Exodus Chapter 6:27-30 | I Am the LORD | Exodus Bible Study
God Reveals His Name and His Covenant
Exodus 6:1–30
Introduction
Exodus chapter 6 takes place during a difficult moment in Moses' ministry. Moses had obeyed God's command and spoken to Pharaoh, but instead of immediately releasing Israel, Pharaoh increased their burdens.
The Israelites were discouraged.
Moses was discouraged.
Pharaoh remained defiant.
Yet God's promise had not changed.
In Exodus 6, the LORD directs Moses away from what Pharaoh was doing and back to who God is.
Again and again God declares:
“I am the LORD.”
The chapter teaches us that the fulfillment of God's promise does not depend upon the strength of Moses, the cooperation of Pharaoh, or the circumstances surrounding Israel.
It depends upon the faithfulness and power of the LORD.
Exodus 6:2 — I Am the LORD
“And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:”
God begins by identifying Himself.
Before God explains what He will do, He reminds Moses who He is.
This order is important.
Faith does not begin with our circumstances.
Faith begins with God.
Moses was looking at Pharaoh.
Moses was looking at Israel's suffering.
Moses was looking at his own apparent failure.
God redirects Moses' attention:
“I am the LORD.”
The Names and Titles of God in Exodus 6
Several important Hebrew designations appear in this chapter.
Elohim — God
Exodus 6:2 begins:
“And God spake unto Moses...”
The Hebrew word translated God is Elohim.
It is the common Hebrew designation for God used throughout the Old Testament and appears from the opening verse of Scripture:
Genesis 1:1 KJV
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”
The God speaking to Moses is the Creator.
El Shaddai — God Almighty
Exodus 6:3 KJV
“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty...”
God Almighty translates the Hebrew El Shaddai.
God reminds Moses that He is the same God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
The promises given to the patriarchs had not been forgotten.
The God who made the covenant possessed the power necessary to fulfill it.
Israel's bondage did not make God less Almighty.
Pharaoh's authority did not make God less Almighty.
Egypt's strength did not make God less Almighty.
He remained El Shaddai—God Almighty.
YHWH — The LORD
Exodus 6 repeatedly uses LORD in capital letters.
In the KJV, this represents the divine name commonly written with the Hebrew consonants:
YHWH
It is often called the Tetragrammaton, meaning “four letters.”
Earlier, at the burning bush, Moses asked God His name.
Exodus 3:14 KJV
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM...”
God then declared:
Exodus 3:15 KJV
“The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob...”
God's name is connected with His covenant faithfulness.
He is not merely a God who makes promises.
He is the God who fulfills what He has spoken.
Understanding Exodus 6:3
Exodus 6:3 requires careful reading:
“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.”
Genesis does use the divine name LORD in accounts concerning the patriarchs. Therefore, Exodus 6:3 should not be read simplistically as though the letters or name had never appeared previously.
The emphasis concerns knowing God through the demonstrated significance of His covenant name.
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob received the promises.
The Exodus generation was about to experience God's mighty fulfillment of covenant promises in a dramatic act of redemption.
They would know the LORD as the God who acts to redeem His people.
God Remembers His Covenant
Exodus 6:4–5 KJV
God tells Moses that He established His covenant with the patriarchs and that He had heard the groaning of the children of Israel.
Then God says:
“I have remembered my covenant.”
This does not mean God had forgotten and suddenly remembered something.
Biblical language about God “remembering” His covenant points to God acting faithfully according to what He promised.
Israel's circumstances had changed.
God's covenant had not.
The Great “I Will” Promises
Exodus 6:6–8 contains a powerful series of divine declarations.
God repeatedly says:
“I will.”
“I will bring you out”
God would remove Israel from beneath Egypt's burdens.
“I will rid you out of their bondage”
Their slavery would not continue forever.
“I will redeem you”
God would act as Israel's Redeemer.
“I will take you to me for a people”
Deliverance was relational.
God was not merely removing Israel from Pharaoh.
He was bringing Israel unto Himself.
“I will be to you a God”
Israel would know the LORD as their covenant God.
“I will bring you in unto the land”
The Exodus was not the final destination.
God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob a land.
“I will give it you for an heritage”
Their inheritance rested upon God's promise.
And God closes with the same declaration:
“I am the LORD.”
Redemption Comes Before Service
This pattern is important throughout Scripture.
God first says:
I will bring you out.
Then Israel is brought into covenant relationship and called to serve Him.
Their deliverance was God's work.
Their obedience was their response.
The same principle appears throughout redemption.
We do not save ourselves through obedience.
God saves, and those who belong to Him are called to walk in obedience.
Exodus 6:9 — They Could Not Hear Moses
“And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.”
This is one of the most compassionate verses in the chapter.
Israel heard a magnificent promise.
But their suffering was so severe that they could hardly receive it.
Scripture tells us why:
“anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.”
Sometimes prolonged suffering can make hope difficult to hear.
