Seder 116: Numbers 18---Priest and Levites: Gifts and Responsibilities

 While "take" is a significant word in Numbers 16, "give" and "gift" are key words in Numbers 18 (see verses 6, 8, 11-12, 21, 26).  God "gave" the rest of the tribe of Levi to the priests, and Israel's tithes and offerings to the Levites and priests, in return for their service.  This relationship between God and the priests was a lasting one, a "covenant of salt" (verse 19; cf. Jer 33:21-22).  

So the priests and Levites received extensive gifts, and they also had weighty responsibilities.  In the camp of Israel the tribe of Levi was a kind of buffer, even a "lightning rod," between God's presence and the people (Num 1:53; 8:19; 18:21-22).  Within the tribe of Levi, the priests were responsible for making sure that the rest of the tribe of Levi did not come to harm by coming in too close a contact with the tabernacle and its holy objects (Num 4:18-20; 18:1-5).  

With Exodus 19 in mind, Peter refers to Christians as "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession (1 Pe 2:9).  It is natural, then, to ask about what responsibilities go with this priesthood.  Peter states that its purpose is for these priests to "proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Kyle Kettering discussed the responsibilities of priests in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on May 30, 2026.  He noted that the expansion of priesthood to people from nations beyond Israel was prophesied in Isaiah 66:19-21, backing up Peter's assertion.  

He observed that in Israel 

• the priests/Levites served as intermediaries.
• they were chosen for this role.
• the role came with responsibilities for the behavior of others.
• they risked danger on behalf of others.

Surveying a number of passages on priestly responsibilities, Kyle explained that priests need to  

• study (Neh 8:13)
• learn
• listen to God.
• instruct (Dt 24:8; Hosea 6:4-6)
• judge.
• uphold the holiness of God (Zeph 3:4)
• make distinctions (Eze 22:26)
• remember Torah
• guard knowledge (Mal 2:7)

A major challenge of our priesthood is to help those who have strayed from the right path to get back on track (1 John 5:!6; James 5:19-20; Gal 6:1-2).  

Seder 107: Numbers 6:22-27---Numerical Patterns and Pronoun Ambiguity in the Priestly Blessing

The literary beauty of the priestly blessing in Numbers 6:22-27 has often been observed.  In the three lines of the blessing, there are 

• three Hebrew words in line 1, five in line 2, and 7 in line 3;
• 12 syllables in line 1, 14 in line 2, and 16 in line 3;
• 15 consonants in line 1, 20 in line 2, 25 in line 3.

Commentator Michael Morales notes that three of the words in the blessing are the divine name.  There are 12 additional words, he says, "reflecting YHWH's presence among the twelve tribes of Israel."

This section concludes with a summary in verse 27:  "So shall they put my name upon the children of Israel, and I will bless them."  In context, "they" in "so shall they" refers to Aaron and his sons, the priests.  In "I will bless them," the pronoun "them" could presumably refer to either the priests or the Israelites in general.  As Kyle Kettering pointed out in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on March 14, 2026, it is a great privilege to be used by God to bless others.

Seder 104: Isaiah 45:15-25---The Only Source of Salvation

 Isaiah 45:15-25 declares that the God of Israel is the one true God, the only source of salvation.  Anything else that humans might worship is something created by God.  One day everyone will submit to God.  

Christians and Jews agree on these things when they read Isaiah 45. But there also are differences in the way they understand this passage.  

For Christians the one God is triune.  The passage emphasizes salvation, and Yeshua, the Hebrew name of Jesus, means salvation.  Christians have always affirmed that one day all will submit to God by submitting to Jesus (Phil 2:9-11).    

Jews disagree, and in response to persecution by Christians have sometimes identified the "wooden idols" and "god that cannot save" in verse 20 with the cross and Jesus.

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on February 21, 2026, Kyle Kettering discussed the relationship between these two religions that have a tremendous amount in common along with important differences.  He posted a quote from Daniel Boyarin:  "Judaism in all its forms and Christianity in all its forms were part of one complex religious family, twins in a womb, contending with each other for identity and precedence, but sharing to a large extent the same spiritual food, as well."  

