20. Coda

Lesson #20

Coda

Coda 1

Exodus 20 through Levi2cus 26 expresses Gods covenant with the Israelites in its totality. Levi2cus 27 then func2ons much like an appendix to the covenant, and its topic is vows and dedica1onsgiEs to the sanctuary which cons2tute a large part of the income needed to implement the covenant, operate the Tabernacle and compensate the priests.

In Lesson #19 we examined these vows and dedica2ons in detail, focusing especially on the differing redemp2on prices for men and women, and on the act of placing under the ban an irredeemable, conquered peoplea very troubling concept to modern readers.

Coda 2

Chris2ans oEen view Levi2cus as an impenetrable tangle of ancient laws and rituals, things en2rely superseded by the sacrifice of Christ on the cross and the inaugura2on of the New Covenant.

Nothing could be farther from the truth! For Jews, Levi2cus sits at the very heart of the Torah: from Gods lips, to Moses, to you. As we noted in Lesson #1, from the Middle Ages onward Jewish children are introduced to Scripture, not with the great stories of Genesis, Exodus, Numbers or Deuteronomy, but through the study of Levi2cus, following the great rabbi Rashis slogan, Let the pure ones come and study laws of purity.

For a Chris2an, studying Levi2cus and penetra2ng to the deeper levels of the anagogical (future events of Chris2an history), typological (how events in the Hebrew Scriptures foreshadow those in the New Testament) and tropological (the moral meaning of the stories and how they are applied to Chris2ans today), gives us the clearest picture we have of Gods plan of redemp2on and of the person and work of his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

Coda 3

In this concluding lesson we review and summarize what we have learned from Levi2cus, placing the book in its proper context within the overall linear narra2ve of Scripture.

Coda 4

When we began our study of Scripture we laid out a set of principles to guide us. We noted that the world of the Bible is:

Patriarchal Monarchial Polytheis2c Slaveholding These were unques2oned reali2es of the ancient Near Eastern world; it would never occur to anyone to consider an alterna2ve world view.

And we noted that all works of art mirror the 2me and culture from which they emerge, including the Bible.

Coda 5

Whats more, we noted that although wricen over a period of at least 1,500 years, with each book of the Bible passing through the hands of editors and redactors, and each book of the Bible having its own more or less complex textual historythe Bible, as we have it in its full 72-book Septuagint canonis a unified literary work:

the curtain rises in Genesis and it falls in Revela2on the main character is God the conflict is sin the theme is redemp2on

The Chris2an canon of Scripture has a set of concrete images that create textual cohesion, and it moves in a straight line from Genesis through Revela2on, with recapitula2on throughout the linear progression.

Coda 6

Coda 7

Our story begins in Genesis with crea2on.

Coda 8

William Blake. The Ancient of Days Sehng a Compass to the Earth (Relief etching with hand coloring), 1794. Plate from Europe a Prophecy (1794), copy K.

Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge University.

Coda 9

And it was good, indeed. In the 2nd crea2on story God walks with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden in an

in2mate, loving rela2onship.

And he said . . . 10

Hieronymus Bosch. Garden of Earthly Delights [detail] (oil on oak panel), c. 1490-1510. Prado Museum, Madrid.

Coda 11

But very quickly conflict enters our story: sin.

In Genesis 3 we define sin, not as an act that we commit, but as a condi2on that we are in, a condi2on of aliena2on and separa2on from God that manifests itself in outward sinful ac2on.

And we learned that sin has four characteris2cs:

1. Sin is subtle 2. Sin distorts our judgment 3. Sin escalates 4. Sin cascades down through genera2ons

And he said . . . 12

William Blake. Tempta1on and Fall of Eve (watercolor), 1808. Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Coda 13

Exactly who or what is this serpent who tempts Adam

and Eve? At the end of our story in Revela2on 20: 1-3 we are told:

Then I saw an angel come down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the abyss and a heavy chain. He seized the dragon, the ancient serpent, which is the Devil or Satan, and 1ed it up for a thousand years and threw it into the abyss, which he locked over it and sealed, so that it could no longer lead the na1ons astray . . ..

Coda 14

And where did Satan come from; how did he get into

the Garden of Eden? Revela2on 12: 7-9 gives us a hint. In a flashback to events prior to Genesis 1, we read:

Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels baPled against the dragon. The dragon and its angels fought back, but they did not prevail and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. The huge dragon, the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil or Satan, who deceived the whole world, was thrown down to earth, and its angels were thrown down with it.

Coda 15

Isaiah 14: 12-15 gives us addi2onal imagery associated with Satan:

How you have fallen from the heavens, O Morning Star, son of the dawn!

