Knowable Word

Helping ordinary people learn to study the Bible

Copyright © 2012–2017 DiscipleMakers, except guest articles (copyright author). Used by permission.

Responses to Difficult Questions for Exodus

By

I’ve really enjoyed letting you into my study as I work through Exodus. I’ve focused on the main ideas of each passage, and I’m always trying to keep the big picture in front of me.

But there’s also a time for digging into the details and asking all the hard questions. Such as:

  • Why does God harden Pharaoh’s heart?
  • Why can we trust Exodus as history?
  • Did God expect Israel to obey all those laws?
  • What was manna?
  • Can we recognize any symbolism in the tabernacle?

The guys at the Bible Project do more than make really great videos. They also have a podcast where they expand on the stuff in their videos. They have two podcast episodes (also available as YouTube videos), where they answer difficult questions about the book of Exodus. They’re great students of the Bible. They observe, interpret, and apply with much skill. If you’d like to understand Exodus further, you would do well to listen to their discussion of it.

Check it out!

Exodus 24: Drops of Blood, Drips of Wine

By

Moses has now received the Ten Words (Ex 20:1-17) and the many rules to apply them (Ex 20:22-23:33). The goal of obeying these words and these rules is to make these rescued people into Yahweh’s treasured possession among all peoples, a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6). To this end, Yahweh wishes to make a covenant (a binding agreement, a treaty) with them (Ex 19:5). When the people heard this plan, they quickly promised to do all Yahweh would say to them (Ex 19:7-8). Will they feel the same way now that they hear the full extent of the words and rules?

Observation of Exodus 24:1-18

Most repeated words: Moses (14 times), Lord (11x), mountain (8), people (8), all (7), Israel (7), up (7), said (6), come (5)

  • A glance at the repeated words show the focus landing back on the characters of the story: Moses, the Lord, and the people of Israel.
  • The mountain itself takes special prominence
  • I’ll watch for a broad scope (frequent use of “all”)

The genre shifts from instructional monologue back to narrative. Looking ahead, I see this is the last narrative until we get to chapter 32. Many more instructional monologues (seven, to be exact) are on the way in chapters 25-31.

  • With a shift back to narrative, we shouldn’t be surprised by a renewed focus on elements like characters, plot, setting, climax, and resolution.

The instructions of chapters 20-23 are called “The Book of the Covenant” (Ex 24:7), divided into two main sections: the “words” and the “rules” (Ex 24:3).

  • Apparently, this book represents the covenant between God and Israel.
  • This book defines the treaty between them.
  • As they did earlier (Ex 19:8), the people promise to obey (Ex 24:3)—apparently seeking to become God’s treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Ex 19:5-6).

The chapter’s structure wraps around the mountain itself:

  • God delineates 3 zones for the mountain – Ex 24:1-2
    • The people must stay at the bottom (Ex 24:2).
    • The elders will “come up” with Moses (Ex 24:1).
    • Moses alone will “come near” (Ex 24:2).
  • At the mountain’s foot, Moses and the people establish the covenant with sacrificial blood – Ex 24:3-8
  • At the mountain’s mid-point, Moses and the elders experience the covenant with a meal – Ex 24:9-11
  • At the mountain’s peak, Moses enters the cloud of Yahweh’s glory – Ex 24:12-18

    Tony Heyward (2014), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 24:1-18

Some possible questions:

  1. Why is the covenant-making ceremony so gruesome?
  2. What do the elders experience on the mountain once the covenant is made?
  3. What does Moses experience on top of the mountain?
  4. Why is the mountain divided into three zones with differing degrees of access?
  5. So what ought we to understand about God’s covenant with us?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. The use of ritual sacrifices when making a covenant doesn’t begin here. We see it clearly in Genesis 15:7-21, where God makes a covenant with Abram after Abram cuts a few animals in half. Jer 34:18-20 provides historical background on the practice: symbolizing the curse pronounced on those who might violate the treaty. The practice also possibly goes back to Gen 3:21, though the word covenant isn’t used there. A substitute must shed blood to threaten the people of what happens if they violate their agreement. Therefore, the Israelites are covered with the blood of the covenant (Ex 24:8), being united with the sacrifice, along with with the altar, the place of sacrifice (Ex 24:6).
  2. The elders “saw” God (Ex 24:10) and “beheld” him (Ex 24:11). But who knows what he actually looked like? All they saw of him was but the pavement under his feet (Ex 24:10). That’s the closest they could get. But they also enjoyed a meal in his presence, and he did not lift his hand to destroy them (Ex 24:11). Great deal!
  3. The glory of Yahweh, appearing as a cloud (Ex 24:16). A devouring fire that all could see (Ex 24:17). Here is a more terrifying version of the burning bush from Ex 3:2, which burns but does not consume Moses.
  4. This mountain is now the place where heaven and earth meet; God and men are meeting together. The three zones may allude to the 3 zones of the created cosmos (heaven, earth, waters under the earth – Ex 20:4, 11), and to the three decks of Noah’s ark (Gen 6:16), which was a miniature cosmos, preserved for a new creation. Perhaps at Sinai, God is making another new creation, as he makes this nation into his people and sets them on a path to expand his rule on earth. We’ll see plenty more creation imagery in the next few chapters to confirm this connection.
  5. God’s covenant is not something to take for granted. It cannot be made without blood, but it draws us into God’s presence to eat and drink with him. God is all-glorious in himself; yet, astonishingly, he gets even more glory when he includes people in his purposes. God’s covenant is gracious; we do not deserve to enter into it with him. And yet he still expects something of us; he is not indifferent to our life choices. God’s presence is something to be terrified of without a proper bloody substitution.

Train of thought:

  • Yahweh’s man comes down to establish the covenant with the people.
  • Yahweh’s man comes up to experience the covenant with the elders.
  • Yahweh’s man come higher to enter into God’s glory alone.

Main point: It costs both personal sacrifice and substitutionary death to draw near to God in covenant.

Connection to Christ: Jesus’ blood of the covenant was shed once for all (Heb 9:17-26, and we proclaim this Lamb’s death every time we eat and drink with him (1 Cor 11:28). God’s covenant with us through Christ is only by his grace (Heb 13:20-21, 25). Yet it requires great personal sacrifice (Mark 1:15), and we must never take it for granted by going on sinning deliberately (Heb 10:26-30).

My Application of Exodus 24:1-18

Oh, how much I take for granted. Grace is so abundant and so free, and I forget all about it. I drift into self-sufficiency, which requires me to compare myself to others and do better than them. Then I get petty and demanding when I’m unable to keep up. And the bitterness sets in when I see others doing better than me. It doesn’t take long for me to start biting and devouring.

But the blood of the new covenant was shed for me, once for all. I need to “remember Jesus Christ” (2 Tim 2:8) daily—not just so I can teach others about him, but so I can see him more clearly, worship at his feet, and rely only on his righteousness and not my own.

The heavenly Mount Zion has no zones. We’re all granted equal access. I have nothing to be ashamed of, and I have nothing to hold over another person. Ever.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

How Much of the Bible Should I Study?

By

measurement

Arek Socha (2016), public domain

It’s a natural and practical question. When you’re studying the Bible, how much should you study at once?

On this blog we write a lot about studying the Bible. But most of these articles presume you already have a section of Scripture to study. Today we’ll talk about choosing that section of Scripture.

As you read, keep in mind this is more art than science. What you’ll find below are suggestions, not rules.

Units of Thought

Though inspired by the Holy Spirit, the biblical authors were humans. In some ways, their writing is similar to ours.

Recall your most recent email. Though your message had an overall purpose, each paragraph had its own function. So it is with the biblical texts. Authors usually have one overarching point for writing. But the author builds his case for that main point by assembling arguments and examples. At the smallest level, think about these as units of thought—an author stacks and arranges these units to form larger points, all supporting the main point of the book.

When mapping out a Bible study, this is where I begin. Study complete units of thought.

The length (number of verses) will vary across genres, and remember, there’s no right answer. Your small group might study five verses in an epistle or two chapters in a historical book. The key is to identify and respect these units of thought.

Here’s a simple example. Suppose an author’s main point rests on supporting points A and B. Perhaps A is established by a, b, and c, while B is established by d and e. Your Bible study might consist of just the text for point a (one unit of thought) or for points a, b, and c (three units of thought forming one larger unit). I’d advise against studying the texts for points a–d all at once.

Finding the Units of Thought

If an author’s units of thought are so important, how do we find out what they are? The simple answer is to read the entire book as many times as possible. This is part of what we suggest when completing a book overview.

The more you read the text, the more you’ll understand the author’s flow of thought. You’ll see the transitions and the divisions in the text will become clearer. Some of these markers are obvious—a change of location or main character, a shift in topic, a transition word. Some authors use structural cues to signal their units of thought. These were more obvious to the original audiences of the writing, but we have to work a bit harder to see them.

Here are two of the often-overlooked structural tools used in the Bible.

  • Inclusio — An inclusio occurs when an author places the same idea, word, phrase, or character both at the beginning and end of a unit of thought. What falls between these two markers should be included (inclusio!) in the same unit of thought. Without the space to explore this further, I’ll point you to these two pages for more explanation and examples.
  • Chiasm — In a chiasm an author presents a series of ideas and then repeats them in the opposite order. This can be used to mark off the text or to emphasize the point in the middle. The structure might look like A-B-C-B‘-A’. In this case A and A’ would share something in common, as would B and B’. This would help the reader identify the author’s focus on C. (Here’s a short reference on chiasms.)

Wisdom from Others

When you’re trying to decide how much of the Bible to study at once, don’t be afraid to ask for help! God has placed us in a body of believers across space and time, so we’re not in this by ourselves. Here are some resources to consider.

  • Book outlines in your study Bible or in other reference material can help you see a book’s structure.
  • Bible commentaries can be a great aid. Devotional or pastoral commentaries are usually more helpful than academic commentaries on this front. (Check out our recommended list of commentaries.)
  • The chapter divisions in the Bible can be helpful. They aren’t divinely inspired, but they weren’t inserted at random either.
  • Don’t ignore your church! Ask your elders, friends, and family for help in setting up your Bible study. In addition to offering you wisdom, sometimes talking through the matter with a friend can help you understand a book more clearly.

In Service of the Main Point

Deciding how much of the Bible to study might seem like a small matter, a tiny decision before you get to the “important stuff.”

But in fact, this is one of the key parts of studying the Bible! If your divisions follow the author’s flow of thought, you’ll be swimming with the current of the book, making it easier to see the main point of each passage.

And if you can understand and apply the main point of a Bible passage, genuine change in your life is next!

Exodus 23:20-33: The One Relationship You Must Never Neglect

By

Moses stands upon Mount Sinai, having received many case laws to apply the ten commandments. Before he goes back down to the people, however, Moses must hear one last thing, an epilogue to the case laws.

Observation of Exodus 23:20-33

Most repeated words: land (5 times), not (5x), out (5), drive (4), all (3), enemy (3), gods (3), make (3), send (3), serve (3)

  • This section has mostly to do with what will happen when the people enter their new land.
  • The case laws now look forward to the fulfillment of God’s promise to settle them in the land promised to Abraham.

Verse 20 makes a sudden shift from what the people ought to do (case laws) to what God is doing (“I send an angel before you…”).

  • This section includes instructions for the people:
    • Pay careful attention to him and obey his voice – Ex 23:21
    • Carefully obey his voice and do all that I say – Ex 23:21
    • You shall not bow down – Ex 23:24
    • You shall serve Yahweh – Ex 23:25
    • You shall make no covenant – Ex 23:32
  • But it gives even more space to what God will do if they obey
    • I will be an enemy to your enemies – Ex 23:22
    • I blot them out – Ex 23:23
    • He will bless your bread and water – Ex 23:25
    • I will take sickness away – Ex 23:25
      • And 9 more actions in Ex 23:26-31

Though the passage begins with God’s angel (Ex 23:20), and mentions the angel again in Ex 23:23, there is an awkward alternation of pronouns between “he” (Ex 23:21, 22, 25) and “I” (Ex 23:23, 25, 26, etc.).