Christians from the nations owe much to the Jewish people, as the apostle Paul reminded his congregations (Eph 2:1-13; Rom 11:17-24).  Paul also foresaw a reconciliation between these brother religions in the future (Rom 11:25-36).  In the meantime, Christians can promote reconciliation by loving the Jewish people.  

Seder 103: Luke 11; Matthew 12, 16----The Sign of Jonah

 In the Bible a "sign" is something, miraculous or otherwise, that carries a message.  Prophets can be signs, for example.  Isaiah says in Isaiah 8:18, "Behold, I and the children whom the LORD has given me are signs and portents in Israel from the LORD of hosts, who dwells on Mount Zion." 

Recall that Isaiah's children had special names.  The name of his son Shear-Jashub (Isa 7:3) conveyed the message that Judah would suffer exile, and a remnant would return.  (The name means, "a remnant will return.")  The name of his son Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz predicted that Damascus and Samaria would soon fall to the Assyrians (Isa 8:1-4).  

A generation or so before Isaiah, Jonah was another prophet who was a sign.  Jesus stated that "Jonah became a sign to the people of Nineveh" (Lk 11:30).  The Ninevites responded to Jonah's warning of coming judgment with sincere repentance (Jonah 3:4-5).  

An important aspect of the sign of Jonah is the fact that Jonah was rescued from death after being swallowed by a giant fish.  Jesus stated that this miracle pointed forward to his own coming resurrection from the dead (Mt 12:38-40).  

What was it about Jonah that made him a sign to the Ninevites?  Old Testament scholar Eugene Merrill addresses this question in an interesting 1980 paper.  

Jonah prophesied during the reign of Jeroboam II of the northern kingdom of Israel (793-753 BC).  He was from Gath-hepher (2 Ki 14:25), about 3 miles northwest of Nazareth.  

Merrill explains that Assyria faced a number of external and internal challenges during the first half of the eighth century BC.  Perhaps their difficulties during this period made them more receptive to Jonah's message than they might have been otherwise.  

Merrill also points out that the name "Nineveh" seems to have meant something like "Fishtown," and there were legends that "Assyria's arts and sciences were brought from the Persian Gulf by a half-man, half-fish deity called in the Greek Oannes" (p. 27 of the paper).  Given this background, we can see why the Ninevites would have been interested to hear from someone who had been regurgitated by a large fish.  Was Jonah's God more powerful than Oannes?  

At Church of the Messiah on February 14, 2026, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon on the sign of Jonah and signs in general.  In Matthew 16:1 Jesus, who had performed many miracles, was asked for a "sign from heaven.''  Those who asked him may have been hoping for some encouraging news about when Israel's restoration would come.  Jesus replied that they should have been better able to discern "the signs of the times" (verse 3).  They were in a time, like that of Jonah, when repentance was called for.  People who understood the signs of the times would heed Jesus' message, as the Ninevites had heeded Jonah (verse 4).  

When we look at the times we live in, we see lots of discouraging things.  Kyle encouraged us to set an example that would be a positive sign to those around us.  

Seder 100: Lev 26:26 and Matthew 14:13-21---Reversing a Curse by Faith

 In Leviticus 26 the Israelites are told that if they turn their backs on God's covenant, God will discipline them with hardships that will escalate if they persist in rebellion.  One of the hardships is famine, as described in verse 26:  

"When I break your supply of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in a single oven and shall dole out your bread again by weight, and you shall eat and not be satisfied."

This verse pictures a group of people having to share an amount of food that is only enough for a tenth as many people.  The Israelites could avoid this kind of scenario by turning to God in repentance (vv 40-45).  

The punishments listed in Leviticus 26:14-39 were the opposites of  blessings that would come to the Israelites in the Promised Land.  We can contrast the famine in Leviticus 26:26 with the blessings described by Moses in Deuteronomy 8:10:  "And you shall eat and be full, and you shall bless the LORD your God for the good land he has given you."  

Israel would continue to receive such blessings if they maintained their faith in God.  In particular, they would be blessed for taking care of those who were in need--Dt 14:29; 26:12.  Note the example of Ruth, who was helped by Boaz, in Ruth 2:14:  "So she sat beside the reapers, and he passed to her roasted grain.  And she ate until she was satisfied, and she had some left over."  

