[ I LLUMINATE ] Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy [ ILLUMINATE] The Law F RIENDS BIBLE STUDY

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1 [ I LLUMINATE ] Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy The Law Unit 1 September 2 God s Introduction / 3 September 9 Honoring the Lord / 9 September 16 Keeping Relationships Healthy / 15 September 23 The Day of Atonement / 21 September 30 Loving My Neighbor / 27 Unit 2 October 7 A Year of Jubilee / 33 October 14 The Shema / 39 October 21 Don t Forget! / 45 October 28 Caring for the Poor / 51 Unit 3 November 4 Cities of Refuge / 57 November 11 Firstfruits and the Tithe / 63 November 18 Blessings for Obedience / 69 November 25 Repentance and Restoration / 75 Illuminate (USPS ), Editorial and business office, 211 N. Meridian St., # 101, Newberg, Oregon 97132, is published quarterly by Barclay Press (publisher of Christian education curriculum for the Evangelical Friends Church North America Region) at 211 N. Meridian St., # 101, Newberg, Oregon. $3.45 per quarter. $6.00 per quarter for large-print edition. Second-class postage paid at Newberg, Oregon. POSTMASTER Send address changes to 211 N. Meridian St., # 101, Newberg, OR Printed in U.S.A. Scripture text New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1989, 1995 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. [ ILLUMINATE] F RIENDS BIBLE STUDY September, October, November 2012 fall quarter Volume 2, Number 1 Editorial Team: Cleta Crisman, Dan McCracken, Aj Schwanz, Ron Woodward, and Judy Woolsey

2 ILLUMINATE scope and sequence fall winter spring summer Genesis Exodus, Leviticus, Deuteronomy 1, 2 Samuel Job, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes Psalms Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther Luke John Matthew Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians Major Prophets Mark Acts Joshua, Judges, Ruth 1, 2 Kings, 1, 2 Chronicles Minor Prophets John James, 1, 2 Peter Exodus, Numbers Romans, Galatians 1, 2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1, 2, 3 John Hebrews 1, 2 Corinthians, 1, 2 Thessalonians Revelation Illuminate uses New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) for the printed lesson text. The scholarship of this translation along with the use of genderinclusive language make NRSV a good basis for these studies. Churches and individuals are encouraged to use their preferred Bible translation when studying these passages. Throughout the Week Illuminate can be used as part of a daily devotional practice using the passages listed in Beyond the Selected Text. Another Barclay Press publication that is specifically written for daily devotions is Fruit of the Vine. The Scriptures and topics do not follow the outline of Illuminate Bible studies. A different writer each week shares a daily Scripture and devotional thought. Contact Barclay Press at for more information.

3 Exodus 19:1-9a, God s Introduction 1 1 On the third new moon after the Israelites had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that very day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. 2 They had journeyed from Rephidim, entered the wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness; Israel camped there in front of the mountain. 3 Then Moses went up to God; the LORD called to him from the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: 4 You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6 but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites. 7 So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the LORD had commanded him. 8 The people all answered as one: Everything that the LORD has spoken we will do. Moses reported the words of the people to the LORD. 9 Then the LORD said to Moses, I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with you and so trust you ever after. **** 16 On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain. 18 Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the LORD had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. 19 As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder. God s Introduction /3

4 Beyond the Selected Text Genesis 1:26 2:3 Exodus 7:14-24 Exodus 14:10-14 Exodus 15:22-27 Exodus 16:1-8 Exodus 17:1-7 Exodus 19:10-15 Focus on the Word by Krista Burdine Introduction Imagine you have been invited to meet the president of the United States. Several things need to happen before you can walk into the Oval Office. Your life will undergo an investigation. Advisers will guide you through what to expect, how to behave, what to wear, and what to say. Your preparations reflect the significance of the meeting. Now imagine you have been invited to an audience with the Creator of the universe for the purpose of forming a permanent relationship with him. After their miraculous exodus from Egypt, the Israelites receive exactly this invitation at the base of Mount Sinai. God s holiness demands they prepare themselves appropriately. The narrative of Exodus leads to and culminates at the foot of Mount Sinai as the Israelites prepare to receive and enter into covenant with God. The wilderness setting, the solemn preparation for receiving the covenant, and the display of God s majesty all serve to underscore the significance of this treaty. God promises life, protection, and an inheritance but also demands sacrificial behavior on the part of his chosen people. Exodus 19:1-4 Moses on Mount Sinai Moses clearly and faithfully took God s message to Pharaoh in Egypt. Through a series of ten plagues, the message was repeatedly delivered, Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness (Exodus 7:16), until finally the people left Egypt as a free nation. Seven weeks later, their arrival at Mount Sinai marked the time for worship. Exodus 19:1-2 set the stage for the relationship God is about to establish with the nation of Israel. By the first day of the third month of their travels (v. 1), they have had enough time to get used to the idea of their new life. 4\ The Law

