WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.020 Good morning, everybody. My name is Timothy Hine. It's a privilege and a pleasure to share with you 00:00:05.020 --> 00:00:12.620 all. For those online, I encourage you to keep Pastor Greg's account on there. We're going to 00:00:12.620 --> 00:00:17.179 try this little dry erase board action today a little bit, kind of make it a little more at home 00:00:17.179 --> 00:00:22.600 like, all in person like, so I hope that works out well for everybody. I do hope you have the handout 00:00:22.600 --> 00:00:27.359 on you. There's way more on there than we're going to cover, especially in the first two pages, 00:00:27.359 --> 00:00:31.980 but I do just want to say that at the outset, since I'm teaching also next week on Leviticus, 00:00:32.640 --> 00:00:39.119 there are a few things I'm going to leave hanging today on purpose because we'll catch those next 00:00:39.119 --> 00:00:46.239 Sunday when we hit Leviticus, especially talking about Christians and the law, and we'll talk a 00:00:46.239 --> 00:00:52.159 little bit more about the tabernacle next week as well, so I guess a shameless plug to come next 00:00:52.159 --> 00:01:00.000 Sunday school, so that's there. Let's pray, and then we'll just go ahead and jump right into it 00:01:00.000 --> 00:01:07.700 this morning, so let's ask God's help today. Gracious Heavenly Father, merciful God, we thank you that you 00:01:07.700 --> 00:01:14.019 are a good Father in heaven, and you provide and protect your people, even on a rainy New Haven morning. 00:01:14.019 --> 00:01:21.379 Thank you for the good news that you sent Christ to rescue us from sin, and thank you for the good news 00:01:21.379 --> 00:01:28.539 that you have recorded all that you have done in history so that we might know you and love you more 00:01:28.539 --> 00:01:35.199 for it. Teach us from your word now as we look briefly at the entire 40 chapters of Exodus, 00:01:35.979 --> 00:01:41.280 and Lord, we pray that we would be more like Christ for it. It's in Jesus' name that we pray and ask. Amen. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:49.219 All right, I'm just going to mute the audio on this one here. Let's see. Oh, yeah, okay. All right, so 00:01:49.219 --> 00:01:57.159 by way of introduction into the book of Exodus itself, I just want to pause at the outset there 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:03.159 and talk a little bit about the Old Testament itself and specifically the Pentateuch, because I 00:02:03.159 --> 00:02:10.420 think it's important to remember as Christians, we have this text that we call the Bible, but the first 00:02:10.419 --> 00:02:17.579 half of it, particularly the Pentateuch, is really a Jewish text, right? And especially when it comes to 00:02:17.579 --> 00:02:25.299 the Pentateuch, we're dealing with God's self-revelation of himself, God's law given to an ancient 00:02:25.299 --> 00:02:32.479 people, Israel. And so at the outset, when we read this, we really want to think carefully and just 00:02:32.479 --> 00:02:39.019 acknowledge for the moment that we are dealing with a text that came to a people group that was 00:02:39.019 --> 00:02:46.479 not us as Christians initially at the outset, because oftentimes what can happen is as Christians, 00:02:46.599 --> 00:02:52.039 but I think sometimes the reason we struggle to understand the Old Testament in particular, 00:02:52.479 --> 00:02:59.620 or the Old Testament in general, the Pentateuch in particular, is that we sometimes forget or don't 00:02:59.620 --> 00:03:04.539 give due credence to the fact that not only is there a couple thousand years of history between 00:03:04.539 --> 00:03:13.099 us and the events of the text, but there's also at a certain level a spiritual distance that we have 00:03:13.099 --> 00:03:20.659 to the text. No one in this room, maybe I'm mistaken, but none of us online or in this room are 00:03:20.659 --> 00:03:28.020 biological descendants of Abraham. None of us were slaves in Egypt. None of us were born and raised in 00:03:28.020 --> 00:03:34.760 Palestine. None of us went to Shabbat, went to the temple or the synagogue for service. So there's a 00:03:34.760 --> 00:03:42.580 whole economy of life that is the first audience to the Pentateuch in particular, the Old Testament 00:03:42.580 --> 00:03:48.280 as a whole. And as Christians, it's a helpful, I think it's a helpful exercise for us to just to take 00:03:48.280 --> 00:03:54.460 a quick pause and recognize, okay, when I come to this text, I'm coming to this text as a Christ follower, 00:03:54.460 --> 00:04:01.620 as a Christian. And that's going to be different from, say, the way a Jewish person is going to take 00:04:01.620 --> 00:04:07.680 a look at this text. My colleagues at the university are going to look at this text. My Hindus can look 00:04:07.680 --> 00:04:12.560 at this text. Muslims can look at this text. And so just to pause and acknowledge for just a brief moment 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:19.240 that we are dealing with a text that as Christians is part of our Bible, part of our Christian Bible, 00:04:19.240 --> 00:04:26.740 Bible Bible, but that wasn't its first audience right away. That said, as Christians, we need to 00:04:26.740 --> 00:04:35.660 begin by recognizing that God's word is his self-revelation of himself to us, and that God did so at a 00:04:35.660 --> 00:04:42.819 particular times in human history. And we find ourselves at a particular time and place in human 00:04:42.819 --> 00:04:49.839 history ourselves, reading this historically embedded text. It's an ancient text, not about 00:04:49.839 --> 00:04:56.899 life in New Haven, Connecticut and its situation. That's our situation. We're in New Haven, Connecticut. 00:04:56.899 --> 00:05:02.300 We're living in the 21st century. And so taking a moment to just kind of mentally before we approach 00:05:02.300 --> 00:05:08.100 the text, say, okay, this is the text context. This is my context. And then we march forward. But this is 00:05:08.100 --> 00:05:13.540 God's word. It's inspired. It's authoritative. And it's revealed to us, revealing and revealed to us 00:05:13.540 --> 00:05:18.740 and revealing to us who he is and what he's done. So lastly, by way of introduction, then 00:05:18.740 --> 00:05:27.160 I just want to say in regards to the Pentateuch as a unit, all five books, there's a tremendous amount 00:05:27.160 --> 00:05:33.240 of continuity from book to book. If you've ever had the privilege or taken the time to just sit and read 00:05:33.240 --> 00:05:38.720 Genesis through Deuteronomy, it's a chore. Let's just be honest, right? You get to Numbers and you're 00:05:38.720 --> 00:05:45.600 like, man, a lot of begatting happened here, right? Or in Leviticus next week, as you hopefully get a 00:05:45.600 --> 00:05:53.980 chance to read Leviticus, it's just law after law. It can be challenging. Absolutely. But if you look at 00:05:53.980 --> 00:06:00.740 it, the differences aren't from Genesis to Exodus to Leviticus numbers aren't as dramatic as it may 00:06:00.740 --> 00:06:08.259 first appear. For example, you can find all 10 commandments that we see in Exodus 20 within the 00:06:08.259 --> 00:06:16.319 first few chapters of Genesis. There's themes of worship and sacrifice and redemption that bleed 00:06:16.319 --> 00:06:22.019 through every story across the Pentateuch. And then you come to places like Leviticus where