Exodus 6
Egypt is going to see the power of the LORDverse 1
Then the LORD said to Moses
Now shall you 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
LORD reveals HIMSELF as a PERSONAL GODverses 2-5
And God spoke unto Moses – and said to him
I am the LORD – and I appeared to Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
by the name of God Almighty
but by MY name JEHOVAH was I not
known to them
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
And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel
whom the Egyptians keep in bondage
And I have remembered MY covenant
Moses brings message of LORD to peopleverses 6-8
Wherefore say to 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 judgment
and I will take you to ME for a people
and I will be to you a God
and you shall KNOW that I am the LORD your God
which brings you out from under the burdens
of the Egyptians
and I will bring you in to the land
concerning the which I did SWEAR to give it to
Abraham – Isaac – Jacob
and I will give it you for a heritage – I am the LORD
Conversation between LORD and Mosesverses 9-13
And Moses spoke so to the children of Israel
BUT they hearkened not to Moses for anguish of spirit
and for cruel bondage
And the LORD spoke unto Moses saying
Go in – speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt
that he let the children of Israel go out of his land
And Moses spoke before the LORD saying
BEHOLD the children of Israel have not hearkened to me
HOW then shall Pharaoh hear me
who am of uncircumcised lips?
And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron
and gave them a charge to the children of Israel
and to Pharaoh – king of Egypt
to bring the children of Israel
out of the land of Egypt
Reubenverse 14
These be the heads of their fathers’ house
The sons of REUBEN – the firstborn of Israel
Hanoch – Pallu – Hezron – Carmi
these be the families of REUBEN
Simeonverse 15
The sons of SIMEON
Jemuel – Jamin – Ohad – Jachin – Zohar
and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman
these are the families of SIMEON
Leviverse 16-25
These are the names of the sons of LEVI according to their generations
Gershon – Kohath – Merari
and the years of the life of LEVI were
a hundred thirty and seven years
The sons of Gershon – Libni – Shimi
according to their families
The sons of Kohath – Amram – Izhar – Hebron – Uzziel
and the years of the life of Kohath were a
hundred thirty and three years
The sons of Merari – Mahali – Mushi
these are the families of LEVI according to their generations
And 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
a hundred and thirty and seven years
And the sons of Izhar – Korah – Nepheg – Zichri
and the sons of Uzziel – Mishael – Elzaphan – Zithri
And Aaron took him Elisheba – daughter of Amminadad
sister of Naashon – to wife – and she bare him
Nadab – Abihu – Eleazar – Ithamar
And the sons of Korah – Assir – Elkanah – Abiasaph
these are the families of the Korhites
And 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
Moses and Aaron from list are leadersverses 26-27
THESE 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
THESE are they which spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt
to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt
THESE are that Moses and Aaron
Moses excuse to the LORD repeatedverses 28-30
And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spoke
to Moses in the land of Egypt
that the LORD spoke to Moses saying
I am the LORD
speak you to Pharaoh king of Egypt
all that I say to you
And Moses said before the LORD
BEHOLD – I am of uncircumcised lips
and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 3 And I appeared unto Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. (7706 “Almighty” [Shadday] means most powerful, omnipotent, title for the true God, or divine title)
DEVOTION: God continues to reveal HIMSELF to HIS people by different names. HE introduced HIMSELF to Adam and Eve as Elohim which means creator and Godhead. When Enos was born to Seth people began to call on the name Jehovah. However, when God spoke to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob HE revealed HIMSELF by this name which means all powerful. HE is the only true God who is All-Powerful.
The patriarchs knew HIM for his strength in keeping HIS promises to them in the future. HE made a covenant with them which informed them that they would inherit the Promised Land.
Now HE is revealing HIMSELF as a person God to the children of Israel. HE is not only going to keep HIM promises but HE is going to be with them through all their trials. HE is going to lead them through the wilderness.
