GOD SAYS, "LET MY PEOPLE GO" (3), Dr. Samuel Lee
"BECAUSE OF MY MIGHTY HAND"
Passage: Exodus 6:1~30  
Key verse: 1
6 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand(A) he will let them go;(B) because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”(C)
2 God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord.(D) 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty,[a](E) but by my name(F) the Lord[b](G) I did not make myself fully known to them. 4 I also established my covenant(H) with them to give them the land(I) of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners.(J) 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning(K) of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.(L)
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.(M) I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem(N) you with an outstretched arm(O) and with mighty acts of judgment.(P) 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God.(Q) Then you will know(R) that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land(S) I swore(T) with uplifted hand(U) to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob.(V) I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”(W)
9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.(X)
10 Then the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go, tell(Y) Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”(Z)
12 But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen(AA) to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips[c]?”(AB)
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.(AC)
14 These were the heads of their families[d]:(AD)
The sons of Reuben(AE) the firstborn son of Israel were Hanok and Pallu, Hezron and Karmi. These were the clans of Reuben.
15 The sons of Simeon(AF) were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.
16 These were the names of the sons of Levi(AG) according to their records: Gershon,(AH) Kohath and Merari.(AI) Levi lived 137 years.
17 The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei.(AJ)
18 The sons of Kohath(AK) were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.(AL) Kohath lived 133 years.
19 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.(AM)
These were the clans of Levi according to their records.
20 Amram(AN) married his father’s sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses.(AO) Amram lived 137 years.
21 The sons of Izhar(AP) were Korah, Nepheg and Zikri.
22 The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan(AQ) and Sithri.
23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab(AR) and sister of Nahshon,(AS) and she bore him Nadab and Abihu,(AT) Eleazar(AU) and Ithamar.(AV)
24 The sons of Korah(AW) were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.
25 Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas.(AX)
These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.
26 It was this Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring the Israelites out of Egypt(AY) by their divisions.”(AZ) 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh(BA) king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt—this same Moses and Aaron.(BB)
Aaron to Speak for Moses
28 Now when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, 29 he said to him, “I am the Lord.(BC) Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you.”
30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Since I speak with faltering lips,(BD) why would Pharaoh listen to me?”
Footnotes
- Exodus 6:3 Hebrew El-Shaddai
- Exodus 6:3 See note at 3:15.
- Exodus 6:12 Hebrew I am uncircumcised of lips; also in verse 30
- Exodus 6:14 The Hebrew for families here and in verse 25 refers to units larger than clans.
Cross references
