Exodus 6:4

The Bible says in Exodus 6:4-5, “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.” How could Moses be sure that God would take him and the rest of the Israelites to the land of Canaan? Moses could be sure because of the promise that God had made. If you want to know what God is going to do for you, then make sure that you know His promises. Jesus always keeps His promises. Jesus has made many promises to His believers. Make sure that you are familiar with those promises. The most important promise that Jesus made was the promise of eternal life. Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” And Jesus also said in John 10:27-29, “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.”

The Bible says in Exodus 6:6-8, “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 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.” It is obvious that God wanted to deliver the children of Israel because of the promise that God had made to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. But God also decided to deliver the children of Israel because of God’s love for His people. They were suffering in Egypt, and the Lord wanted to save them from their suffering. The Lord said in Exodus 6:6, “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.” Perhaps the most important truth to remember about God is that Jesus loves you with a great, eternal love. He sees, and He knows, and He loves you. “God is love.” (First John 4: 8 and First John 4:16)

Another important truth about God that is demonstrated in these verses in Exodus chapter 6 is the fact that God desires fellowship and a relationship from the people of the earth. God said to the Israelites in Exodus 6:7, “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.” Because human beings were created in the image of God, many of the attributes and characteristics that we all possess are due to the fact that we were created in His image. Of course, we posses these attributes in a limited and imperfect way. One attribute that we have is our sociability. We are social creatures because God is a social being. We need social contact with others. That is one of the things that drives us and motivates us. God loves to have personal relationships with people. That is one of the reasons that He established the nation of Israel: so that those people would know Him and have fellowship with Him. The nation of Israel failed, but God established the church: the believers in Jesus Christ. Now God has the believers in Christ for His people, and for the ones with whom He seeks fellowship. Notice that Jesus said in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.”

The Bible says in Exodus 6:9-12, “And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 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?” Please do not miss the important message in the latter part of Exodus 6:9. It says about the children of Israel that they “hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.” The Israelites were suffering under the hand of Pharaoh. They were going through a very difficult time. Sometimes believers will go through difficult times that can last for years. Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world ye shall have tribulation…” Jesus also said in Matthew 10:23-24, “But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, til the Son of man be come. The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.”

If you become a follower of Jesus, there is no question that you are going to suffer persecution and tribulation. The question is this: how are you going to react to those difficult times? For one thing, the persecution or affliction is not an attack on you, but is an attack on your faith. You must trust in God to deliver you. Without faith that the Lord is allowing this for a reason, you are in danger of becoming bitter or angry. Once this happens, you have a spiritual problem in your own heart. That is why Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” Jesus wants us to learn to endure affliction because there is an end to every trouble. You gain the victory over the affliction by keeping the faith until the affliction ends.

The Israelites were still in Egypt, but they were already learning to murmur about their difficulties. They would perfect this “murmuring” later on after they left Egypt and were in the wilderness. One of the problems with this bitter and complaining murmuring is the effect that it has on others. Moses did not know how to handle it. It shook him and discouraged him, and affected his confidence. Moses’ reaction was: if the Israelites react to me this way, how will I be able to speak to Pharaoh? Moses said to the Lord in Exodus 6:12, “Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” You want to surround yourself with positive people who say positive things. Faith is positive. Trusting in Almighty God is positive. Walking in fellowship with Jesus is positive. The message that Christ gave was a positive message. Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ who strengtheneth me.” Jesus said, “With God all things are possible.” You are blessed if you are surrounded by positive-thinking and positive-speaking people.

Notice what Moses said to the Lord when Moses started thinking about his own inadequacies. Moses said in Exodus 6:12 that he was “of uncircumcised lips.” For one thing this shows us that Moses understood the spiritual meaning of circumcision. Circumcision was the cutting away of flesh. “Flesh” is symbolic of sinful human nature. The cutting away of flesh was symbolic of repenting of sin and turning away from sin. Repenting of sin has always been a requirement to be rightly related with God and being forgiven by Jesus. That is why Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

There is a certain amount of honesty to what Moses said except for the spiritual principle of forgiveness and imputed righteousness. Of myself and my own actions, I am sinful and in no way can serve God. That is true of every person because we are all sinners. Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” In times of spiritual honesty about your own sins, you can easily be overcome with thoughts of inadequacy or unworthiness unless you have a strong understanding in the concept of imputed righteousness through faith in Christ. The Bible says in Romans 4:3-8, “For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.” It is wonderful to know that you are not condemned if you have been saved by Jesus.

After Moses again expresses doubt about himself, the Lord answers Moses in Exodus 6:13, “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 of Egypt.” The word that is translated “charge” means “to command” or “to appoint.” The same word is translated “commanded” in Genesis 7:7 that says, “Then went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.” God simply re-stated to Moses and to Aaron what He had already said to them before. God had already told them in the past to go to Pharaoh and to speak to Pharaoh for the purpose of bringing the children of Israel out of Egypt. Nothing new was stated by God. God told them once again what He wanted them to do. It says in Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.” Every person is born into the world for a reason. God gives a purpose to every life. This purpose is called God’s will. All of Moses’ excuses and doubts did not change anything, because God does not change, and therefore God’s purpose does not change. The way to live life is this: find out what God wants you to do, and do it. You are qualified to do it because whom God calls, He justifies, and He equips. It is God’s work, and God does the work. He simply uses you as the instrument. The Bible says in Ephesians 1:11, “In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will.”

Do you know what God’s will is for you? First, His will is for you to be saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Second, His will is for you to follow Jesus by faith every day until the day that you die. If you do these two things by faith, then everything else will fall into place. You shall find God’s will for you, because He has put you on this earth for a purpose.

___________________________________________________