1 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:15,640 I think there's something within each of us that we all like 2 00:00:15,640 --> 00:00:17,440 to know where we've come from. 3 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:20,920 And this is a theme that over the past number of years, we've thought 4 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:24,320 of before at different times in different ways, depending on what 5 00:00:24,320 --> 00:00:26,280 passages have been before us. 6 00:00:26,280 --> 00:00:29,560 We take pride in the heritage that we've been brought up in and 7 00:00:29,560 --> 00:00:32,860 we have a strong connection and to the place that we call home. 8 00:00:33,740 --> 00:00:35,780 Each of our upbringings define us. 9 00:00:35,780 --> 00:00:38,460 I had a scary moment a few weeks ago because I was asked to 10 00:00:38,460 --> 00:00:41,460 be the guest of honour at my old high school prize giving up in 11 00:00:41,460 --> 00:00:42,380 Newton Hamilton. 12 00:00:43,020 --> 00:00:46,620 And as I was there on the stage shaking hands, names were called 13 00:00:46,620 --> 00:00:48,620 out and I was handing over the certificates. 14 00:00:49,100 --> 00:00:51,860 As I saw the young people walking up to me, I thought, oh, 15 00:00:51,860 --> 00:00:53,180 you look very familiar. 16 00:00:53,580 --> 00:00:56,220 And then I heard their names and all of a sudden it became very 17 00:00:56,220 --> 00:00:59,340 familiar because indeed their parents had gone to school with me. 18 00:00:59,970 --> 00:01:02,330 And so I suddenly realized that the people down in front of 19 00:01:02,330 --> 00:01:05,570 me knew a lot more about me than I would like them to have known. 20 00:01:06,370 --> 00:01:09,970 And so we know what defines us and we know our family tree. 21 00:01:09,970 --> 00:01:13,490 We perhaps have features that have been passed on from one generation 22 00:01:13,490 --> 00:01:14,010 to the next. 23 00:01:14,010 --> 00:01:17,730 And maybe someone will tell you, oh, you look like your grandfather. 24 00:01:17,730 --> 00:01:21,330 And that was said to me one time, oh, you look so like your grandfather 25 00:01:21,330 --> 00:01:23,330 who had died when I was nine months old. 26 00:01:23,330 --> 00:01:26,690 But I was adopted, so he wasn't even my grandfather by blood. 27 00:01:26,770 --> 00:01:28,210 So baffled me. 28 00:01:28,210 --> 00:01:31,930 But there you go, we start to look like people. 29 00:01:31,930 --> 00:01:32,970 It's not just about looks. 30 00:01:33,290 --> 00:01:37,050 We pick up their habits, the way they do things. 31 00:01:37,610 --> 00:01:41,290 Whether we like it or not, we are more shaped by our parents and 32 00:01:41,290 --> 00:01:44,010 our grandparents than we like to think. 33 00:01:44,010 --> 00:01:48,010 And maybe what's worse to think about, we influence our children 34 00:01:48,410 --> 00:01:53,220 and they too pick up our habits and our cultures of what we 35 00:01:53,220 --> 00:01:53,380 have. 36 00:01:53,380 --> 00:01:55,900 You see, our upbringings truly do define us. 37 00:01:55,900 --> 00:01:58,340 We simply don't look like our parents. 38 00:01:59,060 --> 00:02:00,100 We talk like them. 39 00:02:00,340 --> 00:02:03,140 We have their habits, we have their facial expressions. 40 00:02:03,620 --> 00:02:06,460 And even if there's no resemblance in the features of our 41 00:02:06,460 --> 00:02:09,860 parents, we will inevitably pick up their influence in other 42 00:02:09,860 --> 00:02:10,340 ways. 43 00:02:10,580 --> 00:02:12,900 And all that becomes part of who we are now. 44 00:02:12,900 --> 00:02:17,180 And of course, no one stays the same forever because as we go 45 00:02:17,180 --> 00:02:20,100 through life, there are other influences on our lives that will 46 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:23,650 change us and we will adapt to the new circumstances and, and to 47 00:02:23,650 --> 00:02:24,570 the new situation. 48 00:02:24,650 --> 00:02:27,370 So even though we may look at a family tree, knowing where we've 49 00:02:27,370 --> 00:02:31,410 come from and perhaps knowing who's coming after us, it's all of 50 00:02:31,410 --> 00:02:34,250 this that defines who we are today. 51 00:02:35,210 --> 00:02:38,650 And today we come to a genealogy in Exodus that would be 52 00:02:38,650 --> 00:02:40,250 very easy for us to skip over. 53 00:02:40,810 --> 00:02:42,650 Let's face it, there's a lot of names there. 54 00:02:42,970 --> 00:02:47,050 And maybe on first reading, you don't get the sequence of those 55 00:02:47,130 --> 00:02:50,990 names, and you don't feel the pressure of having to read those 56 00:02:51,150 --> 00:02:51,790 names. 57 00:02:52,990 --> 00:02:55,710 But you know, they're here for a reason. 58 00:02:56,750 --> 00:03:00,990 God doesn't put things in His Word just for the sake of it. 59 00:03:01,790 --> 00:03:02,750 There is meaning. 60 00:03:02,990 --> 00:03:07,150 And we may never have heard of any of these people before, maybe 61 00:03:07,150 --> 00:03:09,390 never have come across them anywhere else in Scripture. 