Exodus 6:2-8
And God spoke to Moses and said to him: “I am YHWH. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as El Shaddai, and did I not make Myself known to them also as YHWH? I ratified My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore, say to the children of Israel: ‘ I am YHWH; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am YHWH your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am YHWH.'”

The Exodus 6:2-8 specific purpose statement connects YHWH’s seven “I will” promises to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. At the burning bush, YHWH revealed His holiness, His name, and His commission for Moses and Israel, and during the exodus, YHWH showed Himself to the children of Israel and made His name great before the nations. In the fourth generation, Israel’s covenant God brought out Israel from foreign oppression 430 years from when Abraham entered Canaan and 400 years from when Ishmael taunted Isaac (see Blog 36 Appendix 44). The nation’s gods lacked the power to order time through humanity’s generations. YHWH alone was sovereign over humanity’s progress of existence. By YHWH’s command, He brought His pledge to Abraham to pass, redeeming and judging righteously. Hearing His words through Moses, Israel learned belief from the plagues, departed on the same night as the covenant cutting, and walked by faith for the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Even though the weary Israelites turned back from their belief when they saw the Egyptian army, by experiencing YHWH through the seven days of Unleavened Bread, they came to know and worship Him on the other side of Yam Suph in song (Psa. 106:7). YHWH solely controls the story of human history, past, present, and future.

In Blogs 42 and 50, we saw the exodus began with two midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, whose names link to YHWH’s fiery brilliance. From the baby drawn out of death to Moses’ shining face, he reflected YHWH’s glory by being in His Presence. These four actors’ names equaled the sum of the three place names of Israel’s seven-day flight of unleavened bread to their freedom on the other side of Yam Suph. Shiphrah, Puah, and Moses with YHWH numerically proclaimed His name, I AM YHWH, and it resulted in Israel’s liberation from death through YHWH’s grace during the Days of Unleavened Bread, traveling through Succoth, Etham, and Yam Suph. The seven names¹ declared the mighty hand and outstretched arm of YHWH in the power of His name, I AM YHWH, His light of life for Israel and humanity.

We covered YHWH’s interventions and His support to Israel to accomplish their seven-day flight from Pharaoh’s reach in Blog 50. From their tremendous increase in number, YHWH exercised His judgment in the plagues against Egypt yet showed grace and deliverance to Israel. Israel departed Egypt with spoil thrust upon them in fear. By the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, YHWH led His people in haste day and night, for none of them were feeble, and their shoes and clothing did not wear out. He provided rain and pasture for their livestock, and the Hebrews ate and drank nothing fermented. Even though the pace was grueling, YHWH’s providence “carried them on eagles’ wings to Himself.” Since He had purchased His nation Israel by the blood of the lamb, He, therefore, protected them again from Pharaoh’s slaughter by drowning him and his army in the Sea.

If we view Israel’s seven-day journey out of Egypt, redemption based upon the Passover blood and eating the meat with unleavened bread, seven days of tiring flight resulted in Israel walled-in to YHWH and His rest due to their enemy’s demise. The seven days took Israel from forced slavery to Pharaoh’s genocide to their free-will faithfulness to a holy Master. Transitioning from serving a king of death to serving/worshiping the King of life involved Israel’s commission. No longer would Israel build cities of death but build a holy dwelling place to worship their holy covenant God. Whereas Egypt had no moral requirements in serving their gods, Israel had ethical obligations to holiness in order to bear YHWH’s image before the nations. The days of unleavened bread brought Israel into a dynamic relationship of trusting and following YHWH so that their lives flourished in holiness. The foremost purpose of the exodus was that Israel know YHWH through His mighty hand and outstretched arm, working wonders to bring them to His holy mountain to worship and dwell with Him. Through this oneness, this relationship of rest in His Presence, Israel would become the light to the world.

At the end of their third day out of Egypt, another count began when Israel was at Etham, where YHWH told them to turn back from going east to traveling south into the mouth of the cavernous descent to Yam Suph. If Israel were in the Promised Land, the day would have been the wavesheaf offering, the beginning of the spring harvest, and the first day of the seven-week count to the Feast of Weeks (Shavuot or Pentecost). Having been set apart by YHWH through the Passover’s sanctification meal, the Israelites must count seven weeks from the day after the weekly Sabbath within the seven days of Unleavened Bread. Three days after their Abib 15 departure, the seven-week count to His holy mountain began, further preparing them to dwell with Him in holiness. YHWH brought Israel to freedom from Pharaoh during the days of Unleavened Bread; still, Israel must continue following the cloud, walking by faith in His providence. Since they were not yet at the holy mountain to worship Him or in the Promised Land, their journey must continue according to YHWH’s promises to Abraham.

Takeaway:
Within the Biblical context of reversing humanity’s exile, YHWH, the God of Covenant, kept His contract with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, bringing their descendants out of oppression at an exact time. His mighty hand and outstretched arm in purchasing, protecting, and providing for Israel during the seven days of Unleavened Bread made His name great. He revealed Himself to Moses and Israel as the holy I AM, commissioning them to share in His holiness so that they become a light to the nations. Though the Feast of Unleavened Bread saw the demise of Israel’s oppressors, it did not wholly fulfill YHWH’s covenant promises to Abraham that his descendants would live in the land where He dwelt and worship Him on His holy mountain.

Fun Factors:
Exodus 6:6-8 has a letter sum of 18931, 11 x 1721, or 11(40² x 11²). While 11 is mid-week of the seven lunar leap years linking to a mid-week Passover, the stamp of 11² is on the menorah’s construction verses in Exodus 25:31-32 and 33-34, emphasizing light. Forty gives a sense of protected growth, often within an environment of hardship. The numbers say the same as the written word: Passover’s foundation segues into perfecting unto holiness. Or, to say it another way, the Passover’s sanctification gives access to the tree of life, where growth in holiness takes place while walking with YHWH.