Chapter 6
There have been many times in my life when I’ve felt completely overwhelmed. More bills than time to pay them, tension in my marriage, stress with family, conflicts with coworkers, and even losing a job. There have been moments when all of these challenges came crashing down at once, and it felt like a massive wave was about to drown me. Just when I managed to lift my head above water, right before I could take a breath, another wave would slam down. One after another. It’s a helpless feeling, fighting against forces that seem beyond my control.
I’m sure I’m not alone in this experience. As I’ve grown older, I’ve faced it more than a few times. Eventually, you come to accept it as part of life. Because these struggles are so common, there are countless books offering advice on how to cope with feeling overwhelmed. But this chapter stands out to me as one of the best.
In this chapter, Moses is feeling overwhelmed as well. He faithfully delivered the message God asked him to deliver, and everything happened exactly as God planned—but not in the way Moses had hoped (mistake #1). In Chapter 6, God takes a moment to pause and speak directly to Moses. What really struck me were the repeated “I am” and “I will” statements God makes. Yet, even after receiving these assurances from the Creator of the universe, Moses still makes the same mistake: in verses 12 and 30, he focuses on his own limitations, responding with his own feeble “I am” statement.
It’s easy to fall into this trap. I’ll admit, when the waves of life come crashing down and it feels like the world is against me, my natural response is to feel small and powerless. Instead of calming down and trusting in how great and powerful the “I AM” is, I focus on my own weakness. The lesson is when we focus on ourself, we can miss the person and promises laid out in front of us by our loving Father.
Perhaps this is the lesson God was trying to show Moses and Aaron: they were nothing without Him. Victory wouldn’t come through their words or actions—it would only come through the Father. Over time, I’ve gotten better at this. No, I’m not perfect, but I’ve learned to loosen my grip when the waves hit, relying more on God to calm the storm and guide me through it, rather than trying to control the waves or save myself. The key takeaway here: Focus on God, not on yourself.
God Promises Action
1 And Jehovah said unto Moses, “Now shall you see what I will do to Pharaoh: for by a strong hand shall he let them go, and by a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land.”
2 And God spoke to Moses, and said to him, “I am Jehovah: 3 and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Jehovah I was not known to them. 4 And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their wandering, wherein they were foreigners. 5 And moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant.
6 Therefore say to the children of Israel, ‘I am Jehovah, 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 an outstretched arm, and with great judgments: 7 and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am Jehovah your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you in to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it you for a heritage: I am Jehovah.’”
9 And Moses spoke this to the children of Israel: but they listened not to Moses for their discouragement of spirit, and for their cruel bondage.
10 And Jehovah spoke to Moses saying, 11 “Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.”
12 And Moses spoke before Jehovah saying, “Behold, the children of Israel have not listened to me; how then shall Pharaoh hear from me, I, who am of uncircumcised [unclean, unworthy] lips?”
Family Record of Moses and Aaron
13 And Jehovah spoke unto Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
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.
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 a hundred thirty and seven years.
17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18 And the sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were a hundred thirty and three years. 19 And the sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
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 a hundred and thirty and seven years. 21 And the sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 And the sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri.
23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, to wife; and she bare him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
24 And the sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
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’ [houses] of the Levites according to their families.
26 These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom Jehovah said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.” 27 These are they that spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt: these same Moses and Aaron.
Aaron to Speak for Moses
28 And it came to pass on the day when Jehovah spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that Jehovah spoke to Moses, saying, “I am Jehovah: you shall speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” 30 And Moses said before Jehovah, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?”