62 00:03:10,030 --> 00:03:13,310 But this genealogy, just like all the genealogies of Scripture, 63 00:03:13,310 --> 00:03:16,500 are important because genealogies tell us that that were 64 00:03:16,500 --> 00:03:19,820 dealing with real people in real situations. 65 00:03:21,020 --> 00:03:24,220 These were sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, grandparents 66 00:03:24,220 --> 00:03:25,660 and great grandparents. 67 00:03:26,540 --> 00:03:31,620 And these genealogies are also honest, because not everyone listed 68 00:03:31,620 --> 00:03:33,980 here in Exodus 6 is perfect. 69 00:03:35,180 --> 00:03:38,220 All you have to do is jump to the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 70 00:03:38,220 --> 00:03:41,980 1 that we will inevitably read over this Advent season to understand 71 00:03:42,060 --> 00:03:46,220 that that when you read Christ's own family, you know that 72 00:03:46,220 --> 00:03:48,180 they're downright scoundrels. 73 00:03:49,460 --> 00:03:54,100 And so as we turn to Exodus 6, we see that the Israelites were simply 74 00:03:54,100 --> 00:03:55,620 ordinary men and women. 75 00:03:56,260 --> 00:03:59,780 We see this from their names, many of which tell us something about 76 00:03:59,780 --> 00:04:01,220 their personal traits. 77 00:04:02,100 --> 00:04:05,780 Palu's parents must have been demanding because his name means 78 00:04:06,020 --> 00:04:07,220 extraordinary. 79 00:04:07,860 --> 00:04:12,590 Korah means baldy, and we can conclude that he was hairless when 80 00:04:12,590 --> 00:04:13,950 he came out of his mother's womb. 81 00:04:14,510 --> 00:04:18,190 Nepheg means clumsy, which is not very flattering. 82 00:04:18,190 --> 00:04:20,350 But then it's a simple fact that there are people in the world 83 00:04:20,350 --> 00:04:22,750 who are just not as well coordinated as others. 84 00:04:23,390 --> 00:04:27,470 And the Israelites, you see, were ordinary people with ordinary 85 00:04:27,870 --> 00:04:28,510 names. 86 00:04:29,630 --> 00:04:33,350 And even if we didn't know anything else about them, we would 87 00:04:33,350 --> 00:04:36,960 know at the very outset that they're very much like us. 88 00:04:38,320 --> 00:04:41,600 They were men and women created in the image of God. 89 00:04:42,720 --> 00:04:46,160 They were fallen sinners in desperate need of God's grace. 90 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:52,160 And like us, they were included in God's saving plan. 91 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,280 Whether we know who they are is not merely as important as whether 92 00:04:57,360 --> 00:04:59,440 God knows who they are. 93 00:05:00,080 --> 00:05:05,450 Carmi, Jachin and Zikri and Putiel and all the rest of them prove 94 00:05:05,450 --> 00:05:09,810 the biblical promise that the Lord knows those who are his, as 95 00:05:09,810 --> 00:05:14,130 second Timothy chapter two and verse 19 tells us. 96 00:05:14,930 --> 00:05:19,250 So why do we have a list of names, many of whom we've never heard 97 00:05:19,250 --> 00:05:19,570 before? 98 00:05:19,970 --> 00:05:23,810 Why is it here now at this particular point in Exodus? 99 00:05:24,290 --> 00:05:27,890 Well, chapters one to five have been focusing very much on Moses. 100 00:05:28,730 --> 00:05:31,370 We had a genealogy of Moses at the start of the book. 101 00:05:31,690 --> 00:05:34,930 And we've learned of his birth, his upbringing in the palace 102 00:05:34,930 --> 00:05:37,970 of Pharaoh, and we've learned about his departure from Egypt and 103 00:05:37,970 --> 00:05:40,170 his self imposed exile in Midian. 104 00:05:40,570 --> 00:05:44,210 We've witnessed his call at the burning bush to go back to the 105 00:05:44,210 --> 00:05:47,050 land of his birth, to rescue God's people. 106 00:05:48,250 --> 00:05:51,450 But we've also seen that he's a reluctant servant of the Lord. 107 00:05:51,530 --> 00:05:54,730 He's reluctant to do all of these things that God is asking him. 108 00:05:54,890 --> 00:05:59,130 And so Aaron then comes into the picture as the one who will speak 109 00:05:59,130 --> 00:06:01,910 the words to Moses by God. 110 00:06:02,630 --> 00:06:05,830 And so what we now have in the second half of chapter six is a transition. 111 00:06:06,710 --> 00:06:10,830 A transition now happens as Aaron takes a more public role in 112 00:06:10,830 --> 00:06:13,270 this great rescue of God's people. 113 00:06:14,470 --> 00:06:18,230 So as we've learned the family line of Moses, we now have to learn 114 00:06:18,230 --> 00:06:18,950 it for Aaron. 115 00:06:18,950 --> 00:06:22,270 And it's an important one because this is not just about where 116 00:06:22,270 --> 00:06:26,350 he has come from, but it's also telling us the line of Levitical 117 00:06:26,350 --> 00:06:30,060 priests for the generations to come and after him. 118 00:06:30,780 --> 00:06:35,060 So what we're beginning to see is the structure of worship and who 119 00:06:35,060 --> 00:06:38,700 will lead that structure of God's people in the years to come. 120 00:06:39,740 --> 00:06:43,300 And so the first thing we see in verse 14 is that the family of 121 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:47,100 Aaron is presented to us by the heads of the families. 