HE is going to deal with them personally. HE instructs us in the New Testament that HE wants to have fellowship with those who are genuine believers. Those who are genuine will keep HIS commandments and HE will walk with them and lead them.
The children of Israel were going to see this for the first time when HE led them out of Egypt after manifesting HIS power through the plagues of Egypt. These plagues manifested HIS power of the false gods of Egypt.
Prior to this point HE was speaking to individuals. Now HE is communicating with a whole nation in a personal way. Every person in the nation will be seeing HIS work in their lives.
CHALLENGE: Jesus came to establish a personal relationship between HIM and HIS followers. There is an intimacy between a disciple and Jesus Christ. HE called us friends.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 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. (5009 “groaning’ [na’aqah] means the act of groaning or expressing pain or disapproval by utterance, crying out, moaning, a non-verbal guttural noise of great physical pain and suffering, or of a wounded man)
DEVOTION: The LORD makes two statements in this verse regarding HIS people. These are statements that all of us can say regarding our relationship with God.
HE hears the groans of HIS people. That means when things are not going well with HIS people they can go to HIM with their concerns and HE will hear them. Our way to go to HIM is through our prayers. That is the way we communicate with HIM regarding anything that is bothering us in our world. HE will listen and HE will hear what we have to say. HE doesn’t have a deaf ear to those who are faithfully serving HIM. There are times when HE will not hear us: if we regard iniquity in our heart and if a husband isn’t treating his wife correctly. Also HE doesn’t hear the prayers of those who don’t have a personal relationship with HIM. The first prayer HE hears from any human being is the prayer of repentance of their sins when they turn their life over to HIM forever.
The second statement is that HE is well aware of HIS covenant with the children of Israel and HE is well aware of HIS new covenant with those who follow Jesus Christ.
A covenant is a promise that the LORD has made to HIS people. The first covenant was with Adam and Eve when HE promised a Savior. HE made a covenant with Noah that HE would never send a flood that would cover the whole earth and gave the sign of a rainbow.
Now HE is aware of the covenant HE made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob regarding the Promised Land. HE is going to help the exit Egypt to head for the Promised Land.
So we know that God hears HIS people groans and keeps HIS promises to HIS people. That includes us who are promised eternal life because of our commitment to Jesus Christ.
CHALLENGE: Never be afraid to share your heartache with the LORD. HE hears all of them.
: 6 Wherefore say to 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. (5337 “rid” [natsal] means deliver, recover, escape, take out, snatch away, rescue, snatch away, or pull out)
DEVOTION: Three promises are given by the LORD. Remember HE keeps all HIS promised to HIS people throughout history. Here HE is dealing with the children of Israel who are groaning to get out of Egypt. HE hears their groans.
Now HE is promising to “bring them out of Egypt.” HE is promising to “rescue” them from slavery. HE is promising to “redeem” or buy them back. HE is going to do all this through an outstretched arm and great judgments.
There are ten plagues or judgments that are going to fall on the land of Egypt. All of this is to show HIS power over our world. HE is in control of the natural world. HE is in control of the animal kingdom. HE has at HIS disposal a group of created beings who will obey HIS every command.
The demonstration of the power of God should be an encouragement to us today. HE has not lost any of HIS power. HE is still on the throne not only in heaven but over the earth. HE is coming in judgment of this world on the day that HE has set aside for this to happen. No one knows the day or hour but HIM.
HE commands us to be watching and prepared for HIS return. The children of Israel were commanded to be prepared to leave Egypt when HE told them to. They were prepared. Are we prepared for the return of the LORD for HIS people today? Are we prepared to watch as HE stretches out HIS arm in judgment?