Their inability to respond enthusiastically did not cancel God's promise.
God continued working.
That is important.
God's faithfulness was greater than Israel's present emotional capacity to understand what He was doing.
Moses Is Sent Back to Pharaoh
God tells Moses to return to Pharaoh.
But Moses responds:
Exodus 6:12 KJV
“Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me...”
Moses reasons from his previous experience.
Israel did not listen.
Why would Pharaoh?
But God was not asking Moses to guarantee Pharaoh's response.
God was commanding Moses to speak.
That distinction is essential for anyone called to minister God's Word.
Our responsibility is obedience.
The response belongs to the hearer.
Why the Genealogy Appears
Exodus 6 then pauses the narrative to record a genealogy.
At first it may seem unrelated.
But the genealogy identifies Moses and Aaron within Israel's covenant family.
The men confronting Pharaoh did not appear from nowhere.
They belonged to the descendants of Israel and specifically to the tribe of Levi.
The genealogy establishes their historical and covenant setting before the confrontation intensifies.
Exodus 6:27 — These Are That Moses and Aaron
“These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.”
After the genealogy, Scripture returns directly to Moses and Aaron.
These were the men God commissioned.
Not because they possessed political power.
Not because Pharaoh respected them.
Not because Moses considered himself eloquent.
They stood before Pharaoh because God sent them.
Exodus 6:28–29 — Speak All That I Say
**“And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt,
That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.”**
This gives us one of the clearest principles of biblical ministry:
“Speak...all that I say unto thee.”
Moses was not authorized to change God's message.
He was not to soften it because Pharaoh might reject it.
He was not to add his own message.
He was God's messenger.
The authority was not in Moses.
The authority was in the Word God gave Moses to speak.
Exodus 6:30 — Uncircumcised Lips
Moses responds:
“Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?”
Moses remained conscious of his weakness as a speaker.
But God was teaching Moses something essential:
The success of God's purpose did not depend upon Moses' natural eloquence.
Moses saw his limitation.
God saw His commission.
Moses asked:
“How shall Pharaoh hearken unto me?”
But God had already given the answer to the greater question:
“I am the LORD.”
That was enough.
Three Important Designations in Exodus 6
The original question from this study can now be answered more clearly:
Elohim
God — the Creator and sovereign God.
El Shaddai
God Almighty — the Almighty God who appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
YHWH — LORD
The covenant name by which God reveals His faithfulness and demonstrates that He will accomplish what He has promised.
These are not three different gods.
They reveal truths about the one God who speaks, covenants, redeems, and fulfills His Word.
What Was Moses Supposed to Say to Pharaoh?
The answer is found directly in God's command:
“Speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee.”
Moses was to speak God's Word, not his own.
That remains an important principle for anyone teaching Scripture.
We must not make Scripture say what we want it to say.
We must seek to understand what God has actually spoken and faithfully communicate His Word.
Observation
Exodus 6 teaches us:
God identifies Himself before describing what He will do.
God remembers His covenant.
God hears the cries of His people.
God's promises are not canceled by difficult circumstances.
God's power does not depend upon human ability.
God calls His servants to speak what He has commanded.
God's redemption brings His people out of bondage and unto Himself.
And throughout the chapter God repeatedly declares:
“I am the LORD.”
Personal Application
There will be seasons when circumstances seem to contradict God's promises.
Moses experienced this.
Israel experienced this.
Obedience initially appeared to make their situation worse.
But Exodus 6 teaches me not to interpret God's faithfulness solely by what I can presently see.
When I feel inadequate, I must remember:
He is the LORD.
When opposition appears stronger than I am:
He is the LORD.
When God's promise seems delayed:
He is the LORD.
When I am called to speak His Word:
My responsibility is not to manufacture results.
My responsibility is to faithfully speak what God has said.
Reflection Questions
Why does God repeatedly declare, “I am the LORD”?
What does El Shaddai teach us about God?
What is the significance of the divine name represented by LORD in the KJV?
What does it mean when God says He remembered His covenant?
Identify the major “I will” promises in Exodus 6:6–8.
Why were the Israelites unable to hear Moses in verse 9?
What did Moses believe would prevent Pharaoh from listening?
Why is the genealogy important to the chapter?
What exactly was Moses commanded to speak to Pharaoh?
Am I allowing my weaknesses to become greater in my thinking than the God who called me?
Closing Prayer
Father, You are the LORD, the Almighty God and the faithful covenant-keeping God. Thank You that Your promises do not depend upon human strength.
When circumstances discourage me, turn my attention back to who You are. When I feel inadequate for what You have called me to do, remind me that Your strength is greater than my weakness.
Teach me to handle Your Word faithfully. Give me wisdom to understand what You have spoken and courage to speak Your truth without adding to it or taking away from it.
Thank You for being the God who hears, remembers His covenant, redeems, delivers, and brings Your people unto Yourself.
In Jesus' name, Amen.
Comments
Post a Comment