Exodus 6:1-301Then 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. 2And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 3And 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. 4And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 5And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 6Wherefore 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: 7And 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. 8And 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. 9And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 10And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, 11Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 12And 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? 13And 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. 14These be the heads of their fathers' houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 15And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 16And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 17The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 18And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 19And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 20And Amram took him Jochebed his father's sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 21And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 25And Eleazar Aaron's son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 26These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the Lord said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 27These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 28And it came to pass on the day when the Lord spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 29That the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, I am the Lord: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 30And Moses said before the Lord, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? (Exodus 6:1‑30)
Dismayed AT Pharaoh’s hardness and the reproaches of his own people, Moses turned to God for comfort. The children of Israel were apparently in a worse case than before, yet this was God’s way of separating His people from the Egyptians, producing between them an irreparable breach, to pave the way for the display of His own power, that the children of Israel might know that it was His hand alone that could bring them out of the land of Egypt. “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.” verse 1.
But God would not have either Moses or Israel to find comfort only in His mighty works and in the punishment of Pharaoh. Far better than that, He proceeded to give a new revelation of Himself to them, so that they might be drawn nearer to Him and find their needs met in His Person—not merely in His acts of power. “And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD (Jehovah): 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.”
The name “Jehovah” is God’s title as Deliverer — the One who would act in them, for them, and with them. It is His name in relationship with Israel, reserved for them. To their fathers He was “God Almighty”—the One who first called Abraham out from idolatry to a consecrated and faithful walk, gave him the promises, blessings, and the reward of faith. He had been the almighty shield and protector of the wandering patriarchs in the midst of the jealous and hostile and wicked Canaanites. The time had come when He declared Himself by that name JEHOVAH, as the One who would be in the midst of His people,’ no matter what their circumstances. Amazing grace! God, the ever-existing One, would take up the cause of His people by being verily present with them. Thus, as He spoke to His servant, He reminded him: “I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel... and I have remembered My covenant.” Then He gave seven distinct promises: 1) I will bring you out; 2) I will rid you out of bondage; 3) I will redeem you; 4) I will take you to Me for a people; 5) I will be to you a God; 6) I will bring you in unto the (promised) land; 7) and I will give it to you for an heritage. These promises embraced His whole purpose for the nation of Israel and were sealed with the declaration: “I am JEHOVAH.”
Moses must have received great comfort from this revelation. Yet, when He carried these wonderful words to the people, “they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” Such was their misery, because they were deaf to the gracious voice that proclaimed liberty and blessing. God told Moses to again go to Pharaoh and demand the release of the people, but Moses was too disappointed at the apparent fruitlessness of his mission and was unwilling to proceed. However, the value of the pledges made was not to be measured by the response of those to whom they were made, but by the worthiness of Him Who gave them. All would come to pass.
Toward the close of this chapter, the genealogy of the people to be redeemed is introduced.
ML 09/22/1968