  • A prime example of the awkward alternation is right in verse 25: “You shall serve Yahweh your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you.”
  • Another example is verse 22: “But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say…”

Clearly all the actions of God in Ex 23:25-31 hinge on the obedience of the people to the angel of God (Ex 23:22).

Barbara Skinner (2012), Creative Commons

Interpretation of Exodus 23:20-33

Some possible questions:

  1. Who is this angel sent by Yahweh?
  2. Why is the activity of God in the land dependent on the people’s obedience to the angel?
  3. Why do the case laws end with this epilogue?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. There is much overlap in identity between the angel and God himself. “My name is in him” (Ex 23:21). This angel has authority to pardon transgression (Ex 23:21). Obeying the angel’s voice (Ex 23:22) is practically the same as serving Yahweh (Ex 23:25). So this angel is simultaneously distinct from God (because God “sends” him) and the same as God (“obey his voice and do all that I say”). This angel plays a critical role as a manifestation of God’s presence among the people.
  2. The argument of the passage goes like this: “If you obey my angel, you obey me. And if you obey me, I will give you prosperity and success in the land of Canaan.” Great blessings come with obedience to God’s appointed representative. The way you treat God’s angel (the manifestation of his own presence) determines how God will treat you.
  3. This section deeply personalizes the body of instruction in Exodus 20-23. The point is not so much about following a set of principles, or about trying to keep God happy by doing the right things. The point of the laws is to bring the people of Israel closer to a person, the angel of Yahweh. The laws are meant to guide and shepherd the people into a closer relationship with God himself. Those who are close with God experience unspeakable blessing. Here is life: Life comes not from your performance or activity, but as a result of your steadfast trust in the one God sent to give you life.

Train of thought: See answer to question 2.

Main point: How you trust God’s angel determines how God treats you.

Connection to Christ: I have no problem saying this angel is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity. But, because the original audience had no concept of “the second person of the Trinity,” it might be more precise to say that this angel shows them exactly the role Jesus Christ would eventually have to play. He is the messenger sent by God, pardoning our transgression. How God treats us hinges on whether we give Jesus our allegiance. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son does not have life (1 John 5:12).

My Application of Exodus 23:20-33

The path of blessing will never come through obedience to a code of ethics or body of rules; it comes only through fiery allegiance to the one God has sent to pardon transgression. This truth should more deeply penetrate my leadership and parenting.

If I live according to this truth, I won’t merely multiply rules for my children; I will draw them close in relationship to Jesus Christ (and thus to me). I won’t be so disappointed when my will is crossed. I won’t be so quick to scold when expectations go unmet.

And, even when we study God’s law together, my church and small group ought not come away with only a list of things to do better (though this is not a bad thing). We will come away with inflamed passion and commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ, the one sent by God to take away the sin of the world. We never grow out of our need to work on this one relationship.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.

The Best Advice on Becoming a Better Bible Reader

By

David Mathis has the best advice I’ve ever heard on how to become a better Bible reader:

Read the Bible.

Seriously. You don’t need a degree or huge theological library. The very best thing you can do is develop the habit of daily Bible reading. Mathis’s short video will encourage you in this practice.

Check it out!

Your Turn to Study Exodus

By

For many weeks, I’ve let you in on my study of Exodus. Last week, I got to the end of the specific case laws in Exodus 21-23; but there remains an epilogue, which gives the people a vision for entering the land of promise.

Since I’m on vacation this week and don’t have time to write, it’s your turn. Why don’t you try to study Exodus 23:20-33 on your own?

For help with your study, you can refer to the Basic Bible Study Skills booklet on the resources page.

