A Covenant Remembered - (Exodus 6:1-9) Nick Kennicott

What happens when political promises fall flat and faith is put to the test? Join us as we explore the heart of Exodus chapter 6, where Moses grapples with doubt in the face of Pharaoh's resistance. We'll kick off our discussion by reflecting on the fragility of human promises, using George H.W. Bush's "no new taxes" pledge as a poignant example. This sets the stage for Moses' intense journey, where he encounters immense frustration when God's promises appear delayed. Together, we'll unpack the temptation to blame God during tough times and the crucial lesson of trusting His unwavering faithfulness.

As Moses faces rejection and despair, we delve into God's compassionate response. Far from rebuking Moses, God offers encouragement and a powerful reminder of His covenant. We'll discuss the dynamic interplay between divine sovereignty and human responsibility, emphasizing the key roles played by both God and Pharaoh in the Israelites' liberation. By revisiting God's identity as Yahweh, we underline the importance of clinging to His promises, especially amidst adversity.

Our journey doesn't stop there. We draw a parallel between God's relationship with the Israelites and the deep, personal bond He seeks with us today. By reflecting on the transformative power of truly knowing God, we explore how Jesus Christ fulfills and expands God's promises, offering profound implications for believers. We'll wrap up by emphasizing the importance of resting in God's eternal covenant, encouraging you to trust His strength and protection, especially in your weakest moments. Join us for an episode filled with hope, encouragement, and a renewed understanding of God's promises.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:00

If you want to join me in your Bibles Exodus, chapter 6, exodus, chapter 6. Now, one of the unfortunate realities of living in a fallen world is that we've all grown accustomed to promises being made, but those promises are often never fulfilled. We'd be liars if we said we haven't made promises that we didn't keep. I'm sure we are all guilty of this at some point in our own lives. Sometimes we have good intentions, maybe the circumstances are out of our control, but there are times that we hope we can do what we promised to do. We really think maybe there's a chance, but we know full well we have no business making that promise because it's not a sure thing. Now, of course, above every other group of people on the planet, those most well-known for making promises that they know full well that they won't keep are our politicians. Name a political candidate, name any of them, and I'm pretty sure notice I didn't say I promise. I'm sure. Notice I didn't say I promise. I'm pretty sure that we can find a promise that they made that they didn't keep. I think most people engage in the political process knowing that's the case. We understand that politicians will say or do almost anything to get elected the campaign trail, especially for presidential candidates, is a long list of promises made and the longer the time they spend in office we realize promises broken.

Speaker 1: 1:56

Many of you will remember George HW Bush's accepted speech for the presidential nomination in 1988 at the Republican convention. At the time he was Ronald Reagan's vice president and he said I'm the one who will not raise taxes. My opponent now says he'll raise them as a last resort or as a third resort. But when a politician talks like that, you know that's one resort he'll be checking into. My opponent won't rule out raising taxes, but I will and the Congress will push me to raise taxes and I'll say no and they'll push me. And I'll say no and they'll push me again and I'll say to them read my lips, we've all heard it no new taxes, right. Even repeating those words in in theory excites me. If only it were true. And of course speech writers know what to say and how to say it to get people fired up. So whether or not it will ever happen, they'll write it. They'll hope for the best. But in this case what happened? June 26, 1990, bush admitted that fixing what ailed the US economy would require several measures, including tax revenue increases. The headlines the next day in the New York Post. Read my lips I lied. Now, unfortunately, I think most people today hear promises of all kinds from all sorts of people and, instead of thinking they can count on those promises to be fulfilled, they think I'll just wait and see.

Speaker 1: 3:35

Last week we looked at chapter five of Exodus and remember Moses has finally made it into Egypt with Aaron. And they went into Pharaoh and they did exactly as the Lord had told them to do. He said to Pharaoh thus says the Lord, the God of Israel let my people go that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness. The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord, our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword. And Pharaoh responded by calling the Israelites lazy, and he increased their slave labor exponentially. Now they wouldn't only have to make bricks, but they would no longer have the straw provided for them. They would have to go out and get it for themselves, and the number of bricks that they had to make would remain the same. Moses obeyed the Lord. He said exactly what the Lord commanded.