it's like, 00:06:22.060 --> 00:06:26.139 okay, these are the formal sacrifices. These are the sacrifices you need to make. These are the times to do 00:06:26.139 --> 00:06:32.879 it. The Pentateuch's narrative flows from the tall adults in Genesis, you know, the story of Abraham, 00:06:33.060 --> 00:06:41.620 the story of Isaac, the story of Jacob, to there's history, there's legal and religious code, 00:06:41.759 --> 00:06:47.019 there's genealogies, and back again. As you read, there's kind of a narrative arc even to the 00:06:47.019 --> 00:06:54.799 Pentateuch, not just straight law or straight history. And even there, the history itself 00:06:54.799 --> 00:07:06.599 is theologized history. It's not Encyclopedia Britannica reporting data. This is God telling us 00:07:06.599 --> 00:07:13.219 on purpose these things with a particular goal in mind and the teaching of these things that happened 00:07:13.220 --> 00:07:18.220 that happened to the people of Israel that are for us to learn who he is and what he's done for us. 00:07:18.840 --> 00:07:27.500 So Torah is God's word. It's God's self-revelation. It's God's history of his creation and his redemption 00:07:27.500 --> 00:07:34.060 plan through the Hebrew peoples, Abraham's descendants, historically situated by the time and place 00:07:34.060 --> 00:07:40.740 and people that Torah came to us today. And in our book today, Exodus, as it's called, 00:07:40.740 --> 00:07:48.220 as we're going to see, as we'll see here, is the defining story for the Jewish people and for us 00:07:48.220 --> 00:07:54.420 as Christians to understand God's redemption plan. The Israelites, the ancient Israelites are people 00:07:54.420 --> 00:08:04.699 miraculously rescued from slavery by God to worship him. So let me pause there just to say by way of 00:08:04.699 --> 00:08:12.199 recap. It's a text situated in a particular history. And you have on page two, I believe it is, I'm sorry, 00:08:12.300 --> 00:08:18.659 page three, I've taken the liberty to kind of make a kind of uber outline of the entire Old Testament 00:08:18.659 --> 00:08:24.240 with the books of the Bible peppered in there as well and some key figures, a little bit of world 00:08:24.240 --> 00:08:30.680 history as well, just to kind of put our minds in the world, not just of these Hebrew slaves who are 00:08:30.680 --> 00:08:38.600 taken out of Egypt, but then also to those first readers in the wilderness when Moses comes down 00:08:38.600 --> 00:08:45.039 and says, hey, this is what God told me. So you have that there for your benefit. There's more 00:08:45.039 --> 00:08:51.120 and more there than there's time to read through. So I'm not going to bother with that. Also in your 00:08:51.120 --> 00:08:55.500 handout on page two, there's a bunch of things about the pen, a couple of more things about the 00:08:55.500 --> 00:08:59.740 Pentateuch and the way it's structured and the literary plan of the Pentateuch. I'll leave that 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:06.320 for you to enjoy later. That bit on the Old Testament law, we'll talk about that next Sunday. 00:09:06.840 --> 00:09:13.419 Come back. Shameless plug. There we go again. But let me just pause there. I kind of downloaded a whole 00:09:13.419 --> 00:09:22.539 bunch by way of just orientation. Am I making sense? Any comments, questions, concerns before we march 00:09:22.539 --> 00:09:27.579 forward here? So I just want to, I'm kind of taking a little bit more of a historical look at the moment 00:09:27.579 --> 00:09:32.519 before we jump to a more theological reflection. But I want to, I just want to make sure we're on the 00:09:32.519 --> 00:09:36.779 same page there. So if you're online, raise, use the raise your hand function in person. You can raise 00:09:36.779 --> 00:09:54.319 your hand as well. Yes. You sure? Okay. Okay. No worries. No worries. Fantastic. Fantastic. A 00:09:54.319 --> 00:10:02.419 preemptive hand raise. We're all good. It's okay. It's okay. So, all right. Well, let's, let's, 00:10:02.419 --> 00:10:07.299 let's take care of a few more historical bits and bops, as they say, and then we'll, and we'll dive 00:10:07.299 --> 00:10:14.500 into text. So reading the text Christianly, I just want to take a quick, one more quick moment on that. 00:10:14.579 --> 00:10:21.599 If you're on, on your handout, I'm looking here at page four now, reading the Old Testament 00:10:21.599 --> 00:10:28.399 Christianly. And last week, oh, it was a Luke. Yeah. Luke talked about how like in the Pentateuch, 00:10:28.399 --> 00:10:36.000 we can read it through the, we can read the ultimate covenants through a creation, fall, 00:10:36.120 --> 00:10:41.919 redemption, hermeneutic as well. I'm going to lean more on that side of the equation for those who were 00:10:41.919 --> 00:10:47.679 there last, here last Sunday. Cause I think it's, I hope you'll see why I think that's a little bit 00:10:47.679 --> 00:10:53.179 more helpful for us with the book of Exodus in particular. So reading Christianly, just a couple 00:10:53.179 --> 00:10:57.579 comments on that. You have there, that little diagram there, if you want to fill it in. 00:10:57.580 --> 00:11:06.540 Um, if you're not familiar, when we talk about scripture as kind of, uh, the main meta narrative, 00:11:06.740 --> 00:11:14.500 the big picture of scripture, we're talking, we start of course with creation, right? And then we have 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:22.879 the fall, things get really bad. God made things good. In fact, very good in many places, Adam and Eve 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:32.019 in humanity messed it up. We fell and then Christ comes to redeem it all and make right what was once 00:11:32.019 --> 00:11:41.179 wrong. And then anyone want to take a stab? What's that last bit? A raise of hand, hand. I'm sorry. 00:11:41.419 --> 00:11:46.539 The coming of Christ. Yeah. The coming of Christ. Yeah. The consummation. We'll use a big word today. 00:11:46.539 --> 00:11:56.939 Con, let me do it a little bigger. Sorry guys. For everyone online. Con, some, a, shun. Oh, I can't spell 00:11:56.939 --> 00:12:04.319 today. O-N. Consummation. If you can read my penmanship, you're ready for Hebrew. Consummation, 00:12:04.320 --> 00:12:12.480 right? So creation, things made good, very good. The fall messes things up. Christ comes to redeem it. 00:12:12.640 --> 00:12:19.500 And all of history is kind of working up to that high point of Christ's redemption. And then here we 00:12:19.500 --> 00:12:27.260 are somewhere in here. We'll say, we don't know where, um, Trinity Baptist Church, somewhere in there. 00:12:27.259 --> 00:12:33.279 And then it comes to another climax once again, as we learn to live the time between the times, 00:12:33.279 --> 00:12:42.059 so to speak, where Christ has come. Salvation is already, but not yet. And here we find ourselves 00:12:42.059 --> 00:12:49.740 wrestling with God's redemption plan and how the story of the Exodus and God's law works out for us 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:56.439 in this in-between time of Christ, but things aren't as they're going to be as they ought to be. 00:12:56.440 --> 00:13:02.720 So as Christians, then we want to recognize first that the Old Testament was inspired in 00:13:02.720 --> 00:13:07.820 authoritative, an authoritative text for ancient Israel, like I said earlier. And then secondly, 00:13:08.040 --> 00:13:12.240 as I said before, we want to recognize the Old Testament and in particular the Pentateuch 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:19.480 was God's self-revelation of himself. He isn't just telling us historical facts. He isn't just giving 00:13:19.480 --> 00:13:26.280 us a theologized history. He's revealing himself, his character. Spoiler alert for next week. 00:13:26.440 --> 00:13:32.720 The law reveals God's character, not that he has a to-do, a spiritual to-do list for us. 00:13:34.220 --> 00:13:40.260 When God, in chapter, in Exodus chapter one and two, God hears the cries of his people. 