Exploring My Strange Bible - Torah Crash Course Part 2 - The Exodus and Mt. Sinai

Episode Date: August 21, 2017

This part camps out in the second book of the bible, Exodus. We explore the story of Moses, Pharaoh, and the liberation of the Israelites that all culminates in the night of Passover. This was one of the most important foundation stories for the Israelite people in ancient times, and its crucially important for understanding Jesus. He timed his arrival into Jerusalem for the Passover feast and at the Last Supper he used the Passover symbols to explain the meaning of his coming death. From there we move on to learning about the covenants between God and Israel and the giving of the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai. This is, again, a core idea that Jesus picked up and developed in his own teaching .

Tim Mackey, Jr. utterly amazing and worth following with everything that you have. On this podcast, I'm putting together the last 10 years worth of lectures and sermons where I've been exploring the strange and wonderful story of the Bible and how it invites us into the mission of Jesus and the journey of faith. And I hope this can be helpful for you too. I also help start this thing called The Bible Project. We make animated videos and podcasts about all kinds of topics in Bible and theology. You can find those resources at thebibleproject.com. With all that said, let's dive into the episode for this week. All right, so this is going to be part two of a three-part series called the Torah Crash Course.

If you haven't listened to part one, I really recommend you go and do that. That covered the book of Genesis, the first book of the Bible. In the second lecture, which was, again, a Friday night lecture that I did at Door of Hope Church, where I served as a teaching pastor. I did this many years ago. The second part just camps out in the second book of the Bible, Exodus. And specifically, we cover the famous story of Moses and Pharaoh and the liberation of the Israelites that all culminates in the night of Passover and the deliverance of the people through the waters of the sea and so on. This was one of the most important foundation stories for the people of Israel in ancient times.

But also this was the foundation story that Jesus himself connected into. He very intentionally chose his arrival into Jerusalem for the timing of the Passover feast. He timed his last supper, right? The famous last supper is a meal connected to Passover. And so understanding the Exodus story and Passover, it's absolutely crucial for understanding Jesus. And so that's why we camped out here for a whole part of the Torah crash course. And then from there, we move on through the wilderness into Mount Sinai, where we move into this important foundational concept of the covenants.

And again, this is a core idea that Jesus picked up and saw himself developing as a part of the overall biblical story. And so the covenant between God and Israel at Mount Sinai, those are the key things that we explore. The Exodus and the covenant constantly showing how they connect us up to the big overall story that Jesus saw himself fulfilling. So there you go. Tour Crash Course Part 2, Exodus, ready for adventure.

Let's go for it. The authorship of these first five books, if you actually read through them carefully, nowhere do you have a clear statement of, dear reader, here I am, here's my name, and I wrote this book. There's nothing like that. So technically, the authorship of these books is anonymous. The key figure that's connected with the origin or the writing of multiple different little parts of these first side books is the famous figure Moses, who's not in the story yet. So whatever Moses wrote, he clearly didn't like write or originate this stuff because all of this is happening like hundreds of years before he was

ever born. So for this part of the story, he clearly inherited these materials from the generations past. So Moses, it's clear as you read on later, he had a key role to play in the collection of the material that we now have in the Torah. But as we're going to see, the last chapter of the Torah is a whole chapter about his death. And he definitely didn't write that. So someone else has had their hands on the Torah for its final editorial shape, but we don't know who that person is. So that's why I say just the author or the storyteller, because we don't know who he is. But whoever that person was, Moses and that person along with him was a brilliant, brilliant storyteller. Because this whole theme of Tov and Ra, of humans doing Ra and God keeping his mission to bless and bring Tov out of human Ra.

I like that. That's clearly the theme of this book. So God's going to somehow do something with this family to restore blessing to all of the nations. How's the story going to move on? Exodus chapter 1. We walk into the next big part of part 2 of the story, which is Yahweh and the family of Abraham. Oh yes, maybe one other quick note, just because I'm assuming something and I probably shouldn't. When you see in your English

translations the word LORD like that in all capital letters, that's a clue to you, the reader, from the translators that the Hebrew word being translated right there is the personal name of the God of the Bible or the God of Israel, Yahweh. So that's why I'm saying Yahweh when I see Lord in translations here, just to be clear. Okay, chapter one. These are the names of the sons of Israel who entered Egypt with Jacob, each with his family. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zevalun, Benjamin, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered 70 in all. Joseph was already in Egypt. Now, Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.

There you go. Just usher them all that generation died. There you go. Just usher them right off the stage. There they go. And the Israelites, they were fruitful, and they multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous. The land was filled with them. Does this ring any bells?

Where? Where does it ring bells from? From Genesis 1. So, my markers everywhere, right? So, we have right here, this is the language of blessing. God blessed them and said, be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth. And so, just right here, even without using the word bless, the author reminds us that this family is now the vehicle and the carrier of this great promise to bless. So here they are. So this is, again, repeated words is the way that the author strings together the story here. So they're flourishing here in Egypt. Now, a new king arose who didn't know about Joseph. He came to power in Egypt and he said, look, he said to his people, these Israelites are becoming

way too numerous for us. So come on, let's deal shrewdly or craftily with them, where they will become even more numerous, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us and leave the country. So what's happening here, this is a story that has been retold many times in human history. You have a family, a group of people that immigrates to another country

looking for food or work. They become very numerous. There's a significant number of the population, and then people start to get scared and so on. And so they act out of fear, right here. They're acting out of fear towards Israelites who are different than them. So, verse 11, they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor. Made them build these cities, Pithom and Ramesses, the store cities.

For whom? For Pharaoh. I think that's the first time he's called that. Yeah, so Pharaoh, he's the king. That's the name of this king. He's never given a name in these narratives. He's just given his royal name, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He's just given his royal name, Pharaoh, king of Egypt. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread.

What? What? So I've seen this theme before, haven't I? Humans do ra, God turns it into tov. It's precisely what's happening. So the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor, with brick and mortar and all kinds of work in the fields. And in all the hard labor, the Egyptians used them ruthlessly. The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah,

he said, when you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him. If it's a girl, let her live. So they're going to literally grind this people group into the ground through work and begin a slow extermination of this people group. The midwives, however, feared God. They didn't do what the king of Egypt told them to do. They let the boys live. The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, what are you doing? Why are you doing this? Why have you let the boys live? This is such a good line. The midwives answered, well, you know, these Hebrew women, I mean, they're not like the dainty

Egyptian women. They're vigorous. And they give birth before the midwives even get there. We can't help it. Such a great story. God was kind to the midwives, and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own. So, Phares gave this order to all the people. Every boy that's born must be thrown into the river. Let every girl live.

So, let's pause real quick here. So, is God at work in this very dark chapter of Israel's story? How is God at work? Through whom? How is God's will to rescue the Israelites taking place? Through the obedient actions of these women. So again, it's that category of, why doesn't God intervene? Well, what are you doing?

That's what the story makes you think. In dark seasons where it seems like God's not up to anything, where are you, God? And the stories of the Bible continue to press on us this question of like, well, what are you doing in response to this very dark situation that you're in? So Pharaoh's going to keep turning the heat and the pressure and the oppression on, and everything he does is going to explode in his face. So now all the boys are going to be thrown into the river. And then one little boy does get thrown into the river, and what's his name? It's Moses.

The very thing Pharaoh does for evil, God turns into good. And so you get this figure Moses who's rescued, and he ends up being brought up in the household of Pharaoh and so on. I mean, literally the very thing that Pharaoh is trying to prevent is the very thing that happens in his own house under his nose. Go to chapter 2, verse 23. During that long period, the king of Egypt died, and the Israelites groaned in their slavery. God heard their groaning. They groaned in their slavery.

They cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and remembered his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God looked on the Israelites, and he was concerned about them. So, in other words, what this little story is doing is it's linking, remember this? This is a flash forward from Abram to this story right here. And then here in chapter 2, we remember God's promises. I'm just going to say Abe right here.

Remember God's promises to Abraham. So why is humanity off the tracks again? The story's going horribly again. What is God up to? This time God is responding because his reputation and his promise and covenant is on the line. God has obligated himself to rescue and save this family. Why? Always remember, why? Why is he going to pay attention to and rescue this family? Just because he likes Israelites more than anybody else? He's remembering his covenant, and what's the purpose of his covenant? To ratify his promises to bless all nations through them. So always have to remember that whenever God is acting for Israel, it's always in the interest of this greater, greater plot line

about Yahweh and all of the nations. What God is doing with Israel, he is doing for the nations. So he's going to redeem and bless them. And so what happens in these stories, Moses raises up, and he raises up Moses to rescue. And go to chapter 6 with me. Chapter 6 verse 2. God said to Moses, I am Yahweh. I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as El Shaddai,

God Almighty. But by my name Yahweh, I did not make myself known to them. I established my covenant with them. Yeah, Genesis 15. To give them the land of Canaan where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I've heard the groaning of the Israelites. The Egyptians are enslaving. I've remembered my covenant. Therefore, say to the Israelites, I am Yahweh.

I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them and I will do what? What's the word there? Do you have that redeem? Redeem. So this is the first time that word occurs in the Bible. The word redeem. In Hebrew it's the word gaal. And so when you hear the word redemption, we typically think of a much broader

idea of just turning bad into good but technically the way the word is used here in the story this story becomes the biblical archetype of what god's redemption looks like so again this is not just a story about ancient times and ancient people this whole story becomes a model or an archetype of how God's justice and rescue and redemption takes place in the world. This is why Pharaoh is never given a name. Because he's just like the archetypal bad guy of all humanity. And this is God's redemption. So literally, in this story, it means to set free from slavery.

So I'm going to redeem you with an outstretched arm. Yahweh is going to roll up his sleeves. With mighty acts of judgment So I'm going to redeem you with an outstretched arm. Yahweh is going to roll up his sleeves. With mighty acts of judgment, I'm going to take you as my own people and I will be your God and you will know that I am the Lord your God who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. So right here in chapter 2,

we're firing another arrow out that's going to happen in, excuse me, this is chapter 6, isn't it? What does he say right there? I'm going to rescue you and do what? He says, I'm going to take you to myself. That's firing an arrow out to the next big part of the story, which is about Mount Sinai, where he's going to come meet with his people. But first, he has to bring judgment on Pharaoh. And so essentially, what this story does, this again, we're flying 30,000 feet, there's a whole bunch of little stories.

God is going to bring judgment on Pharaoh, and Pharaoh continually hardens. Ooh, this is interesting. Chapter 7. So the Lord said to Moses, Look, I've made you like God to Pharaoh. Your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You're going to go talk to Pharaoh. You're going to say everything I command Pharaoh. Your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You're going to go talk to Pharaoh.

You're going to say everything I command you. Your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. But I will harden Pharaoh's heart. And though I multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in Egypt, he's not going to listen to you. Go to verse 10. In verse 10, Moses does this miracle in front of Pharaoh.

He throws his stick down and becomes a snake. It's pretty incredible. Verse 10. Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh just as the Lord commanded Aaron. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials and it became a snake. What?

Verse 11. Pharaoh summoned his wise men and sorcerers and the Egyptian magicians did the same thing by their secret arts. Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. Touche. Right back at you. But then Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.

Touche, touche. Then what happens? Verse 13, Pharaoh's heart became hard and he wouldn't listen. The Lord said to Moses, Pharaoh's heart is unyielding. He refuses to let the people go. Now, who hardened Pharaoh's heart? Well, Yahweh said he was going to harden Pharaoh's heart. And here it just says Pharaoh's heart became hard or is hard. Go to chapter 8. Go to the next chapter.

Chapter 8, verse 12. The plagues, the 10 plagues start going here. This is after the plague of frogs. Verse 12, Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh. Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he brought on Pharaoh. The Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in all the houses, in the courtyards, in the fields. They were piled up into heaps and the land reeked of rotting frog corpses. When Pharaoh saw there was relief,

what did he do? Who hardened his heart this time? He hardened his heart and wouldn't listen to Moses now. Now wait. So who's hardening whose heart? If you read through the story, sometimes Yahweh hardened Pharaoh's heart, sometimes Pharaoh hardens his own heart.

What is happening here? Remember, so this story is, Pharaoh gets no name here, and he becomes yet the next character study in human Ra, in humans doing Ra. Here it's all humanity. Here it's the stupidity and folly of Abraham and his children. Here it's Pharaoh is the bad guy. And he just literally, he runs the entire country down into the ground because of his hard heart. And so it's like Pharaoh becomes another example of what's wrong with humans.

And so here we're told that Pharaoh sometimes hardened his own heart. He just gives God the finger, whatever. He's not going to yield. And so here's a story where God doesn't redeem this character. Pharaoh's heart is hardened. And so you have this interplay of God responding to a human being who's completely closed themselves off in Ra, in their own evil, and doesn't want to be redeemed. And so with this kind of figure, Yahweh plays hardball. And even he turns Ra into good because he's going to rescue his people. But this is a story that makes us uncomfortable, especially as modern Westerners, because we think

everybody should have a chance. And actually in the story, it's very clear that Pharaoh had 10 chances to recognize what was happening here. And every time he hardened his heart, and so Yahweh, in response, in some sort of synergy, hardens his heart as well. And these are scary stories, I think. The point of the story is not like, how unfair for Pharaoh. It's like, no, this guy's a jerk. Look what these people are doing. We're not meant to like these guys. But at the same time, Pharaoh is yet another portrait of broken humanity. And we are to see these stories as our own stories being played out here. And so Pharaoh becomes a very disturbing glance in another character study in the brokenness of the human heart.

And if I perpetually say no to God, God will play hardball. That's a challenging message of the story, and that's a part of his redemption. And so we have these ten plagues, the ten acts of justice that are brought on Egypt. And what's the tenth and final one? acts of justice that are brought on Egypt. And what's the tenth and final one? It has to do with the firstborn son. What did Pharaoh do? What plan did he enact to exterminate the Israelites?

Kill all of the sons. And so Yahweh exacts justice on the sons of Egypt for the evil that they did to the sons of Israel. And so this is where the tenth and final plague or strike on Egypt, this theme here. So Yahweh redeems in different ways in the story. He redeems through bringing justice on Pharaoh, plays hardball. But then he also provides a way to escape or a way to be spared from justice. And it's this image of the Passover lamb. Go to chapter 12 with me. This is where the Hebrew tradition of Passover comes from. It's from this story right here. Go to chapter 12. So the Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, this month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.

In other words, their whole calendar as a people is going to be set by the exodus, by this foundational event of salvation. So this is day one now as they go on. Tell the whole community of Israel on the tenth day of the month, each one is to take a lamb for his family,

one for each household. If your household is too small for a whole lamb, then why don't you go share one with your neighbor? That's a nice thing to do. And take account the number of people that there are.

You're determined the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what everybody's going to need to eat there. And the animals you choose need to be a year old male without any defect. You may take from them a sheep or a goat, doesn't matter.

Take care of them until the 14th day. You take care of it. You care for this little lamb. Give it a name, maybe. When all the people of the community of Israel then must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and the tops of the door frames of the house when they eat the lamb. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over fire along with bitter herbs and bread

made with yeast. Don't eat the meat raw or cooked in water. Roast it over the fire, head, legs, inner parts. Don't leave any of it till morning. If some of it's left till morning, make sure you burn it. It's pretty detailed, yeah? This is how you eat it. With your cloak tucked into your belt, sandals on your feet, staff in your hand, bags packed. That's what you're supposed to eat. Eat this meal, bags packed. Eat it in haste. It is the Lord's Passover. On that night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn, men and animals, and I will bring judgment on whom?

On the gods of Egypt. This is really interesting. So I'll actually provide the interesting backward glance here because many of the ten plagues, like the darkening of the sun or the Nile River, these are things in Egyptian worldview or religion that they deified as gods. And so for God to have power over the Nile or over the sun isn't just like he's powerful, it's like, no, he's showing that our gods are not powerful. In Egypt, the kings were deified.

They were called the sons of God. They actually believed that they were the embodiment of the gods himself. And so for Yahweh to take out the son of the king, first and foremost, is to strike at the heart of their idolatry of power and of kingship. So it's a way of bringing judgment on the gods of Egypt. I am Yahweh. The blood is assigned for you on the houses where you are. When I see the blood, I will pass over. That's where the name comes from. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. There's two themes here. This story is providing all of these images that are going to

get picked up and used again in the rest of the story of the Bible. How does Yahweh redeem his people from a world of sin and injustice? He's going to bring justice and set things right, but he's also going to provide a substitute, a lamb, and those who put themselves literally under the blood of the lamb find themselves rescued and spared from justice. Do you see that here in the story? So we're all thinking, Jesus, Jesus. And that's right. That's good to think that.

But do you remember what Jesus' name spelled every fourth letter or something? It's not like some code or something. The point is that the broad sweep of the story is giving you language and categories and ideas for how God works in the world. And then all of a sudden, when Jesus is having a Passover meal with his followers the night before he dies, and he's saying, my blood is the new covenant, and he's saying, my blood is the new covenant, right? He's picking up all of these individual portraits from the story and he's arranging them now come into fulfillment around his death. So you don't need Jesus' name here in Exodus chapter 12. You just need to remember the images

and then let them be picked up again later on in the story. Does that make sense? I think of this as another metaphor, but I think of the Old Testament works a lot like a little pot, a little flower pot. And you often have the first time an image occurs. I need green. Where's my green? Right here. So this is the first time, this story is the first time

the word redemption is used. It's like the seed gets planted. And then all throughout the rest of the stories of the Bible, this idea of redemption is going to grow and become more developed and more multifaceted. And so it grows a leaf here. It's through Yahweh's justice. A little leaf here takes place through the Passover lamb.

We should make that one red. That's a red leaf. A little red leaf, you know? And the poinsettia now, right? So it keeps growing. And then all of a sudden it's, in the stories of the Gospels and the New Testament, then it comes to flower. It's organically connected to everything that came before. So this is a lot how themes work in the Bible. When you're reading something in the New Testament, when you hear covenant or blood or something like that that Jesus says, he's just baiting you to follow the trail back down and trace the theme backwards into the seed pot of the Old Testament.

This is a very important story, these Exodus stories. Chapter 14, the last image of redemption here is they pass through the waters. Now we're just going to glance at these real quick here. So chapter 14, Pharaoh chases them. He lets them go after the death of the firstborn son. And then after they leave, he's like, oh, dang it. I shouldn't have done that. And so he chases after him. So the Red Sea, the Sea of Reeds before them, and here's the Israelites and they're scared and his army's charging down after them. And it's this famous scene, the parting of the waters. And they walk through on the dry ground. Look at chapter 14, verse 21. It's a famous scene.

Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove back the sea with a strong east wind, and he turned it into dry land. By the way, can you think of any story where the seas part and dry land emerges? We didn't read it today, but Genesis chapter 1 is precisely the same words that's used here. It's like Yahweh's doing another act of creation here as he saves his people. The waters were divided and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground

with a wall of water on their right and a wall of water on their left. And then the Egyptians pursue after them, and then they get engulfed in the sea. Now, this is a really interesting thing here in the Bible. Chapter 14 is a narrative account of the story. Flip the page to chapter 15. It's a musical, right? So you have the same story told in poetry. So in chapter 14, you have a narrative. In chapter 15, you have a poem, but they're referring to the same event. And the poem

is way more interesting, I think. Chapter 15. Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. I'll sing to Yahweh. He's highly exalted, the horse and its rider. He's hurled into the sea. Highly exalted, the horse and its rider, he's hurled into the sea. Yahweh, he is my strength, my song. He has become my salvation. He is my God. I will praise him, my Father's God. I'll exalt him.

Yahweh is a warrior. Yahweh is his name. Pharaoh's chariots and his army, he's hurled into the sea. Even the best of Pharaoh's officers are drowned in the Red Sea. The sea deep waters covered them. They sank to the depths like a stone. Your right hand, Yahweh, majestic in power. Your right hand, Yahweh, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty, you throw down those who oppose you. You unleash your burning anger and it consumed them like stubble. The blast of your nostril, the waters piled up. The surging water stirred firm like a wall. The deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea. Just pause real quick here. A lot of this

imagery is bothersome to us about God. Fiery nostrils and burning wrath and anger. Yeah? So that's okay. I mean, I'm a child of this culture too. It bothers me. And the reason it bothers me is because I have some conception that God should never be angry. So what this story forces you to do is to say, are there things in human history worth getting very, very angry about? And the answer to that is, if you have a bone in your body that has any sense of goodness or justice, absolutely. We should be outraged at ourselves and what we are a part of at the human race. And so Yahweh's wrath and his anger in these stories is not just because he's volatile, chip on his shoulder, ticked off at any moment.

is not just because he's volatile, chip on his shoulder, ticked off at any moment. Yahweh's wrath is always his loving, good response to what humans do to his world. And sometimes, much of the time, he responds with a blessing and setting in motion a plan to save. But his plan to save will not happen at the expense of justice and setting right all things. And so the story forces you to hold this intention that Yahweh is going to bless and redeem, but at the same time he won't do that at the expense of his justice

and setting things right. Do you see that there, these themes in the story? So it kind of sets the question here. Well, I guess there's only one way, it seems, that people are provided for to escape justice, and that's through the blood of the Passover lamb. That's how people are spared in this story of salvation. And so all of this, this is again, it's a seedbed.

All of these themes are left hanging there. These are the main images that we're meant to take away. Go down to verse 13. In your unfailing love, you will lead the people you have redeemed. There's that word again. In your strength, you will guide them to your holy dwelling. Where's that? Where is God's holy dwelling?

The nations will hear and will tremble. Anguish will grip the people of Philistia. The chiefs of Edom will be terrified. The leaders of Moab cease with trembling. The people of Canaan will melt away. Terror and dread will fall upon them. By the power of your arm, they'll be still as a stone until your people pass by, your people whom you bought.

You'll bring them in and you'll plant them. Speaking of flowerpots, you'll plant them in the mountain of your inheritance, the place, O Lord, you've made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established. Yahweh will reign forever and ever. What is this talking about? Is this talking about the past? What just happened anymore? The parting of the Red Seas? This is the last moment here of this part of the story. Chapter 15. It's a poem. And so it casts a backward glance, retelling the story of the deliverance from Egypt. But now it's casting a forward glance to the story of the Israelites going into the land of what?

The book of Joshua. The land of Canaan. Do you see this here? Verse 15. This is another moment, a flash forward here, where it's about the fulfillment of God's promises to Abraham to bring these people into the land. And chapter 15 comes along and it picks up that theme again. Because somehow

these people being in this land is part of the way that he's going to bring blessing to all nations. However, that's going to happen, yet we don't know. And so this is another forward theme here, that God's going to take these people and bring them out of Egypt and into the promised land. And so this part of the story comes to a close, almost. Chapter 15. Look at verse 22. Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went into the desert of Shur, and for three days they traveled in the desert, and they didn't have any water.

When they came to Marah, they couldn't drink the water because it was Marah. It's a word play. Marah means bitter. That's why they called the place Marah. So the people did what? They grumbled. They grumbled against Moses saying, what are we supposed to drink? So Moses cried out to Yahweh and the Lord showed him, this is such a strange story, showed him a piece of wood and so he threw it in the water. And then the water became sweet. The Lord made a decree and a law for them. There he tested them. He said, if you guys listen carefully to the voice of Yahweh your God and do what's right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep his decrees, I won't bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians. I am the Lord. I want to heal you. So they came to Elim, and there were 12 springs there and 70 palm trees, great place to set up camp, and so they camped near the water.

Now, the whole Israelite community set out from Elim, and they came to the desert of Sin, you know, which is between Elim and Sinai, and the 15th day of the second month, they came out of Egypt. In the desert, the whole community, what did they do? They grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said, oh, if only we had died by Yahweh's hand in Egypt. I mean, there we at least sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted. But you brought us out in this desert to starve this whole assembly to death. again big story little story

why is this story here two stories of grumbling right after they've been redeemed i mean they're like praising yahweh in one chapter and now they're like hating on him the next so what's again what's the storyteller doing here this is so so brilliant this like, if you're listening to a symphony, super high crescendo or something, and then all of a sudden these themes are introduced. No, like, no, wait, no. These are the people that have been redeemed. I mean, he redeemed them. They saw his justice and power and miracles and might. Surely they, if any human beings, are going to respond and obey and do the right thing. It's going to be these ones, right? That's what we're thinking in the story. And then all of a sudden it's like, no, no, these guys too. They have the little snake inside of them too.

That's what we're thinking. Their hearts are screwed up and broken too. No, what? I thought these were the people somehow that all the nations are going to be blessed. No, no. And then just the story goes on. So tuck that away. This is going to be a very important theme for the message of the Torah about the human heart. And with this, the second main part of the story of the Torah draws to a close. So go to chapter 19, and we're just going to start reading at the top. And these next two parts of the story are really, really crucial. Part 3.

So that was the story of Yahweh and the world, Yahweh and the family of Abraham. Now we have Yahweh, the Torah, and the Sinai covenant. Let's just read chapter 19 here. In the third month after the Israelites left Egypt on the very day, they came to the desert of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim, they entered the desert of Sinai, and they camped there in the desert in front of the mountain. We're going to draw a big, big mountain here, even though Mount Sinai would not have snowy caps. It's in the desert in front of the mountain. We're going to draw a big, big mountain here. Even though Mount Sinai would not have snowy caps, it's in the middle of a hot desert.

But just so you get the idea. All the Israelites kind of down here, camped at the bottom of the mountain. From Exodus 19 all the way to Numbers chapter 10, they are camped at the foot of Mount Sinai. You're just stuck here for a while. So like the rest of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and the first 10 chapters of Numbers. And not only that, but if you pay attention to the dates that are given in the story, this whole span of time they're camped at the mountain is one calendar year. So again, just stop and think about that. calendar year. So again, just stop and think about that. Genesis 1 through 11, thousands of years,

all of humanity. Genesis 12 through 50, a couple hundred years, one family. Exodus 1 through 15, we had a 400 year gap and then just about a year or so. And then we're going to spend the equivalent of two entire books focused in one place on one year. Is this important for the storyline? Slightly. This is like slow-mo or something. That's the idea here. So what's going to happen here at this mountain? Would people want to know?

Verse 3. Then Moses went up to God, and Yahweh called to him from the mountain and said, This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel. You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Isn't that a powerful metaphor?

What's that a reference to? It's a reference to the Exodus, isn't it? The story that you just read in chapters 1 through 15. But it says that with this metaphor, I've often wondered if this isn't where Tolkien got his characters of the eagles who rescue the characters, right, in Middle Earth at all the right moments. Yeah. So I carried you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Now, so this passage is as important as those words in Genesis 12. Now, if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession,

although, or some of you have in your translations, for, These are the words that you were to speak to the Israelites. Okay, we've got to camp out here and do some work. So we have kingdom of priests and the idea of a holy nation. Notice it doesn't say a kingdom with priests. Does it say that? Look down. So it's a kingdom of priests, meaning everyone in the people of Israel has this priestly role and a holy nation. So let's kind of play this out here. What do priests do? What's the role of a priest? It's like a mediator or a go-between. Priests go between whom and whom.

God on one side. You can have priests in any religion. God or the gods. And then whom on the other side? People. Priests are go-betweens. People and the gods. That's the basic role of priests in the Bible and in any culture anywhere else.

So this is the storyline here. Who are the priests in the verses we just read? So the nation, like everybody in Israel. Who is the god? Yahweh. Who are the people? Now does it say explicitly here? No. If you look down, it doesn't say whom.

How are you supposed to know? It's a big story, little story. So you know, oh, we lost the drawing. You know that God's purpose is to use this nation to be a vehicle of his blessing and salvation to whom? Genesis 12. This story assumes that you have Genesis 12 echoing in the back of your mind. Blessing for all of the nations. And so, it's the nations. Israel is called to be a nation that is

this go-between. They're somehow called to represent Yahweh to the nations or mediate Yahweh to the nations. Now look back at verse 5 and 6. So this is Israel's identity. They're a kingdom of priests for the nations. And the effectiveness, their status as priests, this holy set-apart nation to be priests, is it just because Yahweh likes them? Do they have this no matter what? Look at verse 5. What does everything hinge on? What kind of sentence is verse 5? If, then. If you obey, then this is the honored status and role

that you're going to play. But it begs the question, well, what if they don't? Because what story is ringing in your ears? What if they don't obey? Well, these grumbling stories, you know? It seems like they're just as screwed up as everybody else. And so, here you go.

Here's the plot conflict that's going to drive this whole year at Mount Sinai. Yahweh is going to spend a year shaping, guiding, giving Torah, teaching and instruction to his people, so that they can play this role to mediate Yahweh to all of the nations. Just as a little forward glance here, Numbers chapter 11. So when do they leave Mount Sinai? Chapter 10. If you read chapter 10, they leave Mount Sinai. The year is over. What's the first story you're told after the Israelites leave Mount Sinai? Numbers chapter 11.

And what do the people do the moment they leave Sinai? They complained about their hardships in the hearing of the Lord. When he heard them, his anger was aroused. Fire from Yahweh burned among them and consumed some of the outskirts of the camp. When the people cried out to Yahweh, he prayed to Yahweh, the fire died down, so the place was called Taveirah. It means burning because fire from the Lord burned among them.

Happy face, sad face story. What? No. No, what? Then the rabble with them began to crave other food and the Israelites started wailing and said oh if only we have eat meat to eat we remember the fish we ate in egypt for no money and the cucumbers were great and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic that egyptian garlic you know but now we've lost our appetite we don't have anything to eat but this manna what's happening here you're like, what?

Deja vu. We've already been here. You know what I'm saying? Do you see what's happening here? What the author is doing here, we'll just call this sad face. This is big, big sad face. And right here, before they camped out on the mountain,

was a big sad face. These grumbling stories. Grumbling, grumbling, grumbling. And these grumbling stories are going to continue all the way through the rest of the book of Numbers. So just stop. Again, 30,000 feet. Yahweh is going to reveal 613 commands of the Torah to his people. He's going to shape them and guide them to be his priests to the nations. And the storyteller is trying to give you a clue about how this is all going to go. And once you see it, it's a very obvious clue, isn't it? See what I'm saying? Once you back up and you say, oh, he's put grumbling stories immediately after and grumbling stories immediately before, what is the storyteller trying to tell you? Is Israel any different in their hearts than any of the rest of the nations that they're supposed to be priests to?

No, they're just as screwed up as everybody else. And so this becomes another major plot conflict then in the Bible. First, Yahweh had all of humanity's screwed upness on his hands. And then he chooses a special people for whom they're going to be as vehicle of blessing to the nations. But they're just as screwed up as everybody else. Now he has two problems on his hands. There's two plot lines now that have to get resolved. So that's the big picture of what's happening here. But all of the same, he's calling them to obey. So chapter 19 then, he's going to reveal himself. He gives them the call to obey. And then flip to chapter 20. What's Exodus chapter 20?

Famous part of the Bible. This is the Ten Commandments. This is the Ten Commandments. Which, interesting, they're never actually referred to in the Bible as the Ten Commandments. They are always called the Ten Words in Hebrew. The Ten Words. And so these are the first commands given to the people of Israel. And then it just kind of, a whole bunch of things happen after this. So here's how we're going to work this. So in Exodus 19 through 23, the color black is going to symbolize laws, where Israel is being given laws. And you read through the section, and it's just all these laws about how to treat each other, and how you shouldn't cheat your neighbor.

And if somebody's ox falls into a pit, you know, your neighbor has like a cow and it falls into a hole. You should probably go help them out. You should make little parapets, little basically guardrails on the roof of your house so kids don't fall off. I mean, it's just like all this really mundane stuff. The idea is that all of their life is supposed to be a life of generosity, their community life of generosity and justice and equity and people looking out for each other, because he wants them to be a nation that models Yahweh's character to the nations. And so they're going to get a

whole bunch of laws right here. Look at chapter 24 with me. Chapter 24. And then God said to Moses, come up to Yahweh, you and Aaron, Nadab and Avihu and the 70 elders of Israel. And you were to worship at a distance, but Moses alone is to approach Yahweh and the other guys shouldn't come near. And the people may not come up with them. So Moses went up and he told the people all of the Lord's words and laws. And the people responded with one voice, Oh, everything Yahweh said,

we're going to do it. We're going to do it. They wrote down everything. He wrote down everything Yahweh said. He got up early the next morning. He built an altar at the foot of the mountain. He set up 12 stone pillars representing the 12 tribes of Israel.

He sent Israelite men. They offered burnt offerings and sacrificed young bulls as fellowship offerings to the Lord. Moses took half the blood and put it in bulls. The other half he sprinkled on the altar and he took the book of the covenant and he read it to all of the people. This is referring to the laws right here.

There's all these laws Yahweh just give us. He wants us to be a nation that mediates him to all the other nations and so on. Then the people respond. What do they say? Oh, we're going to do everything. Yahweh has said, we'll obey. We'll obey. Moses said, all right, you're signing on the line. So he took the blood, he sprinkled it, and he said, this is the blood of the covenant, the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with these words. So here's the idea. Yahweh has come down. He came down in chapter 19 over the mountain in cloud and fire and lightning and smoke. This is the idea. So that was really bad lightning right there. So here they are. They're in camp here at the foot of the mountain.

They can see up the mountain, the cloud and Yahweh's presence up there. And so here's just a little story right here of chapter 24. And they're like, sign us up. We are down for this. Like we'll obey. We'll totally do this. And so Yahweh's like, great. It's not that just Yahweh wants them to obey. Chapter 25. This is about the building of the tabernacle, this tent. So Yahweh wants them to build this tent. And inside the tent is going to be another tent and the ark of God's presence and so on. And look at chapter 25, verse 22. There above the cover, between the two cherubim,

which are not naked babies, They're fierce, terrifying, and animal-like creatures that will kill you if you get too close. These cherubim, over the ark of the testimony, there I will do what? I'll meet with you and give you my commands for the Israelites. So Yahweh is, he's going to come and he's going to dwell among his people and meet with them. He wants to have a relationship with them. And all of 25 through 31 is all about this tent and how Yahweh wants to dwell among his people and meet with them. Go to chapter 32 with me. The story about what? The golden cow. They make a golden cow. They make a telem. They make an image.

So Moses has gone up the mountain. Like, smoking mountain is right there. Smoking mountain God is right there. You know what I'm saying? And Moses has gone for 40 days, and they're like, where's that guy? I don't know. We don't know what happened to him.

So let's make an idol. That's a good idea. It was the first of the Ten Commands that they just said, everything Yahweh says, we'll totally do it. It's almost comical because we're thinking these people and so on. And that's precisely what the author wants you to do is be like, God, these idiots, you know, because, and this is the way, this is the way good storytelling works is you portray characters whose folly and failure seem utterly ridiculous to you, and the author, he wraps his arm around you, he's like, yeah, these guys, like these idiots, you know what I mean?

They totally can't get it right, until you realize that he's telling this story to you. You know what I'm saying? That's the idea right here. These stories are about humanity. And if there ever was a group of people who had the chance to get it right, smoking mountain God is right before their eyes. You know what I mean? He just told them exactly what he wants them to do. And they're incapable of it. It's a powerful story. If you never let it strike right here,