There might be a little judgment on a nation that is disobedient to HIM. The judgment will fall on a nation that is killing innocent blood on a regular basis. A nation that is disobedient to HIS laws regarding marriage and the raising of children. We need to be praying for revival in our world regularly with all our heart!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
:13 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. (6680 “gave charge” [tsavah] means 1 to command, charge, give orders, lay charge, give charge to, order. 1a (Piel). 1a1 to lay charge upon. 1a2 to give charge to, give command to. 1a3 to give charge unto. 1a4 to give charge over, appoint. 1a5 to give charge, command. 1a6 to charge, command. 1a7 to charge, commission. 1a8 to command, appoint, ordain (of divine act). 1b (Pual) to be commanded. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Have you ever been in a situation where you felt confident that you knew the Lord’s will for your life, and yet things began from that point on to fall apart? I have known several friends who have given their lives to serving the Lord, only to have difficulties and tests follow and make them doubt that they were in God’s will. It seems like anything that Satan can do to cause us to doubt the will of God for our lives he will do.
It is interesting that God now reminds Moses and Aaron of their purpose for which they have been sent to Egypt. He had already commanded them to go to Pharaoh and request that the children of Israel be allowed to leave Egypt. Now God fortifies this by charging both Moses and Aaron in terms of their returning to Pharaoh and demanding the same thing.
Sometimes God charges us to do things that we have already been given instruction to do. This happens often in ministry, where God reinforces His instruction to us. What if Moses had started debating with God again like he did in Exodus 3? When God repeats an instruction, this shows that this is truly His will and that we had better get on with it. Failure to do so results in loss of fellowship with the LORD.
CHALLENGE: Never doubt God’s instructions to you when it comes to your obedience. He has a specific plan for your life.
: 30 And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? (6189 “uncircumcised” [‘arel] means unskilled in speech, exposed, stumbling speech, faltering lips, or formally)
DEVOTION: Have we ever felt that God really got someone special when HE picked us to be in HIS family? As we look at the choices God made from the beginning of Genesis till now are we seeing a pattern? Or are we finding that God picks people we would never pick to be followers of HIM? Too often we think that God only picks the best to serve HIM? HE shows us that HE picks only the willing. HE picks those who give HIM excuses of why they shouldn’t be HIS chosen servant. Have we ever made excuses to God?
Moses ended the last chapter with a prayer to the LORD asking why things were going so bad. The beginning of this chapter the LORD reaffirms HIS promise to deliver the children of Israel from the Egyptians with a strong hand.
The LORD sends him back to Pharaoh to ask for them to be released. Pharaoh was not listening. The children of Israel were mad because their burden had gotten heavier instead of lighter. They were not leaving.
Right in the middle of the chapter we have a genealogy of the first three sons of Jacob or Israel. Reuben was cursed because of his relationship with one of the wives of Jacob. Simeon and Levi were cursed because they killed all the residents of Shechem for defiling their sister. Moses was not the firstborn of his family. He was not important in the theme of things. However, God chose him.
Moses is still using the excuse that he can’t speak very well. God had reaffirmed HIS call for Moses and Aaron to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land.
He might have had a stutter. God had already answered that excuse but he brought it up again. He still told God that he didn’t have a eloquent tongue. God didn’t care.
Have we used excuses as to why we don’t do anything for the LORD? Has the LORD answered that excuse and yet we still use it? We say that we don’t have time, has HE given us more time? We don’t have the training, has HE given us the training?
What excuse are we using now for not serving the LORD with our whole heart? Look at all the promises in this chapter. We have the same number of promises in the New Testament. Let’s confront our world of Egyptians. Remember Egypt represented those who were against God.
Are we having fellowship with those who are against God? Are we afraid to confront wrong beliefs in our world? Are we afraid to confront those who don’t know Christ with the Gospel?
CHALLENGE: Watch out for excuses. If God has called, HE will provide the resources to accomplish HIS purpose in our life.
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
Abrahamverses 3, 8
Isaacverses 3, 8
Jacobverses 3, 8
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD (Jehovah)verses 1, 2, 6-8, 10, 12, 13, 26, 28, 29, 30
Strong handverse 1
God (Elohim)verses 2, 3, 7
I am the LORDverses 2, 8, 29
I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, Jacobverse 3
Almightyverse 3
God Almightyverse 3
JEHOVAHverse 3
I have also established my covenantverse 4
Gave the land of Canaanverse 4
I have heard the groaningverse 5
I have remembered MY covenantverse 5
I will bring you outverse 6
I will rid you out of bondageverse 6
I will redeem with outstretched armverse 6
I will redeem with great judgmentsverse 6
LORD your Godverse 7
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead – God/man, Messiah)
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Pharaoh (king of Egypt)verses 1, 11-13, 27, 29
Egyptiansverses 5-7
Land of Egyptverses 13, 26- 28
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Great judgmentsverse 6
Hearken not unto Mosesverses 9, 12
Cruel bondageverse 9
Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Covenantverses 4, 5
Groaningverse 5
Ridverse 6
Redemverse 6
Knowledge of Godverse 7
Anguish of spiritverse 9
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Mosesverses 1, 9-13, 26-30
Lord told him to speak to Pharaoh
Told LORD Israel was not listening
Uncircumcised lips
Land of Canaanverse 4
Strangersverse 4
Children of Israelverses 5, 6, 9, 11-13, 26, 27
Hearkened not to Moses
Anguish of spirit
Cruel bondage
People of Godverse 7
Promise of Godverse 8
Heritageverse 8
Uncircumcised lipsverses 12, 30
Chargeverse 13
Heads of the houses of Israelverses 14-26
List of families of Israel
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
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QUOTES regarding passage
6–8 The contents of God’s ancient promises are brought together and arranged so as to explain what “I am the Lord” means.
1. There were three first-person verbs with his promise of redemption (v.6):
I will bring you out
I will free you
I will redeem you
Each of these verbs (and the four that follow) are in the Hebrew past (i.e., perfect) tense instead of the future tense, for so certain was God of their accomplishment that they were viewed as having been completed. In English, however, they are best rendered in the future (the so-called Hebrew prophetic perfect). God will “redeem” (see Notes) Israel with the same “mighty acts of judgment” he had alluded to in 3:20 and 4:23 and had predicted long ago to Abraham in Genesis 15:14. The plagues were to be judgments for crimes as well as spectacular wonders to instill faith.
2. Two more first-person verbs detailed God’s promise to adopt Israel as his own people (v.7):
I will take you as my own people
I will be your God
These two promises will serve as two parts of the tripartite formula to be repeated in the Old and New Testaments almost fifty times: “I will be your God, you shall be my people and I will dwell in the midst of you” (cf. Gen 17:7–8; 28:21; Exod 29:45–46; Lev 11:45 et al.).
3. The last two promises focused on God’s promise of the land (v.8):
I will bring you to the land
I will give it to you
This he pledged with the oath of his uplifted hand (cf. Gen 22:16; 26:3) so that by two immutable things—(1) his word of promise and (2) his oath—Israel (and all subsequent believers according to Heb 6:17–18) might have a strong encouragement and a solid confidence in the future. Then as if to remind Israel once again, God concluded with his signature: “I am the Lord.” (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 341). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
6:6–8. God then told Moses to put aside his broken spirit and feelings of inadequacy and return to the people. Seven times in these three verses God said I will, thus emphasizing that He is the promise-keeping God. The “I wills” cluster around three promises: deliverance from Egypt (v. 6: I will bring you out … I will free you … I will redeem you), possession of the people as His own (v. 7), and the gift of the land (v. 8). Further the passage begins and ends with the same declaration, I am the Lord. The people’s deliverance would become the basis of an covenantal relationship which would result in their being in the land. These verses present a cameo of Israel’s history from the release from Egypt to the Conquest under Joshua. God’s redeeming them with an outstretched arm (v. 6) meant that His power would be evident (cf. Deut. 4:34; 5:15; 7:19; 11:2; Ps. 136:12; Ezek. 20:33). And the uplifted hand (Ex. 6:8) was a gesture used when making an oath (as it still is today; cf. Gen. 14:22; Deut. 32:40; Neh. 9:15; Ps. 106:26; Ezek. 20:5–6, 15, 23, 42; 36:7; 44:12; 47:14). Moses’ sagging spirit was again buttressed by a revelation of God’s character and purposes. (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 117). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
