Exo 6:1-30 How Then Shall Pharaoh Hear Me, Who am of Uncircumcised Lips?

[Study Aired April 18, 2022]

Exo 6:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 
Exo 6:2  And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 
Exo 6:3  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 
Exo 6:4  And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. 
Exo 6:5  And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. 
Exo 6:6  Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 
Exo 6:7  And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 
Exo 6:8  And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD. 
Exo 6:9  And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 
Exo 6:10  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 6:11  Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 
Exo 6:12  And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 
Exo 6:13  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt. 
Exo 6:14  These be the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben. 
Exo 6:15  And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon. 
Exo 6:16  And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 
Exo 6:17  The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 
Exo 6:18  And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 
Exo 6:19  And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 
Exo 6:20  And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 
Exo 6:21  And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 
Exo 6:22  And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 
Exo 6:23  And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 
Exo 6:24  And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 
Exo 6:25  And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families. 
Exo 6:26  These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 
Exo 6:27  These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron. 
Exo 6:28  And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 
Exo 6:29  That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 
Exo 6:30  And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? 

To understand chapter 6, we need to look at the closing verses of chapter 5 where Moses became bothered and discouraged and even asked the Lord why He sent him. Furthermore, Moses said to the Lord, “Neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.”

Many of us have had similar experiences. The more we think we are getting closer to the Lord through the enlightenment of His words, the more we go through certain circumstances of suffering that discourage us. This caused us to become troubled and discouraged just like Moses. Do not think, however, that increased suffering is a negative sign. Our suffering is a sign that God is in the process of delivering us from our enemy within – the old man or the beast.

Exo 5:22  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 
Exo 5:23  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

Most of the first part of chapter 6 is devoted to the Lord’s response to Moses where the Lord was assuring Moses that what He has said, He is able to execute. The Lord assured Moses of His deliverance by reminding Moses of His name and His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The second part of chapter 6 deals with Moses and Aaron’s election.

Part One – The Lord’s Assurance to Moses

Let’s now examine the response by the Lord to Moses’ discouragement in the prior chapter as follows:

Exo 6:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. 

Here in this verse, we are being reminded that it is the Lord’s work to deal with the old man or the beast within, represented by Pharaoh. All we have to do is believe that the Lord will surely bring into completion what He starts.

Php 1:6  Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ:

This work of the Lord in delivering us from the power of the beast within or the old man is characterized as being the strong hand of the Lord.

Neh 1:10  Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand.

Exo 13:9  And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that the LORD’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand hath the LORD brought thee out of Egypt.

In the scriptures, the hand of the Lord on a negative note is judgment for the destruction of all that opposes or resists His will. So, the strong hand of the Lord is for the destruction of the beast or the old man within.

1Sa 5:9  And it was so, that, after they had carried it about, the hand of the LORD was against the city with a very great destruction: and he smote the men of the city, both small and great, and they had emerods in their secret parts.

Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

On a positive note, this hand of the Lord is the extension of His mercies to us.

1Ch 21:13  And David said unto Gad, I am in a great strait: let me fall now into the hand of the LORD; for very great are his mercies: but let me not fall into the hand of man.

Ezr 7:28  And hath extended mercy unto me before the king, and his counsellors, and before all the king’s mighty princes. And I was strengthened as the hand of the LORD my God was upon me, and I gathered together out of Israel chief men to go up with me.

Exo 6:2  And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: 
Exo 6:3  And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. 
Exo 6:4  And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers.
Exo 6:5  And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.

After Moses expressed his discouragement and bewilderment to the Lord, our Lord came to him to reconfirm His name and His covenant. In verse 2 and 3, the Lord said to Moses that He is Jehovah. and he appeared to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by the name of God Almighty, but the patriarchs did not know Him as Jehovah. The name God Almighty, in Hebrew translation, means El Shaddai, the all-sufficient God. What this means is that we start our walk knowing the Lord as God of all supply and promise just like the patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob all died without enjoying the fulfillment of the promise. In their experience, God was the all-sufficient one but He was not Jehovah, who fulfills promises.

