Exodus 6

Exodus 6:1-30

Exodus 5:1-23; Exodus 6:1-303. Moses and Pharaoh (Exodus 5:1-23; Exodus 6:1-30) We should try to form a picture of the return of Moses to Egypt, to the same royal palace where he had spent his childhood, and meeting again the friends and acquaintances of former years. His rugged appearance would doubtless cause comment if not a taunt from his companions, but some men, like Christ before Herod, even though they be clothed in homespun, by their very attitude proclaim that they are royal. Thus it was with Moses. We have here a wonderful illustration of God’ s dealings with two different men whom we may consider as typical. The susceptibility of Moses to the will of God, and the hardness of Pharaoh towards that same will, are instructive to us. The Apostle Paul makes much of this incident in his epistle to the Romans (Exodus 9:1-35), and shows that the case of Pharaoh is illustrative of God’ s dealings with men who persistently harden their hearts against Him. The question may be asked, Who hardened Pharaoh’ s heart? A careful consideration in the Revised Version, and especially in the Hebrew text, of the following verses will show that Pharaoh hardened his own heart before God hardened it (cf. Exodus 7:14; Exodus 8:15; Exodus 8:32; Exodus 9:7; Exodus 9:35). These verses, when read as indicated and compared with Exodus 10:1, will show that not until Pharaoh had hardened his heart many times did God harden it. Indeed, God did not harden Pharaoh’ s heart at all, except judicially. The susceptibility of any human heart to the voice of God is due to the presence in that heart of God’ s Spirit, which presence, in a sense, God has granted to every man. The withdrawal of that Spirit would, of course, ensue in the hardening of that heart and life, but the Holy Spirit does not withdraw until He is forced to do so by the stubborn willfulness of the individual from whose heart He has been driven. Thus hardening of the heart is judicial. In Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28, referring to the wicked Gentiles, we are told that “ God gave them up.” It is the deceitfulness of sin that hardens (Hebrews 3:13; cf.

Jeremiah 7:20; Romans 11:7; Romans 11:25; Ephesians 4:8; Ephesians 4:18). The secret of Pharaoh’ s hardness lay, not in his ignorance, but in his unwillingness even to inquire concerning God and His will (Exodus 5:2; cf. John 7:17). God’ s Demands and Pharaoh’ s Replies. A careful study of God’ s demands and Pharaoh’ s replies will throw much light on the problem of God’ s dealings with Pharaoh.

1. Exodus 5:1 -“ Thus saith the Lord.” Exodus 5:2 -“ Who is the Lord?”

2. Exodus 5:1 -“ Let my people go … wilderness.” Exodus 8:25 -“ Go, sacrifice in the land.”

3. Exodus 8:27 -“ Three days’ journey into the desert.” Exodus 8:28 -“ Go, only not far away.”

4. Exodus 10:3 -“ Let my people go.” Exodus 10:8 -“ Who are they that shall go?”

5. Exodus 10:9 -All must go. Exodus 10:11 -Let men go, but not children or flocks. Exodus 10:24 -“ Go, men and children, but not flocks.”

6. Exodus 10:25-26 -“ Flocks too must go.” Exodus 12:31-33 -“ Go, as ye have said.” The Real Scene Begins In Exodus 6:1-30 we have the first real act in the drama of the redemption of the chosen people from Egyptian bondage. God deals first with His own people, even before dealing with Pharaoh or the Egyptians. Moses had said: “ Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?” (Exodus 6:12). The entire sixth chapter is practically taken up with Moses and Aaron dealing with the chosen people.