The Tabernacle Erected and Its Equipment Installed / The Cloud and the Glory / Exodus Wrap-up
The Tabernacle Erected and Its Equipment Installed: Exodus 40.1-33
The completed construction of the tabernacle represents the beginning of a new era in the history of the Israelites. The tabernacle is to be set up on the first day of the first month (of the second year). The new year symbolizes a new beginning, a new iteration of life for the Israelites. Instead of the various altars before, they now have a single place from which to serve God. More importantly, God is always with them, his earthly dwelling always carried from one location to the next. Though they seek the promised land, they are continually in God's presence. This does not make them ritually holy, but it does set them apart from the other peoples inhabiting the wilderness and, in fact, the people of the past, who were not constantly in God's presence. To be constantly in the presence of God creates a different way of living that had never been seen. Yet the close proximity will not ensure an end to dialectical tensions. In fact, it will highlight them in chapters to come.
God commands Moses to set up and anoint the tabernacle and everything in it. Aaron and his sons shall then wash themselves and be dressed as prescribed.
Moses does all this apparently by himself, on the first day of the first month of the second year.
The Cloud and the Glory: Exodus 40.34-38
The cloud comes to cover the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord fills the tabernacle. This cloud is the same cloud that covered Mount Sinai, where it was for a time "homeless" until the construction of the tabernacle and the mercy seat, where the divine presence could reside. The divine presence is so strong, so holy, that even Moses is not able to enter the tent of meeting (the innermost tent) when the cloud settles upon it.
The cloud is related to the pillar of cloud and fire that initially led the Israelites out of Egypt; just as the pillar of cloud becomes a pillar of fire at night, the cloud is filled with fire at night. Also, the Israelites follow signs from the cloud, just as they followed the pillar. The cloud leaving the tabernacle is a sign that the Israelites should be moving on. This is the angel of the Lord that God has promised would lead them.
Exodus Wrap-up
Exodus ends with movement, a suitable (and almost cinematic) ending to a story of escape and preparation to be led through the wilderness. We are in year two of the forty year wandering.
The dialectical tensions between the Lord and the Israelites are brought into the foreground in this chapter more than in Genesis. Genesis does contain the greatest of all dialectical tensions, the first display of human desire defying God's commandments. And there is no doubt that many people die in Genesis because of their actions contrary to God's will. Exodus, however, narrows the focus to God's own people, and the situation becomes more complicated. It is one thing for Abram to plead for the salvation of Lot's family in Sodom and quite another thing for Moses to plead with God to continue leading God's people to the promised land. The Israelites will not survive without God, but they lack faith in God. More troubling is the golden calf incident, in which another god replaces the true God so quickly after their leader disappears, seemingly taking his god with him. Here the Israelites seem to want their own God, rather than the one they were born with. But without faith in God, the Israelites will struggle.
Isn't that interesting? The more the Israelites need God, the more they need to trust in God, but the less likely they are to have that trust because they are in need. That is the scene played over and over throughout Exodus - one of its strongest themes.
The next book, Leviticus is a book largely comprised of instructions for the priests - its early rabbinic name was "Priest's Manual." It is an instruction manual stuck in the middle of a story. But there is literature in it yet!
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Exodus. Show all posts
Monday, July 19, 2010
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Ex. 35.1-39.43
We return now to more laws and instructions. Actually, the laws and instructions are nearly the same as the ones that God gave to Moses - Moses is just reiterating them for the Israelites and Bezalel is building the tabernacle as instructed. I am just going to go over these briefly because I am really itching to get to Leviticus, which, of course, will be filled with more laws and instructions. So here, in brief, are the laws and Bezalel's construction of the tabernacle. They are rather formulaic, and I attempt to echo this with my own style.
Bezalel makes the altar of incense according to the divine instructions.
An Inventory
Yes, the bible is much more than stories. It is also comprised of building instructions, laws, history, and apparently inventories. One of these inventories appear here.
Materials for the Tabernacle: Exodus 38.21-31
The inventory is introduced:
Here is the inventory of materials used:
Gold: 29 talents, 730 shekels
Silver: 100 talents, 1,775 shekels
This is half a shekel for everyone counted in the census (which, actually, has not taken place yet): 603,550 men. A talent of silver was used for each of the hundred bases of the curtain. The 1,775 shekels of silver were used to make hooks.
Bronze: 70 talents, 2,400 shekels
The bronze was used to make the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and grating and utensils, the bases around the court, the bases of the gat, the pegs of the court, and the pegs of the tabernacle.
Making the Vestments for the Priesthood: Exodus 39.1-31
The making of the vestments is described, alternating between the pronouns "he" (presumably Bezalel) and "they" (presumably Bezalel and Oholiab) in referring to the craftsmen.
The Work Completed: Exodus 39.32-43
The Israelites, having completed the construction of the tabernacle and all its parts and adornments as the Lord commanded, present their work to Moses. When Moses sees that the Israelites did their work just as God commanded, he blesses them.
Sabbath Regulations / Preparations for Making the Tabernacle / Offerings of the Tabernacle / Bezalel and Oholiab / Construction of the Tabernacle / Making the Ark of the Covenant / Making the Table for the Bread of the Presence / Making the Lampstand / Making the Altar of Incense / Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense / Making Altar of Burnt Offering (and Basin) / Making the Court of the Tabernacle / Materials for the Tabernacle / Making the Vestments for the Priesthood / The Work Completed
Moses assembles the congregation of the Israelites and tells them...
Sabbath Regulations: Exodus 35.1-3
Keep the sabbath on the seventh day. Those who work should be put to death. Do not kindle fire in your house on the sabbath.
Preparations for Making the Tabernacle: Exodus 35.4-19
Moses collects an offering of essential materials for the tabernacle. The skillful are called to construct all its elements.
Offerings of the Tabernacle: Exodus 35.20-29
The people withdraw to collect their offerings, spin yarns for the curtains, etc. Everyone who feels compelled to do so makes this freewill offering to the Lord.
Building the Tabernacle
Bezalel and Oholiab: Exodus 35.30-36.7
[For more on these two character, see the post on Exodus 31.] Moses tells the Israelites that God has filled Bezalel and Oholiab with the divine spirit, making them skilled craftsmen in every craft.
Moses then calls the two men and "every skillful one to whom the Lord has given skill and understanding" to construct the sanctuary (Ex. 36.1). Moses gives them the materials he has collected, but every morning people bring more, so much so that the workers tell Moses that the Israelites are bringing too much. Moses actually has to command that no one else is to make an offering - what they had already brought it enough.
Construction of the Tabernacle: Exodus 36.8-38
The tabernacle is made in accordance with God's instructions [see Exodus 26 for the specifics, or click on "Exodus 36.8-38 above]. The biblical author does not explicate exactly who constructs it. Exodus 36.8-9 indicates that many skilled workers participate, but Exodus 36.10 onwards simply uses the pronoun "he." Since the narrative seems to focus on Bezalel, I would venture to say the pronoun refers to him. The next chapter seems to confirm this.
Making the Ark of the Covenant: Exodus 37.1-9
Bezalel makes the ark of the covenant and mercy seat, complete with cherubim, according to the divine instructions.
Making the Table for the Bread of the Presence: Exodus 37.10-16
Bezalel makes the table for the bread of the presence as well as its vessels, plates, dishes, bowls, and flagons of pure gold.
Making the Lampstand: Exodus 37.17-24
Bezalel makes the lampstand according to the divine instructions.
Making the Altar of Incense: Exodus 37.25-28
Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense: Exodus 37.29
Bezalel makes the anointing oil and incense according to the divine instructions.
Making Altar of Burnt Offering (and Basin): Exodus 38.1-8
Bezalel makes the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils according to the divine instructions. And then something different:
He made the basin of bronze, with its stand of bronze, from the mirrors of the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting.Making the Court of the Tabernacle: Exodus 38.9-20
(Ex. 38.8)
Bezalel makes the court of the tabernacle according to the divine instructions.
An Inventory
Yes, the bible is much more than stories. It is also comprised of building instructions, laws, history, and apparently inventories. One of these inventories appear here.
Materials for the Tabernacle: Exodus 38.21-31
The inventory is introduced:
These are the records of the tabernacle, the tabernacle of the covenant, which were drawn up at the commandment of Moses, the work of the Levites being under the direction of Ithamar son of the priest Aaron. Bezalel son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, made all that the Lord commanded Moses; and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, engraver, designer, and embroiderer in blue, purple, and crimson yarns, and in fine linen.Ithamar is introduced here, and Oholiab is given a greater emphasis. Before Oholiab was simply a man who helped Bezalel. Here his resume is given.
(Ex. 38.21-23)
Here is the inventory of materials used:
Gold: 29 talents, 730 shekels
Silver: 100 talents, 1,775 shekels
This is half a shekel for everyone counted in the census (which, actually, has not taken place yet): 603,550 men. A talent of silver was used for each of the hundred bases of the curtain. The 1,775 shekels of silver were used to make hooks.
Bronze: 70 talents, 2,400 shekels
The bronze was used to make the bases for the entrance of the tent of meeting, the bronze altar and grating and utensils, the bases around the court, the bases of the gat, the pegs of the court, and the pegs of the tabernacle.
Making the Vestments for the Priesthood: Exodus 39.1-31
The making of the vestments is described, alternating between the pronouns "he" (presumably Bezalel) and "they" (presumably Bezalel and Oholiab) in referring to the craftsmen.
The Work Completed: Exodus 39.32-43
The Israelites, having completed the construction of the tabernacle and all its parts and adornments as the Lord commanded, present their work to Moses. When Moses sees that the Israelites did their work just as God commanded, he blesses them.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Exodus 34.1-35
Moses Makes New Tablets / The Covenant Renewed / The Shining Face of Moses
Moses Makes New Tablets: Exodus 34.1-9
The Lord tells Moses to cut two new tablets on which the Lord will write the words on the destroyed tablets. Moses should come up the mountain the next day with the cut tablets, after ensuring that neither people nor flocks are on the mountain.
The next day the Lord comes down on Mount Sinai in a cloud and reveals himself in a scene that parallels yesterday's revelation. The Lord proclaims the name YHWH and passees before Moses, proclaiming:
Moses bows his head to the earth and worships, praying for the Lord to go with the stiff-necked Israelites and pardon their iniquity.
The Covenant Renewed: Exodus 34.10-28
God creates a covenant with Israel that echoes a lot of what God has already told Moses. The Lord first promises wonders (the same noun from Ex. 3.20) that have never seen before - which is impressive, because the marvels in Egypt were quite marvelous.
The Lord the commands that Moses listens to a new decalogue, a new set of ten commandments. This is a different version of the Ten Commandments. Ten is a very convenient, round number for laws. The commandments come from a hodgepodge of other commandments in Exodus. At least half of these appear in Exodus 23.
The Commandments:
One: Destroy foreign gods to prevent intermarriage.
God will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This is the third iteration of such a promise, nearly identical to the first. The Israelites should not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. They should tear down the altars, pillars, and sacred poles, as the Israelites will only worship the Lord, "whose name is Jealous" (a pun) (Ex. 34.14).
Making a covenant with the inhabitants is the first step down a slippery slope. The Israelites will be invited to the sacrifices, eat of the sacrifices, and take wives from them who will convert their sons.
Two: Don't make false idols.
Three: Keep the festival of unleavened bread in the month of Abib.
Four: All the firstborn animals belong to God, though the firstborn sons may be redeemed. No one shall appear before God empty-handed.
Five: Keep the sabbath, even in plowing and harvest time.
Six: Observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering.
Seven: Three times a year all the males shall appear before God, for God will give Israel Land and cast out the enemies.
Eight: Do not offer the sacrifice with leaven, and destroy the passover sacrifice leftovers before morning.
Nine: The best of the first fruits should be brought to God.
Ten: Do not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
One of these things is not like the others.
Can you guess which one it is? The first nine commandments concern ritual practice and the obedience of God, and are at least related to God. Commandment Ten...Not so much. No explanation is given, and no explanation was given either in Ex.23.19. The problem is the mixing of a fluid of life (milk) with death. Purity was very important to the Israelites. But this command still has nothing to do with God directly. Rather, it is about ritual observance for the sanctity of purity.
The Lord tells Moses to write these words, which are part of the covenant between God and Moses and Israel. Moses is with the Lord on the mountain for forty days and forty nights [a symbolic formula meaning"a long time"], and does not eat (bread) or drink (water) during this time. He spends this time writing the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
But wait! The text would seem to indicate that what Moses writes down isn't THE Ten Commandments with the "Thou shall not kill" and "Honor thy mother and father." Well, yes. That is what Moses does. The original ten commandments were probably shattered when Moses threw the original stones. So what the heck are we doing following the new ones? And who wrote down the old ones anyway? [The answer used to be "Moses" but this is not a belief held by many biblical scholars today]. Well, don't ask me that. Ask your religious leader or a professor. Then let me know what that person says.
The Shining Face of Moses: Exodus 34.29-35
Moses comes down the mountain one last time to correct the botched entrance earlier in the golden calf debacle. He returns, tablets in hand, not knowing that his face shines with the shine that one can only get talking to God. Aaron and the Israelites fear Moses at first, but Moses calls them near and gives them the all the commandments the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. Whether this includes his first commandment-receiving journey the author does not say.