Speaker 1: 4:39

And yet things went from bad to worse. And so the Israelites all turned to Moses and they said the Lord, look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants and have put a sword in their hand to kill us. And so the chapter ends with Moses crying out to God, saying O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people and you have not delivered your people at all. In other words, moses said Lord, you made a promise, won't you keep it?

Speaker 1: 5:27

It seems that Moses thought the Lord was turning out to be just like every other man he had ever met, promises made, promises not kept. Of course, it's easy to judge Moses here, because we know the rest of the story, that he did not know. And yet may it never be, brothers and sisters, that we would ever question whether or not God will fulfill his promises. Have you ever had an attitude like Moses's toward God, lord? I've I've worked so hard, and everything I do I've been honest. I've I've done everything I was asked I've worked so hard. In everything I do. I've been honest, I've done everything I was asked, I've gone above and beyond, but I'm falling behind on my bills. Things just seem to be getting worse. I thought you promised to take care of me. Or maybe, lord, I'm a faithful wife. I love my husband, I care for our household, I show him my care, but he never shows me affection, he never tells me he loves me. I thought if I was faithful to do what you call me to do as a wife, this marriage would work out.

Speaker 1: 6:39

Sometimes we think that God has promised things that he hasn't promised, but other times we're far too impatient because God rarely works on our timeline. It happens often A Christian does what God calls him to do and for a time things maybe get worse. Such developments make us start to wonder if we really did the right thing and maybe even wonder if God even cares what happens to us Now. Perhaps we don't want to be honest enough to admit it out loud. But isn't this a temptation that all of us have to blame God when things aren't going right because our current circumstances aren't what we hope they would be?

Speaker 1: 7:21

We know theologically that the Lord's ways are better than ours. He knows the beginning from the end. He will never leave us or forsake us. He will always provide for his children's needs. He works everything for our ultimate good. But when things are tough in the moment, when we are feeling the squeeze, or when our heart is broken or we're facing challenges far greater than anything we've ever encountered before, we want to say Lord, why aren't you taking care of me? Have you stopped loving me? Have you abandoned me? Have you left me altogether? This is why the Bible reminds us so often Do not worry, do not be anxious Now. Perhaps, of course, it's easier said than done, but walking faithfully with the Lord over the long haul will teach us that he really does fulfill his promises, every last one of them, without fail.

Speaker 1: 8:20

John Calvin comments on this reality from the book of Exodus, and he writes this it was indeed possible for God to overwhelm Pharaoh at once by a single nod, so that he should even fall down dead at the very sight of Moses, but he chose more clearly to lay open his power, for a Pharaoh had either voluntarily yielded or had been overcome. Without effort, the glory of the victory would not have been so illustrious. God wished to accustom his servants in all ages to patience, lest they should faint in their minds if he does not immediately answer their prayers and, at every moment, relieve them from their distresses. Our God is so wise in dealing with us, isn't he? Sadly, in our weaknesses, we may be conditioned to think I'll wait and see if he really will fulfill his promises. But with the Lord, his promises we know, brothers and sisters are as good as fulfilled already. And with Moses and the Israelites there is no exception.

Speaker 1: 9:29

So let's read chapter six, beginning in verse one. But the Lord said to Moses now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand he will send them out. For with a strong hand he will send them out and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land. God spoke to Moses and said to him I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name, the Lord. I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groanings of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. Say therefore to the people of Israel I am the Lord and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will deliver you from slavery to them and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. I will take you to be my people and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord, your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord. Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

Speaker 1: 11:09

Now many people might read Moses' statement that we saw last week at the end of chapter 5 and think the Lord is about to lay into him. He's not trusting, he's not listening. He went from doubt to belief, to faith. We saw that journey through those first few chapters. But then he has one setback with Pharaoh and he's right back to where he was before, doubting and questioning. Now, surely the Lord is about to let him have it. The Lord is about to let him have it. But remember what the scriptures teach us. Think of Psalm 103. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always shied, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities, for he knows our frame. He remembers that we are dust.

