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. 

Seder 59: Exodus 19 and Exodus 3---the Sinai Sign

 Early in the third month of the first year of the Exodus  (traditionally around the time of Pentecost), the Israelites arrived at Mount Sinai (aka Mount Horeb), as we read in Exodus 19:1-2.  

God had told Moses at the burning bush that they would reach this place. "...And this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you:  when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain" (Ex 3:12).  

God said this in response to Moses' concerns that he was not worthy for the job of leading Israel out of Egypt, and that the people were not likely to be willing to follow him.  Readers have often asked how this sign would address these concerns.  

Jewish teacher Sharon Rimon mentions several possible answers.  One creative one proposes that God is telling Moses, "Just as I can appear to Israel at a rather ordinary mountain, so I can work with an obscure shepherd."  

Another possibility is that when Moses tells the Israelites that they will be going to Sinai to worship God, they will understand that he does not want to bring them out of Egypt for his own personal gain.  Instead, they will be going to Sinai at God's behest for a special calling.  

Seder 58 Sermon: A God for Everyone

 At a sermon at Church of the Messiah on February 22, 2025, Kyle Kettering's text was Isaiah 33:13:  "Hear, you who are far off, what I have done; and you who are near, acknowledge my might."  

Kyle noted that "far and near" can be understood in several possible senses.  This expression can be a merism, a way of saying "everywhere."  The expression can also be understood geographically, in terms of distance from Jerusalem, as in Psalm 97:1 and Isaiah 24:15.  On the other hand, it can be understood in a spiritual sense, as in Isaiah 29:13.  It also can be understood chronometrically, in reference to different eras; or culturally.  Certainly there's a great cultural gap between the ancient Near East and today's United States.  

In whatever sense we understand Isaiah 33:13, God is avaialble to all who are willing to submit to him and obey him--verses 14-16.  People from both Israel and the nations are brought together into one holy temple, as Ephesians 2 explains.

Seder 58: Isaiah 33---The True King Will Prevail

 The miracles of the Exodus sent a powerful message to the Egyptians, the Israelites, and all the people in the region.  Moses' father-in-law Jethro affirmed, "Blessed be the LORD, who has delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians and out of the hand of Pharaoh and has delivered the people from under the hand of the Egyptians.  Now I know that the LORD is greater than all gods, because in this affair they dealt arrogantly with the people" (Ex 18:10-11).  

But not everyone got the message, and so God gave periodic reminders.  In the late 8th century BC, the haughty Assyrian Empire conquered the Kingdom of Israel and threatened to overrun the kingdom of Judah.  Through the prophet Isaiah, God warned the Assyrians---and all other evil human empires---that there was a day of reckoning in their future.  The destroyer would one day be destroyed (Isa 33:1), for the God of Israel is the true king (verse 5).  When things seemed hopeless for Judah (vv 7-9), God would arise (verse 10), and the plans of the nations would come to nothing (vv 11-12).  All the world would witness this (v 13).  

Isaiah's message to Judah was to place trust in God, not in political alliances with nations in the region.  To succeed, the people needed to submit to God's rule and live according to his ways (vv 14-16).  Then they would live in peace, troubled by no foreign powers (vv 17-24).  

Seder 58: Titus 1--Challenges on Crete for Titus

 In Exodus 18, Jethro instructs Moses on the importance of delegating authority. He advises Moses to find reliable people to assist him and ease the burden he is facing as Israel's human leader (verse 22).  

Shared governance is also important for Christian congregations.  When Paul leaves Titus in charge of Christian communities on the island of Crete, he directs Titus to appoint elders who are ethical and trustworthy (Titus 1:5-9).  

He goes on to tell Titus that qualified elders might not be so easy to find, quoting a famous Cretan (Epimenides) who said that "Cretans are always liars" (verse 12).  Paul affirms that Epimenides' statement is true!

Here is another example illustrating that "all" in the Bible is often not a mathematical "all."  If every single thing uttered by a Cretan is untrue, we are faced with a paradox (known as the Epimenides paradox).  If Epimenides' statement is true, then it is false as the statement of a Cretan.  On the other hand, if Epimenides is liar, then his statement is true. 

But there is no paradox if Cretans are just often unreliable rather than always unreliable.  

