Exodus 6.14-7.13-The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron and Their Second Confrontation With Pharaoh
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday October 16, 2011
Journey Through The Bible Series: Exodus 6:14-7:13-The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron and Their Second Confrontation with Pharaoh
Lesson # 6
Please turn in your Bibles to Exodus 6:14.
Exodus 6:14-27 contains the genealogy of Moses and Aaron and establishes these two men as being in the tribe of Levi and the Amramite branch of the Kohath clan.
This genealogy presents Moses and Aaron’s pedigree and thus their authority to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.
Exodus 6:14 These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch (HAY nahk) and Pallu (PAL yoo), Hezron and Carmi (KAHR migh); these are the families of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel (jih MYOO el) and Jamin (JAY min) and Ohad (OH had) and Jachin (JAY kin) and Zohar (ZOH hahr) and Shaul (SHAWL) the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon (GUHR shahn) and Kohath (KOH hath) and Merari (mih RAY righ); and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni (LIB nigh) and Shimei SHIM ih igh), according to their families. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar (IZ hahr) and Hebron and Uzziel (UHZ ih uhl); and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli (MA (A as in cat) ligh)and Mushi (MYOO shigh). These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed (JAHK uh bed), and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 21 The sons of Izhar (IZ hahr): Korah (KOH ruh) and Nepheg (NEE feg) and Zichri (ZIK righ). 22 The sons of Uzziel (UHZ ih uhl): Mishael (MISH eh uhl) and Elzaphan (el ZAY fan) and Sithri (SITH righ). 23 Aaron married Elisheba (ih LISH ih bah), the daughter of Amminadab (uh MIN uh dab), the sister of Nahshon (NAH shahn), and she bore him Nadab (NAY dab) and Abihu (uh BIGH hyoo), Eleazar (El ih AY zuhr) and Ithamar (ITH uh mahr). 24 The sons of Korah: Assir (AZ uhr) and Elkanah (el KAY nuh) and Abiasaph (uh BIGH uh saf); these are the families of the Korahites. 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel (PYOO tih el), and she bore him Phinehas (FIN ih huhs). These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. 26 It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.” 27 They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron. (NASB95)
This genealogy might appear out of place at this point in the narrative to some readers.
However, the genealogy was inserted here at this point in the narrative to identify Moses and Aaron and authenticate them as representing God within the larger history of Israel.
Exodus 6:28 Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” 30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?” (NASB95)
This paragraph does not present Moses presenting a second protest with regards to the Lord commissioning him to go to Pharaoh and communicate the Lord’s demand that Pharaoh free Israel to serve Him.
Rather, it is simply reminding the reader of what Moses said in Exodus 6:12. Exodus 6:14-27 was parenthetical.
Thus, Moses under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit felt it important to reiterate his complaint before continuing with the story.
In verse 30, Moses states that he is “unskilled in speech,” which in the Hebrew literally means “My lips are uncircumcised.”
This does not indicate Moses had a speech impediment but rather he was using the metaphorical language of circumcision that he was “not ready for public speaking.”
In addressing Moses in Exodus 6:29, God identifies Himself as the Lord meaning that He is the eternal one who is ever present with His people and fulfills His covenant promises to His people.
Exodus 7:1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt.4 When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did it; as the Lord commanded them, thus they did. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh. (NASB95)
The Lord’s statement to Moses in verse 1 that he will seem to be like God to Pharaoh echoes His statement to Moses in Exodus 4:16, which He made to Moses prior to his first meeting with the Israelites and his first confrontation with Pharaoh.
So prior to his second confrontation with Pharaoh, God is encouraging Moses that Pharaoh will be in awe of both his words and deeds.
The ten plagues will bring this about.
The statement in verse 2 is a reference to the Lord’s directives to Moses as recorded in Exodus 3:18-20 and 4:21-23.
In verse 3, the Lord warns Moses again that Pharaoh will harden his heart and not release the Israelites.
This echoes what the Lord said to Moses in Exodus 4:21.
The Scriptures teach that God hardened Pharaoh (Exodus 9:12; 10:1, 20, 27; 11:10; 14:8).
There were prophecies that God would do this to Pharaoh (Exodus 4:21; 7:3).
However, the Scriptures also teach that Pharaoh would harden himself (Exodus 7:13, 14, 22; 8:15, 19, 32; 9:7, 34, 35).
God’s hardening of Pharaoh is the result of Pharaoh first hardening himself in the sense of rejecting over and again God’s command to release the nation of Israel from her bondage to him in Egypt.
