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Exodus 6:26–7:6
“The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them” (7:5).
Moses paused his recounting of the history of Israel during the exodus generation to give us his genealogy (Ex. 6:14–25). In today’s passage, he returns to that history, but instead of immediately moving on to the next thing that happened, Moses tells us again of his objection to the Lord when God sent him to Pharaoh because he saw himself as having “uncircumcised lips”—that is, as being unqualified (vv. 26–30). This serves to highlight the difficulty of the task ahead and to force us as readers to ask the question, “If Moses is not equipped to lead the people out of Egypt, how will it ever happen?”
Exodus 7:1–6 gives the answer: Israel will come out of Egypt through the work of the Lord Himself. Moses makes this point by reporting God’s words to him that the Lord will send Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh, that Pharaoh will harden his heart, and that God will force the king to release the Israelites through many divine signs and wonders that will inflict judgment (vv. 1–4). This repeats much of what God says in 4:21–23, indicating that the Lord intends to accomplish His plan. The repetition shows that it will certainly happen.
Notably, the Lord in 7:5 gives a reason for the upcoming exodus that He has not revealed before. In Exodus 3:12, we saw that God’s purpose in saving Israel is to create a people to worship Him. But we learn in chapter 7 another purpose He has for redeeming Israel. Through the miracles that will accompany Israel’s deliverance, the Egyptians will come to know who the Lord truly is (v. 5). Remember that Pharaoh asked the defining question of the showdown between him and God: “Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice and let Israel go?” (5:2). Our Creator will answer Pharaoh’s question and in so doing show Himself to all Egypt. God saves people to show the world who He is, for He is working to the end that “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11:9).
Importantly, God’s salvation of a people includes also judgment on others, in this case the Egyptians. Both of these reveal the Lord in all His majestic glory to the world. Matthew Henry comments: “How God glorifies himself; he makes people know that he is Jehovah. Israel is made to know it by the performance of his promises to them (ch. 6:3), and the Egyptians are made to know it by the pouring out of his wrath upon them. Thus God’s name is exalted both in those that are saved and in those that perish.”
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
The Lord is on a mission to make Himself known to the whole world. He does this through His work of salvation wherein some receive mercy while others experience divine justice. Yes, the Lord cares that we be liberated from eternal death, but His aim in doing this is also to reveal Himself to His creation. Our redemption is not merely about us, but it is about God’s manifesting His own glory to the world.
For Further Study
- Psalm 97
- Isaiah 40:5
- Luke 2:22–38
- Romans 9:22–24