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Ehyeh: The Empty Bottle and the Sealed Glass

Try to pour from an empty bottle into a sealed glass, then admit the impossibility. Exodus 3:14 answers Moses' emptiness with God's own active presence.

Big Idea

God does not ask the empty to create supply; He gives Himself as the answer to the void.

3-5 minwonderyouth, young adults, mature adults

Delivery Script

Hook Moses' question at the bush is not only, 'Who are You?' It is also, 'What can come from this emptiness?'

1. Show the empty. Look at this bottle. [lift the empty bottle and turn it upside down] Nothing. This is Moses looking at himself: no army, no eloquence, no leverage. Just a man who ran, and a bush that burns.

2. Face the sealed. And even if Moses had something to give, [try to pour from the empty bottle into the sealed glass on the tray] Egypt looked sealed shut. Centuries of Pharaoh. Centuries of chains. The glass will not receive what the bottle cannot offer.

3. Remove the seal. Watch. [remove the seal from the glass and try again from the empty bottle] The opening is there now. And still... nothing comes. Pause on that. The problem was never only the seal. The bottle was always empty.

4. Read the name. God does not answer Moses with a strategy. He does not hand him a better set of skills. He gives His name. [read Exodus 3:14 aloud] Ehyeh asher Ehyeh. I AM WHO I AM. Or, better: I Will Be What I Will Be. Ehyeh, from the Hebrew hayah, to be, to become, to come to pass. God is not describing a title. He is making a promise: I am the One who will be present, and what I say will come to pass.

5. Uncover the supply. The supply is not in Moses. The opening is not in Egypt. The answer is God Himself. [uncover the jug labelled Ehyeh and pour steadily into the open glass] Look at that. The same glass. The same situation. But now the source has changed.

6. Hold the filled glass. [hold the filled glass up, steady and still] The God who is, becomes present to His people and brings deliverance into being. He does not ask the empty to create supply. He gives Himself as the answer to the void.

Land Moses did not leave the bush with more of Moses. He left with the name. That name is the whole argument: I will be with you, therefore go. When God calls you, do not begin by inventorying the bottle. Begin with the name He gives.

Call to action Write one assignment you feel too empty for, then pray Exodus 3:14 over it without rushing to solve it.

Transitions

In

Moses' question at the bush is not only, 'Who are You?' It is also, 'What can come from this emptiness?'

Out

When God calls you, do not begin by inventorying the bottle. Begin with the name He gives.

Scripture Anchors

Hebraic Anchor

אֶהְיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה

Transliteration

Ehyeh asher Ehyeh

Root

ה-י-ה

Literal Meaning

I will be who I will be; the One who is and brings to pass

Common Translation

I AM THAT I AM

Props & Setup

Props Required

  • 1
    Empty clear bottleLet the congregation see it is empty.
  • 2
    Sealed glassUse cling film or a lid so the first pour visibly cannot enter.
  • 3
    Covered jug of waterReveal only after naming God's provision. It represents God's supply, not preacher cleverness.

Setup Instructions

  1. 1Seal the glass before the service and place it on a tray.
  2. 2Keep the empty bottle visible and the full jug covered or set aside.
  3. 3Write 'Ehyeh' on a small card near the covered jug.

Stage Execution

  1. 1Lift the empty bottle and turn it upside down. Nothing comes out. Say: 'This is Moses looking at himself: no army, no eloquence, no leverage.'
  2. 2Try to pour into the sealed glass. Say: 'Even if he had supply, Egypt looked sealed shut.'
  3. 3Remove the seal and try again from the empty bottle. Still nothing. Pause.
  4. 4Read Exodus 3:14. Say: 'God does not answer Moses with a technique. He gives His name: Ehyeh asher Ehyeh.'
  5. 5Uncover the full jug marked Ehyeh and pour into the open glass. 'The supply is not in Moses. The opening is not in Egypt. The answer is God Himself.'
  6. 6Hold the filled glass. 'The God who is, becomes present to His people and brings deliverance into being.'

Safety Notes

Use a small amount of water and keep the sealed glass on a tray. Do not make the trick look like magic; the failed pour is the point.

Theological Grounding

Exodus 3:14 uses Ehyeh, from hayah, the Hebrew verb of being, becoming, and coming to pass. In context, God answers Moses' insufficiency with His own self-disclosure and promised presence: the deliverance will happen because the LORD is the One who is with Moses and brings His word to pass. The demo should not pretend we can create from nothing; it points to the God whose presence fills what human capacity cannot.

Preacher Tips

  • Let the first two failures be visibly awkward. The failed pour gives the congregation permission to feel Moses' helplessness.
  • Avoid making this sound like manifestation language. The subject of the miracle is God's name, not human imagination.
  • If using the phrase 'causes to be', qualify it with the broader hayah sense of being and becoming.
  • Keep the jug reveal simple. If it feels like a magic trick, the theology becomes entertainment.

If Things Go Wrong

1A little water remains in the supposedly empty bottle.

Recovery: Let it drip and say, 'Even our small reserves are not enough for Pharaoh.' Then continue.

2The cling film seal breaks early.

Recovery: Treat it as the second stage and move on: 'The opening still does not solve the empty bottle.'

3People think the jug is God creating from a hidden resource.

Recovery: Say clearly, 'This jug is only a sign. I cannot create. That is exactly why the name matters.'

Adaptations

young children

Use an empty cup and a full jug. Say, 'Moses was empty, but God was not empty.' Skip the Hebrew grammar.

older children

Let them guess what will happen before each pour. Then connect the surprise to God helping Moses.

small group

Ask each person to name one empty bottle and one sealed glass in their calling. Pray Exodus 3:12 before 3:14.

academic

Compare translations of Ehyeh as 'I am', 'I will be', and 'I will be with you', tying grammar to Exodus 3:12.

Response Prompts

1.Where are you measuring God's call by your empty bottle?

2.What sealed glass have you decided cannot open?

3.How does God's self-given name answer fear better than a technique?

Application Questions

  • 1How does Exodus 3:14 answer Moses' fear in the wider passage?
  • 2What is the difference between trusting God's presence and trusting a method?

Call to Action

Write one assignment you feel too empty for, then pray Exodus 3:14 over it without rushing to solve it.

Focus Note

Watch both problems: the bottle has nothing, and the glass cannot receive. That is what calling often feels like.

Cultural Notes

In communities suspicious of stage tricks, avoid concealment and keep all objects visible. In prosperity-preaching contexts, stress deliverance and faithful presence rather than promising instant material supply. Keep the image focused on God's sufficiency where human capacity is empty.

Themes & Tags

God's SovereigntyCallingFaith & Trust
EhyehMosesburning bushvoidcallingHebrew

Sermon Placement

opening hookmid illustration

Memorability

The repeated failed pour is visually sticky and honest. The reveal lands if the preacher avoids turning it into a trick.

Type

object lesson

Difficulty

simple

Setup

minimal

Cost

free