The Text
Last Time on ‘The Story’
So there has not been a huge amount of story (especially compared to some of the other gaps that we have in the Narrative Lectionary). The children of Israel have been wandering in the wilderness of Sin (again, related to Sinai, rather than the religious concept), and being tested all along the way. First they encounter a place with undrinkable water, they complain, and God (through Moses) turns the water drinkable. They run out of food, they complain, and God provides ‘bread from heaven’ to fall out of the sky every day (except Sabbath). They run out of water again, they complain again, and God provides water from a rock (side note: the Mishna, a set of rabbinic writings explaining and expanding on Scripture, suggests that this rock may have continued with them, rolling behind them as they moved from place to place!) They are attacked by the Amalikites (who apparently just generally sucked) and God provides military victory as long as Moses keeps his hands up. Obviously, this is a tough sell for an old man, and so Moses depends on Aaron and a dude named Hur to help him hold up his arms. This theme of “you can’t do things all by yourself” (which is definitely not a hard lesson for preachers/leaders to hear, shut up, I don’t want to talk about it) continues when Moses’ father-in-law Jethro shows up and gives some advice for organization and leadership. Jethro then celebrates with Moses over the amazing things that God has done among the people. Which brings us to Mount Sinai.
Today’s Story
There are two major sections for this paricape, I would highly suggest that the preacher focus on one or the other!
The People
First, God addresses Moses about the people, getting them ready for what is to come.
Liberation: What comes next is deeply rooted in God’s liberative act. These people were very recently enslaved, and had been for generations. God unveiled ten strikes/plagues against Egypt, the oppressive empire which enslaved them, culminating in the escape across the Reed/Red Sea that we heard last week. This is deeply identity forming, this forever will be an identifying characteristic and shared story for this people. God calls them to remember this salvific act, all the wonders that they have seen with their own eyes. God uses the vivid image of being born on eagle’s wings. These people exist and have the freedom that they have by God’s divine power, and no other way. The same is true, if not as obvious in our case, how often we fool ourselves into thinking otherwise!
Side Note- Liberation Theologies: I mentioned last week how foundational and identity forming this story is for not only for our Jewish siblings, but also in the Liberation Theologies of the Global South, Black American, Chinese American, Queer, and many other communities. It is important to understand this distinction, especially for those of us from a majority view, and to allow it to break up the calcification of Privilege (especially White Supremacy and Patriarchy) that has formed around our minds. I heard one preacher put it this way, BIPOC churches and believers identify with the people of Israel in the wilderness and in exile. They are formed by the simultaneous ‘already’ of their Liberation by the divine hand of God, and the ‘not yet’ hope for a Promised Land. They are called daily to reflect on the freedom that they have been given and how far we have yet to go. Therefore these communities share with the Hebrew prophets a restlessness and yearning for Justice and Righteousness. The White Church, on the other hand, tends to associate themselves with the united Kingdom of Israel, specifically under King David (more about him in a couple weeks). For us, we are easily swayed by the smugness that comes from having already ‘arrived’ in the Promised Land. We have a good thing going, and those around us who might be hungering and thirsting for Justice and Righteousness are too often seen as an obstacle to that (actually fragile and artificial) peace. We in the majority position would do well to see ourselves as those who have been liberated by divine power (as opposed to the self-made-people we regularly see ourselves as). We also need to be reminded just what the God of Liberation, who has a preferential option for the poor, does to those who would wield the power of empire over the oppressed. If you have the time, read some James Cone, Gustavo Gutierrez, Delores Williams, etc. They will kick your butt, in such a good way.
Obey My Voice: You notice that God does not say here, ‘obey my commandments,’ The LORD is an eternally relational God. God does not call us to simply obey a list of rules, but a living voice (Ruah, Spirit, Wind, etc) calling us to follow.
Keep My Covenant: Again, God refers to this sacred promise to which God calls this people, and us.