God permitted Pharaoh to exercise his volition repeatedly to reject His command to release the nation of Israel from her bondage in Egypt.
Pharaoh was responsible for his evil actions.
God’s hardening was His response to Pharaoh’s hardening or in other words, it was in response to Pharaoh repeatedly rejecting His command to release the nation of Israel from her bondage in Egypt.
Thus, God’s hardening is a manifestation of His wrath, i.e. righteous indignation towards sin and is an expression of His holiness.
God used Pharaoh’s evil actions and negative volition to glorify Himself in the sense that through Pharaoh’s disobedience to His commands, God manifested His omnipotence in delivering Israel from her bondage to Pharaoh’s Egypt.
God always wanted the best for Pharaoh, however He permitted Pharaoh to exercise his volition against Him when throughout His entire encounter with Pharaoh, He desired that Pharaoh get saved and come to the knowledge of the truth as He desires for all men.
He desires all men to be saved because He loves all men (1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9; John 3:16).
In Exodus 7:3-4, the Lord tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart with multiple signs and wonders and that He will lay His hand upon Egypt, which refers to the Lord striking Egypt with ten plagues by means of His omnipotence.
In Exodus 7:5 the Lord tells Moses that the Egyptians will know that He is God as a result of these plagues whereas in Exodus 6:7, the Lord says that these plagues will demonstrate to the Israelites that He is the Lord God.
Exodus 7:4-5 echoes Exodus 3:20.
The Israelites and Pharaoh would know in an experiential sense that God is in their presence when God’s power is manifested through the plagues.
In Exodus 7:1-5, we have the Lord giving Moses a new perspective on his meeting with Pharaoh.
He is simply to be God’s representative to Pharaoh. He is only to speak the words God gives him.
Success and failure is not based upon Moses’ actions but rather upon God acting through him.
God is concerned about providing both the Israelites and Pharaoh and the Egyptians an experiential knowledge of His presence through the miracles.
Moses is simply an instrument used by God.
Moses and Aaron are to be instruments used to demonstrate God’s presence.
Exodus 7:6 records Moses and Aaron obeying everything God commanded them.
This verse does not refer to Exodus 5:1-5, which records Moses and Aaron saying and doing everything the Lord commanded them to do in their first audience with Pharaoh.
Rather it serves as a prelude to their obedience to God in their second audience with Pharaoh.
Exodus 7:7 presents the ages of Moses and Aaron at the time of their confrontation with Pharaoh.
The former was 80 and the latter 83.
Interestingly, in the Old Testament the age of a prominent person is given when a major event is about to occur such as the age of Abraham when he was circumcised just prior to the miraculous birth of Isaac (Genesis 17:24-25) or Isaac before the birth of his two sons (Genesis 25:19-25).
Exodus 7:8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said. (NASB95)
In His omniscience, God knew Pharaoh would demand a miracle from both Aaron and Moses in order to challenge their authority.
God instructed Moses to tell Aaron to throw his staff down at Pharaoh’s feet and at once it would become a snake.
This instruction is the same one found in Exodus 4:2-4.
Notice that Moses is to tell Aaron to throw down his staff at Pharaoh’s feet.
This was to fulfill what God said to Moses that he would be like God to Pharaoh in that he would be giving orders and have them carried out by others just like God.
However, verses 11-12 record Pharaoh summoning his wise men, sorcerers and magicians who perform the same miracle with their secret arts which they learned from the kingdom of darkness.
But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs demonstrating the superiority of God over the demons.
This sign and the ten plagues to follow would humiliate not only the Egyptians but also the demons and Satan who were behind the gods of Egypt and the wise men, sorcerers and magicians of Pharaoh’s court.
The ability of the magicians of Pharaoh to duplicate this first sign was not merely sleight of hand or magic or trickery but rather a demonstration of Satan’s power.
Satan and his minions are able to perform “all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12), which are to deceive (2 Thessalonians 2:10; Revelation 13:11-15; cf. Matthew 24:24).
Clearly, Pharaoh has been deceived by the magicians and sorcerers and wise men of his court.
This sign along with the ten plagues demonstrates that the Lord is sovereign over all creation including Pharaoh and Satan and the demons.
It also authenticates the authority of Moses and Aaron that God has delegated authority to them.
Furthermore, it demonstrates that God was present in this second confrontation with Pharaoh.
In Exodus 7:13, we have the record of Pharaoh hardening his heart after this first miraculous sign from Moses and Aaron, which fulfills the Lord’s prediction to Moses and Aaron (Exodus 4:21; 7:3-4).