Written by: Debbie Orriss - Church Army
Exodus 6 v 14-25
These are the leaders of the families of Israel:
Israel's first son, Reuben, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These
are the family groups of Reuben.
Simeon's sons were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul, the son of a
Canaanite woman. These are the family groups of Simeon.
Levi lived 137 years. These are the names of his sons according to their family
history: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.
Gershon had two sons, Libni and Shimei, with their families.
Kohath lived for 133 years. The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and
Uzziel.
The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These are the family groups of Levi, according to their family history.
Amram married his father's sister Jochebed, who gave birth to Aaron and Moses.
Amram lived for 137 years.
Izhar's sons were Korah, Nepheg and Zicri.
Uzziel's sons were Mishael, Elzaphan and Sithri.
Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon.
Elisheba gave birth to Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
The sons of Korah were Assir, Elkanah and Abiasaph. These are the family groups
of the Korahites.
Eleazar, son of Aaron, married a daughter of Putiel and she gave birth to Phinehas.
These are the leaders of the family groups of the Levites.
Notes
It's tempting when you come to passages like this one, to skip it. "It's
just a list of names. Let's get to the story!" However, this list - or "genealogy" -
is an important part of the story. Genealogies were, and still are, important
parts of Jewish culture. They are about a person's history - those ancestors
who have brought them into being, shaped and formed them. The genealogy in
today's passage traces Moses' and Aaron's ancestry to the family of Israel.
In a sense it was providing the credentials for the job God was going to give
them - they were Israelites and they were called to ask for the release of
their own people from slavery in Egypt.
Recently there has been a programme on UK TV called "Who Do You Think You Are?" where various celebrities have been tracing back their family tree. It was fascinating to see not only what they found out, but also the impact that their discoveries had on them personally. There is something significant about discovering your roots. It gives a sense of identity; an understanding of where you've come from.
How much do you know about your own family history? Can you see connections between particular family members and the sense of who you are today? Thank God for those in your family who you know or have known, who have had a positive influence on your life.
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for all those relationships which have helped me to become
who I am today. Help me to remember that ultimately my identity and significance
rests in you, knowing that I am your child, and that you love me - warts
and all! Amen
Exodus 6 v 26-30
This was the Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, "Lead the people of
Israel out of Egypt by their divisions." Aaron and Moses are the ones
who talked to the king of Egypt and told him to let the Israelites leave Egypt.
The LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt and said, "I am the LORD.
Tell the king of Egypt everything I tell you."
But Moses answered, "I am not a good speaker. The king will not listen
to me."
Notes
When the lottery was launched in the UK, the TV advertisement included a giant
hand coming out of the sky pointing to a member of the public, accompanied
by the words: "It could be you!", implying that God might choose
them to become a millionaire!
This passage is as specific as the advertisement: "This was the Aaron and Moses...". It mentions two individuals identified by God for a particular job - it was them, those particular men, who God chose to speak to the king, asking for the release of the Israelites from slavery. Moses' reaction was perhaps understandable: "I can't do it!" Basically, he was scared - of the awesomeness of the task given to him, but also because he felt God had made a mistake in choosing him.
It's interesting that when God told Moses and Aaron what he wanted them to do, he started by establishing who he is: "I am the Lord". It's because of who God is that Moses could trust him. God promised to help Moses: "Tell the King of Egypt everything I tell you". He would give Moses the words.
You may feel that you're facing a difficult situation at the moment and your response is a bit like Moses': "I can't do it!" Don't despair; God doesn't expect you to do it alone. He promises to be with us throughout our lives, giving us what we need for each situation. So, be honest in your response to God, like Moses was. God can cope with our honesty. In fact he longs for it from us, because it's when we are honest with God that we realise the huge expanse of his love and care.
Then trust that he has heard you and will give you what you need for whatever's ahead.
Prayer
Lord God, thank you for your unending love for me and your desire to be involved
in my life. Help me to trust in your ability to guide and help me, especially
when I don't feel that I can trust in my own abilities! Amen
Exodus 7 v 1-7
The LORD said to Moses, "I have made you like God to the king of Egypt,
and your brother Aaron will be like a prophet for you. Tell Aaron your brother
everything that I command you, and let him tell the king of Egypt to let the
Israelites leave his country. But I will make the king stubborn. I will do
many miracles in Egypt, but he will still refuse to listen. So then I will
punish Egypt terribly, and I will lead my divisions, my people the Israelites,
out of that land. I will punish Egypt with my power, and I will bring the Israelites
out of that land. Then they will know I am the LORD."
Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded them. Moses was 80 years
old and Aaron was 83 when they spoke to the king.
Notes
In the UK we have an entertainer called Derren Brown, who describes himself
as a psychological illusionist. He is very convincing, using various techniques
to make individuals say or do particular things. The TV ratings show that
his programmes are popular, but I can't help feeling very uncomfortable that
one man can have such power over people.
In some ways today's passage also makes me feel uncomfortable. Why would God, who is love, make the king stubborn and then inflict suffering on Egypt? It's not very loving is it? And what about free will - the king's ability to decide for himself what his response to God will be?
It's a difficult issue, but a helpful way to think about it might be to consider that the king's heart was already turned against God. The king ruled the Israelites - he was their king. He was jealous of the Israelites' faith in God, and perhaps God was allowing the king to follow his heart and make choices as a result of its contents: the jealousy and a desire to retain his power over the Israelites. The people's suffering can then be seen as a consequence of the king's rebellion against God rather than of the actions of an unloving God.
The account of the freeing of the Israelites is punctuated with many references to God's sovereign power - a message which the author of this passage wanted to emphasise. Describing God as making the king stubborn could be seen as a literary technique to achieve this.
It's important to notice that there are lots of "I will"s from God. Why? "Then they will know that I am the Lord." He wanted to demonstrate his power, both to his own people as well as to the king and the Egyptians.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to examine the contents of my own heart, and show me any
wrong motives for attitudes and actions in my life, so that I can become
more like your son Jesus, seeking to serve you. Amen
Exodus 7 v 8-13
The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Moses, when the king asks you to
do a miracle, tell Aaron to throw his walking stick down in front of the
king,
and it will become a snake."
So Moses and Aaron went to the king as the LORD had commanded. Aaron threw
his walking stick down in front of the king and his officers, and it became
a snake.
So the king called in his wise men and his magicians, and with their tricks
the Egyptian magicians were able to do the same thing. They threw their walking
sticks on the ground, and their sticks became snakes. But Aaron's stick swallowed
theirs. Still the king was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron,
just as the LORD had said.
Notes
The king asked Aaron and Moses for a miracle. I wonder why? To give them an
opportunity to prove their credentials? Was it because he was wavering in
his determination to refuse God's request for the freedom of the Israelites?
I don't think so. His reaction to the miracle leads us to assume that he
wanted to try and prove that he was as powerful as God. He was obviously
confident that his magicians could "out-trick" Aaron and Moses,
but his plan backfired. What follows is like a scene from one of the Harry
Potter films! You can imagine Harry's broomstick changing into a snake and
eating his arch-enemy Draco Malfoy's in one gulp! When the king's magicians
made their sticks into snakes, they were eaten by Aaron's.
It amazes me that when Aaron's stick changed into a snake the king didn't start following God, but then I'm reminded of a conversation I had with a non-Christian friend as we walked down the road one day. The challenge I was given was this: "If God made that tree move from that position I'd believe in him." But I'm pretty sure that if God had performed the miracle my friend would have tried to find some logical explanation. He wasn't ready to turn to God and believe in his power, any more than the king of Egypt was. The king wasn't questioning God's power - all he wanted to do was defeat God.
It's hard to know what to make of such miraculous accounts, but what we need to hold onto is that our God is a supernatural God with power to change situations.
This is especially important to remember when a situation seems impossible, either in our own personal lives, or concerning something on a worldwide scale.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to remember that you are concerned about situations in my
life, and also in the world. I place .................. (insert a particular
person or situation that needs God's power) before you. Please bring about
your good purposes. Amen
Exodus 7 v 14-18
Then the LORD said to Moses, "The king is being stubborn and refuses
to let the people go. In the morning the king will go out to the Nile River.
Go
meet him by the edge of the river, and take with you the walking stick that
became a snake. Tell him: the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you.
He said, 'Let my people go and worship me in the desert.' Until now you have
not listened. This is what the LORD says: 'This is how you will know that I
am the LORD. I will strike the water of the Nile River with this stick in my
hand, and the water will change into blood. Then the fish in the Nile will
die, and the river will begin to stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink
the water from the Nile.'"
Notes
If you have a mobile phone, what is it like? Is it the latest model? Does it
take photos? Can it connect you to the internet? Is it the "right" colour
and shape? Or is it like a brick, purely functional, with no predictive text?
In some ways, mobiles have become a status symbol, or at least a fashion
accessory.
Aaron's walking stick certainly had a significance that was far more substantial than a fashion accessory! It had become a symbol of the power of God, having previously changed into a snake. Notice that God instructed Aaron to tell the king that it was God himself who would change the waters of the Nile into blood: "This is how you will know that I am the Lord". It is very clear from the wording of this passage that it was God who was going to change the water into blood, not Moses, thus emphasising God's sovereign power.
The king had not listened to God speaking through Aaron and Moses up until this point. It's almost as if this was a way for God to get his attention and demonstrate his almighty power.
I wonder what would have happened if the king had relented at this point and acknowledged God's power - how much suffering would have been avoided? However, the king didn't relent, and the consequence of his stubbornness was severe. The Nile was the Egyptians' only source of water, and their whole way of life depended on its unpolluted water.
All of the choices we make have consequences: how we treat people around us; how we spend our money; who we vote for. We have a responsibility for others, despite the voices around us telling us simply to "look out for number one".
Prayer
Lord, help me to be wise in the words I speak and the actions I take, so that
the consequences are that those around me benefit from them, and that you
are glorified. Amen
Exodus 7 v 19-21
The LORD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron: 'Take the walking stick in your
hand and stretch your hand over the rivers, canals, ponds and pools in Egypt.'
The
water will become blood everywhere in Egypt, both in wooden buckets and in
stone jars."
So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. In front of the king
and his officers, Aaron raised his walking stick and struck the water in the
Nile River. So all the water in the Nile changed into blood. The fish in the
Nile died, and the river began to stink, so the Egyptians could not drink water
from it. Blood was everywhere in the land of Egypt.
Notes
I'm sure many of us have walked along a once beautiful canal or riverbank which
has been spoilt by pollution from a nearby factory, or by rubbish that has
been dumped in the water.
Egypt was experiencing the consequence of the king's stubbornness: their precious and only source of water was contaminated, turned to blood. This must have been terrifying for the people. The image of the transformation of the Nile from something clean and life-giving into something contaminated and destructive is a powerful one. Its pollution spread to all the canals, rivers and ponds. It even affected the water in buckets and jars. The consequence of the king's stubbornness and refusal to release the Israelites from slavery was a contamination which spread throughout the land of Egypt.
Some Bible commentators think that this and the other eight plagues inflicted on Egypt were God's direct challenge to specific gods that the Egyptians worshipped. The Nile, for example, was worshipped as the god Hopi. God was determined to establish himself as God over all, and while the account of the plagues is distressing, it's important to remember that it was a result of the king's stubbornness and refusal to submit to God's power rather than because God is vindictive and enjoys seeing people suffer.
Which situations in the world might be seen as a result of leaders who are seeking power and wealth for themselves at the expense of the environment or of other people? Are you aware of anything in your life which has become a "god", distracting you from - or taking the place of - the one, true God? It could be a person, the latest gadget, money - even the TV.
Prayer
Lord God, help me to keep different aspects of my life in perspective so that
nothing takes your rightful place. Amen
Exodus 7 v 22-25
Using their tricks, the magicians of Egypt did the same thing. So the king
was stubborn and refused to listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had
said. The king turned and went into his palace and ignored what Moses and
Aaron had done. The Egyptians could not drink the water from the Nile, so
all of them dug along the bank of the river, looking for water to drink.
Seven days passed after the LORD changed the Nile River into blood.
Notes
How often have you been tempted to "get your own back" on someone
who you feel has belittled or humiliated you? One reaction is to want to try
and beat them at their own game, either by a war of words or by trying to outdo
them at something.
This is exactly what the king did in response to the changing of the Nile into a river of blood. He felt that his position as king was being challenged by God, particularly in relation to the Israelites. So his response was to order his magicians to repeat the same plague. He wouldn't listen to Moses' and Aaron's request for the release of the Israelites. He appeared to be unmoved by the suffering of his people, even the sight of them digging into the banks of the river in a desperate search for clean water, filtered by the sand.
He didn't act out of compassion for them, sparing them from their suffering by agreeing to God's request - that would have meant being seen to be backing down. Neither did he order his magicians to purify the water, which would also have reduced the people's suffering. It seems that he was more concerned about his own reputation. He decided to beat God at his own game by getting his magicians to repeat the same plague. The king didn't have the people's interests at heart; he was more concerned about demonstrating his power.
What would the world and our relationships be like if there was more humility? Often there is much media attention over whether a particular politician is prepared to apologise for a mistake he or she has made. If they do apologise many interpret it as weakness. Isn't it sad that saying "sorry" can't be seen as a sign of strength?
Prayer
Lord God, help me when someone has hurt or belittled me to avoid the temptation
to "have the last word" or to try to put them down. Help me to
have the right attitude towards them, to look honestly at the part I've
paid in the disagreement, and to have the humility to seek for a resolution.
Amen
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version (Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes