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 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).  

Seder 46: Exodus 4:10---Did Moses Have a Speech Impediment?

During Moses' calling at the burning bush, Moses says that he is "not eloquent," but "slow of speech and of tongue" (Ex 4:10).  Based on this statement, many have wondered if Moses stuttered or had some other kind of speech impediment.

Commentator Douglas Stuart points out that in the Ancient Near East, it was customary for people to be extremely modest when being offered an important responsibility, and that is surely what is going on here.  Moses ends up doing a lot of speaking in the Pentateuch and shows no signs of lacking eloquence or speaking skill.  As Stephen later said in Acts 7:22, Moses was "mighty in his words and deeds."

We see similar modesty from Jeremiah (Jer 1:6) and from Saul (1 Sam 9:21), for example. 

Seder 149: Deuteronomy 18---The Prophet(s) Like Moses

 Moses for forty years had been Israel's teacher, bringing revelation from God.  But what would happen after Moses died?  Moses addressed this subject in Deuteronomy 18:9-22.  

First, Moses made clear that Israel was not to follow the practices of the nations around them.  Other nations tried to manipulate deities, supernatural forces, or spirits of the dead to act in their favor.  But Israel was not to engage in any divinatory practices (Dt 18:9-14).  

Israel would have no need of such practices.  God cannot be manipulated, and Israel was to obey him, not try to control him.  Instead, Moses said, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers---it is to him you shall listen' (v. 15).  

Thinking about Moses and his role, being a prophet like Moses should include 

• a mediatorial role;
• access to God's presence;
• communication with God;
• being led by the Holy Spirit.

Moses also addressed the question of how to identify a true prophet of God (vv 20-22).  True prophets 

1. were loyal to God, not necessarily to a human leader (see e.g. 1 Ki 22);
2. gave messages consistent with the Torah;
3. spoke at God's initiative;
4. spoke only in God's name'
5. gave prophecies that were fulfilled;
6. had authenticating signs (see Ex 4:1-9);
7. were obedient to God (see Jer 29:12-13).

On the other hand, false prophets would come under divine judgment (Eze 13; 1 Ki 18; 2 Ki 10).

Israel indeed did go on to have a series of inspired prophets, including the anonymous prophets of Judges 6:7-10; 10:11-14; Samuel; Nathan; Elijah; Elisha; and the authors of the Bible's prophetic books.  

In some sense, though, all of them fell short of Moses, who had an especially close relationship with God (Num 12:6-8).  Deuteronomy 18:15-18 came to be understood as a prediction that the line of prophets described there would culminate in one great prophet, the Messiah.  We see this interpretation in Deuteronomy 34:10-12, which was apparently written some centuries after Moses.  The book of Deuteronomy ends with the assertion that the ultimate "prophet like Moses" had not yet arrived.  

Kevin Chen points out that there are hints in Deut 18:15-18 that this is a messianic prophecy.  One is the statement that God would "raise up" this prophet (vv 15, 18).  The same language is used in other prophecies that are clearly messianic, like 2 Samuel 7:22 and Jeremiah 23:5; 30:9.  This language hints at the idea that this special prophet would be "raised up" from the dead.   

During the Second Temple Period, a tradition arose in some Jewish circles that inspired prophecy had ceased in Israel (1 Macc 4:46; 14:41), and that the next inspired prophet would be the Messiah.  In the New Testament there are references to Deuteronomy 18:15-18 as a messianic prophecy (Jn 6:1-14; Ac 3:11-26).  In the first century people were hoping for the fulfillment of this prophecy, and the first Christians believed that it was fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.

Seder 111: Numbers 12---Moses' "Cushite Wife" and the Jealousy of Miriam and Aaron

A wise saying has been attributed to the 19th century American financier J.P. Morgan:  "There are two reasons for everything----a good reason, and the real reason."

Moses' older siblings, Miriam and Aaron, at one point "spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married" (Num 12:1).  Since the "Cushite woman" is mentioned in the Bible only in this verse, her identity has been the subject of much speculation. 

We know that Moses had a wife named Zipporah, daughter of Jethro the Midianite (Ex 2:21-22; 3:1).  When Moses returned to Egypt he did not bring his family into the dangerous situation he would be facing, but he was reunited with his family at Mt Sinai (Ex 18:2,5).  

In Hab 3:7, we read, "I saw the tents of Cushan in affliction; the curtains of the land of Midian did tremble."  This parallelism in this verse indicates that "Cushan" is another name for "Midian" or some part of Midian.  Based on this verse, one possibility is that the "Cushite wife" is Zipporah, with "Cushite" meaning "from Cushan."  Perhaps some friction had developed between Miriam and Zipporah, the two most important women in Moses' life.  

On the other hand, the adjective "Cushite" is usually a reference to Cush, the region south of Egypt in today's Sudan.  Some have speculated that Zipporah's mother was a Cushite, so that Zipporah could also be called a Cushite.  

Another possibility is that Moses had married a Cushite who was part of the "mixed multitude" that joined the Israelites on the Exodus.  Perhaps Zipporah had died, or perhaps they had had a falling out related to the "circumcision incident" recorded in Exodus 4, or perhaps this was just an additional wife.  Miriam could have been critical of this second marriage.  

There was also a body of legend surrounding the first 40 years of Moses' life, before he fled to Midian.  Stephen seems to make reference to this in Acts 7:22 when he says that Moses "was mighty in his words and deeds."  Josephus records a legend in which Moses, while acting as an Egyptian military leader, marries a Cushite princess.  Perhaps this was the Cushite wife, and Miriam  was criticizing something about this marriage.  

Some today wonder if there was a racist aspect to the criticism of the Cushite wife.  It is known that ancient Egyptians tended to harbor some prejudice against Cushites.  

Rabbinic tradition proposes an elaborate and imaginative scenario meant to portray everyone in the best possible light.  In this scenario Miriam and Aaron are saying that Zipporah is special and distinctive in the same way that a Cushite's dark skin is distinctive, and they are critical of Moses because he has become so focused on spiritual matters that he has stopped sleeping with Zipporah.  

Whatever the identity of the Cushite wife, the real reason for Miriam and Aaron's complaint is that they wanted a more prominent leadership role in Israel.  They said, "Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses?  Has he not spoken through us also?" (Num 12:2)

Moses is described here as "very meek, more than all people who were on the face of the earth" (v 3).  The word for "meek" could be a reference to humility, or it could be a reference to how weighed down he was by the burden of leading the Israelites.  In any case, he didn't reprimand his older sister and brother.  

But God did.  God made it clear that Moses had a special relationship with him and was to be treated with appropriate respect (vv 4-9).  And he struck Miriam with a serious skin condition.  Her skin became "like snow," perhaps a sort of poetic justice if Miriam had said something derogatory about the skin color of the "Cushite wife."  

Moses interceded for his sister.  "O God, please heal her---please" (v 13).  And God did so after a week of punishment.  In Num 11-12 God's mercy is prominently displayed, as Rob Wilson pointed out in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on Aug 6, 2022.

Sukkot 2021: God as Teacher

 In the book of Exodus, we see God as Deliverer and Redeemer.  We also see him as Teacher.  In presentations at the Church of the Messiah Sukkot celebration on September 25, 2021, Kyle Kettering explored this important biblical picture of God, expanding on his remarks from September 18.  

Kyle observed that teachers are patient with their students.  They know the limitations of their students and don't give up on them.  We observe these characteristics of God in the Exodus account, where God patiently deals with the fear, anxiety, and complaining that the people exhibit during the journey to Sinai and at Sinai.  

Whom does God teach?  Psalm 25:8 says that God "instructs sinners in the way."  For those who humbly turn to God for guidance, as David does in Psalm 25, God provides that guidance.  Isa 30:20-21 also pictures sinners receiving instruction in the way to go.  

If God instructs sinners, the Talmud says (b. Makkot 10b), how much more the righteous.  For example, God promised Moses at the burning bush that he would teach Moses what to say when he came before Pharaoh (Ex 4:12).  

God teaches us in many ways.  He teaches everyone through general revelation, through the creation (Rom 1:18-32).  

He teaches us through his word.  Remember that the word "Torah" means instruction rather than "law."  In a broad sense, Torah includes all the spiritual instruction of God's word and its corollaries.

Jesus is a teacher, not just a carpenter.  When Nicodemus came to see Jesus, he confessed, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God" (John 3:2).

God also teaches us through the Holy Spirit--e.g., Luke 12:11-12.

Why does God teach us?  Because we need it.  God created us, and he knows that our thoughts are "but a breath" (Ps 94:11), so he "teaches man knowledge" (v 10).  

God also teaches us so that we will teach others, as David showed the desire to do (Ps 51:12-13).  The recipients of Hebrews are criticized for still needing basic instruction when they ought to be teaching others (Heb 5:12).  

The Talmud (b Sotah 14a) asks what it means to "walk after God"?  The answer:  To do what he does.  God teaches us, and so we should teach others.  

One audience member at Kyle's presentation asked him why he was making use of post-biblical rabbinic literature.  Kyle observed that there is much to learn from it.  The fact that rabbinic literature contains much of value illustrates the fact that God does not give up on his students.  He is still Israel's teacher.  

Seder 47: Exodus 5---The Initial Confrontation with Pharaoh

 After conferring with the elders of Israel, Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh (Exod 5:1).  God had mentioned that the elders of Israel should accompany them (Exod 3:18).  A midrash proposes that the elders started out with Moses and Aaron but dropped out along the way, finding excuses to leave.  This tradition highlights how intimidating it would to confront the ruler of Egypt.  

God had also instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh, "Israel is my firstborn son.  If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son" (Exod 4:22-23).  Exodus 5 does not record Moses and Aaron conveying this threat.  Dennis Prager proposes that perhaps Moses did not yet have faith sufficient to pass along this message.  Alternatively, Moses and Aaron may have perceived, from the way the meeting started, that it would have not have worked to say such a thing to Pharaoh at this point.  

Pharaoh saw no reason to listen to the representatives of a group of slaves (Exod 5:1-5).  To silence them, Pharaoh increased the burden on the Israelite slaves.  His actions had the desired effect.  The Israelites in their suffering turned against Moses and Aaron.  

