The Lord’s Promise to Moses

Exodus 6:4 I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers.

Exodus 6:5 And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.

Exodus 6:6 Therefore say to the children of Israel: ‘I am the Lord; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

Exodus 6:7 I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

Exodus 6:8 And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the Lord.’ ”

Exodus 6:9 So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.

The bondage was so great that it blocked out even the stirring words Moses had just delivered to them.

Exodus 6:10 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, :11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the children of Israel go out of his land.”

Exodus 6:12 And Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “The children of Israel have not heeded me. How then shall Pharaoh heed me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?”

The Lord’s Promise to Moses

Exodus 6:13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the children of Israel and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

The Family of Moses and Aaron (Summary) 4

This passage, Exodus 6:14-27, presents a specific genealogy inserted into the narrative right after God recommissions Moses. It briefly lists the heads of the clans for Reuben and Simeon, Jacob's first two sons, but then pivots to provide a more detailed lineage for the tribe of Levi. 

The primary purpose here is to formally establish the ancestry and credentials of Moses and Aaron, the central human figures in the Exodus story. The text carefully traces their lineage back to Levi, identifying their parents as Amram and Jochebed, and their grandfather as Kohath. 

It also details Aaron's direct descendants, including his wife Elisheba and their sons (Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar), establishing the foundation for the future Aaronic priesthood. 

By naming specific figures like Korah and Phinehas, it also sets the stage for later narratives. The passage concludes by explicitly linking this documented lineage to the divine task at hand, stating clearly that this Moses and Aaron are indeed the ones chosen by God to confront Pharaoh and lead Israel out of Egypt, thus validating their authority through their heritage.

Aaron is Moses’ Spokesman

Exodus 6:28 And it came to pass, on the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, :29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”

Exodus 6:30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh heed me?”

Exodus 7:1 So the Lord said to Moses: “See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. 

Moses, as God’s spokesman and ambassador, would speak with authority and power. Aaron, as Moses’ divinely appointed spokesman, would deliver the message he received.

Exodus 7:2 You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land.

Exodus 7:3 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 7:4 But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. 

Exodus 6:26 describes the Israelites using two important ideas at once: Like an Army: It calls them "armies" (or "divisions"). This shows they aren't just a mob of slaves, but an organized group, almost like God's soldiers, ready for what He wants them to do later (like entering the Promised Land).

Belonging to God/Israel: By calling them the "children of Israel" (and God often calls them "My people"), it makes it clear who they belong to. They belong to God and their ancestor Israel (Jacob), not to Pharaoh. This directly contradicts Pharaoh's idea that he owned them as his slaves.

Exodus 7:5 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.”

One big reason God freed the Israelites (the Exodus) was so that people, especially the Egyptians, would learn who He really is – the powerful God named Yahweh.

• God mentioned this goal over and over again when He sent messages to Pharaoh and described what He was doing.Some Egyptians realized God's power. For instance, some listened to His warning about the huge hail storm (the seventh plague) and protected their animals. Later, other Egyptians even decided to leave Egypt with the Israelites.

•Ultimately, after God rescued the Israelites from slavery and defeated Egypt's army, there was no way the Egyptians could pretend that Israel's God wasn't the one who made it all happen.

Exodus 7:6 Then Moses and Aaron did so; just as the Lord commanded them, so they did.

Exodus 7:7 And Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three years old when they spoke to Pharaoh.

A Stick Turns into a Snake

Exodus 7:8 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, :9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for yourselves,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and cast it before Pharaoh, and let it become a serpent.’ ”

Exodus 7:10 So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh, and they did so, just as the Lord commanded. And Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh and before his servants, and it became a serpent.

Exodus 7:11 But Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers; so the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments. 

• In ancient Egypt, magic and sorcery were really important parts of their religion, which involved believing in many gods. They even wrote down stories about magicians, especially ones who could charm snakes.
• These magicians were also called "wise men" or "sorcerers" – they were the smart, learned, and religious people of their time. (Paul later named two of them, Jannes and Jambres).
• The Bible suggests that if these magicians had any real supernatural power, it came from an evil source (Satan).
• When Aaron turned his staff into a snake, the Egyptian magicians used their "secret arts" or "witchcraft" to do something similar. We don't know exactly how they did it – maybe it was just clever tricks and illusions that fooled everyone, or maybe it was actual dark magic. The Bible just says they copied the feat.
• They managed to copy the first few miracles: turning staffs into snakes, turning water into blood, and making frogs appear. But when God had Aaron turn dust into gnats (tiny insects), the magicians tried to copy that miracle and couldn't. They had reached their limit and had to admit their failure.

Exodus 7:12 For every man threw down his rod, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s rod swallowed up their rods.

The loss of the magicians’ staffs in this fashion gave evidence of the superiority of God’s power when Aaron’s staff gulped down theirs.

Exodus 7:13 And Pharaoh’s heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, as the Lord had said.

The Nile River Turns into Blood

Exodus 7:14 So the Lord said to Moses: “Pharaoh’s heart is hard; he refuses to let the people go.

Exodus 7:15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he goes out to the water, and you shall stand by the river’s bank to meet him; and the rod which was turned to a serpent you shall take in your hand.