We Christians often think our success in fulfilling The Great Commission is determined by how many people we convert to Christianity. Exodus 6-7 teach us this may not be entirely true. God told Moses to go talk to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses believed his success would be determined by whether or not he could persuade Pharaoh to release the Israelites; therefore, Moses resisted God’s command because Moses was not eloquent and he doubted he could persuade Pharaoh. In Exodus 7 we learn God’s plan did not require Moses to persuade Pharaoh; instead, God’s plan required Moses to obey. The lesson for us is our success is determined by whether or not we obey God, not by how many people we convert to Christianity.
Text
Ex. 6:10 Now the LORD[Yahweh] spoke to Moses, saying,
Ex. 6:11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”
Ex. 6:12 But Moses spoke before the LORD[Yahweh], saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?”
Major Break
Ex. 6:13 Then the LORD[Yahweh] spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
minor break
Ex. 6:14 These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
Ex. 6:15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
Ex. 6:16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.
Ex. 6:17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
Ex. 6:18 The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years.
Ex. 6:19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
Ex. 6:20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years.
Ex. 6:21 The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri.
Ex. 6:22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri.
Ex. 6:23 Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
Ex. 6:24 The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
Ex. 6:25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families.
Ex. 6:26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD[Yahweh] said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.”
Ex. 6:27 They[Moses and Aaron] were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.
Ex. 6:28 Now it came about on the day when the LORD[Yahweh] spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
Major Break
Ex. 6:29 that the LORD[Yahweh] spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the LORD[Yahweh]; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.”
Ex. 6:30 But Moses said before the LORD[Yahweh], “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?”
Major Break
Ex. 7:1 Then the LORD[Yahweh] said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.
Ex. 7:2 “You[Moses] shall speak all that I[Yahweh] command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he[Pharaoh] let the sons of Israel go out of his land.
Ex. 7:3 “But I[Yahweh] will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.
Ex. 7:4 “When Pharaoh does not listen to you[Moses], then I[Yahweh] will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments.
Ex. 7:5 “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD[Yahweh], when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.”
Ex. 7:6 So Moses and Aaron did it; as the LORD[Yahweh] commanded them, thus they did.
Ex. 7:7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they[Moses and Aaron] spoke to Pharaoh.
Major Break
“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”