00:13:40.259 --> 00:13:49.939 If you read the Pentateuch through, that's no surprise because God also heard when Hagar cried 00:13:49.939 --> 00:13:56.879 out to God after Sarah kicked her out of the house with Ishmael, God heard. Then God saw and God 00:13:56.879 --> 00:14:02.480 promised a blessing to Ishmael. Check it out. It's almost as big a promise. It's about as big a 00:14:02.480 --> 00:14:08.539 promise as he gave to Abraham in some respects. Kind of a big deal there, but I'm getting distracted here. 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:16.679 The point is God reveals his character, not just a history. God reveals a people and how he's taking 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:25.419 care, how he's providing and protecting his people. So as Christians then, we want to read with three 00:14:25.419 --> 00:14:33.399 major, major frames of reference. I summarize in three very glorious words, context, context, 00:14:33.399 --> 00:14:40.740 context. This is what keeps us out of crazy things like blowing shofars on the nation's capital. 00:14:42.039 --> 00:14:52.399 We recognize the text of the first audience, the text context. Exodus is given to Moses on Mount Sinai. 00:14:52.399 --> 00:14:57.959 And then the people, he has to come down and tell it to the people. 00:14:59.759 --> 00:15:01.319 Let that sink in for a second. 00:15:02.379 --> 00:15:10.799 What this means then, it may well be that these Hebrew slaves wandering in the wilderness don't get it right away. 00:15:11.100 --> 00:15:16.620 Just like maybe Jesus' disciples heard Jesus talk, heard the story, but they didn't get it right away, did they? 00:15:16.620 --> 00:15:22.679 Right? It wasn't until after the resurrection, the disciples were like, oh, that's what Jesus meant when he said, right? 00:15:23.419 --> 00:15:31.159 There may be a very real sense for these Hebrew slaves that as they're reading Exodus, as they're hearing Moses tell them the word of God that he got on the mountain. 00:15:32.759 --> 00:15:34.960 Oh, that's why that's going on. 00:15:35.139 --> 00:15:46.120 And then for the children in the second and third and fourth generations, Exodus has written for them to say, oh, that's why they called it manna. 00:15:46.779 --> 00:15:51.060 Because they complain and God gave them something far better than they ever expected. 00:15:51.159 --> 00:15:52.120 And they didn't know what to call it. 00:15:52.399 --> 00:15:53.399 So they called it, what is it? 00:15:53.820 --> 00:15:55.399 That's the Hebrew translation of the word manna. 00:15:55.539 --> 00:15:56.179 What is it? 00:15:57.240 --> 00:15:58.060 The stuff. 00:15:58.980 --> 00:16:01.060 Maybe a more colloquial way of saying it. 00:16:01.080 --> 00:16:01.620 The stuff. 00:16:01.620 --> 00:16:16.320 So the context of Exodus itself, the context of the text first readers is super helpful to us as Christians to keep us out of some silly mistakes, some silly pitfalls that we'll come to in a second. 00:16:16.320 --> 00:16:22.680 Then secondly, and this gets to our idea of redemptive history here, God's context. 00:16:23.140 --> 00:16:25.220 Where are we in God's redemptive plan? 00:16:25.220 --> 00:16:30.360 Where is Exodus and God's redemptive plan? 00:16:30.980 --> 00:16:32.279 It's not after Jesus. 00:16:32.279 --> 00:16:33.320 It's before Jesus. 00:16:33.800 --> 00:16:37.740 In fact, it's before King David and the establishment of a nation. 00:16:37.740 --> 00:16:42.299 It's even before the wilderness. 00:16:42.299 --> 00:16:45.980 At this point in Exodus, we're just starting the wilderness wanderings. 00:16:46.060 --> 00:16:48.539 We're just getting out of Israel, out of Egypt. 00:16:49.220 --> 00:16:50.080 So we're not even really. 00:16:50.080 --> 00:16:55.139 They're just a group of slaves that have a family connection. 00:16:56.100 --> 00:16:59.080 And they're just starting to figure out how to be a nation together. 00:16:59.740 --> 00:17:02.160 Well, that changes the game tremendously, doesn't it? 00:17:03.060 --> 00:17:05.440 No wonder they didn't follow God's law. 00:17:06.019 --> 00:17:09.340 They're still learning what, oh, it means this, not that. 00:17:09.420 --> 00:17:10.779 Okay, they're figuring it out. 00:17:11.059 --> 00:17:11.200 Right? 00:17:11.200 --> 00:17:17.200 Almost like I kind of imagine it like raising, like having a child. 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:20.019 You know, they got to learn the rules, break them a thousand times. 00:17:20.680 --> 00:17:25.500 And then eventually they'll go off to college and like, oh, that's why mom and dad gave me all those rules. 00:17:25.620 --> 00:17:26.720 Okay, it makes sense now. 00:17:28.480 --> 00:17:31.340 That's some of what's going on in terms of God's context. 00:17:31.340 --> 00:17:38.620 Because he's using these as training wheels to help his people know him and love him as he is and as he's like. 00:17:39.319 --> 00:17:42.200 And then lastly, number three, your context. 00:17:42.519 --> 00:17:44.340 What am I bringing to the text? 00:17:44.339 --> 00:17:48.119 Here we are, 21st century, we have in Connecticut. 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:54.419 What are we bringing to the text that maybe is there in the text, is not in the text? 00:17:55.079 --> 00:18:02.359 You know, the idea of a democratic republic, not exactly a political idea in ancient Egypt. 00:18:02.359 --> 00:18:11.019 The idea of, you know, this idea of freedom that we have here in the United States. 00:18:11.119 --> 00:18:13.099 I'm free to do what I want to do. 00:18:13.679 --> 00:18:18.819 Yeah, not a concept in ancient Israel, in ancient Egypt. 00:18:20.759 --> 00:18:21.899 No cell phones. 00:18:22.139 --> 00:18:22.479 Ah! 00:18:23.099 --> 00:18:23.899 No internet. 00:18:24.319 --> 00:18:24.659 Ah! 00:18:24.660 --> 00:18:26.740 These are all little things. 00:18:27.360 --> 00:18:33.200 But just take, this is what makes a historical theological text so beautiful. 00:18:33.480 --> 00:18:38.440 It gets us outside of ourselves to realize, you know what, there's a God who's vastly bigger. 00:18:38.440 --> 00:18:45.580 And he's doing the exact same kind of things today with the exact same amount of supreme power that he was doing way back then. 00:18:46.820 --> 00:18:53.180 And maybe, just maybe, some of my 21st century trappings are just that. 00:18:53.420 --> 00:19:02.120 Trappings that I need to shed and let the text expose more of who I am and who God's making me to be in Christ through this text. 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:10.179 So, and so we want to, so as Christians today, we want to, we also want to recognize we're bringing the gospel to this text too, right? 