The Good News
Notes
Transcript
Questions I asked myself as I studied this text this week?
Why is there a geneaology here, in the middle of the exodus narrative.
Should I even do a sermon on this text? Maybe I could just skip over it...
And most importantly…how am I going to pronounce all of these names without embarrassing myself this Sunday?
Why are we giving our attention to a genealogy?
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
It takes the whole Bible to make a whole Christian…even the parts that we may not always find interesting at first.
And so this morning…I want us to turn our attention to Exodus 6:13-27
Exodus 6:13–27 (CSB)
13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them commands concerning both the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt. 14 These are the heads of their fathers’ families: The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. These are the clans of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. These are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their family records; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. Levi lived 137 years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. Kohath lived 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their family records. 20 Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron married Elisheba, daughter of Amminadab and sister of Nahshon. She bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph. These are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Aaron’s son Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the Levite families by their clans. 26 It was this Aaron and Moses whom the Lord told, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.” 27 Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.
first truth: Everybody is a Somebody.
first truth: Everybody is a Somebody.
One of the significant things about all of the genealogies that we find in the Bible is the reality that there is no such thing as a “nobody.”
In this story there is a long list of names.
Levi, Gershom, Kohath, Merari (Ma-ra-ri)
Libini, Shimei (shi-må-ee)
Izahar, Hebron and Uzziel
Mahli and Mushi
Amram and Jocabed
Aaron and Moses
Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri
Mishael, Ezaphan (Eza-Faan) , and Sithri
Elisheba (Eli-Sha-ba) , Amminadab, Nahshon
Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, Ithamar
Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph (A-bee-a-saf)
Putiel (Put-y-el)
and Phinehas...
2-3 of these names will stand out to the average person who is somewhat familiar with the Biblical story. For most of us, those two names are most likely Aaron and Moses.
If you are really familiar with the Bible, 4-5 names might stand out to you. But for the most part, when we read this story, by all standard accounts, this is a list of what we might be tempted to call, “a bunch of nobodies” to us.
But imagine this, imagine if you were one of these people. Imagine if you were Gershom, Nepheg, or Nadab. Imagine what that would mean to you, for your name to be placed here in God’s Word for all of human history.
See, we dont know these people, we dont know there names off the top of our heads, but God does. They might be considered “nobodies” to us…but to God, they are somebodies.
As Francis Shaffer once famously titled one of his books…As far as God is concerned, there are “No Little People.”
You see, church behind all of the “titles” that we give someone. Beyond the title of liberal or conservative. Beyond the title of Democrat or Republican. Beyond the title of rich or poor. Beyond the title of black or white. Beyond all of these titles, and many more, is a person.
A person that God created.
A person that God loves.
A person that God desires a relationship with.
All people are important not because of who they are…but because of who’s they are.
See this is the difference between the Christian worldview and that of secularism.
Secularism says that you are significant because you are unique...
There is noone else like you...
You have a voice...
Therefore you are significant.
But at the center of your significance in a secular worldview is…YOU…
Here is the problem with that...
What if you arent unique?
What if your truth kind of stinks? (None of us would say that Nazism is a good truth to live by).
In the secular worldview…if you dont have a following or a platform, you really aren't all that important.
This is why secularism is obsessed with celebrity culture.
Because secularism bases significance on success and popularity.
There is a reason why you see Elon Musk in the news and you dont see Earl the Mechanic...
In the secular world’s eyes, Earl isnt as significant as Elon...
Christianity says that you are significant not because of who you are…or what you do.
You dont have to stand out to be important
You dont even have to be unique…
You are significant because God made you.
God said, in Genesis 1:26,
Genesis 1:26 (CSB)
“Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness. They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl on the earth.”
People are significant because they bear the mark of God.
I want you to think about who “that guy” or “that girl” is in your life.
We all have “that person”
“That person” is the person that you just cant stand.
It’s the person that you role your eyes at when you hear their name. Its the person that you try to avoid in walmart or at Bromas, or…God forbid…at church.
Maybe its because of their political views. Maybe its because of something they did to you in the past. Maybe its because they betrayed your trust. Maybe its because they hurt you. Maybe its simply because you find them annoying. Or you just dont care for their personality. Maybe, God forbid, it is because you dont like the color of their skin, or the culture that they come from…
Well, whoever that person is for you…the person that you might consider a nobody…that person…in God’s eyes is a somebody.
