Seder 79: Lev 7:12-15---The Thanksgiving Offering

 The seventh chapter of Leviticus describes three types of peace/fellowship offerings.  One was called a toda, an offering of praise and thanksgiving.  It was given in gratitude for rescue or deliverance. 

Some examples are described in Psalm 107.  In one of them, a person receives healing from God:

"He sent out his word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction.  Let them thank the LORD for his steadfast love, for his wondrous works to the children of man!  And let them offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, and tell of his deeds in songs of joy!" (verses 20-22)

Other examples in Psalm 107 involve people who have been rescued from the wilderness, released from imprisonment, or safely brought through a sea voyage.  

A thanksgiving offering involved a communal meal that had to be eaten on the day of the offering.  This requirement encouraged the offeror to invite a large group of people to share the feast.  As it says in Psalm 107:32, "Let them extol him in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders."

The feast included lots of bread, both unleavened and leavened (Lv 7:12-14).  Sharon Rimon suggests that the unleavened bread might represent the trial the person had endured, while the leavened bread might represent the fact that the offeror had been completely delivered from the trial.  

Rimon points out that a toda is in several ways similar to a Passover meal, which is a kind of national toda:

• Both give thanks for deliverance.
• Both are shelamim (offerings of peace or wellbeing).
• Both have to be finished by the following morning.
• Both are eaten with bread.

One major difference is that the bread at a Passover meal is strictly unleavened bread.  Rimon observes that Passover celebrates a redemption that has begun but has not yet been completed.  The redemption of the Exodus is completed when Israel receives the Torah at Mt Sinai, inherits the Promised Land, and begins harvesting crops there.  These things are celebrated at Pentecost, when leavened bread is part of the liturgy (Lv 23:15-21).  

Seder 78: Leviticus 5-6 and Zechariah 5---Crime and Punishment in Ancient Israel

 When a crime was committed in ancient Israel---a theft, for example---there would be a public call for witnesses to come forward, with an oath calling upon God to deal appropriately with the perpetrator and anyone who knew what had happened but refused to testify.  

This kind of public call and oath is first mentioned in the Bible in Leviticus 5:1.  Another reference to it is in Proverbs 29:24:  "The partner of a thief hates his own life; he hears the curse, but discloses nothing."  

When there was a lack of evidence in a case, it might have ended up being resolved by an oath.  For example, Exodus 22:10-11 describes a case where one person leaves some possession with another person for safekeeping, and the possession is subsequently lost.  If there is no evidence of what happened and the person who was supposed to be guarding the possession swears that he doesn't know what happened, the owner has to accept his word.  

Underlying all of this is the conviction that God sees everything and is the ultimate Judge.  In some cases where a person failed to testify, his conscience would eventually move him to step forward belatedly, as in Leviticus 5:1.  Or if a person had defrauded another and initially lied about it, he might later confess the truth and make things right (Lv 6:1-7).  God might give such a person some incentive to do the right thing by allowing the person to suffer for his wrongdoing.  That's what Leviticus 5:1 means when it speaks of the reluctant witness "bearing his iniquity."  

One striking affirmation of God's justice appears in Zechariah's vision of a flying scroll.  (Remembering the old Rocky and Bullwinkle cartoons, I am tempted to refer to the scroll in the vision as Rocket J. Scroll.)  This huge scroll measures about 30 feet by 15 feet.  It has writing on both sides, like the tablets of the Decalogue.  The commandment against stealing is on one side, and the commandment against bearing false witness is on the other.  The scroll seems to symbolize the whole Decalogue, or more broadly all of God's Word.  

Zechariah 5:3-4 pictures God sending out the scroll, as he sends out his Word in Psalm 147:15; and as in Isaiah 55:11, it accomplishes God's will, carrying out justice in the world.  The scroll makes good on the oath that goes out when witnesses are solicited---see verse 3.  

Although we are not often called upon to be witnesses in a court of law, we have all been witnesses of the goodness of God.  In a sermon on Leviticus 5:1 at Church of the Messiah on August 2, 2025, Kyle Kettering urged us not to be reluctant witnesses, and to speak up about what God has done for us. 

Seder 77: Ezekiel 18---Principles of Divine Justice

The eighteenth chapter of the book of Ezekiel is one of  several examples in the book of what scholars call a "disputation speech."  The discussion begins by quoting a popular saying that gives a thesis.  Ezekiel then responds with a counter-thesis stating God's perspective on the matter.  There are examples in chapters 11, 12, 18, and 33.  

Chapter 18 begins with a thesis accusing God of injustice:  "The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge."  Ezekiel responds with a counter-thesis from God:  "It is the one who sins who shall die." He elaborates by telling a story of three generations (vv 5-18):  

• A righteous man, one who lives according to God's covenant with Israel, will be rewarded with life.  
• If that man's child turns to wickedness, the child will be judged for that wickedness.
• If the man's grandchild returns to righteousness, the wickedness of the grandchild's parent will not be held against him.

Some have suggested that this example has in mind three generations of kings of Judah.  Righteous king Hezekiah was succeeded by his wicked son Manasseh, who was in turn succeeded by righteous king Josiah.  But Ezekiel is laying out a general principle, not just thinking about these three kings.  This principle has previously been stated in Deuteronomy 24:16.

There is some pushback in verse 19, with a restatement of the original thesis.  Commentator Daniel Block points out that some may be supporting the thesis with a famous passage from Exodus 20, where God states that he is "a jealous [i.e., impassioned] God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me..." (verse 5).  

Block explains that a different issue is being addressed in Exodus 20, which is directed to heads of household.  God wants heads of household to know that their behavior will affect, for good or ill, their entire multi-generational extended families.  

However, Ezekiel makes clear that we cannot use our parents' sins as an excuse for our own.  A person who has been wicked can repent and turn to righteousness.  In that case, that person's earlier sins will not be held against him (verses 20-22).  

