Sermon Text: Exodus 7:14-8:19

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Pharaoh’s heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed. Thus says the LORD, ‘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 fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’’ Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood. And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart. And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile. Seven full days passed after the LORD had struck the Nile. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls. The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.’’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’’ So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Plead with the LORD to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Moses said to Pharaoh, ‘Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.’ And he said, ‘Tomorrow.’ Moses said, ‘Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God. The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.’ So Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the LORD about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the LORD did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields. And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank. But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said. Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’’ And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 7:14–8:19, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

We have come now to the story of the ten plagues. If we take “plague” to mean “disease”, then “plague” is not the best word to describe the judgments that God poured out on the Egyptians, for only two of the ten involved diseases. But if we understand “plague” to mean “a blow or a wound”, or “a thing that causes trouble or irritation”, then the term is fitting, for God did strike the Egyptians with these ten judgments which brought progressively increasing stuffing upon them. 

The Bible does not refer to these judgments as “plagues” but as “signs and wonders”, and that is how we are to view them. In these judgments, God was demonstrating to the Egyptians, to the Hebrews — indeed to the whole world — that he was God Most High, the LORD who had entered into covenant with Israel, the all mighty, Sovereign, self-existent and unchanging one. These wonders were “signs”.

I suppose that a sermon could be devoted to each sign. But I’ve decided to take three at a time and then to give special attention to the tenth plague, the death of the firstborn of Egypt. This approach actually corresponds to the literary structure of the narrative. Scholars have noted that the first nine plagues are presented in three cycles of three. The first plague involves an outdoor confrontation with Pharaoh in the morning. The second plague involves an indoor confrontation with Pharaoh, that is to say, Moses speaks to Pharaoh in his court. And the third plague is initiated by Moses as he performs some symbolic action outdoors with limited confrontation with Pharaoh. The same pattern is found in the account of plagues 4, 5, 6 and 7, 8, 9 (see Douglas Stuart Commentary, 189). So these plagues are presented in three groups of three, with a special emphasis given to the tenth. With each of these cycles, there is intensification. One should probably think of the way the book of Revelation is structured with its repeating cycles and progressive intensification and see that we have something similar here. 

The important thing to remember is that these plagues, or better yet, “signs and wonders”, were all directed at the gods of Egypt. The Egyptians worshiped many gods. And these false gods of Egypt were all connected with either the Nile River, the land, the sky, or with Pharaoh himself. It is not necessary to be an expert in the religion of the Egyptians to appreciate what is going on in this story. The LORD is here clearly demonstrating that the earth and everything in it is his. He is the one true God. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He alone is divine. God is, and everything else that is must be regarded as a creature. The Nile, the land of Egypt, and Pharaoh himself exist only because the self-existent, eternal, and unchanging one, determined to bring them into existence. The LORD is God. He is the Creator of all things seen and unseen. And he is the Sustainer too. He is the Sovereign One who rules over all that he has made. More than this, he entered into a covenant with Israel. He promised to redeem them, to make them into a great nation, and to bring a Savior into the world and for the world through them. These ten signs and wonders are a demonstration of all that. They demonstrate God’s supremacy over all created things. And they also demonstrate that Israel was the apple of God’s eye by way of covenant.  

Let us not lose sight of this big picture perspective as we consider the individual “signs and wonders” that God worked in Egypt through his servants, Moses and Aaron. We will consider the first three plagues today. I have five brief observations to make concerning each one before turning to reflections and suggested application.

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The First Sign: Water Turned To Blood

Concerning the water turned to blood, notice these five things:

One, notice how the story begins, with a reference to the previous sign and to Pharoah’s hardness of heart. I think it is right that we consider the previous sign — the staff turned to a snake — as an introductory sign, and not as one of the plagues, for it was performed before Pharaoh and his officials, but Egypt was not stuck as with the other plagues. In other words, that introductory sign was a warning to Pharoah. He saw it, and he hardened his and would not let the people of Israel go, just as the LORD had said. Remember that this theme of God hardening Pharaoh’s heart so that he might display his power through him runs throughout this narrative. 

Two, notice the demand. This demand will also be repeated throughout this narrative. Verse 15: “Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent. And you shall say to him, ‘The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.’ But so far, you have not obeyed.” (Exodus 7:15–16, ESV) This demand is not new. It will be repeated throughout this narrative.  And I’ll continue to draw your attention to it because it is so significant. The Hebrews were redeemed by God so that they might serve him. To serve God is to worship him. To serve God is to obey him. To serve God is to have him as Lord and King. And we also have been redeemed to worship, brothers and sisters. We have been delivered from the domain of darkness so that we might serve the LORD. This is the flip side of the coin of salvation. We have been delivered from something… and we have been delivered to something. We have been rescued from one kingdom and transferred into another. To say it differently, we have not been redeemed to live independent and autonomous lives for our own glory and pleasure, but to serve a new Master. This is good news because our previous master was harsh and oppressive. His kingdom was a kingdom of darkness, death, and despair. But our new Master, Christ the Lord, is merciful and kind. His kingdom is one of light and life. It is one of glory and hope. In him, we find true life and true satisfaction. Do you remember what Paul said concerning the way in which salvation is received? “[I]f you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). So, salvation — that is, salvation from sin and its consequences —  is received by faith. To be saved one must trust in Jesus the Messiah and the work that he has accomplished for us. And to come to him one must regard him as Lord. Again, “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9, ESV). You know, there is a teaching out there — I’m not sure how prominent it is these days — that it is possible to have Jesus as Savior but not as Lord. I think that is an appalling distortion of the gospel. To be redeemed by God is not to go from having a master to no master. No, it is to be freed from the dominion of Satan to have a new King, namely God in Christ. This demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh reminds us of these truths. For Old Covenant Israel, it was physical and earthly. For us, it is spiritual and heavenly, but no less true. As we consider this demand delivered by Moses to Pharaoh, we must regard it as very bold. It sets God and Pharaoh toe to toe, if you will. Its as if God said to Pharaoh, you regard yourself as the master of these Hebrews, but they are mine. Indeed, all are mine. Even you. And even this land and nation. But these are mind in a special way, for I have set them apart and entered into covenant with them. These people are the apple of my eye. Through them, I will redeem a people for myself for all eternity from every tongue, tribe and nation. They are mine. Let them go so that they might serve me instead of you. 