00:19:10.819 --> 00:19:12.719 Yes, we, everyone needs to shake their head. 00:19:12.779 --> 00:19:14.639 Yes, we're bringing the gospel to this text. 00:19:14.879 --> 00:19:23.559 If you're a Christian, that's the difference between a Christian and a Jew, a Christian and anyone else on planet Earth, interpreting the New Testament, interpreting anything in the New Testament or anything. 00:19:23.859 --> 00:19:26.719 We are bringing the gospel to bear on these things. 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:36.819 So, common pitfalls that this helps us avoid, equating the USA Today or modern Israel with ancient Israel. 00:19:39.180 --> 00:19:44.700 Allegorizing the text, trying to find spiritual meaning in every last minutia of detail. 00:19:46.319 --> 00:19:50.079 Those are places that aren't really helpful to go for your soul. 00:19:51.079 --> 00:19:54.339 Also, because they're not really where the text is trying to go either. 00:19:54.339 --> 00:19:59.539 The text is not trying to find spiritual value in every last minutia of detail. 00:19:59.639 --> 00:20:01.759 Did they turn left after the Red Sea or right? 00:20:02.659 --> 00:20:07.659 Important question, a good historical question, but, you know, do they cover one mile a day or three? 00:20:08.519 --> 00:20:10.559 Doesn't really, that's not super important. 00:20:10.980 --> 00:20:12.740 And there's no spiritual value. 00:20:13.299 --> 00:20:17.459 There's no way to apply that to your life and be a better Christian in pressing that. 00:20:17.559 --> 00:20:23.659 It's an important historical question, but maybe not something we need to think about for spiritual meaning of the text. 00:20:23.660 --> 00:20:29.700 Also, direct imports or moralistic imports I have there in my handout there. 00:20:29.759 --> 00:20:30.820 Let me explain what I mean by that. 00:20:30.840 --> 00:20:35.640 In other words, we don't want to necessarily take a one-to-one, oh, God did this with Israel. 00:20:35.820 --> 00:20:37.259 He freed them from slavery. 00:20:37.860 --> 00:20:39.720 Therefore, God's going to free me from my boss. 00:20:42.300 --> 00:20:45.720 There's something bigger going on in the story here than that. 00:20:46.060 --> 00:20:49.360 So, that's what I mean by direct import of the text, right? 00:20:49.480 --> 00:20:51.000 Maybe he is going to free you from your boss. 00:20:51.000 --> 00:20:53.019 Maybe you have a terrible boss, and if so, I hope he does. 00:20:53.400 --> 00:20:55.140 But maybe God wants you to learn something through that. 00:20:55.720 --> 00:21:00.799 Just like God had Israel spend, you know, what, 300, 400 years in slavery to learn something through that. 00:21:00.920 --> 00:21:01.220 You're right. 00:21:02.259 --> 00:21:09.740 Which gets to the other extreme of taking moralistic interpretation, investments from the text. 00:21:10.240 --> 00:21:15.759 As if to say that, oh, if I just cry out hard enough to God, he'll hear me and answer my prayer. 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:18.119 Or, you know, he's got a plan he's working on. 00:21:18.980 --> 00:21:19.799 He'll do it. 00:21:20.079 --> 00:21:22.180 You follow hard after him. 00:21:22.660 --> 00:21:30.460 Or, oh, God's given us this law of the Passover and trying to add more spiritual meat. 00:21:30.879 --> 00:21:34.460 If I just be a good Passover practicer, you know, or something else. 00:21:34.759 --> 00:21:38.279 Finding ways to say kind of be good from the book of Exodus. 00:21:38.500 --> 00:21:40.460 The book of Exodus doesn't say be good. 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:43.440 The book of Exodus doesn't say something that simple. 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.600 It says something massively more. 00:21:46.100 --> 00:21:48.120 It says there is a God who's revealed himself. 00:21:48.740 --> 00:21:50.240 You're separated from him. 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:52.340 And he'll rescue you if you let him. 00:21:53.420 --> 00:21:54.460 And that changes everything. 00:21:55.480 --> 00:21:57.559 It's not enough to just be good. 00:21:57.720 --> 00:21:59.360 I mean, being good is good, right? 00:21:59.779 --> 00:22:02.059 But the big bird can say be good. 00:22:02.600 --> 00:22:03.960 The Muslim can say be good. 00:22:04.019 --> 00:22:05.180 The Hindu can say be good. 00:22:05.820 --> 00:22:12.000 The point is, Scripture says, Scripture has the voice of God saying be like me. 00:22:12.000 --> 00:22:14.900 You're infinitely holy and perfect and righteous. 00:22:15.480 --> 00:22:17.559 And you can't do that without my help. 00:22:18.059 --> 00:22:18.900 I'll rescue you. 00:22:18.900 --> 00:22:19.799 Let me tell you about it. 00:22:20.619 --> 00:22:22.359 So, let me pause there. 00:22:23.279 --> 00:22:25.140 Any questions or comments? 00:22:25.240 --> 00:22:28.240 Again, I'm being a little repetitive at the moment here. 00:22:28.299 --> 00:22:33.220 But I just want to kind of set the table for what's going to happen the rest of the hour and into next week. 00:22:33.220 --> 00:22:37.299 And hopefully for the rest of your Christian reading of Scripture, we'll be here. 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:39.519 But any comments, questions, thoughts? 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:40.539 Anyone? 00:22:42.680 --> 00:22:43.120 Okay. 00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:44.039 Let's press on. 00:22:44.100 --> 00:22:45.559 And I hope this isn't terribly new. 00:22:46.539 --> 00:22:53.039 I should just say, too, that quote there, the mature believer is one who has combined Christ-like character with theological excellence. 00:22:53.039 --> 00:22:56.200 A favorite professor of mine often said that. 00:22:56.279 --> 00:22:58.819 And I find that a very helpful reminder to myself. 00:22:59.279 --> 00:23:00.599 It's not enough to know God's word. 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:01.940 It's to know him. 00:23:02.899 --> 00:23:04.759 So, and act like it. 00:23:05.220 --> 00:23:08.539 So, a couple of detail things here. 00:23:09.059 --> 00:23:10.920 So, date for the Book of Exodus. 00:23:11.079 --> 00:23:11.899 When is this happening? 00:23:11.960 --> 00:23:14.259 This is happening sometime in the 15th century BC. 00:23:14.259 --> 00:23:16.140 15th century BC. 00:23:18.059 --> 00:23:22.640 And if you were, that's on your hand. 00:23:22.900 --> 00:23:25.259 You kind of can infer that from the timeline a little bit. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:30.660 And the purpose of Exodus, as best I understand it at least. 00:23:30.799 --> 00:23:33.700 And please feel free to push back or if you've got a better way to say it. 00:23:33.700 --> 00:23:41.940 The purpose of Exodus is to explain how the ancient Hebrew people became slaves in Egypt and their deliverance from Egyptian oppression. 00:23:41.940 --> 00:23:56.700 The book also reveals Yahweh, the divine name, is the glorious supreme God who is mighty to save, worthy of worship, and his divine presence dwells among his redeemed people. 00:23:57.519 --> 00:24:05.059 The Book of Exodus is this glorious mix of story, of law code, and history all at once. 00:24:05.600 --> 00:24:09.500 And God does amazing, it's a fun book to read, actually. 00:24:09.500 --> 00:24:14.660 Because you get it, just when you get, if you get bored, it changes course pretty quickly. 00:24:15.740 --> 00:24:18.339 I want to, maybe we should pause here for a second. 00:24:19.180 --> 00:24:25.339 What are some stories that come out of Exodus that are of particular impact to you, perhaps? 