Another interesting example is in 2 Kings 4:42-44, where a man brings a firstfruits offering to the prophet Elisha.  Elisha has the man share the food with a large group.  Even though the group is large, there is enough food for everyone, with some left over.  In contrast to Leviticus 26:26, people ate are were satisfied.  

The miracle in 2 Kings 4:42-44 prefigures Jesus' feeding of 5000 in Matthew 14:13-21, where 5 loaves and 2 fish fed a large crowd, with much left over. In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 24, 2026, Kyle Kettering focused on this miracle to illustrate what can be accomplished when we place our trust in God.  

Seder 99: Leviticus 25:38-43---Slaves of God

 Leviticus 25 instructs the Israelites that they are not to mistreat impoverished members of their community.  Verse 42 gives an important reason for this instruction:

"For they are my servants, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt; they shall not be sold as slaves (ESV).  

When God delivered the children of Israel from Egyptian slavery, they changed masters.  Instead  of being slaves to the Egyptian Pharoah, they were slaves of God.  As a result, Israelites were not to be slaves to any other master.

Dr. Edwin Yamauchi has shown that the metaphor of being a slave of a deity was a familiar one in the ancient world.  In particular, it is used in both the Old and New Testaments.

Interestingly, English translations of the Bible traditionally have hesitated to use the word "slave" in this way.  In the King James Version, the words slave or slaves are only used a couple of times (Jer 2:14; Rev 18:13).  Yamauchi explains that at the time when this translation was carried out, the word "slave" in English tended to be restricted "to the extreme case of a captive in fetters."  

English has changed a lot since 1611, but English translations have tended to stick to the word "servant" rather than "slave" when talking about a believer's position of submission to God.  We see this, for example, in the verse quoted above, Leviticus 25:42, where the same Hebrew word is translated "servants" and "slaves."   

In the New Testament, there are a number of words for "servant" but only one word for "slave"---doulos.  Modern English translations typically will use "slave" to translate doulos when servitude to another person, or to sin, is in view.  However, servant is usually used for doulos in the case of a doulos to Christ or to God.  

There are historical reasons for the hesitance of English Bible translations to embrace this metaphor. In Britain and the United States, we are still wrestling with our history of slave-holding.  

What does it mean to be a slave of God?  New Testament scholar Murray Harris explains that a slave is "someone whose person and service belong wholly to another."  Slavery to God involves 

• humble submission to him.
• unquestioning obedience to his will.
• an exclusive preoccupation with pleasing him.

This is an accurate description of some important aspects of our relationship with God, so there is no reason to shy away from identifying ourselves as "slaves of God" or "slaves of Christ."

Ths is, of course, not the only metaphor used for our relationship with God.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 117, 2026, Kyle Kettering reminded us that we are also friends of Christ (Jn 15:14-15) and adopted children of God (Gal 4:1-7; Rom 8:14-17).

Seder 98: Matthew 13:44---The Treasure in the Field

 The thirteenth chapter of Matthew's Gospel records a number of parables of Jesus about the nature of God's kingdom.  One of them is in verse 44:

"The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up.  Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field."

As Kyle Kettering explained in a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 10, 2026, the parable is about someone who comes to see that submitting to God's reign is the highest priority in life, coming ahead of everything else.  Following God opens up to us a world of freedom, including freedom from want and fear.  

Kyle also mentioned that some have worried about possible ethical problems in the scenario presented in the parable.  Is it such a great idea to search through someone else's field and bury the treasure that one finds there without telling the owner of the field?  But with parables, we can miss the point if we get bogged down in the incidental details.  Jesus wasn't proposing that we go looking for items worth lots of money on other people's property.  

Symbolic readings of parables are often not the best option.  As an example, Kyle mentioned an interpretation of the parables in Matthew 13:44-46 given by popular dispensationalist teacher Warren Wiersbe (see Be Loyal, his commentary on Matthew).  Wiersbe saw in the parable of the hidden treasure Jesus' work to save the people of Israel, God's treasured possession (Ex 19:5).  He viewed the parable of the pearl of great price as representing Jesus' work on behalf of the church.  This is an imaginative reading that carries some lessons, but probably isn't what Jesus was talking about.  