Moses puts a veil on his face that he removes before speaking to the Lord (in the proto-tent of meeting - see yesterday's post). When Moses exits with commandments, the skin on his face shines, and Moses again puts on his veil.
Tomorrow: More laws. Sorry?
Moses Makes New Tablets: Exodus 34.1-9
The Lord tells Moses to cut two new tablets on which the Lord will write the words on the destroyed tablets. Moses should come up the mountain the next day with the cut tablets, after ensuring that neither people nor flocks are on the mountain.
The next day the Lord comes down on Mount Sinai in a cloud and reveals himself in a scene that parallels yesterday's revelation. The Lord proclaims the name YHWH and passees before Moses, proclaiming:
The Lord, the Lord,The poem echoes Commandment Two (Ex. 20.5-6).
a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger,
and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness,
keeping steadfast love for the thousandth generation,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin,
yet by no means clearing the guilty,
but visiting the iniquity of the parents
upon the children
and the children’s children,
to the third and the fourth generation.
(Ex. 34.6-7)
Moses bows his head to the earth and worships, praying for the Lord to go with the stiff-necked Israelites and pardon their iniquity.
The Covenant Renewed: Exodus 34.10-28
God creates a covenant with Israel that echoes a lot of what God has already told Moses. The Lord first promises wonders (the same noun from Ex. 3.20) that have never seen before - which is impressive, because the marvels in Egypt were quite marvelous.
The Lord the commands that Moses listens to a new decalogue, a new set of ten commandments. This is a different version of the Ten Commandments. Ten is a very convenient, round number for laws. The commandments come from a hodgepodge of other commandments in Exodus. At least half of these appear in Exodus 23.
The Commandments:
One: Destroy foreign gods to prevent intermarriage.
God will drive out the Amorites, Canaanites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. This is the third iteration of such a promise, nearly identical to the first. The Israelites should not make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land. They should tear down the altars, pillars, and sacred poles, as the Israelites will only worship the Lord, "whose name is Jealous" (a pun) (Ex. 34.14).
Making a covenant with the inhabitants is the first step down a slippery slope. The Israelites will be invited to the sacrifices, eat of the sacrifices, and take wives from them who will convert their sons.
Two: Don't make false idols.
Three: Keep the festival of unleavened bread in the month of Abib.
Four: All the firstborn animals belong to God, though the firstborn sons may be redeemed. No one shall appear before God empty-handed.
Five: Keep the sabbath, even in plowing and harvest time.
Six: Observe the festival of weeks, the first fruits of the wheat harvest, and the festival of ingathering.
Seven: Three times a year all the males shall appear before God, for God will give Israel Land and cast out the enemies.
Eight: Do not offer the sacrifice with leaven, and destroy the passover sacrifice leftovers before morning.
Nine: The best of the first fruits should be brought to God.
Ten: Do not boil a kid in its mother's milk.
One of these things is not like the others.
Can you guess which one it is? The first nine commandments concern ritual practice and the obedience of God, and are at least related to God. Commandment Ten...Not so much. No explanation is given, and no explanation was given either in Ex.23.19. The problem is the mixing of a fluid of life (milk) with death. Purity was very important to the Israelites. But this command still has nothing to do with God directly. Rather, it is about ritual observance for the sanctity of purity.
The Lord tells Moses to write these words, which are part of the covenant between God and Moses and Israel. Moses is with the Lord on the mountain for forty days and forty nights [a symbolic formula meaning"a long time"], and does not eat (bread) or drink (water) during this time. He spends this time writing the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
But wait! The text would seem to indicate that what Moses writes down isn't THE Ten Commandments with the "Thou shall not kill" and "Honor thy mother and father." Well, yes. That is what Moses does. The original ten commandments were probably shattered when Moses threw the original stones. So what the heck are we doing following the new ones? And who wrote down the old ones anyway? [The answer used to be "Moses" but this is not a belief held by many biblical scholars today]. Well, don't ask me that. Ask your religious leader or a professor. Then let me know what that person says.
The Shining Face of Moses: Exodus 34.29-35
Moses comes down the mountain one last time to correct the botched entrance earlier in the golden calf debacle. He returns, tablets in hand, not knowing that his face shines with the shine that one can only get talking to God. Aaron and the Israelites fear Moses at first, but Moses calls them near and gives them the all the commandments the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. Whether this includes his first commandment-receiving journey the author does not say.
Moses puts a veil on his face that he removes before speaking to the Lord (in the proto-tent of meeting - see yesterday's post). When Moses exits with commandments, the skin on his face shines, and Moses again puts on his veil.
Tomorrow: More laws. Sorry?
Friday, July 16, 2010
Exodus 33.1-23
The Command to Leave Sinai / The Tent Outside the Camp / Moses' Intercession
The Command to Leave Sinai: Exodus 33.1-6
The first three verses of Exodus 33 contain a nice recap of the Exodus story so far.
The Lord commands Moses to leave Sinai with the people who he brought out of Egypt. They are to go to the land that God swore would be held by the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promises to send an angel before the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. They are to go to a land flowing with milk and honey.* God's anger still burns hot, apparently, though he refrains from going with his people so that they will not be destroyed.
Exodus 33.3-6 contains a beautiful rippling repetition of phrasing:
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey;
but I will not go up among you,
or I would consume you on the way,
for you are a stiff-necked people.’
When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned,
and no one put on ornaments.
For the Lord had said to Moses,
‘Say to the Israelites,
“You are a stiff-necked people;
if for a single moment I should go up among you,
I would consume you.
So now take off your ornaments,
and I will decide what to do to you.” ’
Therefore the Israelites
stripped themselves of their ornaments,
from Mount Horeb onwards.
That's kind of pretty with all the colors, right?
The gray parts are the parts that don't echo. Notice the rephrasing from "among/consume/stiff-necked" to "stiff-necked/among/consume." The sentence is restructured for effect. Likewise, the objects of "Israelites" and "ornaments" are interwoven within the speech, the ornament phrasing appearing to either side of both Israelite phrases. It is amazing how poetic you can get with just some reworded sentences! The text ripples with additions and distortions, like water that has been struck by a stone.
*[Historical Information: The angel of the Lord driving out Israel's enemies is mentioned in Ex. 23.28, but there the only enemies mentioned are the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. Earlier in the chapter, in Exodus 23.23, God promises that an angel will lead Israel and that God will blot out all six of the peoples mentioned in Exodus 33. All six peoples, along with the promise of milk and honey, are presented in Exodus 3.8.]
The Tent Outside the Camp: Exodus 33.7-11
This section interrupts the narrative to offer some information on Moses' communication with God off of the mountain.
In the absence of a ritually pure tent of meeting, Moses would pitch his tent far outside of the camp and people would go to him to find out about the Lord. When Moses would go to his tent, people would rise and watch him, standing at the entrance of their tents. When Moses was inside, a pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance so Moses could speak to God. (God appears as a cloud earlier in the narrative as well.) The Israelites would bow down at the tent when God spoke to Moses.
"Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent" (Ex. 33.11). Moses is quite a special character to speak with God face to face. In other sections those who see the face of God die. In fact...read on.
Moses' Intercession: Exodus 33.12-23
Here the narrative resumes, and from the description it does not seem that Moses is in fact speaking to God in his tent. Rather, he seems to still be on the mountain.
Moses pleads on behalf of the people for God to go with the Israelites. Moses argues that God has not let him know the angel that will lead them - and yet Moses has found favor in God's sight, so why should God not demonstrate this to Moses and Israel, God's people, by leading them himself?
God concedes, agreeing to go with the Israelites. The scene is then repeated with slightly varying language.
Moses then says to God, "Show me your glory, I pray" (Ex. 33.18). God agrees to show Moses his Glory and proclaim God's true name, YHWH. In expansion of the the first repetition of the divine name: "I am who I am," (Ex. 3.14), the Lord says, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Ex. 33.19).
However, Moses will not be able to see God's face (see contradictory statement above! - clearly two source have been interwoven). God will put Moses in the cleft of a rock, and then cover Moses with God's hand until God's glory passes. Then God will remove the hand, and Moses will be able to see God's back.
The sanctity of God's name and face is an integral part of the story, but as we have seen, not all traditions agree on this. The traditions in which humans speak with God are folkloric, whereas the ones that assert the sanctity of God's name and image are priestly or at least trying to emphasize the proper practice of religion through stories.
Tomorrow: New Tablets, Renewed Covenant.
The Command to Leave Sinai: Exodus 33.1-6
The first three verses of Exodus 33 contain a nice recap of the Exodus story so far.
The Lord commands Moses to leave Sinai with the people who he brought out of Egypt. They are to go to the land that God swore would be held by the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God promises to send an angel before the Israelites to drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. They are to go to a land flowing with milk and honey.* God's anger still burns hot, apparently, though he refrains from going with his people so that they will not be destroyed.
Exodus 33.3-6 contains a beautiful rippling repetition of phrasing:
Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey;
but I will not go up among you,
or I would consume you on the way,
for you are a stiff-necked people.’
When the people heard these harsh words, they mourned,
and no one put on ornaments.
For the Lord had said to Moses,
‘Say to the Israelites,
“You are a stiff-necked people;
if for a single moment I should go up among you,
I would consume you.
So now take off your ornaments,
and I will decide what to do to you.” ’
Therefore the Israelites
stripped themselves of their ornaments,
from Mount Horeb onwards.
That's kind of pretty with all the colors, right?
The gray parts are the parts that don't echo. Notice the rephrasing from "among/consume/stiff-necked" to "stiff-necked/among/consume." The sentence is restructured for effect. Likewise, the objects of "Israelites" and "ornaments" are interwoven within the speech, the ornament phrasing appearing to either side of both Israelite phrases. It is amazing how poetic you can get with just some reworded sentences! The text ripples with additions and distortions, like water that has been struck by a stone.
The Israelites strip themselves of ornaments as a sign of mourning, by the way.
*[Historical Information: The angel of the Lord driving out Israel's enemies is mentioned in Ex. 23.28, but there the only enemies mentioned are the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. Earlier in the chapter, in Exodus 23.23, God promises that an angel will lead Israel and that God will blot out all six of the peoples mentioned in Exodus 33. All six peoples, along with the promise of milk and honey, are presented in Exodus 3.8.]
The Tent Outside the Camp: Exodus 33.7-11
This section interrupts the narrative to offer some information on Moses' communication with God off of the mountain.
In the absence of a ritually pure tent of meeting, Moses would pitch his tent far outside of the camp and people would go to him to find out about the Lord. When Moses would go to his tent, people would rise and watch him, standing at the entrance of their tents. When Moses was inside, a pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance so Moses could speak to God. (God appears as a cloud earlier in the narrative as well.) The Israelites would bow down at the tent when God spoke to Moses.
"Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend. Then he would return to the camp; but his young assistant, Joshua son of Nun, would not leave the tent" (Ex. 33.11). Moses is quite a special character to speak with God face to face. In other sections those who see the face of God die. In fact...read on.
Moses' Intercession: Exodus 33.12-23
Here the narrative resumes, and from the description it does not seem that Moses is in fact speaking to God in his tent. Rather, he seems to still be on the mountain.
Moses pleads on behalf of the people for God to go with the Israelites. Moses argues that God has not let him know the angel that will lead them - and yet Moses has found favor in God's sight, so why should God not demonstrate this to Moses and Israel, God's people, by leading them himself?
God concedes, agreeing to go with the Israelites. The scene is then repeated with slightly varying language.
Moses then says to God, "Show me your glory, I pray" (Ex. 33.18). God agrees to show Moses his Glory and proclaim God's true name, YHWH. In expansion of the the first repetition of the divine name: "I am who I am," (Ex. 3.14), the Lord says, "I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy" (Ex. 33.19).
However, Moses will not be able to see God's face (see contradictory statement above! - clearly two source have been interwoven). God will put Moses in the cleft of a rock, and then cover Moses with God's hand until God's glory passes. Then God will remove the hand, and Moses will be able to see God's back.
The sanctity of God's name and face is an integral part of the story, but as we have seen, not all traditions agree on this. The traditions in which humans speak with God are folkloric, whereas the ones that assert the sanctity of God's name and image are priestly or at least trying to emphasize the proper practice of religion through stories.
Tomorrow: New Tablets, Renewed Covenant.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Exodus 32.1-35
The Golden Calf
Moses has been on Mount Sinai since chapter 24, when he left Joshua halfway up the mountain (Ex. 24. 13) and went up to receive instructions from God. When last we left Moses, he received two stone tablets from God. What follows is a story of parallel thoughts and actions
The Golden Calf: Exodus 32.1-35
Moses has been out of the picture for a whole eight chapters, and the Israelites are starting to get antsy. Just before Moses went up the mountain, the Israelites twice promised to obey the Lord's command. Now Moses their leader has been gone for a whole eight chapters! What are they to do? The Israelites gather around Aaron and say to him:
The people should remember God, but the dialectical tension (the difference between God's desire and Israel's desire) prevails. The people here, having been rescued by God and having lost their leader, search for a new god - and a new leader.