Heb 11:13  These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 

On the other hand, Moses was being introduced to a God who fulfills His promises. When the Lord came to Moses in response to Moses’ discouragement, He came as Jehovah, the One who is and fulfills promises. God’s existence is not dependent on anything apart from Himself. So, what the Lord was telling Moses was that he and the people of Israel’s exit from Babylon is not dependent on Pharaoh’s mood or anything else, but it is solely dependent on Him.  In a similar vein, it is later in our walk with Christ that we come to know Him as Jehovah, the self-existing God and the fulfilling God. This means that we have come to understand that our progress in the faith, or our walk with Him, are all dependent on Him!! That is the time we really find rest in Him.

Heb 4:9  There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10  For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 
Heb 4:11  Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. 

The Lord’s name is what He Himself is, and His covenant is His words spoken with a promise and confirmed with an oath. Our every day words spoken to each other are not covenants. However, a word spoken with a promise and confirmed with an oath is a covenant. The Lord referencing His covenant with the patriarchs in verse 4 is to let us know that what the Lord has promised, He will surely bring to pass. That was the assurance the Lord gave to Moses when he was discouraged. Today, the Lord is reaffirming His name and His covenant to us to assure us that He will never fail us. Although things may happen the way we do not desire, what is important is that His purposes and plans concerning us shall come to pass according to what He has written in our books. Every day the Lord is unfolding to us His will for our lives, and we must embrace it with joy knowing that the road He is taking us through will bring us to our safe haven!!

Psa 139:16  Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them. (ESV)

Exo 6:6  Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments: 
Exo 6:7  And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God: and ye shall know that I am the LORD your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
Exo 6:8  And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for an heritage: I am the LORD.

What we need to understand is that after the first conflict with Pharoah, Moses felt he had failed. The Lord’s reaction to Moses’ perceived failure was to give him further training. God would not send Moses again to Pharoah until he had received more training from Him. The first set of training that the Lord penciled out for Moses was to impress him with His name and covenant. The Lord reminded Moses that He is Jehovah, the self-existing one, who was, is and will be. He also reminded Moses of His covenant with the Patriarchs regarding the good land.

Verses 6–8 relate to the second set of training the Lord gave Moses, and it pertains to God’s word of assurance. We must pay attention to God’s word of assurance, the word that He speaks to us again and again. Have you been discouraged by the fact that you haven’t seen any significant progress with the death of the old man within you? Then, you are in the same place as Moses. Four things are mentioned here regarding the Lord’s word of assurance. First, the Lord said that He will deliver the children of Israel out of the Egyptian bondage. We, like Moses, are also being assured by the Lord that we shall be delivered from the beast or the old man within. We do not know how the Lord will accomplish this, but what we are aware of is that it will be through judgment (strong hand) that the old man would be put to death in our lives. It is the work of the Lord!! My brothers and sisters, what the Lord starts, He is able to finish. Let’s depend on Him!!

2Ki 19:31  For out of Jerusalem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of mount Zion: the zeal of the LORD of hosts shall do this.

Hos 6:3  Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth. 

The second assurance given by the Lord to Moses was that He will take the children of Israel to Himself for a people, and He will be our God. Didn’t the people of Israel reject Moses’ words? But here the Lord is saying that they will be His people!! No matter what we are today in our own eyes or that of others, God is assuring us that we will be His chosen people. Sometimes, within us comes the voice of the old man powered by the devil that we are so far away from the Lord’s righteousness and that we are not fit for the kingdom!! Don’t condemn yourself. It’s time to take your eyes off yourself and look to Jesus!! On the day Jesus ascended into heaven, the disciples kept looking at Him as He ascended. They were not looking at themselves. If they did so, they would have been extremely discouraged.

