Exodus 6:1-13

 

 

The Book of Exodus, if anything, shows us the faithfulness of God. God keeps His promises because He is Holy. And holiness means perfection. And holiness also means the same yesterday, today, and forever.  The God of Moses and the God of Exodus is the God of you and I. And Exodus chapter 6 is a chapter of the Bible that reminds us of the faithfulness of God. And shows us why it is important to remember that God is faithful.

 

The Bible says in Exodus chapter 6:1-5, “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. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 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. 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 with them.”

 

In this particular situation with Moses and with the children of Israel, God was teaching them something very important about God’s character. God told Moses that he and the children of Israel would know God by the name JEHOVAH. In other words, God was saying that He keeps His promises. This is just another way of emphasizing the holiness of God. Hebrews 13:8 says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.”

 

It would be very important for Moses and the Children of Israel to remember that God is Jehovah because they would face many challenges in the years to come. They would face the opposition of pharaoh, the most powerful man in the world. And they would also face their own sinful failures and 40 years of wandering in the wilderness. Therefore they would need to remember that God is faithful and that He would indeed deliver them from their 400 years of bondage and bring them into the land that He had promised to the children of Abraham.

 

Moses and all the children of Israel were about to experience the redemptive power of God. After 400 years of cruel and rigorous slavery from the most powerful nation in the world, Israel would indeed need the redemptive power of God. Because only the power of God could take a group of slaves and turn them into a great nation founded on belief in the one true and living God.

 

Concerning the faithfulness of God the Bible says in Psalms 36:5, “Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens; and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.” And the Bible also says in Psalms 119:90, “Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: Thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.

 

Did you know that God is faithful? What a contrast when compared to the humans of this world. All we like sheep have gone astray. But God is faithful. All men are spiritual harlots. We need to remember that God is faithful because we are not.  God is always faithful to deliver us from the bondage of sin and the bondage of this wicked world and to bring us into the land of eternal promise. As we attempt to follow the footprints of Jesus in this life we must remember that God is JEHOVAH. God is faithful.

 

What are some ways in which God is faithful? We know that God is faithful because He sent His only begotten Son to die for our sins that we might forever have the faithfulness of His eternal mercy and grace. Romans 8:32 says, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things.” Are there failures and sins in your past that come back to haunt you even though you have asked Christ’s forgiveness. Then you need to silence the voice of the past by remembering the promises of God’s faithfulness. I John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins; He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

 

Are there struggles with your own sinful flesh that you just can’t seem to be victorious over. Philippians 1:6 says, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” God is faithful, and He will deliver you just as He delivered Moses and the children of Israel from the power of pharaoh. And He will fulfill the promises of His great love and grace in you just as He has kept His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; because God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to day, and forever.

 

The Bible goes on to say in Exodus chapter 6:6-9, “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: 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. And I will bring you 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. And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: But they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.”

 

In these verses of Exodus chapter 6 God gave several promises to Israel. He would free them from slavery. Israel would be a special people to God. Jehovah would be their God in a personal, individual way. And God would indeed give them the Promised Land. Yet, despite all of these wonderful things that God was going to do for Israel they did not listen or believe God’s Word. This because the same fire that melts the wax hardens the clay.

 

Suffering is a part of this world. Of course the sufferings that the children of Israel were experiencing were extremely cruel, unjust sufferings as a result of the wicked oppression of the evil pharaoh. Unfortunately for the children of Israel the fires of temptation did bring them running to arms of God.

 

It is not really so important what your sufferings are, or how unjust your suffering may indeed be. But what is important is how you respond to suffering. Don’t be like the children of Israel who harkened not unto the Lord, nor believed His promises. The servant is not greater than his master. Jesus suffered cruelly and unjustly; and so will you if you pick up your cross and follow Him. Just remember that the Bible says concerning suffering in Romans chapter 8:17-18, “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”

 

Perhaps the sufferings of this life are many for you. But they are temporary and they are not worthy to be compared with the glory and the riches of God’s grace. It’s a shame that the children of Israel did not listen to God’s Word because of their suffering. If they had, then they would have been reminded that the name of God is JEHOVAH; that God is faithful. Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today, and forever; which also means that the promises of God are just as real and can be just as powerful in your life as in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

 

The same fire that melts the wax hardens the clay. Because this generation of Israel did not listen to God’s Word because they let their sufferings keep them from faith in God, they would miss out on the blessings of the Promised Land and would be fated to wander in the wilderness the rest of their lives.