For someone that has seen firsthand the power of God and been granted the ability to perform miracles, Aaron is quick to forget about the God of his brother. Perhaps he is just a pushover, because he quickly decides to create idols, disobeying Commandment Two.
Aaron tells the Israelite to collect gold earrings worn by the women and children - perhaps the same earrings that the Israelites took from the Egyptians as they left Egypt. Aaron melts down the gold and forms and image of a calf. He tells the Israelites, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Ex. 32.4). That is not a correct statement, but perhaps what it is the Israelites, who believe they have lost their leader in a thick cloud on a trembling mountain, wish to hear. Suddenly Aaron finds he is the greatest authority of the Israelites - quite a bit of power has suddenly been bestowed upon him. And, as Peter Parker would say (quoting his Uncle Ben), "With great power comes great responsibility."
Aaron continues to parody the true Lord and the rituals of Israelite religion, building an altar before the calf and declaring that tomorrow will be the festival of the Lord. The next day people offer burnt offerings and other sacrifices, eat and drink, and then "revel" (with a sexual connotation). The practice of Israelite worship, of course, is entirely free of sex.
The Lord tells Moses to return to the Israelites:
Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites in a scene reminiscent of Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. The difference is that Abraham was essentially imploring God for the sake of Lot and his family. Moses implores God for the sake of all the Israelites, who have lost their way. He makes an appeal to reason, asking God why God would destroy the people that he just brought out of Egypt, thereby having the Egyptians to believe that God is an evil God. Moses then invokes the divine covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel - the covenant of land and progeny. Moses' argument is strong enough that the Lord decides not to bring disaster on the people.
Moses goes down the mountain carrying the two tablets of the covenant, both written on both sides by the hand of God. He encounters Joshua who says that the noise is like the sound of war. But Moses knows better:
Unlike God, Moses punishes the Israelites for their sins. Moses burns the calf and grinds it into a powder, puts it in the water, and has the Israelites drink it
What follows is a conversation between Moses and Aaron that parallel the previous conversation between God and Moses. The role have been transposed: Moses, who as a representative of the people calms God, now is calmed by Aaron, who is the new representative of the people.
Aaron seeks to calm his lord's burning anger, bringing the dialectical tension into the forefront, which God did in God's conversation with Moses:
It's time for retribution.
Moses has all those on the Lord's side come to him at the gate of the camp. The Levite males gather around and Moses delivers a command from God (one that we never actually saw Moses receiving): Each man is to kill "your brother, your friend, and your neighbor" (Ex. 32.27). Whether these are singular or collective nouns, I cannot say. Each man might kill three men, or perhaps a greater number. Perhaps each man should only kill one other man, as indicated by the phrasing in verse 29 (below). In any case, 3,000 people fall that day. Moses says to the Levite men: "Today you have ordained yourselves (or "Today ordain yourselves) for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day" (Ex. 32.29).
Like Abraham and Jacob, these men were tested with violence to prove themselves worthy of service to the Lord. Unlike Abraham, they did not have to kill. Unlike Jacob, they killed and did not wrestle. But clearly the connection between violence and faithfulness is established. The killings also may serve as an attempted action of mass purification, but this idea is not pursued by the biblical authors.
The next day Moses tells the people that they have sinned a "great sin." He goes up to the Lord to try to make atonement on their behalf. Moses pleads their case, and asks if their sin is not forgiven, that God should "blot me out of the book that you have written" (Ex. 32.32; a divine roll of the living is an ancient tradition to many middle eastern cultures). God replies that God [only] blots out the names of those who sin.
The Lord then commands Moses to lead the people to "the place about which I have spoken to you" (Ex. 32.34). The angel of the Lord will lead them. And God promises to punish the Israelites when the day comes to punish their sins.
The chapter ends with a dig aimed at Aaron:
Tomorrow: Sayonara, Sinai.
Moses has been on Mount Sinai since chapter 24, when he left Joshua halfway up the mountain (Ex. 24. 13) and went up to receive instructions from God. When last we left Moses, he received two stone tablets from God. What follows is a story of parallel thoughts and actions
The Golden Calf: Exodus 32.1-35
Moses has been out of the picture for a whole eight chapters, and the Israelites are starting to get antsy. Just before Moses went up the mountain, the Israelites twice promised to obey the Lord's command. Now Moses their leader has been gone for a whole eight chapters! What are they to do? The Israelites gather around Aaron and say to him:
"Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him."It seems that God has disappeared along with Moses. The Israelites do not say that God brought them out of Egypt, as stated in the First Commandment, which the people of Israel have already heard: "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; you shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20.1). Rather, it is Moses that brought the people out of Egypt, and as he disappears, so does the God associated with them.
(Ex. 32.1)
The people should remember God, but the dialectical tension (the difference between God's desire and Israel's desire) prevails. The people here, having been rescued by God and having lost their leader, search for a new god - and a new leader.
For someone that has seen firsthand the power of God and been granted the ability to perform miracles, Aaron is quick to forget about the God of his brother. Perhaps he is just a pushover, because he quickly decides to create idols, disobeying Commandment Two.
Aaron tells the Israelite to collect gold earrings worn by the women and children - perhaps the same earrings that the Israelites took from the Egyptians as they left Egypt. Aaron melts down the gold and forms and image of a calf. He tells the Israelites, "These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Ex. 32.4). That is not a correct statement, but perhaps what it is the Israelites, who believe they have lost their leader in a thick cloud on a trembling mountain, wish to hear. Suddenly Aaron finds he is the greatest authority of the Israelites - quite a bit of power has suddenly been bestowed upon him. And, as Peter Parker would say (quoting his Uncle Ben), "With great power comes great responsibility."
Aaron continues to parody the true Lord and the rituals of Israelite religion, building an altar before the calf and declaring that tomorrow will be the festival of the Lord. The next day people offer burnt offerings and other sacrifices, eat and drink, and then "revel" (with a sexual connotation). The practice of Israelite worship, of course, is entirely free of sex.
The Lord tells Moses to return to the Israelites:
The Lord said to Moses, ‘Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshipped it and sacrificed to it, and said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” ’ The Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.’The Lord's sentiment parallels that of the Israelites. Just as the Israelites divorce themselves from God and emphasize Moses' role in bringing the Israelites out of Egypt, God divorces himself from the Israelites, calling them "your people," and emphasizes as well Moses' role in leading the Israelites. Moses is caught in the middle as a negotiator between God, who is having trouble keeping his followers, and the Israelites, who are having trouble keeping faith in God.
(Ex. 32.7-10)
Moses intercedes on behalf of the Israelites in a scene reminiscent of Abraham interceding on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah. The difference is that Abraham was essentially imploring God for the sake of Lot and his family. Moses implores God for the sake of all the Israelites, who have lost their way. He makes an appeal to reason, asking God why God would destroy the people that he just brought out of Egypt, thereby having the Egyptians to believe that God is an evil God. Moses then invokes the divine covenant of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel - the covenant of land and progeny. Moses' argument is strong enough that the Lord decides not to bring disaster on the people.
Moses goes down the mountain carrying the two tablets of the covenant, both written on both sides by the hand of God. He encounters Joshua who says that the noise is like the sound of war. But Moses knows better:
It is not the sound made by victors,When Moses sees the calf and the people dancing, his anger burns hot (paralleling God's burning wrath). Moses throws the tablets from his hands, breaking them at the foot of the mountain. This symbolic action has Moses destroying the embodiment of the word of God in front of the people who have disobeyed God's commands. That is, the commands that have been broken figuratively by disobedience are broken literally into fragments of text because of the disobedience.
or the sound made by losers;
it is the sound of revelers that I hear.
(Ex. 32.18)
Unlike God, Moses punishes the Israelites for their sins. Moses burns the calf and grinds it into a powder, puts it in the water, and has the Israelites drink it
What follows is a conversation between Moses and Aaron that parallel the previous conversation between God and Moses. The role have been transposed: Moses, who as a representative of the people calms God, now is calmed by Aaron, who is the new representative of the people.
Aaron seeks to calm his lord's burning anger, bringing the dialectical tension into the forefront, which God did in God's conversation with Moses:
And Aaron said, ‘Do not let the anger of my lord burn hot; you know the people, that they are bent on evil. They said to me, “Make us gods, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” So I said to them, “Whoever has gold, take it off ”; so they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!’That's Aaron, removing the blame from himself. The bible is laconic, but Aaron should not be presumed innocent due to a lack of detail. Aaron's defense obscures the fact that he created the calf himself, and characterizes him as a liar, or at least inconstant. With Moses gone, Aaron gave into the demands of the Israelites. With Moses back, Aaron blames the Israelites for their wickedness while removing blame from himself. Oh, and Aaron seems to have a problem maintaining order, and the narrator is quick to point out that this is to the derision of their enemies, who probably now see the Israelites as a depraved group of people going wild in the wilderness with no leader.
(Ex. 32.22-24)
It's time for retribution.
Moses has all those on the Lord's side come to him at the gate of the camp. The Levite males gather around and Moses delivers a command from God (one that we never actually saw Moses receiving): Each man is to kill "your brother, your friend, and your neighbor" (Ex. 32.27). Whether these are singular or collective nouns, I cannot say. Each man might kill three men, or perhaps a greater number. Perhaps each man should only kill one other man, as indicated by the phrasing in verse 29 (below). In any case, 3,000 people fall that day. Moses says to the Levite men: "Today you have ordained yourselves (or "Today ordain yourselves) for the service of the Lord, each one at the cost of a son or a brother, and so have brought a blessing on yourselves this day" (Ex. 32.29).
Like Abraham and Jacob, these men were tested with violence to prove themselves worthy of service to the Lord. Unlike Abraham, they did not have to kill. Unlike Jacob, they killed and did not wrestle. But clearly the connection between violence and faithfulness is established. The killings also may serve as an attempted action of mass purification, but this idea is not pursued by the biblical authors.
The next day Moses tells the people that they have sinned a "great sin." He goes up to the Lord to try to make atonement on their behalf. Moses pleads their case, and asks if their sin is not forgiven, that God should "blot me out of the book that you have written" (Ex. 32.32; a divine roll of the living is an ancient tradition to many middle eastern cultures). God replies that God [only] blots out the names of those who sin.
The Lord then commands Moses to lead the people to "the place about which I have spoken to you" (Ex. 32.34). The angel of the Lord will lead them. And God promises to punish the Israelites when the day comes to punish their sins.
The chapter ends with a dig aimed at Aaron:
Then the Lord sent a plague on the people, because they made the calf—the one that Aaron made.The author seems to take Aaron to task. At first the author seems to reiterate Aaron's point of view, that it was the people that made the calf, but the author corrects this with the truth. Indeed it was Aaron that made the golden calf.
(Ex. 32.35)
Tomorrow: Sayonara, Sinai.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Exodus 31.1-18
Bezalel and Oholiab / The Sabbath Law / The Two Tablets of the Covenant
And just who is to make the tabernacle and all the objects and finery within it? God appoints two people.
God tells Moses that God has found a master craftsman, named Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
Bezalel gets a significantly greater amount of face time (or, if you prefer, "words") than Oholiab, who serves along side him. The author clearly favored Judah, and might have been writing in the Kingdom of Judah. Israel, until the time of King David, was divided between North (The Kingdom of Israel) and South (The Kingdom of Judah). David united the two into the United Monarchy, when all of Israel was one kingdom (the process had been started by his predecessor, Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin). David was from the tribe of Judah, which gives the tribe a great importance in the biblical history of the Israelites.
After Solomon, the kingdoms split again into Israel and Judah. If the author lived in Judah, there would have been a partisanship for the tribe - and anyone of Judah and a relative of David would be considered greater in the author's eyes. It's all about who you're rooting for.
The Lord tells Moses that Moses is to tell the Israelites to keep the sabbath, which is a sign that the people may know that the Lord sanctifies them - a perpetual covenant. The Sabbath is holy for Israelites. Anyone who profanes it should be put to death, and anyone who works on it should be cut off form the people.
The sacrifice ritual recreates the act of human eating on a divine scale. Conversely, the sabbath recreates God's divine rest after creation on a human scale. In both cases, the divine and the mundane parallel one another, so that what occurs in heaven also occurs on earth, and what occurs on earth also occurs in heaven.
God gives Moses the two tablets of the covenant when God has finished speaking with Moses. These stone tablets are "written in the finger of God" (Ex. 31.18).
And just who is to make the tabernacle and all the objects and finery within it? God appoints two people.
Bezalel and Oholiab: Exodus 31.1-11
God tells Moses that God has found a master craftsman, named Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah:
I have filled him with divine spirit, with ability, intelligence, and knowledge in every kind of craft, to devise artistic designs, to work in gold, silver, and bronze, in cutting stones for setting, and in carving wood, in every kind of craft.God appoints Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, alongside Bezalel. God has also given skill to all the skillful so that they can create everything the tabernacle requires, from the mercy seat to the basin to the anointing oil.
(Ex. 31.3-5)
Bezalel gets a significantly greater amount of face time (or, if you prefer, "words") than Oholiab, who serves along side him. The author clearly favored Judah, and might have been writing in the Kingdom of Judah. Israel, until the time of King David, was divided between North (The Kingdom of Israel) and South (The Kingdom of Judah). David united the two into the United Monarchy, when all of Israel was one kingdom (the process had been started by his predecessor, Saul, of the tribe of Benjamin). David was from the tribe of Judah, which gives the tribe a great importance in the biblical history of the Israelites.
