I’m not big on seeing the Bible from a literary perspective. That’s not because I don’t appreciate and respect the work that grammarians do in regards to the Text, but simply because that’s not my specific background or area of expertise.
So, when I see something that catches my eye—a pattern, a couplet, a parallel, etc— it’s a big deal in my world.
I’m convinced this is what happens in Exodus 6:4-8. This is the section that outlines God’s response to Moses’ question at the end of Exodus 5, where he informs God that God “hasn’t kept His promise,” and, in fact, has only made things worse.
God is quick to respond. In these verses, God tells Moses to inform the people of a few things: He will bring them back to the land, He will free them from their burdens in Egypt, and God will make them His people.
This is all great news for the Israelites, and, on the surface, that’s really all we need to focus on. But dig a little deeper in this text and I think you’ll notice a pattern of sorts.
Notice how in Exodus 6:4, God talks about the land of Canaan, and how the patriarchs inhabited this area. He does the exact same thing in Exodus 6:8, by saying that He’s going to bring the Israelites back to this land and give it to them “as a possession.”
Nice, huh? Look further. In Exodus 6:5, God says that He has “heard the groaning” of Israel under the harsh burden of their Egyptian taskmasters. In Exodus 6:7, He says the exact same thing again: “…You shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from the burdens of the Egyptians.”
This type of literary structure is called a “chiasm,” and it’s used elsewhere in Scripture to highlight a singular thought that the author deems most important. It does this by presenting information in a sequence, then re-presenting again backwards. This forms a funnel of sorts that points to one specific idea.
And in this section, that singular point is found in Exodus 6:6: “I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.”
It’s fitting that God calls Himself the “Redeemer” since God repeatedly calls Israel “mine.” They are His possession, and He’s going to Egypt to “redeem” them from exile.
I think this is also a fantastic way to look at our redemption in salvation. In all the arguments about doctrines and theology, what we sometimes miss in the grand scheme of things is that we belong to Him. We may have wandered off through our own life of sin, but at the end of the day, He created us. He’s our Lord.
And, through salvation, He reclaims those of us who have spent our life in spiritual exile.