122 00:06:47,580 --> 00:06:48,940 These are the heads of their families. 123 00:06:48,940 --> 00:06:50,220 And we're just taking this example. 124 00:06:50,220 --> 00:06:53,700 In verse 14, the sons of Reuben, the firstborn son of Israel, 125 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:57,290 were Hanoch and, and Palu, Hezron and Carmi. 126 00:06:58,010 --> 00:07:00,090 These were the clans of Reuben. 127 00:07:00,570 --> 00:07:04,370 And if you take a quick glance down at verses 15 and 16, you'll 128 00:07:04,370 --> 00:07:07,610 see that Reuben isn't the only son of Jacob that's mentioned here. 129 00:07:07,850 --> 00:07:11,290 We also see the head of the families of Simeon and Levi. 130 00:07:11,530 --> 00:07:15,050 Now, Exodus began with a complete list of Jacob's sons and 131 00:07:15,050 --> 00:07:16,250 the tribes of Israel. 132 00:07:16,410 --> 00:07:20,010 But here in chapter six, we only get the three founding fathers 133 00:07:20,010 --> 00:07:20,570 mentioned. 134 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,960 And off these three, then Levi gets the most attention, but the 135 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:28,440 particular focus, and that's for a very clear reason. 136 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:32,840 Reuben and Simeon are given one verse each, but there are ten 137 00:07:32,840 --> 00:07:36,520 verses for the sons and the grandsons of Levi. 138 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:41,040 So it appears that Reuben and Simeon are only mentioned here to 139 00:07:41,040 --> 00:07:45,960 indicate Levi's place in the family as Jacob's third eldest son. 140 00:07:47,170 --> 00:07:52,450 Well, Levi had three sons, Gershon, Kohath and Merari. 141 00:07:52,930 --> 00:07:56,290 Now the genealogy lists each of these men together with the names 142 00:07:56,290 --> 00:07:59,090 of their sons in verses 16 through to 19. 143 00:07:59,490 --> 00:08:02,610 But special attention is given to the line of Kohath. 144 00:08:02,610 --> 00:08:03,890 So do you see what's happening here? 145 00:08:04,130 --> 00:08:08,610 A broader picture narrowing down to get to what we really need 146 00:08:08,610 --> 00:08:09,090 to know. 147 00:08:09,570 --> 00:08:13,410 And not only does the genealogy mention his sons, Amram, 148 00:08:13,730 --> 00:08:17,330 Izhar, Hebron and Uziel, but it proceeds to list their sons as 149 00:08:17,330 --> 00:08:17,650 well. 150 00:08:18,370 --> 00:08:22,730 So in other words, out of all the great grandsons of Levi, the 151 00:08:22,730 --> 00:08:26,610 genealogy is only interested in the grandsons of Kohath. 152 00:08:27,330 --> 00:08:30,290 And I hope by now the reason for this is obvious. 153 00:08:31,090 --> 00:08:37,570 The genealogy is mainly about Aaron, and it is Aaron who stands 154 00:08:37,570 --> 00:08:44,220 at its center in verse 20, because from him he will be the first 155 00:08:44,220 --> 00:08:47,580 to lead God's people in community worship. 156 00:08:50,540 --> 00:08:53,700 So the first half of the genealogy traces Aaron's ancestry 157 00:08:53,700 --> 00:08:57,980 from Levi through Kohath to Amram, and the second half lists 158 00:08:57,980 --> 00:09:05,030 Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, ending the with 159 00:09:05,030 --> 00:09:07,390 the birth of his grandson Phinehas. 160 00:09:08,270 --> 00:09:11,670 Now, there are two women mentioned in this genealogy, and 161 00:09:11,670 --> 00:09:15,390 they are Jochebed and Elisheba, Aaron's mother and his 162 00:09:15,390 --> 00:09:15,790 wife. 163 00:09:16,110 --> 00:09:19,470 And the mention of Jochebed is here, so that it links Moses and 164 00:09:19,470 --> 00:09:20,510 Aaron as brothers. 165 00:09:20,669 --> 00:09:24,070 And the name of Aaron's wife allows for the confirmation of legitimate 166 00:09:24,070 --> 00:09:27,390 children and thereby legitimate grandchildren within this 167 00:09:27,390 --> 00:09:28,350 community of God. 168 00:09:28,830 --> 00:09:33,070 So what appears to be just a list of names is actually a well 169 00:09:33,150 --> 00:09:39,240 organized structure for us so that we can know who Aaron is. 170 00:09:39,800 --> 00:09:43,200 And more importantly, as the children of Israel gather around 171 00:09:43,200 --> 00:09:47,360 to worship God, they will know that it is Aaron's family who will 172 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:47,880 lead them. 173 00:09:48,360 --> 00:09:51,360 And Aaron's importance is confirmed by the introduction and 174 00:09:51,360 --> 00:09:54,240 the conclusion that really bookend the genealogy. 175 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:59,040 And we'll look at verse 13 first of all that says, now the Lord 176 00:09:59,040 --> 00:10:03,000 spoke to Moses and Aaron about the Israelites and Pharaoh, King 177 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:06,800 of Egypt, and he commanded them, not Moses, but them, to bring 178 00:10:06,800 --> 00:10:09,540 the Israelites out of Egypt. 