Exodus 6:14-30: a reflection

14These are the heads of their fathers’ houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben. 15The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon. 16These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years. 17The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families. 18The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred thirty-three years. 19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations. 20Amram took Jochebed his father’s sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses. The years of the life of Amram were one hundred thirty-seven years. 21The sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri. 22The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. 24The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites. 25Eleazar Aaron’s son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites according to their families. 26These are that Aaron and Moses to whom the LORD said, “Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies.” 27These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron. 28On the day when the LORD spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29The LORD said to Moses, “I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I tell you.” 30Moses said before the LORD, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?”

In the midst of the account of Moses and Aaron's great calling to confront Pharaoh, the text pauses to give a genealogy, listing their ancestors, their ordinary family line: the sons of Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and so on, down to Amram and Jochebed, the parents of Aaron and Moses. And it ends with Moses' own sense of unfitness: Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips; how will Pharaoh listen to me? These were ordinary men, from an ordinary family line, called to an extraordinary task, and keenly aware of their own inadequacy.

Notice that the genealogy roots Moses and Aaron in an ordinary family before their extraordinary calling. They were not superhuman figures, but real men with named ancestors, an ordinary lineage; and Moses felt his own inadequacy, his uncircumcised lips, his unfitness to speak before Pharaoh. God called ordinary people, from an ordinary family, who felt unequal to the task, to accomplish his great purpose. The greatness was in the calling and the God who called, not in the men themselves.

That is an encouragement for us, ordinary people whom God may call to his purposes. We can think that God's great work requires extraordinary people, and feel that we, ordinary as we are, aware of our own inadequacies, could not be used by God. But God called Moses and Aaron, ordinary men from an ordinary family, who felt unequal to the task; the greatness was in God's calling, not in them. Do not think you must be extraordinary for God to use you; he calls ordinary people, from ordinary families, who feel inadequate, to accomplish his purposes. Your ordinariness, or your sense of inadequacy, is not a barrier to God's using you; he used Moses and Aaron, ordinary men who felt unfit. Offer yourself to God as you are, ordinary and aware of your inadequacies, trusting that the greatness is in his calling and his working, not in you, and that he delights to use ordinary people for his purposes.

Lord, in the midst of the account of Moses and Aaron's great calling, the text pauses for a genealogy, rooting them in an ordinary family line; and it ends with Moses' sense of unfitness, I am of uncircumcised lips; how will Pharaoh listen to me? These were ordinary men, from an ordinary family, called to an extraordinary task, aware of their own inadequacy. Encourage me by that, for I am an ordinary person whom you may call to your purposes. I can think that your great work requires extraordinary people, and feel that I, ordinary as I am, aware of my own inadequacies, could not be used by you. But you called Moses and Aaron, ordinary men from an ordinary family, who felt unequal to the task; the greatness was in your calling, not in them. Keep me from thinking I must be extraordinary for you to use me; you call ordinary people, from ordinary families, who feel inadequate, to accomplish your purposes. My ordinariness, or my sense of inadequacy, is not a barrier to your using me; you used Moses and Aaron, ordinary men who felt unfit. Help me offer myself to you as I am, ordinary and aware of my inadequacies, trusting that the greatness is in your calling and your working, not in me, Lord, and that you delight to use ordinary people for your purposes. Use me as I am.