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.
2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
As we study the Bible we see a stark contrast between God’s way and that of the “positive” appeal people like Rick Warren and Joseph Prince and a host of others. They distort God’s Word to get their corrupt teachings.
As we see in our text the LORD promised Moses that now he would see what He would do to Pharaoh. The LORD did not distort the truth to encourage Moses. He told him that Pharaoh would drive them out of his land. Pharaoh was trying to prove his power and authority over the people of Israel, but God would turn that around and Pharaoh would drive Israel out of his land. We know that would be a temporary response of Pharaoh. Wicked people have no stability and they act in very irrational ways.
In verse 2 Moses needed to be reminded Who God was. He declared Himself to be “I am the LORD”. The LORD is not yesterday’s god. He is the ever present, ever powerful, ever wise supreme Ruler of the world. He acts in a methodical and rational manner and He always accomplishes His will.
In verse 3 the LORD had appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as God Almighty. However, they did not know Him as Jehovah. Moses and the nation of Israel needed to know God as Jehovah. He is the self-existent God who will do what He says He will do. Moses needed to trust in the LORD and not allow the negative words of the elders to deter him. The elders also needed to repent of their sin of unbelief and they needed to trust in Jehovah God.
In verse 4 the LORD stated that He had established His covenant with the nation of Israel. That is an important fact to know. When God declares something, it is real. We do not always see the full blessings of what God has declared. We need to trust Him. Those who are saved live by faith, not by sight. The covenant mentioned here was the land of Canaan. God promised the land of Canaan to Abraham. He was told to walk through the land and wherever he walked, that was part of God’s promise to him. God told Abraham that his descendants would be afflicted 400 years in a strange land.
In verse 5 the LORD assured Moses that He was well aware of the groaning of the children of Israel. The LORD knew the details of what was going on. He knew the Egyptians had kept them in bondage. We learn from God’s Word that God is faithful to Himself. He keeps His Word. His Word is very important to Him.
Psalm 138:2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
If a person’s word is not good, then what is good? If we cannot believe what God says in any area, then how can we believe Him in other areas. We know that we as people are not always truthful. We need to be truthful. God tells us that when a true Christian sins, they must confess their sin to Him and He will forgive them. However, God is always truthful.
Titus 1:2 In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;
Moses needed to stand upon the promises of the LORD. He needed to tell the children of Israel that the LORD was in charge. True Christians walk by faith. We trust because we know God cannot lie. Even though the children of Israel did not believe God, Moses needed to stand true to the LORD. Notice in verses 6-8 that God repeats the words “I will” 7x. These “I wills” are based upon the fact that “I am the LORD.” When we settle that matter, we can accept the “I wills”. If we do not have the “I am the LORD” settled in our hearts, then nothing else will work. We may have many questions. We may not see how things will work out. If we truly know in our hearts that the LORD is the ever-present LORD, we can trust Him when we do not have a clear road map. All we need to be sure of is that we are doing what He tells us to do. He will never lead us contrary to what His Word says.
The LORD made seven distinct promises here. He would bring them out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Second, He would rid them out of their bondage. Third, He would redeem them with a stretched out arm and with great judgments. Fourth, He would take them as His people. Fifth, He would be their God and they would know that He is the LORD their God. It is important to know who we belong to. Lost people are wandering around under the influence of the devil. Jesus rebuked the Jews of His day in John 8 with these words:
John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
In our text the Hebrews would know that it was the LORD alone Who brought them out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Sixth, the LORD would bring them unto the land He had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Seventh, He would give them that land for an heritage. All of those seven promises were built upon the fact: “I am the LORD.”
The children of Israel did not need any further confidence than that. They just needed to trust in this true God. He had never failed them. He cannot fail. He is the Almighty God and He is the LORD. It is a great blessing to come to the place of just trusting the LORD.
Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
There is no short cut to God’s blessings. His blessings are for those who know Him and walk with Him faithfully. There are many spectators but God wants us to be participants. God wants us to know Him and trust Him and exalt Him as we go through our lives. We have examples in the Bible of those who did that. Joseph was such a man. Things did not always go as he would have liked, but he trusted in the true God. Daniel and Mishael, Hananiah, and Azariah were such men as well. They faced some severe challenges but they never backed away from God. The apostle Paul was such a man as well.
We can be blessed in God if we know Him and walk with Him.
Pastor Bartel