- Exodus 6:1 : S Ex 3:20; S Dt 5:15
- Exodus 6:1 : S Ex 3:20
- Exodus 6:1 : Ex 11:1; 12:31, 33, 39
- Exodus 6:2 : ver 6, 7, 8, 29; Ex 3:14, 15; 7:5, 17; 8:22; 10:2; 12:12; 14:4, 18; 16:12; Lev 11:44; 18:21; 20:7; Isa 25:3; 41:20; 43:11; 49:23; 60:16; Eze 13:9; 25:17; 36:38; 37:6, 13; Joel 2:27
- Exodus 6:3 : S Ge 17:1
- Exodus 6:3 : S Ex 3:15; 2Sa 7:26; Ps 48:10; 61:5; 68:4; 83:18; 99:3; Isa 52:6
- Exodus 6:3 : Ex 3:14; Jn 8:58
- Exodus 6:4 : S Ge 6:18; S 15:18
- Exodus 6:4 : S Ge 12:7; Ac 7:5; Ro 4:13; Gal 3:16; Heb 11:8-10
- Exodus 6:4 : S Ge 17:8
- Exodus 6:5 : S Ex 2:23; Ac 7:34
- Exodus 6:5 : S Ge 9:15
- Exodus 6:6 : ver 7; Ex 3:8; 12:17, 51; 16:1, 6; 18:1; 19:1; 20:2; 29:46; Lev 22:33; 26:13; Dt 6:12; Ps 81:10; 136:11; Jer 2:6; Hos 13:4; Am 2:10; Mic 6:4
- Exodus 6:6 : Ex 15:13; Dt 7:8; 9:26; 1Ch 17:21; Job 19:25; Ps 19:14; 34:22; 74:2; 77:15; 107:2; Isa 29:22; 35:9; 43:1; 44:23; 48:20; Jer 15:21; 31:11; 50:34
- Exodus 6:6 : S Ex 3:19, 20; S Jer 32:21; Ac 13:17
- Exodus 6:6 : Ex 3:20; Ps 9:16; 105:27
- Exodus 6:7 : S Ge 17:7; S Ex 34:9; Eze 11:19-20; Ro 9:4
- Exodus 6:7 : S ver 2; 1Ki 20:13, 28; Isa 43:10; 48:7; Eze 39:6; Joel 3:17
- Exodus 6:8 : S Ge 12:7; Ex 3:8
- Exodus 6:8 : Jer 11:5; Eze 20:6
- Exodus 6:8 : S Ge 14:22; Rev 10:5-6
- Exodus 6:8 : Ps 136:21-22
- Exodus 6:8 : Lev 18:21
- Exodus 6:9 : S Ge 34:30; Ex 2:23
- Exodus 6:11 : ver 29
- Exodus 6:11 : S Ex 3:18
- Exodus 6:12 : S Ex 3:18
- Exodus 6:12 : Ex 4:10
- Exodus 6:13 : S Ex 3:10
- Exodus 6:14 : Ex 13:3; Nu 1:1; 26:4
- Exodus 6:14 : S Ge 29:32
- Exodus 6:15 : S Ge 29:33
- Exodus 6:16 : S Ge 29:34
- Exodus 6:16 : S Ge 46:11
- Exodus 6:16 : Nu 3:17; Jos 21:7; 1Ch 6:1, 16
- Exodus 6:17 : Nu 3:18; 1Ch 6:17
- Exodus 6:18 : Nu 3:27; 1Ch 23:12
- Exodus 6:18 : Nu 3:19; 1Ch 6:2, 18
- Exodus 6:19 : Nu 3:20, 33; 1Ch 6:19; 23:21
- Exodus 6:20 : 1Ch 23:13
- Exodus 6:20 : Ex 2:1-2; Nu 26:59
- Exodus 6:21 : 1Ch 6:38
- Exodus 6:22 : Lev 10:4; Nu 3:30; 1Ch 15:8; 2Ch 29:13
- Exodus 6:23 : Ru 4:19, 20; 1Ch 2:10
- Exodus 6:23 : Nu 1:7; 2:3; Mt 1:4
- Exodus 6:23 : Ex 24:1; 28:1; Lev 10:1
- Exodus 6:23 : Lev 10:6; Nu 3:2, 32; 16:37, 39; Dt 10:6; Jos 14:1
- Exodus 6:23 : Ex 28:1; Lev 10:12, 16; Nu 3:2; 4:28; 26:60; 1Ch 6:3; 24:1
- Exodus 6:24 : ver 21; Nu 16:1; 1Ch 6:22, 37
- Exodus 6:25 : Nu 25:7, 11; 31:6; Jos 24:33; Ps 106:30
- Exodus 6:26 : S Ex 3:10
- Exodus 6:26 : Ex 7:4; 12:17, 41, 51
- Exodus 6:27 : Ex 5:1
- Exodus 6:27 : Nu 3:1; Ps 77:20
- Exodus 6:29 : S ver 2
- Exodus 6:30 : S Ex 3:11
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Source:  BibleGateway
Moses' initial contact with Pharaoh brought trouble to his people, and he doubted God (5:22). But God would use this to display his mighty hand, in order to make himself fully known to his chosen people, the Israelites, with whom he established his covenant. God says to his people: I will free you… I will redeem you… I will take you… I will be your God. God is faithful and keeps his promises, and by this his people in every generation know him.
2. God chose this Moses and Aaron (9-30)
Moses reports God's promises, but his people were too discouraged to listen. When commanded to go to Pharaoh, Moses questions God, sure he had failed due to his faltering lips. Into this despair the family record of Levi (13-27) is used to show God's sovereign choice: this same Moses and Aaron would bring the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses saw his faltering lips and was discouraged; But God was raising Moses and Aaron step by step to be his instrument, mouthpiece, and servant to the people.
Prayer: Father, you are faithful and keep your promise. Help me trust in your mighty hand not my faltering lips to know you are the Lord.
One Word: Know that God is the LORD our God