John Mark Hicks

Texts to Know

Exodus 34.1-28 (esp. 8-28)
Deuteronomy 5.1-22
Matthew 19.16-24
Luke 18.18-29
Romans 13.8-10

The Book of Exodus continues to follow the narrative logic of the Exodus event. The mighty wonders of Yahweh are related. The enslaved Israelites are set free/saved. Israel is led through the water by God’s Presence in the Cloud. God’s Presence brings them to the mountain. Redeemed Israel is graciously invited into a covenant of love (i.e. marriage). Now we have covenantal guidelines after both the saving and “marrying” event. Truly Exodus comes before Sinai; Grace comes before Faith; It always has; It always will.

– Israel is a ‘microcosm’ or ‘bill board’ to the world (cf. Deut 4.5-8)
– Commands are not about the “commands” they are about the Story of Hesed (cf. Deut 6.20-25).

“Words” Not “Laws”: Walking in Covenantal Freedom

“I shall walk in liberty” (Psalm 119.45).

The Decalogue is never called “the Ten Commandments.” They are, in scripture, the “ten words” (Exodus 34.28; Deuteronomy 4.13). The Ten Words do have a “special” place in the biblical story and are viewed differently than the rest of the “Law.” The rest of the “Law” seems to be clarification, application and amplification of the Ten Words.  They alone are placed in the Ark of the Covenant (with other items). Yahweh speaks these directly to the people. 

The “Words” function within the narrative of the Book of Exodus (and within the larger unified narrative of the Torah) as something akin to a “Bill of Rights” for the former enslaved people now living in covenantal freedom (so Christopher Wright, Exodus, pp.357-358). They envision a way of life that cultivates shalom.

The “Bill of Rights” contrasts with the life of oppression in the context of Egyptian slavery. A few examples:

– In Egypt, enslaved aliens were victim of unrelenting labor imposed by the powers that be (Exodus 1 & 5). The Sabbath was a unique gift to the slave, the nobody. It guaranteed a day of freedom for all.  The Word is explicitly aimed at the power brokers on behalf of the working population (Exodus 23.12; Deut. 5.14).

– In Egypt, Israel had been victim of legalized, state-sponsored, terrorism, including murder of the children. The Ten Words protect all life from unlawful abuse of power against the vulnerable. Life is guaranteed; it is not in the balance.

The First Word is always God’s Grace

There are three traditional ways of numbering the Ten “Commandments:” 1) Jewish view; 2) Reformed/Orthodox view; 3) Catholic/Lutheran view. The numbering is affected by what we consider to be the first “word.” If we think the first word from Yahweh is what humans do rather than the proclamation of Yahweh has done, then the whole section changes drastically.

But Yahweh’s first word is that of grace/Hesed. The first word is “I am Yahweh, your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.”

This is a statement of identity, “your God.”  Why is Yahweh “your God?” Because in the phrase “who brought you out of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” we have the entire Story of gracious redemption – of setting the captives free from Exodus 1 to Exodus 19.  It is the “Gospel.” The first Word is what Yahweh has already done. 

Yahweh’s name is tied to the liberation of slaves. The “your” in “your God” is the mistreated enslaved aliens in a land denominated “the house of slavery.”  It is a kingdom of death and the absence of life.

This first word is the foundation of everything in Israel’s covenant of love (hesed) with Yahweh.  Everything in the Ten Words is a response to the prior cosmic, historical, act of a particular god – Yahweh.

Exclusive Covenant of Loe

– No other gods (i.e. husbands)
– No images
– No misuse of the divine name

Yahweh is not into polygamous relationships! Yahweh has delivered people who would otherwise be slaves or literally dead. Then Yahweh invited them into a relationship. The covenant is gracious and it is monogamous. Yahweh, unlike the gods of Egypt, does not share either himself or his bride/family with others.

Psalm 115 “where is your God” likely rooted in the ancient surprise that there is no “image” of Yahweh. We could argue that the Creator God placed his own image in his “temple,” … human beings.  But the Bible is filled with poetic pictures or images of Yahweh that powerfully connect with the mind: Yahweh is a Rock; a Shield; a Strong Tower; a Lion; a Shepherd; a Warrior; a Husband; a Father. 

Images of deities are forbidden (as well as of Yahweh). Imagine, as an analogy, what you might think if your spouse carried around and displayed photos of potential rivals in his/her wallet or phone wallpaper. It would be indicative of something amiss. Thus Yahweh is “jealous” (Exodus 20.5; 34.14; Deuteronomy 4.24; 5.9; 6.15).

“children to the third and fourth generation.” In the Hebrew Bible, as in the Ancient Near East, “children” are more often than not, adults. In Israel, as in the ANE, a family or household, would consist of not a nuclear family (mom/dad/kids in their own house doing their own thing). A household would consist of three or four generations living under the grandfather or great-grandfather. This is reflected in verse 12 as well of honoring our mothers and fathers.  A single household can and often does reap the “reward” of the foolishness of a previous generation.  When those generations all live together this is even more likely. And the household is central to the maintenance of the covenant of love in Israel. “Being an individual and living an individual life like many of us do today [in the western world, BV] was a foreign concept to the Israelites” (Elizabeth Backfish & Cynthia Shafer-Elliott, Grounded Theology in the Hebrew Bible: Exploring the Cultural Context that Formed Ancient Israel, p. 4). The Hebrew Bible makes it clear that children do not suffer for the crimes of others.

The point of the text is actually missed when we focus on the children (adult or otherwise). The contrast in the text is between Hesed to a thousand generations and one house being held accountable. Note the photo of Salesforce Tower in San Francisco which I took.  Salesforce Tower is 1070 feet tall. Imagine a foot is a “generation” thus the Tower is 1000 generations tall. Now imagine you are five feet and 10 inches or be generous, a full six feet.  You are five and half or six generations.  Now stand next to Salesforce Tower … now we get the image.  It literally “towers” over everything on the west coast and is visible for miles and miles from downtown but you would never see the six-foot person standing by it.