God had told Moses that Pharaoh would not listen to him, but things went even worse than Moses had imagined.  Not only had Pharaoh not listened; in addition, Moses' actions had made things worse for the Israelites.  In his role as intercessor for Israel, Moses in despair prayed about his people's worsening situation (vv 22-23).  Where was the deliverance that God had promised?  

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 6, 2021, Rob Wilson noticed a "blame game" going on in Exodus 5.  Pharaoh blames the Israelites for having too much time on their hands, the Israelites blame Moses and Aaron for their increased affliction, and Moses passes the blame along to God. It is tempting to participate in the "blame game." 

Seder 47: Exo 4:18-31---Moses Accepts and Begins His Commission

 After his commissioning at the burning bush, Moses returned to his father-in-law to let Jethro know his intention to return to Egypt.  At this point Moses apparently did not say anything about his conversation with God (Exo 4:18).

God provided more encouragement for Moses to return, letting him know that he was no longer wanted for murder in Egypt (v 19).  Verse 20 notes that "Moses took the staff of God in his hand", an indication that he was accepting the position to which he had been called.  He headed back toward Sinai with his wife Zipporah and sons Gershom and Eliezer.  

On that trip God let him know that he needed to fully embrace his calling and identity as a member of the covenant people.  Apparently one of Moses' sons was not yet circumcised, and God confronted him on that issue.  Verse 24 says that God "met him and sought to put him to death" (v 24).  Zipporah, who knew what the issue was and how to do a circumcision, circumcised the son and saved Moses' life.

Different scenarios have been proposed for the background of these mysterious events.  In one of them, Zipporah has previously resisted having the son circumcised and now grudgingly does so.  In this scenario, her statement that "surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me" (v 25) was meant derisively.  

In another scenario, Moses himself also had not been circumcised properly as an infant because of the threat of death that hung over Israelite children at the time.  In this scenario, Moses was the one who had dragged his feet on the issue, and Zipporah was actually happy to have it resolved.  When she removed her son's foreskin, she "touched Moses' feet" ( v 25), "feet" being a euphemism for his genital area.  In this way, she hoped that God would accept her action as a "circumcision by proxy" for Moses, so that their marriage would be considered a covenant marriage with Moses now a valid "bridegroom of blood."  

In a third scenario, it is Moses' firstborn son Gershom whose life is in danger.  Moses has dragged his feet on the issue, perhaps having given Gershom only a partial "Egyptian-style" circumcision in the past.  Zipporah touches the foreskin to Gershom's genitals and declares Gershom a blood relative as part of the circumcision ceremony, saving Gershom's life (see Douglas Stuart's commentary on Exodus).

In any scenario, Zipporah is the heroine in this episode.

Moses and Aaron had a joyful reunion at Sinai.  At this point, Zipporah and her sons may have been sent back home, perhaps at Aaron's urging.  Aaron would have known what dangers might be awaiting them in Egypt and may have advised Zipporah to go back (see Exod 18:2-4). 

Moses and Aaron went on to Egypt, where they met with the elders of Israel and convinced them  through the special signs that God had given Moses that their deliverance was at hand (Exod 4:28-31).  

A midrash identifies an additional factor that might have helped convince the elders.  Verse 31 mentions that the elders "heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel" (v 31).  This language about God's "visiting" them previously had been used by Joseph at the end of his life.  "God will surely visit you," Joseph had said (Gen 50:25).  In the midrash, the Hebrew phrase for "surely visit", pakod pakad'ti, was known as a kind of password that would identify their deliverer.  Serah the daughter of Asher had preserved the memory of the password, God had passed it on to Moses at the burning bush (Exod 3:16),  and Moses and Aaron's knowledge of the password helped convince the elders. 

Seder 46: Exodus 3-4---Moses' Commissioning at the Burning Bush

 Forty years after Moses fled to Midian, God appeared to him in a "fire theophany" in a bush near Mt Horeb (aka Mt Sinai).  A midrash says that God appeared in a humble bush to teach Moses that "no place is devoid of God's presence, not even a thorn bush "(Exodus Rabbah 2:5).

In his fine general-audience commentary on the book of Exodus, Dennis Prager observes that not everyone would have stopped to take a closer look at the bush.  Prager sees this incident as an example of the fact that some people choose to acknowledge the miracles that are extant in the world, while others do not.  He quotes some beautiful and perceptive lines from the poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning:

"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees takes off his shoes."

Once God had Moses' attention, he announced that it was time for the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt.  Moses would be his instrument in leading the Exodus (Exod 3:7-10).  

Moses had lots of questions to ask about this plan (Exod 3:11-4:17).  In general, he wondered how he could succeed now, after 40 years "off the grid," when he had failed 40 years before.  Why would the Israelites or Pharaoh have any reason to listen to him?  

God patiently assured Moses that he wouldn't be undertaking this daunting task on his own.  God would supply anything that Moses lacked.  God patiently led Moses through the details of how the plan would work.  In particular, Moses would be working together with his older brother Aaron.