God knows their name.
God knows their heart.
And he cares for them more deeply than you can possibly fathom.
That person who you might consider to be a worthless scum, God considers more valuable than the most precious of gold and silver.
And this ought to have a practical implications for how we treat each other in the family of faith.
You see, the church, is a place where everybody should be treated as a somebody…because everybody *is* a somebody to God...
In the church, as Jonathan Tremaine Thomas has said, “the homeless should feel like kings, and kings should feel at home.”
Why? Because we are the people of God.
We recognize that a persons worth is defined not by who they are, but by WHO’S THEY ARE.
A person isn't defined by what they bring to the table, but by the reality that God created them, that Jesus lived and died for them. He fashioned them.
You see…we should love the Earl’s and Elon’s of the world…because both of them have been created and fashioned in the Image of God.
Not only that…but Jesus died for the nobodies of the world...
When I think about someone who would be the epitome of a nobody, I cant help but think about the criminals that hung next to Jesus on the cross.
Think about it…these people were so worthless in the world’s eyes that they just wanted them dead...
And yet…here was God the Son…the second person of the Trinity…hanging next to them in his moment of glory.
Why?
Because there are no “nobodies” to God.
To God…everybody…is a somebody.
Second Truth this Geneaology teaches us is… Everybody Leaves a Legacy
Second Truth this Geneaology teaches us is… Everybody Leaves a Legacy
This genealogy is like a family photo album. And just like when we take our family albums and are reminded about the legacies that we have received in our own families, as we read this genealogy, we see the spiritual inheritance that had been handed down to Aaron from his family, the Levites.
Each name that is given in this genealogy represents a life story, or *a legacy*.
There are legacies here that represent a life of worship and faithfulness.
Names like Gershon, Kohath, and Merari are found in the book of 1 Chronicles and Numbers 3. They served fervently in the tabernacle, functioning as Priests, set apart and consecrated for faithful service to the God that they loved.
Gershon’s family was given the duties to care for the outside parts of the tabernacle structure.
They would have been good with pressure washers.
25 The Gershonites’ duties at the tent of meeting involved the tabernacle, the tent, its covering, the screen for the entrance to the tent of meeting, 26 the hangings of the courtyard, the screen for the entrance to the courtyard that surrounds the tabernacle and the altar, and the tent ropes—all the work relating to these.
Kohath’s family were the interior designers: God charged them with the upkeep of all of the furnishings and utensils inside the tabernacle.
31 Their duties involved the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the sanctuary utensils that were used with these, and the screen—and all the work relating to them.
Merari’s family were the maintenance men. They were the Old Man Work Crew of the Israelites...
36 The assigned duties of Merari’s descendants involved the tabernacle’s supports, crossbars, pillars, bases, all its equipment, and all the work related to these, 37 in addition to the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their bases, tent pegs, and ropes.
In v. 25 we see Phineas.
The name of Phineas simply means, “Black man” so apparently he was from African decent.
Phineas was born during a season of Israel’s history that was littered with sexual immorality, rebellion and idolatry.
In this season, when everyone else was living in rampant sin, Phineas was faithful. And his faithfulness pleased God. Numbers 25:11-13
Numbers 25:11–13 (CSB)
11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, son of Aaron the priest, has turned back my wrath from the Israelites because he was zealous among them with my zeal, so that I did not destroy the Israelites in my zeal. 12 Therefore declare: I grant him my covenant of peace. 13 It will be a covenant of perpetual priesthood for him and his future descendants, because he was zealous for his God and made atonement for the Israelites.”
Phineas went on to become a devoted leader.
He served God as a military commander during Israel’s battle against the Midianites.
He remained faithful through all of Israel’s wanderings in the wilderness journey. He kept the peace in the midst of the threat of civil war
Phineas left a legacy of devotion, worship, faithfulness and zeal for God’s glory…even when there was no-one else found faithful.
And his devotion left a legacy
There are legacies of devotion in this list…like those above
But there are also legacies that represent a life of sin and rebellion.
This is apart of what I love about these genealogies…they dont pull any punches. They just tell the truth, even the ugly parts...
Korah is an example of this...
Korah was ambitious. He was discontent. He wanted recognition. And he thought Moses was an inept leader. So, he decided to overthrow Moses by inciting hundreds of other Israelites to rise up against Moses and Aaron.