179 00:10:10,500 --> 00:10:14,420 So here we have the story of who we are. 180 00:10:19,860 --> 00:10:22,740 So the conclusion that we have at the end of this chapter is similar 181 00:10:22,820 --> 00:10:24,900 in verses 26 and 27. 182 00:10:25,380 --> 00:10:29,140 There we're told again that it is Aaron and Moses whom the Lord 183 00:10:29,140 --> 00:10:32,300 spoke to and said that you will go to the king of Egypt and 184 00:10:32,300 --> 00:10:34,180 you will bring my people out. 185 00:10:34,870 --> 00:10:38,790 So this family of Aaron and Moses is key to the story of Israel, 186 00:10:38,870 --> 00:10:42,270 reminding them of God's overarching plan to rescue them from 187 00:10:42,270 --> 00:10:43,830 their bondage to Pharaoh. 188 00:10:44,150 --> 00:10:48,670 But it also points them to the leaders of their communal life. 189 00:10:48,670 --> 00:10:53,070 Together Moses will look after how they are to be organized as a 190 00:10:53,070 --> 00:10:57,590 people of God, and Aaron will lead them in how they are to worship. 191 00:10:57,910 --> 00:11:02,240 And so this list has the good and the not so good in it, but each 192 00:11:02,240 --> 00:11:04,920 one plays a part in the development of God's people, even 193 00:11:04,920 --> 00:11:07,040 long after they leave Egypt. 194 00:11:08,480 --> 00:11:12,160 So we have three Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 195 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,840 Levi's sons teach us the meaning of faithful service of God. 196 00:11:16,560 --> 00:11:20,600 After the Israelites will come out of Egypt, God will give detailed 197 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:23,320 instructions for building a large portable tent for worship. 198 00:11:23,320 --> 00:11:24,720 We know it as the tabernacle. 199 00:11:25,610 --> 00:11:28,730 And the tribe that he put in charge of it was the tribe of Levi. 200 00:11:29,690 --> 00:11:33,650 And out of all of the tribes of Israel, the Levites were to be 201 00:11:33,650 --> 00:11:35,850 set apart for God's holy service. 202 00:11:36,490 --> 00:11:40,650 And so each of Levi's sons had specific duties in the tabernacle, 203 00:11:40,650 --> 00:11:44,970 duties that they were to later share with their ancestors and descendants. 204 00:11:45,690 --> 00:11:49,250 So the first of Levi's sons, Gershon, the Gershonites were in 205 00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:50,730 charge of the curtains. 206 00:11:51,300 --> 00:11:52,980 That's what we read in numbers 3. 207 00:11:53,380 --> 00:11:56,180 At the tent of meeting, the Gershonites were responsible for 208 00:11:56,180 --> 00:12:00,180 the care of the tabernacle and tent its coverings, the curtain at 209 00:12:00,180 --> 00:12:02,980 the entrance of the tent of meeting, the curtains of the courtyard, 210 00:12:02,980 --> 00:12:06,180 the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard surrounding the tabernacle 211 00:12:06,180 --> 00:12:10,580 and altar, and the ropes and everything related to their use. 212 00:12:10,580 --> 00:12:13,100 So here were people of the Gershonites who knew how to weave 213 00:12:13,100 --> 00:12:18,210 fabric and stitch it together so that the tabernacle would keep 214 00:12:18,210 --> 00:12:21,970 out rain and also would be protected from the glaring sun. 215 00:12:22,690 --> 00:12:24,010 So that's the Gershonites. 216 00:12:24,010 --> 00:12:26,850 The Kohathites were the interior designers. 217 00:12:27,250 --> 00:12:30,650 God put them in charge of the furnishings and the utensils inside 218 00:12:30,650 --> 00:12:31,370 the tabernacle. 219 00:12:31,370 --> 00:12:34,370 Again, in numbers three, they were responsible for the care of 220 00:12:34,370 --> 00:12:37,530 the ark, the table, the lampstand, the altars, the articles 221 00:12:37,530 --> 00:12:40,770 of the sanctuary used in ministering, the curtain, and everything 222 00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:42,370 related for their use. 223 00:12:42,370 --> 00:12:46,150 So the skills of these people is seen in what they can craft by 224 00:12:46,150 --> 00:12:49,430 way of furniture for all of the ceremonies that would lead the 225 00:12:49,430 --> 00:12:51,950 children in Israel in worship of God. 226 00:12:52,750 --> 00:12:58,310 So this was a significant part to play, and so the Kohathites were 227 00:12:58,310 --> 00:12:59,390 responsible for it. 228 00:13:00,030 --> 00:13:03,230 Well, the sons of Merari were the structural engineers. 229 00:13:03,870 --> 00:13:05,310 They did the heavy lifting. 230 00:13:05,310 --> 00:13:09,550 Again, Numbers three tells us that the Merarites were appointed 231 00:13:09,550 --> 00:13:12,950 to take care of the frames of the tabernacle, its crossbars, posts, 232 00:13:12,950 --> 00:13:16,110 bases, all its equipment, and everything related to their use, 233 00:13:16,430 --> 00:13:19,610 as well as the posts of the surrounding courtyard with their 234 00:13:19,610 --> 00:13:22,010 bases, tent pegs, and ropes. 235 00:13:22,570 --> 00:13:27,690 And so each family, led by God, had their own clearly defined 236 00:13:27,770 --> 00:13:30,570 duties in the tabernacle. 