Readings for today: Exodus 19-21
I try to imagine myself at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Coming face to face with the glory and power of God. Thunder. Lightning. Smoke. Fire. Clouds descending on the summit. It must have been an awe-inspiring sight. And then to hear the first words of God. Words of such grace. “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” Before we get to any of the laws and commandments and rules for living, we learn about relationship. This God is our God. This God delivered us from bondage and oppression. This God set us free from slavery. Remember the Israelites didn’t really know this God. They hadn’t really spent any time with Him. All they had were a few stories handed down over generations. Now God is giving them a new story. Now God is forming them into a new people. Now God is renewing the covenant He first made with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and further defining the relationship He will have with them.
I remember when I first met God. I too had been raised on the stories of God. Stories that had been passed down over the centuries. Stories in Sunday School. Stories from my parents. Stories of God’s faithfulness and God’s goodness. But then I came face to face with God on the campus of the University of Colorado in Boulder. Walking on the sidewalk one day reflecting on the Bible study I had attended the night before and suddenly feeling overwhelmed by God’s presence. Realizing for the first time in my life that Jesus was not just some story but an actual Person who wanted to have a relationship with me! On that day, Jesus gave me a new story. He adopted me into His family. He renewed the covenant and further defined the relationship He desired to have with me. My life has never been the same.
Today’s reading represents a hinge point in the Book of Exodus. We move from sweeping epic to Israelite case law and it’s tempting to skip over this part. I remember my eyes glazing over during this section the first several times I read through the Bible in a year. Ha! However, if we slow down and read carefully, some wonderful truths are revealed. The laws God gives reveal His nature and character. They are similar and yet critically different than the laws of the nations around them. Almost all societies, even ancient ones, have laws prohibiting murder, stealing, lying, etc. Old Testament law is unique, however, in that it protects women, children, and families. It restricts revenge by instituting the principle of lex talionis - otherwise known as “an eye for an eye and a tooth for tooth” - thus making justice proportional. Furthermore, it makes slavery a voluntary arrangement. Available for those who cannot pay their debts. Freedom was a guarantee unless the slave himself chose otherwise. Protections were built in to prevent abuse and slave trading was punishable by death. “Whoever steals a man and sells him, and anyone found in possession of him, shall be put to death.” (Ex. 21:16) These are massive advances in human rights and set the nation of Israel apart from the other nations around them.
This is exactly God’s point, by the way. Remember, in “Abraham” all the nations of the earth would be blessed. It will be through Abraham and his descendants (now starting to “outnumber” the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore) that the world will come to know Yahweh is God. Pharaoh’s already learned this lesson the hard way. Other nations now have the opportunity to learn from Israel. To model their own national life and laws after the Law of God. In giving Israel His Law, God is setting them up to serve as a light to the nations. An example to the Gentiles. He wants the nations of the earth to see what life looks like in His Kingdom. When Israel is faithful to the Law, the nations will flock to her. She will experience blessing and peace and prosperity. When she disobeys the Law, she will be judged and punished thereby continuing to serve God’s purposes as He makes an example of them in His wrath. The point of it all is that God is now in relationship with Israel and Israel with God. She is bound to Him through His saving grace and He will never let her go.
The same is true for us today, friends. The church of Jesus Christ – made up of Jews and Gentiles together – is still being called to be the light of the world. The salt of the earth. As we lean into Christ, God’s law is written on our hearts and we become a new people. May the town of Parker, the wider Metro Denver community, and even the world see what life looks like in God’s Kingdom as they look to us!
Readings for tomorrow: 22-24