After Solomon, the kingdoms split again into Israel and Judah. If the author lived in Judah, there would have been a partisanship for the tribe - and anyone of Judah and a relative of David would be considered greater in the author's eyes. It's all about who you're rooting for.
The Sabbath Law: Exodus 31.12-17
The Lord tells Moses that Moses is to tell the Israelites to keep the sabbath, which is a sign that the people may know that the Lord sanctifies them - a perpetual covenant. The Sabbath is holy for Israelites. Anyone who profanes it should be put to death, and anyone who works on it should be cut off form the people.
The sacrifice ritual recreates the act of human eating on a divine scale. Conversely, the sabbath recreates God's divine rest after creation on a human scale. In both cases, the divine and the mundane parallel one another, so that what occurs in heaven also occurs on earth, and what occurs on earth also occurs in heaven.
The Two Tablets of the Covenant: Exodus 31.18
God gives Moses the two tablets of the covenant when God has finished speaking with Moses. These stone tablets are "written in the finger of God" (Ex. 31.18).
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Exodus 30.22-38
The Altar of Incense: Exodus 30.1-10
This is a separate altar than the one in the courtyard, but is located closer to the Holy of Holies and so has more gold!
Made of acacia wood, it measures 1 cubit wide by 1 cubit long by 2 cubits high and should have horns at the corners. The entire altar should be overlaid with pure gold, and there should be a molding of gold around it.
Under the molding on two opposite sides there should be a golden ring, through which poles of acacia wood, overlaid with gold, will fit to transport the altar.
The altar should be placed in front of the curtain containing the ark of the covenant, where God will meet with the priests.
Aaron is to offer the incense on it every morning when he dresses the lamps and every evening when he sets up the lamps.
Offerings of unholy incense, grain, drink, and burnt offerings should not be offered on it.
Once a year Aaron is to perform a right of atonement on its horns, in order to atone for the Israelites.
The Half Shekel for the Sanctuary: Exodus 30.11-16
Here we get into governance. Ah, it reminds me of my days as a small-town government reporter...Which actually means it reminds me of my life right now.
Moses is to register the Israelites with a head count. (Or "census," the term the NRSV uses, which comes from Latin for "estimate" and was carried out every five years on Roman citizens). A ransom of one-half shekel is to be given by every citizen age 20 and over. The ransom protects their lives "so that no plague may come upon them for being registered."
Everyone is to pay one-half shekel, poor and rich. The funds will be used to service the tent of meeting.
[Issues of social justice aside, it is remarkable that God would have every person pay the same amount. God provided exactly one omer of manna per day to every Israelite escaping Egypt (Ex. 16). If an individual collected less or more, the amount still came out to an omer. Here everyone gives, rather than receives, equal wages. It seems that every Israelite has an equal "value" in God's eyes. Each receives the same amount of food, each must pay the same amount in taxes.]
The Bronze Basin: Exodus 30.17-21
A perpetual ordinance: a bronze basin filled with water shall stand between the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron and his sons should wash their ands and feet in it before approaching the altar, "so that they may not die" (a point so important is it expressed twice: Ex. 30.20, 21).
The Anointing Oil and Incense: Exodus 30.22-38
Anointing Oil
Here is the recipe for the anointing oil mentioned in yesterday's entry:
Ingredients:
1 hin olive oil (1 gallon)
500 shekels liquid myrrh (12.5 pounds)
500 shekels cassia
250 shekels sweet-smelling cinnamon (6.25 pounds)
250 shekels aromatic cane
Blend.
Things to anoint:
Tent of meeting
Ark of the Covenant,
Table and its utensils
Lampstand and its utensils
Altar of incense
Altar of burnt offering and its utensils
Aaron and his sons
The holy anointing oil should only be used for holy anointing. It should only be made as described above. Anyone who makes an imitation or puts it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from God's people.
Incense
Ingredients:
Sweet spices
Stacte
Onycha
Galbanum
Pure frankincense
(the above in equal parts)
Mix.
Season mixture with salt.
Beat part of it into a powder and place before the covenant in the tent of meeting.
This mixture is holy, and not for personal use. Using it as a personal perfume is cause for being cut off from God's people.
Here is the recipe for the anointing oil mentioned in yesterday's entry:
Ingredients:
1 hin olive oil (1 gallon)
500 shekels liquid myrrh (12.5 pounds)
500 shekels cassia
250 shekels sweet-smelling cinnamon (6.25 pounds)
250 shekels aromatic cane
Blend.
Things to anoint:
Tent of meeting
Ark of the Covenant,
Table and its utensils
Lampstand and its utensils
Altar of incense
Altar of burnt offering and its utensils
Aaron and his sons
The holy anointing oil should only be used for holy anointing. It should only be made as described above. Anyone who makes an imitation or puts it on an unqualified person shall be cut off from God's people.
Incense
Ingredients:
Sweet spices
Stacte
Onycha
Galbanum
Pure frankincense
(the above in equal parts)
Mix.
Season mixture with salt.
Beat part of it into a powder and place before the covenant in the tent of meeting.
This mixture is holy, and not for personal use. Using it as a personal perfume is cause for being cut off from God's people.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Exodus 29.1-46
The Ordination of the Priests / The Daily Offering
The Ordination of the Priests: Exodus 29.1-37
-or-
(How to consecrate a priest [if you are Moses])
-or-
Welcome back Aaron, and keep leading the people.
Ingredients:
Dressing
Sacrificing the bull
Sacrificing the first ram
Sacrificing the second ram (the ram of ordination)
Eating the ram of ordination
Moses’s portion
The seven-day ordination
Note
These things should be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons.
The Daily Offering: Exodus 29.38-46
The Daily Offerings
God says:
God's meals, the burnt sacrifices given to him, parallel the meals that the priests eat. Except God, being God, gets a lot more food - the equivalent of a few loaves of bread, an entire lamb, and 1.4 gallons of wine. God does not eat this food - it is a symbolic offering. But there is something to be said for the communion (not the New Testament type). When characters in a book share in food it represents communion, getting to know each other and sharing in a situation. It is a connection on spiritual level played out on the physical level with the eating of food. It's a way to say, "Hey, we eat the same food. We understand each other. We're in this together." Even though God is seated on his throne in the Holy of Holies, he is still among his people Israel.
So what is Holiness? This section demonstrates well the "separate" aspect of holiness. The animals have to be without blemish. You have to be physically and ritually clean when you approach God. God cannot come into contact with commonness. Hence the layers of separation of the tabernacle, described in the posts previous to this one. Though among the Israelites and having communion through sacrifice, there is still a distinct separation.
A good deal of this separation is through ritual. Through ritual you can purify yourself so that you may encounter or make sacrifices to God. There are three different ways the priests must dispose of the blood of the three sacrificed animals. Each method has a distinct purpose. The bull's blood consecrates the horns of the altar. The first ram's blood consecrates the altar itself. The second ram's blood consecrates the priests. There is an order to the ordination, and a meaning behind everything.
Notice, though, that rather than dirtying, the blood of sacrificed animals purifies. The blood of sacrificed animals does not pollute like human blood (menstrual and from wounds). Rather, because the getting of the blood has meaning, the blood itself is ritually purifying. So it is not just ram's blood that purifies, it is the blood of a sacrificed lamb.
One final note on holiness: Even the altar needs to be consecrated and have its sins atoned for (Ex. 29.36). Through contact with people (or perhaps exposure to the elements), the altar becomes impure and must be purified. But the altar also has the power to consecrate. Anything that touches the altar will become holy (Ex. 29.37).
The Ordination of the Priests: Exodus 29.1-37
-or-
(How to consecrate a priest [if you are Moses])
-or-
Welcome back Aaron, and keep leading the people.
Ingredients:
- One young bull without blemish
- Two rams without blemish
- On basket containing:
- Unleavened bread (made with choice what flour)
- Unleavened cakes mixed with oil (choice wheat flour)
- Unleavened wafers spread with oil (choice wheat flour)
Dressing
- Bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance to the tent of meeting
- Wash them with water
- Dress Aaron in the priestly vestments
- Anoint Aaron with oil
- Dress his sons with their vestments
Sacrificing the bull
- Bring the bull before the tent of meeting
- Have Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the bull
- Slaughter the bull
- Put some of the blood on the horns of the altar with your finger
- Pour the rest of the blood a the base of the altar
- Take the fat, liver, kidneys and “turn them into smoke” (burn them) on the altar
- The flesh of the bull, its skin, and its dung should be burned outside as a purifying “sin offering”
Sacrificing the first ram
- Have Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram
- Slaughter the ram
- Dash the blood against all the sides of the altar
- Cut the ram into parts
- Wash the entrails and legs
- Burn the entire lamb. “It is a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord” (Ex. 29.18)
Sacrificing the second ram (the ram of ordination)
- Have Aaron and his sons put their hands on the head of the ram
- Slaughter the ram
- Put some of the blood on Aaron and his sons in the following places:
- Right ear lobe
- Thumb of the right hand
- Big toe of the right foot
- Dash the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar
- Take some of the blood against the altar, mix with anointing oil, and sprinkle it on Aaron and his sons and their vestments. This makes them and their vestments holy.
- Take the fat, tail, liver, kidneys, and right thigh with the contents of the basket: one loaf of bread, one cake of bread mixed with oil, and one wafer.
- Place all these on the palms of Aaron and his sons
- Have Aaron and his sons raise the breads and innards as an elevated offering before the Lord
- Take the innards and breads and burn them on the altar on top of the burnt offering. This is an offering by fire to the Lord
Eating the ram of ordination
- Boil its flesh in a holy place
- Aaron and his sons should eat the flesh of the ram and the breads in the basket
- Eat outside the tent of meeting
- Only Aaron and his sons can eat this food, which through sacrifice has purified them. The food is holy.
- Leftovers should be burned
Moses’s portion
- Take the breast of the ram of ordination
- Raise it as an elevation offering; it is your portion.
The seven-day ordination
- Ordination should last seven days
- Every day a bull should be offered to atone for sins.
- An additional sin offering should be made every day for the altar,
- The altar shall also be anointed and consecrated each day for even days
- Anything that touches the holy altar shall become holy itself.
Note
These things should be a perpetual ordinance for Aaron and his sons.
The Daily Offering: Exodus 29.38-46
The Daily Offerings
- Each day sacrifice two one-year-old lambs, one in the morning and one in the evening
- Sacrifices should be held at the entrance of the tent of meeting
- Each shall be sacrificed with one-tenth an ephah of flour (about 9 cups) mixed with 1/4 hin oil (about 1.4 gallons)
- Serve with 1/4 hin wine as a drink offering
God says:
It shall be a regular burnt-offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the Lord, where I will meet you, to speak to you there. I will meet the Israelites there, and it shall be sanctified by my glory; I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar; Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate, to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the Israelites, and I will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them; I am the Lord their God.So what does all this mean?
(Ex. 29.42-46)
God's meals, the burnt sacrifices given to him, parallel the meals that the priests eat. Except God, being God, gets a lot more food - the equivalent of a few loaves of bread, an entire lamb, and 1.4 gallons of wine. God does not eat this food - it is a symbolic offering. But there is something to be said for the communion (not the New Testament type). When characters in a book share in food it represents communion, getting to know each other and sharing in a situation. It is a connection on spiritual level played out on the physical level with the eating of food. It's a way to say, "Hey, we eat the same food. We understand each other. We're in this together." Even though God is seated on his throne in the Holy of Holies, he is still among his people Israel.
So what is Holiness? This section demonstrates well the "separate" aspect of holiness. The animals have to be without blemish. You have to be physically and ritually clean when you approach God. God cannot come into contact with commonness. Hence the layers of separation of the tabernacle, described in the posts previous to this one. Though among the Israelites and having communion through sacrifice, there is still a distinct separation.
A good deal of this separation is through ritual. Through ritual you can purify yourself so that you may encounter or make sacrifices to God. There are three different ways the priests must dispose of the blood of the three sacrificed animals. Each method has a distinct purpose. The bull's blood consecrates the horns of the altar. The first ram's blood consecrates the altar itself. The second ram's blood consecrates the priests. There is an order to the ordination, and a meaning behind everything.
Notice, though, that rather than dirtying, the blood of sacrificed animals purifies. The blood of sacrificed animals does not pollute like human blood (menstrual and from wounds). Rather, because the getting of the blood has meaning, the blood itself is ritually purifying. So it is not just ram's blood that purifies, it is the blood of a sacrificed lamb.
One final note on holiness: Even the altar needs to be consecrated and have its sins atoned for (Ex. 29.36). Through contact with people (or perhaps exposure to the elements), the altar becomes impure and must be purified. But the altar also has the power to consecrate. Anything that touches the altar will become holy (Ex. 29.37).
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Exodus 27.1-28.43
The Altar of Burnt Offering / The Court and Its Hangings / The Oil for the Lamp / Vestments / The Ephod / The Breastpiece / Other Priestly Vestments
Today's reading consists of two sections: instructions for building the open-air court outside the tabernacle and instructing for creating vestments that the priests should wear
The Court of the Tabernacle
The open- air court is to be a rectangle containing the tabernacle and altar and having the following dimensions: 50 cubits on the North-South axis and 100 cubits on the East-West axis. The tabernacle lies in the western end, the altar in the eastern end.