237 00:13:30,890 --> 00:13:35,130 And these tasks may sound mundane, but they were all essential 238 00:13:35,610 --> 00:13:37,370 for the worship of God. 239 00:13:37,610 --> 00:13:41,930 And so the Levites held a position of great honor in Israel. 240 00:13:41,930 --> 00:13:45,690 And as one of the Kohathites would write in Psalm 84, verse 10, 241 00:13:45,690 --> 00:13:49,280 Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere. 242 00:13:49,670 --> 00:13:53,510 I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell 243 00:13:53,510 --> 00:13:54,870 in the tents of the wicked. 244 00:13:55,030 --> 00:13:58,190 These weren't simply people that a trade was handed down from 245 00:13:58,190 --> 00:13:59,590 one generation to the next. 246 00:14:00,150 --> 00:14:03,270 These were people who were committed to their service of God 247 00:14:03,670 --> 00:14:08,070 because they would rather be in his place, in his dwelling, rather 248 00:14:08,070 --> 00:14:09,190 than with the wicked. 249 00:14:10,310 --> 00:14:16,510 And so Aaron's family treasured its rich legacy of glorifying 250 00:14:16,510 --> 00:14:18,470 God through practical service. 251 00:14:19,110 --> 00:14:22,510 They understood the significance of what they did and 252 00:14:22,510 --> 00:14:27,150 how it was to be done so that the whole community of God would 253 00:14:27,150 --> 00:14:28,390 benefit from their work. 254 00:14:29,430 --> 00:14:31,110 But this is not a perfect family. 255 00:14:31,110 --> 00:14:34,070 Just before we start to think, well, it's all right for them. 256 00:14:35,350 --> 00:14:39,670 There are names here of people who caused trouble, the troublemakers. 257 00:14:39,990 --> 00:14:43,430 Aaron had some relatives to be proud of, but then there were others. 258 00:14:43,750 --> 00:14:46,920 Let's just describe them as a few skeletons in the cupboard. 259 00:14:47,880 --> 00:14:52,200 Korah is introduced to us in verse 21 of this passage. 260 00:14:52,760 --> 00:14:56,280 And then details of his sons are given in verse 24. 261 00:14:57,240 --> 00:14:59,760 But it is in the Book of Numbers again that we turn to to 262 00:14:59,760 --> 00:15:02,400 find out what is the problem with Korah. 263 00:15:02,400 --> 00:15:05,160 Well, his problem is he rebelled against Moses. 264 00:15:05,640 --> 00:15:09,520 Korah incited several hundred others to join him in challenging 265 00:15:09,520 --> 00:15:12,580 his cousins, challenging their spiritual authority. 266 00:15:12,660 --> 00:15:16,820 And so we read in Numbers 16:3, they came as a group to oppose 267 00:15:16,820 --> 00:15:20,180 Moses and Aaron and said to them, you have gone too far. 268 00:15:20,260 --> 00:15:23,820 The whole community is holy, every one of them, but the Lord is 269 00:15:23,820 --> 00:15:24,340 with them. 270 00:15:25,220 --> 00:15:28,980 Why then do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly? 271 00:15:30,260 --> 00:15:35,700 You see, Korah was not content with his God given place in ministry. 272 00:15:36,750 --> 00:15:37,550 He was ambitious. 273 00:15:37,550 --> 00:15:39,870 He thought he could do better. 274 00:15:41,310 --> 00:15:46,230 He wanted more recognition and he thought that Moses was standing 275 00:15:46,230 --> 00:15:46,990 in his way. 276 00:15:48,110 --> 00:15:53,030 Yet by rebelling against Moses, Korah actually was rebelling 277 00:15:53,030 --> 00:15:57,670 against God, who had given Moses the authority in the first 278 00:15:57,670 --> 00:15:58,030 place. 279 00:15:58,670 --> 00:16:01,310 This is why Korah and his followers were destroyed. 280 00:16:01,750 --> 00:16:04,870 As Numbers will tell us, Moses pronounced God's judgment against 281 00:16:04,870 --> 00:16:05,270 them. 282 00:16:05,350 --> 00:16:09,030 And as soon as he was finished talking, we're told in number 16, 283 00:16:09,110 --> 00:16:14,030 the ground under them split apart and the earth opened its mouth 284 00:16:14,030 --> 00:16:16,790 and swallowed them up with their households and all the people 285 00:16:16,790 --> 00:16:19,110 who belonged to Korah and all their goods. 286 00:16:19,670 --> 00:16:23,670 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol 287 00:16:23,910 --> 00:16:28,270 and the earth closed over them and they perished from the midst 288 00:16:28,430 --> 00:16:29,550 of the assembly. 289 00:16:30,990 --> 00:16:36,870 So you have those who are organizing the tabernacle, facilitating 290 00:16:36,870 --> 00:16:38,350 the worship of God's people. 291 00:16:38,910 --> 00:16:42,590 And then in this genealogy of the family of Levi, you have those 292 00:16:43,229 --> 00:16:45,150 who think they can do better. 293 00:16:46,110 --> 00:16:50,630 And so God showed his contempt for Korah's rebellion and teaches 294 00:16:50,630 --> 00:16:55,630 us that God appoints those who whom he wants in positions of authority 295 00:16:56,110 --> 00:16:57,150 and leadership. 296 00:16:58,110 --> 00:17:00,670 And there are many other names here that we could look at this morning, 297 00:17:00,670 --> 00:17:02,110 but we need to finish. 298 00:17:03,070 --> 00:17:07,310 But there are two things that I want us to consider from this passage. 