9 Ways to Know God—from Exodus
I love to study the Bible noticing repeated words or phrases.
In the book of Exodus, the phrase “know that I am the Lord your God” (or variations) is mentioned 9 times. But, hold onto your seat, in Ezekiel, it is said 72 times! Yes! 72!
And it is also said many other times in the Bible!
So let’s take a fast journey through the 9 times God tells us we can know that He is the Lord our God—and what it can mean for our daily lives.
#1 Exodus 6:7 “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.”
We can know Him as a personal God who wants relationship with us. He “takes” us—chooses us. And what does He do for His chosen ones (both the Israelites and for us—Ephesians 1:4)? He is a powerful God who delivers. He delivered the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and He delivers us from the bondage of sin. Praise God!
#2 Exodus 7:5 “The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”
God also wants the Egyptians to know Him and acknowledge Him as powerful. The Egyptians worshipped their Pharaoh as a kind of god. Every plague in the book of Exodus refers to some sort of “god” the Egyptians worshipped and how Jehovah God defeated them. God is real but their gods—including Pharoah—weren’t. Jehovah was crying out, “Know Me instead—in truth.”
#3 Exodus 7:17 “Thus says the Lord [through Moses], ‘By this you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.’”
The Egyptians considered the Nile “Father of Life” and the “Mother of All Men,” a kind of “lifeblood” because of its importance. The Nile is the longest river on earth—4,000 miles long. The river also represented their god Hapi, the source of good life.
But God Almighty wanted the Egyptians and the Israelites to know Him as the source of life. The Nile was limited and could be putrefied by blood but God’s nature stays the same.
(PS I had to look it up. In contrast, the Mississippi River is 2,340 miles long. And also, some sources claim the Amazon River is the longest river in the world.)
#4 Exodus 8:22 “But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.”
The background for this story is that God is revealing His power through the different plagues the land of Egypt is experiencing. After the water was turned to blood, then there were massive influxes of frogs, gnats, and now flies.
To show Himself merciful to His people, He restricts the flies from reaching the land of Goshen where the Israelites live. He is also communicating to the Egyptians, “See how I protect my people? I want to be your Protector.”
#5 Exodus 10:2 “… and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”
God works mightily for our good and His glory with the intention that we will have stories to tell the next generation. We can testify how we knew God through Him dealing harshly with our “enemies” (things like our sinful patterns, those who sin against us, etc.).
Several years ago, I began to write out my prayers for each of my two grandchildren in separate notebooks. I look for opportunities when I’m with them to read one of the written prayers to each one out loud. I pray this will be a kind of example of how the battles they are facing were “dealt” with by their loving and powerful God. I pray they refer to those notebooks even after I’ve left for heaven.
#6 Exodus 14:4 “And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.
It might be difficult to think of why God would want to harden anyone’s heart, but there is evidence that Pharaoh was also resistant as he keeps trying to negotiate with Moses to get his own way. There is only a stubborn “surrender,” not a wholehearted desire to know God.
In the story of Israel’s deliverance as they travel out of Egypt, evidently some Egyptians joined the Israelites (Numbers 11:4). God’s desire for the Egyptians to know Him worked! Have hope that your loved one can come to know the Lord as God, Savior, and protector, no matter how resistant he is now.
#7 Exodus 14:18 “And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
In the context of what’s happening, the Israelites have cried out to God in deadly fear, believing the Egyptians will soon destroy them (vs. 10-18). God tells them He will be victorious and receive glory.
When I concentrate on how God can receive glory—credit, acclaim, lifted up, spoken well of—I think less of protecting myself and instead trust God do what is best for the whole situation. My trust and faith grow.
#8 Exodus 16:12 “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’”
If you know the story of how God provided quail and manna in the wilderness (for 40 years!), then you know He provided little by little. Just enough for each day and then extra for Friday in preparation for Saturday (the day of rest).
As a recovering perfectionist, I would have asked for a year’s worth in case God slept in that day! Let’s ponder how our “knowing” of who God is, is growing by seeing His glory through His day by day provision.
#9 Exodus 29:46 “And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God.”
And here we have the fabulous summary of all we’ve studied.
God’s three primary purposes
- He will be known and acknowledged as the only God Almighty
- He provided everything they needed—food, deliverance, assurance, victory, and protection
- He wants to dwell with His people without them being interrupted by the troubles of being slaves.
Applications for us
- Will we know Him through His consistent and eternal attributes?
- Will we have confidence He will provide everything we truly need?
- Will we welcome not only Him dwelling in us as His temple, but abide and rest in Him moment by moment?
What an encouraging message Kathy. and terrific application that Exodus, an Old Testament book is still relevant for us today. And what reassuring words, that God will provide for His people even today. He truly is the great provider and great Shepherd watching over His church. Thank you Kathy!
Thank you so much, Monica, for your encouraging words. I’m thrilled that you found those concepts in Exodus as exciting and relevant as I did. I appreciate you taking the time and effort to let me know! God bless you!