On the other hand, a righteous person who subsequently turns away from God will not be able to get by based on earlier righteousness (verse 24).  

Ezekiel closes the chapter with a general call to repentance.  This is a remarkable text, Block points out.  There are a number of cryptic passages in Ezekiel's prophecy, but chapter 18 is crystal clear and speaks directly to readers in all generations.  We all have our destinies in our own hands.  Our eternal futures depend on our own decisions.  God's desire is that all of us choose life.

Seder 76: Leviticus 2:13---the Symbolism of Salt

"You shall season all your grain offerings with salt," we read in Leviticus 2:13. "You shall not let the salt of the covenant with your God be missing from your grain offering; with all your offerings you shall offer salt."

Why was salt so important in the sacrificial system outlined in the book of Leviticus?  In a study of this question, Sharon Rimon notes that Maimonides, the great medieval Jewish theologian and philosopher, proposed that this was one more way to set the Israelites apart from their neighbors.  Since other nations used leavening and honey in their sacrifices but not salt, he said, God had the Israelites do it the other way around.  But is this correct?  I'm skeptical of this proposal, doubting that Maimonides had much access to data on sacrifices in the Ancient Near East.

It might be more fruitful here to think about the uses and imagery of salt in the Bible, which is what Rimon goes on to do in her article.  She notes that in one set of scriptures, salt imagery is associated with barrenness, destruction, and judgment, especially the judgment of Sodom and Gomorrah  (Dt 29:22; Zeph 2:9; Jer. 17:6).  In a place "sowed with salt" (Judges 9:45), nothing will grow.  

In one fascinating example Elisha cleanses some water by using salt, which usually makes water undrinkable (2 Ki 2:19-22).  This accentuates the miraculous nature of Elisha's work---only God can cleanse water with something that would normally spoil it for drinking.

Rimon suggests that if we think of the way that salt can "negate life," one meaning of sacrifices for sin results .  The salt could remind the worshipper that he deserves to experience judgment (e.g., be turned into a pillar of salt) but is being spared because of God's mercy.

On the other hand, salt enhances the flavor of food (Job 6:6).  This provides one reason for salt to be included in sacrifices.  Just as we would not want to give bland, unsalted food to a human king, so we can show respect for God by including salt in a sacrifice and in effect "salting his food." 

Moreover, salt is lasting and preserves food from spoiling.  So the "salt of the covenant" (Lev 2:13) emphasizes God's faithfulness and the lasting nature of God's covenant.  In addition, making a sacrifice enhances and preserves one's life and one's relationship with God.  

Rimon points out that salt is a substance which can both destroy and preserve.  Similarly, God is a God of both judgment and mercy, and the Mosaic covenant includes both blessings and curses.  Including salt in a sacrifice acknowledges the sovereignty of God, the fact that he is the one who both preserves and destroys.

Seder 75: Avodah in the Book of Exodus

 A key Hebrew word in the book of Exodus is avodah, a word for work/slavery, service, and worship.  It appears in Exodus 1:14; 2:23; 5:9, 11; 6:6, 9; 12:25, 26, 13:5; 27:19; 30:16; 35:21, 24; 36:1, 3, 5; 38:21; 39:32, 40, 42.  

In episodes 96 and 97 of the Hebrew Bible Insights podcast, Matthew Delaney and Nathan French explain how this word brings out some key connections and themes in the book of Exodus.  The word helps bring out how the Israelites change masters in the Book of Exodus, going from being slaves of Pharaoh to being servants of God.  

In Egypt (20:2) the children of Israel were in the "house of slavery" (beit ebed), and they built cities (1:11) for storage (miskenah).  At Sinai the Israelites built the tabernacle (mishkan), a "house of service" that was a dwelling place for God and a place for the worship of God.  

The end of the book of Exodus describes the construction of the tabernacle. The text emphasizes Israel's obedience to God's instructions.  "According to all that the LORD had commanded Moses, so the people of Israel had done all the work" (Ex 39:42).  Here we see Moses, and the nation as a whole, acting as forerunners of the Messiah.  On the eve of the crucifixion, Jesus prayed, "I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do" (Jn 17:4).  

Seder 74: Isaiah 32---The Spirit and the Messianic Age

 Isaiah 32 looks ahead to the messianic age, a time when "a king will reign in righteousness, and princes will rule in justice" (verse 1).  During this reign the spiritual blindness and deafness that characterized the Judah of Isaiah's time will be reversed (compare verse 3 with 6:9-10).  The hearts of people will be transformed; they will desire to follow God and to teach others the right way (verse 4).  Other prophets---e.g., Jeremiah (31:33) and Ezekiel (36:26)---also spoke of this time.  

Too often in this age the foolish (Hebrew nabal), especially wealthy fools, are confused with the noble (Hebrew nadib).  But in the messianic age, the two will be clearly distinguished (verses 5-8).  

Another word that describes the Judah of Isaiah's time is insecurity.  A good harvest could bring temporary security, but the land was just one failed harvest away from hardship.  

The transformation and peace of the messianic age would result from an outpouring of the Spirit of God (verses 15-18).  The Spirit produces inner peace that can withstand trials and difficult circumstances (verses 19-20).  

Seder 73: 2 Chronicles 33-36---What Happened to the Ark of the Covenant?

 Egyptologist David Falk, in his book on the Egyptian context of the ark of the covenant, says that one of the things he is asked about most often is the fate of Israel's ark of the covenant.  The last time the ark is mentioned in the biblical account of the history of Israel is in 2 Chronicles 35:3, where King Josiah of Judah gave these instructions:

"And he said to the Levites who taught all Israel and who were holy to the LORD, 'Put the holy ark in the house that Solomon the son of David, king of Israel, built.  You need not carry it on your shoulders.  Now serve the LORD and his people Israel."

