Last week, we ended on what was maybe the low point of the book of Exodus. Yahweh had commanded Moses and Aaron to go, and tell Pharaoh to let his people go. And they did. But when they spoke to Pharaoh, he resisted, hard. He didn't acknowledge Yahweh, and he wouldn't let the people go. Instead, he made life even more difficult for the Israelites.
By the end of chapter 5, it looks like Pharaoh has achieved total victory. Moses and Aaron were sent packing.
The Israelites rejected Moses and Aaron, and actually called on God to judge them for what they'd done.
And Pharaoh ends up squeezing even more production out of his slaves. Everything looks like a glorious victory for Pharaoh, and a bitter defeat for Moses, in particular.
What would you do, if you were Moses? Give up? Wonder if God was unfaithful? Or weak?
What Moses does, is return to Yahweh. Moses has nowhere else to turn, really. Moses didn't want any of this. He didn't ask to be Israel's leader, or spokesman. And why would God send him all the way from a good life in Midian, for this? Moses has questions. Does God have any answers?
This brings us to Exodus 5:22, where we will pick our story back up this week:
(22) and Moses returned to Yahweh,
and he said,
"Lord, why have you done evil to this people?
Why have you sent me?,
(23) and from the time I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done/brought evil to this people,
and you haven't actually rescued/delivered your people,"
(6:1) and Yahweh said to Moses,
"Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh,
because with a strong hand he will send them out,
and with a strong hand he will drive them out from his land.
Yahweh starts out by agreeing with Moses, in part. Up until now, Yahweh has not revealed his power. Up until now, God hasn't actually rescued his people. Now, though, Moses will see.
Now, the question is, why did God do it this way? Why didn't God reveal his power at first?
I thought about that question a lot this week. When you read chapter 5 in light of chapter 6, and then go back, why didn't God just reveal his power right away?
In chapter 5, Yahweh gives Pharaoh an opportunity to do the right thing. He wants Pharaoh to acknowledge his place in the world-- to recognize Yahweh's authority over him, and over Israel. And the specific demand is a modest one-- Yahweh wants his people to journey out three days into the wilderness to worship and serve him.
Israel, one way or another, is leaving Egypt for Canaan. But how this happens is an open question. If Pharaoh had acted wisely, none of this needed to be as painful, or costly, for him and his people. And God gave Pharaoh the chance to act wisely, and do the right thing.
It's not a perfect parallel, but I found myself thinking about the U.K., Canada, and the U.S. this week. Originally, Canada and the U.S. were both British colonies. But both Canada and the U.S. were too big, and too far, for Britain to successfully maintain control over. Inevitably, they were going to become independent-- along with basically every other British colony in the world.
The question is, how would this happen? When we look at our history, and Canada's, we understand that there was an easy way, and a hard way. The U.K. didn't let us go, and it launched a costly war against us, which it lost.
But the U.K. let Canada go. There's still a relationship there, but Canada is allowed to make its own bad decisions about who its leaders should be. It self-rules. The U.K. accepted Canada's independence.
Pharaoh's choice is similar to the U.K.'s. But in chapter 5, Pharaoh wasn't willing to give up control, or acknowledge that Yahweh had power and authority over him. What Pharaoh is doing, is choosing the hard way. So now the gloves come off. Now, Yahweh will reveal his power.
Verses 2-5:
(2) And God spoke to Moses,
and He said to him,
"I [am] Yahweh,
and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai ("God of Power"),
while my name Yahweh I didn't make known to them,
(4) and, what's more, I established my covenant with them to give to them the land of Canaan-- a land they lived in as foreign aliens,
where they stayed as foreigners in it,
(5) and, what's more, I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel who are in Egypt, being made to serve the Egyptians,
and I have remembered/minded my covenant.
What exactly is God doing in verses 2-5? None of what God tells Moses is new. God has already told Moses that his name is Yahweh. God has already told him about how he remembers his promise to give his ancestors the land of Canaan. And God has already told Moses that He has heard the groans of the Israelites.
So why does God repeat himself? I don't think God stutters.
Lots of times, God knows that you need to hear something more than once for it to really sink in. Just because you've heard the truth about who God is, and what He's doing, doesn't mean that truth has grabbed you. Or, even, that you truly believe it.
What we often need, really, is to start over with the basics. When we find ourselves questioning God, or doubting him, we have to hit the brakes, and back up.
Who is God? Verse 2: God is "Yahweh." He will be, what He will be. Moses' ancestors-- Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-- knew God in part. God revealed himself, in part. But now God has revealed himself more fully as Yahweh. It's like He's pulled back a little more of the curtain. And how does this help? What God will be, is the Savior of his people. He will be more than enough, to free them, and give them a new home.
Then, in verses 4-5, God reminds Moses about the covenant that God made with his ancestors.
