Showing posts with label Session 4 - Moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Session 4 - Moses. Show all posts
Monday, 28 November 2011
What can we learn? Stage One
Well, firstly, it is important to note that when Moses is born, the situation for God's people is looking pretty bleak! Out of the promises God made to Abraham, it seems that the only one to have been even partly fulfilled is that they are very numerous - despite Pharaoh's best efforts to the contrary! They don't seem particularly blessed, they don't have their own land or their own king and, other than being of benefit to the Egyptian economy, they don't seem to have been much of a blessing to the other nations either. However, the most important promise is still firmly intact - GOD IS STILL THEIR GOD - and so, into this situation, God again makes a call!
And God also makes another seemingly ridiculous promise, for he promises that the people will be released from slavery. Now often we don’t appreciate the sheer ridiculousness of this promise, but the release of the Hebrews did not seem likely to say the least! You see, the Hebrew slaves were underpinning the whole of the Egyptian economy – (much as underpaid labour from overseas underpins Western prosperity today, which is a huge challenge that we, as Christians, need to put some serious thought, prayer and action into). In fact, such was the extent of their contribution to the Egyptian economy that I have heard one person liken Moses and Aaron walking into Pharaoh’s office and demanding their release to someone today marching up to the Prime Minister and demanding that he rid England of the car! (Which perhaps explains why God only told Moses to ask for a 3-day trip to make a sacrifice rather than asking if they could leave for good?!)
Further, within Moses' birth and call, we see that God prepares Moses both practically and in terms of his character. I was struck by this when I watched the Prince of Egypt and began to realise how much Moses' upbringing made him uniquely equipped for the task that God had for him, in that he would have been familiar with both Egyptian and Hebrew culture and he would have had strong connections with Pharaoh's administration - which was probably what enabled him to get a hearing in the first place. However, Moses' character also needed to be up to speed and so it is that 40 years after Moses had tried to extract revenge on the Egyptians under his own steam - when he is in a far off country trying to forget the sorrows of his youth and humble enough to be useful to God - it is then that God calls him!
Further, within Moses' birth and call, we see that God prepares Moses both practically and in terms of his character. I was struck by this when I watched the Prince of Egypt and began to realise how much Moses' upbringing made him uniquely equipped for the task that God had for him, in that he would have been familiar with both Egyptian and Hebrew culture and he would have had strong connections with Pharaoh's administration - which was probably what enabled him to get a hearing in the first place. However, Moses' character also needed to be up to speed and so it is that 40 years after Moses had tried to extract revenge on the Egyptians under his own steam - when he is in a far off country trying to forget the sorrows of his youth and humble enough to be useful to God - it is then that God calls him!
What can we learn? Stage Two
It is interesting to note that when Moses does finally agree to the task God has given him - having successfully persuaded God to give him Aaron as a helper - his step of faith seems to backfire big time (see Ex. 5) as the conditions for the enslaved Israelites get worse instead of better (which I think is encouraging for us when we step out in faith and things seem to go similarly pete tong!).
Eventually, however, God does come through, showing his supremacy over the so-called Egyptian gods in the process (cf. a point made by Louise in last year's course when she noted that, when it comes to God, we in the West are primarily concerned with truth - whereas people within many Eastern cultures are more concerned with power!).
Eventually, however, God does come through, showing his supremacy over the so-called Egyptian gods in the process (cf. a point made by Louise in last year's course when she noted that, when it comes to God, we in the West are primarily concerned with truth - whereas people within many Eastern cultures are more concerned with power!).
The Sacrificial System
A key part of the Mosaic covenant - the renewed relationship God establishes with his people and accompanying commands - is the sacrificial system. Within this system there were various sacrifices that the Israelites were instructed to make, which a theologian called John Drane groups as: “Gift Sacrifices,” used to give thanks to God; “Fellowship Offerings,” used to celebrate the Israelites’ covenantal relationship with God; and “Forgiveness of Sins.” (see Drane, “Introducing the OT,” p. 325-326).
Regarding “Forgiveness of Sins,” the blood of the animal - representing its life - was hugely important and was daubed onto the altar where the person making the offering was pronounced forgiven! (Drane, 327) The most important sin offering was made on the Day of Atonement (see Leviticus 16). On this day, two goats were selected. One of the goats was sacrificed to atone for the sins of the people. The chief priest then took the other goat (the “scape-goat”), laid his hand on its head and confessed the sins of the nation over it. This goat was then released into the wilderness - representative of the people’s sins being taken away. (Lev. 16:22 “The goat shall bear on itself all their iniquities to a barren region; and the goat shall be set free in the wilderness.” Lev. 16:30 “For on this day atonement shall be made for you, to cleanse you from all your sins you shall be clean before the Lord.”) Interestingly, it was only on this day that the chief priest was allowed to enter the holiest part of the tabernacle - at all other times of year, and to all other people, this area was banned! (Which adds huge significance to the fact that, following Jesus’ death, the curtain that separated off this inner part was torn in two!)