Act 1:9  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 
Act 1:10  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 
Act 1:11  Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

It was while the disciples were gazing up into heaven that two men appeared to them to assure them that Christ will come to them. The two men in white apparel represent the two witnesses or the elect. The fact that they were wearing white apparel is to assure the disciples that they will be clothed with Christ’s righteousness when He comes to them!!

Heb 12:2  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The third assurance given by the Lord to Moses was for Moses to know that the Lord is Jehovah. As we have explained earlier, Jehovah means the self-existing one. This is to assure Moses that his work of delivering the people from their bondage does not depend on him but on the Lord. He does the work!! Our transformation to be children of the Lord is God’s work and does not depend on us!!

Joh 6:28  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 
Joh 6:29  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. 

The fourth assurance given to Moses was that the Lord will bring the children of Israel into the promised land. Remember that the promised land represents our bodies. Thus, what the Lord is assuring us is that we shall overcome the flesh or the old man.

1Jn 4:4  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.

1Jn 5:5  Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?

Exo 6:9  And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage. 
Exo 6:10  And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 
Exo 6:11  Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land. 

Moses was also being trained in relation to the children of Israel’s unbelief and Pharaoh’s stubbornness. All the rebellious attitudes of our brothers and sisters who left us are all for our good or learning. As we shall see later, through the unbelief and Pharaoh’s stubbornness, Moses got to know his shortcomings and depended on the Lord alone. All the Lord’s elect ahead of us experienced the rejection by some of our own brothers and sisters and of course, Babylon at large. Let’s look at our Lord’s overwhelming rejection by all his disciples in the time of His need.

Mar 14:50  And they (His disciples) all forsook him, and fled. 
Mar 14:51  And there followed him a certain young man (Mark), having a linen cloth cast about his naked body; and the young men laid hold on him: 
Mar 14:52  And he left the linen cloth, and fled from them naked. 

Mar 14:27  And Jesus saith unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered. 
Mar 14:28  But after that I am risen, I will go before you into Galilee. 

This is what Paul and John also went through:

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
2Ti 1:16  The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain: 

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not. 
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church. 

All these experiences are for our admonition so that when we encounter such opposition or resistance from those we consider as our brothers and sisters in our walk with Christ, we will know that the Spirit of the Lord is with us and that we are doing something in line with His will and purpose.

The fact that we are being made aware of the stubbornness of Pharaoh is to let us know that the beast within, or the old man’s demise, is a process and not a one-day wonder. It takes a whole lifetime to become perfected!! Let us, therefore, not focus on temporal setbacks of sin in our walk with Christ as we desire to please Him. The old man will surely die, and its death is gradual – we die daily giving way to the new man after the image of Christ.

1Co 15:31  I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.

Exo 6:12  And Moses spake before the LORD, saying, Behold, the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips? 
Exo 6:13  And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, and gave them a charge unto the children of Israel, and unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.

Here in verse 12, Moses told the Lord that he was of uncircumcised lips. This is reiterating what he said earlier in his encounter with the Lord in Exodus chapter 4 when he said that he was not eloquent and that he is slow in speech and of a slow tongue. Moses was complaining that the Lord had not done anything to make his mouth powerful such that it becomes easier for people to believe. As indicated earlier, Moses here was under training to lead the Lord’s people, and part of the training is for Moses to admit that he can of himself do nothing so that he would depend on the Lord wholly for the Lord’s work. It is not of him that wills or runs, but of the Lord that shows mercy. Success in becoming transformed by the Lord does not depend on ourselves by way of our skills, speaking, wisdom, etc. It depends wholly on the Lord!!

Rom 9:16  So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. 

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Jer 10:23  O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.

It is in this context that in spite of Moses realizing his inability to lead the people of God, the Lord was still insisting that Moses, together with Aaron, has the mandate to lead the children of Israel out of Egypt. Once we have been chosen by the Lord, it is the Lord’s work to bring us to completion. Why then, do we get distracted by what we are going through, knowing that it is the Lord’s work, not ours, to bring us to our safe haven?

