Christ in all the scriptures Exodus 1

 Exodus chapter 1

    The Names of the children of Israel

"These are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, every man and his household came with Jacob".

By a gracious design, the Holy Spirit has simplified our understanding of this wonderful book by placing, near the outset, a key to the overriding theme of every book of the bible.  Reference to the first three books will suffice to illustrate this: Genesis is the book of beginnings and this is stated in 1v1, and the book traces the generations of life on earth; Exodus begins with the names of the children of Israel, and this theme is dominant in the book, as we shall see; in Leviticus, the title means "He called", 1v1 states "the Lord called", and this is found no less than 36 times throughout the book, and forms the major topic.  In this way, we can detect the main themes of each book, as this occurs all the way through, and is helpful for students of scripture.  

Exodus 1v15 "And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiprah, and the name of the other Puah."

Exodus 2v10 "And she called his name Moses, and she said, because I drew him out of the water."

Exodus 2v22 "...and he called his name Gershon: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land."

Exodus 6v16 "And these are the names of the sons of Levi...".

Exodus 18v4 "And the name of the other was Eliezer; for the God of my father, said he, was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharoah."

Exodus 28v9-12 "And thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel: six of their names on one stone, and the other six names of the rest on the other stone, according to their birth.  With the work of an engraver in stone, like the engravings of a signet, shalt thou engrave the names of the children of Israel thou shalt make them to be set in ouches of gold.  And thou shalt put the two stones upon the shoulders of the ephod for stones of memorial unto the children of Israel: and Aaron shall bear their names before the Lord upon his two shoulders for a memorial."

Exodus 28v21 "And the stones shall be with the names of the children of Israel, twelve, according to their names, like the engraving of a signet; every on with his name shall they be according to the twelve tribes."

Exodus 28v29 "And Aaron shall bear the names of the children of Israel in the breastplate of judgment upon his heart, when he goeth in unto the holy place, for a memorial before the Lord continually."

Exodus 31v1-6 "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, see, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah.....and behold I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan..."

Refer also to chapter 39v6 and 14 for repetition of chapter 28.  In a book which recounts the redemption of Israel from Egypt's bondage, through the blood of the lamb, what is emphasised is their names.  With God, His people are not just numbers, but names with meanings, and each in importance as God has placed them.  Their names are engraved (that is permanently set) in the records of heaven.  This takes us forward to the oft-repeated status in the New Testament of names in the book of life-refer Luke 10v20; Philippians 4v3; Hebrews 12v22-23; Revelation 13v8, 20v15, 21v27.  God preserves His redeemed people on His shoulders (strength) and in His heart (compassion).  They are names which are written in heaven, which will never be erased.  As the hymnwriter wrote:

A Debtor to Mercy Alone

by Augustus Montague Toplady (4th Nov 1740 – 11 Aug 1778)

A debtor to mercy alone,
Of covenant mercy I sing;
Nor fear, with Thy righteousness on,
My person and offering to bring.
The terrors of law and of God
With me can have nothing to do;
My Saviour’s’ obedience and blood
Hide all my transgressions from view.

The work which His goodness began
The arm of His strength will complete;
His promise is yea and amen,
And never was forfeited yet.
Things future, nor things that are now,
Not all things below or above,
Can make Him His purpose forgo,
Or sever my soul from His love.

My name from the palms of His hands
Eternity will not erase;
Impressed on His heart it remains,
In marks of indelible grace;
Yes, I to the end shall endure,
As sure as the earnest is giv’n;
More happy, but not more secure,
The glorified spirits in heav’n.

The lamb was slain to redeem the people from bondage and restore them to God. Their names are secured by Divine decree in the annals of heaven for evermore.  No doubt the last verse was inspired by Isaiah 49v16 and other scriptures beside.