Shabbat: Divine Time Regulating Chaotic Time

Texts: Exodus 32.12-18; Isaiah 56

Sabbath is a bulwark against idolatry. It reminds us that all that is comes from the Creator (this includes the creatures that are often depicted, as in Egypt, deities). Sabbath also proclaims Yahweh is the redeeming God.  And Sabbath protects the images of God from abuse.  It is “God’s Time” within the creation order of life. It also points to what shall be.  It is a “sign” of the covenant (Ex 31.12-18).

The longest word. A rabbinic parable:

“At one time when God was giving the Torah to Israel, He said to them:
‘My Children! If you accept the Torah and observe my mitvot [i.e. commands] I will give you for all eternity a thing most precious that I have in my possession.’
‘And what,’ asked Israel, ‘is that precious thing which Thou wilt give us if we obey Thy Torah?’
‘The world to come!’
‘Show us in this world an example of the world to come,’ asked Israel.
‘The Sabbath,’ said the LORD, ‘is the example of the world to come.’”
(Quoted in Abraham Heschel, The Sabbath, p. 73).

The Sabbath is unique in the ancient world.  There are parallels for most of Israel’s laws but there is, as of current scholarship, nothing like the Sabbath in the ancient world.  Sabbath is a remarkably gracious word. It specifically protects the least of these from the power of the haves. It is egalitarian: men and women; slaves; animals; and aliens living in the land.

Coveting

Those who slander the Hebrew Bible (i.e. “Old Testament”) as “carnal” and “external” never concerned about the spiritual/heart have a hard time dealing with the pinnacle word from Yahweh. Coveting is the heart of the matter of the rest of the Ten Words.

We have noted that the Ten Words are not “laws” as we often think of such things. What the Ten Words aim at is a reformed love on the part of God’s covenantal partners.  Coveting another human’s house, material blessings, wife/husband, stuff is misdirected love. It is a love that puts humans and things in the place reserved for Yahweh.  This is precisely why scripture calls coveting or greed “idolatry” (Ephesians 5.5; Colossians 3.5; see Jesus’s Parable of the Rich Fool, Luke 12.13-21).

Helpful Resource
An excellent resource on the Ten Words is David L. Baker’s, The Decalogue. It is suitable for deeper study as well as devotions.   

Texts to Know

Deuteronomy 4.32-40
Deuteronomy 7.7-9, 12 (NIV)
Psalm 67
Isaiah 61.1-6
Hebrews 12.18-24
1 Peter 2.9-10

(Structural Note: We need to remember that the Book of Exodus is itself part of a larger Story of the Torah: Genesis to Deuteronomy.  When the freed slaves arrive at Mt. Sinai the narrative slows down. Israel will remain camped at the foot of Sinain from Exodus 19 to Numbers 10.11. All the material from Exodus 19 to Number 10 takes place at Sinai.) 

This is Holy Ground – Mt. Sinai/Horeb – the Mountain of God (Setting)

The liberated by Hesed slaves from Egypt have journeyed under the guidance of the Pillar of Cloud/Fire to the very spot we find Moses when he received his call. God said to Moses, on this mountain, “I will be with you, and this shall be a sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain” (Exodus 3.12).

Recalling the Story thus far sheds much needed light on the events of Exodus 19-24. Liberated slaves will as a collective whole have a “Burning Bush” incident.  Where God is there is “sacred/holy space.” Moses could not profane the soil with his dirty shoes, so the Israelites cannot approach the Mountain until they are consecrated (by grace). As Moses received a unique calling in his encounter with God on the mountain, so Israel will also receive a unique status and vocation according to the infinite grace/Hesed of Yahweh.

Exodus comes before Sinai, this is the structure of the Book of Exodus, but it is also the structure of the theology of the Exodus event. But Israel did not become God’s people at Sinai.  Israel has repeatedly been termed “my son” “my firstborn” or “my people” 13 or 14x prior to chapter 19 (Exodus 3.7, 10; 5.1; 7.4, 16; 8.1, 20-22; 9.1, 13, 17; 10.3-4).

Mt. Sinai continues the Story that began with Abraham and his descendants in Genesis. There is a kind of wedding ceremony in Exodus 19 so we might construe Israel’s relationship as moving from a betrothal to marriage. We must understand though that a betrothal was a legal, binding relationship making a “couple” a husband and wife as they wait to “live together.”  The “moving in” takes place in what follows in Exodus 19 to 40. 

Carrying the Bride to Himself (19.1-8)

“The people I made for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43.21)

Exodus 19 is, like the salvation by the Red Sea in chapter 14, of prime importance not only for the Book of Exodus but biblical theology as a whole. Its themes and images show up throughout the biblical canon to the very end in the Revelation of John.

“On the third new moon” (v.1), or what will become termed “Shavuot” or “Pentecost” these events become part of the life of every generation of believers through worship. 

Verses 4-6 are the “meat” of the ceremony. They are the voice of God and proclaim three epic words of grace. They look to the past; they look to the future; and they look at the present.

1) “You have seen” the freed Israelite slaves are witnesses. This recalls the past. They were in a state of torment and death. Harsh labor. Slaughter of innocents. They saw – experienced – the God of the Exodus do unheard of things. This God kept a promise (2.24); acted out of compassion for creation’s suffering (2.25; 3.7-9) and they saw God’s saving righteousness, his justice in action (6.6). They saw how this played out in the “wonders” of defeating Pharoah, his army and the Egyptians.  They saw the “gods of Egypt” destroyed and themselves led by the Pillar through the Sea. 

2) “I bore you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself”

This is not only a powerful image, but it is moving in its beauty. Yahweh is invested in this relationship with the liberated nobodies of Israel. 

The wording describes divine work and grace. “I bore you.”  The verb “bore”
( נָשָׂא) meaning to “lift” or “carry” in the imperfect means Yahweh continues to do the carrying.  Imagine a mother getting her infant child out of a crib, lifting the child to herself and walking around with her.

And “brought you.” Here again Moses stresses the action of God.  This is in fact a very beautiful way of describing the Exodus itself. This is all Yahweh. I בּוֹא you to myself. Here the English of “brought you” fails greatly to catch the force of the Hebrew verb. The Hiph’il has the force of “I caused you to come to me.” As when in Amos Yahweh says “I will cause the sun to go down” (8.9).

“To myself.”  The text does not say “I brought you here” or “I brought you to a holy place” or the like. This is highly personal, “I brought you to myself.” Yahweh wants and keeps the ones that no one else in all creation wanted (see Psalm 121 and Psalm 124).