Here it seems that the ark was being restored to its rightful place after having been removed for a time.  We are not told why, or for how long, it had been removed.  Perhaps the ark had been removed from the Holy of Holies during the reign of a previous idolatrous king of Judah--e.g., Manasseh or Amon (2 Chron 33).  Or perhaps it had been removed briefly during the renovations authorized by Josiah (2 Chron 34).  

Josiah died in 609 BC, and the Temple was destroyed a generation later by Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in 586 BC.  We read in 2 Chronicles 36:18 that the Babylonians took "all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the LORD."  

Noting that the Babylonians paid their soldiers in gold, Falk writes that they probably took the ark, burned the wood, and melted down the gold for that purpose.  Perhaps they used one of their "fiery furnaces" like the one in which they had thrown Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 3).  The Babylonians' interest in looting precious metals from the Temple is also indicated in 2 Kings 25:13-17

Remember that God's presence had already departed from the Temple several years earlier, in about 592 BC (Eze 8:1; 10). so by the time the Babylonians ransacked the Temple, nothing was stopping them from grabbing everything that remained there.

But was the ark still around by the time the Babylonians arrived?  There are some legends that the ark had been hidden away by that point.  

For example, in 2 Maccabees, written in the second century BC, there is a story that Jeremiah the prophet "ordered the tabernacle and the ark to accompany them, an oracle being received by him, and that he went out to the mountain from which Moses, upon ascending, beheld the inheritance of God.  And when he arrived, Jeremiah found a cave-like house, and he brought in there the tabernacle and the ark and the altar of incense, and he blocked up the door" (2 Macc 2:4-5). The ark was to remain hidden until God wanted to use it again (verses 6-8).  

Other possibilities are discussed in rabbinic literature.  According to one scenario, when Josiah learned about the contents of the book of Deuteronomy, including the curses of Deuteronomy 28, he understood that Judah would soon be defeated by a foreign enemy and decided to have the ark hidden in a secret place under the temple.  In this scenario, he told the Levites in 2 Chronicles 35:3 to hide the ark in that secret place rather than in the Holy of Holies (b Yoma 52b).

Wherever the ark ended up, there is a biblical indication that it had an expiration date.  In Jeremiah 3:14-18, God states that the ark "shall not come to mind or be mentioned or missed; it shall not be made again" (verse 16).  In a renewed covenant, the Torah that had been written on tables of stone would be written on people's hearts (Jer 31:31-34).  

Postscript:  I've learned recently that an excellent film on the ark, Legends of the Lost Ark, is coming out soon.  Archaeologist Chris McKinny discusses this subject and the film in an episode of the Onscript podcast.  

Seder 72: 2 Cor 8-9---Paul's Collection for the Saints in Judea

 In 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, Paul writes about the collection that he has been organizing for the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.  Commentator David Garland explains that this collection was important to Paul for several reasons:

1.   The saints in Jerusalem were in need, and helping the poor was a value that he wanted to both practice and teach his congregations to practice (Ro 12:13).
2. Paul believed it was fitting for Gentile Christians to show appreciation to their Jewish brethren.  "For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings" (Ro 15:27).  
3. Paul hoped that the collection would promote greater unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians and would help the Jewish Christians to accept the Gentile believers as brethren 
4. Paul saw this collection as a fulfillment of prophecies that picture the nations bringing their wealth to Jerusalem (e.g., Isa 60:5-7; Zec 14:14).

What was important to Paul was not the amounts donated, but the spirit in which the donations were made.  By giving to those in need, Christians follow the selfless example of Jesus  (2 Co 8:9).  

Seder 72: Exodus 35-36---Freewill Donations and Service: Comparing Tabernacle and Temple

 With the Golden Calf crisis resolved, plans to build the tabernacle in the wilderness went forward.  Moses announced a call from God to collect donations of materials for the tabernacle (Ex 35:4-19).  The Israelites responded with enthusiasm (vv 20-29), quickly donating more than enough (36:2-7).  

There was also a call for skilled craftsmen to work under Bezalel and Oholiab in building the tabernacle, and many were moved to answer this call as well (36:2).  

Because many donated materials and labor to the tabernacle project, the Israelites felt a close personal connection to the tabernacle.  

It is natural to compare the construction of the tabernacle to the later building of Solomon's Temple.  This was a much larger project.  King David collected lots of wealth for the future Temple, and the tribes of Israel gladly added much more (1 Chron 29:1-9), leading David to joyfully thank and praise God (vv 10-19).  

The building of the beautiful Temple, though, was not entirely a volunteer effort.  Solomon drafted lots of workers for this mammoth endeavor (1 Ki 5:13-18).  Some wonder if the Israelites, as a result, felt less of a personal tie to the Temple than they had to the tabernacle.  Instead, there was more resentment about the high taxes that Solomon levied.  Sharon Rimon proposes that a lack of personal connection to the Temple allowed many Israelites to join Jeroboam's rebellion and leave Jerusalem and the Temple behind ( I Ki 12).

Seder 71 Sermon: Thirteen Aspects of God's Character

 God's self-revelation of important aspects of his character is Exodus 34:6-7 is one of the most important passages of the Bible from a theological standpoint.  Jewish tradition identifies thirteen characteristics of God in this passage.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on June 14, 2025, Kyle Kettering enumerated them:

1. "The LORD"--how God is before a great sin, like the sin of the Golden Calf;
2. "The LORD"--how God is after a great sin--the same as before the sin (Mal 3:6).
3. "a God"--one who is mighty.
4. "merciful"
5. "gracious"
6. "slow to anger"
7. "abounding in steadfast love"---Hebrew chesed.
8. "and faithfulness"---or "truth"
9. "keeping steadfast love for thousands"--i.e., for a thousand generations.
10. "forgiving iniquity"--God forgives big sins.
11. "and transgression"--even willful sins, if they are repented of.
12. "and sin"---and God forgives errors.
13. "but who will by no means clear the guilty"--God is the One who cleanses.

When seeking forgiveness, we should remind God (and especially ourselves) of what he is like.