Three, notice the reason given for the coming plague. It is found in verse 17 where we read, “Thus says the LORD, ‘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” (Exodus 7:17, ESV). Here is the purpose for all the plagues. By them the Egyptian — and yes, even the Hebrews and all who would hear of these signs and wonders — would know that the God of the Hebrews is the LORD. So we are not left to wonder why the LORD did all of this. Why did he harden Pharaoh’s heart? Why did he inflict the Egyptians? Why were these plagues poured out in this way? Why ten of them? Why the drawn-out process? Why the drama? God explicitly revealed the reason: “By this you shall know that I am the LORD…” These plagues were a demonstration that God is LORD, and that Pharoah, the Nile, the land of Egypt, and its many so-called gods, were not. 

Four, notice the sign itself, the Nile would be turned to blood. As the story continues we learn that when Aaron touched the water with his staff at the command of God, and the command of Moses, all of the surface water in the land of Egypt turned to blood — the Nile, other rivers, canals, ponds, and even the water stored in wooden and stone vessels — all of it turned to blood. The effect was so widespread that the people of Egypt had to dig new wells to find drinking water for themselves. 

 Please allow me to briefly address two questions related to this first sign.

One, did the surface water in Egypt turn from the substance of water to the substance of blood, or did the water turn red in color due to some natural phenomenon known to the Egyptians such as an algae bloom or runoff typically associated with the rainy season? 

You should know that there is a view out there that regards all of these plagues as natural phenomenon. I think there is some merit to this view provided that we do not go too far with it so as to deny the hand of God in the matter. Yes, the LORD used common things to judge the Egyptians. He used frogs, biting insects, flies, pestilence among the livestock, pestilence among the people, hail, locust, darkness, and death, to pour out his wrath upon the Egyptians and to demonstrate his Sovereign power over them and all created things. These were naturally occurring and common things that God used, but he used them in an uncommon way. For example, the Egyptians knew what it was like to be irritated by frogs and by gnats, but in these plagues, the invasion of the common frog and common gnat was such that even the sorcerers of Egypt would come to admit, this is the finger of God. All of these events were too severe and too timely to dismiss them as mere natural occurrences. No, the God of Israel was behind it. And his use of natural things — water, frogs, gnats and the rest — is itself meaningful. In brief, God judged the Egyptians by turning their beloved water, land, and sky (and all of the so-called gods associated with these realms) against them. 

So back to the question about the water… was it turned from water to blood, or from the typical color of the water to the color blood-red? Either view is acceptable, in my opinion (the Hebrew word can mean either). But we must not make the mistake of trying to reduce these plagues down to mere natural phenomena. These were signs and wonders, brothers and sisters! That is clear! In fact, recognizing that God may have used something natural and common (like an algae bloom) to turn the surface water of Egypt blood-red would be perfectly consistent with the way that God worked in the rest of the plagues. He used gnats, for example — common gnats — to torment the Egyptians. The unique thing about the gnats is that there were lots and lots of them, and they came and went at the command of God. The same may be true of the red-water.

Two, how were the sorcerers of Egypt able to replicate this sign before Pharaoh? Well, in the same way, they replicated the sign of the staff turned to a snake — through trickery. And this also supports the idea that water was not turned to blood, but blood-red. It’s not difficult to imagine how the sorcerers could find a way to replicate this sign in miniature before Pharaoh. One thing to notice, though, is that the sorcerers of Egypt were unable to undo the sign that Moses and Aaron had worked. They were not able to bring relief to their people, therefore. 

The fifth and last thing that I wish to draw your attention to regarding this first plague is the result. Verse 22: “But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So Pharaoh’s heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 7:22, ESV). Yes, it is true that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. This we know. But is also true that Pharaoh chose to disbelieve. And considered from that vantage point, we may make some observations regarding Pharaoh’s disbelief. Clearly, he was looking for any reason to dismiss the sign. All of the surface water in Egypt was turned blood-red and undrinkable. But when his magicians replicated the sign by their arts, that was enough for Pharaoh to dismiss the obvious miracle worked by God through Moses and Aaron.  This is what men with hard and sinful hearts do. They will look for any reason to persist in their disbelief and they will take the opportunity. And so it is when it comes to the belief in the existence of God. Everything in the created world screams out concerning our Maker, but fallen men and women will always find some way to suppress this truth. And so it is regarding Christ our Redeemer to this present day. When men and women are presented with the truth regarding his life, death, and resurrection, those with hard and unrepentant hearts will surely find a way — some way — to dismiss the truth.   

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The Second Sign: Frogs

Some of the observations that I have made concerning the first plague apply to the others, and because of this, the five observations that I have concerning the second and third plagues will be briefer.  

One, consider again the introductory remarks: “Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the LORD, ‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs.’” (Exodus 8:1–2, ESV)

Notice that this confrontation with Pharaoh took place inside his courts as opposed to out in the open. “Go in to Pharaoh”, the Lord said. This is the setting of the confrontation of plagues 2, 5, and 8, the middle plagues in each of the three plague cycles. 

The demand is the same: “‘Let my people go, that they may serve me. “

The threat is that the land and the homes of the Egyptians would be inundated with frogs. “I will plague all your country with frogs”, the LORD says. “Plague” here means “strike”. “I will [strike] all your country with frogs.”

Two, notice that plagues one and two were irritations to the Egyptians. They did not take away life nor do damage to health. The Egyptians were able to dig wells for water, and when the frogs invaded the land they were an annoyance, but nothing more. The severity of the plagues will progressively intensify.  

Three, notice that with the plague of the frogs Pharaoh did begin to acknowledge that it was the LORD’s doing. He asked Moses to plead with the LORD to remove them. And Moses did also permit Pharaoh to pick the time. Certainly, this was to help prove that it was the LORD’s doing, and not some coincidence or trickery.

Four, the purpose is stated again. Verse 10: “so that you may know that there is no one like the LORD our God” (Exodus 8:10, ESV). God is utterly unique. He is the one and only. There is none like him. 

Five, notice the result. When relief came, “he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:15, ESV).

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The Third Sign: Gnats

Now for five very brief observations regarding the third plague.

One, this plague is initiated outdoors and with no confrontation with Pharaoh. This is the case with plagues 3, 6, and 9, the third plagues in each plague cycle. 

Two, Aaron was instructed to strike the dust of the earth to initiate the plague of the gnats. So now the Nile has been struck, and so to the earth. And when the earth is struck the sky will be filled with insects. Water, earth, and sky.  

Three, gnats are to be understood as biting insects, perhaps mosquitoes. 

Four, the magicians were unable to duplicate this sign as they did with the staff to snake, the water turned blood-red, and the frogs. It’s not difficult to imagine why. They were able to reproduce the other signs on a small scale through their trickery, but they couldn’t quite figure out how to train swarms of mosquitoes.  

Five, this forced the magicians to confess what Pharaoh had probably long suspected. “Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ‘This is the finger of God.’ But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:19, ESV).

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Reflections

One, we should be careful to acknowledge the uniqueness of this event when seeming to apply the ten plagues to our circumstances. 

Two, we find in the ten plagues an example of how God judges nations today when they go astray by failing to uphold justice, and by enacting laws that are contrary to God’s moral law as revealed in nature and in scripture. He will strike at their “gods”.

Three, it is interesting to consider all of this through the eyes of the Hebrews, though they are not mentioned in the account of the first three plagues. I wonder what they were thinking? They were eventually willing to follow Moses out of Egypt, so I think it is safe to assume that they themselves were progressively convinced of the power of God by these signs and wonders. And this should remind us that God does not only reveal himself in grace, but also in his powerful and righteous judgments. 

New Testament Reading: 2 Peter 2:1–11

“But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard); then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment, and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord.” (2 Peter 2:1–11, ESV)

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 6:28-7:13

“On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?’ And the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 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.’ Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them. Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh. Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’’ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 6:28–7:13, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

The passage that is before us today functions as an introduction to the story of the ten plagues. 

In verses 8 through 13 Moses and Aaron work an introductory miracle before Pharaoh by casting Aaron’s staff before him so that it would turn into a serpent and then back again. This introductory sign is significant, and we will consider it shortly. But we must also pay careful attention to what God said to Moses and Aaron in verses 1 through 7, for the words of God to help us to understand what he was demonstrating through the outpouring of the ten plagues.

So then, you can see that this passage is divided into two parts: One, the record of God’s word to Moses in verses 1 through 7. And two, the record of the first miracle performed by Moses and Aaron before Pharoah in verses 8 through 13. 

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God’s Word To Moses and Aaron

First, let us consider God’s word to Moses. 

To do this we should pick up in verse 28 of chapter 6 where we read, “On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the LORD said to Moses, ‘I am the LORD; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.’ But Moses said to the LORD, ‘Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?’” 

I am the LORD

I am uncircumcised lips

In verses 1 and 2 of chapter 7, we find God’s response to Moses: “And the LORD said to Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land’” (Exodus 7:1–2, ESV).

So here was the arrangement: God would speak to Moses, and Moses would speak to Pharoah through Aaron. The Hebrew actual says, “I have made you God to Pharaoh”, not “I have made you like God”. Clearly, the meaning is that Moses was God’s representative. Moses spoke with divine authority and Aaron functioned as his intermediary. 

One very important thing to remember is that Egyptians considered their Pharaohs to be divine. They were thought to be incarnations of the gods. I think you can see that what we have here is a showdown. God is about to put Pharoah in his place. And he is going to use two very insignificant men (worldly speaking) to do it. Moses the exiled shepherd, and Aaron the Hebrew slave were used by God to Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, to open shame. 

In verses 3 through 4 God makes two commitments. The first concerns Pharoah, the second concerns Egypt. One, he says “But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you.” So here is that theme again which we have considered in previous sermons. God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Two, God said, “Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment” (Exodus 7:3–4, ESV).

Let us carefully consider the second of these two “I will” statements. When God said, “I will lay my hand on Egypt”, he did not mean to bless, but to judge. The context is very clear about that. God judged Pharoah, and he also judged Egypt in the Exodus. Secondly, “God promised to bring [his] hosts, [his] people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.” So this second “I will” statement really consists of two commitments: God’s commitment to judge Egypt, and to bring Israel out. 

The title of today’s sermon is, “The Righteous Kept Through Judgment”. I think that is an accurate description of what God accomplished in the Exodus event. He poured out judgment on the wicked idolaters, but he kept his people. He protected them, preserved them, brought them out of bondage to lead them towards the promised land. One of the things we will see as the Exodus story unfolds is that God knows how to do this. He is able to pour out wrath on the ungodly while preserving his own.  

Peter drew attention to this reality in that passage we read just a moment ago. In 2 Peter 2 we are reminded of how God preserved Noah and his family while judging the world with a flood, and how he preserved Lot and his family while pouring out his judgments on Sodom and Gomorrah. And after reminding us of these historical events, Peter concludes, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment…” And I would argue that this is a major theme in Exodus too. Here God speaks to Moses and promises to simultaneously judge the Egyptians and to keep the Hebrews. Again, he would “lay [his] hand on Egypt and bring [his] hosts [army], [his] people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment” (Exodus 7:3–4, ESV). I’m wanting you to see that this is kind of a big theme in the Exodus story, and it is kind of a big theme in the overarching story of redemption that is told in scripture. Peter knew this. And that is why he said, “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment…” 

This should matter greatly to us, for we, like Noah, Lot, and the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, sojourn in the midst of a “crooked and perverse generation” (to use Paul’s language from Philippians 2:15). We must know for certain, therefore, that God is able to simultaneously judge the wicked and to keep the righteous. He knows who are his, and he is able to preserve even while he pours out his wrath. 

This should matter greatly to us always, but especially in these days when we sense that the wickedness around us is so very great. You can sense it, can’t you? Things aren’t right. So much is wrong in this nation and world. God sees it all, and he is able to judge with precision and to keep those who are his to bring them safely into the Promised Land. This should bring us great comfort and peace, brothers and sisters. 

In verse 5 we find these words: “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.” This brings us back to a point that was made in previous sermons. The Exodus event was a demonstration of God’s power and supremacy over all things in heaven and on earth, yes, even the King of Egypt, and the so-called god’s of Egypt. “The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD”, God said. 

Verses 6 and 7 tell us about Moses and Aaron’s obedience. “Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the LORD commanded them. Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.” 

Notice this about Moses and Aaron. Though they had their doubts, their shortcomings, and their failures, they were obedient. They are to be commended for this. But we must also acknowledge that they were obedient by the grace of God. God was very patient with Moses, wasn’t he? He put up with Moses’ lack of faith and he reassured him over and over again that he was LORD, and that he would surely do all that he had promised. Lord’s may we be faithful like Moses. Be gracious to us as you were to him, we pray. 

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Moses and Aaron’s First Sign

We come now to the second half of our text for today wherein we learn of the first sign that Moses and Aaron worked be for Pharoah. Signs demonstrate things. Soon we will hear about the ten signs that God worked in Egypt which we commonly call the ten plagues. But here we learn of an initial sign. 

Verse 8: “Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, ‘When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent’” (Exodus 7:8–9, ESV). 

Evidently, it was Pharaoh’s custom to request that miracles be performed before his eyes in order to prove that things were true. Soon we will learn about the wise men and sorcerers of Egypt. Evidently, these had learned how to comply with Pharaoh’s demands by working  “miracles” for him. As the narrative unfolds they will be exposed as frauds, charlatans, tricksters, and not real miracle workers. But the wonders performed by Moses and Aaron would be undeniably the works of God. The magicians of Egypt will admit it themselves after the third plague, saying, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 8:19, ESV).

So here is what Moses and Aaron were to do when the Pharaoh requested a miracle: Moses was to say to Aaron, “‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent” (Exodus 7:9–10, ESV).

What is the meaning of this sign?

The staff is a symbol of authority, it is a tool in the hand of is owner, it is a common thing.

The serpent was a symbol of Pharaoh himself. 

When the staff (a symbol of authority, a tool in the hand of is owner, a common thing) was transformed into a serpent (and then taken up again), it signified that the LORD had authority over Pharoah, that Pharaoh was a tool in the hand of his Maker, and that he was a common thing, and not in fact divine as he claimed. In other words, the LORD was the one who brought Pharaoh into existence and exercised authority over him in life and in death. 

Pharaoh could not allow this sign to stand unanswered, so he “summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents…” (Exodus 7:11–12, ESV). That this was mere trickery and not a true miracle is proven by the next statement, “But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs” (Exodus 7:11–12, ESV). And to this, the magicians of Egypt had no answer. In other words, it is not hard to imagine that the magicians of Egypt were able to produce the illusion of staffs turning to snakes, but they could not duplicate the miracle of Aaron’s staff (snake) swallowing theirs. 

This passage concludes with the words, “Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said” (Exodus 7:13, ESV).

Signs and wonders have this effect on people in the scriptures, they convince some, and they harden others. We see this is in the ministry of Christ too. He worked signs and wonders before the people to demonstrate that he was from God, and that he was the Christ, just as he claimed. The elect of God were softened by these signs, convinced and drawn to saving faith. But many were hardened. And their hearts grew progressively harder as they denied one sign after the next, some even coming to the place of attributing the work of Christ to Satan. They could not deny that miracles were being performed before their eyes, but neither could they bring themselves to admit that this Jesus was the Messiah, so they claimed that he worked by the power of the Evil One.

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Reflections

I would like to conclude today by offering two reflections on this passage. 

One, I wish to return to the point that God is able to keep his people while pouring out his just judgments upon the wicked in this world. As I have said, he demonstrated this in the days of Noah, Abraham, and Moses. And Peter was concerned to remind New Covenant Christians of this reality. Why? Because we, the New Covenant people of God, are sojourners too living in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Or to state it differently, God’s people today do not live in a land of their own but are foreigners, spiritually speaking. This is not our home. We are exiles and aliens, spiritually speaking. And the nations in which Christians live today are all wicked, to one degree or another.

Our situation is comparable, not to Israel in the promised land after the conquest (Israel ceased to sojourn when they came into the land to possess it), but to Noah as he lived amongst the idolaters, to Abraham as he sojourned amongst the pagans, to Lot as he dwelt in the midst of the perverse, and to Israel in Egyptian captivity. All of these lands were liable to God’s judgment, and God’s people were there interspersed. This is our situation. And I am saying that God is able to simultaneously judge the wicked and to keep the godly. By this, I do not mean that the godly will never suffer. No, I say they will be kept. They will be kept from falling, and they will be kept for all eternity, but the wicked will be judged, for God knows who are his, and he is able to keep them. 

These truths should always comfort God’s people, but especially in times of trouble. And these are times of trouble, aren’t they? These days are not characterized by physical war, but it seems that there is a war of another kind raging. It is an invisible war, an ideological war, a technological war. And it seems to me that this world, and this nation, is cruisin for a bruisin. Right is called wrong, and wrong is called right. Corruption and injustice are running rampant. The strong are oppressing the weak. 

With the exception of the technology, none of this is new. This is the story of humanity. And I am saying that God knows how to deal with this. He knows how to keep his people while pouring out his judgements on the wicked. We need to hang tight to Christ, brothers and sisters, and trust in our Sovereign King. 

Two, I wish to reflect for a moment on our eschatology (our doctrine concerning last things). And I wish to connect it to what we are seeing in Exodus and also what we are seeing in the world today. Do you remember our study through the book of Revelation, brothers and sisters?  Do you remember what I taught you concerning the proper interpretation of that book? I firmly rejected the interpretation that is so common today, which is to interpret the book literalistically, and as if it pertains only to the future. Instead, I taught you that the book is meant to be interpreted symbolically (if that isn’t obvious, I don’t know what is), and idealistically. In other words, the book of Revelation does not only have to do with the future (yes, some events described in the book are future events only), but for the most part it describes to us how life will be on earth for the people of God always and until Christ returns. We noticed that Revelation is not organized chronologically, but that it recapitulates. It tells the same story over and over again, but from different camera angles, if you will. I’m here trying to summarize many sermons in one brief statement, but I think it is pertinent. 

These pretribulational, premillennialists preachers — and there are many of them today — what do they say when times get tough? It’s the same thing over and over again. These are the last days! The end is near! Here is THE Antichrist. This is THE mark of the beast, etc., etc.  You would think that people would catch on. These men are frauds. And that they are frauds is proven by the fact that they are wrong time and time again. Their error is not in seeing that these forces are at play in the world today, but in claiming that they are able to know the Lord’s will concerning the time of the end. The scriptures explicitly warn against doing this, and yet they do it! Their error is not in seeing that antichrist is present in the world today, but in saying this is THE one. The same may be said regarding the mark of the beast. It is not a literal mark, brothers and sisters, but signifies one’s allegiance either to Christ and his kingdom, or to the Evil One and his. When these pretribulational, premillennialists preachers say “these are the last days”, they forget that the Christ and his Apostles were saying the same thing 2,000 years ago. And what did they mean by it? They meant that this is the last era of human history before Christ returns to make all things new, for there is nothing left to be accomplished except the final judgement and the consummation of Christ’s Kingdom. No distinct time of tribulation, and certainly no distinct future millennium awaits us. In other words, yes, these are the last days. We have been in them ever since Christ rose from the dead and ascended to the Father, and we will be in them until Christ returns. When will that be? The scriptures are so very clear… no one knows. 

So what should we think when we see powerful rulers oppress God’s people and oppose all that is good? What should we think when false prophets arise and seem to prevail? What should we think when we hear of wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes, and famines (not to mention blood moons)?  Should we lose our minds and say, the end is certainly near? No, we must see these things as more of the same. The people of God have experienced them ever since Christ ascended. Indeed, they have been experiencing trials, tribulations, and persecutions from the time of Adam’s fall into sin and the first utterance of the gospel. 

I wonder if you remember that Revelation is filled with imagery drawn from the Old Testament in general, and the book of Exodus in particular. Think especially of the dragon of Revelation 12 who pursued the pregnant woman into the wilderness and attempted to consume her and the child with a flood of water imitating from its mouth, but the earth opened to swallow the water to deliver the woman and child. That’s Exodus imagery, brothers and sisters. Those are Exodus themes. And so my point is this: the book of Revelation helps us to see that the kinds of things experienced by the Hebrews in Egypt under Pharaoh will be experienced by the people of God until the Lord returns. 

The Pharaohs themselves were a type of antichrist.  They opposed the Christ before he was born as they attempted to exterminate the Hebrews who were entrusted with the promises of God, and from whom the Messiah would emerge. The whole course of human history is marked by this theme on to this present day. But what are learning? The Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment.” He proved it at the time of the Exodus.

New Testament Reading: Matthew 1:1-2, 17

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers… [Verse 17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:1-2, 17, ESV)

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Old Testament Reading: Exodus 6:13-27

“But the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans. These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said: ‘Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.’ It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.” (Exodus 6:13–27, ESV)

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Please excuse any typos and misspellings within this manuscript. It has been published online for the benefit of the saints of Emmaus Reformed Baptist Church but without the benefit of proofreading.

Introduction

The genealogies of the Bible  are important. We learned that in our study of the book of Genesis. And they are important for many reasons. They are often used by Moses in his writings to mark divisions in the narrative. That was true in Genesis, and it is true here. We are about to learn all about the so-called plagues that God poured out upon the Egyptians through Moses. This genealogy helps us to transition from a focus on the birth, early life, and call of Moses to the act of deliverance that God worked for the Hebrews through him. This genealogy functions like a commercial break, if you will, but it is a meaningful break, as we will soon see. It helps us to process what has come before, and it helps to prepare us for what is to come in this great story.

Broadly speaking, the genealogies found in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the OT; the writings of Moses) should remind us of the promise of the gospel that was first declared in the hearing of Adam and Eve after the fall. In brief the promise was this: from Eve a Savior would eventually emerge (Genesis 3:15). But we were also informed that Satan would have his seed too. And in this world there would be perpetual hostility between the seed of the woman (God’s people), and the seed of the serpent. And concerning the seed of the women who would one day crush the serpent’s head, we learned that he would emerge from the Hebrew people. The first indication of this was found in Genesis 9 when Noah pronounced a special blessing on his son, Shem. And this message grew even more clear in Genesis 12 when Abram (Abraham) was set apart from the nations. God promised that from him a great nation would come. And from them, the Messiah would emerge to bless all the nations of the earth. 

So then, these genealogies that we find in the Pentateuch are not merely ancestral records. No, they all have something to do with God’s plan of salvation. They look back (in one way or another) to the promise of salvation first uttered in Genesis 3:15 — a Savior would come into the world, and he would come into the world through the woman, that is, through the process of procreation — The genealogies of the Bible are rooted in that promise —  and they look forward (in one way or another) to the Christ, the son of Adam, the son of Abraham, the son of David, the Son of God. 

The genealogy of Exodus 6:13-27 plays an important role in the Exodus story. Not only does it mark a transition in the narrative (as I have said), it also answers important questions concerning what we have already encountered, and sets the stage for stories we will encounter later. In particular, this genealogy answers questions regarding Moses and Aaron. Where did they come from, and what were their credentials? Furthermore, names are introduced to us in this genealogy of people who will become prominent in the Exodus story for good or for ill. Lastly, Christ is present in this genealogy.  So let us consider these three things: One, the genealogical history of Moses and Aaron. Two, the genealogical history of other significant figures in the Exodus story. And three, the presence of Christ in this genealogical record, not as a direct descendant of Levi, Moses, or Arron, but of others who are mentioned almost in passing.

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Moses and Aaron

First, we must consider the genealogical record of Moses and Aaron. And as we do we find that they were priests. This is significant. Moses was not only a prophet. He, like Aaron, descended from Levi, the priestly tribe of Israel.

This genealogy begins with Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham. Remember that it was Jacob that took his family down into Egypt when they were threatened by the famine. He went down into Egypt with his 11 sons and their families. Joseph was already there. So this is a genealogy of Jacob. He is called by his other name, Israel, in verse 14. There Ruben is called “the firstborn of Israel”, or the firstborn of Jacob. 

Clearly this is a very selective genealogy. Of Jacob (or Israel’s) twelve sons, only three are mentioned: Reuben, Simeon, and Levi. And when it comes to Reuben and Simeon, only their sons are mentioned. The genealogical record stops there: ​”the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon.” 

It is only the tribe of Levi that is amplified. Three of Levi’s sons are named: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Their sons are also listed. But everything comes to focus on Moses and Aaaron so that we might know where they came from. Moses and Aaron descended from Levi, from Kohath, and from Amram. We are told that “Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father’s sister”, that is to say, his aunt, which would be forbidden under the law of Moses. 

So then, you can see that this is a very incomplete and misshapen genealogical record. Only the first three of Jacob’s (Israel’s) sons are mentioned — it stops with Levi, and nothing is said of the other 9. And it is only the genealogy of Levi that is traced out. In other words, this doesn’t look like a nice, symmetrical, family tree when you diagram it out. Instead, it looks like an arrow which points in the direction of the Levitical and Aaronic priesthood.  