3) “My treasured possession” Future reality. Israel confessed in the Song by Ike & Tina that Yahweh reigns (15.18). Yahweh is King. He OWNS EVERYTHING. Yahweh looking down on Sinai is the ruler and owner of all creation and every nation.  But Israel, the rejected slaves, will be what they never were, treasured.  Like Yahweh promised Abram that his name will be great (Gen 12.1-3) so Israel by grace is God “prized possession.” 

This has nothing whatsoever to do with Israel’s righteousness.  In fact, nothing in the Hebrew Bible has to do with Israel’s righteousness. It is the goodness, the grace, the Hesed of Yahweh pure and simple. Moses reminds Israel they have no righteousness, they don’t even have “integrity” but Yahweh simply LOVED them and kept his promise (Deuteronomy 9.4-6).

This is a covenant, a covenant of love that Israel has been granted and bound to by Yahweh at Sinai.

A Kingdom of Priests (cf. Psalm 67; Isaiah 61.6)

The “prized possession” of Yahweh is created to be a kingdom of priests. On the holy mountain where Moses received his special calling, Israel the liberated slaves have also received the calling. As God’s prized possession they will be a kingdom of priests. 

Israel as a whole will function in regard to all creation in a way analogous to the tribe of Levi will function in regard to Israel herself. Levi is “set aside.” Israel is “set aside.” They are “holy” and dedicated to a purpose. They were created to be priests.   

1) Priests, according to the Torah, were called to be instructors of God’s word. They are “to teach the people of Israel all the statutes of Yahweh” (Lev 10.11; Deuteronomy 33.10; etc). In this way priests represent God to the people.  So Israel will function as a beacon of justice, righteousness and shalom within God’s world among the nations. They represent Yahweh to the nations.  Ezekiel will make much of their failure and God’s name being profaned among the nations.

2) Priests lead God’s people in worship. They bring sacrifices, lead songs, hymns and spiritual songs (heading of Psalm 67) from the people to God.  So Israel as a whole is to be instrument of drawing the nations, the gentiles, into the orbit of the God of Israel. 

A Story Gentiles are Part (1 Peter 2.8)

Peter, much like Paul, a Messianic Jew embraces the vocation of Exodus 19.  In that vocation gentiles are now called to be part of God’s Israel to share in the same mission of bearing witness to God’s mighty acts of Hesed. 

Quotable Quote

“Slavery contradicts God; it is a denial of God’s will” (James Cone, The Spirituals and the Blues).

“God has spoken; twice I have this:
that power belongs to God,
and that steadfast love [hesed] belongs to you, O Lord.”
(Psalm 62.11-12)

I. Texts to Know

– Psalm 68, Note the interesting parallels with Exodus 15 including Yahweh as the Warrior for the “nobodies,” the role of women in v.11&25, and God’s Presence.
– Psalm 135
– Psalm 124, 133-134, Selections of the Songs of Ascents emphasis on the deliverance, Keeping of Israel and the blessedness of dwelling with Yahweh. A world of shalom.
– Revelation 15.1-4

II. What Kind of Warrior? Four Key Statements

“Through all of the sorrow of the Sorrow Songs there breathes a hope – a faith in the ultimate justice of things.” (Cone, The Spirituals and The Blues)

         1) v.2 Yahweh is “my strength” “my might” my salvation”
         2) v.13 Yahweh’s Hesed is the core and how Israel is “led”
         3) v.17 Yahweh will “plant” Israel on the mountain; they will live in
              Yahweh’s “abode.”
         4) v.18 Yahweh is King, Pharoah (Ceasar/President) is not. First
               announcement of the kingdom of God in the Bible.
Yahweh is a Warrior not for his own ego nor even for a monarch as is frequently the case in the ANE. Yahweh is Shepherd of those who have no one to defend them, have no resources, the “nobodies.” He becomes their strength, his Hesed leads them, he gives them a place to live and he becomes their king. 

III. Beginning with Tina (Miriam)  

“I … redeemed you from the house of slavery, and I sent before you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam” (Micah 6.4)
“I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy” (Joel 2.28)

The Book of Exodus begins with an unusually strong emphasis on the participation of women in the redemption of God’s people. The midwives. Moses’s mother. Daughter of Pharoah. Zipporah. And Miriam.

Miriam is designated as “THE prophet.”  Our lection concludes with the notification of the people of God being led in worship of Yahweh through the ministry of the prophet Miriam “and all the women.” 

A number of scholars have argued that this placement actually suggests that Miriam was the composer of the hymn.  Verse 21 begins with a summons, imperative, to sing – worship. As Christopher Wright noted,

“The fact that verse 21 is so short does not imply that Miriam only got to sing a tiny fragment, but rather, since the opening line is a summons … she was in fact leading the singing of the whole song known by that title or refrain” (Wright, Exodus, p.292; Victor Hamilton expresses the same opinion, Exodus, p.235). Note Psalm 68. 

I share this opinion.  It is Ike and Tina, not just Ike. 😉

IV. Yahweh is My Salvation (15.1-3)
         Israel now serves – worships – Yahweh rather than serving/worshiping Pharoah. It is a serving into life and liberty rather than slavery and death. So worship, praise, thanksgiving, is at one and the same time the result and goal of salvation.

The phrase “Yahweh is a Warrior; Yahweh is his name” is praise. It is exaltation of the “my father’s God” and “my God.” 

Note that while Moses has a role in chapter 14, he has no role in the description of salvation in chapter 15. Moses and Miriam praise Yahweh, not Moses.  Salvation belongs to God.

The whole point of this metaphor (Yahweh is a Man of War/Warrior) must be understood. The point is Israel did not fight. Only Yahweh brought the victory/salvation. It is his and his alone.  A nice and extremely accessible discussion of a discussion of Yahweh is a Warrior and the Wars of God as a locus of “hesed/grace” is Ronald M. Hals, Grace and Faith in the Old Testament, chapter 2.

V. Pharoah, and Egypt’s Gods, Destroyed (15.4-10)

Poetic metaphors. Some things can only be said in poetry and lyrics.  Think of Johnny Horton’s “The Battle of New Orleans,”

“Old Hickory said, ‘We could take’em by surprise if we didn’t fire our muskets til we look’em in the eye … They ran through the briers and they ran through the brambles And they ran through the bushes where a rabbit couldn’t go … They ran so fast the hounds couldn’t catch’em on down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico.”

Moses and Miram (or Miriam and Moses) sing poetry.  They describe the complete victory (salvation) of God on behalf of slaves.  Like Horton, their song quotes Pharoah, “the enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoils …”

But all Yahweh did was “you blew with your wind/spirit ( בְרוּחֲךָ֖) …” and that’s all she wrote as the saying goes!

VI. Yahweh’s Incomparability (15.11-16)

         – majestic in holiness
         – doing wonders
         – Hesed redemption
         – “the peoples” heard

VII. Dwelling and Kingdom (15.17-18)
         – Planted on a Mountain common ANE idea of place where a deity resides. The point here is that where Yahweh is bringing Israel, Yahweh already owns, a “garden” (like Eden). God’s people are, as Yahweh says in Exodus 19, carried “to myself on eagles wings.” God will dwell in the tabernacle and the temple and in King Jesus, and with us (Revelation 21-22).

         – Kingdom of God The whole redemption by Yahweh’s Hesed/Grace is framed by the grateful celebrative worship of the redeemed slaves.  Beginning in chapter 12, Israel learns to worship in a meal that tells the story.  At the “cross event” (Exodus) the people explode with praise. What can you do when you have been raised from certain death but say thank you.

Exodus “Event” Texts to Know
– Deuteronomy 5.12-15, Shabbat rehearses the Hesed story
– Psalm 66
– Psalm 68
– Psalm 114, part of the Egyptian Hallel
– Psalm 136.10-26,
– Isaiah 63.7-14
– 1 Corinthians 10.1-5

Exodus Comes before Sinai,
Calvary Comes before Pentecost,
Grace Comes before Faith,
It always has, it always will.

Deliverance, Rescue, Salvation by Hesed

“According to the abundance of his Hesed … It was no messenger or angel but his presence that saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old … his holy spirit … who led them through the depths … the Spirit of the LORD gave them rest” (Isaiah 63.7c, 9, 12, 14, NRSV)

I. Get Out/Motley Crew (12.31, 38)

         The Son of Amun-Ra tells Israelites to leave and Go worship. 
         Who could be the “motley crew” in v.34.  Egyptians, other slaves
         the text recognizes the aliens among them (v.49). 
         Note on “first born” – does not mean “infants” especially in reference to the 
          Egyptians.  Pharoah’s “first born” is an adult.  It is only Isael’s infants that
          have been systematically murdered as a threat … they are after all “aliens.”

II. “God led the people” (13.17-22)

The Story picks back up after the “interruption” of the directions on worship.

As Isaiah noted centuries later, Yahweh is personally “taking charge,” planning and leading “the people” (63.7-14). 

III. Pharoah Changes his Mind in the Night (14.4-5)/Yahweh’s Glory
 
         “the heart (לְבַ֨ב) of Pharaoh and his servants” (v.5); the Lord hardened    
           Pharaoh’s heart (לֵ֤ב)

         Bring “glory” or “honor” (vv. 4,17,18) … what does this mean? It is Yahweh’s means to demonstrate 1) his majestic superiority in sovereignty but 2) also his justice in the face of gross injustice against the least of these. The Psalms state explicitly that Yahweh’s very throne is established on justice, “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; mercy and truth go before You” (Psalm 89.14)

“I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for in these things I delight” (Jer 9.24)

IV. Salvation in the Face of Fear (14.10-14)

         The Sermonator declared that the Israelites went through the Sea “by faith”
         (Hebrews 11.29). But read, vv.11-12.  Lack of faith.  We have terror. 
         Grounded in generations of reality.

         Moses gives five three commands based on one Gospel truth. Moses proclaims Grace in the face of a lack of faith, lack of trust, full orbed fear.

         1) Do not fear
         2) Stand firm
         3) See Salvation (v.13, 31)
         Because … Yahweh will fight. Yahweh is the Savior.
         4) Keep still … quiet … “let go”

V. God Gets Between (14.19-25)

         The “angel of God” … “Yahweh in the pillar of fire” (vv.19, 24). Yahweh created an impassable barrier between Pharoah’s massive military and the fleeing slaves. The mystery of darkness and light (v.20).

         Israel stepped into the divided sea (vv. 16, 21). Imagery that comes from the creation account in Genesis 1 where the Creator God divided the sea to form dry land (Gen 1.9-10).

VI. Pharoah, Egypt, Hubris brought into Judgment (14.26-31)

         The arrogance of the oppressor is on full display in Exodus 14. The Egyptians refused to let the object of their hate as well as the source of their posh life go. 

Trapped by their own arrogance they finally confess (an ironic “praise”!) they cry out “Yahweh is fighting for them against Egypt” (14.25). Now Egypt knows who Yahweh is. 

Yahweh destroys the demonic forces in Egypt that is personified in Pharoah and his military might. “The LORD tossed the Egyptians into the sea” (v.27).

But Israel walked through on “dry ground” (v.29).

Climactic Declaration, “Yahweh saved Israel that day!” (14.30).

Texts to Know

Deuteronomy 16.1-8
Deuteronomy 26.1-15
Joshua 5.1-12
Psalms 113-118
2 Chronicles 30
1 Corinthians 5.7-8
Matthew 26.17-39

                                                      Outline of Section

12.1-27            12.29-39    12.43-49       13.1-16         13.17-14.29         15.1-21
Passover/            Story       Passover        Firstborn/       Story                 Worship/
Unleavened                                              Unleavened                     Moses & Miriam
(Learning to Worship)                                                                              (Ike & Tina)

                    Liturgy Encloses the Event of the Exodus in the Book of Exodus
               (Outline adapted and modified from Terence Fretheim, Exodus, p. 134)

The Book of Exodus was not written the night of the Exodus.  The Book, as part of the Torah, is written for future generations. Thus there is a break in the narration of the story of the signs/wonders with the warning of number ten (11.1-10). 

Suddenly the text reveals Yahweh addressing Moses and Aaron and through them the “congregation of Israel” (12.3,6,19,47). Yahweh gives directions on how this event is to become worship forever. This event becomes paradigmatic for the identity of Israel through worship centered on a meal. There is an analogy here with the Last Supper of Jesus. There are specific details that may change in our observance and what took place on that fateful night in Egypt and before the Cross. But in a nutshell, this is our Story. It is the story of the Gospel. It is an event not just for them but a redemptive act that flows forward into history of the future people of God. Israel truly is “the people I formed for myself to declare my praise” (Isaiah 43.21). 

The Passover 12.2 New time reckoning. Month (Nisan/Abib, Deut 16.1, one a Canaanite name and the other a Babylonian name). It is the first or chief of months (most important). It is in a very real sense the “birthday” of Israel which shows up in the word “congregation” (used first here in Exodus 12).

12.3, Lamb/goat (“the sacrifices that we offer to Yahweh, our God are offensive to the Egyptians,” 8.26; “I will exercise judgment on all the gods of Egypt,” 12.12). Lambs/goats/rams were linked to Amun and Khnum is iconographically depicted as a goat/ram and was a sacred symbol of Amun-Ra.

Jewish traditions on the lamb and Egyptian gods can be found in such places as Shemot Rabbah 16:2; Talmud (Shabbat 87b); etc.

Note that either a lamb or goat could be used in the Passover.

12.4 “join with your neighbor.”  The Passover is a “memorial” (older translations) or “day of remembrance” (NRSV) and a “celebration.”  Passover is not somber. You have been set free from death! Saved from annihilation.   And it is also communal.  Passover cannot be celebrated by oneself.  The very minimum is the a family.  And if your family is to small to eat everything in a single night, get the nearest neighbor and celebrate. You eat in haste but you feast in that haste.

12.6 the lambs in the land of Egypt are not slaughtered at the temple (of course).  The whole “congregation of Israel” in a synchronized moment slaughter their lambs at the same time “at twilight” or “between the two evenings.” Israel is both diverse and one at the same time over geographical distance (and through time at the table). 

12.12 “I will strike down …” Somber words.  Death has hovered over the Book of Exodus from the beginning. Pharoah claims the authority and the right to steal the life of powerless people. The Egyptians participate in this horror in the Story. 

– Israel does not lift a finger against Pharoah nor any Egyptian
– The Passover remembers God’s deliverance by grace and his gracious judgment on the gods of Egypt. BUT it makes no provision for relishing the punishment of Egypt. Jewish tradition testifies to the sorrow of God in exercising judgment. In the tradition Yahweh tells the angels to cease their praise by God himself as he weeps, “The work of my hands has drown in the sea and shall you chant songs” (Talmud, Megillah 10b and Sanhedrin 39b). See Ezekiel 18.23; 33.11.

– “a sign for you.” The blook on the door posts and lintels are a sign, for you. This functions very much like the “sign” that God placed in the clouds after the flood in Genesis (9.13).  It is a visible mark of the promise of God to Israel (again almost like circumcision too). 

12.26 “when the children ask, what does this mean …” Israel’s worship is remarkably inclusive and egalitarian.  Children are the future of the people of God.  They do not need to know just WHAT is done but why it matters. What is the meaning (see Deut 6.20-25).  The meal is a vehicle – sacrament – to proclaim the mighty acts of the Hesed of Yahweh. The meal baptizes the children into the story, all future children are now Israel, part of those set free on that fateful night.
And they bowed their heads and worshiped (v.27).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzSb7HnLTMQ

I. Who You Going to Serve: Pharoah or Yahweh?
         – 3.12, “you shall worship God on this mountain”
         – 4.23, “Let my SON go that he may worship/serve me”
         – 5.17 [oppressors] “You say, let us go so we may sacrifice”
         – 7.16, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 8.1, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 8.20, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 9.1, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 9.13, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 10.3, “so that they may worship/serve me”
         – 10.7-8, [Pharoah] ‘Let the people go, so they may worship/serve …
                  Go worship …”
         – 10.24, “[Pharoah], “Go worship Yahweh”
         – ch. 12-13 Directions for worship
         – ch 14, Exodus Event
         – Worship, chapter 15, Ike & Tina (Moses & Miriam)
         – Exodus 19-24, Worship on the Mountain

Worship/service to Pharoah, a god, is slavery and death.
Worship/service to Yahweh is freedom and life. 

II. Yahweh is a Warrior (Ex 15.1-2): Signs & Wonders

A. Texts to Know
   – Psalm 78
   – Psalm 105.26-36
   – Psalm 145.4-7, One generation to another declares the mighty acts

“[I]t is important not to take away the force of the oppression with a ‘pie in the sky by and by’ point of view. Or with this view: the oppression is all part of a larger divine plan. No. God enters in on the side of the disadvantaged because God  does not want this situation at all” (Terence Fretheim, Exodus, p. 84, his emphasis).

         B. The Divine Combat

Note: Pharaoh was the incarnation of Horus (Sky God); upon dying the Pharoah transformed into Osiris (God of the dead and underworld). Starting with the Fifth Dynasty (2498-2345 BC) Pharaoh’s took on the title “Son of Ra” … the Solar Disk or god.  “Who is Yahweh, that I should obey his voice” (5.2).

Israel does not liberate/rescue/save herself. Israel gets saved by Yahweh who has chosen sides between Oppressor and Oppressed. They are already Yahweh’s people (3.7, 10; 7.14).

“It was not because you were more numerous than any other people that Yahweh set his heart on you and chose you – for you were the fewest of all peoples. It was because Yahweh love you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, that Yahweh brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that Yahweh your God is God, the faithful God, who maintains his covenant of HESED” (Deuteronomy 7.7-9)

– Nile turns to blood (7.14-25)
– Frogs overwhelm Egypt (8.1-15)
– Flies/Gnats (8.16-32, note v.18) Writing on the Wall! (cf. 10.7) Impotent gods, cf. Ps 115.4-8. Insects undo imperial hubris!
– Livestock (9.1-7)
– Boils (9.8-12)
– Storms or Thunder & Hail (9.13-35)
– Locusts (10.1-20)
– Where’s the Sun/Darkness (10.21-29) Darkness is on the face of the deep, Gen 1.2
– Firstborn (11:1-10; 12:29-30)

In these “signs & wonders” Yahweh demonstrates he is not only the God of the enslaved aliens but the Master of the Universe, God of Creation.  The gods of Egypt, including Pharoah, are no match. He has brought “judgment upon all the gods of Egypt” (12.12; cf. 15.11; 18.11).

Creation is both the servant (like Israel is called to be) of Yahweh and instrument of deliverance and punishment simultaneously.  Water is no longer water. Light and darkness no longer separated. Disease among humans and creatures is out of control. It is as if the land of Egypt has returned to the condition of Day One of Creation where chaos reigned (Genesis 1.1-2).

Scripture is quite aware of how creation itself suffers because of human arrogance and sin. 
         – Genesis 3
         – Joel the whole book but see 1.8-12; 17-20; 2.21-22, 25
         – Hosea 4.1-6; see also 2.14-20, note v.18
         – Romans 8.18-24

Tza’ar Ba’alei Chayim — Hebrew for “the suffering of living creatures” including and especially animals.

START AT 3:00 MINUTE MARK

Exodus 3: The Numinous
Woodmont Hills Church
September 9, 2026

“Numinous, arousing spiritual or religious emotion; mysterious or awe-inspiring”

I. Exodus 1-2, the Crises of Refugees & Aliens (The Egypt First Policy)

– Irrational fear (1.12)
– Shiphrah & Puah (1.15) break the law but “feared God” (v.21)
– State Sponsored terror (1.21)

II. The Cry that Pierced the Heavens (2.23) “My God My God why have you forsaken Me!”

– Cry is just a cry of pain, misery, terror. It is not directed to Yahweh: “After a long time … the   Israelites groaned under their slavery, and cried out. Out of the slavery their cry for help rose up to God. God heard their groaning and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. God Looked upon the Israelites and God took notice of them” (2.23-24).

– Paradigmatic experience (cf. Deuteronomy 26.1-11, esp. 5-6)
– Deuteronomy 1012-22, esp. 19
– Psalm 9.12 “For he who avenges blood is mindful of them; he does not forget the cry of the afflicted”
– Psalm 34.17; Psalm 107.6, 13, 19, 28; Mark 10.47; Luke 18.1-8
– “The poor of this world were the chosen vessels of mercy, the especially honored and blessed of God. They as a class, constitute his elect.” (David Lipscomb, “Who are to Blame?” GA 11 (6 May 1869), 422.

God’s Frightful Promise to Oppressors – Don’t be like Pharoah

“You shall not wrong or oppress a alien (foreigner, NIV), for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. You shall not abuse any widow or orphan. If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me. I will surely heed their cry, my wrath will burn, and I will kill you with the sword … You shall not oppress the alien you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Exodus22.21-22; 23.9)

– The Exodus is the result of the cry of the suffering alien.  “God” had had enough!

– Scholars have noted that the structure of Exodus that follows mirrors the structure of laments in the Psalms: l) a lament; 2) a cry/petition; 3) word of assurance of salvation; and 4) thanksgiving.  The Book of Exodus follows this,

 The Lament and Cry (ch’s 1-2)
The Word of Assurance of Salvation (ch’s 3-6)
This deliverance is “detailed” (ch’s 7-14)
The outburst of thanksgiving and praise (ch. 15)

III. “Numinous” Enters History on the side of the Refugee Aliens (Exodus 3)

– Yahweh (Yahweh is a Warrior, 15.3) shows up. First appearance of the Name (v.2) will 347x in the rest of the Book of Exodus

– Flame of Fire out of the bush but it does not burn (v.2). Fire is mysterious, even today. Clearly see it. Feel heat from it. What is it? Light passes through it.  It’s there but not really there either.

– Divine Presence (the narrator is also anticipating ‘the rest of the story’). God appears “in fire” at Sinai (19.18). God spoke “out of the midst of the fire” (Dt 4.12). God leads the people in a pillar of fire (13.21; Num 14.14; Dt 1.33; etc)

– I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob” (3.6,15,16).

           + Luke 1.52-55
           + Luke 20.37-38
           + Acts 3.13

God of Rescue, God of Hesed
           = “come down to deliver” “out of the misery of Egypt” (3.8, 17)
           = to a good land flowing with milk & honey (3.8, 17) Salvation is not simply being removed from oppression. It also is the gift of land, a place for live and blessing … Deliverance for God is finally not only FROM something but TO something. 
           = “I will be with you” (3.10) Not just Moses but with all the people (Tabernacle)

IV. Moses will not stand in God’s way

           1. Who am I? / I will be with you (3.11-12)
           2. What is the divine name?/ I AM (3.13-22)
           3) They do not believe me” / two divine signs (4.1-9)
           4) I am not eloquent / I will be with your mouth (4.10-12)
           5) Send someone else / Aaron indeed will speak for you [but never does!](4.13-17)
           (cf. Walter Brueggemann, Delivered Out of Empire, p. 8)

V. Favor/Plunder (3.22)

           – Exodus 11.2-3; 12.35-36

“I will look with favor upon you and make you fruitful and multiply you; and I will maintain my covenant with you. You shall eat old grain long stored, and you shall have to clear out the old to make way for the new. I will place my dwelling in your midst, and I shall not abhor you. And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and you shall be my people. I am the LORD your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be their slaves no more. I have broken the bars of your yoke and make you walk erect [stand tall].” (Leviticus 26.9-13)

Bobby Valentine
THESE ARE THE NAMES
The Book of Exodus
Woodmont Hills Church
Outline

“Who is like the LORD our God,
who is seated on high,
who looks down
on the heavens and the earth?
He raises the poor from the dust,
and lifts the need from the ash heap,
to make them sit with princes,
with the princes of his people.”
(Psalm 113.5-7)

“When Israel went out from Egypt,
the house of Jacob from a people of strange language,
Judah became God’s sanctuary,
Israel his dominion”
(Psalm 114.1)

“the people whom I formed for myself so that they might declare my praise.” (Isaiah 43.21)

I. Exodus, the Event

The Exodus is the paradigmatic moment of salvation by grace (Hesed/steadfast love) in the Bible. The “Event” refers to Yahweh’s mighty acts in delivering a band of enslaved aliens from state sponsored genocide at the hands of Pharoah.