 

Jesus said in John 10:10, “I am come that they might have life; and that they might have it more abundantly.” The purpose of suffering, for the child of God, is to teach us and improve our character. You would think that suffering would help people to understand and see more; just how weak they are and just how much they are dependant on God’s strength and grace. Don’t be a selfish person and let your sufferings keep you from learning more about the abundant life that is found in Christ. Suffering should teach you patience. Suffering should help you become more kind and sensitive towards other people. Suffering should help you to be less narrow minded and more understanding of other people. Suffering should help you to see that God is faithful. And suffering will bring you deeper into the abundant life that is found by faith in Jesus Christ.

 

Even if your faith fails you, even if the fires of temptation harden your heart, even if you fail to learn the lessons that you should, and even if you miss out on the blessings of God: God will still accomplish His purposes. Because the Bible says concerning God in II Timothy 2:13, “If we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself.”

 

The Bible goes on to say in Exodus chapter 6 verses 10-13, “And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 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? 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.”

 

Moses was a man like any other man. He was a sinner. But one big difference between Moses and most people of this world is that Moses hath faith in God. Even Moses still needed grow in His faith and to keep in remembrance the faithfulness of God.  If there is one mistake that we see Moses making in these first few chapters of Exodus; it is how he would give excuses when God commanded him to do something. And Moses said, “How shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” Did it really matter whether or not Moses was circumcised? Well, what mattered to God was for Moses to go to Pharaoh and speak forth the Words of God.

 

Just before the Jesus’ crucifixion He prayed, “Not My will Lord, but Thine, be done.” And when Jesus taught us to pray He said to pray of God, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” You can always find an excuse to not do what God wants you to do. There is always some way for us to justify our fears, our lack of faith, or our own selfishness to seek our own desires instead of God’s will. Jesus said seek and ye shall find.

 

Just go out and talk to the people in the world around you. And you will see that most are people who have found some excuse that they use to justify why they have not turned from their sins and turned to Jesus and some excuse why do not live their lives day by day for God. But if you remember that God is JEHOVAH, that God is faithful, then you will also realize there are no excuses to not do the will of God.

 

It is true that we are weak, without strength, and ungodly sinners. It is true we don’t always have the faith that we should as children of God. And it is true that of ourselves we can do nothing.  But just remember that Jesus said in II Corinthians 12:9, “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Turn your eyes upon Jesus and look full in His wonderful face. And then you will find you have no excuses to not do the will of God but rather you have the greatest reason in the world: that God is a God of grace. And because God is JEHOVAH, the self-existent One, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the eternally faithful One, You have all that you need to be successful in picking up your cross and following Jesus.

 

This is in fact the great example that Moses gave us. Moses had fears and failures and excuses that he offered to God. But Moses had faith in the promises of God and Moses did what God told Him to do. You don’t have to be great; you just have to be obedient through faith.

 

Did you know that God is JEHOVAH? God is faithful? And God has faithfully day by day offered you the opportunity to serve Him and the opportunity to enjoy the friendship of His love. Perhaps you have not done all the things in life that you have hoped to for God. Just remember God is faithful. And He has a plan you have yet to fully understand. Perhaps your life is filled with excuses.  Then it is time you replace those excuses with the promises of God.

 

 If you have never turned from your sins and turned to Jesus, today is the day of salvation. Don’t give excuses, and don’t ignore the eternal flames that wait to consume your soul. But run to the arms of Jesus. Pray to Him right now and He will forgive you of your sins and save you from hell. Jesus died for your sins. He rose again. And now He offers you eternal life for free. Romans 1:20 says, “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.” You have no excuse because God is JEHOVAH. God is faithful. Jesus said in John 6:40, “And this is the will of Him that sent Me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise Him up at the last day.” Turn from your sins and turn to Jesus. He will give you a life, peace, and a joy that is eternal.

 

 

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Copyright; 2003 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved