Priests, Presence, and a Preposition (Ex 19)
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Setup/Recap
Setup/Recap
Illustration: Consider a moment in your life where you were preparing for a major transition in your life. Perhaps it was a graduation or a new job, or a new relationship/marriage. What filled your mind as you prepared for these types of events.? Maybe you felt excitement and wonder - a hope at the possibilities of the future
Maybe you felt nervous, maybe even anxious - fearful of what the future and this transition would mean for you.
What is my future going to be like? What am i going to do next? Will it go well with me? Am I going to succeed?
Often these significant transition or transformations in our life greatly impact our sense of identity and purpose. That is the moment we are stepping to in Exodus 19.
one of the most pivotal chapters in the Bible, that invites us to contemplate the major transition/transformation of encountering the God of Isreal.
RECAP
On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone out of the land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. They set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, and they encamped in the wilderness. There Israel encamped before the mountain,
out of egypt, then wilderness testings, now we are here at this mountain - and we will be here for 1 whole year. The rest of Exodus, all of Leviticus, and the first movement of Numbers will take place at this mountain.
A Nation of Priests - before the priesthood?
A Nation of Priests - before the priesthood?
while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”
this i very very important line in the history of Israel. In this short declaration, we get what Israel is supposed to be and do.
This is Steve Jobs walking out with the Iphone. At this point Israel has no idea really what God wants with them, or what and how they are to worship him. This is the elevator pitch for Israels function and design under God.
a preamble
a preamble
And this is, maybe a good way to think of it, is a preamble to the convenant about to be made. Right, think of the US constitution.
We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America
We get the people who are agreeing to the covenenant “we the people” and then we get what they are trying to do “form a more perfect union “ etc.
we get the same thing here in Exodus
while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself.
Introduces us to the partakers of the covenant - God and Israel
First, we get two commands that summarize the obligations that Isreal has to God
1) to listen/obey the voice of YHWH - “obey obey” in the hebrew, repeated for emphasis
2) obey his covenant
If they can do that, there is then blessing; they will be a
“treasured posession” - not a warm fuzzy term, but rather a technical term used in treaties to designate a valuabe resource
For example, in a treaty between two nations, one nation might promise to grant the other access to a valuable resource, such as a particular trade route or a strategic location, in exchange for certain concessions or commitments. In this context, the valuable resource being promised could be described as a "סְגֻלָּה," emphasizing its significance and desirability to the receiving party. Whats interesting here is in this covenant the valuable resource God wants is us.
“Kingdom of priests and a holy nation” - whats the issue with this? we dont have the priests yet. So what might have been in the readers had in their minds when they though of ‘priest’ - Egyptian priests, and Mesopotamian priest
Hermeneutical Exercies 1:Contextual Analysis - research Egyptian and Mesopatamian understandings of what a preist was and did
What are some things yall found? what are some things that stood out?
[mediation of gods to people, perform duties on behalf of the gods, work in the temple]
okay so there was a lot of stuff about temples - whats interesting about that in our context?
God calls his people to be a kingdom of priests(which is odd, that a whole nation would have this role), which most of their ideas about being a priest would consist of working in a temple - yet as it stands, he doesnt have a temple? Or does he?
Its so important I think to know this context of Mesopotamian priesthood because what we will see God do is riff on these ideas, some he will enhance and some he will contrast when he institutes his own priesthood.
Later we are going to get instructions and examples of the Israelite the priesthood, and Aaron and his sons are going to do in a micro scale, what Israel should be doing on a global scale - some of the things are captured in the idea though are imported over from their idea of priesthood.
Also, later we’re going to get a tabernacle. We’ll talk more about this when we get to that section - but what kind of imagery is in the tabernacle? garden imagery - fruits, blossoms - harkening back to creation and the garden of Eden.
In Genesis 1, what were Adam and Eve charged with doing? to work and keep the garden - the same words that will be used of Aaron and the priests later on in our narrative. So Arron and his sons were were to work and keep the tabernacle - the temple of God.
So what can we infer back and say about the garden and the whole world? Does God have a temple? exactly, the whole world is God’s temple!
so what does it mean to be a “kingdom of priests” - what temple are they going to work? its even hinted at in verse 5! The whole world, “all the earth”!
Isreal was to a priestly nation - to help bring God to the nations, and help bring that nations to God - all while facilitating the work and care of his earthly temple.
Why is this a big deal to us?
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.
Up or Up To?
Up or Up To?
So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. All the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever.”
When Moses told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses, “Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
Does anyone have another translation beside ESV or NASB? Because if you start comparing translations on verses 12 and 13, you run in to an issue
Exodus 19:12–13 (ESV)
And you shall set limits for the people all around, saying, ‘Take care not to go up into the mountain or touch the edge of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot; whether beast or man, he shall not live.’ When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they shall come up to the mountain.”
Put boundaries for the people all around the mountain and say: Be careful that you don’t go up on the mountain or touch its base. Anyone who touches the mountain must be put to death. No hand may touch him; instead he will be stoned or shot with arrows and not live, whether animal or human. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up the mountain.”
You must set boundaries for the people all around, saying, ‘Take heed to yourselves not to go up on the mountain nor touch its edge. Whoever touches the mountain will surely be put to death! No hand will touch him—but he will surely be stoned or shot through, whether a beast or a human being; he must not live.’ When the ram’s horn sounds a long blast they may go up on the mountain.”
Whats the issue if 13 says “go up on the mountain”?
So how do we know which one it is?
context/logic/narrative progression is a good first step - BUT we cant let our assumptions dictate the logical progression, we must let the narrative give use the progression of the text. We have to take the text as it is presented to us, not as we want it to be.
word study!
Hermeneutical Exercise 2:Word Study - research on uses of the word by the author
So this word study really just confuses us more - its not that it CANT mean “up to” its just not the most natural reading of the text -
and to echo that - Deut 5:5 - uses the same wording to say that they did not go up the mountain.
while I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord. For you were afraid because of the fire, and you did not go up into the mountain. He said:
but here’s another interesting piece of the puzzle - this whole thing was a test
Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.” Moses said to the people, “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” The people stood far off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.
so now we have two questions then:
What was the command? To go up to the mountain, or to go up to the mountain?
And what was the test?
Three Interpretations
Three Interpretations
they were commanded to go up TO the mountain (not on) - and they passed the test by fearing God and not going up the mountain
they were commanded to go UP the mountain - and they failed the test because they were afraid of God
they were commanded to go up the mountain - BUT they actually passed the test by fearing God enough to know that they couldnt go up the mountain because of the nature of God (without mediation/being made holy)
Interpretation 1
Interpretation 1
so this interpretation i think was what i was before studying this passage deeply. but through doing the word study, and seeing the translations in all other parts of the Torah AND especially Deut 5:5 where it makes the claim of the people “they did not go up” - its almost echoing, they didn't do what they were commanded. I guess the argument could be made that Deuteronomy is commending their fear - that they did not go up the mountain (as they were commanded) but i think that's a weaker reading of the text in Hebrew - and its interesting that it notes that they were afraid “because of the fire” NOT because of YHWH.
This interpretation however easily solves the issue of the double command of God - “dont go up, go up”
Yet, the burning bush somewhat echos this interpretation of the “dont come any closer” - so it could be a similar situation with ISreal, God wants nearness, but there is a special nearness only reserved for Moses and the priests.
Interpretation 2
Interpretation 2
i was not very inclined to this interpretation at the start of my study on this passage - as i didnt think it made sense. Why would God command them to not touch the mountain and then go up the mountain. Yet, after studying the passage, i do think the Hebrew lends itself to “go up the mountain” .
A few strong biblical arguments for this are the fact that the ram horn blows and blows, and that perhaps Deut 5:5 suggest they were afraid of the fire and NOT God, so they were supposed to go up and enjoy a deeper relationship with him
this view is summarized with some application here:
In Exodus 19:1-6 God calls Israel a treasured possession, a royal priesthood, and a holy nation, if they "obey my voice" (Gen. 26:5) and "keep the covenant" (Gen 17:9) given to Abraham which is kept not by works but by faith. Part of God's desire for the "kingly priests" of Israel is that they go up the mountain to worship him (cf. Exodus 3:12, 19:13b, Ex. 20:18-20, Deut .5:2-5) only after they consecrated themselves and waited until God called them up the mountain with a trumpet blast on the third day (the day of Pentecost- 50 days after leaving Egypt). When the trumpet was blown the people did not go up the mountain but feared in a away that led them to stand far off from God and to take their stand at the foot of the mountain (cf. Exodus 19:16-17, 20:18-20, Deut 5:5). Their fear primarily led them to distance themselves from God rather than fearing God in a way that led them closer to Him. This distance is shown through the rest of chapter 19 as a distinction is made between the priests and the people and Moses has to go up the mountain without the people. The boundary that was around the people for consecration is now set around the mountain creating even more distance (19:12,23).
As application, we are reminded of Presence: God's promised presence and his desire for a personal relationship with his people; Consecration: we are reminded of God's delight in a holy, set apart people who are a city within a city. Fear: We are brought to remember that we must fear God not in a way that distances us from him but draws us to lean into him with loving faith. Obedience: And we must be called to walk in obedience to God's commands.”
Tim Mackie on the Bible Project also points forward this view on this podcast episode - https://bibleproject.com/podcast/testing-mount-sinai/
Interpretation 3
Interpretation 3
The people were commanded to go up the fountain, but they weren't actually supposed to go up. God was testing to see if they would fear him and know that they weren't able to enter into his presence as they are.
Perhaps the strongest argument for this is Deut 5:28-29
“And the Lord heard your words, when you spoke to me. And the Lord said to me, ‘I have heard the words of this people, which they have spoken to you. They are right in all that they have spoken. Oh that they had such a heart as this always, to fear me and to keep all my commandments, that it might go well with them and with their descendants forever!
where God commends the people for having this heart of fear. The counter argument to this verse would be that God is commending their here - if they had that kind of fear always, then it would be good - BUT it still wasnt what he wanted them to do. But it does seem more so that he is commending them.
This view would then highlight that although God invites us in to his presence, we have to fear enough to know that we arent able to go up in his presence without dying. Thus we need a mediator, Moses to go up on our behalf.
Dr Carmen Imes presents this as an alternative view on the Bibleproject Podcast -https://bibleproject.com/podcast/two-takes-test-mount-sinai/
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they also recap these different views with some additional thoughts on the Exodus QA podcast - https://bibleproject.com/podcast/did-god-try-kill-moses/