Speaker 1: 12:13

Now, for all intents and purposes, we could say here that at this point Moses was depressed. He showed faith, he finally did what God told him to do, and there's a major setback. It didn't turn out the way he thought it would, and so we see God respond in a way that all of us, as Christians, can take comfort in knowing God, as our God AW Pink writes this. He says instead of rebuking his servant, the Lord encouraged him. Instead of setting him aside, he renewed his commission. See, the Lord knew that Moses was confused, he was scared, he was depressed, and so he reminded him in these first five verses for our first point that the Lord will always keep his covenant promises. Always. Notice, the Lord doesn't actually rebuke Moses at all here. He reminds him of what he promised to do, and he reminds Moses of who he is In verse 1, he tells him now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 13:24

He's saying Moses, you might think that this is a setback or things are going in the wrong direction, but the show has already begun. This is the start of something far more significant than you could ever imagine. Now, of course, in Pharaoh's mind, he thinks he has all the power. He's the most powerful king on the earth at this point in time. He has hundreds of thousands of slaves, he has hundreds of thousands of Egyptian citizens, he has a powerful army. He has this growing, massive empire. Who is going to stop the Pharaoh? But notice what the Lord says and how he says it. He says you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for with a strong hand, he will send them out and with a strong hand, he will drive them out of his land.

Speaker 1: 14:16

Now it's 2024, so we all know how very important pronouns are, and verse 1 is no exception. We're going to see this tension play out multiple times, as, as God is dealing with Pharaoh, the Lord is going to act in his sovereign power and, as a result, pharaoh is going to take action. So is God doing this or is Pharaoh doing this? And the answer is yes. Yes, god is doing what only he can do. He is doing what we read in Proverbs 21. The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. But who does God say is sending the Israelites out? Who is driving them out of the land? It's Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 15:13

And so we have this age old theological question Is God sovereign or is man responsible? And of course, the answer to both questions is yes. Yes, god is completely, 100% sovereign. Over every square millimeter of existence, from the smallest grain of sand at the deepest spot in the ocean to the vast, overwhelming immensity of the entire universe, he has sovereignly determined how many breaths we breathe, how many hairs are on our heads, how many steps we take and how many words we speak. Man, however, is 100% responsible for his actions, what he says and how he says it, what he does and doesn't do, what he thinks and how he feels. It's all our responsibility, and God is good and right and just to hold us responsible, because our decisions are ours to make, our words are ours to speak, our actions are ours to take, and we must always hold that tension. It's a non-negotiable reality. We cannot say God is sovereign but man is not responsible. We would just be automated actors reciting our lines from a script. We also cannot say that God is not sovereign but man is responsible. God would cease to be God and every man would be a God unto himself.

Speaker 1: 16:50

So who will be responsible for the Israelites leaving Egypt? God and Pharaoh? That's what the text tells us. The tension must remain, but what will become obvious is that Pharaoh truly thinks that he himself is his God and everybody should honor him as such. He thinks he holds all the power, and yet the Lord will do whatever he pleases for his glory and for the good of his people. And so the Lord seeks to encourage and to remind Moses. Regardless of what the Israelites thought and how they now thought of Moses, and regardless of how Moses was now thinking about the whole situation and whether or not this was ever going to work, the Lord has spoken. The whole situation and whether or not this was ever going to work. The Lord has spoken. He has promised to deliver his people and his promises are certain.

Speaker 1: 17:47

Notice, notice how often Moses is assured that God can and intends to do everything he promises. The first thing he does is remind Moses of what he revealed back in chapter three, in verse 14, his name. Look, we see it three times. Verse two I am the Lord, but more specifically he's saying I am Yahweh. Again in verse six I am Yahweh. Then verse eight I am Yahweh. He's saying remember, moses, remember I told you before and I'm telling you again I am who I am. Pharaoh may resist you, he may think he will resist me, but I am who I am. You and all my people will be delivered.