00:24:25.500 --> 00:24:31.059 I wonder if, maybe you've read Exodus, or maybe you've read through a story you thought to yourself, oh, that's really interesting. 00:24:31.059 --> 00:24:39.159 Is there any stories for you that you found particularly fascinating or hard to wrestle with in the book of Exodus? 00:24:43.339 --> 00:24:43.859 Anyone? 00:24:43.859 --> 00:24:57.979 For me, I'm always tripped up by the story of, in Exodus 16, the second water story. 00:24:58.339 --> 00:25:02.500 I call it the water 2.0 story in Exodus 16. 00:25:02.500 --> 00:25:16.380 To me, it's a fascinating, they complain, and it's so bad that Moses, it's almost like the whole thing's going to get called off and they're going to go back to Egypt. 00:25:16.740 --> 00:25:17.839 It's really bad. 00:25:17.839 --> 00:25:25.199 It becomes, it becomes actually something that gets talked about often in the Psalms. 00:25:25.240 --> 00:25:26.480 Remember back at Meribah. 00:25:28.339 --> 00:25:29.199 How about for you? 00:25:29.299 --> 00:25:29.679 Something else? 00:25:29.720 --> 00:25:31.500 Is there a story or an episode? 00:25:31.740 --> 00:25:31.919 Yeah. 00:25:31.920 --> 00:25:40.080 In general about the people, the other people around the Israelites that get punished. 00:25:40.400 --> 00:25:41.019 Mm-hmm. 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:48.920 Are they only getting punished if they don't turn to God? 00:25:49.120 --> 00:25:53.620 Or because Pharaoh won't acknowledge God, they have to die? 00:25:54.100 --> 00:25:54.660 Yeah. 00:25:54.660 --> 00:25:54.980 Yeah. 00:25:54.980 --> 00:26:06.779 Is it directed at them or just Pharaoh and they're suffering because of it? 00:26:07.319 --> 00:26:07.740 Yeah. 00:26:07.839 --> 00:26:08.980 Great question. 00:26:09.160 --> 00:26:09.400 Yeah. 00:26:10.319 --> 00:26:22.019 The suffering that other people experience with like the plagues, for example, or when they go into, when they march, when they go on their wanderings, they have to decimate the Amalekites. 00:26:22.019 --> 00:26:24.900 It's like, wow, I thought this is a loving God. 00:26:24.980 --> 00:26:26.839 Why are these terrible things happening? 00:26:26.960 --> 00:26:27.079 Yeah. 00:26:27.180 --> 00:26:28.639 We'll come back to that in just a second, actually. 00:26:28.700 --> 00:26:31.879 But yeah, that's a tough, that's a tough one, isn't it? 00:26:32.099 --> 00:26:33.160 I mean, what do you do with that? 00:26:33.480 --> 00:26:37.220 He saves one people and damn, this is the other. 00:26:38.059 --> 00:26:39.519 What do we do with a God like that? 00:26:39.619 --> 00:26:39.879 Yeah. 00:26:40.299 --> 00:26:41.160 Anybody else? 00:26:41.599 --> 00:26:42.339 Somebody else? 00:26:42.339 --> 00:26:42.400 Somebody else? 00:26:52.019 --> 00:26:57.139 All right. 00:26:57.960 --> 00:26:59.539 So we look through the story of Exodus. 00:26:59.639 --> 00:27:00.700 You have the outline there. 00:27:01.420 --> 00:27:05.279 A couple of key events that weren't highlighting it. 00:27:05.559 --> 00:27:07.839 The story really breaks down into two parts. 00:27:08.480 --> 00:27:12.319 Part one would be Israel's key event number one. 00:27:13.279 --> 00:27:15.960 This chapter, Exodus 1.1 starts with them in Egypt. 00:27:15.960 --> 00:27:17.980 And it's a little explainer as to how. 00:27:18.460 --> 00:27:24.519 But then the key event really is God, or they're in Egypt, and God's rescue plan to get them out. 00:27:25.279 --> 00:27:33.500 And what's curious about this story is that you have the introduction of Moses just as quickly in chapter two. 00:27:33.940 --> 00:27:36.720 It very quickly goes from, here's why Israel, in Exodus chapter one. 00:27:36.759 --> 00:27:40.319 If you have your Bibles, you can open up to Exodus chapter one here. 00:27:40.319 --> 00:27:49.599 Chapter one begins, just very briefly, and you can see the narrative scene to Genesis right away. 00:27:50.579 --> 00:27:54.220 Exodus 1, verse 1, if you have your Bibles, join me there. 00:27:55.439 --> 00:27:58.720 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob. 00:27:59.299 --> 00:28:04.599 They came each one with his household, Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, etc. 00:28:05.439 --> 00:28:07.859 He's picking up right where Exodus leaves off. 00:28:07.859 --> 00:28:11.599 After Joseph's burial, and the sons are all there. 00:28:12.379 --> 00:28:20.879 And then chapter two rushes right in to the life of Moses, and how God essentially hears their prayers, 00:28:21.179 --> 00:28:25.819 and is raising up right off the bat a mediator of a new covenant. 00:28:25.819 --> 00:28:35.359 This is where places like Cecil DeVille's The Ten Commandments, or if you're like me, you like cartoons a little bit. 00:28:35.599 --> 00:28:36.460 Prince of Egypt. 00:28:37.519 --> 00:28:39.819 You know, Jesus, Moses isn't a liberator. 00:28:41.619 --> 00:28:45.819 He's not, you know, if you believe hard enough in miracles, they'll come true. 00:28:45.819 --> 00:28:51.419 That's a moralistic reading of the life of Moses, of Israel. 00:28:51.839 --> 00:28:59.759 No, this is God redeeming, a holy God redeeming his people, and he's raising up someone to mediate that relationship. 00:28:59.759 --> 00:29:11.279 So, part one then of Exodus is that story that takes us through most of chapter 18, or all of chapter 18. 00:29:11.619 --> 00:29:12.799 And we've got the plagues. 00:29:13.420 --> 00:29:14.379 I'm sorry, let's take it in order. 00:29:14.460 --> 00:29:16.539 We've got the life and call of Moses. 00:29:17.559 --> 00:29:20.900 We've got, oh, I missed a punctuation mark there. 00:29:20.960 --> 00:29:21.640 Sorry about that. 00:29:22.059 --> 00:29:22.799 A 1.3. 00:29:23.099 --> 00:29:24.240 Add your little bracket there. 00:29:24.240 --> 00:29:31.359 Moses and Aaron's request to Pharaoh. 00:29:31.819 --> 00:29:33.059 Pharaoh says no. 00:29:33.660 --> 00:29:34.880 And then here we have it, right? 00:29:35.660 --> 00:29:37.960 God hardens Pharaoh's heart. 00:29:39.559 --> 00:29:40.779 And so there's the ten plagues. 00:29:40.880 --> 00:29:42.359 We'll come back to that bit in a second here. 00:29:42.799 --> 00:29:46.460 And then the second part, after the rescuing, is really pretty straightforward. 00:29:46.660 --> 00:29:48.519 It's God's covenant at Sinai. 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:51.000 It takes place in different kinds of ways. 00:29:51.900 --> 00:29:53.599 Different, lots is happening there. 00:29:53.599 --> 00:29:57.740 There's rebellion against God's plans. 00:29:58.480 --> 00:30:01.000 There's the covenant given and confirmed. 00:30:01.500 --> 00:30:03.399 There's instructions for the tabernacle. 00:30:03.639 --> 00:30:13.819 And that's really then where the story ends, is when the tabernacle is built, and that presence in the cloud comes and lands on the tabernacle itself. 00:30:13.819 --> 00:30:21.059 And so to put it in parlance, the RV park gets God's presence at the middle of it. 00:30:21.059 --> 00:30:25.480 And the camping, the camp gets God's presence right at the center of it. 00:30:26.440 --> 00:30:27.419 Mind-blowing stuff. 00:30:27.460 --> 00:30:29.179 We'll come back to that, though, next week. 00:30:29.180 --> 00:30:33.779 So hold me accountable if we don't talk about that more or less next week. 00:30:33.860 --> 00:30:36.580 So a couple of key ideas, and then we'll wrap up here. 00:30:37.320 --> 00:30:37.480 Okay. 00:30:37.560 --> 00:30:38.840 So a couple of key ideas. 00:30:38.880 --> 00:30:41.580 This is on page six of your handout. 