Have you ever wondered why genealogy was important to God? It shows up periodically in varying detail in different places in scripture. In Exodus 6, we see Moses and Aaron struggling and discouraged because of the reaction of the Israelites when things are not going well for them. Pharaoh just made the tasks of the Hebrews harder by demanding they find their own straw to make the bricks to build for him. The people were discouraged and quite frankly not excited about following Moses at this point.
God spoke to Moses and Aaron and reinforced that they were to lead the Hebrew people, regardless of the reaction of the people. At this point Moses (Moses is the author of Exodus), inserts a genealogy of the “Heads of Israel”. Why?
10Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 11“Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12But Moses spoke before the LORD, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13Then the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
The Heads of Israel
14These are the heads of their fathers’ households. The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon and Kohath and Merari; and the length of Levi’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18The sons of Kohath: Amram and Izhar and Hebron and Uzziel; and the length of Kohath’s life was one hundred and thirty-three years. 19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses; and the length of Amram’s life was one hundred and thirty-seven years. 21The sons of Izhar: Korah and Nepheg and Zichri. 22The sons of Uzziel: Mishael and Elzaphan and Sithri. 23Aaron married Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24The sons of Korah: Assir and Elkanah and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ households of the Levites according to their families. 26It 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.” 27They 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.
There are a few observations we can make about this insertion of a genealogy and I am sure if you choose to study it in more detail on your own, you could learn even more.
Moses and Aaron were not outsiders, though they may have been viewed that way at the time. God raised up leaders from within the Hebrew people. Moses’ and Aaron’s genealogy is a great reminder.
God consistently emphasizes the importance of family. Family is a very important social structure for God’s people and should continue to be viewed that way today. We should not lightly abandon the family structure in favor of turning our children over to strangers and government to raise. God never intended that.
Prayerfully reflect on how important the family structure is to the Lord. Are there relationships in your family that need a change? Begin with prayer for all involved, together if practical. Then focus on praying for God’s help to change you so that you reflect the love of Christ through your actions and behaviors. Willfully choose how you react to situations that are tough… control your tongue, focus on gentle answers that turn away wrath, and even consider overlooking real or perceived transgressions that come against you. There is a lot of wisdom toward this end in Proverbs. Seek it and live it and your life will certainly be better for it.
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