Speaker 1: 18:33

Remember, last week we saw the greatest burden of all mankind in the words of Pharaoh. Remember, moses told him what the Lord said and and how did Pharaoh respond? Remember, in verse two of chapter five, pharaoh said who is the Lord? That I should obey his voice and let Israel go. I do not know the Lord and, moreover, I will not let Israel go. I do not know the Lord. Pharaoh, that's only to your great detriment, your self-willed rejection of the great I am, your maker and sustainer. It will only serve your destruction. And now the Lord responds not to Pharaoh but to Moses, and he's telling him Pharaoh may reject me and he may say that he knows not who I am, but don't you forget, moses, you need to know who I am. And if you know who I am, that I am, the I am, it will answer all of your questions. It will make all the difference in the world.

Speaker 1: 19:43

And then, in verse 3, god reminds Moses of another name. He says I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty. That is the name Al Shaddai, but by my name, the Lord, that is Yahweh, I did not make myself known to them. Now Bible scholars get themselves all twisted up in this verse because in the book of Genesis the Lord calls himself Yahweh at least a hundred different times. Yet here he's saying they didn't know him by this name. So what does that mean? Well, he's not saying that they didn't know the name Yahweh at all. He's saying they really didn't know him in his full nature and character. They knew the title. But what he's saying is this is a turning point in my revelation to man, to man. His people will have a greater, fuller understanding of what it means for him to be the Lord. Now more than ever before in the past. There's a difference. So think of it this way If I asked you, do you know?

Speaker 1: 20:54

Do you know Pastor Dikema? Most of you would say, yes, I know him. Some of you have known him for decades, some of you for a few months. Some of you would say, yes, I know him. Some of you have known him for decades, some of you for a few months. Some of you maybe you just know who he is or maybe you've said hello to him at some point. But all of you would say, if you've even just met him, you would say, yeah, I know him. But then there are some of you who are his daughters and his sons-in-laws and his grandchildren. That's a very different kind of knowing. So the way the patriarchs before Moses knew the Lord was that they knew him like. Maybe you've known Pastor Deacon for the last 15 or 30 years. You see him at church on Sundays and Wednesdays, maybe a few times a year outside the church.

Speaker 1: 21:38

But Moses was now going to know the Lord. The Moses was now going to know the Lord. The Israelites were now going to know the Lord like a child knows their father. That's far more significant, that's far more intimate than knowing a person through weekly interactions. In other words, the Lord's statement wasn't so much about his name but about the intimacy of the relationship. So maybe you're getting a sense here of how the Lord is encouraging Moses that he can have certainty in the promises of God that they will be fulfilled.

Speaker 1: 22:13

It also seems that God's point was something like this the name Yahweh is greater than the name God Almighty. I gave your forefathers my name, god Almighty, but you will know me as Yahweh. And if your forefathers knew me as God Almighty and were filled with confidence in me, how much more should you, since you've been given a fuller revelation of who I am in my name, yahweh, since you've been given a fuller revelation of who I am in my name, yahweh? If you're a parent, you can know something of what the Lord is getting at here when we are children ourselves. So yes, children, I'm talking to you as well.

Speaker 1: 22:55

As much as you love dad and mom, you have no idea. You cannot possibly know just how much dad and mom love you. If I say to my kids I am your dad, it's not because they don't know who I am. It's me saying I love you more than you will ever know and I only want the best for you. So I hope that you will trust me. I'm your dad and nobody in this world cares more for you than I do for your wellbeing and for your soul. Nobody more than your mom and I. That's the idea that's wrapped up in these words. I am the Lord.

Speaker 1: 23:38

This was the fundamental need of the Israelites. This is the fundamental need of every man, woman and child in this world throughout all of time Not to just casually know a few things about God, not to just know who he is or what he has done, not to just know he is there and maybe, every now and then, communicate with him as though he's sort of a distant acquaintance. No, we must know the Lord as Yahweh, we must know the Lord as the great I am, and when you know God as God, you will be changed. We see it all throughout scripture. Nobody ever walked away from an encounter with the Lord unaffected, and many of you know that in your own life Now. It may not always immediately lead to faith and may lead to fear, but no one comes to a true encounter with the Lord and is unmoved.