What are we to make of this, then? Was Moses sloppy? Did he forget to come back to this genealogical project to fill in the gaps before this book went to the publishers? No! He accomplished exactly what he set out to accomplish, and that was to highlight the priesthood. His aim was to publish his and Aaron’s credentials, as it were. They Levites. They were priests. This means that they were qualified to oversee and promote the worship of the God of Israel. 

Do not forget about the theme, brothers and sisters. Israel was redeemed to worship. Moses was to say to Pharaoh, let us go so that we might worship. In Israel, it was the priesthood that led the way. Both Moses and Aaron were priests. And they would be responsible to oversee the construction of the tabernacle, to give instructions concerning the worship of God, to oversee it, and to preserve it’s purity. 

Worship, worship, worship. The theme is already present in the Exodus narrative, but it will become the central theme in chapters 19 and following. Israel was redeemed to worship. Moses and Aaron, the great delivers of Israel, they were priests descended from Levi.

The implications of this are massive. You too have been redeemed to worship. You have been rescued from bondage, forgiven, and cleansed to worship God and to live for his glory. This is Paul so famously says in Romans 12. After describing what Christ has done for us to save us from our sins, he says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:1–2, ESV). In other words, having been delivered, worship. Live now for the glory of God, not by sacrificing animals at the temple, but by presenting “your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. The worship of God, the glory of God, is central to this story, and that is why Moses demonstrated that he, and especially Aaron, were priests. They led Israel out of Egypt to worship. 

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Other Significant People

I have said that this genealogical record hones in upon Levi and then eventually Moses and Aaron, and that is true. But there are other significant people mentioned too. Again the genealogical record surrounding Moses and Aaron is very, very selective. This means that Moses was making a point. 

Another person highlighted in this genealogy is Korah. Korah was a cousin to Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron were born to Amram, and Koarah was born to Amram’s brother, Izhar. This means that Korah was also a Levite and a priest, therefore. 

Certainly there were many, many others who descended from Levi who are not mentioned. Why Korah? Well, that will become clear in Moses’ fourth book, the book of Numbers. In Numbers 16 we learn that Korah led an uprising against Moses and Aaron. In verse 1 we read, “Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?’” (Numbers 16:1–3, ESV). This didn’t turn out too well for Korah. To make a long story short, “the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, ‘Lest the earth swallow us up!’ And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense” (Numbers 16:32–35, ESV). 

Korah’s rebellion, as it is called, was a big deal in Israel’s history. And Korah is highlighted alongside Aaron in this genealogical record, one, to prepare the reader for that story, and two, to set the stage for the contrast between true and false worship that will soon develop. Worship, worship, worship. This is a major theme. We have been redeemed to worship. But we are to worship, not according to the opinions of men, but rather, according to the word of God.  

There are two other black sheep mentioned in this genealogy, two of Aaron’s own sons, Nadab and Abihu. They served alongside their father in the tabernacle. But one day, they offered what Leviticus 10:1 calls “unauthorized fire before the LORD, which [the LORD] had not commanded them” (Leviticus 10:1, ESV). Things didn’t go so well for Nadab and Abihu either. Leviticus 10:2 says that “fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.”

So then, you can see what Moses was doing with this genealogy, can’t you? When we read it, we see a bunch of rather unfamiliar and hard to pronounce names. But when the people of Israel to whom Moses originally wrote read this genealogy, they would have immediately understood what Moses was drawing attention to. Worship, worship, worship — purity in worship. These stories regarding Koara, Nadan and Abihu will not be encountered until we read Numbers and Leviticus. The events themselves happened later in Israel history, after the Exodus from Egypt, in the wilderness, and after the tabernacle was built. But by mentioning these names here in the Exodus story, Moses reminded his audience of where all of this was heading. As I said, this is like a commercial break, but a meaningful one. The theme of worship is kept front and center, and so too is the importance of purity in worship. 

There is one last name that I wish to draw your attention to, and this is the name Phinehas. Phinehas is the last to be mentioned in this genealogy. In Exodus 6:25 we read, “Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans” (Exodus 6:25, ESV). So Phinehas is the end of this genealogy. 

He was not a black sheep like the others, but is to be regarded as a priestly hero. In Numbers 25 we learn that Israel was consumed with idolatry and fornication. The wickedness was so great that God sent a plague upon the people. As the Moses, and others who feared the Lord wept, at the tent of meeting “one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family, in the sight of Moses and in the sight of the whole congregation of the people of Israel… “ to lie with her in one of the chambers at the temple. Can you imagine it?! In Numbers 25:7 we read,  “When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose and left the congregation and took a spear in his hand and went after the man of Israel into the chamber and pierced both of them, the man of Israel and the woman through her belly. Thus the plague on the people of Israel was stopped. Nevertheless, those who died by the plague were twenty-four thousand” (Numbers 25:7–9, ESV). 

He was regarded as a hero. He did what a priest of Israel was called to do — they were to keep the temple pure. Psalm 106 reflects upon this event in Israel’s history when it says, “Then Phinehas stood up and intervened, and the plague was stayed. And that was counted to him as righteousness from generation to generation forever.” (Psalm 106:30–31, ESV)

So then, the genealogy of Exodus 6 is very selective. And if we pay attention to the men highlighted  — especially Aaron, Korah, Nadab, Abihu, and Phinehas — we see that a story emerges. Big events in Israel’s history are embedded in these names. These names anticipate those events, and the people of Israel would have recognized that as they received this book from Moses’ hand.

