Chapter 5 leaves off with Moses asking God the same question that so many people ask Him everyday: WHYYYYYYY????
Why, God, have you allowed this to happen? Why, God, have you asked me to do this?
Chapter 6 gives us the reason right off the bat: so you and everyone else will SEE that I am God. You will see it. You will feel it. You will have no doubts of my existence when I’m finished here. As we all know, Egypt is getting ready to experience what seems like a never-ending wrath against an entire nation. As we’re experiencing quarantine around the globe, we can sort of relate now (at least better than we could a few weeks ago) what the Egyptians must have felt like, but hey, that’s not even in this chapter! So far, Moses and Aaron have only approached Pharaoh once. God is not only explaining to them why their task is so important, but he’s also encouraging them to give it a second go. He reminds Moses of the covenant, the legally-binding contract, he entered into with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and he promises Moses he will honor it by returning the Israelites to Canaan.
“But first, Imma show them Egyptians who rules the roost!”
The ending section is a bit of a verification from Moses (who is writing about himself) that he is convinced his line of people are somebodies. Not only does he list his own ancestry, but he sort of binds it at the end with a legal statement. How many of you have done much legal reporting or digging through legal records? If you haven’t, look some up and get a feel for their style. You’ll see that this chapter is written very similarly to a legal document – because Moses was “documenting” the events. He even writes about himself in third person, I’m guessing to take away some of the “emotional” factor that was bound to be happening at this point. He knows that the facts, and just the facts, ma’am, are what’s important here.
He seals the deed by stating clearly that his family members are the ones who obeyed this call from God. Documenting his ancestry like this makes his family responsible for the actions yet to come, no matter the outcome. Moses is owning that (and I imagine praying for the best!).
I have to mention, too, the crazy line-up of relatives. I noticed mostly that Aaron and Moses are both Levi’s grandsons and great-grandsons. Their father, Amran, was Levi’s grandson, and he married Levi’s daughter (so, she would have been Amran’s aunt). Just keepin’ it in the fam! I can’t get enough of these family trees!
Writing prompt: third person
Write about yourself in third person. Pick any event, big or small, and document it. Try to seal it with a legally-binding statement with God that you will continue to honor for years to come. Like choose something doable. Don’t make a lifelong commitment you know you’ll never be able to keep. I’ve made vows like, “I will read the Scripture of the day on my Bible app before opening any other app on my phone when I get up in the mornings.” This commitment has changed my life! And it’s pretty simple, too. God is graceful to give us simple tasks that even we humans can remember to do in order to draw us closer to Him. Have I forgotten on occasion and went straight to reading my emails before my daily scripture? You betcha. As soon as I remember, though, I try to immediately go to the scripture of the day. And God has been graceful in my forgetfulness, too.
(Written April 14, 2020)
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