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Background to the Book of Exodus
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Context of Exod 15:1-11 Exodus 12:1-14 is followed by another ritual which the Israelites are commanded to keep, that is, the Feast of Unleavened Bread. There is a second account of the Passover and the act of Yahweh which sound horrendous to us (Exod 12:29) and has to be understood in the world view of that time. It is not the way we believe God acts today. The story continues with the flight from Egypt chased by the Pharaoh who had changed his mind once more because God has hardened his heart (Exod 14:5ff). The people have the first of their complaints to Moses because they think they will die in the wilderness and it would have been better to stay in Egypt. Moses speaks with Yahweh who basically says get on with it. We are told this whole episode will give glory to God because it shows the power of Yahweh over the Egyptian gods. The lectionary set for today comes after the event followed by a long hymn of praise by Moses (Exod 15:1-18) and then Miriam's song of praise. She is described as Aaron's brother and a prophetess. As the Israelites journeyed into the wilderness they came across a spring of bitter water and once more complained against Moses. Once more God answered their complaints (Exod 15:25). An interesting law suddenly gets put in at this point which decrees that if they are obedient to God they will suffer none of the diseases which God laid on the Egyptians. They arrived at an oasis named Elim and camp there. After the songs of praise and thanksgiving, and the first complaint about the bitter water in Exod 15 the Israelites have traveled and are now camped at Elim. From here they move on to the wilderness of Sin where the complaint about food takes place, and following the complaint we read how God answers them in Exod 16:13ff. So they had quail in the evening and bread in the morning. However, those people who were greedy and collected more bread than what they needed found that it rotted and the maggots bred in it. On the sixth day they were allowed to gather twice the amount to keep them going over the Sabbath without having to do any work. Exod 16 finishes with a description of the bread called manna and the command to keep a sample of it in a jar as testimony to the way God cared for them in the wilderness. |
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Insights/Message of Exod 15:1-11 Literary: xxxxThis hymn has created a great deal of discussion about its form and when it was written. It cannot be fitted easily into one particular format so we will deal with it as it appears in the text. I have included the extract of Miriam's song of praise because it is unusual to have this repetition after the song by Moses. Many people suggest that the song of Miriam is much earlier and the one by Moses is a later expansion. Brueggemann suggests that like in the gospel stories it was the women first who sang and "Moses, the official leader, has taken over and preempted the singing first done by the women" (Brueggemann: 799). Since we can never know whether this is true we want to acknowledge the fact that it is important that we still have this song by Miriam present in the Hebrew Scriptures (Durham: 204). The song could be a composite of either two or three poems: vv.1b-12 & vv.13-18 or vv.1b-12, 13a.14-16 & 13b, 17-18 (Durham: 205, Fretheim: 161). We will deal with it in its simpler two part structure. The hymn of praise both addresses Yahweh and is about the Lord. It is probable that the hymn is the result of a long cumulative development over a long period of time and began in oral form. Both songs are preceded by a statement of God's saving acts - Exod 14:28-29 and 15:19. The song of Miriam provides an inclusio in which Exod 1 begins with story about Miriam and the women and ends in Exod 15 with Miriam and the women (Fretheim: 161). Fretheim suggests that the stories associated with Passover and sea crossings are enclosed with liturgical texts - Exod 12:1-15:21 (Fretheim: 162). The "I" in the text represents the whole people as they prepare to sing their thanks to God for this saving act (Exod 15:1-2). The first half focuses on Yawheh's victory using graphic images to tell of the Egyptians demise. The second half of the song reads like a triumphal procession in which Yahweh's power and victory is acknowled by many peoples. Interspersed are doxological verses praising God and God's incomparable power. We note in the doxology in vv.11-12 that other gods are acknowledged as part of their world view of that time. As in vv.6-8 the image of God's right hand reaching out to bring victory is present in v.12. The conclusion is an enthronement formula acknowledging God's reign forever ( Brueggemmann: 802). Theology/message: The focus of the hymn is much more about celebrating Yahweh and the saving deeds in response to the Hebrew's plight in Egypt rather than celebrating the victory over Pharaoah. While this is part of the song it is mich more about the way God deals with the Egyptians in order to bring about their release from slavery. It is the story of liberation in which the Israelites move from the world of Pharaoah's oppression to the safe land of promise. Brueggemman speaks of them moving through the chaos of the Red Sea as parallel to the accounts of creation (Brueggemmann: 799). There is a great deal that can be picked up within the images used in this song although we need to be careful in our use of the destructive images used here. Jesus Christ modelled a very different form of power based on vulnerability and dying. He did not come as the victorious King on a white charger. The great acts of God for the Israelites and Christians are remembered in ritual or liturgy. The passover can be celebrated anywhere and is not tied to a building. God's acts are marked by a hymn of praise and a prescribed liturgy which can take place in the home or synagogue, where ever a Jew lives in the world. So for the Christian, Christ embodied the ritual of Passover and made it into the Eucharist which again is not tied to one place. Whenever we celebrate Holy communion we remember what God did for us in giving us a son, to bring us freedom and forgiveness, love and hope. So in both faith traditions the mark of remembering was never tied to one place and we can celebrate where ever we are in the world. |
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Resources/Worship for Exod 15:1-11 Worship: The ideal way to bring this alive would be to have people dance this song. Resources: Commentaries The Old Testament Guides (OTG) by Sheffield Academic Press are an excellent small resource which give many suggestions for readings on particular aspects in the book. The New Interpreter's Bible is another very helpful resource and published in the late 1990's - 2002 is more up to date than some earlier works. Brueggemann, Walter. "The Book of Exodus: Introduction, Commentary, and Reflections". In The New Interpreter's Bible, Vol. 1. Nashville: Abingdon, 1994. Propp. William H.C. Exodus 19-40 : a New Translation with Introduction and The Dramatised Bible: ed. Michael Perry. London: Marshall Pickering: Bible Society, 1989 Web sites with helpful lectionary resources: These links were updated 09/06/2008
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