Sacrifice was common across the ancient world and there was some common ground in that everyone viewed sacrifices as a means of relating the visible world in which people lived to the invisible sphere of God/the gods (Drane, 322). However, as is usually the case where similarities occur, it is the differences between the Israelite sacrificial system and that of other nations which stand out!
For example, in many of the neighbouring religions, sacrifice was seen as a way of either appeasing an angry god or encouraging a god to do one’s wish - thus a means by which these gods could kind-of be controlled! However, the Israelites worshipped a God who wanted to bless them, and through them others, but who also took sin seriously. Thus, the sacrificial system was seen as a gift from God (not to God) as the means by which they could experience his forgiveness and presence amongst them. Further, as a writer called Tim Keller notes, because in the surrounding nations it was the rich who could bring the most gifts to the gods they were the gods’ favourites! However, within the Mosaic covenant we read that if someone cannot afford the prescribed sin offering he could just bring a handful of flour and his forgiveness was just as complete as those who could afford to bring a whole sheep!!! (see Lev. 5:11-13 & Tim Keller, “Generous Justice,” p. 39-40).
What can we learn? Stage Three
The Israelites (and a "mixed crowd" (Ex. 12:38)!) begin their wander through the desert and we see that God's covenant with them begins to take on more explicit conditionality - there is the introduction of the "if"! This "if" is perhaps best seen in Moses' final speech to his people as recorded in Deuteronomy, where he says:
"If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding today, the Lord you God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God..." (Deut. 28:1-2)
"But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees...hen all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you..." (Deut. 28:15)
Within the Abrahamic covenant there didn't seem to be this "if;" God just made Abraham a load of promises and then committed his life to them in the covenant-making ritual involving cut-up animals! So what do we make of this "if"?
Well, firstly, it’s not a totally fair distinction, because God’s relationship with his people was always on the basis of faith – Abraham’s faith mattered! (+ there was the “if” of circumcision!). Rather, the difference is that firstly God’s people were asked to commit to him as a person and only secondly to obeying his wishes (see Kidner, p. 140). This priority is reflected again in dazzling bright lights through the 10 Commandments, where the 1st few commandments are all about what? Loving the Lord God - having him only as God, not rejecting him by turning to idols for help instead of him, not taking his name in vain (in other words not bringing his name into disrepute through our actions) and so on!
So… Israel was commitment fundamentally to a person, only secondly to a way of life, which is a bit like if you’re getting married: you get married to that person because of who they are – because you love them and want to be with them then, secondly, as part of this relationship you’ll hopefully want to behave in ways that please them – for example if your spouse doesn’t like fish it wouldn’t be very loving to constantly cook them fish for tea! But the not liking fish bit doesn’t come first, the relationship does – if that makes sense! And so too with God, fundamentally he calls his people into a relationship with him. Only secondly does he outline more about what this relationship should look like; in other words what pleases him and what doesn’t, what’s good for us and what isn’t and so on.
Secondly, because of God’s unconditional covenantal commitment that he made to Abraham – which comes out of his grace – we see that there is a strong biblical theme of God overlooking sin, which doesn’t end here but actually continues on, albeit that some sins now start to be specifically judged! You see, as we learned last time, Abraham wasn’t perfect. Further, within the family line between Abraham and Moses there is a lot of trickery and deception, which isn’t the type of behaviour that God likes. However, God overlooks this and responds to faith! Further, he weaves his will through the midst of it all.
Here, we start to get a far more comprehensive view of the type of behaviour that God does want. The justice he expects in relationships and business dealings, the compassion we must have for those who are less well-off, the importance of commitment and trust in marriage and so on. However, even here God doesn’t address everything. He doesn’t address the issue of polygamy, for example, and the sacrificial system he gives to Israel as a way of dealing with sin doesn’t really cover the cost for their sin, since an animal has less worth than the human whose life it atones for. And so, this Mosaic covenant doesn’t replace the Abrahamic covenant; the Abrahamic covenant cannot be annulled. Rather, God is introducing some sanctions to misbehaviour whereby he starts to judge people’s sin more specifically. And yet even within this, in order to still be with his people and not totally consume them, God still overlooks huge amounts of sin – does this make sense?! So, in other words, God is starting to judge sin more specifically, but it's still within a context of grace! A context in which vast amounts of sin are compassionately overlooked, for if that was not the case, God couldn’t dwell with his people at all!
