Exodus Chapter 3 Verses 6-9

:6 “Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. 7 And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; 8 And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.” 

“Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”  There were many so-called God’s in the world.  Each tribe and nation of people of the Old Testament days had a god of their making.  However, the God that appeared unto Moses was not just any god, but was the God of Moses and the children of Israel’s forefathers.  He was the God who created all things.  He was the covenant making, covenant keeping God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God first appeared to Abram and made several covenant promises to him.  Next, he appeared to Abraham’s son Isaac and confirmed these same promises unto him.  Furthermore, he appeared to Isaac’s son Jacob and confirmed the same covenant promises to him.  Moreover, God manifested himself mightily to these three patriarchs.  They were blessed to see some of His mighty works and to have Him lead them and providential bless them through their journey of faith.  These things are things that Moses would have heard about and known.  That this same God was appearing to him was indeed fearful to Moses and Moses hid his face as he was afraid to look upon God.  This is in harmony with what God later told Moses in Ex. 33:19 “And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. 20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.” 

“And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;”  There are four important things we are told in the above passage of scripture: 

    1.  The term, “LORD,” is found in the scriptures in connection with God being a covenant making and covenant keeping God.  It is the most frequent term used to describe God in the entire bible.  In almost every time it is found it speaks to us about some aspect of God as being both a covenant making God and a covenant keeping God.  It is on the basis of his being a covenant making and covenant keeping God that the next three important things are told to us. 

    2.  God saw the affliction of his people.  This is comforting to us because as the children of God we have many afflictions and we are assured that he sees our afflictions. 

    3.  God heard their cry.  In our afflictions we often cry out unto the Lord.  Again it is comforting to know that God hears our cries. 

    4.  God knows our sorrows.  Heb. 4:15 “For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.”  Again, this personal knowing of God is a comfort to us as he knows what we are going through and is touched by the feeling of our infirmities and is a ready present help in time of trouble. 

“And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.”  God’s covenant promises are fulfilled on God’s time-table and not on ours.  He had specifically told Abraham that his seed would sojourn in the land of Egypt for four hundred years, and that time was fulfilled and now God had come to fulfill his covenant promise.  Moreover, God had promised Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that he would give them the land wherein they sojourned for an inheritance.  This land was a good land and a large land.  It was a land that figuratively flowed with milk and honey.  It was a land that at that time was inhabited by the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites.  The children of Israel would have to do war against these six tribes of people, but God promised it unto them and he always fulfills his promises.  They would have this land for an inheritance!  However, before they would have this land they had to first be delivered out of the hand of the Egyptians.  The children of Israel were in no position to deliver themselves out of the hand of the Egyptians, but God himself would deliver them.