Today, we open to Exodus 5:22, where Moses, fresh from faithfully delivering God's message to Pharaoh, finds himself not celebrated, but confronted by a people whose burdens have only intensified. The promised rescue has seemingly backfired, plunging Israel into deeper despair and leaving Moses questioning the God who sent him.
Have you been there? You’ve boldly stepped out in faith, only to find the path ahead unexpectedly harder, met with resistance and the bitter complaints of those you sought to help? If you have been there you know how raw these moments can be. Doubt presses in…God's promises seem to unravel…and we often cry out to the Lord in a confused mixture of desperation and anger.
Yet, today we don’t only see Moses in this raw moment. We see God meet Moses in his distress, not with rebuke or correction, but with powerful encouragement, reminding Moses, and us, of His faithful steadfast covenant comfort.
This is where we find ourselves today. There are three headings to work through this morning, see first…
Moses Confronts God (5:22-23)
“Then Moses turned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”
As our text begins we see Moses turn to the Lord. Which on its own is quite encouraging, isn’t it? It’s always good when one turns to the Lord in the midst of suffering. Usually, people do the opposite and turn to more sin to try and drown their woes. But here Moses suffers and retreats to God.
But, ask the question…why does Moses turn to the Lord in v22? Is it to find rest and comfort in his suffering? No. He wants to confront God. There’s a pattern to see here. Just as the Israelites are angry and turn to Moses in their anger and confusion, so too Moses is angry and in his anger he turns to God, confronting God and expressing his own disillusionment as to why God has not yet delivered His people from slavery.[1] While I’m glad to see him turn to the Lord here, even in anger, I’m a bit taken back at his words to God. Not only is Moses calling God into question here, he questions why God even sent him in the first place, and notice how Moses moves well beyond even this, going as far as to accuse God of doing evil against His own people.
Moses is clearly dismayed at what has happened. He was told by God that Pharaoh would be stubborn, he was told that it would take a lot to force his hand, and he was even told that God would harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he would not let the people go…Moses knew these things. But it did not even come into Moses’ mind that Pharaoh would grow crueler to Israel as a result of his speaking with him.[2] He obeyed God and the condition of the people got far worse than it had been before. Thus, Moses’ final words in chapter 5, “…you have not delivered your people at all.” This lays the heart of Moses bare. Just like Israel, Moses seems to believe that God’s promised rescue would happen quickly and would happen without any setbacks or suffering. Yet here they are. Church, Moses sins in many ways here. He’s complaining, he’s discontent, he’s not trusting, he’s unreasonably impatient with God. He thinks God is out of bounds for not doing what he thinks God should do and for not working as fast as he thinks God should work.
What does this show us? It shows us how human Moses is. That he’s a sinner himself. Used by God in many mighty ways, yes, but as faithful and fruitful as Moses was, he was a deeply flawed man, in need of a Savior. Much can be learned here, both for Moses’ original audience, the wilderness generation, and for us ourselves. When we’re tempted to think God’s timing is off. When we’re in the midst of the swirl of anger and confusion. When the road of obedience brings suffering our way, may God give us the grace to do as Moses did and turn to Him. But rather than calling God into question, may we trust Him and cast ourselves on Him knowing how good and great He is.
So Moses has confronted God, now see that God’s response.
God Comforts & Commands Moses (6:1-13)
“But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” God spoke to Moses and said to him, “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, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’ Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”
How wonderful is God’s response! He’s not shocked or stunned or angered at all by Moses’ out of bounds angry prayer. He doesn’t even warn Moses or correct Moses. Rather He says two things in response to Moses. First, in v1 God simply says ‘Watch what I’m about to do to Pharaoh.’[3] And second, in v2-8 God reminds Moses of covenant comfort.
Don’t miss that Church.
To bolster up, to increase trust, to drive home a rich assurance in Moses’ quaking and troubled heart, God unfolds His covenant promises. In other words, to encourage Moses God repeats the promises He made to Moses at the burning bush, and promises He made long ago. These promises remind Moses how God has not forsaken His people, but will fulfill His Word to them, in His own way and His own timing.[4] Moses learns here something everything Christian needs to learn. There is rich encouragement to be had for present difficulties in God’s covenant promises of old.[5]
See how God does this. In v2-5 God goes all the way back to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. God says He appeared to them just as He appeared to Moses. God does mention a difference though. He says He appeared to the patriarchs as El Shaddai, God Almighty, not as Yahweh like He appeared to Moses. This does not mean we never see God’s divine name back in the book of Genesis, we do see it there. Rather what God means here is that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob didn’t know God as deeply as Moses knew Him. This is how divine revelation works in the OT, there is a clear progression to see. Meaning, God revealed Himself to Moses and the people of Israel in the Exodus in deeper and richer and stronger ways than He ever did with the patriarchs.[6] But God did establish His covenant with them, and promised to give them a land, and since that moment God has not been distant or aloof, He has heard the groanings of His people, He has seen their slavery…He has remembered His covenant.
We hear this language a lot when the reality of covenant is mentioned, that God remembered His covenant. Does this mean God forgot it, and is now remembering it? No. This is how the Bible speaks of God, in faithfulness, keeping promises He made long ago. All of this is how God encourages Moses.