Worship, worship, worship. Purity of worship. Flee from idolatry. Flee from immorality. Do not go the way of Aaaron in his weakness, of  Korah, Nadab and Abihu. Have the zeal and courage of Phinehas instead. That’s how we are to interpret this genealogical record.

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Christ

Now, I have one more observation concerning the names mentioned in this selective genealogy, and that is that Christ is present here. 

You might be tempted to say, well, how can that be? Christ did not descend from Ruben, Simeon, or Levi, but from Judah, and nothing is said of the line of Judah. Well, that is not entirely true. Though the line of Judah is not traced out here, two from the tribe of Judah are mentioned, and Jesus Christ did in fact descend from them. 

In brief, “Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon…” (Exodus 6:23, ESV). Amminadab and Nahshon were of the tribe of Judah. Aaron married a Judahite, therefore. And King David did descend from this Amminadab and Nahshon who are mentioned in this very selective genealogy. This means that Jesus did too.

In Matthew 1 we find the genealogy of Jesus, and in verses 4 through 5 we read, “and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king” (Matthew 1:4–6, ESV). And you know where this genealogy lands. It demonstrated that Jesus of Nazareth was the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the promised Messiah. 

Isn’t that marvelous to consider? Even though Jesus did not descend from Levi — he the Lion of the Tribe of Judah and a priest according to the order of Melchizedek — he is still present here in this genealogy through Aaaron’s marriage to “Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon…” 

Redeemed to worship. That was true for ethnic Israel in an earthly sense. But it true for spiritual Israel on a whole other level. Redeemed to worship. Redeemed by Jesus the Messiah from the domain of darkness and transferred into his glorious and eternal kingdom so that we might worship God the Father through the Son in Spirit and in truth.  

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Reflections

One, if God has been faithful to bring the Christ into the world through many seemingly insurmountable challenges for the Hebrew people just as he promised, will he not also be faithful to bring the work of Christ to a completion? We must be confident that he is able no matter how dire things seem to be in the world.  

This concept may be applied on an individual level. God will be faithful to finish the work he has begun in you. He will bring you to completion in Christ, and bring you safely home. But here I am thinking in terms of his kingdom work. God promised an earthly kingdom to Abraham, and he was faithful to bring it into existence in the days of Moses, and later David. And he promised a heavenly kingdom to Abraham as well. This was the kingdom that Abraham looked forward to by faith. This kingdom was inaugurated in the days of Christ. And it will be this kingdom that God will being to a consummation in the new heavens and earth. So yes, I am drawing your attention to God’s faithfulness again. But in particular, I am drawing your attention to God’s faithfulness and his power to accomplish his purposes even through dire circumstances. 

Think of how impossible it must have seemed to the Hebrews that the promises made to Abraham would ever be fully fulfilled. They must have felt as if they were finished, as if the Egyptians were too strong, and as if their problems were truly insurmountable. And yet, God preserved them and worked powerfully amongst them to save them. We should be reminded of all that as we consider this little genealogy and trace it back to Adam and Abraham, and forward to David and Christ. God was faithful to bring his kingdom in to existence just as he promised. 

Two, connected to this, consider the weakness of the Hebrews. They were great in number. Hundreds of thousands would be led out of Egypt. But they could not be more weak politically, economically, and militaristically. They were thoroughly oppressed, beat down, and disheartened. They had no power, no might. And yet, consider what did for them. Consider what God did through them. As 1 Corinthians 1:27 says, “But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are…” (1 Corinthians 1:27–28, ESV). This principal did not begin with Christ and his Apostles. It was established in the days of Noah, Abraham, Moses, and with Israel. This is how God works in the world, brothers and sisters — through the weak and insignificant ones. He uses the broken hearted and downtrodden ones. 

This is our heritage, brothers and sisters. We should not be surprised to see this same pattern in our day. And we must learn to think differently regarding power and weakness in the world. In 2 Corinthians 12 Paul discusses how in Christ there is strength in weakness. And he concludes with these words, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10, ESV). This is backwards and upside down when compared to the thinking of the world, but this is how we must view power and weakness in Christ.

This very much pertains to what we are seeing in the world today, doesn’t it? There are forces for evil that seem so very big and powerful, and the forces for good and for God seem so small, weak and insignificant. But we must remember the saying,  if God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).

Three, in closing I wish to draw your attention to this: though the Hebrews were terribly oppressed under the Egyptians, their family, cultural, and religious identity was maintained to some degree. This is made clear by the fact that genealogical records were kept. Distinctions between the tribes of Israel were maintained. Aaron and Moses knew they were Levites, and that this had significance pertaining to the worship of God in the days of the Exodus. 

It’s impossible to know to what degree this cultural identity was maintained, but here is the point I wish to make. Maintaining our familial, cultural, and religious ties will be key for us as the prevailing culture around us grows darker and ever more hostile to God, to Christ, and his kingdom. We must stick together, brothers and sisters. We must maintain our devotion to God, to the worship of God, and to the family of God in this present evil age.