Seder 57 Sermon: Important Questions

 In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on February 15, 2025, Kyle Kettering observed that a number of questions are posed in Exodus 16-17, as well as in Jesus' related Passover discourse in John 6.  

Questions serve a number of purposes.  We ask them, Kyle noted, 

1. to learn something
2. to teach something
3. to expose something (e.g., God's question, "Who told you that you were naked?")
4. to emphasize something.

In Exodus 16:28, God asked the children of Israel an important question:  "How long will you refuse to keep my commandments and my laws?"  This suggests a big question for us as well:  Why do we sometimes find it so difficult to be obedient?

The Israelites ask a key question in Exodus 17:7:  "Is the LORD among us or not?"  During the difficult days of the Exodus, they had to learn what it would be like to walk with God.  Similarly, we have to learn what it is like to follow Jesus.  

Jesus' Passover discourse in John 6 raises some vital questions for Christians.  There Jesus identified himself as the true Bread of Life,  He is the lifegiver, and we need him just as much as we need food and water.  Kyle posed some vital questions:

Has Jesus become as essential to us as food and water?  Is our relationship with Jesus life-sustaining?

Seder 56: Echoes of Exodus 15 Throughout the Bible

The Song of the Sea in Exodus 15:1-18, inspired by the miraculous rescue of the Israelites at the Red Sea, is the Bible's first song of praise to God.  The song focuses on God as the only one who brings salvation and carries out judgment. Its major themes include

• God's mighty works on behalf of his people, carried out by his powerful "right hand".(vv 6,12).
• God's control over the forces of nature (vv 7-10).
• God's uniqueness and incomparability (v 11)
• God's position as eternal ruler over all the earth (v 18)

In addition to recounting the Red Sea rescue and defeat of Pharaoh's chariots, the song takes a prophetic look ahead to future events.  Over the next 40 years, many people in the region would remember what God had done and would tremble in fear (v 14).  The Israelites would "pass by" (v 16) once again, walking across the Jordan River on dry ground.  And God would lead them into Canaan to build a temple and dwell in his presence (v 17).  

Not all of the things pictured in the song would happen within 40 years.  Edom and Moab, for example, did not tremble in fear of the Israelites (v 15), but would do what they could to oppose them.  The complete fulfillment of verse 15 may lie in the future.  

There are echoes of Exodus 15 elsewhere in the Bible.  For example, Isaiah 11:12-16 describes a future exodus in which a regathering of the tribes of Israel will take place.  This account is followed in chapter 12 by a song that repeats words from the Song of the Sea:  "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation" (verse 2).  

Exodus 15 is referenced again in Psalm 118:14-16, with another quote of Exodus 15:2 and another statement of the strength of God's right hand.  There is a messianic prophecy a few verses later in verse 22.  In Exodus 15:5, Egyptian chariots sink like stones.  In Psalm 118:22, the stone rejected by the builders becomes the chief cornerstone.  

There are a number of allusions to Exodus 15 in the prophecy of Micah 7:7-20.  One striking thing about this prophecy is that in this case, it is human sin, rather than an enemy army, that is defeated and cast into the sea (verse 19).  

Seder 55: Exodus 14---Learning and Following God's Will

Sometime shortly after leaving Egypt, the Israelites, encamped on the banks of the Yam Supf ("Sea of Reeds"), are attacked by 600 Egyptian chariots.  Moses assures the frightened people that God will defeat the Egyptians (Ex 14:14).  

God then tells Moses, "Why do you cry to me?  Tell the people of Israel to go forward."  There is a time for prayer and a time for action, God seems to be saying, and this is a time for action.  

But what should the Israelites do?  They seem to be trapped.  God instructs Moses on what to do next, and Moses is probably surprised to learn that they will be headed toward the water, since God will be making a path for them through the Yam Supf.  

On February 1, 2025, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon at Church of the Messiah on a question raised by Exodus 14:15.  When we have major decisions to make in life, we would like to act according to God's will.  How do we discern God's will, and when is it time to act?  

Kyle told us about two helpful books on the subject.  One is Garry Friesen's Decision Making and the Will of God.  (Friesen was one of Kyle's teachers during his year at Multnomah Bible College.)  Friesen suggests that there is some flexibility in Go's will for us as individuals.  There may be more than one possible answer to questions like "Whom should I marry?" and "Should I take this job?"  