Seder 97: Psalm 52---Trust in God's Faithfulness and Justice

 Most of the psalms do not come to us with information about the original occasion of their composition.  But some do.  In particular, some psalms linked to events in the life of David are clumped together in Book 2 of the Psalter in Psalms 51-52, 54, 56-57, 59-60, 63.

The arrangement of these psalms does not seem to be random.  In his book The Message of the Psalter, David C. Mitchell mentions the observation of medieval commentator David Kimchi (a.k.a. Radak) that  Psalms 52 and 54 deal with trials faced by David when he was fleeing from Saul, while Psalm 53 in between affirms that God made his kingdom stand firm in the face of these trials.  

Psalm 52 expresses confidence that God will judge the wicked and uphold those who place their trust in him.  The song's superscription gives a face to the wicked person described in verses 1-4, associating this wicked man with Doeg the Edomite, whose words and actions were responsible for the deaths of 85 priests and much of the rest of the population of Nob (1 Sa 21-22) during the reign of King Saul.

"Why do you boast of evil. O  mighty man?", David begins his prayer.  I sense that there are implied air quotes around the phrase "mighty man."  Doeg may think that he is mighty in having so many killed, but he should be aware that "the steadfast love of God endures all the day."  

This is not the only place in the Bible that refers ironically to "mighty men."  Isaiah 5:22 says, "Woe to those who are heroes at drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing strong drink."

David continues, "Your tongue plots destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit" (verse 2).  He adds in verse 4, "You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue."  Certainly Doeg caused great harm with his words.  

The midrash on Psalm 52 includes reflection on the harm that can be brought about through malicious speech.  The passages quoted include

• Proverbs 18:21---"Death and life are in the power of the tongue..."
• Psalm 34:13---"Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit."
• Proverbs 21:23---"Whoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps himself out of trouble."

The sages observe that those who engage in slander are denying God's authority, based on Psalm 12:4.  They also say that slander is more damaging than murder, since slander destroys three people---the speaker, the listener, and the subject of the slander.  Doeg's speech is given as an example.  It led to the deaths of Ahimelech (1 Sa 22:16), Saul (1 Ch 10:13), and eventually Doeg himself (Ps 52:5).

David closes the psalm with faith and confidence.  "But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God...I will wait for your name, for it is good, in the presence of the godly" (verses 8-9).  Note that it is "in the house of God" and "in the presence of the godly" that David says he will flourish.  In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on January 3, 2026, Kyle Kettering emphasized the importance of a church community for the growth and flourishing of disciples of Jesus.  

Seder 93: Luke 13:6-9---The Parable of the Unproductive Fig Tree

 In the parable of Luke 13:6-9, a man has a fig tree in his vineyard that has not borne fruit for three years.  When he asks his vinedresser to cut it down, the vinedresser recommends giving the tree one more year while he applies some additional fertilizer.  

In Luke's narrative, the parable appears right after a discussion of people in Judea and Galilee who have suffered misfortune.  Jesus explains that those people were not worse than anyone else; they had not been singled out for punishment.  But anyone who did not repent would be subject to judgment.  

The parable reminds us of John the Baptist's words in Luke 3:9 as part of his call to repentance:  "Every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."

The context of the parable in Luke 13 and some elements of the parable suggest that the parable is, at least in part, saying something about national judgment.  Certainly a fig tree and a vineyard can be symbols for Israel in the prophets (Isa 5:1-7; Jer 24:1-8; Hosea 9:10; Micah 7:1).. 

It is possible, though, to take the search for symbolism too far, trying to find some kind of symbolic meaning in every detail of the parable.  This is a hermeneutic inappropriate for the parable genre.  Scholar Allan W. Martens gives an example, noting that some have stretched things too far in proposing that

• vineyard = Israel
• fig tree = Jerusalem
• vinedresser = Jesus
• three years = Jesus' ministry

But we can say that the parable is about the need for repentance, a message applicable to all readers of the parable.   

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 22, 2025, Kyle Kettering asked another question about the parable:  Is the parable implying that the interceding vinedresser is more merciful than the fig tree's owner?  In other words, is the one symbolized by the vinedresser more merciful than God?  