The Exodus in one sense covers all the material from Exodus to Deuteronomy (the Book of Exodus is part of this larger narrative). Like the Gospel is not just “Six Hours One Friday” but Cross-Burial-Resurrection (and more broadly the Story of Jesus including the Ascension). What we call “Exodus” is part of that overall story from Genesis to Deuteronomy, aka The Torah Story.

In another way Exodus is the event – the Salvation of God. The calling of Moses, the taking on the deities of Egypt (Pharoah is the rep of the gods), the crossing the Red Sea, exuberant worship by the Sea, entering the wilderness, the Marriage at Sinai. The Fall of Israel, “cheating with the bell hop” on the honeymoon (Golden Calf). The supreme declaration/revelation of Yahweh’s identity AT THAT MOMENT. The renewal of the covenant and the building of the honeymoon suit … and the Dwelling of God.

It is hard to find a greater narration of the Grace (Hesed) of God in the Bible than in the Book of Exodus.  This includes anything in the New Testament. Israel is redeemed by Hesed – Grace – alone People can balk at that, but it is nonetheless a biblical fact.

The salvation of God in the Exodus becomes “the pattern” of all patterns in the Bible. It is the Grace pattern that all are measured by. The life of Jesus is laid over this pattern. The death of Jesus is laid over this pattern. The promised redemption is forever measured by “the Exodus.” It is in the Psalms, the Prophets, the Gospels, Romans, Hebrews, the Revelation of John.

Exodus is from liberation out of death to God living with his redeemed rejects. The Exodus does not end at crossing of the Sea but with IMMANUEL. God Living with Us! What was lost in Genesis 3 was restored in Exodus 40 … even the Golden Calf did not stop that.

The greater story of the Exodus was inculcated in Israelites through the liturgical calendar which revolves around the Exodus events. 

– The Sabbath (celebrates deliverance from Egypt)
– The Passover points to all Yahweh has done to deliver enslaved aliens
– Shavuot (Pentecost) recalls giving of the covenant & Torah at the beginning of harvest
– Sukkot (Tabernacles) recalls the wilderness wanderings and the end of harvest

Exodus is the story of Steadfast Love that never ends (Hesed). It is the story of Hesed that overcomes any and all barriers to reestablish his fellowship – communion – with the creation he loves.

A king claiming to be a god will not stand in his way.
Moses will not stand in his way.
The People themselves will not stand in his way.
The Sea will not stand in his way.
The Amalekites will not stand in his way.
People themselves wanting to go back to Egypt will not stand in his way.

And even the supreme insult to Yahweh – adultery on the “honeymoon” – as the Psalms would later describe it, Israel “exchanged the glory of God for an image of an ox that eats grass” (106.20) … this will not stand in his way.

Hesed Will Triumph. And Yahweh does triumph through his Hesed over all … Just like Psalm 136 declares.

The Exodus Pattern (I encourage you to read these texts)

The Exodus Event is the pattern in both Testaments for God’s redemptive acts of Hesed.  It shows up all over the place.

Psalm 18
Psalm 66
Psalm 68
Psalm 78
Psalm 80
Psalm 95
Psalm 99 (Pillars of Cloud & Fire God’s divine Presence guiding Israel)
Psalms 103, 104, 105, 106 and 107 for the “Mini-Bible.” They retell the “Story” beginning with the God Creed of Exodus 34.6 in Psalm 103 as the “cover” of the entire narrative. 
Psalms 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118 are called the Egyptian Hallel and poetically retell the glorious redemption of the Exodus and are incorporated into the Pilgrim Feasts (Jesus sang these at his own Exodus moment)
Psalms 135 and Psalm 136 are the Great Hallel. Again retell the Gospel of the Exodus, Ps 136 punctuates everything with the refrain “his Hesed endures forever” (26x).
Psalm 145 camps on the God Creed

In Hosea, Amos & Micah (to name only three) paint Israel’s adultery with images taken from Egypt or from the wanderings in Sinai while casting Yahweh as the faithful liberating lover who would redeem Israel.
Isaiah 40-66 takes the pattern of Exodus as the source for new hope for Israel.

The Exodus Event is just as ubiquitous in the New Testament writings. The events of Jesus’s own passion are shaped by the Exodus. The Last Supper is the Passover supper.  Pentecost is the day the covenant is renewed.  The Gospel of Matthew uses the Exodus event as the template for telling the story of Jesus.  The Exodus looms large in the Gospel of John.  Paul places his Gentile or former Gentile converts in the Exodus Wilderness narrative (1 Cor 10).  The Sermonator of Hebrews places his congregation with the same wilderness group (Hebrews 3-4).  Jude the Lord’s brother does the same (Jude 1.5). The story of the Exodus plagues shapes the Revelation of John.

Just a few examples of the Exodus Pattern

II. The Book of Exodus Contains Some of the Richest Texts of the Bible (in Summary form)

Since we only have 12 weeks it is impossible to cover everything in the Book of Exodus. Our class will focus on the following texts. Some will cover extended material. 

-Exodus 3, Numinous in the Bush & Dirt  
-Exodus 7-11 Divine Combat for the Endangered Aliens
-Exodus 12, How to celebrate salvation before it even happens
-Exodus 14, The “cross” moment
-Exodus 15, Worship led by Ike & Tina 😉
-Exodus 19, Invitation to a wedding, a covenant of love (Hesed)
-Exodus 20, Covenantal guidelines for the already saved by Hesed people
-Exodus 24, The Ceremony! And the Revelation of the “Bride Groom!” (YAHWEH!!) Humans experience God in a way they have not since the Garden. They “saw the God of Israel!” One of the most stunning texts of the Bible – Jesus grounds his work on that fateful night in this text.

-Exodus 25-31 Moses is shown the Honeymoon suite

-Exodus 32-33 Disaster, Catastrophic Failure – the Hebrew Bible talks more about the Golden Calf than it does eating the “apple” in Genesis 3! The ink is not even dry on the marriage license.

-Exodus 34 – the revelation of God – the God Creed – When Israel was the worst Yahweh is at the greatest. The God Creed (Ex 34.6) is quoted, paraphrased or alluded to dozens of times throughout the rest of the Hebrew Bible and in the Prologue of John (1.14). This is the Mt. Everest text of the Bible.