The second is Dallas Willard's Hearing God.   Willard taught that in a relationship with God, communication goes in both directions.  God communicates with us personally, and we should be listening to what he has to tell us.  

Kyle taught that in discerning God's will, we should exercise 

• humble reflection.  In particular, we should not too quickly dismiss people's claims about what God is telling them. 
• earnest seeking (prayer and listening).  Here Kyle cited David's instruction to Solomon in 1 Chronicles 28:9:  "If you seek him, he will be found by you."
• the advice of multiple counselors, as taught in Proverbs 11:14.
• faithful action.  If we act in accordance with God's moral will, then God can use that action.  The question here may be "How do I make wise decisions?" rather than "How do I discern God's will?"  

Kyle urged us to practice intentional listening to hear what God has to say to us.

Seder 54: Exodus 13:17---Why Wait?

 When the Israelites left Goshen at the start of their Exodus from Egypt, they were not too far from their final destination.  It was a "straight shot" along the Mediterranean coast to Canaan.  But God did not lead them along that route.  One reason for this is given in Exodus 13:17:  "Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt."  The route along the coast was direct but dangerous.  In particular, the Egyptians had a string of forts along that coast.  Although the Israelites left "equipped for battle" (v. 18, ESV), they were not a trained fighting force.  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 25, 2025, Kyle Kettering explained a number of additional reasons why God led the Israelites on a more roundabout route to the Promised Land:  

1. God had one more miracle in store for the Egyptians, the drowning of Egypt's chariots in the Sea of Reeds.  This miracle sent a message to the Egyptians, the Israelites, and all the people in the region about the identity and power of the one true God. After this event, the Egyptians made no more attempts to attack the Israelites in the wilderness.
2. This miracle was a further embarassment and defeat for the gods of the Egyptians.  A midrash proposes that after the ten plagues there was one Egyptian god still standing, the Baal-Zephon ("lord of the north") mentioned in Exodus 14:2.  The defeat of the Egyptian army demonstrated the impotence of this deity as well. 
3. God had promised Moses to bring the Israelites to Mount Sinai (Ex 3:12).
4. God wanted to instruct the Israelites and build a relationship with them. 

Seder 54: Isaiah 46---To Carry or Be Carried?

 When the Israelites begin their Exodus from Egypt, God has one more mighty work planned---the parting of the Red Sea and the drowning of Pharaoh's army.  This miracle would send a powerful message to the Egyptians, the Israelites, and other nations about the strength of the God of Israel.  

Hundreds of years later, Isaiah had a message about another Exodus for Jewish exiles in Babylon.  God would rescue his people again, this time using a pagan king to send them back to the land of Israel.  He announced the name of that king in advance in Isaiah 44-45:  Cyrus.  

As in the time of the first Exodus, God wanted all nations to know that he was the one true God, the only one who could predict the future accurately and the only source of salvation.  

In Isaiah 46, God states that everyone has a choice to make, and there are two options.  One possibility is to follow other gods who have no power to save.  Those who choose that option will have to carry their idols around in order to save them (verses 1-2).  

On the other hand, the God of Israel does not need to be carried around.  Instead, he carries his people, faithfully watching over them all their lives and delivering them from harm (verses 3-4).  

So there are two options, to carry or be carried.  We can still think of our choices today that way.  We do not carry images of wood or stone, but we have our own idols---our stuff, our sources of entertainment, the reputations we want to maintain.  We chooses whether to carry these idols around or to give them up, place our trust in God, and let him carry us.  The choice is ours. 

Seder 53: Isaiah 21-22---The Folly of Trusting in Babylon

 Isaiah prophesied to the kings and people of Judah in the late 8th century BC, when Judah faced the threat of the Assyrian Empire.  He emphasized that Judah should turn to God and trust in him for protection from the Assyrians rather than relying on political alliances with Egypt or Babylon.  

The prophecies in Isaiah 21-22 are part of that overall message.  In Isaiah 21:1-10, Isaiah looks ahead to the fall of Babylon, which came almost two centuries after Isaiah in 539 BC.  In verse 2, he sees allies Elam and Media turning against Babylon.  

In verses 3-4, Isaiah speaks of the anguish he experiences because of what is coming in the future.  Perhaps he laments for those in Judah who are putting their trust in Babylon.  He may see the grief of those who will be taken into captivity in Babylon in 606-586 BC

Commentator John Oswalt notes that verse 5 reminds us of the scene in Daniel 5, when Babylonian royalty feasts while attackers wait outside their gates.  They make frantic preparations for war, "oiling their shields," but it is too late.  The handwriting is on the wall.  

In verses 6-9 we see the prophet as watchman, warning Judah of the consequences of continuing to disobey God.  The horsemen he sees may be part of Babylon's defeated army fleeing.  If the Babylonians ultimately will not be able to save themselves in the 6th century, how can they be of help to Judah in the 8th century?  

Isaiah's next oracle in 21:11-12 comes to Dumah.  There are a couple of different possibilities for the identity of Dumah.  The LXX has "Idumea" (Edom) here, Seir in verse 11 is another name for Edom, and "Dumah" is an anagram of "Edom."  So this could be a message for Edom.  

On the other hand, Dumah is the name of an Arabian oasis at the intersection of two trade routes, so the oracle may be directed to this location.  Certainly Edom and Arabia both would be interested in what to expect from the Assyrians and Babylonians.  They might even ask Judah's watchman what he sees.

The watchman's words are cryptic:  "Morning comes, and also the night."  Oswalt proposes that Isaiah may be saying that the Assyrian "night" will end, but it will be replaced by a Babylonian "night."  Or perhaps he is saying that Sennacherib will be defeated when he tries to take Jerusalem in 701 BC, but then Assyria would go on to defeat Babylon in 689 BC.  

There is an oracle to Arabia in 21:13-17.  Oswalt explains that Tema is another oasis about 200 miles south of Dumah on the road to the Red Sea, while Dedan is about 90 miles south of Tema.  All of these sites are part of Kedar (v 16).  The fugitives in verse 14 may be fleeing Babylon or heading south from Dumah.  In any case, Kedar will not be safe by allying itself with Babylon.  It will fall along with Babylon.  

In chapter 22 Isaiah has a message for Jerusalem.  Oswalt proposes that the setting may be a time when Judah is temporarily rejoicing after being spared from an Assyrian attack.  One possibility is 711 BC, when the Assyrians took the Philistine city of Azekah but then withdrew.  Judah moved to shore up Israel's defenses (verses 8-11), but its best defense would be to turn to God in repentance (verse 12).  They would not be forgiven if they did not humble themselves (verse 14).  

Isaiah illustrates right and wrong approaches in the rest of chapter 22.  Shebna, a high official who should have been working to serve the nation, is preoccupied with his own legacy by supervising the construction of a tomb for himself (verses 15-19).  Shebna would be removed from office and replaced by Eliakim (verse 20), who would serve faithfully (verses 21-23).  Sadly, Eliakim would not be able to stand up under the strain of burdens placed upon him by his family (verses 24-25).  Still, he had the right priorities.

Oswalt observes that these prophecies in Isa 21-22 teach us about 

• the sovereignty of God.
• the folly of trusting human power.
• the fickleness of human promises.

The only hope for Judah (and for us) is to trust in God.

Seder 52: Exodus 12:15---What do you mean, "Shall be cut off"?

 In Exodus 12:1-28 the biblical narrative is temporarily interrupted with instructions on the first month of the calendar that God designed for Israel.  Included are directions for the first Passover, which would be observed on Israel's last night in Egypt.  

But much more is covered.  In future years the celebration of the Passover and Days of Unleavened Bread would commemorate Israel's liberation from Egypt.  

Everyone would participate in these festivals, with no one allowed to "opt out."  In verse 15 God says, "Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread.  On the first day you shall remove the leaven out of your houses, for if anyone eats what is leavened, from the first day until the seventh day, that person shall be cut off from Israel."  

Refusal to observe the Days of Unleavened Bread is one of several offenses for which one could be "cut off from Israel" (Ge 17:14; Ex 30:33, 38; 31:14; Lev 7:20, 21, 25, 27; 17:4,9,14; 19:8; 20:17-18; 22:3; 23:29; Num 9:13; 15:30; 19:13, 20).  In these cases, God is not telling the Israelites to punish the offender.  Instead, he is saying that he will take care of the situation.  

