The forerunner of Christ

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‘Go and tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his land.’ Exodus 6:11

The taskmasters set over the enslaved people of Israel were probably the Egyptian officials in charge of building operations who, in their turn, dealt with them by using the people’s more promising leaders as foremen. These foremen petitioned Pharaoh for a more righteous consideration of their situation. In response, Pharaoh told them that it is the request of Moses and Aaron that has resulted in a deterioration of their working conditions. For the first time, Moses has experienced the wrath of his own people, something that would become commonplace for him in effecting their deliverance. He finds himself inextricably trapped between the divine command and the anger of the people. He pleads with the Lord for help; and again he is assured that the power of the God of Israel will triumph over Pharaoh. He and Aaron are instructed to go to Pharaoh on behalf of the people.

In this passage, we are then given the genealogies of Moses and Aaron. Although Moses and his brother are of the Levitical line, Reuben and Simeon are mentioned first because they are Levi’s older brothers. According to this enumeration, Moses is a fourth generation descendent of Jacob. The list does not claim to mention all the generations of Jacob, and the term ‘son’ is referred to quite loosely to refer to anyone in direct line, whether son, grandson or great-grandson. The type of marriage as the one between Amran and his aunt would be forbidden by later legislation. The progeny of Moses go unmentioned; whereas Eleazar and Korah, the descendants of Aaron, are noted; the former for his priestly role and the latter for his connection with temple ritual.

The Lord covenants to establish the children of Israel, just as He established their forefathers. He tells them, through Moses, that He will remove their burdens, rescue them, redeem them, and restore their heritage. Moses is gradually revealed as the forerunner of Christ, a type of Messiah and Deliverer. He will deliver the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, free them from the yoke of Pharaoh and lead them into the Promised Land.

The Revd Canon Stephen Jones, Vicar of Christchurch, Carnforth