KEY TEXT:
Exodus 6:2-4 ‘And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the Lord: 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. 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.
To understand this passage of scripture we need to know the background. Moses went to talk with Pharaoh, saying, “God has appeared. Let My people go!” To this Pharaoh replied in essence, “Not on your life.” Pharaoh continued, “Obviously, things are too easy for you lazy Israelites. Therefore, we will make it tougher on you.” And Pharaoh did. No longer did they supply straw for making bricks, but the tally of the bricks remained exactly the same. Instead of circumstances getting better and easier, instead of being released from bondage to go and worship God, the whole situation worsened. The Israelites foremen found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, and they said, ‘May the LORD look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.’ How does Moses respond to these shocking words? Exodus 5:22-23 says, “Moses returned to the LORD and said, ‘O LORD, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.'” This is where God comes in and declare that Yahweh is God (our God) and Yahweh is One (the One). What can we learn from this portion of scriptures?
1. The Name Yahweh as opposed to El Shaddai
The name God Almighty means the strong one. The Hebrew word is El Shaddai. God Almighty is the name God referred to himself when dealing with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But here God is referring himself as Jehovah when dealing with Moses and more specifically the children of Israel living under the bondage of Pharaoh.
The name Jehovah means I am present. When God talks about himself He says ‘I AM.’ He is present. He is here and now. But more specifically He is with His own. We are His own and He is always faithful and true to us. Jehovah comes from the Hebrew word ‘Yahweh’ which means Saviour or Deliverer. It is the redemptive name of God. Yahweh is not just here and present, Yahweh is centred on redemption. He has come to be a Saviour and a Deliverer. But we are given further information concerning the name Yahweh. The name of Yahweh is known in Acts and Miracles. When God says ‘by my name Jehovah was I not known to them’ He is saying He is not known to the Patriarch in Acts and Miracles. But from now onwards He would be acting and performing miracles. And true to his name, God on this time onwards, hardened Pharaoh’s heart, changed water into blood, made the day into night, killed Pharaoh’s son, parted the water, and destroyed the Egyptians in the sea. By great acts of terror He delivered Israel from the hand of their oppressors; all this that they might know that Yahweh is God, Yahweh is the One. Yahweh also means He is the covenant keeping God. Yahweh is His covenant keeping name. We are a covenant people. Thus as a Covenant keeping God, He is the promise keeper. I love the name of Yahweh. I have a much better understanding and revelation of this name in the past three years.
Now why did God says by his name Yahweh was not known to the patriarch? Yes he was known to them as God Almighty – el Shaddai. He was the strong one who provides and sustains the three patriarch. He provides for the patriarch Abraham, as seen in Mount Moriah where He makes available a ram in exchange for the sacrifice of Isaac. He sustains the patriarch Israel, as seen in Joseph, in keeping alive the whole people of Israel. It is not saying that God is going to stop manifesting as God Almighty. John Currid puts it this way: “The Patriarchs did not fully experience the essential nature and power of the name Yahweh.” In my earlier personal relationship with God, I see him as God Almighty, the Strong One, who provides Jesus Christ as the sacrifice for my sin. I also see him sustaining us in this 29 years in the Philippines. I have known God in my experience as God Almighty. But I know especially recently He is not only going to reveal himself as the provider and sustainer but also as the promise keeper, as the One who is personally related to His people and would redeem us. He is going to be known to me by his Acts and Miracles. I love the trilogy of the movie, Matrix. The oracle (a seer, a prophet) told Morpheus that there will come ‘The One’ who would save the world. Many movies has storyline on the One. We have a movie entitled ‘The One Warrior’. Jet Li did a show also known as ‘The One’. In it he was the Master Arts expert. The world seems to be looking for the One. Honestly Christians have The One, Yahweh who is personally related to His people and would redeem us. Don’t make the God we believe in small. Satan is not his equal. Concerning our enemies God says ‘You shall not be in dread of them, for Yahweh your God, is in your midst (present), a great and awesome God.’ (Deu 7:21)
Another meaning of Yahweh is that He would reveal himself as LORD in a new way, that is, in new power in delivering His people and bring them to their promised land. The name Yahweh has taken on a new significance especially to Evangel Tabernacle and to me personally. I want to give you a prophetic word. And that is God wants to manifest himself as Yahweh especially in the year 2015; a new power in delivering His people and bring us to our promised land. As I was preparing this message I wrote to God and say ‘God you are Yahweh – you redeem my life especially in 2012. You make your name known to us by acts and miracles – you deliver us from typhoon Pablo, Yolanda, Ruby. You helped us built the church. You brought us the finance through various sources when the enemies thought our finance would dried up. Just last Tuesday He talked to me saying ‘Are you looking at your HDB mortgage and becoming more fearful by the minute, or are you resting in the fact that I have promised to provide for every need you have – completely and perfectly and on time. I have never failed to keep a single promise and no matter what you are facing; which is now your HDB mortgage, I have an answer for your greatest need when you turn to me and place your complete trust in me. I love the name Yahweh. He is personally related to me and would redeem me. He is personally related to this church and would redeem this church.
