Seder 126: A Parable About Psalm 105:38

 In recalling the Exodus, Psalm 105:38 says, "Egypt was glad when they departed, for dread of them had fallen upon it."

So, when the Israelites left Egypt, both they and the Egyptians were glad.  The midrash on Psalm 105 records a parable picturing this situation, attributed to Rabbi Berechiah.  In the parable a fat man rides on a donkey.  Both wonder when and how the man would get off the donkey, and both are relieved when he manages to do so.  It is this way when the Israelites depart from Egypt.

Brad H. Young mentions this parable as an example of the universal appeal of the genre in his introduction to a book on Jesus' parables seen in light of the parables of the sages.  This is just one of a number of parables contained in the Midrash on the Psalms.

Seder 126: Numbers 30---Keeping Faith in the Promised Land

 As the children of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land in year 40 of their time in the wilderness, God emphasizes that it will be important for them to keep their word, as we read in Numbers 30:2:  "If a man vows a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to bind himself by a pledge, he shall not break his word.  He shall do according to all that proceeds out of his mouth."

In particular, the Israelites were to keep promises made to God.  Vows---formal promises made to God---were a common part of worship in that culture---see for example Num 29:39; Dt. 12:6, 11, 17, 26.  Commentator Micheal Morales explains that vows "were often used in order to intensify prayers of petition" (p. 354 of his Numbers 20-36 commentary).  A person would promise to make an offering if a prayer was answered.  Job 22:27 describes the usual process:  "You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you, and you will pay your vows."  

Similarly, David declares in Psalm 66:13-15:  "I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble.  I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats.  Selah."  The offeror might accompany the offering with a public declaration of what God had done for him (verse 16).

In another typical scenario, a person is thankful for God's deliverance in some situation and makes a spontaneous promise at that point to present an offering.  

Since a vow was costly, there was a temptation not to follow through, which is probably why the Bible admonishes people who have made these voluntary commitments to keep them (Dt 23:21-23).  The Bible also praises those who make a promise "to their own hurt" and keep it (Ps 15:4). 

A vow did affect one's whole family, at least indirectly, and so a head of household in Israel had the authority to veto a vow, if this was done promptly.  Three cases are mentioned in Numbers 30:

• that of a young girl under the authority of her father (vv 3-5);
• that of a married woman who made a vow before she got married (vv 6-8) ---in this case, the husband can decide on the status of this vow when he first learns of it;
• that of an adult woman alone who had previously been married (vv 9-12); in this case, a vow made while the husband was alive would continue to have the same status after the marriage had ended by death or divorce.  

Morales sees a possible analogy between the three cases in Numbers 5-6 and these three cases.  The case in Numbers 30:3-5, like that of Numbers 5:5-10, deals with integrity on the level of general interpersonal relationships.  The second case in 30:6-8 deals with integrity in a marriage, as does Numbers 5:10-31.  The third case deals with integrity in one's relationship with God, as with the Nazirite vow in Numbers 6.  

Morales also looks at possible symbolic meanings of Numbers 30 on the level of Israel as God's bride.  For example, in Numbers 25 Israel makes a pledge to the Ba'al of Peor, but God nullifies that pledge through Phinehas.  God as Israel's husband may choose to bear Israel's guilt (verse 15) rather than give Israel the punishment it deserves for breaking its word to him.

Seder 126: Matthew 23---Being Phair to the Pharisees

 The Gospel accounts include frequent interaction between Jesus and a group of Jewish teachers called the Pharisees.  Sadly, naïve readings of these encounters have left this group with an undeservedly negative reputation.  There are several recent books that try to correct negative stereotypes about them and give a more accurate picture, including books by Kent Yinger and Israel Knohl and a collection of essays by a group of scholars.  

There are several things to take into account when reading about the Pharisees in the Gospels:

• Jesus shared many beliefs in common with them.  Brad Young in his book Meet the Rabbis shows, for example, that almost every one of Jesus' teachings in the Sermon on the Mount is paralleled by teachings of the rabbis, the successors of the Pharisees.
• Jesus' interactions with them were not always hostile--see for example Luke 13:31, where Pharisees warn Jesus that Herod Antipas wishes to kill him.  Paul's teacher Gamaliel, a leading Pharisee, urged toleration toward the Christian movement (Acts 5:33-39).  
• A number of Pharisees became followers of Jesus, most notably the apostle Paul, who was a "Christian Pharisee" rather than a "former Pharisee."  Nicodemus is another example.
• Jesus' critiques of the Pharisees were intra-Jewish discussions.  The Pharisees were innovators, and Jesus sometimes disagreed with their innovations (see Mark 7).
• Jesus corrected Pharisees because he cared about them and believed they were worth correcting.  This correction can be likened to the words of the biblical prophets or to a corrective sermon.  There was also lots of correction of the Pharisees in the literature of later rabbinic Judaism.
• The Pharisees can be compared to deeply religious people in any setting.  When people profess high ideals, they then become subject to close scrutiny on whether they are living up to those ideals.  In order to be accused of hypocrisy, one has to actually believe something.  Jesus wanted them to live up to their high ideals, and his words to them are also a challenge to religious Christians who strive to obey God and have high ideals.   

