glory.
He is still the God who brings His people through every narrow place and across every hard place into the next chapter of destiny.
Maybe you feel the edge of a new season beneath your feet. Maybe the waters look deep, or the thickets feel thick. But the God who named Himself “the One who causes you to cross over” has not changed. He is already standing on the other side, calling you forward. You don’t have to pretend you’re fearless. You simply have to take the next step with Him.
Lord, steady our hearts for the unknown. Give us courage to grow, even when growth stretches us. Be the God who carries us through every transition and leads us into the next measure of faith You’ve prepared. Amen.