Creator, Father, King #69

He has paid a full ransom for his people. He has guaranteed his covenant with them forever. What a holy, awe-inspiring name he has!

MOSES WAS FEELING ANGRY, confused, and helpless. This whole “save Israel from Egypt” thing hadn’t started out so well.

When Moses first confronted Pharaoh, he told him everything God had commanded him to say. But Pharaoh just shrugged and said, “Who is the LORD? Why should I listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go” (Exodus 5:2).

Moses probably felt like a flustered quarterback. The odds were stacked against him, and none of his play calls were working. So he glanced at his coach on the sideline as if to say, “What now?”

Look at God’s powerful, reassuring answer in Exodus 6:6-8:

Say to the people of Israel: “I am the LORD. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the LORD!”

What’s It Mean?

Did you notice how God’s response was almost entirely void of specific Xs and Os? God didn’t describe a detailed game plan. He simply reminded Moses of who he was and what he had promised to do. He was calling Moses to trust him.

In his response, God mentioned his name, Yahweh, three times. In addition to the other things we’ve said about this special name, it was God’s unique covenantal identity with Israel—a reminder that he is a promise-keeping God.

Look again at all of God’s “I” statements in Exodus 6:6-8:

• I will free you.
• I will redeem you.
• I will claim you.
• I will be your God.
• I will bring you into the land.
• I will give it to you as your very own possession.

These are covenantal promises. Israel hadn’t earned these blessings by its own righteousness. God was graciously choosing to redeem these people for his glory and their good.

Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God, is still doing this today!

Now What?

The next time you make (or break) a promise, remember the God who always keeps his!

Did You Know?

The English word Yahweh corresponds to the four original Hebrew consonants YHWH.