Day 358

Day 358

Pray (ACts)

Read - Exodus 6:13-27

Message - Alan Burke
Maybe you have taken the time to research your family tree, every now and then I get a request from someone somewhere looking for me to scour the Marriage and Baptism records of Lissara. These records may be uninteresting to me, but they are important to the person that has made enquires, with the last person whom asked delighted to find out a few skeletons hidden away. Maybe you have searched your family history, trying to discover where you come from, who you are, it may not be that interesting for other people but it matters to you because it helps you understand where you fit into the story of your family.

As the passage before us continues, we are told how the Lord spoke to Moses, giving him a charge and then unexpectedly the narrative moves to give an account of the genealogy of Moses and Aaron, telling us more about who they are, where they had come from. Although what is it doing here when it would almost fit in better at the beginning of chapter 1, and also what do we learn from it? Were going to spend the next devotion on this as well, so today is about why it is here. 

It begins not in verse 14 as many of our translations have divided it, rather it begins at verse 13 with Moses and Aaron being charged by God to go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt. And it ends by telling us that they were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh and brought the Israelites out of Egypt in verse 27. These act as bookends, a frame for what comes in-between them. And what comes in-between 

Let’s look at these verses, it begins with three brothers Reuben, Simeon and Levi and work forward. These three brothers were three of twelve that are listed at the beginning of chapter one. What do we know about these three brothers? Well, it doesn’t paint a pretty picture, there a few skeletons in this family tree. Reuben the first son of Jacob slept with his fathers concubine (Gen 35:22) then we have Simeon and Levi after their sister Dinah was raped, wiped out all the men in an entire city as revenge about 3000 men. We could go through many more of the names that are listed here, but the first three give a good indication of what follows, more scoundrels than saints. 

As the genealogy continues, it focuses on the line of Levi, we are given one generation of Reuben and Simeon's family and five of Levi. This genealogy is mainly about Aaron as it lists his sons and his grandson. Were not told about Moses’ wife and his children because we have already been introduced to them earlier. The reason for this genealogy in part, is telling us that this is God’s work, salvation is God’s work, the choosing of choosing of Moses and Aaron were all part of the work of God to bring salvation to the ends of the earth. It wasn’t because they deserved it but reminding us that God plan of salvation that begin in the past God would indeed be fulfilled. This genealogy grounds the saving work of God in the past and looks forward to the future. God had been at work, he had covenanted himself to Abraham, promised him an offspring that all the earth would be blessed though, he was promising him the coming saviour Jesus Christ. Even in the days of Moses and Aaron, God was working out his plan to send a saviour to deliver his people from their sins. For God saves sinners by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, it is his work from beginning to end.

Pray (acTS)

Sing

WSC
Q 12 What special act of providence did God exercise toward man in the estate wherein he was created?
When God had created man, he entered into a (covenant of life) with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbidding him to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, upon the pain of death. (Gal. 3:12, Gen. 2:17)
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