299 00:17:07,710 --> 00:17:11,230 And the first thing is, as we look at this long list of names, 300 00:17:12,830 --> 00:17:16,190 who are they under God as His people? 301 00:17:16,990 --> 00:17:19,790 And I think what we have to say is that they're servants of God, 302 00:17:19,790 --> 00:17:23,680 that they are serving the Lord Almighty because they're helping 303 00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,560 the people of God to worship Him. 304 00:17:26,960 --> 00:17:30,000 Now, last year we considered what it meant to serve in the church. 305 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:33,280 This is something that then you have the opportunity to demonstrate 306 00:17:33,280 --> 00:17:34,800 as part of the mission in May. 307 00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:38,759 And of course, as we go through week by week in our normal 308 00:17:38,759 --> 00:17:40,840 schedule, the opportunity to serve. 309 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:45,360 So this is something we do, but we don't do it because it suits 310 00:17:45,360 --> 00:17:46,880 us or it's convenient. 311 00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:51,020 Service in the church is a command from God. 312 00:17:51,020 --> 00:17:53,180 And that's what we see demonstrated here. 313 00:17:53,340 --> 00:17:58,500 In the family of Levi, everyone had a gift, and everyone 314 00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:02,340 had that gift to use, and they freely used it. 315 00:18:02,340 --> 00:18:04,260 That's what Paul tells the church in Galatia. 316 00:18:04,260 --> 00:18:08,060 In Galatians 5:13, you, my brothers, were called to be free, 317 00:18:08,060 --> 00:18:11,100 but do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature. 318 00:18:11,500 --> 00:18:15,020 Rather serve one another in love. 319 00:18:17,030 --> 00:18:21,870 If we proclaim that we are part of the family of God, if we 320 00:18:21,870 --> 00:18:25,750 say that we're in this great lineage of Jesus that even we're 321 00:18:25,750 --> 00:18:29,550 seeing a foreshadowing of here in Exodus 6, but we know more fully 322 00:18:29,550 --> 00:18:33,910 in Matthew 1, then it means that we are free from sin. 323 00:18:34,470 --> 00:18:37,830 But this freedom isn't to sit back and do nothing. 324 00:18:38,630 --> 00:18:40,950 This freedom in Christ means that we love Him. 325 00:18:41,030 --> 00:18:44,140 And in loving him, then we love him, his people. 326 00:18:45,340 --> 00:18:48,780 So we should want to serve them in whatever way we can. 327 00:18:49,420 --> 00:18:52,940 And I want to thank each and every one who serves in any capacity 328 00:18:52,940 --> 00:18:56,700 in this congregation, because you are a blessing. 329 00:18:56,860 --> 00:19:00,020 You're not just a blessing to me, but you're a blessing to many 330 00:19:00,020 --> 00:19:00,380 others. 331 00:19:02,060 --> 00:19:05,580 But if you are able to serve and you haven't found a place in 332 00:19:05,580 --> 00:19:08,500 which to serve, then please speak to me. 333 00:19:08,500 --> 00:19:11,840 Because as much as I say we want to be a biblical church, part 334 00:19:11,840 --> 00:19:14,120 of being a biblical church is that we serve. 335 00:19:15,000 --> 00:19:17,960 We would love you to be part of what it means to be a blessing 336 00:19:17,960 --> 00:19:22,080 not only to God's people, but that God's people in return may be 337 00:19:22,080 --> 00:19:23,560 a blessing to you. 338 00:19:25,400 --> 00:19:28,760 So as you perhaps go home and think about this, as you think about 339 00:19:28,760 --> 00:19:31,840 this long list of names and wonder, what on earth is he going 340 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:32,680 to say about this? 341 00:19:33,560 --> 00:19:37,080 Look at who they are, but more importantly, look at their calling. 342 00:19:38,510 --> 00:19:42,110 Each of us called to Christ are called to serve, as Paul tells 343 00:19:42,110 --> 00:19:47,070 us, not to simply sit in sinful ways, but to actually love 344 00:19:47,390 --> 00:19:48,190 God's people. 345 00:19:49,630 --> 00:19:53,670 So the challenge of serving isn't simply to fill spaces that 346 00:19:53,670 --> 00:19:54,350 are vacant. 347 00:19:55,150 --> 00:19:58,270 Serving is a command just the family of Levi knew. 348 00:19:58,750 --> 00:20:02,710 So today the family of God continue to need to know that it 349 00:20:02,710 --> 00:20:06,670 is called to serve one another in in love and in goodness. 350 00:20:08,270 --> 00:20:12,710 The second thing from this passage is about our place in the 351 00:20:12,710 --> 00:20:13,950 family of God. 352 00:20:14,990 --> 00:20:18,230 Although many of these names are not listed in that great genealogy 353 00:20:18,230 --> 00:20:21,870 of Jesus in Matthew 1, they are still part of the covenant family 354 00:20:21,870 --> 00:20:22,510 of God. 355 00:20:23,230 --> 00:20:26,590 And this is the family that we are still invited to belong to. 356 00:20:27,310 --> 00:20:28,910 And families aren't perfect. 357 00:20:28,910 --> 00:20:31,230 We know that none of our families are. 358 00:20:32,620 --> 00:20:37,660 But the family of God is one of blessing, both now and forevermore. 