Sermon Tone Analysis

Exegesis of Exodus 19:1-6

Word Count: 2578 (with scripture)

BG400X

John Shadlow

 

 

 

*Master of Arts*

*Introduction to the Bible *

 

Lecturer: Jacqueline Grey

Southern Cross College

Chester Hill Campus – Distance Education

 

 

 

Date Due: 2nd May, 2008

Handed in: 1st May, 2008

 

 

 

 

Declaration of Authorship

I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and that, to be best of my knowledge and belief, it contains no material previously published or written by another person nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any other degree or diploma of a university or other institution of higher learning, except where due acknowledgement is made in the acknowledgements.

\\ Signed: __John Shadlow_________           Date: 1st May, 2008

\\ *Abstract*

Exodus 19:1-6 is one of the pivotal passages in the history of God’s plan for humanity.

Israel has just been rescued from Egypt because God remembered His covenant with Abraham.

Having saved Israel God now calls the people into a deeper relationship.

Israel is called to obedience in response to their salvation, the benefits of which are great, they will be a special treasure… a kingdom of priests and… a holy nation.

This pattern is mirrored in the New Testament where Christians are first saved then called to obedience in response to their salvation.

It is also a powerful statement that the people would be a kingdom of priests.

This statement is made well before the institution of the priesthood.

The duty of a priest is to represent God to the people.

Once again this is mirrored in the New Testament where Christians are also called to be royal priesthood.

In the New Testament the notion of a ‘holy nation’ will stem not from being born to a particular race and living in a particular physical nation but from accepting Christ and belonging to spiritual kingdom.

The parallels to the New Testament in this Old Testament passage demonstrates that is as of much relevance to Christians today as it was to the Israelites when those events occurred.

\\ In the exegesis of Exodusodus19:1-6 the main theme is the deepening of the original covenant between God and Abraham.

The original covenant placed no responsibility on Abraham, however, this enhanced covenant places a requirement on the people to obey for which there are significant benefits.

This concept of salvation followed by obedience has direct New Testament parallels.

The exegesis will detail the need to be obedient to God in response to salvation, which is a fundamental doctrine for reformed evangelical Christians.

The passage is in the genre of a Suzerain – Vassal treaty which must be properly understood prior to a detailed examination of the passage.

*Context*

In earlier times it was held that, with the exception of passages describing Moses’ death, (supposedly written by Joshua), that the book of Exodus was written by Moses between 1280 and 1230 B.C.E.

However, textual criticism by recent scholars has lead to doubts regarding the date of authorship.[1]

Indeed it is further postulated that the Pentateuch is a compilation of documents from various dates.[2]

We may not know the exact date of writing, who compiled the Pentateuch, the exact date of the Exodus, the exact route they took or the location of Mt Sinai; however, none of this affects the theological issues of the Exodus.

“What the cross of Christ is the Christian, the Exodus was to the Israelite; yet we know neither the exact date nor place of the crucifixion, any more than Israel knew the exact date and location of Sinai”[3]

The material of Exodus is primarily in the form of narrative interwoven with law, however, it also contains some poetic material in the form of the Song of Moses and Song of Miriam found in Exodus chapter fifteen.

The passage we are examining is in the form of a “suzerain – vassal treaty”[4].

Here we see the treaty introduced by God.

Following this passage we are examining the people “agree in principle” to the treaty as can be seen from Exodus 19:8 “/All that the Lord has spoken we will do/”[5].

The treaty is then restated in Exodus 20:1-17, then confirmed in Exodus 24:8 by sacrifice and expanded upon in remainder of the Exodus and the book of Leviticus.

The form has specific elements as follows:

1.      Preamble – The preamble usually defines the treaty author, history and qualifications of the Suzerain.

In this passage we have a brief account of the Exodus in Exodus 19:1-2 followed in Exodus 19:4 by “/You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how  I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”/

2.      Historical Prologue – The prologue set out the reasons why the vassal owes allegiance to the suzerain as we see in Exodus /19:4 ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how  I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself./

3.      Stipulations – A requirement for the ‘vassal’ was obedience as seen in Exodus19:5*/ “ /*/Now  therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant”./

4.      Provisions – The treaty was not only to be obeyed but promulgated among the people so they would be no excuse that they did not know the provisions as in Exodus 19:6 “/These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”/

5.      Blessings and Curses – The people would benefit if they followed God’s commandments, for example, Exodus 19: 5-6 ‘/Now  therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is  Mine.

6And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation’/.

However, there would be consequences for disobedience and these are outlined in Deuteronomy 28:15-68.[6]

This covenant is not a new covenant but rather an expansion of the covenant made to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3.

