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Background to the Book of Exodus
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Context of Exod 12:1-14 The Book of Exodus begins with the persecution of the Israelites in Egypt, the call of Moses who will be the one to lead them out of bondage and the subsequent confrontations with Pharaoh. In all there are ten acts of God which are intended to show the power of Yahweh and convince the Pharaoh to let the Israelites go. The tenth and final act is foreshadowed in Exod 11. Our lectionary reading gives the instructions to the Israelites as they prepared to flee from the Pharaoh and Egypt. Exod 12:14 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. The story continues with the flight from Egypt chased by the Pharaoh who had changed his mind once more (Exod 14:5ff). |
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Insights/Message of Exod 12:1-14 Literary structure:xxExod 12:1-28 interrupts the flow of the narrative about the plagues. The repeated ritual of Passover and Unleavened Bread which will commemorate the saving events of the exodus have been inserted here. We have the commands about the ritual before the event has taken place (Exod 12:29-40). If we looked at the literary pattern of Exod 12-15:21 we find liturgy encloses 2 stories and the entire sequence: the first story (12:29-39) is enclosed Exod 12:1-27a & 12:43-49; the second story (Exod 13:17-14:29) is enclosed by liturgies in 13:1-16 & 15:1-18. There are a number of transitional verses between each of the sections (Fretheim:134). Fretheim suggests that we are compelled to read the stories through a liturgical lens which means it becomes very important theologically as the liturgy flows into the event and away from it (Fretheim:133, 136). The Israelites are commanded to keep the ritual of Passover and at the end of the instructions about the rituals, v.28 confirms that the Israelites were obedient as decreed. Our section is divided up into concrete prescriptions for the festival (1-10), and an interpretation of the event in vv.11-13 (Brueggemann:776). The instructions are very precise about the lamb, how it will be cooked and eaten, and of particular importance is the command to use the blood to mark the lintel of the door. Vv.11-13 connect the blood with the festival itself, that is the Festival of Passover is the time when the Lord will pass over - just to note the similarity is only in the English translation and there is no similarity in the Hebrew terms. The blood becomes the sign of and means of salvation for the Israelites. In earlier nomadic rituals the blood has salvific value in itself, but this is not the case for the Israelites - the blood is a sign of divine promise. Note the gods of Egypt will all be smitten. This means that other gods are recognised as part of the Israelite culture and this final defeat will include them. Message / Theology:xxxxxxxxThis festival is of vital importance to the Jews. It is celebrated as the time when they remember the saving acts of God who brought them out of slavery. The symbolic acts of eating the lamb, cooked as directed, unleavened bread and the bitter herbs all serve to remind of that event which God initiated even though they didn't deserve it. The instructions are to a people who will be ready to leave on a journey at a moment's notice. As Christians we reinterpret the event in light of God's saving acts in Christ. Christ has become the Lamb sacrificed on our behalf and his blood is that which saves. So we also celebrate the festival on Maundy Thursday before the events of Easter. The Passover testifies to God's redemptive acts for Israel and the eucharistic meal witnesses to the redemptive acts of God for Christians. It is a time of remembering the past and looking forward in hope to God's continuing present in the world and in our lives. |
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Resources/Worship for Exod 12:1-14 Worship:xxxA re-enactment of the Passover can be used the following resources are helpful: xxxxxLincoln, Francis. The illuminated Haggadah. London: Frances Lincoln Ltd, 1997. Zimerman, Martha. Celebrate the Feasts. Minneapolis: Bethany Fellowship, 1981. The internet would provide extensive resources for any Passover celebration 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. 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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