However, Moses and Aaron were God’s appointed leaders. And by rising up against God’s leaders, Korah and his followers were calling into question the providence and power of God. As a result, God judged them.
We read about what God did in Numbers 16:31-33
Numbers 16:31–33 (CSB)
31 Just as he finished speaking all these words, the ground beneath them split open. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s people, and all their possessions. 33 They went down alive into Sheol with all that belonged to them. The earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly.
God literally caused the ground to eat them...
I think its safe to say, You dont want this to happen to you...
Korah’s example reminds us how easy it is for us to set our hearts on self exaltation...
In the list of these names there are examples of legacies…some are honerable…some are dishonerable.
Here is my point...
No matter who you are…you need to know this, you will leave a legacy.
The question we have to ask ourselves is not, “if we will leave a legacy.”
The question is what kind of legacy will you leave.
Will you live a life that testifies of a life devoted to God, like Phineas? Or will you leave a legacy behind you that represents a life of selfishness and sin, like Korah?
Here is a sobering reality: Your spiritual fruit grows on other peoples trees.
Right now, you are making an investment in your kids, your grandkids, and the people that are closest to you. And the investment you are making is the amalgamation of the example that you are living in front of them.
The people closest to you are inheriting your life, your loves, and your example. They are watching you live. They are watching what you spend your time on. They are watching what you are passionate about. We are giving them a legacy.
The question that we need to ask ourselves is, “What legacy am I leaving?”
Ask yourself this question: Am I leading those around me to toward Godliness and holiness? Or am I leading others around me toward a life of sin and rebellion?
Am I leaving a legacy like Phineas? Or am I leaving a legacy like Korah?
Years ago I sat through a co-hort with a group of pastors led by Jared Wilson…and he said something that has stuck with me. He said, “People dont get excited about what you tell them to get excited about. Your people get excited about what excites you .”
And this isnt just true for pastors…its true for people.
Parents…you kids dont get excited about the things you tell them to get excited about…they get excited about what excites you.
And here is the sad reality…Many of us in this room are leading a life that is leading the wrong kind of legacy.
Who cares if you leave your kids with good advice on how to make money.
Who cares if you teach your kids how to throw a ball or swing a bat.
Who cares if your kids or grandkids get voted into the who’s who in the album...
Teach your kids about the love of God.
Teach your kids about Jesus.
Teach you kids about selflessness.
Teach your kids about devotion
Let them see you do it…not just talk about it.
Because all of us are leaving a legacy...
God change the course of history through people like Phineas…and God hasnt changed.
He can change your family legacy.
He can change you…if you will let him.
We have a Great High Priest
We have a Great High Priest
This genealogy here is full of examples of men and women who encourage us to live a life that is fully devoted to God and full of examples of people who warn us not to live a life of sin.
Philip Ryken
“The lives of the men and women in Aarons family teach us to remain faithful in our worship day and night, and to stand up for what is right even when everything seems to be going wrong. At the same time, the tragic deaths in the family warn us not to seek our own way in work or worship.”
But here is what I want you to consider this morning as we close.
I want you to think about your own name.
One of these days, you will die, and I want you to imagine what you will be remembered by? How will people think about you?
Will they remember you by your devotion and faithfulness to God?
Will people be able to say that you were zealous for God’s glory even when everyone else might get caught up in sin?
Or...
Will they remember you as one who was devoted to the pursuit of selfishness and sin?
These are important questions...
But the real issue this morning is not what others will say about us...
The real question that we must deal with this morning is, what does God say about you this morning?
Is your name written in His family record, the Book of Life?
Do you belong to Him by faith through in the Truer and Greater High Priest, Jesus Christ?
Because no matter how faithful or unfaithful you have been, our only hope this morning for salvation is through the grace of God given to us through the death and resurrection our Lord Jesus.
This genealogy, like all genealogies in scripture, point us Jesus.
Jesus is the Great High Priest who came after Aaron.
Aaron married Elisheba, who was the daughter of Amminadab…who was the sister of Nahshon.
These were the Ancestors of King David and both of them are included in the genealogy of Jesus in Matt. 1:4.
Even in the days of Moses and Aaron, God was working out his plan to send a Savior to deliver his people from their sins.
Are you in His family this morning?
Do you trust Him to save you?
I pray this morning you will.