Exodus 6  Moses is a contrary, stubborn person, I can relate to him.  If anyone has ever had a stuck thought, or a thought of defeatism, Moses should be their example.  Look at this great dialog by God, establishing that "I am the Lord" and all that He will do for Israel.  With all this insight, and the message delivered to Israel, Moses still claims to be slow of speech.  God is Lord, but Moses needed Aaron to speak for him.  Perhaps Moses really did have a real speech problem, and God wanted to make sure that everyone knew for sure that it was God that did the delivering of the Jews.  So He used the least likely candidate for the job.  Just speculation.  Moses could not get his eyes off the rejection he had already received from Israel. 

Joe Turner
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Exodus 6:


In Hebrews, the bible says that "without faith it is impossible to please God" (11:6) and it seemed at the end of Chapter 5, Moses’ faith was in need of a booster shot. As we continue, we now see God addressing Moses frustrations, doubts and fears. God reiterates to Moses the promises made to the Patriarchs (Abraham, Issac and Jacob), and reveals to Moses that while the Patriarchs knew the Lord as God Almighty, but not as Him as Jehovah, the one who would deliver Israel from bondage. Moreover, in this Chapter, we see God not only reaffirming his covenant with the Patriarchs to the Israelites, but is re-establishing His promises to the Patriarchs as a covenant with the entire Nation of Israel. What a mighty God! However, because of the cruelty of the Egyptians, it was very difficult for the Israelites to receive such promises (v. 9). Yet God commands Moses not to allow the present distress to dissuade him from what God had called him to. Isn’t it wonderful and encouraging to know that even when things don’t seem to be working right, God is yet with you, moving on your behalf to bring you to victory?!! Praise Him!!

Reggie
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Exodus 6  The Stage is Set

I was reminded in these verses that so often we have to be reminded of all God has done for us.  In verse 3 God refers to himself as El Shaddai the Almighty, the one who had established his covenant with Abram in Genesis 13.4 as Ryrie notes.

In verse 9, we find these people did not hearken because they were anguished of spirit (NAS uses despondency and NIV uses discouragement) - the term for anguish seeming to be a funny little word meaning "shortness" coming from a word that means curtail.  In reading this I realized it is very easy to "bag" on these Israelites the chosen of God who just don't seem to get with the program.  These people who have been living under bondage which has just now been intensified were now "of so little faith" because their spirits were in short supply.  I've been there.  You can keep believing, praising, hoping - but the source from which you do this seems so depleted.  Thank God he reminds himself in to our lives and replenishes our spirits. 

I think my tie-in is limiting God - Peter and the Jews that were with him were amazed at how God revealed himself in the Gentiles - their minds were limited to Christ as God's promise to the Israelites.  The Israelites on the other hand were limited by their spirits to see the promise of God.  We need to take heed not to let our circumstances determine how we know God.  And when it gets to that, be reminded of of all that He has done for us time and time again and be replenished.  He is ever available to us and will reveal Himself El Shaddai in all situations.

How does that song go with regard to why we sing His praises? :-)

Shelley
Exodus 6

November 14, 2004

Reading through the Bible in one Year: Psalm 131-133

Weekly Memory Verse: Galatians 2:20

Good Evening Brothers and Sisters,

Exodus 6 (NASB95)
1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 “I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. 5 “Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. 6 “Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 ‘Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 ‘I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’ ” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage. 10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 14 These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. 23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. 26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.” 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron. 28 Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” 30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”[1]

The one thing that stood out to me in today's study is that God established who He was.  He made it clear that it wasn't through the strength of Moses that He was going to deliver the Hebrews.  Neither was it because the Hebrews had such tremendous faith as to cause God to notice them.  On the contrary, the Hebrews wished that Moses would just go away since their labors and harassment had increased after his coming.  God wanted to make it clear who was going to defeat Pharaoh, it wasn't going to be Moses, or the Hebrews, it was only by the direct hand of God. 

God revealed His name, which we lamely translate as "LORD", all in caps since it refers to the actual name of God.  This name was so sacred to the Hebrew people that they purposefully left off the vowel markings.  It was considered to be so holy that it could not be verbally spoken.  Some translate the Name as Jehovah, others translate it as Yahweh, the Hebrew letters spell YHWH. God had revealed Himself earlier as "El Shaddai", demonstrating that He was God almighty, sustainer and provider.  Now God reveals a different side of his character.  God is keeping the promise that was given long ages before, He has not forgotten His word. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary)

God promised that He would cause Pharaoh to "say uncle", in other words, Pharaoh would give in to the direction of God willingly.  God had the ability to zap Pharaoh, and to cause him to give Israel freedom immediately, but He did not choose to do it that way.  He does not create robots, and God works in His own way.  Imagine the number of Egyptians that knew that God was much greater than their false gods. 

One other thing that we can all draw comfort from in these verses is that God noticed the trouble that the Hebrews were going through.  As we consider the plights of our daily lives, don't ever forget that lesson.  We serve a personal God who is concerned about us personally on an individual basis.

This is the Sunday Study, so I am going to shorten it, I am skipping over the majority of the chapter and welcome any comments.  Shelley is still in the Hospital, she is starting to feel a lot better.  Brain surgery affects everyone differently, we are hoping to bring her home Monday or Tuesday.  Please keep her in prayer.

Father, as You revealed to Moses, You are in control of every area of life.  I ask that You will reveal that truth to each of our hearts.  Give us the courage to build our lives upon that truth.

In Him,

Joe Turner.

[1] New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995. LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
 
 
 
 
 
Last changed: 09/17/08