The Altar of Burnt Offering: Exodus 27.1-8
The hollow altar should be made with boards of acacia wood and measure 5 cubits long by 5 cubits wide by 3 cubits high. There should be a horn attached to the four corners, each overlaid with bronze.
Pots for ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and firepans should be made of bronze.
There should be a grating of bronze with four bronze rings at its corners. It should be placed under the ledge (inside) of the altar, halfway down the body.
The altar is transported with poles of acacia wood overlaid with bronze (not gold!) that fit through the rings.
The Court and Its Hangings: Exodus 27.9-19
For the north and south sides of the tabernacle a 100-cubit-long hanging of fine twisted linen shall hang from 20pillars (presumably of acacia wood) in 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the pillars should be silver.
The west side should have a 50-cubit-long hanging with 10 pillars and 10 bases.
The east side, also 50 cubits long, shall consist of 15-cubit hangings on either side, each supported by 3 pillars in 3 bases. The curtains form a sort of gateway.
The gate should be a screen twenty cubits long made of fine twisted linen and yarn in blue, purple, and crimson, embroidered with needlework. It should be supported by four pillars with four bases.
All the pillars around the court should be banded with silver and have silver hooks. Their bases should be bronze.
Bronze pegs will be used to pin the cords that stabilize the pillars to the ground (think of a rain fly on a camping tent).
The Oil for the Lamp: Exodus 27.20-21
The Israelites should make olive oil for the lamp. The lamp, located outside the Holy of Holies, should be lit every evening and tended until morning by Aaron and his sons. This shall continue every night through the generations.
Vestments for the Priesthood
Vestments: Exodus 28.1-5
Aaron and his sons (Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar) are to serve God as priests. They shall wear vestments crafted by the most skilled of the Israelites. These vestments include: breastpiece, ephod, robe, checkered tunic ("fringed" in other readings), turban, sash. These shall be made of gold, blue, purple and crimson yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod: Exodus 28.6-14
The ephod, a long vest, is to be made of the materials and colors listed above. Two shoulder-pieces attached at the edges shall hold it together. It should have a decorated band of the aforementioned materials.
The names of the sons of Israel should be engraved on two onyx stones, six names to a stone, in order of birth. The stones should be mounted on a gold filigree (an ornament of woven gold chains) on the shoulder-pieces.
[The location of the stones is such that the priest has the tribes of Israel immediately resting on his shoulders - a constant remind of history for both him and those who see the stones.]
Two chains of pure gold should be attached to two settings of gold filigree.
The Breastpiece: Exodus 28.15-30
The "breastpiece (or "pouch") of judgment" should be made in the same unifying style of the other fabricated accessories: with gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns and twisted linen. This "judgment" is divination. Intrigued? Read on.
The breastplate is to be a square when doubled, a span long (about 8 inches) and a span wide. Stones should be set in gold filigree into it in four rows, three stones to a row. [Here again appears the number twelve].
Two cords of twisted gold chains should fit through two gold rings at the edges of the breastpiece, attaching to the settings on the ephod.
Gold rings on the ends of teh breastpiece should be bound to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece lies on the decorated band of the ephod and does not come loose.
All this is for Aaron's benefit:
Aaron's vestments are a perfect example of form following function. Aaron is clad in many reminders of history, and anyone who sees him will be reminded as well. The stones are close to Aaron's heart, physically placed near the center of his being and source of emotion.
Other Priestly Vestments: Exodus 28.31-43
The Robe
Worn underneath the ephod, it is one piece, with an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is a woven binding so the robe does not tear. The lower hem should have a pattern of alternating gold bells and (the other three colors ubiquitous in the temple) blue, purple, and crimson pomegranates. The sound of the bells ensures that the Lord will hear Aaron coming when he enters the Holy of Holies - otherwise Aaron might die.
The Rosette (or Shiny Plate
This should be made of gold and have be engraved with "Holy to the Lord." It should be fastened to the front of the turban with a blue cord. The plate is like a lightning rod or guilt vacuum - sucking up the guilt incurred by the Israelites that comes with making their donation.
Checkered tunic and Turban
Made of fine linen.
Sash
Embroidered.
For Aaron's sons
They shall wear tunics, sashes, and headdresses. Moses shall anoint them all and ordain and consecrate them, so they may serve God as priests.
They shall wear linen undergarments reaching from the hips to the thighs. This way there is no way they might expose their nakedness to God. The drawers are to be worn in the tent of meeting, near the altar, and in the Holy of Holies. Otherwise, they will bring guild on themselves and die.
Today's reading consists of two sections: instructions for building the open-air court outside the tabernacle and instructing for creating vestments that the priests should wear
The Court of the Tabernacle
The open- air court is to be a rectangle containing the tabernacle and altar and having the following dimensions: 50 cubits on the North-South axis and 100 cubits on the East-West axis. The tabernacle lies in the western end, the altar in the eastern end.
The Altar of Burnt Offering: Exodus 27.1-8
The hollow altar should be made with boards of acacia wood and measure 5 cubits long by 5 cubits wide by 3 cubits high. There should be a horn attached to the four corners, each overlaid with bronze.
Pots for ashes, shovels, basins, forks, and firepans should be made of bronze.
There should be a grating of bronze with four bronze rings at its corners. It should be placed under the ledge (inside) of the altar, halfway down the body.
The altar is transported with poles of acacia wood overlaid with bronze (not gold!) that fit through the rings.
The Court and Its Hangings: Exodus 27.9-19
For the north and south sides of the tabernacle a 100-cubit-long hanging of fine twisted linen shall hang from 20pillars (presumably of acacia wood) in 20 bronze bases. The hooks and bands of the pillars should be silver.
The west side should have a 50-cubit-long hanging with 10 pillars and 10 bases.
The east side, also 50 cubits long, shall consist of 15-cubit hangings on either side, each supported by 3 pillars in 3 bases. The curtains form a sort of gateway.
The gate should be a screen twenty cubits long made of fine twisted linen and yarn in blue, purple, and crimson, embroidered with needlework. It should be supported by four pillars with four bases.
All the pillars around the court should be banded with silver and have silver hooks. Their bases should be bronze.
Bronze pegs will be used to pin the cords that stabilize the pillars to the ground (think of a rain fly on a camping tent).
The Oil for the Lamp: Exodus 27.20-21
The Israelites should make olive oil for the lamp. The lamp, located outside the Holy of Holies, should be lit every evening and tended until morning by Aaron and his sons. This shall continue every night through the generations.
Vestments for the Priesthood
Vestments: Exodus 28.1-5
Aaron and his sons (Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar) are to serve God as priests. They shall wear vestments crafted by the most skilled of the Israelites. These vestments include: breastpiece, ephod, robe, checkered tunic ("fringed" in other readings), turban, sash. These shall be made of gold, blue, purple and crimson yarn, and fine linen.
The Ephod: Exodus 28.6-14
The ephod, a long vest, is to be made of the materials and colors listed above. Two shoulder-pieces attached at the edges shall hold it together. It should have a decorated band of the aforementioned materials.
The names of the sons of Israel should be engraved on two onyx stones, six names to a stone, in order of birth. The stones should be mounted on a gold filigree (an ornament of woven gold chains) on the shoulder-pieces.
[The location of the stones is such that the priest has the tribes of Israel immediately resting on his shoulders - a constant remind of history for both him and those who see the stones.]
Two chains of pure gold should be attached to two settings of gold filigree.
The Breastpiece: Exodus 28.15-30
The "breastpiece (or "pouch") of judgment" should be made in the same unifying style of the other fabricated accessories: with gold, blue, purple, and crimson yarns and twisted linen. This "judgment" is divination. Intrigued? Read on.
The breastplate is to be a square when doubled, a span long (about 8 inches) and a span wide. Stones should be set in gold filigree into it in four rows, three stones to a row. [Here again appears the number twelve].
- Row 1: Carnnelian, chrysolite, emerald
- Row 2: Turquoise, sapphire, moonstone
- Row 3: Jacinth, Agate, Amethyst
- Row 4: Beryl, Onyx, Jasper.
Two cords of twisted gold chains should fit through two gold rings at the edges of the breastpiece, attaching to the settings on the ephod.
Gold rings on the ends of teh breastpiece should be bound to the rings of the ephod with a blue cord, so that the breastpiece lies on the decorated band of the ephod and does not come loose.
All this is for Aaron's benefit:
So Aaron shall bear the names of the sons of Israel in the breastpiece of judgement on his heart when he goes into the holy place, for a continual remembrance before the Lord. In the breastpiece of judgement you shall put the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be on Aaron’s heart when he goes in before the Lord; thus Aaron shall bear the judgement of the Israelites on his heart before the Lord continually.What is the Urim and the Thummim? According to HarperCollins, these are, "according to comparative evidence, light and dark stones extracted from the pouch for the purposes of divination" (132). Huh.
(Ex. 28.29-30)
Aaron's vestments are a perfect example of form following function. Aaron is clad in many reminders of history, and anyone who sees him will be reminded as well. The stones are close to Aaron's heart, physically placed near the center of his being and source of emotion.
Other Priestly Vestments: Exodus 28.31-43
The Robe
Worn underneath the ephod, it is one piece, with an opening for the head in the middle. Around the opening is a woven binding so the robe does not tear. The lower hem should have a pattern of alternating gold bells and (the other three colors ubiquitous in the temple) blue, purple, and crimson pomegranates. The sound of the bells ensures that the Lord will hear Aaron coming when he enters the Holy of Holies - otherwise Aaron might die.
The Rosette (or Shiny Plate
This should be made of gold and have be engraved with "Holy to the Lord." It should be fastened to the front of the turban with a blue cord. The plate is like a lightning rod or guilt vacuum - sucking up the guilt incurred by the Israelites that comes with making their donation.
Checkered tunic and Turban
Made of fine linen.
Sash
Embroidered.
For Aaron's sons
They shall wear tunics, sashes, and headdresses. Moses shall anoint them all and ordain and consecrate them, so they may serve God as priests.
They shall wear linen undergarments reaching from the hips to the thighs. This way there is no way they might expose their nakedness to God. The drawers are to be worn in the tent of meeting, near the altar, and in the Holy of Holies. Otherwise, they will bring guild on themselves and die.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Exodus 26.1-37
The Curtains / The Framework / The Curtain
The tabernacle, continued.
Yesterday's post concerned certain adornments for the tabernacle. This section gives a framework (pun completely intended) for the construction of the tabernacle itself, including the most holy (separate) space, the holy of holies. If you have trouble visualizing anything, check out the model on Bible Places.
Layering, intentional separation, creates a tension, intensifying the "holiness" or separateness of a place the deeper you go in. This is achieved with successive layers of curtains.
Real Life Example
You go to a baseball game. You get excited just seeing the stadium. Then you're inside it and your excitement is growing. Then you're in the nosebleed section and you're more excited. Your excitement grows as you get closer and closer to home plate. Then there you are, ecstatic, right behind home plate. You can see it all, almost as the players see it. This is the pinnacle of your baseball watching experience. And it should be. You paid an exorbitant amount to sit there. You are separate from those fans in the bleachers who paid one twentieth of what you did. You are holy - separate from all the people whose views are not as good as yours.
Take me out to the bible.
The Curtains: Exodus 26.1-14
Inner Layer
Ten curtains are to be made of fine twisted linen yarn, with cherubim worked in. The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson (all appropriately fine royal colors). They should measure 28 cubits long by 4 cubits wide (42' by 6'). These smaller curtains are sewn together into two large curtains measuring 28 cubits by 20 cubits. The outermost smaller curtain of each set should have 50 blue loops on the edge. This way, the curtains may be linked together with 50 gold clasps.
Tent
Outside the inner layer should be a eleven curtains of goats' hair that are woven together into a tent. Each small curtain should measure 30 cubits long by four cubits wide. These should be sewn in the manner of the inner layer curtain sections; five to one section, six to the other. The sixth small curtain should double over at the front of the tent. Fifty loops should be made in the same manner as the inner layer, with fifty clasps of bronze to link the two sections. The half curtain that remains hangs over the back of the tabernacle. The cubit of fabric that remains on either side shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle.
The Covers
For weatherproofing there will be a covering of tanned rams' skin and a covering outside this of fine leather.
The Framework: Exodus 26.15-30
All these curtains have to be draped over something - the framework.
Frames, made of acacia wood, measure 10 cubits long by 1.5 cubits wide. Two pegs in each frame will fit the frames together. Each frame should be overlaid in gold.
North and South Sides
The north and south sides shall consist of a structure of 20 connected frames with 2 bases of silver under each.
West Side (Rear)
This should be comprised of six frames. Corners should be comprised of one frame. Under each of the 8 frames should 2 silver bases
The Bars
Fifteen bars of acacia wood should be overlaid with gold, each arranged parallel to the ground. The middle bar, in the middl of the frames, should extend the length of the framework. Rings of gold on the frames will hold the bars.
The Curtain: Exodus 26.31-37
The Holy of Holies
A curtains is to be made of fine twisted linen yarn, with cherubim worked in. The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson. It is to hang on four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, which have gold hooks on them and rest on four silver bases. The curtain shall hang up on the pillars and the ark of the covenant will rest inside.
This is to be the most sacred part of the tabernacle, the most holy part in a holy place.
[Holy has the connotation of "separateness" - notice the layers of separation in this passage. Each layer builds on the previous to the most separate and most sacred object, the ark of the covenant. Atop this is the mercy seat upon which God sits (holy, e.g. separate from humanity), much like a king. Each successive layer creates a tension.]
Misc.
Outside the curtain should be the table (toward the north) and the lampstand (toward the south).
The tent should have a screen of fine twisted linen yarn, with needlework (not cherubim!). The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson. Five pillars of acacia overlaid with gold and each with a gold hook shall rest in five bronze bases. These will hold up the screen.
The tabernacle, continued.
Yesterday's post concerned certain adornments for the tabernacle. This section gives a framework (pun completely intended) for the construction of the tabernacle itself, including the most holy (separate) space, the holy of holies. If you have trouble visualizing anything, check out the model on Bible Places.
Layering, intentional separation, creates a tension, intensifying the "holiness" or separateness of a place the deeper you go in. This is achieved with successive layers of curtains.
Real Life Example
You go to a baseball game. You get excited just seeing the stadium. Then you're inside it and your excitement is growing. Then you're in the nosebleed section and you're more excited. Your excitement grows as you get closer and closer to home plate. Then there you are, ecstatic, right behind home plate. You can see it all, almost as the players see it. This is the pinnacle of your baseball watching experience. And it should be. You paid an exorbitant amount to sit there. You are separate from those fans in the bleachers who paid one twentieth of what you did. You are holy - separate from all the people whose views are not as good as yours.
Take me out to the bible.
The Curtains: Exodus 26.1-14
Inner Layer
Ten curtains are to be made of fine twisted linen yarn, with cherubim worked in. The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson (all appropriately fine royal colors). They should measure 28 cubits long by 4 cubits wide (42' by 6'). These smaller curtains are sewn together into two large curtains measuring 28 cubits by 20 cubits. The outermost smaller curtain of each set should have 50 blue loops on the edge. This way, the curtains may be linked together with 50 gold clasps.
Tent
Outside the inner layer should be a eleven curtains of goats' hair that are woven together into a tent. Each small curtain should measure 30 cubits long by four cubits wide. These should be sewn in the manner of the inner layer curtain sections; five to one section, six to the other. The sixth small curtain should double over at the front of the tent. Fifty loops should be made in the same manner as the inner layer, with fifty clasps of bronze to link the two sections. The half curtain that remains hangs over the back of the tabernacle. The cubit of fabric that remains on either side shall hang over the sides of the tabernacle.
The Covers
For weatherproofing there will be a covering of tanned rams' skin and a covering outside this of fine leather.
The Framework: Exodus 26.15-30
All these curtains have to be draped over something - the framework.
Frames, made of acacia wood, measure 10 cubits long by 1.5 cubits wide. Two pegs in each frame will fit the frames together. Each frame should be overlaid in gold.
North and South Sides
The north and south sides shall consist of a structure of 20 connected frames with 2 bases of silver under each.
West Side (Rear)
This should be comprised of six frames. Corners should be comprised of one frame. Under each of the 8 frames should 2 silver bases
The Bars
Fifteen bars of acacia wood should be overlaid with gold, each arranged parallel to the ground. The middle bar, in the middl of the frames, should extend the length of the framework. Rings of gold on the frames will hold the bars.
The Curtain: Exodus 26.31-37
The Holy of Holies
A curtains is to be made of fine twisted linen yarn, with cherubim worked in. The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson. It is to hang on four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold, which have gold hooks on them and rest on four silver bases. The curtain shall hang up on the pillars and the ark of the covenant will rest inside.
This is to be the most sacred part of the tabernacle, the most holy part in a holy place.
[Holy has the connotation of "separateness" - notice the layers of separation in this passage. Each layer builds on the previous to the most separate and most sacred object, the ark of the covenant. Atop this is the mercy seat upon which God sits (holy, e.g. separate from humanity), much like a king. Each successive layer creates a tension.]
Misc.
Outside the curtain should be the table (toward the north) and the lampstand (toward the south).
The tent should have a screen of fine twisted linen yarn, with needlework (not cherubim!). The yarns should be blue, purple, and crimson. Five pillars of acacia overlaid with gold and each with a gold hook shall rest in five bronze bases. These will hold up the screen.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Exodus 25.1-40
Offerings for the Tabernacle / The Ark of the Covenant / The Table for the Bread of the Presence / The Lampstand
The next seven chapters will be rather interesting, all of them establishing how to set up the tabernacle, the mobile dwelling of God while the Israelites are in the wilderness. Frequently it reads like an instruction manual. So at times I will be flirting with structural analysis; please bear with me.
Think of it this way: books like Melville's Moby Dick and Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon contain lengthy descriptions of processes and structures. At times it is like reading an instruction manual. These authors felt some great need to establish perfectly in the reader's mind exactly what they were talking about. The biblical authors felt these need, though probably more keenly. What we have here is an actual instruction manual with detailed descriptions. Melville and Hemingway created a world for their readers by describing the world they knew. The biblical authors created a world for their readers (especially for us, separated by so much time) by describing, in explicit detail, the world they knew.
If you're having any trouble visualizing the tabernacle, check out the model on Bible Places.
Offerings for the Tabernacle: Exodus 25.1-9
God tells Moses that the Israelites are to bring him offerings of the following:
The Ark of the Covenant: Exodus 25.10-22
The Ark
The Israelites shall make an ark of acacia wood overlaid inside and out with solid (translates as "pure" but meaning what we would call "solid") gold, with a gold molding all around. Each of the four feet will have a gold ring, through which poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold may be placed in order to carry the ark. The poles should not be removed. The ark is to contain the covenant that God will give to the Israelites
Dimensions (in cubits): 2.5 long x 1.5 wide x 1.5 high. [=3.75' x 2.25' x 2.25'; one cubit = 18 inches]
The Mercy Seat/Cover
A mercy seat/cover of solid gold on which God will sit
Dimensions (in cubits): 2.5 long x 1.5 wide
Two cherubim of hammered gold shall extend from the sides of the mercy seat, one at either end. They should have wings spread and face one another.
The mercy seat shall be placed atop the ark, and God will sit on it and deliver commands.
[Cherubim, according to the HaperCollins Study Bible, are "winged sphinxes with the body of a bull or lion and a human head.]
The Table for the Bread of the Presence: Exodus 25.23-30
Dimensions (in cubits): 2 long x 1 wide x 1.5 high
Overlaid with gold and featuring a gold molding.
The rim should be one handbreadth wide, and should have gold molding around it.
Rings and poles should be created and fastened in the same fashion as the ark for carrying.
Plates and dishes for incense, as well as flagons and bowls for drink offerings, should be made of solid gold.
"You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always" (Ex. 25.30).
The Lampstand: Exodus 25.31-40
The lampstand should be hammered of one talent (3,000 shekels or 170,100 carats or 34 kilograms or 74 pounds) of solid gold (no soldering allowed!).
Its base and shaft hammered, its cups, calyxes and petals all of the same piece of metal.
There should be six branches, three to either side, each branch with three cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with calyx and petals.
Four cups shape like almond blossoms should adorn the lampstand itself.
Beneath each pair of branches (branches presumably side-by-side) there should be a calyx.
Seven lamps shall be made for it.
Accessories (snuffers and trays) should be made of solid gold.
The next seven chapters will be rather interesting, all of them establishing how to set up the tabernacle, the mobile dwelling of God while the Israelites are in the wilderness. Frequently it reads like an instruction manual. So at times I will be flirting with structural analysis; please bear with me.
Think of it this way: books like Melville's Moby Dick and Hemingway's Death in the Afternoon contain lengthy descriptions of processes and structures. At times it is like reading an instruction manual. These authors felt some great need to establish perfectly in the reader's mind exactly what they were talking about. The biblical authors felt these need, though probably more keenly. What we have here is an actual instruction manual with detailed descriptions. Melville and Hemingway created a world for their readers by describing the world they knew. The biblical authors created a world for their readers (especially for us, separated by so much time) by describing, in explicit detail, the world they knew.
If you're having any trouble visualizing the tabernacle, check out the model on Bible Places.
Offerings for the Tabernacle: Exodus 25.1-9
God tells Moses that the Israelites are to bring him offerings of the following:
- Metals
- Gold
- Silver
- Bronze
- Yarns and fine linens in the following colors
- Blue
- Purple
- Crimson
- Animal Products
- Goats' hair
- Tanned rams' skins
- Fine leather
- Acacia wood
- Oil for the lamps
- Spices for anointing and incense
- Stones to be set in the ephod for the breast-piece
- Onyx stones
- Gems
The Ark of the Covenant: Exodus 25.10-22
The Ark
The Israelites shall make an ark of acacia wood overlaid inside and out with solid (translates as "pure" but meaning what we would call "solid") gold, with a gold molding all around. Each of the four feet will have a gold ring, through which poles of acacia wood overlaid with gold may be placed in order to carry the ark. The poles should not be removed. The ark is to contain the covenant that God will give to the Israelites
Dimensions (in cubits): 2.5 long x 1.5 wide x 1.5 high. [=3.75' x 2.25' x 2.25'; one cubit = 18 inches]
The Mercy Seat/Cover
A mercy seat/cover of solid gold on which God will sit
Dimensions (in cubits): 2.5 long x 1.5 wide
Two cherubim of hammered gold shall extend from the sides of the mercy seat, one at either end. They should have wings spread and face one another.
The mercy seat shall be placed atop the ark, and God will sit on it and deliver commands.
[Cherubim, according to the HaperCollins Study Bible, are "winged sphinxes with the body of a bull or lion and a human head.]
The Table for the Bread of the Presence: Exodus 25.23-30
Dimensions (in cubits): 2 long x 1 wide x 1.5 high
Overlaid with gold and featuring a gold molding.
The rim should be one handbreadth wide, and should have gold molding around it.
Rings and poles should be created and fastened in the same fashion as the ark for carrying.
Plates and dishes for incense, as well as flagons and bowls for drink offerings, should be made of solid gold.
"You shall set the bread of the Presence on the table before me always" (Ex. 25.30).
The Lampstand: Exodus 25.31-40
The lampstand should be hammered of one talent (3,000 shekels or 170,100 carats or 34 kilograms or 74 pounds) of solid gold (no soldering allowed!).
Its base and shaft hammered, its cups, calyxes and petals all of the same piece of metal.
There should be six branches, three to either side, each branch with three cups shaped like almond blossoms, complete with calyx and petals.
Four cups shape like almond blossoms should adorn the lampstand itself.
Beneath each pair of branches (branches presumably side-by-side) there should be a calyx.
Seven lamps shall be made for it.
Accessories (snuffers and trays) should be made of solid gold.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Exodus 23.10-14.18
The Conquest of Canaan Promised / The Blood of the Covenant / On the Mountain with God
The Conquest of Canaan Promised: Exodus 23.20-33
In the comments to Exodus 20.22-22.15 Carlos brought up a wonderful question regarding laws about killing. If the Sixth Commandment forbids killing, and killing in cold blood is punishable by death, what are the implications for warfare. This will actually be addressed in today's reading, so read on my friends, read on.
God promises to send a (guardian) angel in front of the Israelites to lead them into the land the Lord has prepared for them. They shall not disobey him, "for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him" (Ex. 23.21).
That is an interesting way of putting it - the Lord's name is what gives the angel authority. This is an early example of the power of the divine name. The angel's authority derives from the tetragrammaton YHWH.
If the people obey the angel, God promises to be an enemy to the enemies of Israel. Further, God promises:
What does this have to do with literature? Well insomuch as laws can be viewed as pieces of literature, the interaction between individual laws and their various interpretations can be analyzed to learn a little about the unconscious or at least unstated views of the authors.
For worshipping the Lord, God will bless the Israelites' bread and water, remove sickness from them, prevent miscarriage and barrenness, and give everyone a long life.
The people the Israelites face will be thrown into confusion and flee before their pursuers. The Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites will be driven from the land by pestilence. But the people will be driven out slowly, so that wild animals do not populate the desolate land before the Israelites get there.
Israel's borders will reach from the Red Sea to the "Sea of the Philistines" (Mediterranean) and from the wilderness (of Negeb) too the Euphrates River.
The Israelites are to make no covenants between the foreign peoples and their gods. They shall not live in the promised land, because they will influence the Israelites to sin against God, "for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a snare to you" (Ex. 23.33).
The Blood of the Covenant: Exodus 24.1-8
The Lord tells Moses to come up the mountain with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders, and to worship at a distance. Only Moses is to come close to the Lord.
The Lord then tells Moses to go down to the people and tell them all the ordinances and words of the Lord [the contents of the last few posts]. Wen the people hear, they answer in one voice that they will obey the words of the Lord.
Moses writes down all the words of the Lord. In the morning he builds an altar a the foot of the mountain and erects twelve pillars to correspond with the twelve tribes. He has the young men prepare burnt offerings and sacrifice oxen offerings of well-being. Moses puts half of the blood in absins, and the other half he dashes against the altar. He takes the book of the covenant (which he just wrote, and which is probably parchment and not stone) and reads it to the people. The people agree to obey the Lord. Moses takes the blood in basins and dashes it on the people, saying, "See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words" (Ex. 24.8).
The covenant is here reestablished in the blood of sacrifice on a new altar. The people agree to the new commandments of the Lord. But actually obeying the commands...Let's just say that is easier said than done.
On the Mountain with God: Exodus 24.9-18
Moses takes Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders up the mountain. [Envelope structure alert! See the opening of chapter 24, above.]
Then it gets a little weird. The God that is so coy, so careful not to reveal himself, appears to these men:
Immediately following this [different source alert!], Moses is again commanded to come up onto the mountain. He is to wait there for God to give him tablets of stone with the law and commandments for the Israelites. Moses sets out with his assistant Joshua and goes up the mountain. The elders are to wait until Moses' return, and Aaron and Hur are to settle disputes.
Moses goes up the cloud-covered mountain, the cloud a manifestation of the glory of the Lord. The cloud covers the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord calls Moses out of the cloud. Then the glory of the Lord appears like a devouring fire on top of the mountain.
Moses enters the cloud, and stays on the mountain a symbolic forty days and forty nights. Remember, numbers in the bible are not always literal. I could go on and on about the numbers in Revelation, which I wrote my undergraduate English Honors thesis on. But I won't. I'd be more than happy to respond to individual questions, however.
The Conquest of Canaan Promised: Exodus 23.20-33
In the comments to Exodus 20.22-22.15 Carlos brought up a wonderful question regarding laws about killing. If the Sixth Commandment forbids killing, and killing in cold blood is punishable by death, what are the implications for warfare. This will actually be addressed in today's reading, so read on my friends, read on.
God promises to send a (guardian) angel in front of the Israelites to lead them into the land the Lord has prepared for them. They shall not disobey him, "for he will not pardon your transgression; for my name is in him" (Ex. 23.21).
That is an interesting way of putting it - the Lord's name is what gives the angel authority. This is an early example of the power of the divine name. The angel's authority derives from the tetragrammaton YHWH.
If the people obey the angel, God promises to be an enemy to the enemies of Israel. Further, God promises:
When my angel goes in front of you, and brings you to the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, you shall not bow down to their gods, or worship them, or follow their practices, but you shall utterly demolish them and break their pillars in pieces.The first sentence promised the people in the promised land will be blotted out by God, the divine warrior. The second promises that the Israelites will destroy their opponents. But this is not a contradiction. The warfare that is to take place is guided by God. God as divine warrior will help the Israelites win their battles. Both will kill human beings, but because the killing is divinely sanctioned, there shall be no retributive action against the Israelites. Perhaps, even, the prohibitions against killing only apply to killing Hebrews. This would allow for the protection of slaves (who would have been Hebrews paying off debts) and put into context the passover prohibitions against outsiders taking part without circumcision. I'm considering this idea that the laws apply only to the Hebrews and the treatment of other Hebrews.
(Ex. 23.23-24)
What does this have to do with literature? Well insomuch as laws can be viewed as pieces of literature, the interaction between individual laws and their various interpretations can be analyzed to learn a little about the unconscious or at least unstated views of the authors.
For worshipping the Lord, God will bless the Israelites' bread and water, remove sickness from them, prevent miscarriage and barrenness, and give everyone a long life.
The people the Israelites face will be thrown into confusion and flee before their pursuers. The Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites will be driven from the land by pestilence. But the people will be driven out slowly, so that wild animals do not populate the desolate land before the Israelites get there.
Israel's borders will reach from the Red Sea to the "Sea of the Philistines" (Mediterranean) and from the wilderness (of Negeb) too the Euphrates River.
The Israelites are to make no covenants between the foreign peoples and their gods. They shall not live in the promised land, because they will influence the Israelites to sin against God, "for if you worship their gods, it will surely be a snare to you" (Ex. 23.33).
The Blood of the Covenant: Exodus 24.1-8
The Lord tells Moses to come up the mountain with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders, and to worship at a distance. Only Moses is to come close to the Lord.
The Lord then tells Moses to go down to the people and tell them all the ordinances and words of the Lord [the contents of the last few posts]. Wen the people hear, they answer in one voice that they will obey the words of the Lord.
Moses writes down all the words of the Lord. In the morning he builds an altar a the foot of the mountain and erects twelve pillars to correspond with the twelve tribes. He has the young men prepare burnt offerings and sacrifice oxen offerings of well-being. Moses puts half of the blood in absins, and the other half he dashes against the altar. He takes the book of the covenant (which he just wrote, and which is probably parchment and not stone) and reads it to the people. The people agree to obey the Lord. Moses takes the blood in basins and dashes it on the people, saying, "See the blood of the covenant that the Lord has made with you in accordance with all these words" (Ex. 24.8).
The covenant is here reestablished in the blood of sacrifice on a new altar. The people agree to the new commandments of the Lord. But actually obeying the commands...Let's just say that is easier said than done.
On the Mountain with God: Exodus 24.9-18
Moses takes Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the seventy elders up the mountain. [Envelope structure alert! See the opening of chapter 24, above.]
Then it gets a little weird. The God that is so coy, so careful not to reveal himself, appears to these men:
and they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there was something like a pavement of sapphire stone, like the very heaven for clearness. God did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; also they beheld God, and they ate and drank.God, for the first time in a long time, is anthropomorphic. God does not appear as an "angel of the Lord" or a cloud or darkness. God does not speak as thunder. Man is surely like God; God has feet and hands.
(Ex. 24.10-11)
Immediately following this [different source alert!], Moses is again commanded to come up onto the mountain. He is to wait there for God to give him tablets of stone with the law and commandments for the Israelites. Moses sets out with his assistant Joshua and goes up the mountain. The elders are to wait until Moses' return, and Aaron and Hur are to settle disputes.
Moses goes up the cloud-covered mountain, the cloud a manifestation of the glory of the Lord. The cloud covers the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord calls Moses out of the cloud. Then the glory of the Lord appears like a devouring fire on top of the mountain.
Moses enters the cloud, and stays on the mountain a symbolic forty days and forty nights. Remember, numbers in the bible are not always literal. I could go on and on about the numbers in Revelation, which I wrote my undergraduate English Honors thesis on. But I won't. I'd be more than happy to respond to individual questions, however.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Exodus 22.16-23.19
Social and Religious Laws
Social and Religious Laws / Justice For All / Sabbatical Year and Sabbath / The Annual Festivals
Yesterday's entry covered laws of the altar and personal property in Exodus 20.22-22.15. Today's entry covers social and religious laws in Exodus 22.16-23.19. Notice that in some of these the punishment for breaking the law is stated.
Social and Religious Laws: Exodus 22.16-31
A man who seduces and sleeps with an engaged virgin shall pay her bride price and make her his wife. If the father refuses to release his daughter, the man shall pay the bride price for a virgin. [This is sort of a lose-lose situation. In the "sex-marriage economy," (a term I picked up from a feminist teacher) a woman loses a good deal of her bride-price "value" if she has been deflowered. The only winner in this situation is the father.]
"You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live" (Ex. 22.18). [How could I possibly put that more succinctly?]
"Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death" (Ex. 22.19). [Likewise...]
Israelites should not oppress resident aliens, because the Israelites too were once aliens in Egypt.
Likewise, Israelites should not abuse widows or orphans. The punishment for this is put rather eloquently:
Do not revile God or curse a leader of the Israelites. [Respect authority]
Make offerings of the harvest and wine quickly after reaping and pressing.
The firstborn son should be given to God. The same shall be done with sheep and oxen. On the eighth day the animal should be removed from its mother and given to God. [Plague flashback! According to Exodus 13.1, all firstborns are to be consecrated, human and animal, regardless of sex. Here it seems the firstborn human is consecrated, whereas the firstborn animal is actually sacrificed. Speaking of...]
The Israelites are consecrated to God. They shall therefore not eat meat mangled by beasts in the field. That is to be given to dogs.
Justice For All: Exodus 23.1-9
[These are so succinct, I decided to just quote them directly.]
"You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit."
"When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back."
"When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free."
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right."
"You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." [Stated above.]
Sabbatical Year and Sabbath: Exodus 23.10-13
For six years you should reap what you sow in a field, vineyard, or olive orchard. On the seventh year, the land should rest and lie fallow. This way the poor may eat what grows in the field - and the wild animals will eat what they leave behind. [Besides representing the Sabbath, the year off also has the practical purpose of feeding the poor and allowing the land to recover its nutrients from six years straight of crops.]
You should work six days and rest on the seventh, so that your oxen, donkeys, and slaves can be refreshed. [Here the practical purpose of the law is explicated in the law itself.]
"Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips" (Ex. 23.13). [This law goes well beyond the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20.3). It is not invoking other gods that is a sin, but merely uttering their names. This is still monolatry, but one step closer to monotheism. Ironically, though, in the future the divine name itself will become so holy that it cannot be uttered. Both utterly sacred and utterly profane words are forbidden.]
The Annual Festivals: Exodus 23.14-19
There are three festivals to observe every year for God, when all the males shall appear before God:
Social and Religious Laws / Justice For All / Sabbatical Year and Sabbath / The Annual Festivals
Yesterday's entry covered laws of the altar and personal property in Exodus 20.22-22.15. Today's entry covers social and religious laws in Exodus 22.16-23.19. Notice that in some of these the punishment for breaking the law is stated.
Social and Religious Laws: Exodus 22.16-31
A man who seduces and sleeps with an engaged virgin shall pay her bride price and make her his wife. If the father refuses to release his daughter, the man shall pay the bride price for a virgin. [This is sort of a lose-lose situation. In the "sex-marriage economy," (a term I picked up from a feminist teacher) a woman loses a good deal of her bride-price "value" if she has been deflowered. The only winner in this situation is the father.]
"You shall not permit a female sorcerer to live" (Ex. 22.18). [How could I possibly put that more succinctly?]
"Whoever lies with an animal shall be put to death" (Ex. 22.19). [Likewise...]
Israelites should not oppress resident aliens, because the Israelites too were once aliens in Egypt.
Likewise, Israelites should not abuse widows or orphans. The punishment for this is put rather eloquently:
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, and your wives shall become widows and your children orphans.There should be interest on money loaned to other Israelites. Likewise, if you take your neighbor's coat in pawn, you should give it back before nighttime, because it might be his only clothing for sleep. If a neighbor cries out, God will listen, "for I am compassionate" (Ex. 22.27).
(Ex. 22.23-24)
Do not revile God or curse a leader of the Israelites. [Respect authority]
Make offerings of the harvest and wine quickly after reaping and pressing.
The firstborn son should be given to God. The same shall be done with sheep and oxen. On the eighth day the animal should be removed from its mother and given to God. [Plague flashback! According to Exodus 13.1, all firstborns are to be consecrated, human and animal, regardless of sex. Here it seems the firstborn human is consecrated, whereas the firstborn animal is actually sacrificed. Speaking of...]
The Israelites are consecrated to God. They shall therefore not eat meat mangled by beasts in the field. That is to be given to dogs.
Justice For All: Exodus 23.1-9
[These are so succinct, I decided to just quote them directly.]
"You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with the wicked to act as a malicious witness. You shall not follow a majority in wrongdoing; when you bear witness in a lawsuit, you shall not side with the majority so as to pervert justice; nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit."
"When you come upon your enemy’s ox or donkey going astray, you shall bring it back."
"When you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden and you would hold back from setting it free, you must help to set it free."
"You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. Keep far from a false charge, and do not kill the innocent or those in the right, for I will not acquit the guilty. You shall take no bribe, for a bribe blinds the officials, and subverts the cause of those who are in the right."
"You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt." [Stated above.]
Sabbatical Year and Sabbath: Exodus 23.10-13
For six years you should reap what you sow in a field, vineyard, or olive orchard. On the seventh year, the land should rest and lie fallow. This way the poor may eat what grows in the field - and the wild animals will eat what they leave behind. [Besides representing the Sabbath, the year off also has the practical purpose of feeding the poor and allowing the land to recover its nutrients from six years straight of crops.]
You should work six days and rest on the seventh, so that your oxen, donkeys, and slaves can be refreshed. [Here the practical purpose of the law is explicated in the law itself.]
"Do not invoke the names of other gods; do not let them be heard on your lips" (Ex. 23.13). [This law goes well beyond the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20.3). It is not invoking other gods that is a sin, but merely uttering their names. This is still monolatry, but one step closer to monotheism. Ironically, though, in the future the divine name itself will become so holy that it cannot be uttered. Both utterly sacred and utterly profane words are forbidden.]
The Annual Festivals: Exodus 23.14-19
There are three festivals to observe every year for God, when all the males shall appear before God:
- The festival of unleavened bread, with its command to eat unleavened bread for seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib. No one shall come before the Lord empty-handed. [For they left with the riches of the Egyptians.]
- The festival of the harvest of the first sown fruits.
- The festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when the fruit is gathered
In extending of the Passover law to the other festivals, the blood of a sacrifice shall not be offered with leavened bread and the fat of festivals [their sacrifices] should not be left until morning.
In accordance with previously established laws regarding the firstborn, the choicest of the first fruits should be brought into the house of God.