Seder 71: A Question about Exodus 34:7

 God's great revelation of Exodus 34:6-7 emphasizes his gracious, merciful nature.  But God's justice is also included.  Verse 7 states that God will "by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children to the third and fourth generation."

What does this statement mean?  First, it does not mean that God will hold anyone legally responsible for the sins of an ancestor.  As Deuteronomy 24:16 states, "Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers.  Each one shall be put to death for his own sin."

I have heard this statement explained in a couple of different ways.  First, our sins often do have effects on our lives and those of our descendants.  When we are forgiven for wrongdoing, we still may experience some consequences of that wrongdoing.  

Second, one common effect of our sins to have our descendants repeat them.  Commentator Douglas Stuart explains that this is what is described in Exodus 34:7.  This statement "describes God's just punishment of a given type of sin in each new generation as that sin continues to be repeated down through the generations."

Seder 70: Exodus 32:32---The Book of Life

 After Moses, with the assistance of his Levite brethren, succeeded in bringing order to the camp of Israel after the sin of the golden calf, he still had to deal with the rift that this sin had created in Israel's relationship with God. The problem is reflected in the language of Exodus 32:7 and Exodus 33:1, where God refers to "your people" and "the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt.'   

Although he is angry with the Israelites, Moses expresses his solidarity with them.  In Exodus 32:32, Moses says that if God is not willing to forgive the nation, then he should blot Moses' name out of his book as well.  As commentator Douglas Stuart points out, Moses is not offering here to die in place of the Israelites; instead, he is offering to die along with them. 

God answers that it is those who have sinned whose names will be removed from the book (verse 33).  

In verses 32-33, it is assumed that God has a listing of everyone who has life, and that it is possible for God to remove names from that listing.  This concept of a "book of life" appears a number of times in the Bible (Ps 69:28; Phil 4:3; Rev 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12,15; 21:27).  The book of Revelation says that in the judgment, it is those whose names are in the book of life who will receive eternal salvation, while those removed from the book will suffer the "second death" (Rev 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). 

Stuart notes some theological consequences of the Bible's discussion of the book of life.  For one thing, Exodus 32:33 implies that since all of us have sinned, all of us need to be forgiven in order to have a place in the book of life.  Moreover, we all start out in the book of life; all have the potential to be saved (1 Tim 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9).  And our names will remain there if we continue in faith and obedience throughout our lives.

Seder 70 Sermon: Spiritual Rollercoaster

 In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on May 31, 2025, Kyle Kettering observed that all of us experience  highs and lows in life.  There is a graphic illustration in the life of Moses during the Exodus, with his altitude reflecting his circumstances.  Ascending Mount Sinai and receiving revelation from God marked a high point for Moses.  Descending the mountain and facing the chaos in the Israelite camp (Ex 32) was a low point.  

Another example comes from the life of David.  His time of fleeing for his life from King Saul was a low point, and his rescue from danger was a high point.  He praised God for that rescue in 2 Samuel 22(= Psalm 18). 

The lows we experience, Kyle noted, can be brought about by 

• our own sin.
• circumstances of life.
• God. 

  In a low point caused by our own sin, our proper response is repentance, with restoration being the goal. Lows resulting from life circumstances or a test from God are opportunities to grow in faith and in our relationship with God.  When we recognize the nature of our ups and downs and respond appropriately, we can turn the undulations of life into a positive.

Seder 70: Psalm 48---A Zion Psalm

 Biblical theology joins the universal and the particular.  The Great King of the Universe and Creator of the Cosmos is also the God of Israel, choosing to work with the nations of the world by means of a covenant with Abraham and his descendants. 

We see this juxtaposition of universal and particular in Zion Psalms like Psalm 48, in which Jerusalem is the "city of the great King," where God is present and from which he rules the world.  Citizens of that city have special reason to praise him for his presence,  protection (verse 3). love, and righteousness (verses 9-11).  

God's presence produces terror in the hearts of those who oppose him (verses 4-7), and joy in the hearts of his followers (verses 9-11).  

This psalm was traditionally sung at the Temple on Mondays and may have been written for use during a pilgrim festival.  It is one of the psalms of the sons of Korah.  These psalms sometimes contain hints of resurrection, reflecting the fact that the sons of Korah were resecued from death when their father was swallowed up by the ground.   

Psalm 48 is one of those that hints at the reality of resurrection.  It concludes by asserting "He will guide us forever" (verse 14).  Another possible translation, as an ESV footnote explains, is, "He will guide us beyond death."  The midrash on Psalm 48 explains the verse by saying that God guides us in two worlds---that is, this world and the world to come.

Seder 69: Isa 43-44---Witnesses of a Loving, Patient God

 God designated Bezalel from the tribe of Judah and Oholiab from the tribe of Dan to take the lead in constructing Israel's tabernacle in the wilderness, empowering these two men for their task (Ex 31:1-11).  

God also had a special calling for the Israelites as a group:  to be witnesses to the world that he is the supreme, incomparable Creator and Ruler of the Universe (Isa 43:10,12).  

Often the Israelites fell short in this mission.  Shortly after entering into covenant with God at Mount Sinai, they constructed a golden calf and fell into idolatry (Ex 32).  Later, in Isaiah's time, the people of Judah are described as spiritually blind and deaf (Isa 43:8).  

But God would not give up on them.  Judah's unfaithfulness would lead to their exile in Babylon (vv 22- 28), but God would not leave them there.  He would bring them out in a new and greater Exodus and transform them through his Spirit (Isa 43:16-21; 44:1-5).  Then they would be powerful witnesses for him.  

Incidentally, one can argue that God's patience and faithfulness as expressed in Isa 43-44 and elsewhere are evidence that he did not seriously intend to wipe out the Israelites at Sinai in Exodus 32:9-10.  Instead, he may have been preparing Moses to face what awaited him at the foot of the mountain. 