But see that after encouraging Moses in his own anger and confusion God, in v6-8, gives Moses words to encourage Israel in their anger and confusion. Here, just as before, God reminds His people of covenant comfort. The way God lays it out for Israel is with seven “I will” statements. First, God says He will bring Israel out from all their burdens in Egypt. Second, God says He will deliver them from slavery. Third, God says He will redeem them with great acts of judgment from His outstretched strong arm. Fourth, God says He will take them to Himself be His people. Fifth, God gives the heart of all covenant language here when He says He will be God to them and they shall know that He is the LORD. Sixth, God says He will bring them into the land promised long ago. And seventh, God says He will give that land to them as their own possession.
That God encourages them with rich covenant comfort here is deeply encouraging, but that He uses seven statements to do so, raises all of this to the highest degree of rich encouragement. Seven being a number in the Bible often used to communicate fullness and abundance. That God gives His people seven covenant comforts means He is giving not just a slight encouragement to His suffering people, but a full, whole, and complete encouragement. Do you see this? It means that everything Israel needs in their current troubles, is provided for in God’s Word to them…and more!
Yet, look at v9, “Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.” From the heights of beauty in v1-8, v9 plummets into cavernous depths of sin. Tragic isn’t it? The best way to describe Israel in v9 is that they are broken by their suffering. At this point, I think its clear to see that Israel no longer believes they’ll be freed from Pharaoh. They’re truly overcome.
But Church, does God stop His plan to save them from Egypt because they no longer believe it? NO! God keeps going. See it next in v10-13 as He commands Moses, “So the Lord said to Moses, “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt.”
Even though Israel refused to hear and heed God’s covenantal comfort through Moses, God commands Moses to go back to Pharaoh. And Moses, predictably, complains again, groaning that if Israel won’t listen to him how much more will Pharaoh not listen to him? He even says his own lips are uncircumcised. I don’t think this is a call back to chapter 4 where he spoke of his speech impediment. I think by using the language of ‘uncircumcision’ Moses believes he is now no longer fit or qualified for the task ahead of him.[7] Yet God’s call is clear. Despite the objections of Moses, the broken spirit of Israel, and the hatred of Pharaoh and all Egypt, the mission goes on.[8]
The Genealogy of Moses & Aaron (6:14-30)
But then what happens? Do we see the plot continue to unfold as Moses goes back in for another round with Pharaoh? No, we see a genealogy. Question: why is this here?[9] Though this might seem a bit out of place to us, things like this were common in ancient Near Eastern literature. Back then genealogies didn’t feel out of place or feel like an intrusion into the plot of the narrative. They were placed in positions like this intentionally to let the reader pause and reflect on all that has taken place.
Think about it in modern terms. We’ve just seen Moses say, “I can’t go back to Pharaoh” and heard God command him to go back anyway. After that command I can imagine the TV zooming in on Moses’ worried face, followed by a commercial break. Just as the tension rises to a high point, it breaks away before showing us the resolution. I’m sure this analogy breaks down in many ways, but I do think that is how this genealogy functions at this point in our text. So I’ll read through it and make a few comments on it.
“These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans. These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron. On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”
A few items to note here. The list begins with Rueben, Simeon, Levi, Gershon, Kohath, Merari, Izhar, Uzziel, Korah, and concludes with Aaron’s grandson Phinehas. Each name in this list matters. Each name is part of a family that matters. And each family is part of the nation of Israel that’s being formed before our very eyes. Each name brings us lessons of obedience and disobedience, like the strange fire of Nadab and Abihu, the rebellion of Korah, and the zeal of Phinehas.
Again, this genealogy is placed here to not only inform us of Moses and Aaron’s family lineage, but to encourage us to pause and reflect on what has happened in the narrative up to this point.
Conclusion:
With this in mind I want to end by saying this.
Exodus is a book to read, yes. Exodus is also an event to watch, yes. But Church, Exodus is a pattern to behold. What do I mean when I say Exodus is a pattern? I mean Exodus shows us what redemption looks like. In our passage today, Moses and Israel were broken and overcome in their despair and suffering. What does God do in response to this? Does He stop and give up because His people are so overcome and unable to trust Him? No, not at all. God kept going, keeps attacking Egypt, and keeps pressing against Pharaoh. In other words, God came and did what His people were unable to do for themselves, and brought His people to a place they couldn’t get to by themselves. Why did God keep going despite His people? Because of covenant.
Church, this is how we were saved.
Why did God keep going despite His people? Because of covenant. This is the glorious news of the gospel. We were dead in our trespasses, unable to save ourselves. But God, rich in mercy, did not wait for us to become worthy or willing. He came to us in the person of Jesus Christ, fulfilling His covenant promise to redeem a people for Himself. In the work of Christ God did for us what we could not do for ourselves, and because of the work of Christ God will one day bring us into our promised inheritance.
Therefore Church, let us go from here not trusting in our own faithfulness, but in the faithfulness of our covenant keeping God. If you face trials this week, if your spirit is broken, and if you are tempted to despair, remember the Exodus pattern. Remember the God who delivered Israel, despite Israel is the same God who has delivered you from sin and death, and He will not let you go.
His grace is amazing, His covenant is sure.
[1] ‘John D. Currid, Exodus 1-18 - EP Study Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: EP Books, 2014) 127.
[2] Douglas K. Stuart, Exodus – NAC (Brentwood, TN: B&H Publishing, 2006) 168.
[3] Victor P. Hamilton, Exodus: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2023) 94.
[4] Currid, 128.
[5] Stuart, 170.
[6] Hamilton, 101-102.
[7] Currid, 136.
[8] Currid, 136.
[9] Stuart, 175.