Thirdly, just as God reveals himself through his actions in history, so too does he reveal himself through his law. And he reveals himself to be a God who is concerned with people! And with every part of their lives! – which is why Leviticus in particular has so many laws that seem so random to us about mildew in houses, rashes and the like! Through his law God reveals that he is:
"If you will only obey the Lord your God, by diligently observing all his commandments that I am commanding today, the Lord you God will set you high above all the nations of the earth; all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the Lord your God..." (Deut. 28:1-2)
"But if you will not obey the Lord your God by diligently observing all his commandments and decrees...hen all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you..." (Deut. 28:15)
Within the Abrahamic covenant there didn't seem to be this "if;" God just made Abraham a load of promises and then committed his life to them in the covenant-making ritual involving cut-up animals! So what do we make of this "if"?
Well, firstly, it’s not a totally fair distinction, because God’s relationship with his people was always on the basis of faith – Abraham’s faith mattered! (+ there was the “if” of circumcision!). Rather, the difference is that firstly God’s people were asked to commit to him as a person and only secondly to obeying his wishes (see Kidner, p. 140). This priority is reflected again in dazzling bright lights through the 10 Commandments, where the 1st few commandments are all about what? Loving the Lord God - having him only as God, not rejecting him by turning to idols for help instead of him, not taking his name in vain (in other words not bringing his name into disrepute through our actions) and so on!
So… Israel was commitment fundamentally to a person, only secondly to a way of life, which is a bit like if you’re getting married: you get married to that person because of who they are – because you love them and want to be with them then, secondly, as part of this relationship you’ll hopefully want to behave in ways that please them – for example if your spouse doesn’t like fish it wouldn’t be very loving to constantly cook them fish for tea! But the not liking fish bit doesn’t come first, the relationship does – if that makes sense! And so too with God, fundamentally he calls his people into a relationship with him. Only secondly does he outline more about what this relationship should look like; in other words what pleases him and what doesn’t, what’s good for us and what isn’t and so on.
Secondly, because of God’s unconditional covenantal commitment that he made to Abraham – which comes out of his grace – we see that there is a strong biblical theme of God overlooking sin, which doesn’t end here but actually continues on, albeit that some sins now start to be specifically judged! You see, as we learned last time, Abraham wasn’t perfect. Further, within the family line between Abraham and Moses there is a lot of trickery and deception, which isn’t the type of behaviour that God likes. However, God overlooks this and responds to faith! Further, he weaves his will through the midst of it all.
Here, we start to get a far more comprehensive view of the type of behaviour that God does want. The justice he expects in relationships and business dealings, the compassion we must have for those who are less well-off, the importance of commitment and trust in marriage and so on. However, even here God doesn’t address everything. He doesn’t address the issue of polygamy, for example, and the sacrificial system he gives to Israel as a way of dealing with sin doesn’t really cover the cost for their sin, since an animal has less worth than the human whose life it atones for. And so, this Mosaic covenant doesn’t replace the Abrahamic covenant; the Abrahamic covenant cannot be annulled. Rather, God is introducing some sanctions to misbehaviour whereby he starts to judge people’s sin more specifically. And yet even within this, in order to still be with his people and not totally consume them, God still overlooks huge amounts of sin – does this make sense?! So, in other words, God is starting to judge sin more specifically, but it's still within a context of grace! A context in which vast amounts of sin are compassionately overlooked, for if that was not the case, God couldn’t dwell with his people at all!
Thirdly, just as God reveals himself through his actions in history, so too does he reveal himself through his law. And he reveals himself to be a God who is concerned with people! And with every part of their lives! – which is why Leviticus in particular has so many laws that seem so random to us about mildew in houses, rashes and the like! Through his law God reveals that he is:
- Holy! Although he overlooks sin for a time in order to be with a people who are, at heart, still sinful; he hates it and does not want to go anywhere near it! And God even hates the consequences of sin, which I think is the idea behind the rules about uncleaness, whereby people are barred from access to God’s closer presence due to things like rashes and menstruation, not just sin for which people are personally culpable.
- Just – and hates injustice
- Fair – many of the punishments, although they may seem harsh to us, are actually fair and restrained in comparison to the surrounding nations
- Compassionate – the laws regarding orphans, widows, slaves and foreigners are particularly noteworthy in this regard
Fourthly, God’s law helps the people to be the people God intended them to be. Behaving in accordance with God’s law would mark them out as God’s holy nation and lead to an individual and community life which was far safer, more enriching and beautiful than if they followed the barbaric and perverted practices of the surrounding nations (cf. David Istone-Brewers very helpful article (p. 66)). God had rescued the people from slavery into a nation that was uniquely his! Behaving in accordance to the law wasn’t the way people attained this special status – God gave it as a gift – but it was part of what it meant to be this people on a day-to-day basis. This is a bit like our situation now! We’re not saved by living in any particular way, that is a gift at Christ’s expense – we receive it simply by faith. However, part of this gift is that we’re transformed into the people God wants us to be – into people who are truly flourishing and truly free!
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