This week's passage is Exodus 11:1-12:32. This is the most terrible plague, the death of the firstborn. It is also the institution of the Passover, one of the most important Jewish festivals. Passover commemorates God's freeing of His people from Egypt. Those who attended the Maundy Thursday service at Howe Memorial experienced a Christianized version of the Passover meal. Wikipedia has a good article on the Jewish holiday of Passover.
For Christians, the Passover reminds us of the Last Supper. The meal that Jesus shared with His disciples was a celebration of the meal we read about here in Exodus. It was on this night, the first night of Passover, that Jesus instituted communion. Thus, communion is closely related to Passover.
What I have said about the Last Supper is consistent with what we read about in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. However, John is a different story. In John, there is no Last Supper! Jesus and His disciples do share a meal, including the well-known scene of Jesus washing the disciples' feet. However, a close examination of the story reveals that this meal takes place the night before Passover, rather than the night of Passover as portrayed in the other Gospels. Furthermore, in John Jesus is crucified on Thursday, rather than Friday. This disagreement on a most basic element of the story may trouble us. However, John did this intentionally. He was writing 60-70 years after Jesus' death, and there is no doubt that he knew the chronology of Jesus' death and resurrection.
John intentionally altered the chronology of the story to make a theological point. By having Jesus die on Thursday, He dies on the night on which the passover lambs were slaughtered. Thus, John presents the death of Jesus as the true Passover and the fulfillment of the Old testament. This theme runs throughout John's Gospel. Way back in chapter one, when John the Baptist first sees Jesus, he cries out, "Behold, the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!"
Jesus is our Passover lamb who saves us from death. This is the way in which we read Exodus.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Thoughts on the Plagues
This week we will cover the first nine of the plagues (the tenth, the death of the firstborn, warrants its own week). This is a strange and not particularly pleasant part of Exodus. Nevertheless, I believe there is a lot here that is fruitful.
When Moses first appeared before Pharaoh, a showdown began between the god of Egypt (Pharaoh) and the God of Israel (the Lord). This conflict escalates on both sides throughout the story of the plagues:
When Moses first appeared before Pharaoh, a showdown began between the god of Egypt (Pharaoh) and the God of Israel (the Lord). This conflict escalates on both sides throughout the story of the plagues:
- The power that God shows increases continually. At first, Pharaoh casually dismisses Moses' request by saying, "who is the Lord?" (5:2). Later, God shows signs of His power, but Pharaoh's magicians can replicate the effect (the rod turned into a snake, the plague of blood, and the plague of frogs 7-8:15). However, beginning with the plague of gnats, the magicians are not able to duplicate what the Lord does. They admit to Pharaoh, "this is the finger of God" (8:19). Later, the magicians themselves are even stricken by the plague of boils, and they are unable to stand before Moses (9:11).
- Even as the Lord shows ever greater power, Pharaoh's heart is increasingly hardened. At first, it seemed logical for Pharaoh to reject Moses' request--he had little reason to believe that it was more than just words. As the plagues became worse, however, it was clear that the Lord was in complete control. It was clear that Pharaoh could not win. First the magicians warned him (8:19), then his advisers pleaded with him to relent (10:7), but Pharaoh became more and more stubborn. Eventually Pharaoh would not give in even when threatened with the death of every firstborn.
Pharaoh's rebellion against God is ultimately futile. In fact, Exodus portrays Pharoah's resistance as part of God's plan. God even tells Moses, "I will harden Pharaoh's heart" (7:3). This is troubling; was Pharaoh merely a slave of God's will? If so, how can Pharaoh be held responsible? Paul actually raises this question in Romans 9. I will discuss it further in the sermon. But for now, note that things aren't that simple. Throughout this passage, the state of Pharaoh's heart is sometimes attributed to God, but sometimes to Pharaoh. Pharaoh is clearly held responsible, but at other times it is said to be part of God's plan. Is this an outright contradiction?
What is clear is that God can use both faithfulness and rebellion to bring glory to Himself and to work good for His people.
Monday, June 21, 2010
Sunday, June 20, 2010
The Story Behind the Song
Last week, Terri and I sang "Before the Morning." There is a video online that explains the inspiration for the song. It is a powerful story, well worth watching. Click here to watch it.
