2026.01.25-02.01 Sermon Notes. From Resistance to Revelation: Knowing the LORD. EXODUS 5-6
Exodus 5:1-6:30
William Akehurst
Harford Senior Worship Center
KEY WORDS: Faith, Deliverance, Salvation, Belief, Grace, Promise , Trust, Exodus, Faithfulness, Prayer, Faithfulness of GOD
SCRIPTURES: Exodus 5:1-23, Exodus 6:1-30, Romans 6:22, John 4:23, Psalm 10:4, Romans 1:21, 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Isaiah 31:1, Jeremiah 17:5, John 16:2, Galatians 4:16, Psalm 46:10, Romans 9:17, Psalm 9:10, Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalms 34:19, Isaiah 40:29, John 8:36, Acts 16:31
Big Idea
GOD uses resistance, suffering, delay, and even discouragement to reveal HIMSELF as YHWH - the covenant-keeping LORD - so that HIS people may know HIM, trust HIM, and experience HIS redeeming power. Deliverance is GOD’s work from beginning to end.
Introduction
Exodus 5–6 is one of the most honest passages in Scripture. It shows us what happens when faith collides with reality, when obedience seems to backfire, and when GOD’s promises appear delayed.
This text teaches us that GOD is not absent in hardship—HE is revealing HIMSELF more fully through it.
EXODUS 5
I. GOD’S COMMAND IS DECLARED PUBLICLY
Exodus 5:1
1 Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.’ ”
“Thus says the LORD God of Israel: Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.”
Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh with divine authority.
“Hold a Feast” a form of Worship.
Key truths:
• GOD claims ownership: MY people
• GOD demands worship, not merely freedom
• Liberation is for relationship, not autonomy, not self-sufficiency
Freedom without worship is not biblical freedom.
• FREEDOM from sin
Freed from sin to serve GOD. From slaves to sin, to slaves of GOD
Romans 6:22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life.
• FREEDOM to worship
True worshipers worship in spirit and truth
John 4:23-24 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
II. PHARAOH’S DEFIANT REJECTION OF GOD
Exodus 5:2
2 And Pharaoh said, “Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, nor will I let Israel go.”
“Who is the LORD, that I should obey His voice?”
This is willful defiance, not ignorance.
Pharaoh rejects:
• GOD’s name
• GOD’s authority
• GOD’s right to command obedience
This question becomes the central conflict of Exodus.
Pharoah’s Rejection:
• “There is no God”
Psalms 10:4 The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God;
God is in none of his thoughts.
Today’s rejection
• Refusal to honor God
Romans 1:21 … although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
III. GOD’S REASONABLE REQUEST REJECTED
Exodus 5:3
3 So they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the LORD our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.”
Moses requests a three-day journey to sacrifice.
This reveals:
• God’s patience
• Pharaoh’s hardness
• Worship as the issue, not labor
Pharaoh refuses not because the request is extreme—but because he will not yield authority.
IV. PHARAOH ACCUSES GOD’S SERVANTS
Exodus 5:4–5
4-5 4 Then the king of Egypt said to them, “Moses and Aaron, why do you take the people from their work? Get back to your labor.” 5 And Pharaoh said, “Look, the people of the land are many now, and you make them rest from their labor!”
Pharaoh labels Moses a distraction:
• “Why do you take the people from their work?”
The enemy often accuses godly leaders of being:
• Disruptive
• Unrealistic
• Dangerous to order
V. INCREASED OPPRESSION AS A COUNTERATTACK
Exodus 5:6–9
6-9 6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters of the people and their officers, saying, 7 “You shall no longer give the people straw to make brick as before. Let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 And you shall lay on them the quota of bricks which they made before. You shall not reduce it. For they are idle; therefore they cry out, saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.”
Straw removed. Quota unchanged.
Pharaoh’s strategy:
• Exhaust the people
• Silence God’s Word
• Discredit the promise
Satan’s first tactic against truth is always pressure.
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE:
• 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed—
VI. THE PEOPLE SUFFER UNDER CRUSHING BURDEN
Exodus 5:10–14
10-14 10 And the taskmasters of the people and their officers went out and spoke to the people, saying, “Thus says Pharaoh: ‘I will not give you straw. 11 Go, get yourselves straw where you can find it; yet none of your work will be reduced.’ ” 12 So the people were scattered abroad throughout all the land of Egypt to gather stubble instead of straw. 13 And the taskmasters forced them to hurry, saying, “Fulfill your work, your daily quota, as when there was straw.” 14 Also the officers of the children of Israel, whom Pharaoh’s taskmasters had set over them, were beaten and were asked, “Why have you not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and today, as before?”
Taskmasters enforce impossible demands.
The beating of Israel’s officers shows:
• How sin always punishes intermediaries
• How false authority destroys compassion
This reveals the true cruelty of bondage.
VII. ISRAEL APPEALS TO PHARAOH—NOT GOD
Exodus 5:15–18
15-18 15 Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, “Why are you dealing thus with your servants? 16 There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, ‘Make brick!’ And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people.”