What we know about covenants, is mostly in the context of marriage. And marriage provides a good, but partial, parallel for our relationship with God. When you marry someone, and enter into covenant with them, part of what you are doing, is placing a limitation on what you do for the rest of your life. I'm sure there's happier ways to put it. But I want to focus on the limitation.
When I married Heidi, I made a commitment to not chase any other skirt. I can't find someone else, who I think may make me happier. I can't leave Heidi for another woman. And the reason for that, is the covenant I made with her. I made a binding promise to Heidi, and that restricts what I can do until one of us dies. In covenants, you self-limit. Now, I think I made a good choice. I married up. But I've self-limited.
When God enters into a covenant with his people, it works the same way. God becomes less free. From that point on, God can't do whatever He wants. He has willingly, voluntarily self-limited. He can't abandon his people. He can't ignore them. He has to be faithful to his people. He has to be faithful, to who He is.
So when life is hard, remind God about the new covenant that He made with you through Jesus' blood (Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25). Remind him that He has obligations. Remind him about the promises He has made. And when you do this, part of what gives you the faith, and boldness, to pray this way, is that you understand how God has self-limited himself, for you. God has committed to you. When you pray, you pray as God's beloved bride. You pray, knowing that God loves you, and cherishes you (H/T Graham Cooke).
Verse 6-8:
(6) Therefore, say to the sons of Israel,
"I [am] Yahweh,
and I shall bring you from under the forced labor of Egypt,
and I shall deliver you from your service,
and I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment,
(7) and I shall take you for myself as a people,
and I shall be to you [a] God/Elohim,
and you shall know/acknowledge that I [am] Yahweh your God, The One Bringing You From Under the Forced Labor of Egypt,
(8) and I shall bring you to the land that I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
and I shall give it to you [as a] possession.
I [am] Yahweh,"
Who is Yahweh your God? Verse 7. You will know that Yahweh your God, the One committed to you, is the One bringing you out from your forced labor. When people think about God's name, Yahweh, throughout the OT, that's how they think about it. Yahweh is the one who freed us from Egypt, and gave us Canaan.
When we think about God, we tend to think about him in terms of his even greater rescue. God is the one who freed us from our slavery to Satan, sin, and death, and gave us entrance into his kingdom through Jesus. That's also good. Whether you're in the OT or NT, God is known, as the God who saves his people.
So God has reminded Moses about who He is, and about the covenant He has made, and about what the big plan is. Now, it's time for Moses to meet with the Israelites again, and start over with them.
Verse 9:
(9) and Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel,
and they didn't listen to Moses because of a short spirit and their hard service,
The first time Moses spoke to the people, they believed Moses, and they worshipped God. But Pharaoh has successfully worn them down, and now they no longer listen. When your life falls apart, it's easy to slip into despair. And it's even easier to decide that God won't help.
And for now, that's where it sits with the people. The people have no faith. They have a short spirit, and they're unable to reach up, and claim the promises God gives them.
Verse 10-12:
(10) and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
"Go speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt,
and he will send out the sons of Israel from his land,"
(11) and Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying,
"LOOK! The sons of Israel haven't listened to me,
and how will Pharaoh listen,
while I [am] uncircumcised of lips?,
If Moses couldn't even convince the Israelites to listen, how can he possibly convince Pharaoh? If you fail with the easy, sympathetic audience, you're not going to be handle the tougher one. It'd be like if Biden couldn't handle CNN, but then was told to go on Tucker Carlson. How well would that go?
Moses doesn't see any way this will work out. Pharaoh won't listen-- and Moses' ongoing speech impediment isn't helping.
Verse 13:
(13) and Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron,
and He commanded them to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt.
If we stop here, and try to think about chapter 6 from God's perspective, what do we see?
We see a people who have a short spirit. They've given up hope in Yahweh. They no longer trust their leaders. Instead, they've sunk into despair.
We also see God's chosen leader, Moses, continuing to struggle. Not that I blame him, really. If you go to God's people, and you're flatly rejected, what do you do? How do you respond? If Moses was a pastor, I'd expect him to find a different church. How can you work with a people who have a short spirit, when you have a short spirit?
How can you work with a people who have no faith in God, and who struggle to claim the promises? How can you build them up in faith, when you don't have faith? You can't give people something that you don't have.
So is it hopeless?
From a human perspective, maybe. But not to God. The people have no faith, but God will save them anyway. Moses has no faith, but God will send him anyway. God will do this. He will save his people by grace, despite their lack of faith (an interesting twist on Eph. 2:8-9). Why? Because they are HIS people. And God will be faithful to his covenant, and God will be faithful to himself.
And what God will accomplish through this, is to move his people to a place of true faith, and true worship. God wants his people to have total confidence in him. If God made a promise, He will keep it. If God made a covenant, He will honor it.
Through the exodus, God will prove himself to his people. Exodus stands as a record of God's faithfulness, and power. And if you read this story with fresh eyes, and let God speak to you through it, at some point you'll find something stirring inside of you. Maybe, you don't need to have a short spirit. Maybe, what God did for his people in this book, He will do for you today. Maybe the story of God, and of God's people, hasn't ended.
