Exodus 6:6-12 – Be assured that we are His redeemed

Central to the whole rescue operation of the children of Israel was the LORD, the great I AM. It was to Moses that He first revealed this name. He is the self-existing God, ever-present God, the one who has no beginning or end. He was there before the beginning of time and will be there at the end of it. Now in Moses’ discouragement, God brought him back to this reality again. It was important for Moses to know who he or Pharaoh was dealing with, despite Pharaoh’s adamance and his stubborn refusal to acknowledge His sovereignty and bow to His demands. Despite the intensified oppression, neither the Israelites or us, His people today, should forget that we all belong to Him. He had made a covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and would never renege on His promise. As this message was for Moses, the Pharaoh and the oppressed Israelites, it is also for us who have experienced His love through the Lord Jesus Christ. He was the reason for their existence, and will also be the reason for ours.

For that matter, we must also never forget that He is our sovereign God and nothing is outside of His control. He wanted Moses and the Israelites to know that no matter how desperate the situation might seem, He was still in control. This same truth is for us, that no matter what we are going through, He, the great “I AM”, is still very much in control. Like Moses, we must remember that at the beginning, in the midst or at the end of every difficult encounter in life, He was there, is here now and will always be with us, no matter what. What a great heartening thought! The answer to all our problems is in Him. The truth is this: at the heart of it all, He wants us to live a God-centred life. Knowing God and walking with Him is the most important thing. This is a call for us to place all our trust in Him even in the midst of all difficult times.

From Exodus 5:6-8, two words “I will” appear seven times. God asked Moses to say to His discouraged people, promising them with these words: “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. 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. 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.”  

What was God saying in these seven ‘I will’s? Four clear truths emerge. He would not only be their liberator but also would be their redeemer. And He would adopt them as His own people and would also give a land for their inheritance. God’s intention is the same for us through Christ. He liberates and redeems us. Then He adopts us and grants us an eternal possession. But we mustn’t respond like the Israelites. In verse 9 when Moses spoke all these to the children of Israel, they wanted nothing of it. God said to them seven times, “I will” but they stubbornly said to God, “I won’t.”  Why? They were discouraged because of Pharaoh’s cruel bondage. Herein is a lesson for us. When God says to us, “I will” never respond with an “I won’t.” Don’t ever let discouragement or despondency force you to do this. For this is His promise, “I am the Lord”  

Sadly, verses 10-12 describe Moses’ hesitation. So here in Egypt, he repeated the same thing he said to God at Horeb, when told to go and tell Pharaoh to let God’s people go. The reason for Moses seems obvious. He was not only rejected by Pharaoh but also by his own people, already. How much different would it be this time around? If His own people wouldn’t listen to him how much more could he expect from Pharaoh? These were probably some thoughts that had raged in his mind. Perhaps like Moses, some of us are at the point of giving up. Let us not let despondency or discouragement trip us up. He still says to us “I am the LORD and I will liberate and redeem you. I have adopted you not as my servants but my sons and daughters. I still have an eternal inheritance for you in Christ.” What a glorious God we have! So be still and know that He is God!