Part Two – God’s Election

In verses 14–26, we are given the genealogy of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. The intention for this record of genealogy is to let us know, from Jacob to Moses, who were chosen by the Lord. Although Jacob had twelve sons, only three were represented here. This is to let us know that the elect must go through judgment as part of the process of becoming spiritually mature.

Exo 6:14  These be the heads of their fathers’ houses: The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi: these be the families of Reuben.

Reuben’s genealogy is mentioned here because Reuben was the firstborn and as firstborn, Reuben should have received the birthright – the double portion of Jacob’s inheritance. However, his act of incest by sleeping with his father’s concubine, Bilhah, made him forfeit the birthright. This birthright symbolizes the Lord’s election. What this means is that Reuben and his families were not called and chosen by the Lord to lead His people out of bondage.

Gen 49:3  Reuben, thou art my firstborn, my might, and the beginning of my strength, the excellency of dignity, and the excellency of power: 
Gen 49:4  Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch. 

Deu 21:17  But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a double portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

Exo 6:15  And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman: these are the families of Simeon.

Simeon was the second son of Jacob and Leah. Simeon’s descendants became one of the twelve tribes of Israel. He and his brother Levi tricked the Hivites of Shechem and massacred all the males because one of them had raped Dinah, their sister. Later, Jacob deplored this deed. Simeon, being the second born, should have received the birthright after Reuben, the firstborn was rejected. However, Simeon and his family also missed out on the Lord’s election.

Gen 49:5  Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations.

Exo 6:16  And these are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations; Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari: and the years of the life of Levi were an hundred thirty and seven years. 
Exo 6:17  The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, according to their families. 
Exo 6:18  And the sons of Kohath; Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel: and the years of the life of Kohath were an hundred thirty and three years. 
Exo 6:19  And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi according to their generations. 
Exo 6:20  And Amram took him Jochebed his father’s sister to wife; and she bare him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were an hundred and thirty and seven years. 
Exo 6:21  And the sons of Izhar; Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 
Exo 6:22  And the sons of Uzziel; Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Zithri. 
Exo 6:23  And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab, and Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 
Exo 6:24  And the sons of Korah; Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph: these are the families of the Korhites. 
Exo 6:25  And Eleazar Aaron’s son took him one of the daughters of Putiel to wife; and she bare him Phinehas: these are the heads of the fathers of the Levites according to their families.
Exo 6:26  These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom the LORD said, Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies. 
Exo 6:27  These are they which spake to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these are that Moses and Aaron.

Levi was the third son of Jacob and Leah. As indicated, Levi participated in the massacre of Shechem males in retaliation to Dinah’s defilement. His three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari were ancestors of the three main divisions of the Levitical priesthood – the Gershonites, the Kohathites, and the Merarites. On his deathbed, Jacob cursed both Simeon and Levi because of their cruelty and wrath. Despite all the negatives, the Lord called and chose the tribe of Levi for the priesthood and specifically chose Moses and Aaron for the deliverance of His people. These lessons are all written for our admonition, upon the ends of the world are come.

1Co 10:11  Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.

What we are to understand is that our being called and chosen by the Lord is not because of what we have done or are doing. It was all done by the Lord before the foundations of the world. So, what we need to pay attention to here is that He who has called and chosen us will do the work to bring us to our inheritance. It is not our work. Let us therefore have confidence in Him that what He starts, He is able to finish!! This is why this genealogy was written in this part of the word of the Lord by Moses at the time Moses has despaired of leading the Lord’s people out of Egypt. The essence of this genealogy is to encourage us that in spite of all our weaknesses, what is important is being called and chosen like Moses and Aaron. Once our Lord grants us the grace to respond to His call, He is able to accomplish His will concerning what He has written in our books!!

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6  To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

Zec 4:6  Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. 
Zec 4:7  Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel thou shalt become a plain: and he shall bring forth the headstone thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it. 
Zec 4:8  Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, 
Zec 4:9  The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this house; his hands shall also finish it; and thou shalt know that the LORD of hosts hath sent me unto you. 
Zec 4:10  For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven; they are the eyes of the LORD, which run to and fro through the whole earth. 