Seemingly-misplaced eating regulation between the section on festivals and God's promise of the conquest of Canaan:
"You shall not boil a kid in its mother's milk" (Exodus 23.19). [This is a kosher eating regulation].
Tomorrow: God's promise of the conquest of Canaan.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Exodus 20.22-22.15
The Laws: of Altar and Property
The Law Concerning the Altar / The Law Concerning Slaves / The Law Concerning Violence / Laws Concerning Property / Laws of Restitution
Here we are at a very legalistic section of the bible, one that primarily deals with laws instead of stories. I have been thinking of a way to read this as a piece of literature, rather than a legal text. I admit that I do not have many great ideas right now, but bear with me - I will find something. Also, it might be interesting just to read these laws and prohibitions in order to discover what the author does and does not value.
Here is a bit of literature, though. This section appears soon after Jethro's advice to Moses regarding laws. Though these laws are coming down to Moses, this is the first time the reader is being exposed to them in their entirety. Just as Moses reveals the law to the people, the biblical authors reveal the law to the reader.
The Law Concerning the Altar: Exodus 20.22-26
The Israelites have seen God speaking with Moses. The Lord then gives laws concerning the altar:
No gods of silver or gold "alongside" God. All that is needed is an altar made of earth on which sacrifices will be offered. The altar can be made of stone, but they should not be hewn stones; a chisel will profane the altar.
Interesting: "In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you" (Ex. 20.24). This means that for the moment there is no central Temple; God may be worshipped anywhere that an altar is made for him. Later on, God will change his mind on this.
Also interesting: There should be no steps leading up to the altar, to prevent the sacrificer's nakedness being exposed. This differentiates Israelite cultic practices from other peoples in that there is to be no sexual aspect to any worship. The blessing of fertility, already granted by God, does not need to be invoked by the people through practice.
The Law Concerning Slaves: Exodus 21.1-11
Slavery was a profession for the ancient Hebrews, a way of paying off one's debt. Here are the laws related to this profession:
A male Hebrew slaves should serve six years. In the seventh he should go free, without debt. If he comes in single, he should leave single. If he comes in married, he should leave married. If his master gives the slave a wife while the slave is at his master's service, the slaves goes free alone, while the master retains the woman and any children she bore. [By this last decree, the law seems to protect the masters' interest rather than the slave's].
If a slave loves his master, wife and children such that he wants to remain a slave, the master shall bring him to a door or doorpost and pierce the slave's ear with an awl. The slave shall then serve his master for life. [Implicit, perhaps, is that the blood will remain on the doorpost as a sign of the slave's bondage within the house.]
Daughters are to be treated differently. If a man sells his daughter as a slave [read: concubine], and she does not please her master, he shall let her he be redeemed and may not sell her to a foreign people. If the master gives the slave to his son as a concubine, he will treat her as a daughter.
A man who takes a concubine should treat the first wife as before, without diminishing her food, clothing, or marital rights. If he does not follow through with these three things, she will leave "wihtout debt, without payment of money" (Ex. 21.11).
The Law Concerning Violence: Exodus 21.12-27
Killing is punishable by death. If it was not premeditated, but rather came about by an act of God, God will appoint a place the killer may flee to. But anyone who kills by treachery and clings to an altar for protection will be killed. [Both altars and designated cities seem to be sanctuaries.]
[Let's think back to a murderer that received protection: Cain. He was protected not because he fled to a certain city, but because he was identified with a mark. In his case, however, the murder seems to be premeditated, so had this law existed during his time, he would not have received protection.]
Whoever strikes (not kills, but strikes) or curses his father or mother will be put to death.
Whoever kidnaps a person (whether or not sold as a slave) will be put to death. [Remember the Jacob story? His brothers were lucky this legislation was not in effect.]
If one man strikes another such that the man is injured though not dead, and recovers so that he can walk with a staff, the assailant shall pay for time lost and arrange for full recovery, but otherwise be free of liability.
If a slave owner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. [The punishment is not specified.] If the slave survives a day or two [and then dies? - it is not specified] there is no punishment. [Again, this legislation protects the slave owner, who owns the slave as property.]
When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman and cause a miscarriage, but she is otherwise alright, the responsible party shall be fined what the woman's husband demands, a price determined by a judge. Any harm that follows shall require "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (Ex 21.23-25).
When a slave owner destroys the eye of or knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the owner shall let the slave go free as compensation for the eye or tooth. [Isn't that strange? A master owns a slave, but a slave owns his body parts. Furthermore, these body parts are equivalent to the price of freedom! But if the slave is only injured, there is to be no reparation.]
Laws Concerning Property: Exodus 21.28-36
An ox that gores a person to death should be stoned and not eaten, though the owner of the ox will not be liable.
An ox that has gored in the past and is not restrained by its owner should be stoned if it kills a man, woman, or child, and the owner shall be put to death unless he pays a ransom. If this ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay the slave's owner 30 shekels of silver and the ox shall be stoned.
If someone leaves a pit open and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall pay a restitution to the animal's owner, but keep the dead animal. [There is nothing about eating the animal.]
If one ox hurts another, the owners shall split the dead ox and sell the live one, dividing its price. But if the ox is known to have gored in the past, and is not restrained by its owner, the owner should restore the killed ox, but keep the dead one.
Laws of Restitution: Exodus 22.1-15
Someone who steals an ox or sheep who slaughters or sells it, shall make a restitution of five ox for an ox, four sheep for a sheep, if discovered. If unable to do so, the thief shall be sold. If an animal is found alive in a thief's possession, the thief will pay double.
No blood-guilt will be incurred if a thief is found breaking in to a home and is beaten to death before sunrise. After sunrise, blood-guilt will be incurred.
If someone causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his livestock graze in someone else's field, that person shall make restitution with the best of his field or vineyard.
One who makes a fire that consumes collected grain or a field shall make full restitution.
If someone gives a neighbor money or goods for safe keeping, and they are stolen, the thief will pay double if caught. If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought before God to determine whether the owner stole the goods.
Disputes of ownership involving oxen, donkeys, sheep, clothing, or other items shall be brought before God. The one that God condemns shall pay the other double. [How condemnation is determined, I have no idea.]
If any animal is given to another for safekeeping, and it dies or is injured or is carried off, and there is no witness, an oath shall be given before the Lord. If the oath is made, the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution is required. If the animal is stolen, the owner shall make restitution. If it is mangled by beasts, restitution shall not be made. [I am unclear as to the difference between an animal being "carried off" and "stolen."]
One who borrows an animal that dies shall make full restitution to the owner if the owner was absent. If the owner was present, no restitution is required. If the animal was hired, only the hiring fee is due.
Tomorrow: Social and religious laws.
The Law Concerning the Altar / The Law Concerning Slaves / The Law Concerning Violence / Laws Concerning Property / Laws of Restitution
Here we are at a very legalistic section of the bible, one that primarily deals with laws instead of stories. I have been thinking of a way to read this as a piece of literature, rather than a legal text. I admit that I do not have many great ideas right now, but bear with me - I will find something. Also, it might be interesting just to read these laws and prohibitions in order to discover what the author does and does not value.
Here is a bit of literature, though. This section appears soon after Jethro's advice to Moses regarding laws. Though these laws are coming down to Moses, this is the first time the reader is being exposed to them in their entirety. Just as Moses reveals the law to the people, the biblical authors reveal the law to the reader.
The Law Concerning the Altar: Exodus 20.22-26
The Israelites have seen God speaking with Moses. The Lord then gives laws concerning the altar:
No gods of silver or gold "alongside" God. All that is needed is an altar made of earth on which sacrifices will be offered. The altar can be made of stone, but they should not be hewn stones; a chisel will profane the altar.
Interesting: "In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you" (Ex. 20.24). This means that for the moment there is no central Temple; God may be worshipped anywhere that an altar is made for him. Later on, God will change his mind on this.
Also interesting: There should be no steps leading up to the altar, to prevent the sacrificer's nakedness being exposed. This differentiates Israelite cultic practices from other peoples in that there is to be no sexual aspect to any worship. The blessing of fertility, already granted by God, does not need to be invoked by the people through practice.
The Law Concerning Slaves: Exodus 21.1-11
Slavery was a profession for the ancient Hebrews, a way of paying off one's debt. Here are the laws related to this profession:
A male Hebrew slaves should serve six years. In the seventh he should go free, without debt. If he comes in single, he should leave single. If he comes in married, he should leave married. If his master gives the slave a wife while the slave is at his master's service, the slaves goes free alone, while the master retains the woman and any children she bore. [By this last decree, the law seems to protect the masters' interest rather than the slave's].
If a slave loves his master, wife and children such that he wants to remain a slave, the master shall bring him to a door or doorpost and pierce the slave's ear with an awl. The slave shall then serve his master for life. [Implicit, perhaps, is that the blood will remain on the doorpost as a sign of the slave's bondage within the house.]
Daughters are to be treated differently. If a man sells his daughter as a slave [read: concubine], and she does not please her master, he shall let her he be redeemed and may not sell her to a foreign people. If the master gives the slave to his son as a concubine, he will treat her as a daughter.
A man who takes a concubine should treat the first wife as before, without diminishing her food, clothing, or marital rights. If he does not follow through with these three things, she will leave "wihtout debt, without payment of money" (Ex. 21.11).
The Law Concerning Violence: Exodus 21.12-27
Killing is punishable by death. If it was not premeditated, but rather came about by an act of God, God will appoint a place the killer may flee to. But anyone who kills by treachery and clings to an altar for protection will be killed. [Both altars and designated cities seem to be sanctuaries.]
[Let's think back to a murderer that received protection: Cain. He was protected not because he fled to a certain city, but because he was identified with a mark. In his case, however, the murder seems to be premeditated, so had this law existed during his time, he would not have received protection.]
Whoever strikes (not kills, but strikes) or curses his father or mother will be put to death.
Whoever kidnaps a person (whether or not sold as a slave) will be put to death. [Remember the Jacob story? His brothers were lucky this legislation was not in effect.]
If one man strikes another such that the man is injured though not dead, and recovers so that he can walk with a staff, the assailant shall pay for time lost and arrange for full recovery, but otherwise be free of liability.
If a slave owner strikes a male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies immediately, the owner shall be punished. [The punishment is not specified.] If the slave survives a day or two [and then dies? - it is not specified] there is no punishment. [Again, this legislation protects the slave owner, who owns the slave as property.]
When people who are fighting injure a pregnant woman and cause a miscarriage, but she is otherwise alright, the responsible party shall be fined what the woman's husband demands, a price determined by a judge. Any harm that follows shall require "life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe" (Ex 21.23-25).
When a slave owner destroys the eye of or knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the owner shall let the slave go free as compensation for the eye or tooth. [Isn't that strange? A master owns a slave, but a slave owns his body parts. Furthermore, these body parts are equivalent to the price of freedom! But if the slave is only injured, there is to be no reparation.]
Laws Concerning Property: Exodus 21.28-36
An ox that gores a person to death should be stoned and not eaten, though the owner of the ox will not be liable.
An ox that has gored in the past and is not restrained by its owner should be stoned if it kills a man, woman, or child, and the owner shall be put to death unless he pays a ransom. If this ox gores a male or female slave, the owner shall pay the slave's owner 30 shekels of silver and the ox shall be stoned.
If someone leaves a pit open and an ox or donkey falls into it, the owner of the pit shall pay a restitution to the animal's owner, but keep the dead animal. [There is nothing about eating the animal.]
If one ox hurts another, the owners shall split the dead ox and sell the live one, dividing its price. But if the ox is known to have gored in the past, and is not restrained by its owner, the owner should restore the killed ox, but keep the dead one.
Laws of Restitution: Exodus 22.1-15
Someone who steals an ox or sheep who slaughters or sells it, shall make a restitution of five ox for an ox, four sheep for a sheep, if discovered. If unable to do so, the thief shall be sold. If an animal is found alive in a thief's possession, the thief will pay double.
No blood-guilt will be incurred if a thief is found breaking in to a home and is beaten to death before sunrise. After sunrise, blood-guilt will be incurred.
If someone causes a field or vineyard to be grazed over, or lets his livestock graze in someone else's field, that person shall make restitution with the best of his field or vineyard.
One who makes a fire that consumes collected grain or a field shall make full restitution.
If someone gives a neighbor money or goods for safe keeping, and they are stolen, the thief will pay double if caught. If the thief is not caught, the owner of the house shall be brought before God to determine whether the owner stole the goods.
Disputes of ownership involving oxen, donkeys, sheep, clothing, or other items shall be brought before God. The one that God condemns shall pay the other double. [How condemnation is determined, I have no idea.]
If any animal is given to another for safekeeping, and it dies or is injured or is carried off, and there is no witness, an oath shall be given before the Lord. If the oath is made, the owner shall accept the oath, and no restitution is required. If the animal is stolen, the owner shall make restitution. If it is mangled by beasts, restitution shall not be made. [I am unclear as to the difference between an animal being "carried off" and "stolen."]
One who borrows an animal that dies shall make full restitution to the owner if the owner was absent. If the owner was present, no restitution is required. If the animal was hired, only the hiring fee is due.
Tomorrow: Social and religious laws.
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