Exodus 6:16–20

Then comes a remarkable genealogy... It starts with Reuben and Simeon, stops at Levi and his sons, and gives prominence to "Aaron and Moses" (20-26) — the natural order first. But at the end (v. 27) it puts them in the order of spiritual power: "Moses and Aaron." Is this man's folly, or God's wisdom and design?

It is very significant that the genealogy of the tribes is given only until Moses and Aaron are reached (Ex. 6:26); so Christ is the one object before God, the only Deliverer of His elect.

Levi is the third son, and three is a number which speaks of resurrection — the power of God shown when everything on man's side is gone. Man's ruin is admitted, and Levi illustrates it. He was "joined" to Simeon in that display of "cruel" wrath which Jacob condemns. Yet now God's sovereign grace takes him up and works through him for His glory. So this same Levi, "joined," also speaks of the mediatorship of Christ, which is only fully reached in resurrection.

Such was Levi by nature and by practice — self-willed, fierce, and cruel. How remarkable that such a one should be singled out and brought into a place of such high and holy privilege! We may say it was grace from first to last. It is the way of grace to take up the very worst cases. It stoops to the lowest depths and gathers up its brightest trophies from there.

The tribe had three families: Gershon, which means "stranger"; Kohath, "assembly"; and Merari, "bitterness." Gershon cared for the curtains, Kohath for the holy vessels, and Merari for the boards, sockets and pillars of the tabernacle.

Each family had a particular work to do... They were not to covet the work of another. The man who had to carry the tent-pegs was not to envy the Kohathites, who carried the furniture of pure gold. There is a lesson for us here.

With Levi the genealogy expands, and the Spirit of God lingers over it. It records the years of Levi himself, of Kohath, and of Amram, and later on of Aaron and Moses at the time of Israel's deliverance. Who can doubt that there is much more here than mere history?

The mother of Moses (Jochebed) was Levi's daughter. Levi lived only 137 years in all. Suppose he spent 88 of them in Egypt, which can be roughly proved. Then Jochebed was born during those years. If Moses was born when she was 47, and Moses was 80 at the Exodus, these sums (88 + 47 + 80 = 215 years) show that Israel may have been in Egypt about 215 years.

Then follows the record of "the heads of their fathers' houses." He knows them by name. He comes down where the slaves are, and calls them by name, thus identifying Himself with them. And then He knew, as He does now, every groan, every burden, every spot upon which the whip of the cruel taskmaster had fallen. This is the precious lesson of this register of names.

But before we go on with that record, we have a break in the story. The last verse of the chapter repeats the words of Moses recorded in verse 12. Then verses 14-27 give us family details about the sons of Reuben and Simeon, and after that, in more detail, the sons of Levi, leading up to Moses and Aaron and their immediate descendants. This is how we learn who these two chief actors on God's behalf are.

Here we are told to pause a moment, to see who these men are that this burden is laid on. The passage sets their family line before us, and for the history here the meaning is plainly theirs alone… A genealogy at this point should wake us up. Is it an interruption? Is it a mere bit of archaeology? or what?

The sons of Reuben and Simeon are also given here, though set aside for Levi, the third son. On the surface this looks as if it has no spiritual meaning, yet the meaning is plain. Reuben is the eldest, and his four sons have beautiful names, full of promise. But it is "first that which is natural, and afterwards that which is spiritual." So he is set aside. Simeon, too, with his six sons is passed over, and Levi is chosen — the third son… and in his name, "joined," the work of Christ as mediator is surely implied, a work only fully reached in resurrection.

The sons of Levi are Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, and these three are the heads of eight families. "Gershon" means "exile." His two sons are Libni, "white," and Shimei, "my report" — names that are not hard to join into one meaning. A true exile is someone who feels his exile from the home of his heart, even if it lasts only a while. Out of this spirit of being a stranger comes power for purity and freedom from defilement. And the last name may well speak of what has the fullest value for him here: the "report" of things he cannot yet see.

Gershon and his sons had charge of the coverings and the fine linen. Gershon means exile, a stranger. The fine linen is a picture of righteousness. The coverings and hangings divided off and separated the different parts of the tabernacle, so they must carry the meaning of separation. His service points us to this: we are separated ones and strangers in the world. This separation must show itself in practical righteousness.

Walking in the character of the Lord Jesus is what makes the saint "a stranger" (as the name Gershon means) in the world… The Church has laid down the rams' skins and badgers' skins, and with them the Gershonite character. In other words, the Church has stopped walking in the footsteps of her rejected Lord and Master. The result is that she is not the tired and worn stranger she should be, walking the dry and barren desert with the burden on her shoulders. Instead she has settled down in the green places of the world and made herself at home.

Just at this point, when Israel was in despair and Moses was overwhelmed, the record introduces the genealogy of Aaron and Moses. It shows their high dignity as God's servants in the deliverance of Israel. And we see that, though Israel lived in slavery, they lost nothing of their tribal order or of the headship of their princes. Israel was a nation; it was not reduced to a herd of slaves even at the time of its most bitter and hopeless bondage. The genealogy shows a new starting point in the history God gave. Here it begins the story of the era when God fulfils His promise of deliverance.