Speaker 1: 24:39

You need to know who this God is and, friends, some of you here tonight have no idea who this God is. He created you, he gives you breath in your lungs, he wakes you up every morning. He provides for all of your daily needs and yet you reject him. You may say, well, he never appeared to me in a burning bush to tell me he's the Lord. And you may say, like Pharaoh, I don't know who he is. But here's the reality. You know God profoundly because he's revealed himself in all of nature.

Speaker 1: 25:19

Everyone who has ever lived has a deep realization that God is there. But beyond simply knowing that he is there, god has further revealed himself in his son, the Lord Jesus Christ. It was because of God's love for mankind, whom he created in his image, that he sent Jesus Christ into the world. He lived a perfect life, fulfilling the entirety of God's law, without a single sin. Because we cannot. He died on a cross to take upon himself the full measure of God's wrath on behalf of those who trust in him, so that we need not pay that penalty. He was buried in a grave for three days and raised from the dead to defeat the devil, to defeat sin, to defeat death entirely, so that all who put their faith and their trust in him alone will have everlasting life and friend.

Speaker 1: 26:13

You may think that you live each day, doing what you do, and everything is just fine and you have no need to know the Lord. You might think look at my life. I have all the stuff I want. I'm surrounded by people I like, I have a good job, I eat good food, I drink good wine, I do a lot of great fun things. I don't have time for all this stuff about the Lord. You know, pharaoh thought the same thing until he had a very different encounter with the Lord. Countless others have thought the very same thing, only to find out the truth that there is a way that leads to destruction and the only way to everlasting life is through Jesus Christ alone.

Speaker 1: 26:57

Like the Israelites in Egypt, you are a slave, a different kind of slave in many ways, but outwardly you may think you're as free as you've ever been, but you were a slave to your own sin. You were a slave to your own carnal lusts and desires. You were a slave to your belly and to your flesh. You were a slave to the devil, who you have happily served all the days of your life. You are a slave to the devil, who you have happily served all the days of your life. You are in chains and you don't even realize it most days because you've grown so accustomed to their presence around your wrists and your ankles.

Speaker 1: 27:30

But, my friend, you can have a life-changing encounter with the great I am by putting your faith in Jesus Christ. Come to the end of yourself that you might come to Christ in humility and repent of your sin and rest in the one and only true God of all creation. He will not cast you out, he will not turn you away. He will receive you as his child and say I am your father, you can trust me, you can trust him. Come to Christ. And for those of us who are Christians, we learn here with even greater significance that we can trust the Lord. He's a covenant keeping God.

Speaker 1: 28:12

You may be going through a bitter discouragement, maybe right now you're going through a dark providence, a difficult season of life, but the Lord is telling us in his word I am the great, I am, I am your father, I am your hope, I am your salvation. It's just what he's telling Moses. I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob as God almighty, but by my name, the Lord. I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land which they lived as sojourners. Moreover, I have heard the groanings of the people of Israel, whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I remembered my covenant. In other words, he's saying as, god almighty, I established my covenant with them. How much more that you now know me as I am, will I be your mighty fortress forever? How much more can you have confidence that I will deliver my people and I will fulfill my covenant promise and bring you to the great promised land that I have prepared for my people? Brothers and sisters, the Lord, god Almighty, gives us all the assurance we need to follow him, even when our days are dark, even when our days are long.

Speaker 1: 29:34

In 1958, elizabeth Elliot wrote about her husband's death as a missionary to the Alka Indians. Most of you are probably familiar with that story. She titled it Shadow of the Almighty. Jim Elliot, along with four other missionaries, were killed on January 8th 1956. In 1949, when Jim Elliot was a student in college, he wrote these now very famous words he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. Everyone, upon hearing about the death of these five missionaries, called it a nightmare and a tragedy, but Jim Elliot's wife, elizabeth Elliott, wrote these words.

Speaker 1: 30:25

The world did not recognize the truth of the second clause in Jim Elliott's credo he is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose. You see, elizabeth Elliot was totally convinced that the refuge of the people of God is not a refuge from suffering, it's not a refuge from death. It is a refuge from final and ultimate defeat. He who saves his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for the sake of the gospel will save it, because the Lord is God Almighty. Brothers and sisters, the circumstances in our lives might not change while we're here on this earth. God may not exercise his sovereignty to deliver us from every difficult trial. He didn't exercise his sovereignty to deliver Jesus from the cross. Often, the Lord does not exercise his sovereignty to deliver you and me from tribulation.

Speaker 1: 31:31

If we have the faith and the single mindedness and courage of Jim Elliot, we might find ourselves saying with the apostle Paul for your sake, we are being killed all the day long. We are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered. No, in all these things, we are more than conquerors, through him who loved us, for I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God, the Almighty God the Great. I Am in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Brothers and sisters, our covenant-keeping God has us right where he wants us and will continue to hold us near. You can trust Him. He will never forsake you, never. And even so, we see in verses 6 through 9 that the Lord is merciful to his people even when we are tempted with unbelief. Verses 6 through 8 are remarkable in their beauty. They're all about God's plan of redemption and he provides seven promises, seven things here that he will do for his people, seven promises of salvation. Notice seven times. He says I will.

Speaker 1: 32:56

Let's look at each of them. The first one in verse six I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. The Lord knew that the Israelites were in a desperate situation. They could not save themselves, or else they would have already done so. But the Lord had the power to deliver them and he promised that he would Remember.

Speaker 1: 33:18

Back in chapter two, at the end of chapter two, it says and God heard their groaning. And God remembered his covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. God saw the people of Israel, and God knew, he heard, he remembered, he saw, he knew. And now he's acting. Second. Second I will deliver you from slavery to them. Now think about this For this generation of Israelites, all any of them had ever known is slavery, every one of them. It was their life from birth, and so to be free from this horrible bondage, especially now that Pharaoh just made it worse than it had ever been before, would have been the deepest longing of their hearts. The Lord was about to deliver them. Third, he says I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and mighty acts of judgment. God would be their redeemer. He was going to bear his mighty arm to rescue them and at the same time, he was going to judge Egypt because of their treatment of the Israelites. God does not look kindly on slavery, not just of his people, but of any kind. This is an evil act to treat those created in his image in such a horrific way. God will judge them. Number four in verse seven, he says I will take you to be my people. Here we see just how merciful the Lord is toward his people. They've treated the Lord shamefully. They've cursed Moses and rejected him when he was unsuccessful before Pharaoh.

Speaker 1: 35:06

Now, what's fascinating to me about this is all of us know people where there is a person maybe in your family or your workplace, sometimes in churches and people are sometimes reluctant to say they're associated with them in any way. Maybe it's a reputation they have, maybe they're a little bit odd, or they do things in a certain way that rubs people wrong, and so there's a reluctance to have any association with them. But even though the Lord has every right and, I would argue, every reason to say of the Israelites, forget about it. He didn't. He said you will be my people, I'm not ashamed to associate with you. He loves them, he will take care of them, and not only that, they were to be his precious possession, even though they were children that only a father could love. Not a people, but my people.

Speaker 1: 36:12

Number five. He says I will be your God. The Lord wasn't just going to free them from slavery and then leave them to themselves out in the desert. No, he would be with them. Not only would he be with them, he would provide for them, he would watch over them, he would protect them. They did not need any other God or king, because the Lord Almighty Yahweh was on their side. Number six, verse eight I will bring you into the land that I swore to give you.

Speaker 1: 36:45

Now, at this point, after so many years in slavery, the promised land seemed to the Israelites to just be a story from the past that was part of a book of myths. Maybe they had heard about it for so many years. The land that would be flowing with milk and honey. It sounds nice, but we're never going to see it. And yet the Lord promises that one day his people will, that will dwell in peace and enjoy the blessings of the land. And number seven he says I will give it to you as a possession.

Speaker 1: 37:23

I'm reminded of the words of one of the hymns we sing without money come to Jesus Christ and buy. The Lord never charges us or demands we work for anything that he gives us as a blessing, that he gives us as a blessing. The blessings of God are freely available to anyone who willingly submits to him as Savior, lord, god and King. What wonderful promises, what a future for the people of God. And yet how do they respond to God's promises? Verse 9, moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. We as humans are so slow to believe, aren't we? We're so used to broken promises, we're so prone to say I don't want to hear it. But, brothers and sisters, may the Lord so work in our hearts that we would never reject his promises. Think of what he tells the Israelites and how great these promises are. And even as we seek to apply these promises to our own hearts, consider how much greater even are the promises that Christ gives to his church.

