14-15 These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. 16-17 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18-21 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations.

22 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24-25 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.

26-29 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron. On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?” Exodus 6:14-30 English Standard Version

Did you read all the verses? The Bible has places where long lists of names are given and most of us want to rush over them, or skip them completely! It's true that we don't need to spend as long on such verses as on other parts of the Bible where there is teaching we find more helpful, but verses like these are important because they remind us that the Bible is real history. These people really lived, and it's amazing that their genealogies have been preserved for thousands of years! What was the purpose of this list of names according to vs 26-29.

In tracing their family history, it was as if God was establishing the credentials of Moses and Aaron. The same Moses who felt so unworthy of being God's spokesman. (vs 30)

Reuben, Simeon and Levi were the first three of the twelve sons of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel. Levi fathered Kohath, Kohath fathered Amram, and Amram and Jochebed were the parents of Aaron and Moses. They were true blue Israelites, descendents even of Abraham, the man to whom God's promises of a chosen people had been made. Some of the other names I highlighted in the reading are people who, for better or worse, would feature later in the journey from Egypt to the land that God would give to the Israelites.

An important part of this list was that, during the exodus journey, the tribe of Levi was set apart by God to be priests in the tabernacle. In Exodus 28:1 God says to Moses: “Bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests - Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.”

Living in New Testament days that might not seem something vital for us, but in the days before Jesus came into the world the priestly system was crucial for the life of the nation. They were responsible for the sacrificial offerings made by the people, including the offerings on what became known the Passover Feast, and the Day of Atonement. And these things were preparations for the eventual coming of Christ, and the perfect atonement He would make for God's people. So the gospel that Christians have believed is rooted in real history, history which goes back, and has been faithfully recorded, over thousands of years. The apostle Peter reminded Christians that the prophetic message is something completely reliable - and that we will do well to pay attention to it. (2 Peter 1:19)