2. Pharaoh
Now let’s talk about Pharaoh. Of course we have an enemy just as the Israelites had an enemy. For Israel the enemy is Pharaoh. Today our enemy are humans or spiritual demonic beings in the spiritual realm – represented here by Pharaoh. One of the most well-known pharaoh is Tutankhamen, a Pharaoh who lived 3000 years ago. Tutankhamen is popularly known as King Tut. I believe quite a number of you heard about this ‘King Tut’. Well, Tutankhamen’s burial mask was discovered in 1922 along with the pharaoh’s nearly intact tomb and sparked worldwide interest in archaeology and ancient Egypt. The 3,000-year-old artefact, with other relics are among Cairo’s biggest tourist attractions and Egypt source of tourists’ revenue. Well recently something happened to King Tut. His beard fell off. The blue and gold braided beard on the burial mask of Pharaoh Tutankhamen has been hastily glued back on after it was damaged, museum employees say. BBC’s Orla Guerin, who has seen the mask, says a glue-like substance is visible along the join between the beard and the rest of the mask. The two pieces were made separately and have always been fixed together. One of the museum conservators told AP news agency that quick-drying glue was used to re-attach the beard. A second one who was present at the time of the repair said the glue had dried on the mask and that a colleague used a spatula to remove it, leaving scratches. That is how powerful Pharaoh. He is broken and needs to be fixed back. That is our enemy compared to our God. Pharaoh considered himself a god but he is definitely no god.
In some translation of the bible, for Yahweh they used the name ADONAI. Like the catholic bible. It says in Exodus 6:3 ‘That appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; and my name ADONAI I did not shew them.’ Adonai means earthly master. God is our master, not any other earthly master. Not Pharaoh. All earthly masters would be compelled by God’s strong hand to let us go who has always wanted to keep us in bondage. God says in Exodus 6:1 ‘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.’
Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh was a disaster. Pharaoh had no fear of Yahweh and no concern for Yahweh’s people. He increased the suffering of the Israelites and made them turn against Moses. Moses was bitterly disappointed with what is happening around him. Actually Moses has become disheartened. It seemed that God has failed to keep his promise. Exodus 5:23 sums up what was in the heart of Moses and in many of our hearts: ‘You have not rescued your people at all.’ Maybe you are in the same situation as Moses, though not in the same magnitude. Your enemy has no fear of God. Your enemy has no concern for the people of God. He doesn’t care. Actually he has increased your suffering. And people kind of become disillusioned and turned against you. Inside you, you are bitterly disappointed with God, though as a good Christian you are not supposed to express such attitude. You felt that God has not kept his part of the bargain concerning you. You speak like Moses, ‘You have not rescued us at all.’ You are wrong. God is saying ‘Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh. Because of my mighty hand he will let you go and because of my mighty hand, he will drive you out of his life.’ God wants to deliver you from slavery because you are his covenant people. Many of us lived in slavery. Yahweh is a God of redemption.
3. Slavery
Now let’s talk about slavery. Many of us are in slavery. Many Christians have a slavery behaviour, which is no different from the Israelites who are literal slaves. It is said that the whole people of Israel were slaves. Are majority of Christian today living like slaves? What does ‘slave’ actually means? It means bondage, where one experience a form of imprisonment and captivity. A slave is considered a person bound in servitude to another human being, an instrument of labour (you are just an instrument of labour), one who has lost his liberty and has no rights. We are called by God. People could become slaves for several reasons: the poor who is unable to pay their debts could offer themselves as slaves, a thief who could not repay what he has stolen could be sold as a slave, children born of slave parents become house born slaves, children would be taken as slaves in payment for debts.
Even Pharaoh recognised something about the Hebrews. He saw them as a threat. They had been fruitful and multiplied and had grown in numbers. So Pharaoh was afraid of what might happen if they turned against him. I just want to tell you that Satan recognised we are children of God. He sees us as a threat. The Christians are the most fruitful people in the world and we have multiplied. So he is afraid that we will turn against him. That is our true positon in God. But we live like slaves and we manifest the characteristics of slavery.