5 As the people reflect on their past and begin to consider the future, they arrive at their destination in the heart of the Sinai wilderness (v. 2). In this remote place, Moses ascends the mountain to meet with the Most High God to learn his next instructions. Can you imagine the awesome responsibility he has, serving in this role as intermediary between God and his chosen people? As he stands on this mountain near the same bush from which God first spoke and commissioned him, perhaps he senses the import of what is about to transpire. God conveys his opening message to Moses (vv. 3-4). By naming the Israelites as the recipients and beginning with a declaration of all he has done for this young nation in delivering them from Egypt, he adheres to the culturally recognized opening form of a Near-Eastern king-subject treaty (David S. Dockery, Holman Concise Bible Commentary, Broadman & Holman, 1998, p. 34). The covenant outlined in the following passages of Exodus is known as the Mosaic law. The earlier narrative leads up to it; the history that follows revolves around it. Sometimes it seems to have lost relevance in our current era since we live in light of the new covenant of grace ushered in by Jesus; yet its significance remains. The concepts and terminology (sacrifice, blood, redemption) introduced here on Mount Sinai show us the utter helplessness of our human condition and give us a deeper understanding of exactly what Jesus accomplished through his life, death, and resurrection. We still live within the framework and terms introduced here, only Jesus is the party that fulfills the requirements (Iain D. Campbell, Opening Up Exodus, Day One Publications, 2006, p. 79). Questions to Consider Exodus 19:1-4 If you had been part of the generation of Israel delivered from slavery in Egypt, would you have responded any differently than they did? (See Exodus 14:11-12; 15:24; 16:3; 17:2-3.) What is your response when God delivers you from difficult situations today? Exodus 19:5-9a Keeping the Covenant Through Moses, God offers the people of Israel an amazing blessing: they receive God s protection and an inheritance as children (v. 5). This chosen nation will serve in the role of priest to every other nation on earth by worshiping God and sharing God s teachings with the other people of the earth (v. 6). In exchange, they have only to agree to God s Introduction /5

6 Exodus 19:5-9a How might history be different if the Israelites could have better lived up to the terms of this covenant? In what ways have I slipped into thinking that God s grace is not for me? Exodus 19:16-19 If I had been privileged to witness this event in Israel s history, how might I have tried to convey the experience to my children? When God moves around me in my everyday life, do I appreciate the significance? How could I train myself to better note these moments? one condition: to obey the covenant about to be given (v. 5). In light of the mighty deeds that have already transpired to bring the people out of Egypt, how could they choose any response other than agreement? Yet God gives the choice. From the perspective of history, we may find it easy to pass judgment on the faithless Israelites. These recently freed slaves, so quick to bind themselves again to another master, seem not to understand the frailty of their own sinful nature. The people all answered as one (v. 8) and agreed to be held to the terms of the covenant. Why did God choose this particular people group after all? These people descend from one righteous man Abraham. God chose Abraham to receive a call along with the promise of heirs and an inheritance. Yet surely in his divine understanding of human nature, this same God knew the mix of personalities and sinful natures that would characterize these descendants of Abraham s grandson Jacob. Their human nature seems fairly consistent with the broad spectrum of human behavior today: self-serving, undisciplined, broken. For his love of Abraham, God established a covenant with him and his descendants that would bless all the people of the earth (Genesis 12:3). The terms of this covenant are now about to be revealed to these ordinary people who soon prove completely unworthy of the great blessing bestowed upon them. Yet none on earth could have shown themselves worthy of such a blessing of being God s treasured possession (Exodus 19:5). And by selecting undeserving people to be his representatives to the world, God demonstrates his unconditional love for all the other equally undeserving people of earth, including you and me. Exodus 19:16-19 Shock and Awe Before receiving and entering into the covenant God would make with his chosen people, the children of Israel need to understand the magnitude of their commitment to this holy being. To accomplish this, God uses consecration, sensory cues, repetition, and separation. 6\ The Law