-Exodus 34-39 Yahweh renews his covenant by divine fiat of Hesed and even though the covenant is shattered – Yahweh keeps his bride.

-Exodus 40, God Moves In … Exodus 40 anticipates Revelation 21-22 when the “dwelling of God is with humanity.” We reach the GOAL of the salvation of God. Yahweh created the world, filled it with marvelous wonders of creatures and his image bearers because he wanted to LIVE with us.

 Helpful Reading

Walter Brueggemann, Delivered Out of Empire: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus
Walter Brueggemann, Delivered Into Covenant: Pivotal Moments in the Book of Exodus
Terrence Fretheim, Exodus: Interpretation
Ralph Hawkins, Discovering Exodus: Content, Interpretation, Reception
Carmen Joy Imes, Bearing God’s Name, Why Sinai Still Matters
Christopher J. H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

In Micah 6, the prophet served as Yahweh’s prosecutor calling for witnesses, listening to the accused, and charging the defendants. They are not a people who pursue justice, mercy, and faithfulness. Through economic injustice and violence, the people have now received God’s verdict: invasion and exile.

But hope is not lost. Who is like Yahweh? That is what Micah’s name means, and it is the final word in his message. God will remember the covenant with Abraham and have compassion on the people, forgiving their sin and renewing their inheritance. Yahweh delights in mercy and will not hold a grudge against the descendants of Jacob or the nations either.

The Corruption of the People (7:1-7)

Before the announcement of hope, the charges continue. The description is comprehensive. The corruption is pervasive.

“The faithful have disappeared from the land, and there is no one left who is upright.” There are none righteous, we might say; no, not one. Even the best people are like briers and thorns in the land.

Rather, people hunt each other in violence, bribe officials and judges, and the powerful pervert justice.

Since there is no one to trust, everyone should keep silent. Even family members cannot trust each other, but conflict awaits. So, guard your mouths, even when you lie in bed with your lover.

Micah says, there is only whom we can trust. “But as for me,” he says, “I will look to” Yahweh. I can entrust my words to Yahweh; God will listen and I will wait on the “God of my salvation.”

The hope is that God will hear Judah if they seek God and wait on God’s work to be done. Judah will find mercy and grace, according to God’s steadfast love (hesed).

A Liturgy of Hope (7:8-20)

Many scholars suggest that this final section of Micah is structured as a liturgical celebration, a testimony in the assembly. Judah is given hope and invited to lean into the future God has promised because Yahweh will keep the covenant made with Abraham and Jacob.

Steven Dempster (Two Horizons Commentary on the Old Testament) sees five stanzas.

• Yahweh judges the nations (7:8-10)
• Yahweh rebuilds Jerusalem and gathers nations (7:11-13)
• Yahweh shepherds Israel in their inheritance (7:14-15)
• Yahweh humbles the nations and they align with Yahweh (7:16-17)
• Yahweh forgives Judah (7:18-20).

Limburg (Interpretation Commentary) suggests that the people speak 7:8-10, then a priest responds in 7:11-13. The people then respond in 7:14-17 followed by a resounding praise by the whole congregation in 7:18-20.

Yahweh Judges the Nations (7:8-10)

This first stanza is confession of sin and an acceptance of the judgment that will fall upon Judah. It also confronts the nations who taunted and despoiled Judah.

Israel and Judah will fall; they will go into exile. But the nations should not rejoice and pride themselves on their accomplishments. This is the Lord’s judgment; the darkness that enveloped the nation is from God. It is deserved; they had sinned.

But God had not abandoned the descendants of Abraham. God will be alight for them even as the sit in darkness, and there will come a time when God brings them out of darkness into the light…the moment God takes up the cause of Israel.

Though while Israel sat in darkness, the enemy taunted the people with questions like, “Where is the LORD your God?,” there is coming a time when Israel will see the downfall of the nations.

Yahweh rebuilds Jerusalem and gathers nations (7:11-13)

The second stanza announces the future of Jerusalem and Judah. The exiles will return, and this will include the nations as well as the boundaries of the nation are extended.

A day will come, however, the walls will be rebuilt, and the descendants of Abraham will come from the Euphrates and from Egypt to the land of Israel. God will reassemble the people, though the earth is desolate because evil has pervaded the earth. The earth bears the fruit of its judgment while Israel is gathered to God in their inheritance.

Yahweh shepherds Israel in their inheritance (7:14-15)

The third stanza prays for God to lead the people in the wilderness once again and bring them to their plentiful inheritance.

Micah prays, “Shepherd your people.” God will reign over the people in the land—and Israel will flourish. The flock will graze on the hills of Bashan and Gilead as in the beginning of the nation.

Yahweh humbles the nations and they align with Yahweh (7:16-17)

This fourth stanza recounts the humbling of the nations and their turning toward Yahweh. It is the fulfillment of Micah 4 where the nations will flow into Jerusalem to learn of God and learn war no more.

The return from exile will be like a new Exodus. And like Egypt and the other nations at the time, they will shut their mouths in awe. They are defeated nations, like a defeated snake crawling in the dust of the earth. But God offers them hope and a future—to come out of their fortresses (to give up their swords) and turn in fear to Yahweh, the God of Israel. Those nations who do will “stand in fear” of Yahweh.

Yahweh Forgives Judah (7:18-20)

God will restore Israel and redeem the nations? Really? There is no God like Yahweh who pardons sin, not only the sins of the remnant of God’s own possession but the nations as well.

Yahweh . . .

• Pardons sin
• Forgives (passes over) transgression
• Does not stay angry (temperance)
• Delights to show steadfast love (hesed)
• Shows compassion (like Psalm 103:13)
• Treads our sins under our feet (like trampling an enemy)
• Throws our iniquities into the depths of the sea (total absolution)

We know who God is from God’s own self-revelation in Exodus 34:6-7. God is gracious, merciful, and compassionate. His anger does not last forever. Rather, God will cast Israel’s sins into the depths of the sea, never to be recovered or remembered.

On the contrary, God is faithful to the promise to the patriarchs Abraham and Jacob. God is loyal to Israel’s ancestors.

Indeed, as Micah’s name reveals, “Who is like Yahweh?”