Ki Tissa
Ex 30:11-34:35
It has been some time in between posts as the busyness of life hasn't left me much time to write. But let's catch up a little...
The main focus of the previous portions has been the design and 'pattern' of the Tabernacle. And while much could be said about the symbology of the various pieces of furniture and design, the main thing to note is the order in which Moses is given the instructions for the Tabernacle. We find that in Exodus 25-27, God begins in the Most-Holy Place by giving instructions on the construction of the Ark, the object above which His glory would dwell, and then moves out through the Holy Place, the covering for the tent, the altar in front of the tent, and ending with the courtyard and its gate. What this suggests to me at least is how God was to be central in the people's lives and worship. The institution of the priesthood, festivals and sacrificial rituals were all to have God at the heart of them.
This week we move onto the practices and methods for consecrating the people and the tent to the Lord through the census offering that was used to care for the tent, the basin for Aaron and his sons to wash themselves before entering the tent, and the recipe for the anointing oil used to consecrate the tent, its furniture and those who minister in there. The consecrated, or set apart, reality of this oil is emphasised in how people cannot just make the oil and use it on themselves. But as the story moves on, it becomes apparent that these elements and rituals are only to be symbolic of the people's hearts that have committed themselves to God.
Since Moses had been so long on the mountain, they were missing their mediator and became worried they would lose their connection with God. This belief was a hang-over from their time in Egypt where worship, as many other pagan cultures believed, was done through intermediaries such as images, animals, and priests. And so they constructed a golden-calf to replace Moses. I don't believe they abandoned God and turned to the calf-god, rather, they sought to worship God through the calf. As Aaron said after he built it: "Tomorrow is to be a feast to the Lord (YHVH)." And then we read that they offered sacrifices to it the next day and well as an orgy. The people's worship did not reflect or acknowledge the holiness of God as they failed to worship Him as He required. As a consequence, God was about to wipe them out when Moses interceded and got Him to relent. At the heart of Moses' prayer was a request for God to remain with them. He didn't want to go on without Him. Although He desired to be in the presence of God, Moses' prayer reveals that his greatest concern was the honour of God. This relenting, however, was only temporary as God explained that the time for punishment would come, and people were punished either by being put to death by the Levites, or through a plague sent by the Lord. It appears that Moses' interceding mainly got YHVH to turn down the dial.
At the end of the story, after showing 'the back' of His glory to Moses, the Lord had Moses prepare two new tablets to replace the ones he destroyed in anger after seeing the people and the golden calf. And the Lord said that He would rewrite the words that were on the first tablets, the terms of the covenant; the instructions, or Torah, of God. Although these instructions included regulations for how the people were to live, it is often overlooked that within the Law was a revelation of how the people were to deal with their sin and transgressions. Tim Hegg explains these were given:
This is what Paul meant in Galatians 3:19 when he said that the law was given because of transgressions. Not as a basis to punish and/or reveal sins, although that is a part of the Law. Or to bind and burden the rebellious, wicked Jews as some early church fathers claimed. But rather, it was given 'with regard to transgressions.'
This re-writing of the tablets and the veiled, shining face of Moses points us to the New Covenant. In Jeremiah 31 we read that because Israel had been unfaithful, as they had been at the mountain, God would make a New Covenant whereby he would write His law upon the hearts of His people, as He had done on the new tablets. The difference, as is evident, is not the substance of the covenant, but rather the response of Israel because of His writing the Law on their hearts, as opposed to stone tablets. Paul, in 2 Corinthians, connects this part of scripture to the New Covenant by alluding to Moses wearing a veil across his face saying that just as the veil concealed the glory of God, so too are people's hearts veiled from seeing Christ in the Torah. This revelation requires a work of the Spirit. Unfortunately, many English translations use the words, 'fading', or 'being brought to an end' to suggest not only that Moses was ashamed of the fading glory, but also that 'Moses' (the Law) is fading away. The word behind this, katargo (used in Matt 5:17), means to become ineffective, or to annul, but never fade. Therefore, what Paul was saying is that the 'veil' made the glory of Christ in the Law ineffective as it could not be perceived. This was experienced by many in Jesus' day, as He said to the Pharisees:
With these things in mind, we see that the covenant established at Sinai contains the revelation of how God was going to deal with sin, through atonement and regeneration, however by itself ineffective because it required the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the ministry of Jesus, which comes by faith in the promised Messiah (This, I believe, is what Jesus meant by 'fulfilling the law' in Matthew 5). And in doing so, by God's grace, we are able to keep God central in our lives, and our lives set apart for Him.
References:
Hegg, Tim. Parashah Sixty-Two: The Covenant at Sinai. p2. https://www.torahresource.com/pdf-weekly-parashah/parashah-062.pdf
Ex 30:11-34:35
Another Covenant.
It has been some time in between posts as the busyness of life hasn't left me much time to write. But let's catch up a little...
