Week 4: God Remembers (Exodus 2:23–25 and 6:2–8)

The Big Idea

When Israel groans under slavery in Egypt, God hears, sees, and remembers his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. When God remembers, he is not recalling something he forgot. He is acting on a promise he made long ago. The Exodus begins with a covenant being kept.

Before You Read

Between Genesis and Exodus, about four centuries pass, just as God told Abram in Genesis 15:13. Jacob's family went down to Egypt during a famine and grew into a great people. Then a new Pharaoh enslaved them and ordered their baby boys killed. Moses was born, rescued, raised in Pharaoh's household, and then fled to Midian after killing an Egyptian. Exodus 2:23–25 is the hinge where the story turns. By chapter 6, Moses has met God at the burning bush and gone to Pharaoh, but things have only gotten worse. Pharaoh has taken away the straw for their bricks but kept the same quota, and Moses is discouraged (5:22–23). God's answer is Exodus 6:2–8.

Read

Read Exodus 2:23–25 and 6:2–8 slowly, twice, once aloud. Then read 6:9 as well. It's short, and it matters for this week's questions.

Observe

1. In 2:23–25, what are the people doing? Do they cry out to God, or simply cry out? Look carefully.
2. In those same verses, list the four things God does. What is the object of each?
3. Who are the three people named in 2:24? Where have we met God's covenant with them before?
4. In 6:2–8, how many times does God say "I am the LORD"? Where in the passage does it appear?
5. Make a list of all the "I will" statements in 6:6–8. What does God promise to do?
6. What does 6:4 say God did in the past, and what does 6:5 say he has done now?
7. What relationship does God promise in 6:7? What does he say the people will come to know?
8. How do the people respond in 6:9, and why?

A Word to Notice

Zakar (zah-KAR) means to remember. When the Bible says God remembers his covenant (2:24; 6:5), it never means his memory failed and something came back to him. It is covenant language. To remember is to act on a commitment already made. We have seen this before. In Genesis 9:15, God said he would see the bow and remember. In Genesis 8:1, God remembered Noah, and the waters began to go down. Now God remembers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the plagues, the Passover, and the Red Sea are about to follow. When God remembers, things move. The Exodus is not God changing his mind about Israel. It is God doing exactly what he promised four hundred years earlier.

Interpret

1. In 2:23 the people groan and cry out, but the text doesn't say they cried out to God. What does it mean that God heard them anyway?Consider: Their cry rose up to God whether or not they addressed it to him. God's covenant faithfulness does not depend on his people praying perfectly or even knowing where to turn.

2. Why does God root his rescue in a covenant made with people who had been dead for centuries?Consider: God's promises do not expire when the people who first heard them die. The Exodus shows that God keeps his word across generations. He is faithful to the children because of what he promised to the fathers.

3. In 6:3, God says he appeared to the patriarchs as God Almighty but did not make himself known to them by his name, the LORD. Since Genesis does use the name LORD, what might God mean by "known"?Consider: Many careful readers take this to mean the patriarchs heard the name but had not yet experienced the full meaning of it in God's acts of rescue. Israel is about to know God by what he does. Be gentle with this question; it is one Bible students have discussed for a long time.

4. Exodus 6:7 says God will take them as his people and be their God. Why is this relationship, not just freedom from Egypt, the heart of the promise?Consider: God is not only freeing slaves; he is gathering a family. The goal of rescue is relationship. This phrase will echo all through the Bible, all the way to the new covenant and Revelation 21:3.

5. Cross-reference: Read Psalm 105:8–11 and Luke 1:68–73. How do these passages use the idea of God remembering his covenant?Consider: The psalmist praises God for remembering his covenant forever. In Luke, Zechariah praises God for remembering his holy covenant and the oath he swore to Abraham, as the coming of Jesus draws near. The same faithfulness carries the whole story.

Apply: Let the Text Read You

• Israel groaned for a long time before the story turned. Is there a long groan in your life right now? What does it mean to you that God hears even the cries we don't know how to aim at him?
• The text says God saw the people and knew. Not just knew about them, but knew them. How does it land on you to be seen and known by God in the middle of hard labor?
• In 6:9, the people could not listen because their spirits were broken. If you have ever been there, what helped? What is it like to know God did not withdraw his promise when they could not take it in?
• When you feel forgotten by God, what would change if you remembered that his remembering is his promise in motion?

Pray

LORD, you heard the groaning of your people, and you remembered your covenant. When I feel forgotten, remind me that you never forget your word. Bring me out from what enslaves me, and teach me to know you as my God. Amen.

For Groups (optional)

• Discussion starter: What is the difference between someone "remembering your birthday" and someone "remembering you" when you are in trouble? Which kind of remembering is this passage about?
• Some in your group may have experienced seasons of real oppression or crushing hardship. Let 6:9 be a place for honesty, not quick answers.
• Read the "I will" statements of 6:6–8 aloud together, slowly, as a responsive reading.

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Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.