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Background to the Book of Exodus This is the same as last week: to go direct to Context click above. Historical: (History within the text) xxx The Book of Exodus tells how God took pity on the Israelites, the means chosen to liberate them from the Egyptians, and their consequent journeys in the wilderness. The story begins after the Israelites have been in Egypt for several generations and a new Pharaoh comes to the throne who is threatened by the number of foreigners (Israelites) in the land and takes hard measures to subdue them and stop them multiplying. We read of the call of Moses by God, the confrontations with the Pharaoh and his wise men, the subsequent release and flight of the Israelites. The pivotal event was revelation of God to Moses and God giving the Law to the people via Moses. (Put picture in here with link). The covenant set up here is conditional on the people keeping their promises (Exod 19:5-8) - note the word "if" they do ... "then" you shall be my people. After the initial laws in Exodus 20-23 we read the story of the wooden ark in which the tablets of stone (which have the Law written on them) are to be housed and carried. Great detail is given about this Ark in Exod 25-27 before going into further detail about the priests who will serve and the manner of the sacrifices. We read of the people's rebellion and Aaron's role in building a golden calf to worship. Moses returns once more from one of his mountain trips and castigates the people for their unfaithfulness. The Book of Exodus finishes with a further account of the building of the ark which sounds rather repetitious of the first one. Within the Book we are given the origins of such Festivals as Passover and Unleavened Bread. Some people have tried to find evidence within the Egyptian chronicles that the Israelites were present in Egypt in this period but the lack of written material from that era limits any discoveries. What has been found in general terms is that foreigners did serve in Egyptian households, there were building programmes using 'apiru' and foreigners did attain high service in important households (Johnstone:17-27). Rather than trying to prove historical fact as in the old Western idea of 'facts', it is better to understand the Book of Exodus as 'historiography', that is, the remembered history of the Israelite people which is crucial to their identity as the people of God. Literary Comments: xxxx The Book of Exodus is a mixture of very early oral material which has come from different traditions and been joined together in the one book. The events are pivotal to their faith and as we have four gospels telling us about Jesus Christ so the Jews have different memories of the same events. We have four different gospels, but in Exodus the traditions are all mixed in the same book which makes it difficult reading sometimes. For example, in Exod 19 Moses goes up and down the mountain several times and one isn't sure if he is up or down. Some people have tried to identify some of the traditions within the Book: a tradition that uses the name of Yahweh called 'J', another called 'E', the tradition written by the Priests called 'P' and the very easily identified "D' tradition mainly found in the Book of Deuteronomy. It makes sense that different communities as in the NT had different memories and emphases which had become important to them and so when the Scriptures are committed to writing there is a desire to incorporate the diverse memories of people and their experience of God within their lives. PURPOSE of the Book of Exodus: To tell the story of how God raised up a leader, Moses, to release the Israelites from Egypt who lead them through the wilderness where they received the Law from God via Moses. This Law showed them how to stay in relationship with God and with each other. It givess detailed instructions for building the Ark in which the Tablets will be housed. In the Book of Exodus we have demonstrated the unfaithful behavious of the people and God's willingness to renew the covenant. The actions of the people's apostasy and God's willingness to renew the covenant is repeated many times in the history of the people. |
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Context of Exod 17:1-7 Exod 16 finished 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. After this week's lectionary reading which records another story of the people's murmuring against Moses, the people fight their first battle against the Amalekites at Rephidim. Joshua is their commander and Moses stands with the rod which he used to strike the Nile and as long as his arms were raised the Israelites prevailed. After their victory it was recorded that the Amalekites would always have to contend with the Lord. As the people are journeying to Sinai his father-in-law, Jethro, comes to meet Moses with Zipporah (wife of Moses) and their two sons. There is rejoicing when they hear of the defeat of Pharaoh and the escape of the Israelites from Egypt. When Jethro saw Moses doing all the work of settling disputes he suggested that Moses would be worn out and why not choose elders to help in this work of keeping the peace. Moses took the advice of his father-in-law and chose leaders to work with him, after which his father -in-law returned to his own home. At the beginning of Exod 19 the people finally arrive at the foot of Mt Sinai. |
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Insights/Message of Exod 17:1-7 Literary:xxxxxAs in Exod 16 the first verse (Exod 17:1) tells us where the people are geographically before we go straight into the complaint in vv.2-3, God's answer and miracle in vv.5-6 and aetiological (giving the reason for the name of the place) comment in v.7. In response to the complaint about the lack of water and and their demand that Moses provide them with water, he asks the first of two " why" questions. The two questions put in parallel appear to equate the leadership of Moses with that of Yahweh (Exod 17:2). Immediately the people come back with their own "why" question which is repeat of the same one from the previous chapter - why did you bring us out of Egypt? Up to this point God hasn't spoken, unlike in Exod 16 in which God speaks before Moses has time to make any request. Moses is both angry and afraid of the people, and God responds immediately with instructions for Moses. Aaron is not involved in this incident. The place name Horeb is another name for Sinai and Moses has to strike the rock with the same rod he used to part the Red Sea. Part of the instruction to Moses has been to take the elders with him and they become witnesses to the miracle that God provides. Putting the Lord to the proof is repeated twice and becomes part of the place name - Massah (test) and Meribah (find fault, quarrel). Their action in testing God is interpreted in v.7b as their lack of belief that God is with them. As soon as it gets difficult the people's immediate response is to doubt the presence of God. Message:xxxxMoses becomes irritated with their complaint and asks two "why" questions immediately. I can remember as a parent the constant "why" questions that the children would ask. Sometimes it was a way of provoking a response and other times often quite a genuine question. Sometimes, "why" questions also indicate anger, it depends on the tone of voice that Moses uses. What is certain, is that Moses takes it personally, and believes that it is against God. His irritation is not surprising in some ways because God has already provided for the people when they made their previous complaint. Fretheim speaks of divine leading, the continuing human complaint, and the graciousness of God in that the resources of creation are once more made available to the people (Fretheim: 187). This tradition of murmuring against God and Moses arises again in the book of Numbers. The complaints there take place after they have received the law at Sinai and as the people are journeying towards Hazeroth. God punishes the people this time for the their complaints and Moses complains about feeling ill dealt with by the people because they want him to provide meat and he is fed up bearing responsibility for them. The two names, Massah and Meribah become synonymous with the testing of Yahweh, "You shall not put Yahweh to the test, as you tested him at Massah" (Deut 6:16, Ps 81:7 et al.). The people equate the provision of food and water as proof that God is with them and when there is a lack of either it is interpreted by the people as God's absence. The same thinking is taken to victory or defeat in war - if God is present, then they will be victorious in whatever conflict they are involved with at the time. Testing is present in the Scriptures on several levels: God tests Job; Jesus is tested by the devil to prove he is the Son of God. When the people put God to the test it suggests that they need to see God's presence with them in a tangible fashion. In extreme circumstances, we humans are known to say if you save us we will do ... . It is seeking proof that God really cares and can do some miraculous act to save us from some extreme danger. Brueggemann makes an interesting observation in that there is a problem presented, God intervenes to solve the problem and they no longer are thirsty. In our advertising it is the "commodity" that becomes the substitute for God and provides the answer, whether it is the answer to loneliness, depression, popularity, joy well being etc. (Brueggemann: 818). |
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Resources/Worship for Exod 17:1-7 Worship:xxxxThe reading could be set out so that the congregation became the people who spoke and with a narrator and two other voices, Moses and the Lord it could be interesting for the congregation to identity and see how they felt about being the complainants. twr voices for Moses and the Lord xxx 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.
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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