Exodus chapter six presents us with two remaining details before we enter into the chapters that reveal God’s mighty power being poured out in judgment upon Egypt.
The first thirteen verses of Exodus chapter six emphatically lay out The Eternal Redemptive Purposes of God (in Jesus Christ) as the underlying factor of the great exodus that is about to take place. God makes it crystal clear that He will not ever turn aside from the fulfillment of these purposes of grace.
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.
In verse one the LORD tells Moses that not only will Pharaoh let them go, but that he (Pharaoh) will himself drive them out with a strong hand.
2 And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD:
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.
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.
God then (verses 2-4) reminds Moses that He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In doing so, God also reminds Moses that He was not known unto these patriarchs by His great name, Jehovah.[1] That name was reserved for His relationship with His people that were being redeemed from Egyptian slavery and afterwards.
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.
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:
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.
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.
In verses 5 through 8 the LORD plainly applies His unrelenting redemptive purposes once again to these specific Hebrew people enslaved in Egypt. His promises were not only to their ancestors.
9 And Moses spake so unto the children of Israel: but they hearkened not unto Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
10 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
11 Go in, speak unto Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel go out of his land.
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?
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.
In verses 9 through 13 we see the LORD simply telling Moses to do as he has been told to do, regardless of the responses of the Hebrew people or Pharaoh. It is kind of like hearing the LORD say, “Let’s get this mighty work underway. There is no sense in waiting any longer.”
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.
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 an hundred thirty and seven years.
17 The sons of Gershon; Libni, and Shimi, 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 an hundred thirty and three years.
19 And the sons of Merari; Mahali and Mushi: these are the families of Levi 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 an 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 Zithri.
23 And Aaron took him Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab, sister of Naashon, 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 Korhites.
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.
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.
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.
In Exodus 6:14-27 we are given a brief genealogy of Moses and Aaron to establish for the sake of the historical record, which specific Hebrew men are being spoken of. There is no doubt that from this time forward in Hebrew history many would name their Hebrew sons either Moses or Aaron in honor of them. In God’s record there are to be no mix-ups.
[1] God Himself did not use that name for Himself until He met with Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3.