My Treasured Possession: This is a sacred and love-filled relationship that God has with this people. To be sure, as we have seen, the purpose for this treasuring is the blessing of all of the world, but there is something unique and special about this people. As much as the theology of ‘Supersessionism’ would like us to believe, Christians have not taken over as this special people. We are, as Paul puts it, wild olive branches that have been grafted onto a cultivated olive tree. Check yourself. There is an intended purpose for this relationship:
A Priestly Kingdom: What is going to come in the rest of Exodus and the book of Leviticus, will be a set of instructions for the priests. These are one tribe out of the twelve, who are selected to be holy (both sacred, but also set apart). They will be the conduit through which the rest of the people might have communion with the Living God. They will need to follow strict guidelines so that the rot of sin and death does not defile the Tabernacle, the place where God’s very presence exists among this people. They are to mediate between God and the rest of their people so that the people (as unclean and broken as they might be) can have a true covenantal relationship with God. Likewise, this people is called to be a priestly kingdom, those who are selected to be holy (both sacred and set apart) in order to mediate between God and all of humanity, so that others outside this people might be able to have that life-giving relationship with the Living God. This is a sacred duty. In 1 Peter, the church is also called to be priests, and our polities make this claim for our life together as well. However, this is again not a position that we are taking over for the Jewish people because they did a bad job (as hateful theologies might suggest), but that we too have been ordained into this order.
Side Note- Up On The Mountain?: I have recently come across the interpretation that this section of Scripture presents a failed test for Israel. The idea is that the whole people is called to be a Priestly Kingdom, and then (in the section that we skip over) called to consecrate themselves in order to “go up on the mountain” (Exodus 19:13). The implication is that this whole people are being invited to come up on the mountain. However, they freak out, and elect Moses to go in their stead (20:19-21). Now, this is certainly not a majority view, but it is an interesting one nonetheless.
The Big Ten
This could be a whole sermon series (I know I have preached one), but here are a couple of thoughts:
I Am The LORD Your God: Christian tradition tends to call this the ‘preamble’ of the Ten Commandments. Our Jewish siblings, however, consider this a part of the first Commandment. Including this phrase in the first commandment roots it in the liberative action of God, and provides the foundation for the reason to have no other gods before the LORD. Back to the Liberation Theologies discussion, our majority view is very happy to separate this list of rules to follow from the action of God in history for the oppressed and against their oppressors.
Have No Other Gods Before Me: Literally ‘before my face.’ This is not as much about priority as it is about position. They are being instructed not to put the idols of other deities in God’s presence, specifically defiling the Tabernacle with them.
Do Not Make For Yourself an Image: The word used here is translated idol, but is the same word as ‘Image’. This links back to the first creation account where God created humanity to be the image bearers of the divine presence. In other words, we are called to be God’s idols. This language was often used for kings, who were seen as the image of whatever god ruled the city or nation. Here, the Hebrew Scriptures cast all of humanity (and every human being) in this place. Therefore it is almost obscene to think of the image of the Living God making a tawdry image of some other lesser deity.
Third or Fourth Generation: This one strikes us as troubling sometimes, yet how many times have we talked with someone, or seen in our own lives the effects of generational patterns and trauma? How often do we have to actively fight against even the run-on-the-mill neurosis and idiosyncrasies of our families of origin, let alone truly horrific events. How many people do we see or know who are deeply scarred by the actions and personalities of their parents, grandparents, priest, pastor, babysitter, sibling, etc? So often we see the patterns of one generation being passed to the next, or sometimes the reaction to those patterns, which create different (but still unhealthy) patterns. I’m just saying, it seems pretty true to the world we see around us.
Thousandth Generation: Note how the curse and blessing are wholly out of balance. Sure, the curse may take a few generations to run out, but the blessing goes on for one thousand generations. If we run the math there and assume 20-25 years between generations, one thousand generations would be 20,000-25,000 years. Counting back from today, that brings us back to the Paleolithic era.
Name of the LORD: So this one is easy, right? No swears. But, is that really what this one is about? The language here is literally ‘do not carry the name lightly’. Similar language of ‘carrying the name’ is used for an army carrying the banner for their king or kingdom. The implication is then more of one who bears the banner of their kingdom acting in a way unbecoming of that status. It would be like a police officer acting in a way that was contrary to the sacred deputy to serve and protect (just imagine how terrible that would be…) or a priest or pastor misusing their position of trust to sexually or otherwise abuse those under their care (again, so far fetched as to be laughable…). When we bear the name of the LORD in vain, we are bringing the sacred name of God to something that does not actually line up with God’s character (which is something we know nothing about in the Christian empire). Ok, I will stop now.
