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

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

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

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

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

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

Seder 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).

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.

Seder 14: Isaiah 54---The Barren Woman Gives Birth

 An important biblical motif is that of the woman who has been unable to give birth and is finally granted a child.  This theme starts with Sarah and continues with Rebekah, Rachel, the mother of Samson, Hannah, and Elizabeth.  

In the prophecies of Isaiah, the experiences of these individual women represent the experience of Israel as a whole.  The nation would endure hard times of exile, but God would one day make them fruitful again.  For example, we read in Isaiah 49:21, "Then you will say in your heart:  'Who has borne me these? I was bereaved and barren, exiled and put away, but who has brought up these?  Behold, I was left alone; from where have these come?' "

There is similar imagery in Isaiah 54, a song of rejoicing that comes immediately after the sacrifice and triumph of the Servant in Isaiah 53.  It is the work of the Servant that is the basis for this rejoicing.  The chapter begins,  "Sing, O barren one, who did not bear; break forth into singing and cry aloud, you who have not been in labor!" 

The promise in verse 3 ("For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your offsptring will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities.") reminds us of the blessing of Jacob in Gen 28:13-14.  Israel is pictured as a bride who has endured "the shame of her youth" (slavery in Egypt) and "the reproach of her widowhood" (later exile).  But she has a powerful husband---the creator and ruler of the whole world (v 5).  And that husband is faithful to his commitments (vv 9-10).  

Verses 11-12 describe the restoration of Zion in terms that anticipate the description of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21.  The New Jerusalem comes down from heaven "prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev 21:2).  All the sufferings of the past will be forgotten in a time of blessing (Rev 21:4).  

Sukkot 2021: 1 Kings 8---Dedicating Solomon's Temple

 Solomon began the construction in about 966 BC, in the fourth year of his reign (1 Kings 6:1).  This was 480 years after the Exodus, which would have occurred in about 1446 BC.  Construction was complete about 7 and a half years later, in the 11th year of Solomon's reign (vv 37-38).  

The temple was dedicated the following fall at the Feast of Tabernacles.  This was one of the biggest festival celebrations in Israel's history, and a high point of that history.  For a brief period the nation was united and experienced a spiritual rest (see 1 Kings 8:62-66).

During the celebration the Israelites were reminded of how God had been present with them during their wilderness wanderings, when they had lived in tents.  During that time God had promised that he would guide them into Canaan and choose a location there at which to place his name (Deut 12).  Now, almost 500 years after the Exodus, God had carried out his promises and was present at the new temple (1 Kings 8:1-11).  Representing the nation, Solomon expressed Israel's thanks (vv 14-21).

At that point it would have been natural for Solomon to sit back and congratulate himself on a job well done.  Instead, in a memorable prayer---one of the greatest prayers recorded in the Bible---his thoughts turned to the future.  He had high hopes that the temple would be instrumental in helping Israel fulfill its mission to bring blessing to the nations.  People would see this wonder of the ancient world and be impressed with it and the with God it honored (vv 41-43, 59-60).   

But he knew that this building, as impressive as it was, was also just a tent or booth in some sense.  God could choose to leave the temple, as he had chosen to come to it, and Israel's possession of the land depended on its faithfulness to the covenant.  From Lev 26 and Deut 28, Solomon knew that Israel could  face serious punishment if it abandoned God.  From God's promise to David (2 Sam 7), he knew that the rulership of his descendants on the throne of David could depend on their obedience to God.  

And so on the day the temple was being dedicated, Solomon prayed for God's mercy in the time of Israel's future exile (1 Kings 8:46-51).  Solomon knew from Deut 30 that he was praying according to God's will.  God's mercy, rather than Israel's apostasy, would be the last word.   

God had promised that the throne of David's kingdom would be "established forever" (2 Sam 7:16).  And about 1000 years later, God sent Jesus, from the line of David.  At a later Feast of Tabernacles celebration, Jesus declared, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water' " (John 7:37-38).  In the future there would no longer be a temple building, but God would be present in a body of believers through his Spirit. 

Those believers look forward to the time when God will be present with his people forever (Rev 21:3-4). 

Seder 7 Sermon: Coming out of the Ark with God's Guidance

After over a year of patiently waiting in the ark, Noah and his family go out at God's command (Gen 8:14-19).  God instructs them to be fruitful and multiply, reaffirming the commission he had originally given to Adam.  It was a time of renewal of creation.

In his sermon this week, Rob Wilson looked at the parallels between Noah's situation and our circumstances at the end of April 2020, when we wait at home wondering about how and when to come out and resume normal activities. 

In Gen 8-9, God made an eternal covenant with all life on earth, symbolized by the rainbow.  Noah and his family would represent God in starting a new world. 

Later God called Israel to represent him, and he promised to send the Messiah, who would "bring forth justice to the nations" (Isa 42:1).  He and his followers after him would be "a covenant to the people, a light to the nations" (v 6).  Ultimately there will be a new world which will be so great that the former world will no longer be remembered (Isa 65:17-18; Rev 21:2-7).     

Rob emphasized that God will instruct us as we go out and restart the world.  As we do so, we are to properly represent God in the world.  He urged us to trust God and seek his guidance.

Seder 6: More Wisdom from Psalm 36

There is further contrast between the way of righteousness and the way of wickedness in Psalm 36.

The first verse of this Psalm is a challenge to translate.  It says something about the transgressions of the wicked, an oracle from God, and someone's heart---either the psalmist's or the wicked person's.

The NIV says, "I have a message from God in my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked."

The ESV says, "Transgression speaks to the wicked deep in his heart."

The KJV says, "The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no fear of God before his eyes."

The message seems to be that either God or the actions of the wicked person have made it clear to the psalmist that the wicked person has no respect for God at all.  A person like that believes that he is a law unto himself and is firmly entrenched in his wickedness, thinking continually about how to carry out more evil (vv. 2-4).

The importance of having a proper fear of God is emphasized in the Bible's wisdom literature.  Proverbs 1:7 says that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge."

A midrash on Psalm 36 identifies the Philistine giant Goliath (1 Sam 17) as an example of someone who has no fear of God.  This midrash says that when David heard Goliath blaspheme God, David knew that Goliath was likely to be defeated, since those who have no fear of God are courting disaster.  The sages quote Jer 2:19 in this connection:  "Your evil will chastise you, and your apostasy will reprove you.  Know and see that it is evil and bitter for you to forsake the LORD your God; the fear of me is not in you, declares the Lord GOD of hosts."

In contrast to the ways of the wicked, God's character is rooted in love, faithfulness, and justice (vv 5-6) and is reflected in the beauty of creation.  Verse 6 reminds us of the example of Gen 8:

"Your righteousness is like the mountains of God; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O LORD."

Verses 7-9 extol God's love and the Edenic blessings of righteousness.  Verse 9 says, "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light."  Understandably, the sages associate these verses with the blessings of the world to come.  They associate these verses with Isa 60:19: "The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory."  We in turn connect Isa 60:19 with Rev 21:23 about the New Jerusalem:  "And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb."

There is a parable in the midrash about a man who goes out at night with his lamp, but his lamp keeps going out.  Finally he decides to just go out in the daytime when there is a more reliable light source. Similarly, the sages said, Israel had often been rescued by God but then had lapsed into sin and gone into exile.  But one day they will finally decide that the best thing to do is rely on the illumination of God's light.

In verses 10-12, the psalmist prays for continued blessings and for protection from the wicked.  He is confident that evil will be defeated.