Exodus 6: 6-8
“Say therefore to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will free you from the burdens of the Egyptians and deliver you from slavery to them. I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my people, and I will be your God. You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has freed you from the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”
Six times in this passage, Moses is told by God to tell the Israelites that He (God) is going to do something. I will free you…I will redeem you…I will take you…I will be your God…I will bring you…I will give it to you….I am The Lord.
This passage comes along just as the Israelites’ circumstances have gone from bad to worse. At this point many of them could have been thinking that things could not possibly get any more bitter or fearful for them. And then comes an invitation from God Himself. It is an invitation to believe, to trust, and to enter into a new level of relationship with Him. God “reintroduces” Himself to Moses by a new title – “The Lord” (vs. 2). And the writer goes further by telling us that this is a title that God did not use of Himself with the ancient fathers.
It is the Lordship of God that carries the power to fulfill His promises! Promises are nice things so far as they go, but words are cheap. Most of us have experienced the pain and disappointment of unkept promises, but we have a Lordwho cares for us, and who possesses the strength and might to fulfill every promise He has made to us! And He will do it for He is a promise keeping God! As we continue through the Exodus story, we will see Him deliver on every single one.
Questions for contemplation:
- How can I practice trusting in and relying on God to keep His promises to me?
- Have I failed to keep promises to someone? Can I seek their forgiveness?
(Dave Hipskind, Little Flock home group)