It’s important for us to recognize that God states “I am the LORD” four times and “I will” seven times in today’s passage. Here’s a breakdown of what God said, of where He said it, and we will dig deeper into why He said it:
“I am the LORD” – Verse 2
“I am the LORD” – Verse 6
“I am the LORD” – Verse 7
“I am the LORD” – Verse 8
“I will free you” – Verse 6
“I will rescue you” – Verse 6
“I will redeem you” – Verse 6
“I will claim you as my own people” – Verse 7
“I will be your God” – Verse 7
“I will bring you into the land” – Verse 8
“I will give it to you” – Verse 8
When God said “I am the LORD” four times, He was claiming His eternal authority over all of heaven and earth, and especially in comparison to Pharaoh’s momentary earthly power over the Israelites as they were still being held in captivity as slaves when God spoke this message to Moses.
God goes on to say “I will” seven times, and these were not mere statements, they were covenant calls to action. God was telling Israel, through Moses, that He was going to fulfill His divine plan by upholding His covenant promise that He made to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and to their descendants (Israel). God was telling the Israelites that He will free them from the Egyptians, He will rescue them from slavery, He will redeem them, He will claim them as His people, He will be their God, He will bring them to the land of Canaan, and He will give the land to them.
In verse 9, we see that the Israelites were too discouraged and focused on their immediate circumstances in bondage to receive from Moses God’s message of faithful hope through redemption.
Friends, we need to grab a hold of the freedom we have in Christ at all times. By our faith, this freedom must be active. When we are wholeheartedly and actively trusting God, we can see His promises. We cannot allow this world or our circumstances to turn off our active trust in God. No matter what is happening, God’s message of faithful hope through the redemption we have in Christ Jesus is never changing and ETERNAL. We ARE freed, rescued, redeemed, claimed as God’s people, and He is our God. We CANNOT fall into verse 9, because we do not want to miss all of the freedom that God has for us.
Exodus 6:2-9 (NLT)
2 And God said to Moses, “I am Yahweh— ‘the Lord.’ 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai— ‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. 4 And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners. 5 You can be sure that I have heard the groans of the people of Israel, who are now slaves to the Egyptians. And I am well aware of my covenant with them.
6 “Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. 7 I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. 8 I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’”
9 So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the great I AM, and we bow our hearts to Your authority. Holy Spirit, please continue to lift our spirits when our circumstances are heavy and we feel discouraged. Please bring to our remembrance, Your unchanging promises, hope, and eternal love. As we stand in our freedom that can only be found in You, Jesus, we want to grow in our faith and oneness with You. Thank You for being our God and for guiding us today to share Your love with someone else. We ask all of this in Your Holy Name, Jesus. Amen.