Douglas Stuart in his NAC commentary on Exodus explains that such a person would be "cut off from God's benefits to Israel in the near future and cut off from eternal life with them in the ultimate future," since that person "had by his actions shown clearly that he did not desire to keep covenant with the true God" (p. 285).  

Epiphany 2025: The Gifts from the Nations Motif

 The account of the visit of the Magi in Matthew 2 is part of a biblical motif in which foreign dignitaries come to Jerusalem bringing valuable gifts.

For example, during the reign of Solomon, the queen of Sheba comes from Arabia with questions for Solomon and lavish gifts (1 Ki 10:1-10).  

A prayer for Israel's kings says, "May the kings of Tarshish and the coastlands render him tribute; may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts" (Ps 72:10).  

Israel was called to be a light to the nations (Isa 42:6; 49:6).  That light would attract people to the Torah and to the God of Israel (Dt 4:6-7), as is pictured in the beautiful prophecy of Isaiah 60.  There the light of the Messiah and his people brings delegations from the nations to Jerusalem.

The gifts brought to Jerusalem include "gold and frankincense" (verse 6), making a connection between Isaiah 60 and the magi.  The prophecy pictures the nations submitting to the rule of the Messiah (vv 10-14). 

Isaiah 60 goes on to picture God's light eclipsing the light of the sun and moon (vv 19-20).  This imagery is picked up in John's vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21:22-27.  So it seems that Isaiah 60 is picturing a wide range of events, beginning with Jesus' first advent and continuing beyond the second one.

Epiphany 2025: God Made Manifest in Jesus (not Antiochus Epiphanes)

 In the traditional Christian calendar, the season of Epiphany runs from the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 until Ash Wednesday (March 5 in 2025).  

The English word epiphany comes from the Greek epiphaneia, which means "manifestation."  Epiphany focuses on events that "make manifest" or "show forth" the divine identity of Jesus.  These include 

• the visit of the magi, commemorated on the Feast of the Epiphany;
• the baptism of Jesus;
• the wilderness temptation that followed this baptism;
• the miracles of Jesus;
• the transfiguration.

Epiphany comes shortly after Hanukkah, highlighting the contrast between the evil Selucid king Antiochus Epiphanes, who falsely claimed to be God made manifest; and Jesus of Nazareth, who actually is.    

The final downfall of Antiochus is described in 2 Maccabees 9.  As the king hurried toward Judea to have more Jews killed, he was struck with pains in his bowels and later was seriously injured in a fall from a chariot.  Verse 8 comments, "So he who thinks himself equal to the waves of the sea because of his superhuman arrogance, and imagining he could set in a balance the heights of the mountains, was now coming down to earth and was being carried on a sedan, displaying clearly to everyone the power of God."  In other words, what was made manifest in Antiochus was the power of the true God, not the greatness of the foolish ruler.

Hanukkah 2024: Reasons to Read Fourth Maccabees

 The season of Hanukkah is a great time to read the books of First and Second Maccabees, which discuss the history surrounding that festival.  

Fourth Maccabees is another book worth reading.  Written by an anonymous diaspora Jew in the first century AD, this book records an oration prepared for some unnamed occasion (perhaps a Hanukkah celebration).  Making skillful use of Greek philosophical thought and rhetoric, the suthor sets out to show that "devout reason [i.e., reason submitted to God and trained by the Torah] is sovereign over the emotions" (1:2).  

He argues that God would not have instructed his people to do or not do certain things (e.g., not coveting a neighbor's wife or belongings) if it were not possible to obey. He  backs up his argument with examples, including Joseph's overcoming the temptations posed by Potiphar's wife; and (especially) the willingness of the second-century BC priest Eleazar, along with his wife and seven sons, to die rather than eat pork.  .

Scholar David deSilva notes several reasons why this book deserves our attention:

• It illustrates the fact that Jews in the Hellenistic period did not necessarily avoid Greek thought.  The author brings to bear a strong Greek education in defense of Judaism and the Torah.
• It is a good antidote to the antinomian prejudices held by many Christians.  The Torah is presented as a great blessing rather than an impossible burden. 
• The book has long provided comfort for those being persecuted for their faith.

Seder 51: Exodus 10 and Revelation 9:1-11---Locust Plagues

 God used the plagues of the Exodus to free the Israelites, judge the Egyptians and their gods, and send important messages to Israel, Egypt, and other nations.  