I don't know what to say. You're reading with blind eyes because this is a story about how dark the human heart is. 32 through 34, it's this dark story about how deceived and deceiving the Israelites are. And so this is the story of Moses breaking the tablets and so on. but chapter 34, Yahweh brings judgment on the idolaters and they're wiped out of the people, but chapter 34, go to chapter 34, this is key. Yahweh said to Moses, chisel out two stone tablets like the first ones and I'll write on them the words that were on the first tablets. That's the 10 words, the 10 commands, that's the ones which you broke because he was ticked off at the people. Be ready in the morning. Come up on Mount Sinai. Present yourself to me there on top of the mountain. No one is to come with you or be

seen anywhere on the mountain, not the flocks or the herds. They may graze in front of the mountain. So Moses chiseled out two stone tablets like the first ones. He went to Mount Sinai early in the morning, just as Yahweh commanded him. He carried the stone tablets in his hands. Yahweh came down in a cloud and stood there with him, and he proclaimed his name, Yahweh. And he passed in front of Moses proclaiming, Yahweh, Yahweh, the compassionate and gracious God. He's slow to anger. He abounds in love and faithfulness. He maintains his love to thousands and forgiving wickedness, rebellion, and sin. This is another one of these key moments in the story

where you can just tell we're raising above just this story and casting a glance at all the stories around. What is Yahweh's ultimate character and purposes in history? He's going to bless his enemies. He's going to turn human Ra into Tov. Even Israel's idiotic rebellion at the foot of the mountain, he brings justice, but his ultimate will is to heal and to forgive. It's sort of like when Yahweh is in his judge human ra mode, that's not his most natural mode. What he desires to do most and foremost is to forgive and to redeem. But when human beings continually, like Pharaoh, just give the finger to God,

he will bring justice, which is what he says next here. He's not going to leave the guilty unpunished. He punishes the children and their children for the sins of the fathers to the third and the fourth generation. This is a verse that's often misunderstood. What he's not saying is, innocent Bobby, grandson, is going to pay for what Grandpa Jack did. That's not what he's saying. The idea is he's going to be attentive to each generation's obedience or disobedience. The actions of the fathers and so on are going to have huge ramifications on what happens for the character and the ability to obey or disobey for each generation that comes after

them. With each generation, Yahweh will maintain his character. He wants to forgive, but if people keep giving the finger, he will bring justice. But what he loves to do, he maintains love to whom? And the idea is thousands of generations. But he will bring justice on the third and the fourth generation. Do you see the imbalance here? What does Yahweh love to do most? Do you see the imbalance here?

What does Yahweh love to do most? To forgive and to redeem and to heal soft, humble, repentant human beings who come to him. But he won't do so at the expense of his justice. It's the same twin themes we saw in the Exodus story. And so what you're going to get from here then is another big group of laws here. Chapter 40, verse 33. Then Moses set up the courtyard around the tabernacle and the altar and put the curtain at the entrance of the courtyard. And so Moses finished the work. He finishes the tent, finally. Right? Yahweh forgives. The tent is set up. He's redeemed his people. Now he's going to come dwell with them. It's going to be awesome. It's going to be perfect. The cloud moves from the mountain. It's Yahweh's

personal presence. The cloud moves from the mountain to the tent of meeting, and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. Imagine being there for that sight. But Moses couldn't go in to the tent of meeting because the cloud had settled upon it and the glory of Yahweh filled the tabernacle. Now, you might say, well, of course you couldn't go in. It's like a thunderstorm over the tent. But no, what was the whole point

of the tent in the first place? To meet with Moses and the people there. So there's this problem again. What? Yahweh's come to dwell among his people. So he made a way and a place. Here he is now, hovering over the tent. He wants to be with his people,

but now all of a sudden, Yahweh's here, and not even Moses can go near his presence. Now, does it say why? Does it say why? And you'll look in vain right here if it says why. It says big story, little story. You have to sit and reflect. This is where you sit down with a cup of tea. You just finished the book of Exodus and you're like, hmm, why wouldn't Moses and the Israelites be able to go into the tents? Oh, and it begins to dawn on you like, of course, they're super screwed up people. Like,

here's the direct presence, the purity and power of the creator and the redeemer God. And you have these screwed up people with dark, dark hearts. How is it that screwed up, selfish, sinful people can come and meet in the direct presence of the holy god to leviticus chapter one so yahweh called to moses and he spoke to him from the tent of meeting right do you see that because moses he's not inside the tent he's outside he can't go in he called him from the tent of meeting he starts talking to him and the book of leviticus is one long divine speech outside the tent. Put your thumb here. Go to the next book.

What's the name of the next book? Go to Numbers chapter 1. And what do the first words of Numbers tell you? The Lord, Yahweh, he spoke to Moses where? In the tent. How did Moses get in the tent? I thought he couldn't go into the tent. How did Moses get in the tent? I thought he couldn't go into the tent. How did Moses get in

the tent? So this is about as much plot tension as you get at this point in the story. I mean, you know, we're just camped out in front of a mountain. It's not going to be that exciting. So this is as exciting as it gets. How did Moses get into the tent? How can broken, screwed up, selfish, sinful people come into the presence of the holy God. Outside the tent, into the tent. Well, apparently you're going to learn about that in the book of Leviticus, which is all about sacrifices. All right, thanks for listening to Exploring My Strange Bible podcast. That was the story of the exodus and the journey to Mount Sinai. Holy cow, what a complex story, but really profound and significant.

You can just see how this illuminates so much of what Jesus said and did. We're going to keep exploring in the last of the third part of this three-part series on Crash Course in the Torah that's going to come up next, exploring the book of Deuteronomy and the hope that lay beyond. So see you next time.