In Exodus 6, God uses a genealogy to help us identify who Moses and Aaron were and tell us that their story was a real historical event. God cares enough about what is happening in Exodus 5–6 to emphasize that these things really did take place.

An Unsurprising Response

When Moses first returned to Egypt, the Israelites responded exactly how he wanted them to: with revival. But when he confronted Pharoah with God’s message, the ruler proclaimed that he did not know Yahweh and would not obey Him. This should not have confused Moses; it was an unsurprising response. Nevertheless, Moses began to doubt.

An Unexpected Response

When Pharoah began to make things harder for the Israelites, the same people who had just been worshiping the Lord in revival turned against Moses. This was truly an unexpected response! They were the very people Moses had been sent to rescue from slavery and bring to the Promised Land, and yet they called Yahweh’s judgment upon him.

An Unexplainable Response

Moses responded to all of this with discouragement and a lack of confidence. This is an unexplainable response when we consider where he had just come from. This is a man who had been in the presence of the living God, who had heard the very voice of Yahweh — yet he asked why God had done evil to His people and why He had even sent him.

The Problem

Interestingly, the most truthful response came from an archenemy of God. Pharoah diagnosed the real problem through his words, “I do not know Yahweh.” This is a very significant statement to make, and it was a problem that applied not only to Pharoah but also to the Israelites and even Moses.

The Solution

God stepped up to fix this problem by offering His identity in the beginning of chapter 6. His solution to the political power that sought to crush the Israelites was, “I am Yahweh.” His solution for His overburdened people who longed for peace was, “I am Yahweh.” And His solution for Moses, His impatient servant who had forgotten who he was and who he was representing, was, “I am Yahweh.”

Our Solution

The identity of God is the solution to the problems we face. Our world wants political authority and control, and God offers His identity to that world. We want the comfort, health, and wealth that the Israelites wanted, and we share Moses’s internal struggle when we want things in our timing and in our way. To us, God offers His identity.

Christ came to offer us something far greater than freedom from slavery. He understood that a lack of chains is not real freedom if you have no understanding of Yahweh. You can have everything that is good in the world but if you do not have Yahweh, you have nothing. And you could be absolutely impoverished and crippled with sickness, but if you know Yahweh, you have everything. Do you know Him today?