Throughout the rest of the Bible. themes and images from the Exodus are used in situations where God is judging the rebellious and rescuing his people.  For example, in the visions of the book of Revelation, imagery from the plagues of the Exodus is prominent.  

Revelation 9:1-11 describes the judgment of the fifth trumpet, which sends out a kind of locust plague, an allusion to the eighth plague of the Exodus (Ex 10:1-20).  As in the plagues of the Exodus, the people of God are protected from this judgment (Rev 9:4), and God limits the extent of the judgment---it lasts for five months (Rev 9:5).   

In other ways, this is different from the locust plague of the Exodus.  The locusts in ancient Egypt devoured plants (Ex 10:14-15), while those in Revelation 9 are told to avoid plants.  

In fact, the ``locusts'' in Revelation 9 are not insects.  They come out of the abyss or "bottomless pit," a place of confinement for evil spiritual beings (Lk 8:31).  According to traditions recorded in 1 Enoch, the Watchers of Genesis 6 are held there.  In Revelation 9:1-2, an angel temporarily releases some of the beings confined there to carry out judgment on rebellious humans.  

Revelation 9:7-11 describes the ugliness of these beings.  A misguided popular approach to interpreting this passage tries to connect it with modern military technology.  Such images would not have been meaningful to John or his original readers.  Instead, we should realize that Revelation is full of allusions to passages from the Hebrew Scriptures.  For example, ``their teeth like lions' teeth'' in Revelation 9:8 comes from Joel 1:6; "the locusts were like horses prepared for battle" in Revelation 9:7 refers back to Joel 2:4; and the comparison with the noise of chariots in Revelation 9:9 is similar to Joel 2:5.  The book of Joel likens an invading army to a locust plague, and something similar is happening in Revelation 9.  

Seder 50: Exodus 8:20---Why the "Hinei"?

 In his instructions to Moses about the fourth Exodus plague (the plague of "swarms," probably swarms of flies), God says to Moses, "Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water" (Ex 8:20, KJV).  

Readers have long wondered why God punctuates his statement with an extra "lo" or "behold" (hinei in Hebrew).  The extra word might imply that God wants Moses to pay special attention to the fact that Pharaoh is going to the Nile.  

One tradition on this point (expounded by the medieval Jewish commentator Rashi) proposes that Pharaoh goes to the water to relieve himself in private.  The idea is that Pharaoh is supposed to be a god and doesn't want it known that he needs to take care of human bodily functions.  

God, then, may be having Moses confront Pharaoh at a place where Pharaoh feels most vulnerable.  

Rob Wilson shared this tradition in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on December 14, 2024.  He also tied it in with the Incarnation, with the fact that Jesus came to the earth as a human baby, putting himself in a vulnerable position because of his love for us, as expressed in Philippians 2.

Seder 49 Sermon: Signs and Wonders

 One of the ways that God communicated with Pharaoh and the Egyptians was through signs and wonders---e.g., Aaron's rod turning into a serpent/crocodile and the various plagues that preceded the Exodus.  In a sermon about signs and wonders at Church of the Messiah on December 7, 2024, Kyle Kettering noted several purposes of signs and wonders:

• They deliver messages from God.
• They gain people's attention.
• They serve to validate a message.
• They can strengthen people's faith.

He also talked about some limitations of signs and wonders:

• They don't prove anything for sure--e.g., Ex 7:11-12.
• They don't have staying power, given the nature of human memory.  After awhile we may forget that one happened.  
• They're not foolproof--e.g., sometimes false prophets can do signs and wonders---e.g., Dt 13.
• They're not controlled by the human agent through whom they are done. 

Let's be sure to pay attention to what God is trying to tell us through signs and wonders.

Seder 49: Exodus 7:10-12---Symbolism of Aaron's Sign

 Exodus 7 describes a confrontation between Moses and Aaron, on the one hand, and the magicians of Pharaoh on the other.  When Aaron threw down his staff, it turned into a tannin, literally a monstrous serpent, dragon, or crocodile.  Somehow Pharaoh's magicians apparently were able to duplicate this feat, whether through some spiritual power or through sleight of hand.  But then Aaron's staff swallowed up the magicians' staffs (Ex 7:12).  

