Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country.” Exodus 6:1.

Pharaoh didn’t let the Israelites go because Moses and Aaron told him God told them to tell him to let them go. The Israelites were not liberated then and their bondage became more severe. By human standards, it couldn’t be done.

God also said to Moses, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself fully known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. Therefore, say to the Israelites, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.’” v. 2-8.

When I put myself in Moses’s place or in the place of the Israelite slaves, I can sympathize. So far they have heard words. The day to day reality they experience is rife with discouragement, danger, cruelty. They are truly helpless to do anything to change their circumstances and can’t imagine anything better. When Moses shares what God has told him, they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor. v. 9. Moses grows even more discouraged with his calling. But Moses said to the Lord, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me, since I speak with faltering lips?” v. 12. Despair and doubting all around. Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh King of Egypt, and he commanded them to bring the Israelites out of Egypt. v. 13. Do we see a pattern? Humans see the reality of the impossible. God tells us to remember. Remember the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God remembered. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.

Never forget. God Almighty is our Lord. “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.” Jeremiah 31:31-34.

Remember and never forget. We are loved by a great and mighty Lord who will forgive our wickedness and remember our sins no more. He is our Savior who brings us out of the captivity, the enslavement of sin. He will remember our sins no more but He will never forget us. “Come and see what the Lord has done, the desolations he has brought on the earth. He breaks the bow and shatters the spear; he burns the shields with fire. He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” The Lord Almighty is with us; the God of Jacob is our fortress.” Psalm 46:8-11.

We can read what God did for Israel. We can remember as well. To remember what He has done will help us trust what He will yet do. Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord Almighty is with us…the God of Jacob is our fortress.