Seder 68: Psalm 141---Prayer for Deliverance, Wisdom, and Vindication

Psalm 141 has been classified as an individual lament.  The psalmist (traditionally David) begins with an urgent plea for deliverance (vv 1-2).  

He then asks God for protection from evil in speech, thought, and action (vv 3-5c).  This part of the prayer reminds us of a line from the Lord's Prayer:  "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil" (Mt 6:13).  

Those who tempt us to sin are often wealthy, powerful, and influential (v 4).  A good policy is to depend on God and avoid bad company.  It is better to spend time with the righteous, who tell us what we need to hear rather than what we might want to hear (v 5).   

David prays for God to judge those in high places who do evil.  Then others may listen to David and hesitate to follow the wicked (v 6).  In verse 7 he quotes a proverb that commentator Willem Van Gemeren paraphrases this way: "As the famer breaks up  the soil and brings up the rocks, so the bones of the wicked will be scattered without a decent burial."

Through his prayer David's faith is strengthened; he knows that the Sovereign LORD can save him.  He prays that God judge the wicked and vindicate him (vv 8-10).

 During the Second Temple period, Psalm 141 became associated with the evening sacrifice at the Temple, based on  verse 2:  "Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!"  Incense was seen as symbolizing prayer, and people often prayed at the time when incense was being offered at the Temple (Dan 9:21; Lk 1:9-10).  

In the book of Revelation, incense offered in the heavenly Temple is identified with the prayers of the saints (Rev 5:8; 8:1-5).  Since the prayers in Rev 8:1-5 are followed by judgments on the wicked, the implication is that the saints were praying for God to make things right, as David was doing in Psalm 141.    

Seder 67: Isaiah 61---Restoration of the Kingdom of Priests

 God brought the children of Israel out of Egypt to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6).  But too often in the centuries that followed, the nation failed to live up to its high calling.  In the eighth century BC, Isaiah said that Israel was "like an oak whose leaf withers, and like a garden without water"(Isa 1:30).  

However, God had not given up on his people.  Isaiah prophesied that God would one day restore the nation, so that Jerusalem would be called "the city of righteousness, the faithful city" (Isa 1:26).

Isaiah later showed that this restoration would result from the work of the Messiah, who would bring deliverance from bondage to sin (Isa 61:1-2).  He would give his people "a beautiful headdress" (v 3), like the turban of the high priest (Ex 28:4, 37, 39; 29:6; 39:28, 31).  Instead of an oak with withering leaves, they would become "oaks of righteousness" (v 3).  They would be "called  the priests of the LORD" (v 6), fulfilling their original mission to the nations.  As God's "firstborn son" (Ex 4:22), they would enjoy a "double portion" in the Promised Land (Isa 61:7).  

Isaiah goes on to say that through the "everlasting covenant" (v 8: Jer 31:31-34), Israel will live righteously and will be praised by the nations (v 9).  

As commentator John Oswalt points out, Isaiah's beautiful prophecy issues a challenge for those who have been delivered from sin by Jesus the Messiah and are now part of a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Pe 2:9-10).  Are we living as "oaks of righteousness" or oaks with withered leaves?  

Seder 66: Exodus 28---Priestly Vestments and the Urim and Thummim

 Exodus 28 describes the special garments that would be made for the Israelite high priest "for glory and for beauty" (verse 2).  These garments were designed, in particular, to remind the high priest of his weighty responsibilities to both represent the people of Israel and appear before the Creator of the Universe.

The garments were made from the same fine fabrics as the curtains of the tabernacle---"gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen" (verse 5).  Since the yarns were made of wool, these were clothes including a mixture of wool and linen.  This fact helps explain the general prohibition of mixed fabrics in Israel (Lev 19:19; Dt 22:11).  Such mixtures apparently were reserved for tabernacle use.  

The priestly vestments included a ceremonial vest, the ephod, to which would be attached a special breastpiece.  The breastpiece consisted of a nine inch by nine inch square of fabric, doubled over to form a pouch (vv 15-16).  On the front of the breastpiece were twelve precious gems, arranged in four rows of three gems each.  The gems were engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel.  When the priest served at the tabernacle wearing the ephod, he thus bore the names of the twelve tribes "on his heart" (verse 29).  

The breastpiece was called the "breastpiece of judgment," reflecting the fact that it was used in seeking God's judgment on matters of national import.  Beginning with Joshua, when a leader of Israel sought God's will in an important matter, he would go to the high priest to make a formal request for guidance (Num 27:18-21).  God somehow would communicate that guidance through the breastpiece.  

Exodus 28:30 explained that the "Urim and Thummim" would be placed in the breastpiece and presumably would be involved in the reception of revelation from God.  The phrase "Urim and Thummim" means "lights and perfection," or perhaps "perfect light."  One explanation is that through the breastpiece, God would illuminate the path of the nation and its leaders, steering them in the right direction.  

The Bible does not tell us specifically how God's will was communicated through the breastpiece.  One proposal is the the Urim and Thummim were two stones that could be used to ask God yes or no questions.  Guided by God, the high priest would pull out one of the stones from the pouch to reveal God's answer.

This idea seems to find support from 1 Sam 14:36-41.  During a military campaign, Saul proposed making a night attack against the Philistines.  The priest suggested he seek God's guidance, and Saul asked, "Shall I go down after the Philistines?  Will you give them into the hand of Israel?"  But God did not give an answer.  

Concluding that God's refusal to answer was due to a sin on Israel's part, Saul asked a follow-up question.  Had the sin been committed by Saul and/or his son Jonathan?  Or had it been committed by some other Israelite?  

"O LORD God of Israel, why have you not answered your servant this day," Saul asked.  "If this guilt is in me or in Jonathan my son, O LORD, God of Israel, give Urim.  But, if this guilt is in your people Israel, give Thummim" (verse 41).  

This translation from the ESV, based on the Greek Septuagint text, suggests that the Urim and Thummim represented the two possible answers to a yes or no question.  It should be pointed out, however, that the Urim is not mentioned in the Masoretic Text.  

