Yahweh reassures Moses

6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for compelled by my strong hand he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 6:2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 6:3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name ‘the Lord’ I was not known to them. 6:4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as resident foreigners. 6:5 I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. 6:6 Therefore, tell the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord. I will bring you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians, I will rescue you from the hard labor they impose, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 6:7 I will take you to myself for a people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from your enslavement to the Egyptians. 6:8 I will bring you to the land I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob – and I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord!’” 6:9 Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and hard labor. 6:10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 6:11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt that he must release the Israelites from his land.” 6:12 But Moses replied to the Lord, “If the Israelites did not listen to me, then how will Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with difficulty?” 6:13 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge for the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

The Lord tells Moses that he will free Israel by his own power. He will keep his covenant, judge Egypt, redeem his people, and bring them into the land he promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Even though Israel is discouraged and Moses feels weak, God’s purpose will stand.

God speaks with firm promise. Pharaoh will not control the outcome. The Lord says that he is Yahweh, the covenant God who remembers what he promised. He will bring Israel out of slavery, rescue them from hard labor, and redeem them with power and judgment. He will make them his people, and he will be their God. He will also bring them into the land he swore to give their fathers.

Moses tells the Israelites what God said, but they do not listen because their suffering has crushed them. Then the Lord sends Moses back to Pharaoh. Moses is still afraid and says Pharaoh will not listen, especially since he speaks with difficulty. Even so, God gives Moses and Aaron a charge to continue. The success of the exodus depends on the Lord’s faithfulness, not on Moses’ strength or the people’s present hope.

• The Lord acts because he is faithful to his covenant.
• God’s rescue includes deliverance, redemption, and judgment.
• The goal of salvation is that God’s people belong to him.
• Israel’s discouragement does not cancel God’s promise.
• Moses’ weakness does not stop the Lord’s work.

• Promise: The Lord will bring Israel out of Egypt.
• Promise: The Lord will redeem his people with power and judgment.
• Promise: The Lord will take Israel to himself as a people and give them the promised land.
• Warning: Hard labor and discouragement can make people stop listening to God.
• Command: Moses must speak to Israel and to Pharaoh.
• Command: Moses and Aaron must carry out the Lord’s charge.

This passage stands on the promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is now bringing those promises toward fulfillment through the exodus. He is forming a people for himself and preparing them for life under his covenant rule.

When God’s work seems slow, trust his character instead of your own strength. Do not measure God’s promise by how ready people seem to listen. Keep obeying when you feel weak, because the Lord’s purpose stands even when you are discouraged.

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