Then comes the record of "the heads of their fathers' houses." He knows them by name. He comes down where the slaves are and calls them by name, and in doing so He identifies Himself with them. And then He knew, as He does now, every groan, every burden, every spot where the whip of the cruel taskmaster had fallen. This is the precious lesson of this register of names. Exodus holds no other genealogy.

Levi is the third son, a number which speaks of resurrection — the power of God shown when on man's side all is gone. His ruin is owned. Levi shows it: he was "joined" to Simeon in that display of cruel anger which Jacob condemns. Yet God's sovereign grace has now taken him up, and he works for His glory. So too, as a picture, this same Levi — "joined" — speaks of Christ as mediator, something only fully reached in resurrection.

Last of Levi's three sons we find Merari, "bitter," with his two sons, Mahli, "sick," and Mushi, "yielding." Strangest words of all are these in connection with Levi's sons. These families have charge of the boards of the tabernacle and its bars, its pillars and sockets, and those of the court and the pegs and cords… Merari's work is mainly what we may call church work. And who that has engaged in this has not found the bitterness which Merari's name expresses? A man would be little fitted for ministry who could not feel it.

Merari had charge with his sons of the boards, the sockets, pins and cords. These held the building together… The framework of the tabernacle, with the bars of acacia wood joining the boards, is a picture of the building we read about in Ephesians — "a building fitly framed together," in an older translation — the church. The work of Merari suggests the thought of union.

Each family had a particular work to do… The family of Merari carried the boards, the bars, the pillars around the court and their sockets, pins and cords. They also set up the tabernacle at each new site… Each had his own work to do. They were not to covet the work of another. The man who carried the tent-pegs was not to envy Kohath's family, who carried the furniture of pure gold. There is a lesson for us here.

Israel was in despair and Moses was overwhelmed. It is just at this point that the record introduces the genealogy of Aaron and Moses, and their high dignity as God's servants in the deliverance of Israel. And we see that Israel was enslaved, yet had lost none of their tribal order and none of the headship of their princes. Israel was a nation; it was not reduced to a herd of slaves even at the time of its most bitter and hopeless bondage.

The last verse of the chapter repeats the words of Moses recorded in verse 12. Verses 14-27 give us genealogical details about the sons of Reuben and Simeon, and then more especially the sons of Levi, leading up to Moses and Aaron and their immediate descendants. This establishes who the two chief actors on God's behalf are.

This genealogy starts with Reuben and Simeon and stops at Levi and his sons. It gives prominence to "Aaron and Moses" (20-26) in natural order first, but at the end (v. 27) in spiritual power "Moses and Aaron." Is this man's folly, or God's wisdom and design?

It is very significant that the genealogy of the tribes is given only until Moses and Aaron are reached (Ex. 6:26); so Christ is the one object before God, the only Deliverer of His elect.

With Levi the genealogy expands, and the Spirit of God lingers over it. It records the number of years of Levi himself, of Kohath, and of Amram, and later on of Aaron and Moses at the time of Israel's deliverance. Who can doubt that there is much to be found here besides mere history? What we have seen may at least show that the principles of the covenant hold all through the history. This is one thing the genealogy is designed to bring out.

Genesis 15:13 and Acts 7:6 seem to state the period as four hundred years. A much shorter period is implied in Genesis 15:16, which says of Israel in Egypt that "they shall come back here in the fourth generation." If we turn to Exodus 6:16-20 we find exactly four generations, like this: Jacob's son Levi. Levi's son Kohath. Kohath's son Amram. Amram's son Moses. The mother of Moses, Jochebed, was Levi's daughter (Numbers 26:59), and Amram had married his own aunt (Exodus 6:20). Levi lived only 137 years in all. Suppose he lived in Egypt 88 years. Then Jochebed was born during those years. If Moses was born when she was 47, and Moses was 80 years old at the Exodus, these sums (88 + 47 + 80 = 215 years) show that Israel may have been in Egypt about 215 years. This is the period now generally supposed.

Until Israel came to Sinai, we have no hint of any marriage law laid down by God. Before the flood, and certainly in the days of Cain, what the Levitical law ruled as incest was lawful. Men married their sisters. Jochebed was Amram's own aunt, his father's sister. By the law of Leviticus, such unions as Abraham and Sarah, Amram and Jochebed, and Jacob and Rachel were forbidden (Leviticus 18:11-12, 18).

Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Moses. What a delightful story theirs is in the second chapter of Exodus. The wife seems to have been the moving spirit here, which is perhaps no surprise, since Jochebed was Amram's aunt (Ex. 6:20). Nothing suggests that Amram was not in his rightful place in that little home in Egypt… Those of us who have lived in a land ruled by a hostile enemy can better appreciate the magnificent courage of this devoted couple. They were not afraid of the king's command. And how God honoured their faith! Each of their three children became one of His own honoured servants.