Moses is still a pest

Exodus 6

Then the Lord said to Moses, Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for [compelled] by a strong hand he will [not only] let them go, but he will drive them out of his land with a strong hand.

And God said to Moses, I am YHWH [the LORD].

I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty [El-Shaddai], but by My name the Lord [The Tetragrammaton —the redemptive name of God] I did not make Myself known to them.

I have also established My covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their temporary residence in which they were strangers.

I have also heard the groaning of the Israelites whom the Egyptians have enslaved; and I have [earnestly] remembered My covenant [with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob].

Accordingly, say to the Israelites, I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will free you from their bondage, and I will rescue you with an outstretched arm [with special and vigorous action] and by mighty acts of judgment.

And I will take you to Me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that it is I, the Lord your God, Who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.

And I will bring you into the land concerning which I lifted up My hand and swore that I would give it to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage. I am the Lord [you have the pledge of My changeless omnipotence and faithfulness].

It is the voice of God, vivid in Moses's ears.  A good Presbyterian would maintain that God knew the Israelites would refuse to listen to Moses as he told his kinsmen. The lesson, I think, would be to do what God says - regardless of what the people say.  It's a lonely position, though.

I've encountered times when the voice of God was singing His words into my spirit, but habit and custom and good manners kept me from speaking them aloud.

Moses told this to the Israelites, but they refused to listen to Moses because of their impatience and anguish of spirit and because of their cruel bondage.

If the Israelites won't listen, maybe another audience would work better.  It's not like the children of Israel are just going to walk out on their own.

The Lord said to Moses, Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.

But, but, but...

But Moses said to the Lord, Behold, [my own people] the Israelites have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh give heed to me, who am of deficient and impeded speech?

I told you so, God.

But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, and gave them a command for the Israelites and for Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

And a small break, as we get a list of the sons of Jacob who will be leaving Egypt.

These are the heads of their clans. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.

The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.

These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their births: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari; and Levi lived 137 years.

The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimi, by their families.

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel; and Kohath lived 133 years.

The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of Levi according to their generations.

Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister as wife, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and Amram lived 137 years.

The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.

The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.

Aaron took Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon, as wife; she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the families of the Korahites.

Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took one of the daughters of Putiel as wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their families.

That's a lot of names - who were we talking about originally?

These are the [same] Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, Bring out the Israelites from the land of Egypt by their hosts,

And who spoke to [the] Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing the Israelites out of Egypt; these are that Moses and Aaron.

On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.

But, but, but...

But Moses said to the Lord, Behold, I am of deficient and impeded speech; how then shall Pharaoh listen to me?

If God had to breathe, I think He would be breathing deeply and steadily - maybe even counting to 10.

It took a lot of guts for Moses to recount the whole story - warts and all.  I wonder if he looked back on his life and wondered how he could have ever had so little trust in the Lord.

God gives us life.  How could the God of the universe give us an ordinary life?