The Bible mentions a number of instances where God's counsel was sought through a formal inquiry,  Some of the questions were simple yes or no questions, but some were more complicated, with answers from God that involved more than a simple affirmative or negative response. 

Doug Bookman, a Christian scholar, conducted a detailed study of the Urim and Thummim in a 2001 Dallas Seminary ThD dissertation.  He concluded that the detailed nature of some of the questions and answers imply that God's communication with the high priest involved more than  a simple binary lot.

Bookman's findings are in agreement with Jewish tradition.  Rabbinic traditions about the Urim and Thummim envision the high priest placing in the pouch a piece of parchment upon which was written the Divine Name.  God communicated his answers to formal inquiries by causing the gems on the breastpiece, and the letters inscribed in the gems, to be illuminated.  

For example, Israel after the death of Joshua asked God, "Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites, to fight against them?" (Judges 1:1).  God answered, "Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand" (verse 2).  Perhaps God caused the gem representing the tribe of Judah to light up and then used the letters inscribed in the gems to send the rest of this message.  

We do not know how often, or for how long, this method of seeking God's will was used.  The last time the Urim and Thummim is mentioned in the Bible is in Ezra 2:63; Neh. 7:65.  There were some returning from exile who could not document their status as priests, and so their status was left up in the air until the Urim and Thummim could be used.  At that point people were aware of the Urim and Thummim, but it's not clear if there was anyone left who could use it.

Bookman proposes that the Urim and Thummim was underused.  To take advantage of tbe Urim and Thummim, the leadership needed to be submitted to God and sincerely seeking his will.  It may have too often been the case that Israel's leadership knew it was doing wrong and didn't want to be corrected.

Seder 65: Exodus 25-27---Tabernacle Furnishings in Egyptian Context

 The book of Exodus contains many details of Egyptian language and culture pointing to the fact that the Israelites did indeed reside in Egypt at one time before migrating to the land of Canaan.  

Some of those details are in the instructions for the construction of Israel's tabernacle and its furnishings, as David A. Falk shows in his book, The Ark of the Covenant in its Egyptian Context.  In particular, the ark, table for the bread of the presence, and altar of burnt offering were wooden objects overlaid with metal and transported with the use of poles that were inserted in rings.  These are all characteristics of Egyptian ritual furniture, If Bezalel had some training in Egyptian craftsmanship, as Falk speculates, he would have been familiar with how to build such objects.  

Resurrection Day, 2025: Telling the Story of the Resurrection

 The four canonical Gospels have four distinct endings.  But as Richard Bauckham has observed, the four accounts have a common narrative structure.  All four include:

• a report of the empty tomb with multiple witnesses.
• appearances of Jesus to a number of individuals and groups.
• further appearances of Jesus with commissioning of disciples to share the Gospel.

Bauckham speculates that when the story of the resurrection was conveyed orally, the tellers always included these three things.  The goal in sharing the story was not to tell about every single thing that happened or that the teller knew about, but instead to give a brief account following this basic outline. 

Seder 64 Sermon: Exodus 25, Isaiah 66, John 1---God With Us

 When Moses ascended Mount Sinai for forty days to receive additional teaching from God (Ex 24:18), one of the things he received was a set of instructions for the tabernacle, a portable worship structure that the Israelites would build.  God states  the purpose of this structure in Exodus 25:8:  "And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst."

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on April 5, 2025, Kyle Kettering reflected on God's desire to be with his people.  It is an awesome thing, he pointed out, that the Creator of the Universe would be present with the Israelites in this way.  God has no need of a house, as he declares in Isaiah 66:1:  

"Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what is the house that you would build for me, and what is the place of my rest?"  But God goes on to say that he likes to spend time with the person "who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word."  

In coming to Israel's tabernacle, Kyle said, God both lowered himself and raised the Israelites. Kyle related a midrash on Exodus 25:8 from Midrash Tanchuma saying that Moses "backed away" when he heard the instruction to build a tabernacle because he was so surprised and amazed.  

Even more surprising is the fact that God came to earth as a man in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, as John 1:1-18 relates.  "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," this famous prologue to John's Gospel begins.  "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us," verse 14 adds.

Kyle described some of the background of John's prologue that appeared in Second Temple Jewish literature.  

• Wisdom 9:1 pictures Solomon praying, "O God of my ancestors and Lord of mercy, who have made all things by your word..."  
• In the works of the Jewish philosopher Philo of Alexandria, a contemporary of Jesus, the word (Greek logos, as in John 1) is an intermediate supernatural reality between God and the universe. 
• In the Aramaic Targums, the Memra (the "word" in Aramaic) plays a similar role.  In Genesis 1 in Targum Neophyti, it is the Memra who says, "Let there be light."

In the future God will be with his creatures on a renewed earth (Rev 21:3-4).

Seder 63---Different Names for the Ark

 The ark of the covenant goes by more than one name in the Bible.  It is 

1. the ark of the covenant (e,g, Joshua 3:6, 14).
2. the ark of the testimony (e.g., Ex 25:22).
3. the ark of the LORD (e.g., Joshua 3:13)

Sharon Rimon suggests that the different names can be associated with the different functions of the ark. The ark is a receptacle for the tablets of the ten commandments, the basis of the Mosaic covenant, so it is known as the ark of the covenant.   

It was in a location just above the ark that God would meet with Moses to provide ongoing revelation--Ex 25:22.  God's presence there is emphasized by the name "ark of the Lord".  God's presence was important in the Israelites' crossing of the Jordan (Joshua 3) and the defeat of Jericho (Joshua 6).  

Rimon says that the term "ark of the testimony" refers to both of these functions.  The ark holds "the testimony" (i.e., the tablets of the ten commandments).  It is also the place at which God would meet with Moses (Ex 25:22).  Rimon observes that the words for testimony (edut) and meeting (hitva'adut) are related, so that the name "ark of the testimony" connects with both.  