The question is, “How do I know that I’m called and chosen?” The fact that we are understanding the mysteries of the kingdom of God is a sure sign that we are called and chosen. Let’s not doubt our election!!

Mat 13:10  And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? 
Mat 13:11  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. 

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. 

Exo 6:28  And it came to pass on the day when the LORD spake unto Moses in the land of Egypt, 
Exo 6:29  That the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, I am the LORD: speak thou unto Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say unto thee. 
Exo 6:30  And Moses said before the LORD, Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh hearken unto me? 

The fact that Moses recognized his inability to convince the people of Israel and Pharaoh with his speaking by saying that he had uncircumcised lips has been repeated here in verse 30. This is to let us know that it serves as a witness and that it is established.

2Co 13:1  This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. 

Gen 41:32  And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass.

This means that what Moses said in terms of having uncircumcised lips applies to us all and that at a certain point of our walk with Christ we shall come to realize that we do not have what it takes to do the Lord’s work. In other words, as we walk with the Lord, our inadequacies will become obvious to us, and the devil may use this to try to disqualify us from the prize. That is why the Lord brought Moses’ election here at this point by giving us his genealogy to convince us that it is not about our inadequacies that matters but about our election. However, on a positive note, the Lord uses this to let us know that it is not our work but His work so that we will wholly depend on Him!!

2Co 3:5  Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 
2Co 3:6  Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.

In conclusion, we will end this review with the story of Jesus in a boat with the disciples crossing the sea from one end to another. This is because the disciples had the mandate of the Lord to cross the sea just as Moses had been given the command to go to Pharaoh to let the Lord’s people go. Therefore, this story summarizes the import of chapter 6 of Exodus.

Mar 4:35  On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side.” 
Mar 4:36  And leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. And other boats were with him. 
Mar 4:37  And a great windstorm arose, and the waves were breaking into the boat, so that the boat was already filling. 
Mar 4:38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 
Mar 4:39  And he awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Peace! Be still!” And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. 
Mar 4:40  He said to them, “Why are you so afraid? Have you still no faith?” 
Mar 4:41  And they were filled with great fear and said to one another, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (ESV)

What we need to understand is that Jesus had already spoken to the disciples that they should cross the sea to the other side. Once the Lord has spoken, it is done!! Crossing the sea to the other side signifies overcoming the flesh (sea) in order to enter the kingdom of God (the other side). This is what the Lord has to say about His words:

Isa 55:11  so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. 

Thus, we are in the same shoes as Moses regarding what the Lord had promised. However, in crossing the sea (overcoming the flesh), there are challenges – the great windstorms of life. They come in diverse ways – sickness, financial difficulties, family troubles, distress, loneliness, rejection, etc. These are all part of the Lord’s judgment on our sea of flesh. The good news about all this is that Jesus is in the boat with us, just as the disciples were with him in the boat, and therefore, we cannot perish with Him. However, our natural tendency is to accuse the Lord of not caring while we are going through all these troubles just like the disciples and Moses did.

Mar 4:38  But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion. And they woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” 

Exo 5:22  And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? 
Exo 5:23  For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all.

When the storm was raging, Jesus was asleep. Another way of saying this is as follows:

Isa 54:7  For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. 
Isa 54:8  In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the LORD thy Redeemer.

Since the disciples did not perish, we shall also not perish. At the appointed time, the Lord will awake in our situation to rebuke the windstorm. That is when we shall testify just like the disciples said, “Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey?” What this means is that our Lord has full control of all that takes place in the spiritual realm (wind) and the physical world of flesh (sea)!!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

May the Lord help us all to experience like the disciples of Jesus the fact that the Lord is in full control of everything that happens to us!! He is in our boat (within us) and therefore, we shall not perish!! Amen!!