359 00:20:38,780 --> 00:20:42,980 God has given us these lists of names, and particularly Here in 360 00:20:42,980 --> 00:20:46,940 Exodus 6, these lists of names of people who will become priests 361 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:50,220 and high priests of the family of Levi. 362 00:20:51,740 --> 00:20:56,060 But they point us to the one whom we know as our true high Priest, 363 00:20:56,460 --> 00:20:57,220 Jesus Christ. 364 00:20:57,220 --> 00:21:00,740 He is the one who has made it possible to have salvation, to know 365 00:21:00,740 --> 00:21:04,560 the forgiveness of our sins, and to be assured of life eternal 366 00:21:04,560 --> 00:21:05,240 in heaven. 367 00:21:05,880 --> 00:21:09,760 And after all, this is what John tells us in his prologue in 368 00:21:09,760 --> 00:21:13,640 those beautiful verses of the opening of John's Gospel, as he gets 369 00:21:13,640 --> 00:21:15,800 us ready to discover who Jesus is. 370 00:21:16,920 --> 00:21:21,600 He says that our place in the family of God is one that is grounded 371 00:21:21,600 --> 00:21:25,880 in Jesus, where as his children, we have certain rights. 372 00:21:26,680 --> 00:21:29,920 Because John says yet to all who received him after saying about 373 00:21:29,920 --> 00:21:33,710 those who rejected him, to all who did receive him, to those who 374 00:21:33,710 --> 00:21:38,510 believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God. 375 00:21:39,070 --> 00:21:43,990 Children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or 376 00:21:43,990 --> 00:21:48,030 of a husband's will, but born of God. 377 00:21:49,950 --> 00:21:54,550 So whenever I say we pick up the traits of our parents, if we 378 00:21:54,550 --> 00:21:58,230 are in Christ, then we pick up the traits and the habits of our 379 00:21:58,230 --> 00:21:58,910 heavenly Father. 380 00:22:00,360 --> 00:22:04,680 We begin to look a little bit like the Savior. 381 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:09,800 That's why when we sing Love Divine or Love's Excelling, we have 382 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:16,800 that line that goes changed from glory into glory till so there's 383 00:22:16,800 --> 00:22:19,480 a moment until in heaven we take our place. 384 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:23,560 You see, for God's people what it means to be in the family of God 385 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:27,570 means That we automatically change to be more like Jesus and 386 00:22:27,570 --> 00:22:29,530 less like the world. 387 00:22:30,570 --> 00:22:33,970 And so here again, in our place, in the family of God, are 388 00:22:33,970 --> 00:22:37,770 we living as if we are in the family of God, or is it just, you 389 00:22:37,770 --> 00:22:41,370 know, I'll do church whenever it suits me, and I'll focus on everything 390 00:22:41,370 --> 00:22:41,850 else. 391 00:22:42,970 --> 00:22:45,370 Parents, what's the concentration of what your children 392 00:22:45,370 --> 00:22:46,490 do outside of school? 393 00:22:48,170 --> 00:22:51,370 How are we bringing them up in the household of God? 394 00:22:52,900 --> 00:22:55,620 How are we looking at our own lives so that we will actually be 395 00:22:55,620 --> 00:22:58,660 more like the kingdom and its values rather than the values of 396 00:22:58,660 --> 00:22:59,060 the world? 397 00:22:59,620 --> 00:23:01,540 Because after all, what's going to happen in this world? 398 00:23:01,860 --> 00:23:04,100 It's going to perish, it's going to fade away. 399 00:23:05,060 --> 00:23:06,180 But yet we have won. 400 00:23:06,740 --> 00:23:10,340 And look at those words again, that we have the right to become 401 00:23:10,340 --> 00:23:11,700 the children of God. 402 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:16,820 Last night I was speaking down in Mullertown House at a youth weekend, 403 00:23:17,790 --> 00:23:20,190 and I was talking actually on the genealogy of Jesus. 404 00:23:20,190 --> 00:23:23,510 So it fitted in quite well that these two genealogies were spoken 405 00:23:23,510 --> 00:23:24,430 over one weekend. 406 00:23:25,710 --> 00:23:28,590 And I said to them, you know, I had to be rescued twice. 407 00:23:29,390 --> 00:23:33,670 I was born with no name being adopted. 408 00:23:33,670 --> 00:23:34,910 You're not given a name. 409 00:23:35,630 --> 00:23:38,230 And so someone had to give me their name. 410 00:23:38,230 --> 00:23:40,430 And with that came all the inheritance. 411 00:23:40,430 --> 00:23:43,230 Even things I don't even know how to use are sitting in my garage. 412 00:23:44,650 --> 00:23:49,410 Because it was my inheritance, because a name was given to me so 413 00:23:49,410 --> 00:23:52,730 that I would benefit of what that family had. 414 00:23:54,170 --> 00:23:57,450 This is what it means to become children of God. 415 00:23:58,330 --> 00:24:00,330 We are in the family of God. 416 00:24:00,330 --> 00:24:02,210 We are aligned to the family of God. 417 00:24:02,210 --> 00:24:07,050 We are faithful to the family of God, and we are sure of what that 418 00:24:07,050 --> 00:24:11,780 inheritance is, and a beautiful inheritance in heaven. 