The first and third names in the list are often combined, highlighting both functions.  The ark is referred to as "the ark of the covenant of the LORD" in several places--e.g. Num 10:33; 14:44; Dt 10:8; 31:9, 25, 26; Jos 3:3, 11.

The two functions of the ark have a close connection.  God's presence above the ark is not something the Israelites could take for granted.  If the Israelites were not following the testimony contained in the ark, God would not necessarily be present at the ark.  The Israelites learned this, for example, when they decided to take the ark with them to battle in 1 Samuel 4.  

Seder 63: The Contents of the Ark of the Covenant

 The ark of the covenant served as a receptacle for the tablets of the ten commandments, the words upon which God's covenant with Israel are based (Ex 34:28; Dt 4:13; 10:4).  

1 Kings 8:9 notes that at the time when Solomon's Temple was dedicated, "there was nothing in the ark except the two tablets of stone that Moses put there at Horeb."  

There were some other items that were stored near the ark. One was a commemorative jar of manna (Ex 16:33-34).  Another was Aaron's staff (Num 17:10).  

All three of these items are mentioned in Hebrews 9:4.  which speaks of "the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant."  There is no contradiction between Hebrews 9:4 and I Kings 8:9, since the preposition in Hebrews 9:4 can refer to things that are near the ark as well as those that are strictly inside of it. 

Seder 62: Exodus 23---God's Mission Strategy for Israel

 God called the nation of Israel to be "a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6), bringing blessing to the whole world (Ge 12:3).  The Bible describes some different phases in their missionary work.

Through the Exodus, God proclaimed the Gospel through his mighty works of salvation.  The miracles of the Exodus caught the attention of the people in that region.  When they encountered the Israelites, they reacted in different ways.  

(1) Some were hostile, like the Amalekites (Ex 17).  

(2) Some ran away in fright.  This reaction is described in Exodus 23:27-28:  "I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you.  And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanties, and the Hittites from before you."

(Incidentally, the "hornets" in this passage may be metaphorical; they aren't necessarily actual insects.  At any rate, we see here that the Canaanites were to be scared away and not necessarily put to death.)  

(3) Some were attracted to God, like the "mixed multitude" (Ex 12:38), Jethro (Ex 18) and Rahab (Joshua 2).  One part of Israel's ministry was to this group of people; the Israelites were instructed in the Torah to love them (Ex 23:9; Lev 19:33-34) and make them part of Israelite society.

A second phase of their mission involved building a just society in the Promised Land.  To enable that to happen, the Israelites were to destroy all traces of Canaanite religion when they arrived (Ex 23:13, 24).  This would give them a chance to establish an identity in the land as God's people.  Then when other nations observed Israelite society, they would be impressed and attracted to God (Dt 4:1-8; 1 Ki 10:1-10).  

A good source on this topic is Walter Kaiser's Mission in the Old Testament:  Israel as a Light to the Nations.

Seder 62: Exodus 23-24---Good Versus Bad Pillars

 Exodus 23 concludes with some instruction for the Israelites about their future mission.  When they reach the Promised Land, they are to remove all traces of Canaanite paganism from their midst:  "you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces" (verse 24).  

Exodus 24 covers the special ceremonies held in the ratification of the covenant at Sinai.  For these ceremonies Moses "built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars, according to the twelve tribes of Israel" (verse 4).  

So at Sinai Moses set up twelve pillars, while in the Promised Land the Israelites would be tearing down pillars.  Whether a pillar was appropriate or not, then, depended on its intended meaning.  At Sinai the twelve pillars represented the fact that all twelve tribes would participate in the covenant with God.  In Canaan the pillars they would be tearing down were used in the worship of Canaanite gods.  Pillars were not inherently "pagan."  Everything depended on what they symbolized.

Seder 61: Isaiah 47-48---Heeding God's Word

 A number of the cases in Exodus 21-23 make for challenging reading because of the wide gulf separating  21st-century Western culture and Ancient Near Eastern culture.  But the time we invest in studying them is worthwhile because this is precious revelation from God, showing God's thinking on moral and ethical issues.

The uniqueness and value of God's revelation are emphasized in Isaiah 48.  There God calls upon his people to "hear" him---that is, to pay attention to what he is saying and give a faithful response.  One reason that they should listen is that God is the Creator of the whole universe (vv 12-13).  He knows things that are not available from any other source.  

 In particular, since God created the universe, he rules the universe.  He knows in advance what will happen.  Through the prophets, he revealed that he would send the Babylonians to punish the kingdom of Judah.  Later he would bring down the Babylonians (Isaiah 47; 48:`14) through the Persians and their emperor Cyrus (Isa 44:28; 45:1). 

In addition, God wants the best for his people.  "I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go," he states in Isaiah 48:17.  That teaching includes the Decalogue of Exodus 20 and the "covenant code" of Exodus 21-23 . 

Seder 60: Does Exodus 21:22-25 Address the Issue of Abortion?

 Exodus 21:22-25 discusses a case where two men are fighting, the fight gets out of hand, and one of men strikes a pregnant woman, causing the contents of her womb to "come out."  If there is "no harm," the passage says, the one who struck the woman would pay a fine.  If there is harm, the man would be penalized appropriately, according to the "eye for an eye" principle.  

There are a number of questions about how to interpret the passage.  One is the question of what "no harm" means.  One possible interpretation is that the woman loses her baby, but no harm comes to the mother.  Another is that "no harm" means that both the mother and her baby are OK. 

People on both sides of today's abortion debate have appealed to this case in support of their positions.  Some in favor of abortion, taking the reading that the woman has a miscarriage, say that the man only pays a fine for the miscarriage but could potentially lose his life if the mother dies, suggesting that the woman's life is of greater inherent worth than the baby's.  