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All of us tend to gravitate toward the new. When we learn something new from the Bible, we get excited. If a pastor teaches something new, or stretches us in some way, we appreciate him, and go out of our way to thank him.
When you are taught things you have already heard, and already "know," it's harder. Maybe, you find yourself fighting complacency, or boredom. You've heard it before, so you know it. And you think you don't really need to hear it again because you go through life remembering it. And the longer you're a Christian, the more you find yourself fighting this. You go home from church, and you think, "If I'd heard that 30 years ago, I would've found it really informative and helpful. That was a great message for the young people."
Maybe, sometimes, that's true. But more often than not, we need to hear the same things over and over. Paul talks about how it's no hardship for him to say the same things again to his churches, and that it's a protection for them (can't find the verse-- a google fail). God wants us to celebrate the Eucharist on a regular basis, in part, because we need to remind ourselves of what Jesus did for us, in dying for our sins, and creating a new way to covenant/relate to God.
So what is it, in Exodus 6, that Moses needed to hear again? What is it that he doesn't really, truly, understand?
The main idea, is that God is the covenant keeper. If you are in covenant relationship with God, God will honor his own commitment to you. Covenants, by definition, place restraints on people's behavior. When you covenanted with your spouse, you made a commitment to that person for as long as you both live. You can't shop around, and find someone better. You can't abandon them. That covenant places limitations on what you can do, from here on out.
God's covenant with us works the same way. When God entered into the covenant with you, through Jesus, God made a commitment to be your God. To be faithful to you. To be committed to you. To love you, and provide for you, and be with you. The relationship that God has with you is a real relationship. There is give and take. But mostly, it's just God giving, and offering himself to you. You've heard your whole life that God loves you, that He's powerful, and that's He's committed to you. You think you know this, and that you don't need anyone to keep reminding you of this.
Through the wonders of the internet, I coincidentally stumbled across a prophetic message the other day. A true fluke, perhaps. (Graham Cooke, on "Latitude")
And when I listened to this modern prophet, I found myself thinking, "I don't know God, like he does. I don't have this kind of intimacy. God doesn't speak to me, like he speaks to him." I 'know' many of the same things that he does about who God is, and what he offers. But this prophet has been pressing into God far longer, and far harder, than I have, and it shows. I can recite the same truths about God, but I don't know him the same way. I don't have the same confidence in God that he has. You could say that he reminded me of what I already "knew." But I don't know it, the way he does.
So the reminder was helpful to me. It was necessary. I'm not where I should be, but I'm growing. I'm pressing in. God has given me the latitude to explore who He is, and who He will be, for me, and for his church. And I have every intention of taking advantage of God's offer.
And my hope, is that this will be a church that pushes you, above all else, in the same direction-- toward God.
When you are oppressed, cry out to your God. If it seems like He's not listening, cry out again. Remind him that He is your God, and that you are trusting in Him. If He's not actually helping, be like Moses, and challenge him.
If you find yourself doubting God, read these stories with fresh eyes. Hear the old truths, and 'know' them.
What we will see is that God does listen. That He does help. That He does keep his promises.
God will fight for his people.
And if you find yourself hopelessly stuck, with a short spirit, my hope is also that in this church, you will hear regular testimonies about how God continues to rescue people. God still makes people whole, body, soul, and spirit. God still frees people from everything that enslaves them. God is still faithful.
Translation:
(1) and Yahweh said to Moses,
"Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh,
because with a strong hand he will send them out,
and with a strong hand he will drive them out from his land.
(2) And God spoke to Moses,
and He said to him,
"I [am] Yahweh,
and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El Shaddai ("God of Power"),
while my name Yahweh I didn't make known to them,
(4) and, what's more, I established my covenant with them to give to them the land of Canaan-- a land they lived in as foreign aliens,
where they stayed as foreigners in it,
(5) and, what's more, I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel who are in Egypt, being made to serve the Egyptians,
and I remembered my covenant.
(6) Therefore, say to the sons of Israel,
"I [am] Yahweh,
and I shall bring you from under the forced labor of Egypt,
and I shall deliver you from your service,
and I shall redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great acts of judgment,
and I shall take you for myself as a people,
and I shall be to you [a] God/Elohim,
and you shall know that I [am] Yahweh your God, The One Bringing You From Under the Forced Labor of Egypt,
(8) and I shall bring you to the land that I swore to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
and I shall give it to you [as a] possession.
I [am] Yahweh,"
(9) and Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel,
and they didn't listen to Moses because of a short spirit and their hard service,
(10) and Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
"Go speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt,
and he will send out the sons of Israel from his land,"
(11) and Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying,
"LOOK! The sons of Israel haven't listened to me,
and how will Pharaoh listen,
while I [am] uncircumcised of lips?,
(13) and Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron,
and He commanded them to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt.