00:30:42.539 --> 00:30:44.080 A couple of key ideas. 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:48.199 All right. 00:30:51.480 --> 00:30:52.139 Some key ideas. 00:30:52.240 --> 00:30:59.619 First, the glorious supremacy of Yahweh over pagan deities. 00:30:59.619 --> 00:31:02.059 I have it in my book. 00:31:02.119 --> 00:31:03.299 I have it written down this way. 00:31:03.379 --> 00:31:04.399 You don't have to do it this way. 00:31:04.479 --> 00:31:06.959 But the glorious supremacy of Yahweh. 00:31:08.019 --> 00:31:10.500 Can everyone see if I go down this slow online? 00:31:10.599 --> 00:31:11.000 Everyone can see that? 00:31:11.059 --> 00:31:11.599 Yeah, we can see it. 00:31:11.659 --> 00:31:11.839 Okay. 00:31:13.479 --> 00:31:14.719 Y-H-W-H. 00:31:14.939 --> 00:31:21.899 In Hebrew, there's no vowels, or at least there's no vowels necessarily. 00:31:22.199 --> 00:31:22.879 So Y-H. 00:31:23.639 --> 00:31:23.899 Whoops. 00:31:24.079 --> 00:31:24.799 Ah, good grief. 00:31:25.259 --> 00:31:27.659 Pastor Greg, don't tell anybody I messed up my Hebrew. 00:31:27.660 --> 00:31:31.820 H-W-H. 00:31:32.080 --> 00:31:33.540 Yahweh, the divine name. 00:31:34.300 --> 00:31:37.340 God reveals his name to his people. 00:31:37.500 --> 00:31:41.019 I am that I am in Exodus 3, verse 14. 00:31:44.580 --> 00:31:51.500 And he reveals that I can do whatever I see fit to do to redeem my people. 00:31:52.000 --> 00:31:55.519 He's righteous and just and holy, as we'll see through his law code. 00:31:55.519 --> 00:31:59.460 But he, he, Pharaoh's got nothing on him. 00:31:59.480 --> 00:32:06.819 In fact, it says in several places that God hardens Pharaoh's heart. 00:32:06.819 --> 00:32:18.919 Exodus 4, 21, Exodus 7, a couple times, Exodus 8, Exodus 9, Exodus 10, Exodus 11. 00:32:19.980 --> 00:32:26.279 Even again in Deuteronomy chapter 2, verse 30, and again in Deuteronomy 15, verse 7. 00:32:26.279 --> 00:32:30.240 God hardens Pharaoh's heart. 00:32:31.240 --> 00:32:31.839 Why? 00:32:32.019 --> 00:32:37.559 Because that's how glory, he can even change the hearts of men and still rescue his people. 00:32:38.200 --> 00:32:41.099 That's the God you serve, Israel. 00:32:41.220 --> 00:32:42.720 That's the God you serve, Christian. 00:32:43.259 --> 00:32:45.319 He's that glorious, that powerful. 00:32:45.319 --> 00:32:50.019 And he's faithful to save. 00:32:50.279 --> 00:32:52.000 He's faithful to Abraham's promise. 00:32:52.279 --> 00:32:56.759 If you look at Exodus 1, verse 7, he was going to remember his promises. 00:32:56.759 --> 00:32:59.279 And at the end of chapter 1, he remembers his promise. 00:32:59.679 --> 00:33:02.879 And that's part of what gets Pharaoh so nervous, right? 00:33:03.179 --> 00:33:05.500 Oh my gosh, maybe God can save these people. 00:33:05.779 --> 00:33:08.700 And he saves them for worship. 00:33:08.700 --> 00:33:17.420 An interesting connective tissue along those related to that with the life of Moses, the story of Moses and God preparing his servant. 00:33:17.740 --> 00:33:19.460 He can take a Hebrew slave. 00:33:20.900 --> 00:33:24.600 The couple gives birth to a baby and that baby rescues his people. 00:33:24.740 --> 00:33:29.019 That's how gloriously supreme God this God is. 00:33:29.819 --> 00:33:31.920 Take that, Pharaoh, right? 00:33:32.920 --> 00:33:35.200 And in fact, it's kind of interesting. 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:40.680 If you looked at the word in Genesis 9, the word ark, Noah builds an ark. 00:33:41.100 --> 00:33:49.019 That's the same word used in Exodus chapter 2 for Noah's basket that he's riding in along the Nile River. 00:33:49.160 --> 00:33:49.759 And God rescues him. 00:33:49.860 --> 00:33:51.880 So again, some connective tissue there. 00:33:52.200 --> 00:33:58.920 The idea that the promise I made then, those promise I made, I'm going to bring them to fruition in a whole new, better way. 00:33:58.940 --> 00:34:00.240 Because I'm the glorious supreme. 00:34:00.279 --> 00:34:01.120 I can do that. 00:34:01.500 --> 00:34:02.900 And I'm going to do that for my people. 00:34:02.900 --> 00:34:06.220 So he identifies Israel as his son. 00:34:07.680 --> 00:34:13.880 And then the 10 plagues, there's a little bit of debate about that among some scholars. 00:34:14.059 --> 00:34:18.000 But the point of the 10 plagues, regardless of that debate, cannot be missed. 00:34:18.760 --> 00:34:25.240 God wanted both the ancient Hebrews and the ancient Egyptians to know that he alone is a sovereign supreme God. 00:34:25.239 --> 00:34:29.859 Because he can undo anything their gods can do. 00:34:29.860 --> 00:34:42.220 The purpose of those plagues, amongst other things, was to show that the various things, the various institutions and gods that ancient Israel worshipped, God has control over that. 00:34:42.219 --> 00:34:46.159 In fact, even the magicians, there comes a point. 00:34:46.599 --> 00:34:58.980 Remember the first three plagues, the magicians are able to replicate it, or the first two plagues, the Egyptians are able to replicate the water and the blood, when all the frogs come down in chapter 8. 00:34:59.679 --> 00:35:05.379 But when it comes, once it gets the gnats or the mosquitoes that come in, the magicians can do this. 00:35:05.380 --> 00:35:11.220 And then these magicians themselves, Exodus 8, verse 19, this is the finger of God. 00:35:13.720 --> 00:35:15.180 Even they can't escape it. 00:35:15.240 --> 00:35:19.200 And they're supposed to be the experts who can say, ha, Pharaoh, you're the man. 00:35:19.320 --> 00:35:20.119 Pharaoh, you're the God. 00:35:20.180 --> 00:35:22.960 This is our gods that we can take care of things. 00:35:23.460 --> 00:35:25.260 You can't do anything about this. 00:35:25.840 --> 00:35:26.840 That's the real God. 00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:33.360 So the glorious supremacy of Yahweh over pagan deities or the Egyptian deities. 00:35:33.539 --> 00:35:37.600 Number two, Exodus as the defining act of redemption. 00:35:38.140 --> 00:35:42.420 The defining act of redemption for ancient Israel. 00:35:44.059 --> 00:35:48.940 Defining act of redemption. 00:35:49.660 --> 00:35:54.460 I'm just going to use that redemption for ancient Israel. 00:35:54.460 --> 00:36:05.460 Throughout the Psalms, throughout the rest of the Old Testament, this is that moment in history that they're going to come back to to say, this is our God. 00:36:05.539 --> 00:36:06.380 He is our people. 00:36:07.780 --> 00:36:09.260 Look what he's done for us. 00:36:10.740 --> 00:36:12.539 And lastly, I won't belabor that point. 00:36:12.639 --> 00:36:13.679 I trust we can get that. 00:36:14.500 --> 00:36:21.340 I'm sorry, number three, the Mosaic law as a covenant and social charter. 00:36:21.480 --> 00:36:23.980 It's not just a legal code, right? 00:36:23.980 --> 00:36:30.519 If he's revealing himself, this is also a covenant, a promise to his people, a relationship with his people. 00:36:32.519 --> 00:36:34.420 That's why he calls Israel his son. 00:36:36.760 --> 00:36:43.019 And then lastly, number four, the presence of God dwelling with his people in the tabernacle. 00:36:43.139 --> 00:36:43.699 This is the first. 00:36:46.139 --> 00:36:46.539 Dwelling. 00:36:47.119 --> 00:36:48.000 Everyone see that? 00:36:48.340 --> 00:36:49.079 It's a little low there. 00:36:49.380 --> 00:36:50.039 Everyone can see it online. 00:36:50.039 --> 00:36:52.099 Here we go. 00:36:52.980 --> 00:36:53.340 Dwelling. 