If you have trouble viewing it online, I will be showing it after church on Sunday.
If you have trouble viewing it online, I will be showing it after church on Sunday.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Thoughts on Exodus 4:18-7:13
Last week we covered the Lord's call of Moses. Now Moses returns to Egypt, but things don't go very well.
4:24-26 As Moses and his family are on the way to Egypt, we encounter one of the oddest episodes in Exodus: the Lord tries to kill Moses. Why would God, who had just called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, now want to take his life? There is no easy explanation to this story. However, perhaps it should serve as a reminder that God is never "safe." We can fall into the trap of getting too comfortable with being in the presence of God and too assured of our own status before Him. We can all too easily begin to imagine that God is a harmless, benevolent, nonthreatening presence. But as the author of Hebrews says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). And Paul adds: "do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you" (Rom. 11:20-21).
It is an awesome thing to enter into the presence of the holy God. We should never take it for granted but, rather, approach Him with fear, trembling, and acute awareness of our own shortcomings. We can only enter there by the blood of Christ. It was by the blood of Christ, too, that Moses was saved. The circumcision of his son, a mark of God's ownership which finds its ultimate fulfillment on the cross, spared Moses' life.
4:30-31 When Moses and Aaron bring the message of God's deliverance, the people believe, leading them to bow down and worship. However, this response will be short-lived.
5:1-3 Now Moses and Aaron bring their message to Pharaoh, with significantly worse results. Here we see an issue that first occurred in 3:16-19: The Lord had promised to free the Israelites permanently, which is made clear by the fact that He promised to give them the land of Canaan. Yet, Moses and Aaron only asked Pharaoh to let Israel leave for three days in order to worship (and this is exactly what the Lord had told them to say). What is going on here?
Did God intend to trick Pharaoh into letting them go? This is one way to read the story. Another reading is that this three day journey was a genuine possibility: if Pharaoh had been willing to acknowledge the Lord by letting the Israelites worship Him, then Pharaoh would not have lost the Israelites. However, God used the hardness of Pharaoh's heart and the plagues to escalate the situation until Israel was freed completely. Exodus 11:1 seems to support this reading.
In any case, even a three day journey to sacrifice to Yahweh was a grave threat to Pharaoh's power. Pharaoh claimed to be God; on this claim he based his rule. Allowing the worship of another God in his kingdom would undermine his authority.
6:14-25 The regularly scheduled programming is suddenly interrupted by a genealogy. This is a reminder that the Exodus event was the foundation of Israel's identity. Especially, the priesthood in Israel was founded by Moses' brother Aaron.
7:8-13 Moses uses the staff-into-snake trick which the Lord had given him. It doesn't impress Pharaoh, though. It might surprise us that Pharaoh's magicians were also able to duplicate the trick. However, it is the position of the entire Bible that evil supernatural powers exist in the world. These powers, though they may be worshiped as gods, are not truly gods, because they have no independent authority. They can only do what God allows them to do (think of the beginning of Job, in which Satan needs God's permission to test Job). Here, too, the ultimate authority is clearly shown: Aaron's snake devours the snakes of the magicians. Nevertheless, Pharaoh refuses to acknowledge the Lord, a pattern which will be repeated many times in the coming chapters.
4:24-26 As Moses and his family are on the way to Egypt, we encounter one of the oddest episodes in Exodus: the Lord tries to kill Moses. Why would God, who had just called Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, now want to take his life? There is no easy explanation to this story. However, perhaps it should serve as a reminder that God is never "safe." We can fall into the trap of getting too comfortable with being in the presence of God and too assured of our own status before Him. We can all too easily begin to imagine that God is a harmless, benevolent, nonthreatening presence. But as the author of Hebrews says, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). And Paul adds: "do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you" (Rom. 11:20-21).
It is an awesome thing to enter into the presence of the holy God. We should never take it for granted but, rather, approach Him with fear, trembling, and acute awareness of our own shortcomings. We can only enter there by the blood of Christ. It was by the blood of Christ, too, that Moses was saved. The circumcision of his son, a mark of God's ownership which finds its ultimate fulfillment on the cross, spared Moses' life.
