Exodus 6:6–9 — I Am the LORD Who Redeems You
“Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, 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 a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:
And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.
And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.”
Exodus 6:6–9 is not merely a promise that Israel would escape Egypt. It is a declaration of redemption, covenant relationship, revelation, and inheritance.
The passage begins and ends with the same declaration:
“I am the LORD.”
Everything between those two declarations rests upon who God is and what He has promised to do.
“I Am the LORD”
Before God tells Israel what He will do, He reminds them who He is.
Their confidence was not supposed to rest upon Moses' ability, Israel's strength, or Pharaoh's willingness to cooperate.
Their confidence rested upon the LORD.
God then gives a remarkable series of promises:
I will bring you out.
I will rid you out of bondage.
I will redeem you.
I will take you to me.
I will be to you a God.
I will bring you into the land.
I will give it to you for an heritage.
The emphasis is unmistakable:
God Himself is the Deliverer.
“I Will Bring You Out”
God promised:
“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
Israel was still under Pharaoh's authority when God spoke these words.
Their circumstances had not yet changed, but God's purpose concerning them had already been declared.
Pharaoh had placed the burden upon them.
God would bring them out from underneath it.
“I Will Rid You Out of Their Bondage”
God was not merely promising to make slavery more comfortable.
He intended to break their bondage.
Egypt had controlled Israel's labor, but Egypt did not possess God's covenant rights over His people.
Their bondage was real.
But it would not have the final word.
“I Will Redeem You”
God continues:
“and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.”
Redemption speaks of deliverance and reclaiming.
The expression “stretched out arm” portrays God's mighty intervention. The coming judgments upon Egypt would demonstrate that Pharaoh's authority could not withstand the power of the LORD.
Israel would not redeem itself.
God would redeem Israel.
“I Will Take You to Me for a People”
Verse 7 reveals something deeper than physical deliverance:
“And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God...”
God was not simply bringing Israel out of Egypt.
He was bringing Israel unto Himself.
This is covenant language.
Their identity would no longer be defined primarily by their bondage under Pharaoh. They would know themselves as the people of the LORD.
Deliverance therefore had a purpose:
God brought them out of bondage so that they might belong to Him.
“Ye Shall Know That I Am the LORD Your God”
This is one of the most important statements in the passage.
God says:
“and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
The Exodus would become a revelation of who God is.
Israel had heard His name.
Now they were going to experience His covenant faithfulness.
They would know Him as the God who hears, remembers His covenant, judges oppression, delivers His people, and fulfills His promises.
The Exodus was therefore not merely about Israel leaving Egypt.
It was about Israel coming to know the LORD.
“I Will Bring You In”
Verse 8 completes the movement:
“And I will bring you in unto the land...”
God's plan contained both an out and an in.
He would bring them:
Out of Egypt.
Out from under their burdens.
Out of bondage.
Then He would bring them:
Into covenant relationship.
Into their promised inheritance.
Into the land He had sworn to give them.
God's purpose was greater than escape.
He was leading them toward inheritance.
“Which I Did Swear to Give”
God specifically mentions:
Abraham.
Isaac.
Jacob.
This connects the Exodus directly to the covenant promises of Genesis.
Israel's deliverance did not begin because God suddenly noticed their suffering.
God had made promises generations earlier.
The Exodus demonstrates that God remembers His covenant even when generations pass before its fulfillment becomes visible.
“I Will Give It You for an Heritage”
The land was not merely a destination.
It was their heritage—the inheritance connected with God's covenant promise.
Israel could not claim that inheritance because they had earned it.
God says:
“I will give it you.”
Once again, the emphasis falls upon God's action.
And verse 8 closes exactly where the declaration began:
“I am the LORD.”
The promise begins with God's identity and ends with God's identity.
The certainty of the promise rests upon the character of the One who made it.
“They Hearkened Not Unto Moses”
Then comes the painful reality of verse 9:
“but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.”
God had just given magnificent promises.
Yet Israel was so crushed by suffering that they struggled to receive them.
Their bondage had affected more than their bodies.
It had affected their spirit.
This is an important pastoral truth.
Sometimes people have suffered so long that even words of hope become difficult for them to hear.
Their inability to respond enthusiastically did not mean God's promise had failed.
Their anguish did not cancel God's covenant.
God continued working toward their deliverance.
The Movement of Exodus 6:6–9
The passage presents a beautiful progression:
I will bring you OUT — Deliverance.
I will rid you — Freedom from bondage.
I will redeem you — Redemption.
I will take you TO ME — Relationship.
I will be your God — Covenant.
You shall KNOW that I am the LORD — Revelation.
I will bring you IN — Destination.
I will give you the land — Inheritance.
This is much greater than simply leaving Egypt.
God was bringing a people out of bondage, unto Himself, and into their inheritance.
Personal Application
Sometimes we become so focused on what we want God to bring us out of that we forget to ask what He desires to bring us into.
Israel wanted relief from Pharaoh.
God's purpose went further.
He wanted a people who would belong to Him, know Him, worship Him, and walk in His covenant.
There may also be times when circumstances appear completely contrary to God's promise.
Israel was still enslaved when God said:
“I will bring you out.”
They were still surrounded by Egypt when He said:
“I will bring you in.”
They had no land in their possession when He said:
“I will give it you for an heritage.”
Their circumstances had not yet caught up with God's promise.
But God concluded:
“I am the LORD.”
That was enough.
Key Truth
The Exodus was not merely God's deliverance of Israel from Egypt. God brought them out of bondage, redeemed them by His power, took them as His people, revealed Himself as their God, and promised to bring them into the inheritance He had sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
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