00:36:53.900 --> 00:36:59.059 Christ dwelling or the presence of God dwelling with his people. 00:36:59.659 --> 00:37:01.460 God is no longer out there. 00:37:02.920 --> 00:37:04.779 God's no longer in a statue. 00:37:06.079 --> 00:37:06.759 He's no longer. 00:37:07.619 --> 00:37:09.239 He's with his people. 00:37:09.340 --> 00:37:11.239 Not even in a temple at this point, right? 00:37:11.239 --> 00:37:14.619 Because the tabernacle, strictly speaking, is a tent that you pick up and you move along. 00:37:14.699 --> 00:37:15.139 It's a mobile. 00:37:15.459 --> 00:37:17.000 It's a motorhome, if you will. 00:37:17.099 --> 00:37:20.500 It's a mobile space of worship. 00:37:20.799 --> 00:37:21.839 But it's not just a space. 00:37:22.159 --> 00:37:23.799 It's God's presence there. 00:37:24.399 --> 00:37:27.439 So no wonder he's going to be so particular about the way his place should look. 00:37:27.899 --> 00:37:29.199 But I'm getting ahead of myself. 00:37:30.799 --> 00:37:32.699 We've got just a few moments left. 00:37:32.699 --> 00:37:37.319 So let me just close us with some gospel connections. 00:37:38.219 --> 00:37:40.480 And then we'll take a few minutes for question and answer here. 00:37:40.559 --> 00:37:43.019 We've got just about five more minutes here. 00:37:43.259 --> 00:37:48.899 So sorry, I'm kind of going on a little bit more than I intended, but I'm running out of time. 00:37:49.839 --> 00:37:50.239 Sorry. 00:37:51.819 --> 00:37:54.579 So gospel connections. 00:37:54.579 --> 00:38:03.799 Number one, ancient Israel's redemption from slavery is a model for our redemption from slavery to sin. 00:38:04.099 --> 00:38:14.139 Ancient Israel's redemption from Egyptian slavery is a model for our redemption from slavery to sin. 00:38:14.139 --> 00:38:30.219 Romans 6, 16 to 18, Ephesians 2, 1 to 10 are helpful places to think through this idea of thinking redemptive historically. 00:38:30.980 --> 00:38:38.299 God rescues his people from a slavery, not a political slavery, but a spiritual bondage to sin. 00:38:39.299 --> 00:38:41.219 I trust we're strong on the gospel here. 00:38:41.219 --> 00:38:45.799 So I'm going to not minimize the importance of that, but move on for the sake of time here. 00:38:47.079 --> 00:38:50.219 Secondly, Christ and Moses. 00:38:52.579 --> 00:38:58.679 Christ is the better lawgiver, better priest, better sacrifice for sin. 00:39:00.399 --> 00:39:01.399 Better covenant. 00:39:02.480 --> 00:39:03.599 Christ and Moses. 00:39:03.599 --> 00:39:08.919 There's a parallel for us as Christians, I think, between Christ and Moses. 00:39:08.920 --> 00:39:14.579 Christ is the better lawgiver, the better priest, the better sacrifice, and the better covenant. 00:39:15.000 --> 00:39:19.119 And the reason I think that is because that's basically the message of Hebrews. 00:39:19.119 --> 00:39:26.099 Particularly Hebrews chapter 3, chapters 3 through 10 in particular. 00:39:26.519 --> 00:39:32.719 But also interestingly, for those who have ears to hear, the gospel of Matthew. 00:39:33.759 --> 00:39:41.779 If you take a few moments to just kind of read it and read it from like at a distance and see the way the stories in Matthew's gospel line up. 00:39:41.780 --> 00:39:46.620 They actually line up the same way Moses' life lines up. 00:39:47.440 --> 00:39:48.640 Think with me for a second. 00:39:49.100 --> 00:39:54.560 A child born in obscurity to a Hebrew girl, to a Hebrew family. 00:39:55.880 --> 00:40:00.700 Have to go off to Egypt because there's a threat to the child's life. 00:40:00.699 --> 00:40:13.839 Man, I feel like I've heard that somewhere. 00:40:14.399 --> 00:40:14.579 Right? 00:40:15.199 --> 00:40:17.259 Yeah, it's the life of Moses in a sense. 00:40:17.339 --> 00:40:18.219 I mean, it's not exactly. 00:40:18.799 --> 00:40:19.079 Right? 00:40:19.079 --> 00:40:32.920 But that's part of the point of the gospel of Matthew is he's trying to say, you know, for Jewish Christians, for Christians trying to wrestle with how a Jewish savior relates to a non-Jewish person. 00:40:34.179 --> 00:40:35.699 Matthew's trying to help connect the dots there. 00:40:36.480 --> 00:40:40.099 If you think Judaism, there's a lot of great things God did. 00:40:40.199 --> 00:40:40.679 But you know what? 00:40:40.799 --> 00:40:42.279 Jesus is better and he's completing. 00:40:42.639 --> 00:40:44.179 He's fulfilling all of that. 00:40:44.179 --> 00:40:48.919 Matthew chapter 5, for those who want to read that more. 00:40:49.419 --> 00:40:56.500 But Matthew chapters 1 through 8, Hebrews chapters 3 through 10 in particular, all draw attention to that theme. 00:40:57.139 --> 00:40:57.799 Check it out. 00:40:58.879 --> 00:41:03.759 Number three, the Passover meal as a model for communion. 00:41:04.679 --> 00:41:08.159 Number three, the Passover meal as a model for communion. 00:41:08.159 --> 00:41:16.759 It's another great and important gospel connection for us as Christians because if nothing else, Jesus is making that connection, right? 00:41:16.819 --> 00:41:18.059 In the gospel accounts. 00:41:18.839 --> 00:41:25.019 And Exodus 12 is where the Passover meal is given. 00:41:25.159 --> 00:41:31.980 But then you have Matthew 26, John 18, where Jesus and the disciples, it's the time of the Passover. 00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:35.139 He has the meal and it's the Passover bread that he's breaking. 00:41:35.139 --> 00:41:38.420 And it's the communion, it's that, it's the, how is it? 00:41:38.539 --> 00:41:39.519 I think it's four cups. 00:41:39.759 --> 00:41:40.159 Oh, shoot. 00:41:40.659 --> 00:41:41.519 Someone correct me if I'm wrong. 00:41:41.579 --> 00:41:43.440 I think it's four cups at the Passover meal. 00:41:43.539 --> 00:41:45.799 I'm getting a nod there from Ms. Laura Bush. 00:41:45.879 --> 00:41:46.259 Thank you. 00:41:48.119 --> 00:41:50.480 The four cups, he's probably raising one of those cups. 00:41:50.719 --> 00:41:52.920 There's some scholarly debate whether it's the Passover meal or not. 00:41:53.539 --> 00:41:57.159 But the point is Passover meal. 00:41:57.519 --> 00:41:59.139 And then last, a couple last things. 00:41:59.219 --> 00:42:00.359 We'll talk about this more next week. 00:42:00.360 --> 00:42:05.880 The tabernacle as a metaphor for God's presence with his people and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. 00:42:06.579 --> 00:42:07.880 I think it's a little bit there too. 00:42:08.840 --> 00:42:11.760 The tabernacle is a metaphor for God's presence with his people in Christ. 00:42:12.240 --> 00:42:15.740 Number five, a kingdom of priests. 00:42:16.780 --> 00:42:18.820 As Christians, we're a kingdom in Christ. 00:42:18.940 --> 00:42:20.720 We're a kingdom of priests for worship. 00:42:21.079 --> 00:42:23.860 We find that in 1 Peter 2, 4 to 10. 00:42:23.860 --> 00:42:30.539 And then a couple others. 00:42:31.640 --> 00:42:33.000 A fruitful exercise. 00:42:33.840 --> 00:42:34.880 We can go through it. 00:42:34.960 --> 00:42:40.579 We can look at the stories of how God deals with ancient Israel and Exodus in a parable-like fashion. 00:42:41.760 --> 00:42:47.120 And if you choose to do so, I encourage you, see yourself as Israel, not Moses. 00:42:48.740 --> 00:42:53.180 Moses is the savior, the mediator character, not you, Christian. 00:42:54.200 --> 00:42:56.660 You and me would complain about the water too. 00:42:57.539 --> 00:42:59.599 You and me would complain about the manna. 