THE PROGRESSIVE PROXIMITY OF GOD AND ISRAEL IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS Israel to the Mountain (chaps. 3-18) God to the Mountain (chap. 19) God s Word to the People (chaps. 20-23) God s Glory to the Dwelling (chap. 40) Egypt
THE PROGRESSIVE PROXIMITY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE AND THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS The Proximity of God and His People within the Book of Exodus Itself The Structure of the Book of Exodus within the Torah God brought Israel to the mountain (1-18) from Egypt (1:1-15:21) through the wilderness (15:22-18:27) God came down upon the mountain (19) God s word granted to the people (20-24) God s glory filled the dwelling (25-40) at the mountain (19-40)
THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOKS OF EXODUS AND NUMBERS COMPARED The Book of Exodus The Book of Numbers from through the at the the camp wilderness the plains Egypt wilderness mountain at Sinai journeys of Moab 1:1-15:21 15:22-18:27 19-40 1:1-10:10 10:11-21:35 22-36
THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS Bondage Deliverance Journey to Sinai The Camp at Sinai Chap. 1 Chap. 2 Chaps. 3-11 Chap. 12-18 Chap. 19-40 indefinite number of months or years eighty years (7:7) unspecified number of weeks three months (12:1-3; 19:1) nine months (40:2, 17)
THE DIALOGUE AT THE BUSH Moses God Who am I? I will be with you and I sent you (3:11-12). Who are you? I am who I am... I am has sent you (3:13-22). What if the people will not believe me? If they do not believe you, they will believe the signs that I give you staff into snake, skin disease, water to blood (4:1-9). I am not able to speak well. I made your mouth and I will teach you what to say (4:10-12). Send someone else. Yahweh was angry: Your brother Aaron will help you speak (4:13-17).
THE FRAMING OF THE ACCOUNTS OF THE CALLING OF MOSES AND THE EXODUS Two women and Miriam delivered Moses from the river (2:1-10) AT THE BUSH (3-4) THE EXODUS (5-14) The song of Miriam and the dance of the women for victory at the sea (15:20-21) Moses rescued Zipporah (2:15-22) Zipporah rescued Moses (4:24-26)
Egyptian Gods Against Whom the Plagues Were Possibly Directed Nile to blood Frogs Gnats Flies Death of livestock Boils Hail Locusts Darkness Death of firstborn Hapi (also called Apis), the bull god, god of the Nile; Isis, goddess of the Nile; Khnum, ram god, guardian of the Nile; others Heqet, goddess of birth, with a frog head Set, god of the desert Re, a sun god; Uatchit, possibly represented by the fl Hathor, goddess with a cow head; Apis, the bull god, symbol of fertility Sekhmet, goddess with power over disease; Sunu, the pestilence god; Isis, healing goddess Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of the crops and fertility; Set, god of storms Nut, the sky goddess; Osiris, god of the crops and fertility Re, the sun god; Horus, a sun god; Nut, a sky goddess; Hathor, a sky goddess Min, god of reproduction; Heqet, goddess who attended women at childbirth; Isis, goddess who protected children; Pharaoh s firstborn son considered a god
Summary of the Rationale for the Plagues Reasons for Deliverance by Plagues 4:21-23 6:1-9 Reasons for the Plagues Themselves 6:26-7:7 9:14-16 God would kill Pharaoh s son because he would refuse to release God s son Israel even after many wonders So that Moses and the people could see God s power; because of God s word to the Hebrew ancestors; for God to take Israel as his own possession So the Egyptians would know that he is Yahweh To demonstrate the uniqueness of God
COMPARING THE FIRST NINE PLAGUES Horizontal Comparison (that is, between the three in each set) Vertical Comparison (that is, between the first, second, and third of each set) 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9
THE INTERCHANGE OF NARRATIVE AND INSTRUCTION IN THE ACCOUNT OF THE PASSOVER 11:1-10 narrative of the event 12:1-20 instruction concerning commemoration 12:21-39 narrative of event, including narrative of instruction for future commemoration 12:4-42 summary 12:42-49 instruction for commemoration 12:50-51 narrative 13:1-16 narrative of instruction for commemoration