17 But he said, “You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ 18 Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks.”
The officers plead with Pharaoh, but he blames laziness.
Bondage blinds people into seeking relief from the oppressor instead of deliverance from God.
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE:
• Isaiah 31:1 Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD!
• Jeremiah 17:5 Thus says the LORD: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD.
VIII. GOD’S SERVANTS ARE BLAMED
Exodus 5:19–21
19-21 19 And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, “You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota.”
20 Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. 21 And they said to them, “Let the LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”
The people turn on Moses and Aaron.
This shows:
• Pain distorts perception
• Fear breeds accusation
• Faith weakens under suffering
SUPPORTING SCRIPTURE:
• John 16:2 They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.
• Galatians 4:16 Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?
IX. MOSES BRINGS HIS COMPLAINT TO GOD
Exodus 5:22–23
22-23 22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
Moses does not quit—he prays.
His questions:
• “Why?”
• “Why now?”
• “Why me?”
God allows honest lament.
Faith is not pretending—it is trusting God with the truth.
EXODUS 6
X. GOD REAFFIRMS HIS SOVEREIGN POWER
Exodus 6:1
1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”
“Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh…”
Deliverance will come:
• In God’s time
• By God’s power
• For God’s glory
GOD’S PROMISES
• Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
• Romans 9:17 For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
XI. GOD REVEALS HIS COVENANT NAME
Exodus 6:2–3
2-3 2 And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am the LORD. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them.
“I am the LORD (YHWH)… not known to them by My name.”
Hebrew Insight
• El Shaddai – God who promises
• YHWH – God who fulfills
Israel is about to experience the Name.
THOSE WHO KNOW THE LORD
• Psalms 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You;
For You, LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You.
XII. GOD REAFFIRMS THE ABRAHAMIC COVENANT
Exodus 6:4–5
4-5 4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. 5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.
God remembers:
• His covenant
• Their suffering
• His promise
God’s memory is covenantal—not forgetful.
XIII. THE SEVENFOLD PROMISE OF REDEMPTION
Exodus 6:6-8
6-8 6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. 7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.’ ”
“I will” appears seven times - total divine action.
This is salvation by grace.
GOD’s GRACE
• Ephesians 2:8-9 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
XIV. ISRAEL’S BROKEN SPIRIT
Exodus 6:9
9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.
They cannot hear due to anguish.
Pain can silence hope - but not God’s plan.
PROMISE
• Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the LORD delivers him out of them all.
• Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength.
XV. GOD REISSUES THE COMMISSION
Exodus 6:10–11
10-11 10 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
God repeats the call.
Obedience does not depend on encouragement.
XVI. MOSES’ OBJECTION REVISITED
Exodus 6:12
12 And Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”
Moses again doubts his ability.
God’s power is not limited by human weakness.
XVII. GOD’S COMMAND TO BOTH BROTHERS
Exodus 6:13
13 Then the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
God unites Moses and Aaron in leadership.
God values partnership in ministry.
XVIII. THE GENEALOGY: GOD WORKS THROUGH HISTORY
Exodus 6:14–25
14-25 The Family of Moses and Aaron (Gen. 46:8-27)
14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. These are the families of Reuben. 15 And the sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the years of the life of Levi were one hundred and thirty-seven. 17 The sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimi according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. And the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred and thirty-three. 19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.
20 Now Amram took for himself Jochebed, his father’s sister, as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. And the years of the life of Amram were one hundred and thirty-seven. 21 The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan, and Zithri. 23 Aaron took to himself Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Nahshon, as wife; and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 And the sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took for himself one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families.
This genealogy:
• Grounds redemption historically
• Validates priestly lineage
• Connects promise to fulfillment
XIX. GOD CONFIRMS HIS CHOSEN LEADERS
Exodus 6:26–27
26-27 26 These are the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” 27 These are the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are the same Moses and Aaron.
God identifies Moses and Aaron clearly.
Calling precedes clarity.
XX. GOD REPEATS HIS COMMISSION AGAIN
Exodus 6:28–30
28-30 Aaron Is Moses’ Spokesman
28 And it came to pass, on the day the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”
30 But Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”
Moses still feels inadequate.
God does not retract His call.
CHRISTOLOGICAL FULFILLMENT
Moses foreshadows Christ:
• Confronts tyranny
• Delivers God’s people
• Mediates covenant
Jesus fulfills it fully:
“If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:36)
SELF-REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
1. Are you discouraged because obedience became harder?
2. Have you confused delay with denial?
3. Are you listening more to circumstances than to God’s promises?
4. Do you know the LORD personally through Christ?
THE APPEAL
GOD delivers not by effort - but by faith.
“Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31)
PRAYER
LORD GOD,
YOU are the covenant-keeping LORD.
When obedience leads us into hardship, teach us to trust YOU.
Deliver the weary, strengthen the weak, and save the lost through CHRIST.
That we may know YOU—not only by Name, but by Power.
In JESUS’ NAME, Amen.
Be blessed and be a blessing,
Bill
Hymns
401 Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah
11 Great Is Thy Faithfulness
227 Amazing Grace
