God Promises Deliverance

Despite a discouraging start, the Israelites would be liberated exactly as God had said. And even though he initially wavered, Moses would end up in Hebrew 11’s Faith Hall of Fame: “By faith . . .[he] chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt” (Heb. 11:24–28).

God had promised to free His people through Moses, and in today’s reading, when things looked bleakest, He renewed that promise. Yesterday we saw how easily liberation can “fail” and how powerless Moses was compared to Pharaoh. Moses’ irritated question sounds only natural: “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all” (5:22–23).

How did the Lord answer? “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go” (6:1). This response only makes sense if God is who He says He is, the great “I am” against whom none can stand. God had chosen Moses for this task and this moment. He had a plan for the entire timeline! Not only would He free the people from their oppressors, but He would also make them His special covenant people and bring them safely to a new land, just as He’d promised (6:6–8).

Both the Israelites (6:9) and Moses (6:12, 30) nonetheless faced discouragement. To encourage Moses, God graciously appointed Aaron to share some of the load (7:1–2) and again provided a bird’s-eye view of what was about to happen (7:3–5).

Pray with Us

Exodus 5 shows us a beautiful picture of God’s faithfulness to the people of Israel. Join us in prayer of gratitude to the Lord for His covenant love and faithfulness to us today. Praise Him that all His promises are “yes and amen” in Christ.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has just published his first book, On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.