By Douglas K. Wilson, Ph. D.
Professor of Biblical Studies, University of Mobile
FREEDOM PROMISED
Exodus 5:1–4; 6:2–9
Confronted (5:1–4)
Moses and Aaron confronted Pharaoh in the name of Yahweh, demanding freedom for His people. Pharaoh refused. After all, he was not familiar with the name of their God, nor did he see any need to release God’s people. Pharaoh had the gods of Egypt to protect him, so he thought. Little did he know that the One true God would bring judgment upon his family (4:22–23) and upon all the gods of Egypt (12:12).
Like the Pharaoh of Moses’ day, many leaders today have no fear of the God of the Bible or the authority of Jesus’ name. They may invoke His name generically when campaigning or currying favor with Christians, but these leaders do not consider God’s power over them.
Reminded (6:2–5)
God revealed His divine name to Moses at the burning bush. While this name was recorded in the Genesis account, it was not utilized exclusively by God or the patriarchs. El Elyon (God Most High, Gen. 14:19), El Shaddai (Almighty God, Gen. 17:1) and El Olam (Eternal God, Gen. 21:33) were among the names by which they referred to Him.
By contrast, the instructions Israel received at Mount Sinai were often accompanied by the phrase “I am the LORD” or “I am Yahweh.” In addition, Moses later instructed Aaron and his sons to invoke this divine name before the people in order to establish His name among them (Num. 6:22–27).
The divine name “YHWH” is called the Tetragrammaton (“the four letters”) by scholars. This name would become so revered by Jews that they went to great lengths not to misuse it (the third commandment), miswrite it (using older forms of writing or a separate quill) or misspeak it (reading aloud other names for God as replacements).
Christians follow suit in our modern translations of the Hebrew Old Testament, identifying this name with capital letters while substituting another name for it (LORD God in Gen. 2:4; Lord GOD in Gen. 15:2).
This exaltation of His name is a stark contrast to the misuse and abuse of it in the days of Jeremiah when false prophets offered their own imaginings as words from Him (Jer. 14:14; 23:31–32). What if Christians today had the kind of respect for the name of Jesus that scribes had for the divine name? Must we be reminded that God has given Him the name that is above every other name (Phil. 2:9)?
Promised (6–9)
God reiterated the covenant He made with Abraham and the deliverance He promised to Moses at the burning bush once Moses and Aaron arrived in Egypt. With a “strong hand” and an “outstretched arm,” God would rescue Israel from the grip of Pharaoh. Why did He use this phrasing?
There is a recurring motif in Egyptian artwork beginning around 3100 B.C. in which the depicted pharaoh stands over his adversary. With his left hand, he grips the enemy’s hair. His outstretched right arm is lifted up, and he holds a weapon in his hand to kill his enemy.
In this artwork, Pharaoh is the powerful victor with hand and arm raised. In God’s scenario, Pharaoh will be the one kneeling under God’s mighty hand and outstretched arm. The plagues that followed demonstrated the powerful hand of God that compelled Pharaoh to free His people.
Though God used Moses to free Israel from Egypt, it is Jesus alone who makes us free indeed.
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