419 00:24:14,660 --> 00:24:16,220 But maybe you're not in the family of God. 420 00:24:16,220 --> 00:24:19,620 Maybe that question, what is your place in the family of God? 421 00:24:19,620 --> 00:24:21,700 Is a more challenging one this morning. 422 00:24:22,820 --> 00:24:25,700 You see, we've read a list this morning, a long list of names. 423 00:24:25,700 --> 00:24:27,900 But as we get to the end of the Bible, we learn about another 424 00:24:27,900 --> 00:24:28,260 list. 425 00:24:28,980 --> 00:24:31,140 And that list is the Lamb's Book of Life. 426 00:24:31,140 --> 00:24:35,220 And so perhaps the most pointed question this morning, or 427 00:24:35,220 --> 00:24:37,900 blunt question that needs to be asked is, is your name written 428 00:24:37,900 --> 00:24:39,060 in the Lamb's Book of Life? 429 00:24:39,880 --> 00:24:41,720 In other words, is your name on a list? 430 00:24:42,440 --> 00:24:44,360 Not talking about a voters list in a church. 431 00:24:44,680 --> 00:24:47,280 I'm not talking about on the list of whatever sports team you 432 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:47,960 want to play for. 433 00:24:48,280 --> 00:24:52,520 I'm not talking about electoral register and a list that 434 00:24:52,520 --> 00:24:53,480 gives you the right to vote. 435 00:24:54,280 --> 00:24:57,760 I'm talking about the only list that will last, and that is 436 00:24:57,760 --> 00:24:58,760 the Lamb's Book of Life. 437 00:24:59,080 --> 00:25:02,840 Because Only those names that are on and in the book of the Lamb's 438 00:25:02,840 --> 00:25:05,920 Book of life will enter into eternal glory. 439 00:25:05,920 --> 00:25:09,760 This is what we know as our joy and our gladness if we know Christ, 440 00:25:09,760 --> 00:25:12,360 but if we don't know him, then the opportunity is here today to 441 00:25:12,360 --> 00:25:15,960 be part of God's family, to have the right to become a child 442 00:25:15,960 --> 00:25:16,520 of God. 443 00:25:17,000 --> 00:25:20,400 You simply need to trust in Jesus and live for him so that you 444 00:25:20,400 --> 00:25:23,440 can know this wonderful blessing of being part of the genealogy 445 00:25:23,440 --> 00:25:27,080 of Jesus and being a member of his family as we know him as our 446 00:25:27,080 --> 00:25:30,880 true High Priest, just as Exodus points us to the High Priest 447 00:25:30,880 --> 00:25:31,560 of Israel. 448 00:25:32,600 --> 00:25:35,760 You see, this passage really is all about being saved for the 449 00:25:35,760 --> 00:25:36,520 glory of God. 450 00:25:37,610 --> 00:25:40,930 This passage is all about the Gospel because it points us to the 451 00:25:40,930 --> 00:25:47,010 one that we need to know today so that you and I will share the 452 00:25:47,010 --> 00:25:50,010 same name, the name of Jesus. 453 00:25:50,970 --> 00:25:54,970 And that will be a wonderful inheritance that we know will never 454 00:25:54,970 --> 00:25:57,370 perish, spoil or fade. 455 00:25:58,570 --> 00:26:02,090 The question today is, is it your inheritance? 456 00:26:03,020 --> 00:26:04,220 And are you sure of it? 457 00:26:05,020 --> 00:26:05,900 Let me pray. 458 00:26:06,780 --> 00:26:07,740 Our Father God. 459 00:26:07,820 --> 00:26:13,220 This was an obscure passage of names, but yet those names were drilled 460 00:26:13,220 --> 00:26:17,220 down to take us to Aaron, that high priest of Israel, who points 461 00:26:17,220 --> 00:26:21,060 us to the even greater high priest of Jesus Christ, the one whom 462 00:26:21,060 --> 00:26:24,420 we celebrate coming in his first advent, but eagerly await his 463 00:26:24,420 --> 00:26:24,780 second. 464 00:26:26,380 --> 00:26:31,040 So, Father, as we think of where our name is, of the lists that 465 00:26:31,040 --> 00:26:34,280 perhaps we're getting ready at this time, there's one list we must 466 00:26:34,280 --> 00:26:34,600 be on. 467 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:36,560 And, Father, it's that wonderful book of life. 468 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:40,480 So may we be honest with ourselves and honest before you, 469 00:26:41,120 --> 00:26:43,200 that indeed we need to be right with you. 470 00:26:43,200 --> 00:26:46,240 We simply can't coast through life thinking that we'll be all right, 471 00:26:46,240 --> 00:26:47,040 because we won't. 472 00:26:48,400 --> 00:26:51,520 And Father, we live out our faith before each other as we serve 473 00:26:51,520 --> 00:26:54,360 one another, as we love one another, as we care for one another, 474 00:26:54,360 --> 00:26:55,920 as we speak well of your church. 475 00:26:57,440 --> 00:27:01,760 So, Father, help us all to live biblically faithful lives as 476 00:27:01,760 --> 00:27:04,760 we respond this morning to a passage many of us have never read 477 00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:09,280 before, but yet one that has deep meaning for us as we look ever 478 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:10,880 to you to lead us and guide us. 479 00:27:11,600 --> 00:27:14,720 And we ask these things in Jesus name, Amen.