4:30-31 When Moses and Aaron bring the message of God's deliverance, the people believe, leading them to bow down and worship. However, this response will be short-lived.
5:1-3 Now Moses and Aaron bring their message to Pharaoh, with significantly worse results. Here we see an issue that first occurred in 3:16-19: The Lord had promised to free the Israelites permanently, which is made clear by the fact that He promised to give them the land of Canaan. Yet, Moses and Aaron only asked Pharaoh to let Israel leave for three days in order to worship (and this is exactly what the Lord had told them to say). What is going on here?
Did God intend to trick Pharaoh into letting them go? This is one way to read the story. Another reading is that this three day journey was a genuine possibility: if Pharaoh had been willing to acknowledge the Lord by letting the Israelites worship Him, then Pharaoh would not have lost the Israelites. However, God used the hardness of Pharaoh's heart and the plagues to escalate the situation until Israel was freed completely. Exodus 11:1 seems to support this reading.
In any case, even a three day journey to sacrifice to Yahweh was a grave threat to Pharaoh's power. Pharaoh claimed to be God; on this claim he based his rule. Allowing the worship of another God in his kingdom would undermine his authority.
6:14-25 The regularly scheduled programming is suddenly interrupted by a genealogy. This is a reminder that the Exodus event was the foundation of Israel's identity. Especially, the priesthood in Israel was founded by Moses' brother Aaron.
7:8-13 Moses uses the staff-into-snake trick which the Lord had given him. It doesn't impress Pharaoh, though. It might surprise us that Pharaoh's magicians were also able to duplicate the trick. However, it is the position of the entire Bible that evil supernatural powers exist in the world. These powers, though they may be worshiped as gods, are not truly gods, because they have no independent authority. They can only do what God allows them to do (think of the beginning of Job, in which Satan needs God's permission to test Job). Here, too, the ultimate authority is clearly shown: Aaron's snake devours the snakes of the magicians. Nevertheless, Pharaoh refuses to acknowledge the Lord, a pattern which will be repeated many times in the coming chapters.
Monday, June 14, 2010
This Week's Reading
For this week, please read Exodus 4:18-7:13. (Not all of this will be covered in church). More information will be posted on Wednesday.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Thoughts on Exodus 2:11-4:17
This week we look at Moses' flight from Egypt and his subsequent call by God and return.
2:11-17 From the first mention of Moses' adult life, we see that he had a concern for the plight of his people. This got me thinking about how God often calls us to the things that already touch our hearts. Moses didn't get anywhere by trying to act on his own, however. His killing of the abusive Egyptian only leads to trouble with both Pharaoh and the Hebrews. Later on, when he acts in obedience to God's call, the results will be vastly different. This reminds me of something I once heard a long-time missionary say: "You can't do what the Holy Spirit isn't doing." As we grow in faith, we realize that we can't make anything happen on our own. Only when we offer ourselves to God in obedience to His will can we accomplish great things for His kingdom.
3:1-12 The burning bush is a prime example of theophany. A theophany is an appearance of God in visual form. Another example would be the three men who visited Abraham. There is a strong tradition in the Old Testament that no human can see God and live. Therefore, what is seen is interpreted not to be actually God Himself but a representative form (Note that 3:2 says "an angel of the Lord," rather than the Lord Himself appeared to Him).
Christ was the ultimate appearance of God to humans in visible form. He was more than a theophany, because He actually was God become human. Christians have usually interpreted the Old Testament theophanies as foreshadowings of Christ, sometimes even Christ Himself. Gregory of Nyssa, an early interpreter of this passage, compares the burning bush to the incarnation: "the flame by which the soul of the prophet was illuminated was kindled from a thorny bush", and we likewise see God through Christ's humble appearance (The Life of Moses).
3:13-15 In this brief section, God reveals His name to Moses. In the Old Testament, the name of God is four Hebrew letters, represented in English as YHWH or Yahweh. However, there is a Jewish tradition that the name of God is so holy that it should never be pronounced. Most Old Testament translations follow this translation by substituting "The LORD" any time the Hebrew text has YHWH. This can make things confusing at times.