7 The three-day consecration ritual outlined in Exodus 19:10-15 holds more than a punitive reminder to the Israelites of their unworthiness for this audience with God. The ceremonial cleansing of bodies and clothing and abstaining from humanistic pleasures give the people time away from the usual distractions of life in order to focus on God. These careful preparations also protect them from certain death if they expose their sinful selves to the holiness of God. Our minds best process and remember events with strong sensory connections. The description of this event in verses includes every kind of sensory element imaginable (both natural and supernatural) to an extreme degree. Boundaries clearly mark off the mountain; a celestial trumpet blows so loudly that the people tremble with fear; thunder and lightning come from a thick cloud descending on the mountain; fire and smoke billow up from the mountain; the whole mountain rumbles like an erupting volcano. On the scale of biblical events, the giving of this covenant seems orchestrated to surpass the magnitude of the deliverance from Egypt, falling just short of the resurrection itself. At the appointed time on the third day, Moses leads the people to the foot of the mountain (v. 17). They can only come that close because God has concealed his radiance in the thick cloud (J. E. Smith, The Pentateuch, College Press, 1993). Moses starts up the mountain as their representative, only to be sent back by God with a final reminder to the people not to look too hard into the cloud or cross the boundary lines for their protection (v. 22). As the final reminder of the sacred nature of the covenant, all of Israel s consecration and preparation only qualifies them to stand at the base of the mountain and send Moses to negotiate for them. This sacred God deals with us today through the new covenant of grace, yet calls us to holiness in his presence. Living Out Exodus 19:1-9a, In today s world of computer-generated special effects, the impressive reality of God s power sometimes gets overshadowed; but all the best illusions we devise still hold a dim candle to the real deal. Even today, God s gracious gifts of life, protection, and an eternal inheritance cannot be taken lightly; God s holiness can not tolerate casual observation; God s majesty can not tolerate disrespect. Do we appreciate the magnitude of our gift? This week, pause to consider God s mighty deeds. Then consider how well you live out your gratitude every day. Write a prayer of gratitude in your own words. Tape it someplace where you will see it every morning. Start each day by praying your thanks. God s Introduction /7

8 Friendly Perspective by Dan Cammack On the day that God showed up on Mount Sinai to establish a covenant with his people, the entire camp trembled. So did the mountain. In fact, it shook violently (v. 18). Does anyone or anything tremble in the presence of the Lord these days? It s a well-known fact that our Quaker ancestors trembled in the presence of the Lord. That s one of the reasons their enemies called them Quakers. It appears, however, that very few Quakers quake anymore. Why is that? Perhaps we don t tremble because of a lack of fear in our relationship with God. We are accustomed to talk about loving God. There s also plenty of talk about trusting God. But where is the talk about fearing God in today s churches? Keith Krell counted the number of times the Bible talks about each of these ways of relating to God. He found that there are a total of 88 references to loving God in the Bible and 91 references to trusting him. But when it comes to fearing God, Krell says: The Bible speaks of it 278 times! I am referring to all of the places in Scripture where it speaks of men fearing God, His name, His Law, or His Word. In the Old Testament there are 235 references to the fear of God. In the New Testament there are 43 references to the fear of God, which, by the way, is the same number of references as man s love to God (Keith Krell, Life s Final Exam, Timeless Word Ministries, ). During one of his many appearances in court, George Fox exhorted a judge to quake before the Lord. I wonder if he would give us a similar exhortation today if he were to visit one of our meetings for worship. There s plenty of Scripture to back him up, and it might be just the kind of thing we need to hear. 8\ The Law