Certainly the answer is no.  Those who have played the intercessory role, like Abraham (Ge 18:23-33), Moses (Ex 32:10-12), and Jesus (Lk 23:34), do so because God is merciful (Lk 6:35-36).  Kyle urged us to bear fruit and help others to do so.  

Feast of Tabernacles 2025: Comparing 1 Cor 8-10 and Avodah Zarah

 At the Feast of Tabernacles, we look forward to the time when all nations worship the true God, as pictured in Zechariah 14.  

In the first century the Gospel began to be proclaimed to the nations, an effort that eventually will lead to the fulfillment of Zechariah 14.  Former pagans who joined the Christian movement faced some big challenges negotiating the polytheistic environment of the Greco-Roman world.  Here their Jewish brethren in the Diaspora could provide help based on generations of experience.  We see the apostle Paul providing this kind of help in his epistles---for example, in 1 Corinthians 8 and 10.  

In a lecture at Church of the Messiah on October 11, 2025, Kyle Kettering explained that the guidance Paul gave to his congregations has important parallels with the cases discussed in tractate Avodah Zarah ("works of idolaters") in the Mishnah, Tosefta, and Talmuds.  This is not surprising, since Paul 

• was a Pharisee (not an "ex-Pharisee"), as we see in Acts 23:6;
• was a follower of the Torah, as in Acts 18:8; 21:21-24;
• was a teacher of Torah principles.

Both Paul and Avodah Zarah took into account three considerations in navigating the idol-saturated world of the Roman Empire:

1. How a particular thing appeared to others.
2. The significance given to the thing in its setting.
3. How a particular thing was being used.

In regard to appearances, one case discussed by the rabbis involves a coin that is lying on the ground in front of an idol shrine.  Is it OK to pick up the coin?  The sages say no in a situation where doing so would make it appear that one is worshiping the god of the shrine.  Similarly, Paul in 1 Corinthians 8 says that meat that has been offered to an idol should not be eaten if this action would do spiritual harm to a brother---e.g., a Gentile believer who is still struggling with whether to continue in pagan practices that previously were part of his life.  

1 Thessalonians 5:22 as it is translated in the KJV ("abstain from all appearance of evil") may be relevant here, although there is some question about the meaning of this verse.  For example, ESV has "abstain from every form of evil."   

Significance given to an object arose, for example, in the question of the possible use of stones that had been part of an image of a god.  Are these stones still being seen and treated as representing the god?   If so, they should not be reused.  If not, it is OK to recycle them for another purpose. 

The question about how a thing was being used arose, for example, in the question of whether one should go to a Roman bathhouse in which there were idolatrous images.  In one famous ruling, Rabban Gamaliel II said that it was not a problem to go to a bathhouse in which there was an image of Aphrodite.  Gamaliel reasoned that people went to a bathhouse to bathe, not to worship idols.   The idol at the bathhouse was just a decoration, not an object of worship. 

Kyle gave some current examples in which these principles can be applied.  For example, the image on a Starbucks cup is not a part of pagan worship, so there is no reason to abstain from Starbucks coffee.  Similarly, there is no reason to avoid the use of Christmas trees; the people who use them do not do so to follow a false god.  There is no reason to worry about the origins or past use of the "Star of David;" the current intended use of the star has nothing to do with paganism. 

Seder 85 and Seder 86: Prayer in a Time of Suffering

 In discussing Leviticus 13, commentator Jay Sklar notes some things that the chapter does not mention.  Most notably, there is no explanation of why certain skin conditions lead to ritual impurity.  Moreover, there is also no discussion in Leviticus about how people dealt with the great suffering that can go with skin conditions.  

Sklar observes that we can get a sense of this suffering from another part of the Bible---the Psalms.  There we find prayers made in times of suffering.  Sklar lists Psalms 6, 13, 38, 41 as examples.

These psalms give a sense of the magnitude of suffering involved.  They also show a firm trust in God's help---see 6:8-10; 13:5-6; 38:15; 41:11-12.

Another lament of this type is in Psalm 88. At Church of the Messiah, Kyle Kettering gave a sermon on this psalm on September 27, 2925.

Psalms of this type remind us that life includes lots of suffering, and in our worship we should not ignore this part of life.  As Ecclesiastes 3:4 says, there is a time to mourn.  

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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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.