The covenant has been expanded to include obedience Exodus 19:5 */“/*/Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covena*n*t*”*/.“Whereas

the covenant of Genesis12:1-3 was given by God without mentioning any human activity or reaction here the human side is emphasised.”[7]

Exodus is the second book of the Pentateuch and is directly linked to the Genesis, the first book, by events of Joseph going down to Egypt.

The instructions relating to worship in the closing chapters of Exodus provides another link to the other three books of the Pentateuch.[8]

The narrative of Exodus leaves out much of the historical details that would be of interest to an historian, for example, Pharaoh’s name.

This would suggest that the author was more interested in the theology of the events rather than the history.[9]

The major themes of Exodus are the Exodus from Egypt and God’s Self revelation in the covenant and law at Sinai.

“Of all of the books of the law, it is (sic) Exodus that has the greatest right to be called ‘history of salvation’”.[10]

The passage we are examining is the introduction to the expanded covenant.

The Exodus needs to also be considered in relation to the cultural circumstances of the Israelites.

The Israelites were under physical servitude to a Pharaoh who was considered to be divine by the ancient Egyptians.

This servitude lasted 430 years and it would have been impossible for the people not to have absorbed local customs and practices.

The Israelites could not serve both God and Pharaoh.[11]

The Israelites needed to move from the service of Pharaoh to the service of God.[12]

\\ *Exegesis: Exodus 19:1-6*

*/1/**/”In the third month after the children of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on the same day,  they came to the Wilderness of Sinai.

2For they had departed from  Rephidim, had come to the Wilderness of Sinai, and camped in the wilderness”.

/*

These verses could easily be overlooked as merely an introduction or recounting of recent history, however, the question must be asked, why did it take three months to travel from Egypt to Sinai?

The people may have physically been removed from Egypt but mentally they have not left Egypt.

The people needed to remove themselves from service of Pharaoh and place themselves in service of God.[13]

During this three month period God demonstrated His power and benevolence towards Israel in crossing the Red Sea Exodus14, purifying water of Marah Exodus 22:15, provision of mana and quail  Exodus 16, water from the rock Exodus17:1-5 and defeat of Amalekites Exodus 17:8-10.

These events help to prepare the people for the service of God.

The mighty acts of God demonstrated to the people that it is right to both fear God and trust Him for provision.

While it may have taken three months to reach Sinai it would take another eleven months before Israel would depart Sinai in Numbers 10:11.

In this period God would confirm the covenant and further instruct Israel in the law.

Shortly after confirmation of the covenant in Exodus 24 the people would commit apostasy in Exodus 32 for which a price would have to be paid.

The apostasy demonstrates the people were ‘still in Egypt’.

The generation that left Egypt would pass over the next forty years before a new generation of people would enter the Promised Land.

This new generation of Israelites had never known Egypt but daily witnessed the provision of God, they would be the ones to enter and inherit the Promised Land.

/ /

*/2b/**/”So Israel camped there before  the mountain.”

/*

Moses who received his call to service of God on “the mountain” in Exodus 3 has now returned to the same mountain just as God had promised in Exodus 3:12 “/So He said,  “I will certainly be with you.

And this shall be a  sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain/.”

*/3/**/”And Moses went up to God, and the Lord  called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel”:/*

“And Moses went up” on the very day he arrived at Sinai, clearly he was eager to experience the presence of God once again as he had done when he was called into God’s service in Exodus  Chapter 3. God appears no less eager to summon Moses from the mountain to deliver his formal message to the descendants of Israel[14].

Moses will make another two ascents in Chapter 19 but the words here are the most important.

He ascends the mountain not just to commune with God but to bring His message to the people.

Moses is the one the God will use to teach the people about who God is.

This is the beginning of that task.[15]

\\ */ 4a “‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians”, /*

God’s opening statement is simple and to the point “you have seen what I did”.

God is saying to the Israelites that they should think back to all they have seen for themselves over the period commencing with the ten plagues up until the defeat of the Amalekites.

They have seen the power of God and his love for the descendants of Abraham and that God keeps his promises made in His original covenant with Abraham, Exodus 2:24 “/And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with* *Jacob.”

/Therefore, the people need to carefully listen and take in what God was to say next.

*/4b/**/”and how  I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.”/*

The powerful image of the eagle is seen in many places in the Old Testament and conjures up the dual thought of birds that carefully protest and care for their young as in Deuteronomy 32:9-11

/9// For the LORD’s portion is His people; \\       Jacob is the place of His inheritance./

/10// “He found him in a desert land \\       And in the wasteland, a howling wilderness; \\       He encircled him, He instructed him, \\       He kept him as the apple of His eye./

/11// As an eagle stirs up its nest, \\       Hovers over its young, \\       Spreading out its wings, taking them up, \\       Carrying them on its wings,/