Later readers have seen symbolic meaning in these events.  The tannin is used as a symbol for Pharaoh and Egypt in Ezekiel 29:1-6, and matteh, the word for "staff", also means "tribe."  So the swallowing of the magicians' staffs by Aaron's staff could be making the statement that Egypt was going to be defeated by the tribes of Israel, who were thought to be a "dry stick" but would be raised up by God. 

Sharon Rimon proposes this symbolism.  She also points out that there are other times when God's servants show themselves superior to an emperor's court magicians, implying the superiority of God over the emperors and their deities.  Other examples are in Genesis 41 and Daniel 1-2.

Seder 48: Isa 42:8-43:7---God Will Deliver His People

In Isaiah 42:10-17, Isaiah calls on all the earth, even the most remote parts, to praise God.  The God of Israel is not just a local deity, but rules the whole world.  The people of Judah in exile, who wondered when God would intervene to help them, would not have to wait forever.  God would go to any lengths necessary to bring his people out of captivity in a new Exodus, and the gods of Babylon would be powerless to do anything about it. 

Verses 18-25 remind the people that it was their own spiritual blindness that led to their exile.  God had taught them plainly (verse 21), but they had not listened, and so he sent them to Babylon.  They were not in captivity because of Babylon's power, but because God had sent them there for correction.    

And by his grace, God would also deliver them from captivity in due time (43:1-7).  Because of his love for his people, he would pay any price to redeem them, and he would bring them back from the four corners of the earth.  The one who created them could save them by his grace.

Seder 47: Isaiah 56:1-8--Righteousness is More Important than Pedigree

 Commentators often divide the book of Isaiah into three sections, with chapters 1-39 in the first section, chapters 40-55 in the second, and chapters 56-66 in the third.  

John Oswalt explains one rationale for this structure in his NIVAC commentary on Isaiah.  In chapters 1-39, he observes, "righteousness" usually refers to people following God's Torah.  Then in chapters 40-55, the emphasis is on God's righteousness in the sense of his faithfulness to his covenant with Israel.  Finally, chapters 56-66 put these two meanings of righteousness together, making clear that righteous living is important but can only be accomplished through the grace of God.  

Both meanings of righteousness come together in Isa 56:1, where God tells his people to "do righteousness"  in anticipation of God's salvation.  The ensuing verses make clear that just being one of the chosen people is not enough; instead, it is those who are submitted to and in relationship with God who are his true people.

Seder 47 Sermon: Exodus 4:18, Mark 5:25-34---Go in Peace

 After receiving a commission at the burning bush, Moses let his father-in-law know that he was planning to return to Egypt.  Jethro responded, "Go in peace'' (Ex 4:18).  

In the Hebrew text, the word for "go" is preceded by the letter lamed.  According to one reading, this has the connotation that Moses has a difficult road ahead of him, but Jethro prays that Moses will head in the direction of shalom.  

In the Gospels Jesus conveys a similar blessing to the woman who has been plagued by bleeding for twelve years, then is healed when she touches the tassels of his tallit (Mk 5:25-34).  Kyle Kettering focused on this incident in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 23, 2024.  (He previously spoke on it in a sermon on January 22, 2022.)  

One common misconception regarding this woman is the claim that she was some kind of societal outcast because she was ritually impure for a long period of time.  However, ritually impurity was not sin and did necessarily come with a stigma attached.  Ritual impurity was mainly a concern when someone wanted to worship at the Temple---otherwise it was not a big deal.  It was also relatively easy to take care of with a toutine washing.  

Discussions of this subject always raise the question of whether Jesus experienced ritual impurity during his time on earth.  Some claim that Jesus was a source of "contagious holiness" and so imparted purity rather than ever becoming ritually impure.  Kyle mentioned an exponent of this school of thought, Tom Holmen, who has developed his thesis in papers entitled, "A Contagious Purity:  Jesus' Inverse Strategy for Eschatological Cleanliness" and "Jesus and the Purity Paradigm".

On the other hand, it is an important truth of Christianity that Jesus was fully human, and experiencing ritual impurity is a part of life.  For example, Jesus as a teenager probably had a nocturnal emission of semen at some point, which would have made him temporarily ritually impure. 

It is clear that Jesus did not worry about contracting ritual impurity.  He was much more concerned with his mission of helping people and alleviating suffering.  He willingly became fully human in order to serve mankind (Isa 53:2-5).