The main focus of the previous portions has been the design and 'pattern' of the Tabernacle. And while much could be said about the symbology of the various pieces of furniture and design, the main thing to note is the order in which Moses is given the instructions for the Tabernacle. We find that in Exodus 25-27, God begins in the Most-Holy Place by giving instructions on the construction of the Ark, the object above which His glory would dwell, and then moves out through the Holy Place, the covering for the tent, the altar in front of the tent, and ending with the courtyard and its gate. What this suggests to me at least is how God was to be central in the people's lives and worship. The institution of the priesthood, festivals and sacrificial rituals were all to have God at the heart of them.
This week we move onto the practices and methods for consecrating the people and the tent to the Lord through the census offering that was used to care for the tent, the basin for Aaron and his sons to wash themselves before entering the tent, and the recipe for the anointing oil used to consecrate the tent, its furniture and those who minister in there. The consecrated, or set apart, reality of this oil is emphasised in how people cannot just make the oil and use it on themselves. But as the story moves on, it becomes apparent that these elements and rituals are only to be symbolic of the people's hearts that have committed themselves to God.
Since Moses had been so long on the mountain, they were missing their mediator and became worried they would lose their connection with God. This belief was a hang-over from their time in Egypt where worship, as many other pagan cultures believed, was done through intermediaries such as images, animals, and priests. And so they constructed a golden-calf to replace Moses. I don't believe they abandoned God and turned to the calf-god, rather, they sought to worship God through the calf. As Aaron said after he built it: "Tomorrow is to be a feast to the Lord (YHVH)." And then we read that they offered sacrifices to it the next day and well as an orgy. The people's worship did not reflect or acknowledge the holiness of God as they failed to worship Him as He required. As a consequence, God was about to wipe them out when Moses interceded and got Him to relent. At the heart of Moses' prayer was a request for God to remain with them. He didn't want to go on without Him. Although He desired to be in the presence of God, Moses' prayer reveals that his greatest concern was the honour of God. This relenting, however, was only temporary as God explained that the time for punishment would come, and people were punished either by being put to death by the Levites, or through a plague sent by the Lord. It appears that Moses' interceding mainly got YHVH to turn down the dial.
At the end of the story, after showing 'the back' of His glory to Moses, the Lord had Moses prepare two new tablets to replace the ones he destroyed in anger after seeing the people and the golden calf. And the Lord said that He would rewrite the words that were on the first tablets, the terms of the covenant; the instructions, or Torah, of God. Although these instructions included regulations for how the people were to live, it is often overlooked that within the Law was a revelation of how the people were to deal with their sin and transgressions. Tim Hegg explains these were given:
all with a view to the ultimate sacrifice that would be made by Yeshua ("the seed") to Whom the promise (beginning with Gen 3:15) had been made. In the covenant at Sinai, we are given a fuller picture of how God would effect atonement, overcome the breach that transgressions had caused, and ultimately bring about eternal restoration through the sacrifice and mediation of His Messiah, Yeshua.
This is what Paul meant in Galatians 3:19 when he said that the law was given because of transgressions. Not as a basis to punish and/or reveal sins, although that is a part of the Law. Or to bind and burden the rebellious, wicked Jews as some early church fathers claimed. But rather, it was given 'with regard to transgressions.'
This re-writing of the tablets and the veiled, shining face of Moses points us to the New Covenant. In Jeremiah 31 we read that because Israel had been unfaithful, as they had been at the mountain, God would make a New Covenant whereby he would write His law upon the hearts of His people, as He had done on the new tablets. The difference, as is evident, is not the substance of the covenant, but rather the response of Israel because of His writing the Law on their hearts, as opposed to stone tablets. Paul, in 2 Corinthians, connects this part of scripture to the New Covenant by alluding to Moses wearing a veil across his face saying that just as the veil concealed the glory of God, so too are people's hearts veiled from seeing Christ in the Torah. This revelation requires a work of the Spirit. Unfortunately, many English translations use the words, 'fading', or 'being brought to an end' to suggest not only that Moses was ashamed of the fading glory, but also that 'Moses' (the Law) is fading away. The word behind this, katargo (used in Matt 5:17), means to become ineffective, or to annul, but never fade. Therefore, what Paul was saying is that the 'veil' made the glory of Christ in the Law ineffective as it could not be perceived. This was experienced by many in Jesus' day, as He said to the Pharisees:
Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses, on whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe my words?” (Jn 5:45-47)Also, on the road to Emmaus, the two disciples required Jesus to explain, and open their minds to, all the things in the law and prophets concerning Himself to them (Lk 24:13-49).
With these things in mind, we see that the covenant established at Sinai contains the revelation of how God was going to deal with sin, through atonement and regeneration, however by itself ineffective because it required the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and the ministry of Jesus, which comes by faith in the promised Messiah (This, I believe, is what Jesus meant by 'fulfilling the law' in Matthew 5). And in doing so, by God's grace, we are able to keep God central in our lives, and our lives set apart for Him.
References:
Hegg, Tim. Parashah Sixty-Two: The Covenant at Sinai. p2. https://www.torahresource.com/pdf-weekly-parashah/parashah-062.pdf
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