We will begin this lesson in Exodus 6:1 “Then the LORD said unto
Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong
hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them
out of his land.”
Here, we see that God was not angry with Moses for his outcry of
when was God going to free these people. The word “now” indicated
there would be no further delay. God reassured Moses that he would
punish Pharaoh. God’s strong hand would force Pharaoh not only to let
them go, but Pharaoh would insist on their going, when God got through
with him.
Exodus 6:2 “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I [am]
the LORD:”
We see Jehovah, here, the Eternal One. God reassured Moses of His
power and eternity. When He said “I am the LORD”, it, also, means I am
Jehovah, the Eternal One.
Exodus 6:3 “And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto
Jacob, by [the name of] God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not
known to them.”
We see God Almighty in Genesis 17:1 “And when Abram was ninety
years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I
[am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.” This was
His name with Abraham. In Genesis 35:11 “And God said unto him, I [am]
God Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of
nations shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins
Genesis 28:3 “And God Almighty bless thee, and make thee fruitful, and
multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;”
We understand from all this, that God was first revealed to Moses
and these Israelites as I AM and Jehovah. This is a new working of God
toward His covenant people, and therefore another name. Jehovah is the
Jewish national name of God. God had been called by Jehovah before
(Genesis 15-7), but it appears the perfect revealing of what this name
means had not been clear before Moses.
Exodus 6:4 “And I have also established my covenant with them, to
give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein
they were strangers.”
This covenant was an unbreakable covenant, that God made with
Abraham nd his descendents forever. They lived in Canaan, before they
went to Egypt; but the land was controlled by others, and these Hebrews
were strangers there. However, God promised Abraham this land, and now
was the time to receive it.
Exodus 6:5 “And I have also heard the groaning of the children of
Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my
covenant.”
God told Moses, all over again, that He had heard their cry of
misery. and He remembered His covenant that He made with Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob. This statement just meat that in the very near
future, God would deliver them.
Exodus 6:6 “Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I [am] the
LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the
Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem
you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:”
We see that God reminded the Israelites, that it would not be by
their efforts that they will be redeemed. The intervention of God was
what would redeem them. Just as salvation is a free gift and no works
of ours get us saved, so they (the children of Israel) could do nothing
to redeem themselves, either. God was going to judge Egypt for the
cruelty to His people, and God would punish Egypt.
Exodus 6:7 “And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be
to you a God: and ye shall know that I [am] the LORD your God, which
bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
These Hebrews, while in Egypt, had wandered away from God. One
of the reasons God did not just run in there and immediately change
the situation, was because He wanted these Israelites to know, beyond a
shadow of doubt, that it was God who brought them out.
Exodus 6:8 “And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the
which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I
will give it you for an heritage: I [am] the LORD.”
We see from this that, God was again, telling Moses that He was a
God of covenant. God was not angry at Moses, because He felt that there
was no progress made. To look at this from a Christian point of view, we
see the minister, who goes and builds a church in a place God has told
him to go and where God has told him thousands will be saved. The
church, instead of growing, seems to be completely stalemated. It is
very difficult, while you are in the flesh, to believe that God is
still going to build this church to a mighty working. From time to
time, God has to reassure this minister that this will be a success
story someday. This was the same thing on a different level, here. God
was going to establish the Holy Land for His people, Israel. Even this
speaking of Moses and Aaron to the Pharaoh was the first step. Even
though the first meeting seemed to take them backwards, this was still
the first step to success. God would give them the land, as he promised
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Exodus 6:9 “And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but
they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel
bondage.”
The children of Israel were so caught up in the middle of the
problem, that they could not see beyond this immediate hardship.
Exodus 6:10 “And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,” Exodus 6:11
“Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of
Israel go out of his land.”
Here, God gave Moses his second mission. Moses was speaking
directly to God. There was no question in Moses’ mind who God was, and
what God was capable of doing, but Moses was disappointed in the outcome
so far.
Exodus 6:12 “And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the
children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh
hear me, who [am] of uncircumcised lips?”
It is so plain to me the similarity here to a minister, who is
preaching, and he feels no one is listening; and then the Lord
commissions him to go out and win total strangers to the church. He
was saying, my own little flock won’t even hear me, what makes you think
people I don’t even know, and who do not believe in God, would receive me?
Now, Moses, said his lips were worldly and not dedicated as they should be
to the Lord. Moses and this example of a minister were both having a
pity party. They were saying, “I am a failure. Get someone more capable
for the job.”
Exodus 6:13 “And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and
gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king
of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”
God didn’t even listen to all of this. He told Moses and Aaron,
all over again, what the job was He had called them to do and told
them to get on with it. Moses and Aaron were capable of doing this, or
God would not have called them. This is the same with ministers today.
When God calls you for a job, you are capable of doing it, or God would
not have called you.
Let us look back just a little bit at this lesson, and see what was
really happening here. At the very beginning, we saw a servant of God,
who had done what God told him to do, and who felt that he had failed,
because it brought results opposite than those planned. His friends and
family had turned on him and told him, if you were truly sent of God,
why didn’t this work? Why are we in worse shape now, than when you began?
Your are not a man of God, or else this wouldn’t have happened.
The first thing Moses did, and we should do in similar circumstances,
was go to God with this problem. If you, or Moses, have done exactly what
God told you to do, you have done your job. You are not responsible for the
outcome. Our job is to do exactly what God tells us to do.
God is responsible for the results. We see, here, when Moses went to God,
that God totally reassured him that He was still I AM; and that Moses
would surely lead these rebellious Israelites to the promised land.
God reminded Moses that His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
was that they would receive the promised land, and God (who cannot lie)
swore upon Himself. It would happen. Now, God sent Moses, again, to
these people. They had lost confidence in
Moses,because the first effort did not free them. Then God gave them, all
over again, the commission to go to Pharaoh, and win the release of
these Israelites.
Next lesson, we will get into the actual families who were to
participate in this. They were the twelve sons of Israel, who became
the twelve tribes of
Israel.