In a sermon at Church of the Messiah on November 26, 2022, Kyle Kettering brought out many of these points.  In particular, he reflected on the challenge posed in Matthew 23:23, where Jesus says that we should emphasize the "weightier matters of the law" while not neglecting the details.  He observed that there is lots of confusion today in the Christian world; often serious sins are overlooked with appeals to God's love.

Seder 126: Numbers 30---Making and Keeping Vows

 Numbers 30 begins with an important principle.  When one makes a vow to God or swears to do something, one should follow through and keep one's word (v 2).  This is a point made throughout the Bible (e.g., Gen 31:13; Deut 23:21; Eccl 5:4-5).

In the book of Numbers, instruction is interspersed with narrative, raising frequent questions about what  messages might be communicated by the placement of the instruction. 

In this case, Numbers 30 comes right after Numbers 29:39, where it is mentioned that Israel's corporate offerings are given in addition to all their personal offerings, including those promised in vows.  This verse gives a segue into Numbers 30.  

Looking at the larger context, the Israelites are making final preparations to enter the Promised Land, and it will be important for them to follow through on the commitments that they have made.  Moses makes this point to the tribes that want to claim an inheritance east of the Jordan.  They have promised to help the other tribes occupy the land across the Jordan, and Moses emphasizes that they need to keep their word (Num 32:20-24).  

Numbers 30 goes on to make several points about vows.  First, every Israelite---even a child---can make one.  However, in making a vow, one needs to consider how it might affect other members of the community, particularly those in one's family.  For example, if a married person is thinking about making a temporary vow of celibacy, the person's spouse should be consulted first (see 1 Cor 7:3-5).

A head of household had the authority to overrule a vow made by a family member, as long as the head of household did so promptly.  For the sake of family harmony, God was willing to give up something that he had been promised.

Seder 126: Psalm 24---God as Creator, Holy One, and King

 Psalm 24 is a psalm associated with the first day of the week (the first day of creation) in Jewish tradition.  It begins by praising God as Creator.  God owns and rules all things because he created everything.  He brought order out of chaos, crafting a beautifully-designed universe (vv 1-2).

Because God is our Creator and Ruler, coming into his presence is not to be taken lightly.  Pilgrims coming to Jerusalem for the festivals were mindful of this, and verses 3-6 of Psalm 24, like Psalm 15, may be part of a liturgy for pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem.  For those who seek God, the goal is to live lives of integrity, where both deeds and thoughts are pure.  We should have "clean hands and a pure heart" (v 4).  

Psalm 24:7-10 pictures God the King triumphantly entering Jerusalem or the Temple.  This passage calls for the gates (of Jerusalem or of the Temple) to "lift up their heads" so that the King of Glory may enter.  Since gates do not have heads, verse 7 seems to be speaking figuratively.  (Or it could be calling for the people within the gates to lift up their heads.)  

Commentators (e.g., Tremper Longman) propose that these verses are from another liturgy, where perhaps the armies of Israel are returning from a victory.  Priests leading the way and bearing the ark of the covenant ask priests inside the gates to open them.  The liturgy praises God for giving his people the victory.  

The midrash on the Psalms associates verses 7-10 with the inauguration of Solomon's Temple.  When the ark is being brought to the new Temple, the gates initially refuse to open because Solomon has given himself too much credit for the building of the Temple (based on 1 Kings 8:13).  But when Solomon prays the words in 2 Chron 6:41-42, the gates open for the ark.  

Verse 7 refers to the gates as "ancient doors," suggesting another interpretation where the gates are the gates of either heaven or hell.  Christian tradition has long associated this passage with Jesus' ascension.  For example, Justin Martyr in chapter 36 of Dialogue with Trypho pictures Jesus arriving at the gates of heaven.  Since he bears the marks of crucifixion, the heavenly beings guarding the gates do not initially recognize him and ask who he is.  The Holy Spirit responds that this is the King of Glory, the Lord mighty in battle.  Justin, in other words, interprets this passage prosopologically, seeing more than one member of the Godhead speaking.