00:43:00.180 --> 00:43:06.440 You and me, we would all, we would doubt God's faithfulness given the chance. 00:43:07.099 --> 00:43:09.760 That's why we need to be rescued from our slavery to sin. 00:43:11.079 --> 00:43:13.280 And then lastly, Christological readings. 00:43:13.860 --> 00:43:16.640 How, a Christological, look, read this for yourself. 00:43:16.820 --> 00:43:18.000 How is God providing? 00:43:18.340 --> 00:43:19.400 How is God protecting? 00:43:19.940 --> 00:43:22.260 And how do I see Christ doing that in my own life? 00:43:22.260 --> 00:43:25.380 That can be another fruitful way to read through scripture. 00:43:25.380 --> 00:43:28.440 Again, keeping in mind where we are in redemptive history. 00:43:29.740 --> 00:43:31.220 Let me pause there. 00:43:31.520 --> 00:43:33.500 Our time is near expired. 00:43:33.640 --> 00:43:39.320 But if there's a question or a comment or something, I rushed through a whole bunch there. 00:43:40.200 --> 00:43:41.140 Fire away. 00:43:41.240 --> 00:43:42.500 We've got a few minutes left. 00:43:43.100 --> 00:43:45.040 You are in charge of the class now. 00:43:45.039 --> 00:43:47.079 So I put my pen down. 00:43:48.880 --> 00:43:51.719 Comments, questions, concerns. 00:43:58.360 --> 00:44:01.980 Online, feel free to raise a hand if you have a question there. 00:44:01.980 --> 00:44:06.539 All right. 00:44:07.240 --> 00:44:08.199 Let's close. 00:44:09.099 --> 00:44:09.639 Oh, yeah, yeah. 00:44:09.639 --> 00:44:09.780 Sure. 00:44:09.820 --> 00:44:10.119 I'm sorry. 00:44:11.260 --> 00:44:14.539 The Old Testament. 00:44:14.900 --> 00:44:17.579 I mean, when there's a space on law. 00:44:17.579 --> 00:44:20.539 How is the interpretation of that? 00:44:20.699 --> 00:44:21.679 It's over time. 00:44:22.019 --> 00:44:26.340 I mean, your interpretation versus this is a solid, since we're having years ago. 00:44:26.599 --> 00:44:26.900 Yeah. 00:44:27.139 --> 00:44:28.400 Your interpretation. 00:44:28.920 --> 00:44:29.519 Yeah. 00:44:30.739 --> 00:44:34.259 Let me give a painfully, inadequately short answer to that. 00:44:34.279 --> 00:44:35.380 That's a huge question. 00:44:35.380 --> 00:44:38.840 So for us in the 21st century, I'll work backwards. 00:44:39.380 --> 00:44:41.280 The Enlightenment was a huge deal. 00:44:42.820 --> 00:44:52.660 With the questioning and the attitude of critic, the critical attitude to every question that the Enlightenment encouraged was an important turn. 00:44:53.800 --> 00:44:56.640 There was oftentimes a hostility to the Jewish people. 00:44:57.400 --> 00:45:00.160 And a place like Exodus was a place to use. 00:45:00.240 --> 00:45:00.860 Look at them. 00:45:00.880 --> 00:45:02.039 They just whine and complain. 00:45:02.180 --> 00:45:03.700 They're just a bunch of crybabies. 00:45:03.699 --> 00:45:08.379 And God was right to let terrible things happen to them. 00:45:09.199 --> 00:45:13.619 That's a terrible interpretation, but it's out there. 00:45:14.659 --> 00:45:31.059 In other places, let's see, other points in time, there was a season when Christians did take a very allegorical approach to the Old Testament in particular and saw in the minutia of the details an allegory for this or that aspect of Christian life. 00:45:31.059 --> 00:45:36.940 But St. Augustine or Chrysostom does this in his sermons oftentimes. 00:45:36.940 --> 00:45:55.079 So what helps us to stay on the guardrail, so to speak, to let the text speak for itself and not have it go is to kind of take a deep breath and think, okay, this is a historical situation. 00:45:55.079 --> 00:45:57.799 Here we are on this side of the cross. 00:45:58.539 --> 00:46:00.860 What are the biblical truths? 00:46:01.000 --> 00:46:04.940 What are the truth principles that transfer in light of Christ, in light of the gospel? 00:46:05.440 --> 00:46:10.099 That's kind of become, as Christians, and you can see that even as early as the second century, too, sometimes. 00:46:10.219 --> 00:46:12.559 There's places where people are doing that as well. 00:46:12.619 --> 00:46:13.519 So it's not a foreign thing. 00:46:13.519 --> 00:46:17.659 I would even argue that's what the gospels are doing in large part, too. 00:46:18.759 --> 00:46:19.699 Is that helpful? 00:46:20.039 --> 00:46:20.179 Yeah. 00:46:20.300 --> 00:46:20.960 Okay, great. 00:46:21.659 --> 00:46:25.179 Let's close in a quick word of prayer, and we've got about 10 minutes to service time. 00:46:25.300 --> 00:46:27.820 So I'll make sure we have appropriate time to get prepared. 00:46:27.920 --> 00:46:28.360 Let's pray. 00:46:28.940 --> 00:46:37.199 Father in heaven, thank you for being our God, and thank you for the great news that you made everything very good, 00:46:37.199 --> 00:46:44.819 and that no matter how badly our sin corrupts your good creation, you redeem it. 00:46:45.099 --> 00:46:45.939 You redeem us. 00:46:46.480 --> 00:46:55.539 Just like you rescued ancient Israel from slavery in Egypt, you rescue us from our slavery to sin. 00:46:56.379 --> 00:46:59.539 And God, you give us the privilege to live a new life. 00:46:59.539 --> 00:47:11.380 You give us this earthly life that's a mix of sin and temptations to discipline us and prepare us for a life in eternity with you. 00:47:11.960 --> 00:47:19.759 Thank you for being so patient, so gracious, so kind, and still remain holy and righteous and just. 00:47:20.460 --> 00:47:27.579 Thank you for our new covenant in Christ, our new mediator, who made a better sacrifice to atone for sin. 00:47:27.579 --> 00:47:30.559 Lord, we look forward to looking into those things more next Sunday. 00:47:31.360 --> 00:47:37.719 But Lord, now prepare our hearts and our minds to hear from your word, to worship with your people online and in person. 00:47:38.659 --> 00:47:45.380 And Lord, we pray that we be transformed by the fellowship of the saints and the singing and preaching of your word. 00:47:46.119 --> 00:47:47.559 It's in Jesus' name that we pray. 00:47:47.779 --> 00:47:48.039 Amen. 00:47:50.000 --> 00:47:51.259 Thank you so much, everybody. 00:47:51.260 --> 00:47:51.340 Thank you. 00:47:52.600 --> 00:47:56.140 For those, I'll hang around if someone wants to ask a question and talk. 00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:58.260 But otherwise, we've got about 10 minutes of service time. 00:47:58.400 --> 00:47:59.460 So, see you there. 00:48:00.280 --> 00:48:01.640 Oh, I almost forgot. 00:48:01.900 --> 00:48:05.320 If you have opportunity, read what you can of Likus. 00:48:05.640 --> 00:48:07.120 It'll help us out for next Sunday. 00:48:08.000 --> 00:48:08.620 All right. 00:48:08.880 --> 00:48:09.120 Cheers. 00:48:09.120 --> 00:48:09.260 Cheers. 00:48:09.260 --> 00:48:09.320 Cheers. 00:48:09.320 --> 00:48:09.440 Cheers. 00:48:09.440 --> 00:48:09.500 Cheers. 00:48:09.500 --> 00:48:09.560 Cheers. 00:48:09.560 --> 00:48:11.260 Cheers. 00:48:11.260 --> 00:48:11.440 Cheers. 00:48:11.440 --> 00:48:11.500 Cheers. 00:48:11.500 --> 00:48:11.560 Cheers. 00:48:11.560 --> 00:48:13.560 Cheers. 00:48:13.560 --> 00:48:13.620 Cheers. 00:48:13.620 --> 00:48:15.560 Cheers. 00:48:15.560 --> 00:48:15.620 Cheers. 00:48:15.620 --> 00:48:17.560 Cheers. 00:48:17.560 --> 00:48:17.620 Cheers. 00:48:17.620 --> 00:48:17.660 Cheers. 00:48:17.660 --> 00:48:17.700 Cheers. 00:48:17.700 --> 00:48:17.720 Cheers. 00:48:17.720 --> 00:48:17.740 Cheers. 00:48:17.740 --> 00:48:18.240 Cheers. 00:48:18.240 --> 00:48:18.800 Cheers. 00:48:18.800 --> 00:48:18.820 Cheers. 00:48:18.820 --> 00:48:19.380 Cheers. 00:48:19.380 --> 00:48:19.400 Cheers.