Exodus 1 – 6

The children of Israel moved into Egypt because God worked good out of the evil the brothers of Joseph intended. This family was saved from starvation in Canaan. They had been given the land of Goshen to raise their herds unmolested. But, God had promised them the land of Canaan, hadn’t He? Yes, He did. In fact this was part of the covenant He made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Early in this story we are told that God remembered His covenant.

The children of Israel, we learn, are not free as in the days of Joseph, but are enslaved by a Pharaoh who did not remember Joseph. Because they had prospered and grown so numerous (again, the promises of God), the Pharaoh feared them. Was God caught off guard and left scrambling to find a way out of this? No. In fact He told Abraham this was exactly what would happen (Genesis 15:13-16) as He made His covenant with Abraham. All was being fulfilled.

In choosing Moses, God selected yet another flawed man. Moses and his brother, Aaron, were descended from Levi, the son of Jacob, who along with Simeon murdered all of the men in the city of the prince who raped their sister, Dinah. Not only would Moses ne the Lawgiver, but Aaron would be the first High Priest of Israel. Both men would be crucial in the deliverance of the children of Israel. Moses had a temper, and he struck and killed an Egyptian taskmaster. He made excuses why he could not possibly do what God asked of him. He doubted and wavered. Still, he would be the intermediary of God’s new covenant with Israel.

In the middle of this tragic opera of power and intrigue there is the struggle of wills between Pharaoh and God. Both claim the children of Israel. Only one can be right. The false power of Pharaoh is displayed in cruelty and brash words. The true power of God is seen in miracles unleashed with snakes, leprosy and plagues. The final plague resulted in the death of firstborn males who were not in homes covered by the blood of the Passover lamb. Yet another foreshadowing of Jesus. God remains victorious.

Moses is essentially a bystander, as the only thing he brings to these events is faith. Appearing to Moses in a small bush that was afire, but not being consumed by the flames, God introduces Himself with His personal name. His covenant name. Yahweh. With a mixture of uncertainty, fear and curiosity, Moses asks God who should he tell the Israelites has sent him. Elohim said tell them “I AM Who I AM.” Tell them “the I AM has sent you.” YHWH. The Self-Existent One. Yahweh, the LORD. He IS their God.

In the New Testament, Jesus uses this same name. He says, “Before Abraham was, I AM” and the Jews tried to put Him to death for blasphemy. Make no mistake, if Jesus is NOT God, He deserved to die. But, if He IS God…

Jesus also invoked this name saying:

• I AM the Light of the world
• I AM the Bread of Life
• I AM the Door of the sheepfold
• I AM the Good Shepherd
• I AM the Resurrection and the Life
• I AM the Way, the Truth and the Life
• I AM the True Vine
• Unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins

Perhaps the most astounding time was in the Garden of Gethsemane as Judas and 600 soldiers came to arrest Him and said they were seeking Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus said, “I AM” and all of them fell backwards to the ground. Imagine. Believe.

Consider His nature. Consider His ways. Strive to love Him more!