Exodus: The Lord and His PilgrimsSample

The great NOW

The Bible does not sweep our problems under the carpet as insignificant. Today’s passage begins and ends by noting Moses’ despondency and inadequacy (5:22–23; 6:9–12), and it is to this the Lord gives his full attention (6:1–8). The remedy is effectively: ‘look away from yourself and fill your eyes with me.’ There are two aspects to this: 

1. They had long known the name ‘the Lord’ (see Gen. 4:26), but until now they did not know exactly what the name signified (Ex. 6:2–3 literally reads, ‘as regards my name, Yahweh, I did not make myself known to them.’). The title ‘God Almighty’ (El Shaddai) carried a wonderful truth as the context to the references shows: he is the God who is at his strongest when people are at their weakest (Gen. 17:1; 28:3; 35:11; 43:14; 48:3; 49:25). How could the childless Abram become a father? How would the solitary Jacob face an uncertain future? How would Joseph’s brothers fare with the despotic, unpredictable ruler of Egypt? Indeed how would Joseph himself survive when ‘under the cosh’ of Pharaoh? They all needed an all-powerful God. 
2. The way ‘covenant’ links Exodus 6:4– 5 means that all the virtues of El Shaddai, the covenant God, are still available for crushed Israel and despondent Moses. But there is more: ‘the Lord’ (vv. 6–7) is specifically the God of deliverance (from Egypt) and redemption (as my people). Exodus chapters 6–12 trace both these exercises: the power that shatters the power of the enemy, and the blood that brings them home safely to God. 

Redemption (v. 6) is one of the great words of the Bible. So what does it mean? The Hebrew word in question is goel, the next-of-kin whose right it is to take on himself whatever burden his nearest kinsman is carrying. Remember Boaz, in the book of Ruth? He could not act to lift Naomi and Ruth out of poverty and Ruth out of childless widowhood unless he was the next-of-kin (Ruth 3:12), but when the actual next-of-kin stepped back (4:6), this position devolved on Boaz who accepted it with alacrity (4:9–10, 13). Yahweh is our divine Next-of-kin, taking our burdens as if his own, paying our debt and bearing our sin: he is our Goel.

Reflection

When the New Testament uses the title ‘Lord’ of Jesus, it intends us to identify him with the redeemer God the Old Testament reveals (Gal. 3:13; Phil. 2:11; Col. 2:6; Rev. 5:9).