Morning Musing: Exodus 6:20, 26-27

“Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. . .It was this Aaron and Moses whom the Lord told, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.” Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Every culture has ways of identifying who its elite members are. Today we give preference to graduates of certain universities. People who are publicly known for embracing certain social positions and who are also graduates of those same schools (although it’s hard to imagine many of their graduates come out not embracing those positions given how hard they work to indoctrinate their students into their worldview) can establish themselves even more firmly. But the most consistent way we have historically identified the best and brightest is by their family name. Names like Clinton, Bush, and Kennedy carry a lot of cultural clout. Just before we get into the real action of our story, the author stops to give us Moses’ credentials. Let’s talk about what’s going on here and why it matters.

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Morning Musings: 1 Chronicles 1:1

“Adam, Seth, Enosh…”  (ESV)

The first Bible reading plan I ever went through was three years long.  It had you read basically one chapter a day.  The major exception was when you started into 1 Chronicles.  They had you read the first nine chapters all at once.  I remember doing a double take when I saw it.  Then I started reading and did exactly what they figured I would do, justifying their decision to group all nine chapters together.  I skimmed.  Quickly.  Because it was boring.   Read the rest…