Sermon Tone Analysis

Israel’s boundaries

Chapters 22-25 are concerned with boundaries… establishing boudnaries or dealing with situations where boundaries have been crossed… terminology like inside and outside, entering and exiting, sending and receiving, and including and excluding.

Hebrew to English doesn’t always land well… but they are all about boundaries.

Animals and boundaries (22:1-12)

Sexual boundaries (22(13-30)

Entry into the assembly (23:1-8)

The military camp (23:9-14)

Economics and boundaries 1 (23:15-25) and 2 (24:6-22)

Marital boundaries (24:1-5)

Boundaries and personal integrity (25:1-12)

Various laws (25:13-19)

Confirmation of the covenant community (26:1-19)

Boundaries so that Israel

May know that they are set apart from the world to God

Will give themselves to holy living

Be a light to the nations around them, as they faithfully live for the Lord

live for the glory of the Lord.

Rape here is not down played… it is equated with murder (25)

The rapist is held accountable… paying the bride price + meeting the needs of the woman for the rest of her life.

In a world where she needed the protection of family life and the provision it affords, this is quite reasonable.

Like when parents are called to pay child support for the raising of the children in broken marriage and relationship situations, here the rapist is forced to take responsibility for this woman for the rest of her life.

First fruits (26:1-11)

Israel’s Creed...

Roots of Israel are outside Canaan… the land is the Lord’s gift.

Israel’s identity is connected to the Exodus… The Lord saved them from slavery, from mistreatment… from despair to blessing they enjoy living in the Lord’s grace

Contrast between Jacob (migrant, vulnerable and perishing) and them now in the land of blessing… permanent dwelling place, security and blessing from the Lord… first fruits are offered in gratitude/thanksgiving.

Tithing (26:12-15)

Every year (14:22-27)

Every third for the vulnerable (14:28-29)

Opportunity for Israel to give account of their behaviour to the Lord since they live in dependance upon his provision.

Israel’s stuggle to receive blessing

Every Israelite had a part to play in living according to the law so that they receive blessing from God while living in the land...

But once they had settled and began the difficult fight for survival without our education system, without government funded welfare, with constant pressure from outsiders raiding their land and property… not only was life difficult physically, but also spiritually.

This is how they were living...

They would take people's clothing as collateral, but callously refuse to return it at the end of the day, using it instead to lounge around (Amos 2:7; cf.

Deuteronomy 24:12-13, 17).

They would trumpet their seemingly righteous offerings and tithes

Amos 4:4–5 (NIV)

4 “Go to Bethel and sin; go to Gilgal and sin yet more.

Bring your sacrifices every morning, your tithes every three years.

5 Burn leavened bread as a thank offering and brag about your freewill offerings— boast about them, you Israelites, for this is what you love to do,” declares the Sovereign Lord.

while simultaneously crushing the vulnerable

Amos 4:1 (NIV)

1 Hear this word, you cows of Bashan on Mount Samaria, you women who oppress the poor and crush the needy and say to your husbands, “Bring us some drinks!”

and pining for the end of worship days so that they could go back to exploitative economic practices that brought them wealth

Amos 8:5–6 (NIV)

5 saying, “When will the New Moon be over that we may sell grain, and the Sabbath be ended that we may market wheat?”—

skimping on the measure, boosting the price and cheating with dishonest scales, 6 buying the poor with silver and the needy for a pair of sandals, selling even the sweepings with the wheat.

They took food from people as tax (Amos 5:11), thus depriving them of a basic daily need, despised those who acted and spoke with integrity (Amos 5:10), and obstructed legal process through bribery (Amos 5:12).

George Athas writes, “This 'rap sheet' reveals a nation in which the norm was for the privileged to abuse their power for personal gain, rather than seek the welfare of all.

It resulted in the endemic exploitation of the nation's vulnerable.

Israelite society became oppressively dark.”

(290-291)

After things had gone completely pear shaped, and they had been sent into Exile, God warned them through Zechariah that when they returned...

Zechariah 8:16–17 (NIV)

16 These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts; 17 do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely.

I hate all this,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah spoke of the hope of God’s law written on their hearts and a new covenant with the forgiveness of sins.

And Isaiah wrote about foreigners and eunuchs being gathered with Israel to worship.

But these hopes weren’t realized.

Boundaries today

Repentance and Transformation

John the Baptist preached to the Jews to repent before it was too late… they were taking advantage of the needy and vulnerable, leaders (like Herod) were divorcing wives illegitimately, he called the leaders a brood of vipers… they were not living according to the law, especially not the intent of the law.

Jesus came preaching

There was time to turn back to God in repentance, God would come in judgement, but if they turn back they would be saved!

Likewise, there is now time to turn back to God for all people, he is coming in judgement, but now, if we repent and believe in Jesus, then we will have our sins wiped away, we will be welcomed into Jesus’ kingdom.

A personal struggle with sin

Is that you today?

Feeling the weight of your sin, the guilt crushing you… you don’t need to continue like this.

Repent, turn back to God, trust in Jesus, and he will lift that weight from your shoulders so that you can have freedom.

The gospel crosses boundaries

<End!!>

And the Jewish People?

Living Sacrifices