God tells Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" This is considered to be the meaning of YHWH. God is the one who is, the one who truly exists. I would like to close with quote from Gregory of Nyssa on this point. It is a little bit heavy-duty, but I think it is worthwhile:
I would love to hear your own thoughts, responses, or questions. Feel free to leave a comment below.
2:11-17 From the first mention of Moses' adult life, we see that he had a concern for the plight of his people. This got me thinking about how God often calls us to the things that already touch our hearts. Moses didn't get anywhere by trying to act on his own, however. His killing of the abusive Egyptian only leads to trouble with both Pharaoh and the Hebrews. Later on, when he acts in obedience to God's call, the results will be vastly different. This reminds me of something I once heard a long-time missionary say: "You can't do what the Holy Spirit isn't doing." As we grow in faith, we realize that we can't make anything happen on our own. Only when we offer ourselves to God in obedience to His will can we accomplish great things for His kingdom.
3:1-12 The burning bush is a prime example of theophany. A theophany is an appearance of God in visual form. Another example would be the three men who visited Abraham. There is a strong tradition in the Old Testament that no human can see God and live. Therefore, what is seen is interpreted not to be actually God Himself but a representative form (Note that 3:2 says "an angel of the Lord," rather than the Lord Himself appeared to Him).
Christ was the ultimate appearance of God to humans in visible form. He was more than a theophany, because He actually was God become human. Christians have usually interpreted the Old Testament theophanies as foreshadowings of Christ, sometimes even Christ Himself. Gregory of Nyssa, an early interpreter of this passage, compares the burning bush to the incarnation: "the flame by which the soul of the prophet was illuminated was kindled from a thorny bush", and we likewise see God through Christ's humble appearance (The Life of Moses).
3:13-15 In this brief section, God reveals His name to Moses. In the Old Testament, the name of God is four Hebrew letters, represented in English as YHWH or Yahweh. However, there is a Jewish tradition that the name of God is so holy that it should never be pronounced. Most Old Testament translations follow this translation by substituting "The LORD" any time the Hebrew text has YHWH. This can make things confusing at times.
God tells Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'" This is considered to be the meaning of YHWH. God is the one who is, the one who truly exists. I would like to close with quote from Gregory of Nyssa on this point. It is a little bit heavy-duty, but I think it is worthwhile:
In my view the definition of truth is this: not to have a mistaken apprehension of Being. Falsehood is a kind of impression which arises in the understanding about nonbeing: as though what does not exist does, in fact, exist. But truth is the sure apprehension of real Being...
It seems to me that at the time the great Moses was instructed in the theophany he came to know that none of those things which are apprehended by sense perception and contemplated by the understanding really subsists, but that the transcendent essence and cause of the universe, on which everything depends, alone subsists (The Life of Moses).In other words, only God truly exists. Everything else that we see and understand only exists because God wills it to be so. Further, all truth flows out of proper recognition of God, the one who truly is. All falsehood flows out of failure to recognize God.
I would love to hear your own thoughts, responses, or questions. Feel free to leave a comment below.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Welcome
Welcome to the sermon thoughts blog. I will be using this for the sermon series on Exodus. Each week I will post the Scripture passage for the upcoming Sunday. I will also post additional thoughts on the Scripture that may not fit in to the sermon.
If you have any thoughts or questions, you can also add a comment to any post. Just click on the small link below the post that says "comments" with a number in front of it. You will be given a form to enter your thoughts. When finished, click "post comment." Everyone who comes to this site will be able to see what you wrote. I will try to answer any questions that people leave here.
I hope this is a helpful way to enhance your experience of the sermons. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.
Scripture to Read This Week: Exodus 2:11-4:17
I will post some thoughts on this Scripture by Wednesday
If you have any thoughts or questions, you can also add a comment to any post. Just click on the small link below the post that says "comments" with a number in front of it. You will be given a form to enter your thoughts. When finished, click "post comment." Everyone who comes to this site will be able to see what you wrote. I will try to answer any questions that people leave here.
I hope this is a helpful way to enhance your experience of the sermons. Let me know if you have any thoughts or suggestions.
Scripture to Read This Week: Exodus 2:11-4:17
I will post some thoughts on this Scripture by Wednesday
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