Exodus 6, The Covenant Gospel of Exodus

The oppression of the Israelites has only gotten worse.

Exodus 6: 1-5, "I have remembered my covenant"

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country."

God also said to Moses, "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the LORD I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.

Notice the emphasis on a longterm relationship (covenant.) And this is indeed longterm -- over decades and centuries.  God does not always react on human timetables.

   

If YHWH did not give His name to Abraham then the name YHWH, possibly given in Exodus 3:14-15, is new for this stage of the covenant. (Verse 3 here is translated as a strange negative statement, "I did not make myself known...".  The NIV footnotes indicate that it could be translated "did I not let myself be known to them?")

The not-human aspect of God comes through in these passages -- He, El-Shaddai, is NOT human, not like we expect or require.

Exodus 6: 6-8, The Gospel of Exodus

"Therefore, say to the Israelites: `I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.'"

Fretheim calls this paragraph "The Gospel of Exodus". The covenant gives Israel a special place in Creation and a special promise. The promise, "I will bring you out, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm", is a theme of the exodus and will be recounted by Israel throughout their history.  

Imes argues that a common drawing of the Egyptian pharaohs is to show them with a powerful hand and an outstretched arm. YHWH is making it clear here that it is He (and He alone) who has the mighty hand and outstretched arm. (See the Narmer Palette for an example; a photo of the might pharaoh is on left side here.)

Exodus 6: 9, Reaction of Israelites

Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

The Israelites are discouraged and oppressed.  A natural reaction to these statements is to feel abandoned.

Exodus 6: 10-13, Sons of Israel

Then the LORD said to Moses, "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country." 

    

But Moses said to the LORD, "If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips".

    

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.

NIV footnotes: In verses 12 and 30, the Hebrew translated here "I speak with faltering lips", is literally "I am uncircumcised of lips".  The ancient (and strange) cultural emphasis on the importance of circumcision leads to Hebrew expressions in which "uncircumcised" means to be incomplete, to falter.

We follow this passage with digression into some record keeping, in preparation for the importance of what is to follow.

Exodus 6: 14-27, The lineage of Moses and Aaron

These were the heads of their families: The sons of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These were the clans of Reuben.    

 

The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. These were the clans of Simeon.    

    

These were the names of the sons of Levi according to their records: Gershon, Kohath and Merari. Levi lived 137 years.

    

The sons of Gershon, by clans, were Libni and Shimei. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years.  The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These were the clans of Levi according to their records.

     

Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years.

    

The sons of Izhar were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.

     

The sons of Uzziel were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.

    

Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

    

The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These were the Korahite clans.

     

Eleazar son of Aaron married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These were the heads of the Levite families, clan by clan.

     

It was this same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Bring the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions." They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt. It was the same Moses and Aaron.

We have a brief comment about the clans of Reuben and Simeon but the emphasis here seems to be on the clan of Levi, leading to Moses and Aaron. Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, married his aunt. We note that the lineage of Moses is Jacob-Levi-Kohath-Amram-Moses.

(NIV footnotes: In verses 14 and 25, the Hebrew for "families" refers to units larger than clans.)

Exodus 6: 28-30, Faltering lips (again)

Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you."

    

But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?"

Moses repeats his complaint.  Moses believes he is the problem. God's response will be the next chapter.