How you have been cut down to the earth, you who conquered na1ons!

In your heart you said: I will scale the heavens;

Above the stars of God I will set up my throne;

I will take my seat on the Mount of Assembly, on the heights of Zaphon.

I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!

No! Down to Sheol you will be brought to the depths of the pit!

This is the Scriptural context for John Miltons Paradise Lost of 1667, the greatest epic poem in the English

language.

Coda 16

And he said . . . 17

William Blake. Satan Arousing the Rebel Angels (watercolor), 1808. Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

And he said . . . 18

William Blake. God Judging Adam (color relief print with pen, ink and watercolor), c. 1795. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Coda 19

Once banished from Paradise, Adam and Eve struggle with pain, sickness and death, the direct consequences of sin.

And he said . . . 20

Peter Paul Rubens. Cane Slaying Abel (oil on oak panel), c. 1608-1609. Courtauld Ins2tute of Art, London.

Coda 21

And by Genesis 6: 5-6 we read:

When the Lord saw how great the wickedness of human beings was on earth, and how every desire that their heart conceived was always nothing but evil, the Lord regrePed making human beings on the earth, and his heart was grieved.

So Genesis 6: 11 9: 17 God in brought the flood to wash the board clean and give humanity a second chance.

And he said . . . 22

John Mar2n. The Deluge (oil on canvas), 1834. Yale Center for Bri2sh Art, Paul Mellon Collec2on, New Haven.

And he said . . . 23

Turkey

Iran

Armenia !

" Mt. Ararat

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas.

Not me.

Coda 30

Thats not Noahs ark!

Ill bet it is!

Coda 31

Once the Flood subsided, Noah got off the ark, planted a vineyard, got drunk, cursed his children and we ended up at the Tower of Babel in

Genesis 11: 1-9.

It happened all over again!

Rewards and Punishments 32

Pieter Brueghel the Elder. The Tower of Babel (oil on panel), 1563. Museum of Fine Arts, Vienna.

Coda 33

Clearly, leE to our own devices humanity cannot resolve the issue of sin, so in Genesis 12: 2-3 God takes macers into his own hands and introduces the plan of redemp2on, making a covenant with Abraham, a covenant which involves both progeny (people) and property (land).

Coda 34

In the Abraham/Isaac story we have our first hint that Gods plan of redemp2on will involve something far more than God building Abraham and his wife Sarah into a na2on and giving them land.

It will also involve the sacrifice of Gods own son, foreshadowed in the story of the sacrifice of Isaac in Genesis 22: 1-19.

Rewards and Punishments 35

Rembrandt. Sacrifice of Isaac (oil on canvas), 1635. Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Coda 36

So, God makes good on his covenant with Abraham: Abraham and Sarah have Isaac; Isaac and Rebekah have Jacob; and Jacob and his wives, Leah and Rachel (and his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah) have twelve sons who become the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel.

We leave Genesis with the en2re family of 70 in Egypt with their brother Joseph who is Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Coda 37

When we turn the page to Exodus, 400 years flash by, and Jacobs family of 70 have become nearly 2 millionand they are now slaves in Egypt.

We shouldnt be surprised. In Genesis 15: 13, God said to Abraham: Know for certain that your descendants will reside as aliens in a land not their own, where they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years.

Why would God do that?

Coda 38

1. Slaves dont assimilate. With 400 years of slavery God ensured that Jacobs family of 70 would not assimilate into the dominant Egyp2an culture, thereby enabling them to achieve cri2cal mass, retaining their iden2ty.

2. And 400 years of slavery taught the Israelites very important moral and ethical lessons about oppression, jus2ce and social equality, lessons that would become cri2cal for the Israelites, Gods vehicle for redeeming humanity.

There are two reasons:

Coda 39

But 400 years of slavery is enough!

In Gods own 2me he raised up Moses who would lead his people out of Egypt. Finding him in a basket in the bulrushes of the Nile River, Pharaohs daughter adopted Moses and brought him up as a prince of Egypt.

We all know the story of Exodus 2: 1-15.

Rewards and Punishments 40

Paul Delaroche. Moses in the Bulrushes (oil on canvas), 1857. Private Collec2on.

Coda 41

Moses spent the next 40 years as a fugi2ve, living in the land of Midian, in northwestern Saudi Arabia of today. There he married Zipporah, daughter of Jethro, and he tended sheep belonging to his father-in-law.

Quite the comedown for a prince of Egypt!

But in Exodus 3 God chose Moses to perform a great task.

