If things aren’t going your way, you could be in valley, you might not have given God your full attention, you should be aware that there are valleys in life.  Might be time to start climbing again. God says I will make them feel compelled to send you out.

Remember I AM God who makes promises and keeps them. I still hear the pain of my people. Like an anchor he will hold you despite what the water does.

Therefore, refers to the previous statements about covenant and identity.

Promise Maker will become the Promise Keeper.

“I will” is statement of absolute certainty.   Take it to the bank.

God has the power and ability to do all things, we tend to take that for granted.

What seems impossible to us is possible for God.

God can reverse any situation.  (Lazarus, one day us)

7 I wills… followed by a verb, taking action. In Hebrew they are in the past tense as if they have already happened, again speaks to the certainty of God’s ability.

I will bring you out, yoke is the idea of backbreaking work.  Like releasing an animal that is weighed down. Burdens that are carried will be released. 

I will free you, in other words deliver you from the grasp of someone else. God is superior to anything that would claim ownership over your life. God will win the custody battle for Israel and for your soul if you allow Him to be God of your life.

I will redeem you, language of commerce, making payment for something.  Paying off a ransom. 1 cor 5:7. foreshadow of the price Jesus will pay for us. 1 Pet 1:18-19 We are not redeemed with perishable things. Silver or gold, but by the eternal blood of Jesus, the Passover lamb. Jn 1:29 he redeemed us with outstretched arms on a rugged cross. He took the payment, the wrath we deserved.  He purchased our freedom with His blood.

I will take you, take is to seize or grasp, this is the language of marriage.  I take you to be my wife.  The idea is that God is like husband who embraces His wife.  He will hold us close to Him. He will claim us when no one else would or should. We aren’t the perfect bride, but He is the perfect husband.  HE enters into covenant with someone unworthy. 

I will be your God, I will not be finished with you when this doesn’t go well.  This is a proclamation of God’s faithfulness to us.  You will know it because I took your burdens.

I will bring you, we don’t need to live like we are bankrupt.  Live knowing there is land awaiting us.  This is repetition of the promises made before.  It seems shameful that we would need repetition to live faithfully back to our great God. Blessings always await those in Christ. We tend to doubt it when things get hard because we are impatient in our valleys. 

I will give you, it belongs to the Lord but he gifts it to us.  Heaven belongs to the father but he gives a portion to us.  God is always giving a portion of what belongs to Him to us. Would you keep giving to someone who doesn’t always appreciate it? God gives, despite our poor hearts and faithfulness.  We are not fit for such gifts but he does it anyway.

V9, Just words to the Hebrews, no more worship, they are too focused on the trouble rather than what God can and will do.  Despite their attitude God still acts on their behalf.  Despite our sin Christ still died for us sinners.  Why don’t we listen? Because we are overwhelmed by our circumstances.  It takes courage to believe and trust in God. Depending on the unseen rather than what you can see.

V10 they didn’t listen, okay, go try it on the king again…

V12 Moses, but God? Listening is a problem and so is speaking.  Moses needs another word from the Lord before accepts marching orders. We need repetition don’t we? He doubts Pharaoh’s heart will be moved.  Moses focused on his own skills rather than God’s.  Our deficiency doesn’t matter. Remove others and yourself as a factor in all equations.  Only count on God.

God message remains the same, go tell it. 

Genealogy is not by accident. It is a reminder of the providential work of God in multiply promises.  The numbers and families are part of the promises kept. Should be empowering for Moses to hear this again. God recommissions Moses.

Moses objection is the same, bad speech and bad listeners.

God says I know you have falter lips! Remember I gave you Aaron.

Moses appeals to God as being unreasonable. Feels like 2 people trying to win an argument. God Answers our excuses.

God finally legitimizes what Moses has been saying, so does Moses win the argument? You are right he won’t listen, at least not right away. We are supposed to obey despite the heart of other people.  Some won’t change at first, but some will be won over time.  God’s mighty hand is still at work despite who appears to be listening.  God essentially says stop caring about what the Hebrews think or Pharaoh, care about what I’m saying to you instead.  Stop looking for their approval seek mine instead.  Hand of action, leads to knowing.  God will take action to make others know him if we do our part. We are like God to others when we share knowledge about Him.  We are revealing force of God’s glory. Agents of His glory for His glory. Representatives.

There is a purpose in the heart of others being hard. God’s glory is revealed by showing off his power in dark situations.

No age limit on doing God’s work.

Staff to snake, step 1, why? All the plagues are judgement on Egyptian gods that the culture worshiped.  What would God plagues us with now with all our cultures made up gods? Pandemic maybe? Work a god? Work from home and spend time with your family.

The Egyptians learn there alleged gods are no match for true God. Jews probably worshiped some foreign gods, plagues probably for them to see as well.  (Ezekiel 20:1-9) took their gods with them.  IF you can carry your god, probably not god.

How dare Pharaoh say who is the Lord. God will break this prideful attitude. God will bring skeptics to their knees. The Lord can take care of His own name more effectively then we could. Pray for His power to go out today to convince others to worship Jesus.

A miracle of God vs. an illusion, a Truth vs. a Lie.

The snake trick by the sorcerers in Egypt was likely not the first time. Well known for such a thing.  Snakes are revered as one the gods they worshiped in Egypt.  God was definitively saying in this moment that I AM is more powerful then the I’m not, I’m false, I’m fake.  In fact every miracle that is performed is sign of God’s true power over all the false gods of Egypt.  If God rescued the people without this struggle they would not have seen this power on display against all the fake gods.  What was secret to others was not a secret to God.

What’s that in your hand Moses?  A simple stick that now demonstrates God’s power. What’s in your hand?

The Nile was a source of the gods in Egypt and sign of power.  Yet God was going to take it away in an instance. What man thinks is awesome is nothing compared to the power of the God who made all things.

Things stink now. Even in vessels.  

The Hebrews had been concerned that they stink to Pharaoh.  God ironically made Pharaoh’s people smell the stink of their false god, the Nile.

Why do the same thing? Why not reverse what was done and prove that the gods of Egypt are better than the God of the Hebrews? Because they are false.

God is more powerful then the false gods of Egypt and he is now proving it in His perfect timing.  God cared about the people, they didn’t need an immediate rescue.  They needed to learn more about the God who they had begun to worship.  That He was not to be compared with lesser things of the world.  They had to learn how to put hope in him and this was the best way to teach them.  Perhaps God is using your pain to show you something bigger about Himself. Perhaps His timing will play out more grand if there is a delay.  Praise God for the delays in your rescue and trust that He’s not done with you yet.  Thankfully the rescue we most needed is already complete in what Jesus has done on the cross. Praise Him from the mountain top and praise Him from the valleys.  Our God has rescued us and will continue to do so.