Exodus 6 — Sketch

Moses Is Not Into This

Big Idea:

• God restates his plan to set Israel free by striking Pharaoh with His “mighty hand.”

• God reaffirms his covenant with Israel.

• Moses reports this to Israel.

• Israel won’t listen to Moses.

• God tells Moses to bring Israel out of Egypt according to its divisions and then lists the heads of the Israeli families.

• God sends Moses before Pharaoh again.

• Moses is reluctant and says, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me?”

Jesus in This Chapter:

• Moses was a reluctant leader. I tend to want to think of him as being used by God to free Israel from slavery, but the reality seems to be that God freed Israel DESPITE Moses. ⁠It reminds me of how we can’t take any credit for our salvation. We do not deserve this new life. We did not — and could not — earn it. We are saved, not because of ourselves, but in spite of ourselves. It’s all through Jesus. It’s only through Jesus.

• God says some beautiful things in this chapter: “I will free you from being slaves… I will redeem you… I will take you as my people…. I will be your God… I will bring you to the land I swore.” The immediate context for these statements is God freeing Israel from Egyptian slavery through His might. But the eternal context for these statements is Jesus freeing us from sin and death through the His work on the cross. Because of Jesus, we are free. Because of Jesus, we are redeemed. Because of Jesus, we are God’s. Because of Jesus, we have hope.

(Originally drawn September 13, 2010)