On the other hand, some who oppose aboration take the second reading, where the baby is born safely.  Arguing that "harm" means harm to either the mother or the baby, they conclude that both are treated as being of equal inherent worth in the passage.  

Based on my reading on the passage so far, it appears to me that this case doesn't really address the inherent worth of the mother or the baby.  This is not a case of premeditated murder, so the probable punishment for any harm would be a fine, even if both mother and baby die.  And the fine would likely have been assessed based on a perception of economic value rather than on the inherent worth of a human being.  

Some parallel cases in Hammurabi's Code (209-214) are instructive.  For example:

211.  If a woman of the free class loses her child by a blow, he shall pay five shekels in money.

212:  If this woman dies, he shall pay half a mina [about 30 shekels].  

A source that I have found helpful on this subject is an article by Joe M. Sprinkle in volume 55 of the Westminster Theological Journal (1997). 

Seder 60: Exodus 21 and Jeremiah 34---Israelite Servitude

 In the covenant code of Exodus 21-23, much attention is paid to guidelines for how to treat people who become indentured servants in order to work off a debt.  The Israelites had recently suffered in slavery in Egypt.  When God rescued them, he wanted them to be free to serve him, not some human master.  So he put guidelines in place to ensure that the Israelites would no longer be treated as slaves.  These guidelines also forbade an Israelite from trying to "play God" by being a slaveholder.

Centuries later, King Zedekiah of Judah led the inhabitants of Jerusalem in setting Hebrew servants free (Jer 34:8-10).  But then this covenant was cancelled and the servants were taken back (verse 11). 

In light of Israel's history, this was an especially grievous offense.  God rebuked Judah for this sin, which helped lead to the exile of the country's elite in Babylon (vv 11-22).  

Seder 59: Exodus 20---Numbering and Grouping the Ten Commandments

 The principles that God spoke from Mount Sinai in the third month of the first year of the Exodus are identified as the Ten Commandments in Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13; and Deuteronomy 10:4.  It has also been traditional to divide the ten into two groups, corresponding to love for God and love for neighbor.  

But the list does not come with numbers, and there are several traditions on how to number them.  Biblical scholar and pastor Michael LeFebvre advocates using literary clues in the text to guide us in formulating a numbering.  

He observes that there are fourteen imperative statements in the list, so some groups of these will need to be combined.  He also notes that there are five statements of purpose for the imperatives in the first part of the list (Ex 20: 2, 5, 7, 11, 12), and that the phrase "the LORD your God" appears five times (in verses 2,5,7,10,12).  These features suggest having one statement of purpose and one use of this phrase in each of the first five commandments.  Lefebvre has verses 2-3 as the first commandment, verses 4-6 as the second commandment, verse 7 as the third, verses 8-11 as the fourth, and verse 12 as the fifh.  This division corresponds to the numbering in the Eastern Orthodox tradition.  

In the case of the first commandment with this numbering, the statement of purpose precedes the imperative.  This purpose statement---"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery"---gives the setting for the entire list.  

LaFebvre sees the fifth item---respect for parents----as a hinge between the the groups of commandments.  The purpose statement in verse 12 indicates that Israel's future as a nation depends on each generation learning from the previous ones.  For Israel to succeed, each generation would need to honor its parents by learning from them.  

The literary structure in the rest of the list is different.  Gone are the purpose statements and mentions of "the Lord your God".  These are simply short statements of imperatives, starting in verse 13.  In the later account of Deuteronomy 5, the items are punctuated by a series of "ands."

The final two imperatives are combined into the tenth commandment on coveting.  These last two imperatives run in parallel.  The Exodus 20 version has the same verb in each imperative.  The penultimate imperative forbids coveting the "house"---i.e.. the household---of one's neighbor, and the final imperative lists several parts of a household.  

The "coveting commandment" serves to highlight the selfishness that leads to the violation of the previous commandments in the list.  The tenth commandment is unique in ANE law codes in prohibiting an attitude.  

Seder 59: Isaiah 34-35---Renewal in the Wilderness

 The image of a wilderness or desert (midbar in Hebrew) has multiple connotations in the Bible.  As a dry and desolate place, it can represent judgment or spiritual ruin.  An example is in the prophecy of Isaiah 34, where God announces that the nations will be judged for opposing his plan to bring blessing to the world through the descendants of Abraham (vv 1-4, 8).  

Edom is presented as an example.   The Edomites had a long history of opposing the Israelites, beginning in the fortieth year of the Exodus (Nu 20:14-21).  Later they rejoiced as Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians (Ps 137:7; Obadiah 10-14).  As a result, Edom would receive a punishment that the text compares to that of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were in that region (vv 9-10).  Their land would become unfit for human habitation, an abode of unclean creatures (vv 11-15).

On the other hand, the wilderness could be a place of revelation, renewal, and transformation.  We see this in the following chapter of Isaiah.  Isaiah 35 pictures a blossoming of the desert, with physical and spiritual healing for those who follow God.

Both of these wilderness motifs are present in the Exodus.  For the older generation of Israelite men, the wilderness became the place where they would die.  But the wilderness was also the place where God nurtured, fed, and taught the Israelites.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 1, 2025, Kyle Kettering explained that at Mt. Sinai, God presented to the Israelites and the world a way of life promoting well-being in every sense.    

 Kyle related a rabbinic midrash based on a hyperliteral reading of Exodus 19:8,11, which report that "all the people answered together and said, `All that the LORD has spoken we will do,'' and that after three days of preparation, God would come at Sinai "in the sight of all the people."

Taking "all" in these verses in the mathematical sense of "every single one," the sages reasoned that for all the people to be able to see, hear, and follow God, God must have provided healing for those who were blind, deaf, or had other infirmities.  This teaching ties in well with the imagery of Isaiah 35:5-6.  

Christians see one fulfilmment of Isaiah 35 in the miraculous healings performed by Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus was pleased to heal people to enable them to follow God in wholeness.  That kind of wholeness is what God desires for all of us.