God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I
am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty;
but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them. I have also established my
covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels,
in which they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning
of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have
remembered my covenant. Therefore, tell the children of Israel, ‘I
am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians,
and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an
outstretched arm, and with great judgments. I will take you to
myself for a people. I will be your God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh
your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I
will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to
Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.’”
Moses spoke so to the children of
Israel, but they didn’t listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel
bondage.
Exodus
6:2-9
Here, again, God refers to the covenant
He made with Abraham. He promises that
He will save them from slavery and take them to Himself as His people.
But the Israelites are so broken-hearted
by their circumstances they cannot hear, let alone believe, this extraordinary
divine promise of loving attention. But
their inability to hear Him doesn’t prevent God from keeping His promise. Later in the rescue mission, at the shores of
the Red Sea the waters of which God is about to part to complete their escape,
Moses will tell the people: “Don’t be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation
Yahweh will work for you today; for you will never again see the Egyptians whom
you see today. Yahweh will fight for you, and you need only be still.”
(Exodus 14:13-14).
God will do His work. We need only be still.