The burden of slavery is always great; your taskmaster is always mean. Then there is the frequent crying. And they want to be free. Today many lived crippled lives as slaves. There are people in this church still in bondage. The form of slavery is drugs, sex, gambling, finances, lack of ambition, lack of education, sicknesses and diseases. The taskmaster is breaking people down and families down. He has oppressed in their mind that they can’t stop using drugs, they can’t stop being sexually immoral, they can break free from homosexuality and lesbianism, they can’t stop gambling, they can’t get out of debt, they can’t make it through school, they can’t succeed, they are always sickly stricken with an illness. We live like slaves. We feel we can’t break free, we don’t have enough strength to overcome our situation, we think we have no hope, children dropping out of school, children having babies, children bring treated like something you throw away.
But you have to listen to what Yahweh says. I am present, to redeem you and by my name you will know me. You are not a servant or a slave because Yahweh has designed you to have dominion. You are not designed to be subjected to any other people but designed to be subjected to God. Only God is your Adonai. You are not a home born slave (Hagar) but born of a free woman (Sarah) you are not to become a prey to your enemies. You are created to fulfil your purpose and not to be a slave to sin. You are in a covenant relationship with God who is a promise keeper.
Jeremiah says ‘ I planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; but how are thou turned into a degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me.’
Noble means having or showing qualities of high moral character, someone who is distinguished, admirable, of high rank of birth. Because Israel was God’s chosen people, He gave them rank to distinguish them from the rest of the people. Vine represents a tree of life, vibrant life and growth; admirable to grow and prosper.
In 1712 Willie Lynch delivered a strategy to keep slaves in check for three hundred years. He used a method to pinch young black males against old black males, the dark skin versus the light skin and the female versus the male. Lynch implemented fear, distrust, and envy as a source of his strategy causing slaves to be bound in their minds. Basically, Willie Lynch used a form of witchcraft to manipulate and isolate his victims in order for it to become more effective. He allowed himself to come in contact with demonic influences to oppress man and control their environment. Just like Lynch, the devil wants to snatch your identity away from you; your sense of who you are, your focus, your values, and your purpose and goals in life. See the devil is a master of strategies to revert a person mind-set back into that of slavery. Look throughout the churches, you can see demonic influence creeping its head into the congregation; but yet we have become so passive to watch a brother or a sister faced with this kind of slavery and does nothing about it. Many have opened themselves up to Satan powers by giving into his devices. For he knows the power that lies within every one of us: so therefore, his plans are to kill, steal, and destroy you before you can discover that power for yourself. In these evil times God is calling for you to stand so that His glory may be evident in your life. You cannot be content with the norm. You must come out your comfort zone to pursue God with excellence.
4. The Promised Land
Exodus 6:4 says ‘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.’
The land of Canaan is a piece of land stretching from Sidon to Gaza. It is today present day Israel, though not the entire territories as outline by God in the bible. If the globe can be stretched into a rectangular piece of map, you will notice that the land of Canaan is at the centre of earth. The land of Canaan represents we are at the centre of God’s life.
Here is an encouragement that God set before his fearful servant. Yahweh pledge himself to give them the land of Canaan. God is saying today to you ‘Incline your ear, and come unto Me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David”, i.e. “the Beloved” (Isa 55:3). We are guaranteed a heritage and our inheritance is connected with this heritage. May our faith so lay hold upon our inheritance that even now we shall live in the enjoyment of it. Canaan is not representation of Heaven. Canaan is our inheritance that God intended for us. Your inheritance is different from mine. And God said, ‘go in and possess your inheritance. Alan Redpath says Canaan is a place of victory while here on earth and not heaven. It represents a place where we have the fullness of God’s blessings. Canaan represents the good life, a victorious life, a life flowing with milk and honey. Canaan is not a picture of heaven.
It represented a longed for place. Your long for place is different from my long for place. It also represents a situation where satisfaction and happiness is achieved. The land of Canaan represents the destination of God’s people after they have been set free from degrading bondage. Canaan as a picture of the rest and victory that can be enjoyed by every believer. It describes a spiritual walk of promise, wealth, and victory that are ours with Jesus. In our Christian life, we are brought out of sin so that we might be brought in to abundant life. The wilderness is never God’s permanent destination for us. It is so sad even as an entire generation of Israel died in the wilderness, so many Christians die in the desert dryness of spiritual experience, never walking in the fullness of what God has for them. You may ask, then what is my specific Canaan land. God says in this life ‘go over this Jordan, to the land which I am giving to you; Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given you.’ God said to me ‘Whatever your hand wants to do, do it with might.’ There are so much promises that God has for you. Go and possess your Canaan land.
The land of Canaan is the land of their pilgrimage – they were stranger there. The land of Philippines is truly the land of my pilgrimage. I am a stranger here. Stranger – Sojourner / foreigner. There are great possession, inheritance and blessings that God has for me.
It is also the land of our sojourns, the land of our pilgrimage wherein we are strangers. Yes our Canaan land is just the land of our sojourning, the land of our pilgrimage where we are alien here. This world is not our home, we are just a passing by. Our mansion is over the hill top in heaven.