Sabbath: This is such an important one, especially for us enslaved to capitalism. Just imagine the idea of one whole day off for those who grew up in actual slavery, almost as crazy as the idea of taking a day’s break from our cellphones. Walter Breuggemann has a wonderful book (wait, Breuggemann writes books? Boy I’m being cheeky today) called “Sabbath as Resistance” claiming that in the Western world especially, claiming Sabbath is a deeply political act. The Presbyterian Women’s study this year is also on Sabbath. Then, as today, Sabbath is a radical act of trust that God does and will provide.
For You, Your Son/Daughter, Enslaved People, Livestock, Alien Resident, etc: Notice, will you, that this command for rest is extended to everyone, including those viewed as property and those who do not follow your religion. This theme continues on in the Torah, and Sabbath forms the basis for the sacred days of the year, which are also built on sevens. It also continues to cover not only the people, but the land itself every seven years where the people were called on not to plant anything, and just let their fields grow wild, trusting that there will be enough. Every seven sets of these seven year cycles is the ‘Year of Jubilee’ where enslaved people are given freedom, land is given back to its rightful inheritors, and every debt is wiped away (Imagine that!). All evidence points to the very real possibility that the Hebrew people never actually followed the Jubilee practice, and so some of the prophets see the Exile of Israel and Judah as a forced rest for the land.
Honoring Your Father and Mother: This is a tough one sometimes, but important.
No Murder: We can get into ‘Just War’, no murder vs. no killing, non-violence, etc. But I feel like I have kicked enough hornets nests today.
Coveting: This includes, but not limited to: The platform of an Influencer/minority group/special interest group, another country’s political/health/mental health/judicial/etc system, or looking back to the “good old days”.
The Rest of the Story
The children of Israel will be at the base of Mt. Sinai for about a year, 40 days waiting for Moses to get the covenant (instead of them), and almost immediately breaking most of the commandments in the Golden Calf Incident. Then the rest of the year building the Tabernacle and consecrating (then re-consecrating) priests. Moses receives the rules for the priests (Leviticus). They go through the wilderness (the Hebrew title for the book of Numbers is ‘in the Wilderness,’ whoever was in charge of that PR move is fired) to the Jordan river, where they send twelve spies to check out the promised land, and come back with the report that it is a beautiful land ‘flowing with milk and honey’ but that there are also walled cities protected by giants. Two of the spies, Joshua and Caleb, assure the people that if God is calling them into the land, then the cities/giants will be no problem. The other ten disagree, and majority rules. God sends them back into the wilderness to live to death. Forty years passes, until most of that generation (anyone 20 years or older when they decided not to enter the Promised Land) die out. Deuteronomy is the speeches of Moses for the people as they are about to enter the land under the direction of Joshua. That finishes up the Torah, and I will catch us up on Joshua (the book and the person) next week, when we hear a part of his final speech to the people.
Pop Culture References
I can’t not hear “on Eagle’s Sings” without thinking of the many times when the heroes in a Tolkien story are saved by the Eagles, specifically the forth or fifth ending to Lord of the Rings: Return of the King when they save Frodo and Sam.
This is particularly poignant because in Tolkien’s mythology, the Eagles are Valar, basically gods in their own right, so their involvement in the lives of men/hobbits/elves/and even wizards is a pretty stunning thing.
When I think of generational trauma, Disney’s Encanto does an excellent job at exploring how sin and patterns are passed down and affect generations of people.
And, of course, their is the classic:
Hymn Suggestions
Lift High the Cross (GTG , PH 371)
Your Endless Love, Your Mighty Acts (GTG 60)
Amazing Grace (GTG , PH 280)
Standing on the Promises (GTG 838)
Lord, Who May Dwell Within Your House (GTG 419)
Spirit (GTG 291, PH 319)
Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken (GTG 81, PH 446)
You Who Dwell in the Shelter of the Lord- On Eagle’s Wings (GTG 43)
Joyful is the Dark (GTG230)
Links
Bible Project Podcast talking about Goin up on the Mountain
Bible Project Podcast follow-up on going up the mountain
Bible Project on the Ten Commandments
Bible Binge Ten Commandments Episode
Prayer of the Day
God of covenant, you have liberated us to be in relationship with you. You have told us how we can better reflect your love and grace to others, and yet we so often live for ourselves only. We are poor image bearers, and yet you continue to seek relationship with us. Help us to be a priesthood of believers, connecting humanity with your living-kindness. Amen.