Speaker 1: 38:52

The Lord almighty said to the Israelites I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. Jesus said to the church. Jesus said to the church I will make your yoke easy and your burdens light. Yahweh said I will redeem you with an outstretched arm. Jesus says I will redeem you from the power and the penalty of sin because I gave my life as a ransom for sinners. The Lord said I will take you to be my people.

Speaker 1: 39:24

Paul writes but now, in Christ Jesus, you were once far off. You have been brought near by the blood of Christ. The Lord Almighty said I will be your God. But Jesus tells us I will dwell with you, you will be my people and I will be with you as your God. The Lord said Israel, I will bring you into the land that I promised to give you. Jesus said I will go and prepare a place for you and come again and take you for myself that, where I am there, you may be also. The Lord said Israel, I will give it to you as a possession. Jesus said I will give you your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you before the foundations of the earth.

Speaker 1: 40:12

You see, brothers and sisters, the promises of God to the Israelites in Egypt were just a foretaste of the promises of God in Jesus Christ. What they received was even greater than what Abraham, isaac and Jacob knew, and what we now know in Jesus Christ is even greater than the promises of God to Israelites and to Moses. We are the true Israel and we receive the fullness of what God has promised in the ultimate state of everlasting communion with God as God. We have a promise making God, but we have a promise keeping God, but we struggle to believe. The Israelites had broken spirits because of harsh slavery, so they didn't believe In promises of redemption, promises of freedom, promises of possession, promises of land, promises of protecting and providing and caring and a loving God and still they would not listen. Because their spirits were broken. They were worn out, they were desperate, they were at the end of themselves.

Speaker 1: 41:21

As one commentator says, the I wills of salvation led to an I won't from God's people. They were demoralized to the point of exhaustion. But notice how no word of the Lord lashes out at the Israelites. There's no promise of punishment or that he would not uphold his promises. Remember our God knows what we are. And in our weakest times, when we're most demoralized, when we're most crushed under the weight of our circumstances, we're reminded from the scriptures a bruised reed he will not break and a smoldering wick he will not quench.

Speaker 1: 42:05

Brothers and sisters, we may be tempted to not believe the Lord. We may be tempted to think that his promises aren't for us or he won't follow through with them, especially when things are difficult and our circumstances have us at the very end of ourselves. But if you walk with the Lord over time, end of ourselves. But if you walk with the Lord over time, you know that at the very end of yourself is where the Lord draws nearest to us and is most precious. In our weakest moments the Lord shows himself to be most strong. His outstretched arm is our strength and our shield and our fortress. And so, when the days seem long, when it feels as though we're walking through the valley of the shadow of death, hear the voice of the Lord.

Speaker 1: 42:54

I am the Lord, god Almighty. I am that, I am. I am your father. Trust me, my promises are as good as done already. I have everything you need. I have infinitely more than you can fathom. Don't worry, don't be anxious. I will do what I've said I will do, and it will be far greater than anything you could ever comprehend. And so, brothers and sisters, may the Lord help us believe that he truly is God and that we truly are his people. Amen.

Speaker 1: 43:29

Let's pray together. Father, we are so very grateful that you are our father, that you have revealed yourself to us as God almighty, the great I am, and that you have further revealed yourself to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, our Savior, our friend. And so we pray, lord, that you help our unbelief, that you teach us to rest in you, that you remind us of your promises and that we have faith to believe what we have seen over and over in our lives, which you reveal to us over and over again in your word that you are a covenant keeping God, that you keep covenant without fail, that your promises will be fulfilled. And so we trust you, lord, and we pray you help us to trust you more that you would be glorified in our lives and that we would receive the fullness of joy that you have received, that you have prepared for your children, that we might walk in them forever. And we ask this in Jesus' name, amen.