Exodus 6:2-7:7
What’s Going On?

Expectations and Reality of What Is Going On
1. Curiosity creates “rubber-neckers”, people who stare at the wreck on the other side of the road.
2. Sometimes we think we know what’s going on at a weight room or pool but we’re wrong.
3. We’re first curious, then confused and baffled when what we expect is going on is not really going on.
Revelation and Redemption
A. El Shaddai and Yahweh (6:2-5)
1. “I am the Lord” (Yahweh). That declaration will frame the beginning and end of the revelation.
2. He appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as “God Almighty”, El Shaddai.
a. The Lord appeared to Abraham in a dream and told him “I am El Shaddai” (Genesis 17).
b. God the mountain-like one, like a mountain to us puny creatures, over-shadowing, immovable.
3. Yahweh, the I Am, the eternally existing One, The Free One, asserts His is-ness, the one who is.
4. Although perfectly, absolutely free, He has covenanted Himself. He’s made a commitment.
5. Many people today think of freedom and commitment as two mutually exclusive things.
6. The Lord “cut” a covenant. In Genesis 15, God tells Abraham to set up a covenant cutting.
7. Now God will begin acting in a way that can be seen to fulfill the promises of His covenant.
B.The seven “I wills” of redemption (6:6-8)
1. “I will bring you out . . .”. Salvation is first from something: out of bondage (6:6).
2. “I will deliver you . . .”. A key word is “you”: the people the Lord has committed Himself to.
3. “I will redeem you”. Literally, “I will be kinsman-redeemer”, the price-payer who takes care of us.
a. He’s a close relative of His people, like Boaz did for Ruth. Being bought back is “redemption”.
b. With “great acts of judgment”, not only judging and killing the Son but also raising Him up.
4. “I will take you to be My people” (6:7). When the Lord saves people it changes who they are.
5. “I will be your God.” Their relationship with God is changed. Their god isn’t their belly, money, etc.
6. “I will bring you into the land that I swore” (6:8). Before He brought us out. Now He brings us in.
7. “I will give it to you for a possession.” The key word is “give”. The Lord gave the land to them.
Identification and Glorification: the identified and the glorified
A. Dejection and Rejection (6:9): They’re dejected and that leads them to reject God’s promises.
B. Charged and Recharged (6:10-13): the Lord renews His charge to bring the people out of slavery.
1. The Lord charges the brothers again: lead the people out. It’s not about your skills.
2. The genealogy traces their ancestry back to Levi, the priestly tribe, proving they could stand between the people and the Lord; they could represent people to God (6:14-27).
3. God’s human saviors are being identified: Moses and Aaron, these two brothers, not anyone else.
4. God’s equipping (6:28-7:2): Moses can’t speak well. So the Lord equips him with a speaker, Aaron.
C. What is God doing all this for? (7:3-6): To save people? What about Pharaoh?
1. The second hardening of the heart pronouncement. The Lord is doing it. What’s going on with that?
2. God is not doing what many people expect God to be doing: softening his heart, saving him.
3. God is going to do miracles (7:4) that should impress and convince anyone. But He hardens Pharaoh.
4. Why? “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I stretch out My hand. . .” (7:5)
5. “For this very purpose I have raised you up: that I might show My glory in you and that My name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (Exodus 9:16, Romans 9:17).
6. God is being glorified. It’s not all about our worth, our freedom, our glory.
7. God is most glorified when He saves His people and shows His power and judgment to others.
Invitation: God is so great that His purpose isn’t just to help people. It’s to glorify Himself. He’s so loving that in glorifying Himself He does save His people. God is saving, some, and always glorifying Himself. Now, what’s going on with us should be that we too are always glorifying Him.