“Moses’ Distress and God’s Assurance of Deliverance” (Exodus 5:22–6:13)

“Moses’ Distress and God’s Assurance of Deliverance” (Exodus 5:22–6:13)
Pastor Cameron Jungels
Eastside Baptist Church
Sunday PM, July 2, 2017

Exodus 5:22–6:13 (NIV)
            ²² Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? ²³ Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.”
            ^6:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.”
            ² God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. ³ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. ⁴ I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. ⁵ Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
            ⁶ “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’”
            ⁹ Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.
            ¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country.”
            ¹² But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?”
            ¹³ Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.

1. The Servant of the Lord Is in Distress over Apparent Failure of the Mission (5:22–23).

2. God Reassures His Servant that the Mission Will Ultimately Be Successful (6:1–13).
            a. The mission will succeed because of the power of God (1).
            b. The mission will succeed because of God’s zeal for the glory of his own name (2–3).

Duane Garrett (247–248):
Refrain          6:2c    I am YHWH.
Stanza 1.1      6:3a    And I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
                        6:3b    As El Shaddai.
                        6:3c    But my name is YHWH.
                        6:3d    Did I not make myself known to them?
Stanza 1.2      6:4a    And also I set up my covenant with them,
                        6:4b    To give them the land of Canaan,
                        6:4c    The land of their sojourning,
                        6:4d    In which they sojourned.
Stanza 1.3      6:5a    And also I heard the groaning of the Israelites,
                        6:5b    Whom the Egyptians were enslaving,
                        6:5c    And I remembered my covenant.
                        6:6a    Therefore, say to the Israelites
Refrain          6:6b    I am YHWH.
Stanza 2.1     6:6c    And I will bring you out from under the heavy labor of the Egyptians,
                        6:6d   And I will deliver you from their service
                        6:6e   And I will redeem you with an outstretched arm,
                        6:6f    And with great judgments.
Stanza 2.2     6:7a   And I will take you as my people
                        6:7b   And I will be your God.
                        6:7c   And you will know that I am YHWH your God,
                        6:7d   Who brings you out from under the heavy labor of the Egyptians.
Stanza 2.3     6:8a   And I will bring you to the land
                        6:8b   That I lifted my hand [in an oath]
                        6:8c    To give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob,
                        6:8d    And I will give it to you as a possession.
Refrain          6:8e    I am YHWH.

            c. The mission will succeed because God is faithful to his covenant promises (4).
            d. The mission will succeed because God listens to the cries of his people in distress (5).
            e. The mission will succeed because the Sovereign Lord has determined that it will (6–8).
            f. The mission will succeed in spite of his people’s doubts, excuses, and complaints (9–13).

Main Idea: In our service to Christ, we will face distressing times, failures, delays, and resistance from unbelievers, but we can be assured of the ultimate success of God’s mission. So, let us not delay or shrink back from participating in God’s gospel mission.