6:6–8 God instructed Moses to remind Israel of what they had previously been told: of God’s remembering the covenant with Abraham, of His seeing their misery, of His delivering them from it, of His granting to them the land of Canaan, and thus taking them there. The repetitive “I will” (7 times) marked God’s personal, direct involvement in Israel’s affairs. Bracketed, as they were, by the declaration, “I am Yahweh,” denoted certainty of fulfillment. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 6:6–8). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Ver. 7. And I will take you to me for a people, &c.] Out of the hands of the Egyptians, and out of their country, to be in a political sense his kingdom and subjects; and in a religious sense a holy people to himself, to fear, serve, worship, and glorify him, by walking according to laws and rules given them by him; and this he did by setting up and establishing a civil and ecclesiastical polity among them: and I will be to you a God; their King and their God to rule over them, protect and defend them, they being a theocracy; and their covenant-God and Father, giving them various spiritual privileges, the adoption, the glory, the covenant, the law, service, and promises: and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God; by the promises fulfilled, the favours granted, and the deliverances wrought for them: which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians; see the preceding verse. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 341). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
He had said these words (ʾănı̂ yahweh) only twice before, in Gen 15:7 to Abraham and in Gen 28:13 to Jacob, each time in connection with the promise of the land to their descendants. (Stuart, D. K. (2006). Exodus (Vol. 2, p. 170). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers)
The meaning of this verb “to know” as related to the Lord (it appears twenty-six times in the OT) should have been evident from its repetition to the Egyptians in the Ten Plagues—“that they might know the Lord” (cf. 7:5). If identity were the sole object, that would have been clear long before the tenth plague; but if acquaintance with the character of that name was the object, then the Ten Plagues would also have an evangelistic purpose. (Kaiser, W. C., Jr. (1990). Exodus. (F. E. Gaebelein, Ed.)The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
Why did God say that by His name the Lord He had not made Himself known to the patriarchs? Was not God known by the name Yahweh to the patriarchs Abraham … Isaac, and Jacob? Yes, He had been (e.g., Gen. 13:4). But He mainly appeared to them as God Almighty (’ēl šadday), the One who provides or sustains (cf. comments on Gen. 17:1). He had not displayed Himself to the patriarchs primarily by the name Yahweh. So in Exodus 3:14 God meant that now He was revealing Himself to Moses not only as Sustainer and Provider, but also as the Promise-Keeper, the One who was personally related to His people and would redeem them (cf. comments on 3:14–15). (Hannah, J. D. (1985). Exodus. (J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck, Eds.) The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)
6:3 God Almighty … Lord … not make Myself known. Since the name Yahweh was spoken before the Flood (Ge 4:26) and later by the patriarchs (Ge 9:26; 12:8; 22:14; 24:12), the special significance of Yahweh, unknown to them, but to be known by their descendants, must arise from what God would reveal of Himself in keeping the covenant and in redeeming Israel.( MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ex 6:3). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE
poem by Anne R. C. Neale
When you wake up each day,
Give thanks to God for your being alive you see,
And be sure you have an attitude of gratitude
Of God being with you always, God is the Almighty.
Because your life is so busy you hardly have time
To count your blessings that God to you bestows,
But having and awareness that God is always with you,
Gives you strength and courage everyone knows.
Enjoy your life’s journey with God by your side,
He never abandons you ever, at all,
As you live on earth, you’ll be always blessed
Believers know this is true as God is our All.
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