THE NARRATIVE STRUCTURE OF THE CROSSING OF THE SEA 1 The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh (14:1-4) 2 Pharaoh chased after the Israelites who left defiantly (lit. with a high hand) (14:5-9) 3 The people cried out and Moses responded... see the salvation of Yahweh (14:10-13) 4 Yahweh s fight a Moses: Yahweh will fight for you (14:14) b Yahweh: Lift up your staff (14:15) 5 On dry ground through the sea (14:16) 6 The Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh (14:18) 7 On dry ground through the sea (14:22) 8 Yahweh s fight a Egyptians: Yahweh is fighting for them (14:25) b Yahweh: Stretch out your hand (14:26) 9 The sea closed over the Egyptians thus Yahweh saved Israel (14:26-30) 10 Delivered by his great hand (14:31) 11 They believed in Yahweh (14:31)
TESTING ON THE JOURNEY TO THE MOUNTAIN Exod 15:22-27 The water at Marah God tested the people Pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees (15:26). 16 Manna and quail in the wilderness 17:1-7 The water at Massah- Meribah God tested the people Gather enough for that day (16:4; cf. 16). Honor the sabbath (16:5, 24-30). the people tested God Is Yahweh among us or not? (17:7)
THE CHRONOLOGY OF EXODUS CHAPTERS 12-40 Journey to Sinai (12-17) three months following Passover (see 12:1-3; 19:1) Law and tabernacle instructions (19:1-33:10) about fifty days following arrival at Sinai (see 19:11; 24:15, 18) The Camp at Sinai (33:12-40:35) about seven and a half months following the golden calf (see 40:2, 17) Jethro s advice and the judges established (18) sometime while at Sinai, nearer departure from there, that is between Exod 19 and Num 10:10 (Exod 18:5, 27; Num 10:30, 33) Moses routine in the tent of meeting outside the camp (33:7-11; 34:34-35) sometime between constructing the tent and relocating it in the center of camp (Exod 40:2, 17; Num 2)
TWO WAYS TO LOOK AT THE TEN WORDS IN TWO PARTS Commands for Israel because each includes Yahweh your God 1 no other gods 2 no graven image 3 do not blaspheme his name 4 remember the sabbath day 5 honor parents Commands for humankind in general 6 do not kill 7 do not commit adultery 8 do not steal 9 do not testify falsely 10 do not covet Commands regarding proper relationship to God 1 no other gods 2 no graven image 3 do not blaspheme his name 4 remember the sabbath day Commands regarding proper relationship to others 5 honor parents 6 do not kill 7 do not commit adultery 8 do not steal 9 do not testify falsely 10 do not covet
on pentateuchal laws God s laws to his people are binding and yet provisional, open to new revelation of God. Thus, the book of the covenant (Exod 21-23), situated at the beginning of the wilderness years, can be interpreted and expanded ( explained Deut 1:5) as the people prepare to enter the land of promise by the torah code (Deut 12-28). The new torah does not, however, eliminate the relevance of the former revelation as may be seen in Amos frequent use of laws from the book of the covenant. A similar point can be made regarding the holiness code of Lev 17-26, which is supplemented by many laws like Lev 27, and throughout the book of Numbers (see Num 5, 6, 15, 18, 19, 27, 28, 29, 30, 35, 36)
The laws are contextualized within narratives. They are not law codes per se, but law codes embedded in biblical narration. The Torah presents the story of these several pentateuchal law codes. As such, the laws are situated, contextual, and provisional, yet eternally so as part of the authoritative scriptural revelation of God s story and his will.
Many of the biblical commands are provisional rather than ultimate ideals. For example, Paul s commands for proper social morality regarding slaves applies to the situation of the empire not God s ultimate ideals. Another example is Jesus raising the lowest common denominator from forbidding adultery to forbidding lust, while the responsibilities for being a good spouse go far beyond eliminating imagined illicit sexual relations. 1 1 For this last point I am indebted to Gordon Wenham, in a presentation at ETS in the mid-00 s.
THE LAYERS OF HOLY CLOTHING OF THE HIGHPRIEST holy turban holy breastpiece holy sash holy robe holy ephod holy tunic holy undergarments holy washing