Rewards and Punishments 42

Henri Eugne Pluchart. God Appears to Moses in the Burning Bush (oil on canvas), 1848. St. Isaacs Cathedral, St. Petersburg, Russia.

Coda 43

It took the 10 plagues to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelites, and when he does, they leave Egypt a devastated land, ravaged by supernatural disasters and the death of every firstborn Egyp2an child and animal.

The plagues did three things:

1. they taught the Israelites who God is; 2. they taught the Egyp2ans who God is;

and 3. they brought judgment on the

Egyp2an gods.

Coda 44

Once out of Egypt and across the Red Sea the Israelites make their way to Mount Sinai, where in Exodus 19 God reaffirms the covenant with them.

Land of Goshen Rameses !#

Succoth !#

# " Marah

# " Elim

" Mt. Sinai

# " Rephidim

" Bicer Lakes

" Via Maris

Mt. Sinai

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

At midnight, Dr. Creasys intrepid band of students prepare to climb Mt. Sinai.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Dr. Creasy leads the way up the mountain in the black of night!

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Unlike Moses, we stop halfway up for coffee and cookies, served by the Bedouins!

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Sunrise from atop Mt. Sinai.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Early morning on the mountain of God.

Photography by Ana Maria Vargas

Coda 52

Accep2ng the terms of the covenant, God gives his people two great giEs: the Law and the Tabernacle.

1. The Law is ten principles by which a covenant people are to live with God and one another; and

2. The Tabernacle is a physical structure that enables a sinful people to gain access to a holy God.

Coda 53

Turning the page to Levi2cus, we learn how to apply the Law and how to use the Tabernacle. Importantly, the Tabernacle provides a bridge between God and humanity, a bridge mediated by the priesthood and enabled by the 5 Great Sacrifices:

1. Burnt offering 2. Grain offering 3. Peace offering 4. Sin offering 5. Guilt offering

The Tabernacle

Coda 55

The Law and the Tabernacle have great intrinsic value in their own right, but viewed through a Chris2an interpreta2ve lens, they speak of the person and work of Christ.

We learn in Hebrews 8: 1-6 that the Tabernacle is a copy and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, and we learn that the 5 Great Sacrifices have a deeper spiritual meaning, as well:

1. Burnt offering = Christ offers himself wholly to God;

2. Grain offering = Christ is flawless in his humanity;

3. Peace offering = Christ is our peace, with whom we share a meal, his body and blood in the Eucharist;

4. Sin offering = Christ takes our sin upon himself; 5. Guilt offering = Christ pays the penalty for our

sins, making res2tu2on to God on our behalf.

Coda 56

Exodus 20 through Levi2cus 26 encompass the en2rety of Gods covenant with Israel, following the standard 6-part structure of ancient Near Eastern covenants between sovereigns and vassals:

1. Preamble, or introduc2on of the speaker; 2. Historical prologue; 3. S2pula2ons; 4. The document; 5. Calling the gods as witnesses; and 6. Blessings and curses.

Coda 57

When we leave Levi2cus and move on to Numbers, we count the people, organize them and march toward the land of Canaan, the Promised Land:

In Deuteronomy Moses tells the new genera2on their story, in light of spending 40 years in the wilderness; In Joshua the Israelites conquer the land of Canaan; and In Judges the Israelites secle it.

By the end of Judges, however, the Israelites have shacered the covenant: they are far from being a kingdom of priests and a holy na1on, a light to the Gen1les; rather, we read: In those days . . . everyone did what was right in their own sight.

The Israelites had forgocen God, en2rely.

Not me.

Coda 58

So, once again sin corrupts humanity. We really do need

Christ. Stay tuned for the rest of the

story!

1. Adam and Eve live in paradise, a flawless garden where everything is as God intended: yet they fall. Why?

2. The Abrahamic covenant consists of two promises. What are they?

3. How does the sacrifice of Isaac foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ?

4. Why were the Israelites enslaved in Egypt? 5. When God reaffirmed his covenant with the

en2re Israelite community at Mount Sinai, he gave them two great giEs. What are they?

Coda 59

Copyright 2015 by William C. Creasy

All rights reserved. No part of this courseaudio, video, photography, maps, 2melines or other mediamay be reproduced or transmiced in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any informa2on storage or retrieval devices without permission in wri2ng or a licensing agreement from the copyright holder.

[All Tabernacle illustra2ons in these lectures are taken from:

Paul F. Kiene. The Tabernacle of God in the Wilderness of Sinai, trans. by John S, Crandall. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1977. Used by permission.]

60 Coda