  • Just observe the words, grammar, structure, genre, and mood.
  • Ask some interpretive questions, and answer them from the text.
  • Determine the author’s main point and connect it to Christ. See what you can come up with before you look at any study notes or commentaries.
  • Then apply it to yourself, your family, and your positions of influence with others.

I’d love to hear what you come up with. Comment below with your guess at the main point of Exodus 23:20-33, and I’d love to interact with you!

Help Your Small Group See the Big Picture

By

Jiuguang Wang (2010), Creative Commons License

When I find myself in a new city, it takes me a while to get my bearings. I need an idea of a city’s structure before I can move around with confidence.

In Pittsburgh—the biggest city near me—everything is organized by bridges and neighborhoods. If I feel lost, I look for signs for the closest bridge, stadium, or college campus. Knowing the big picture keeps me moving.

When studying the Bible, a book overview serves this same function. Knowing the themes, structure, and main point of a book is a great help when you wade into the chapters and verses. We’ve written before about how to do a book overview in your personal Bible study; today we’ll address leading a small group through the process.

Homework is Required

A fair warning: This particular small group meeting requires homework. Your group members may balk, but without homework, a book overview discussion will become a lecture. Nobody wants that.

My small group recently started Luke, and we kicked things off with a book overview meeting. Here’s what I expected my group to do before the meeting.

  • Read the whole book. I asked them to read it at least once, and two or three times if possible. I encouraged them to jot down thoughts on the book’s structure and major themes as they read.
  • Watch two videos. We’ve written before about The Bible Project’s book overview videos. They’re excellent. Here are the two videos that were produced for Luke. (This was the easy part of the homework!)
  • Read an overview article. Either in a study Bible or an online source, I asked my group to find an article about the big purpose and themes of the book. (Here is one article I recommended for Luke. And here is another great resource on Bible book overviews.)

My group had five weeks between meetings to accomplish these tasks. Stating my expectations up front made leading the book overview meeting a snap.

The Meeting Itself

I told my group we’d discuss five simple questions at the meeting.

  1. Who wrote this book?
  2. To whom was this book written?
  3. Why did this person write this book to these people at this time?
  4. What are some key themes of the book?
  5. How is the book structured?

We hit all five questions, and because my friends had prepared, we had a lively discussion.

The goal of a book overview meeting should be to come up with a main point for the book you’re studying. Once you agree on this as a group, you can return to it to make sense of smaller passages. Even if you don’t hit on application during this meeting, you’re laying the foundation for future discussions.

Like a Compass in a Storm

The book overview won’t solve all of your Bible study problems. But it is a wonderful exercise for both personal and small group Bible study. When you know what an author is trying to do with the book as a whole, sometimes smaller sections of the book click into place.

Next time you start a new book in your small group Bible study, take a week to talk about the big picture. You won’t regret it!

Thanks to Peter for his help in preparing this article.

Image source

Exodus 23:1-19: Doing Good Through Truth and Justice

By

God has applied the Ten Commandments through a series of case laws that address basic human rights, private property, and social justice. Now he turns to essential matters of truth and justice.

Observation of Exodus 23:1-19

Most repeated words: not (9 times), feast (5x), keep (5), year (5) day (3), donkey (3), eat (3), field (3), lawsuit (3), let (3), nor (3), poor (3), rest (3), sojourner (3), time (3)

  • If we include common stop words, this passage continues the case-law trend of frequently using “you,” “shall,” “of,” “your,” “with,” and “for.”
  • A shift to the sabbath commandment is apparent from “feast,” “keep,” “year,” “day,” “rest,” and “time.”
  • Another theme seems to be oppression or justice (lawsuit, poor, sojourner).

The structure clearly divides into two sections, with a noteworthy conclusion:

  • 10 instructions about truth and justice (applying “don’t bear false witness”)
    • 4 instructions about wicked partiality – Ex 23:1-3
      • Don’t ever join testimony about someone without evidence, even if it will help people in need.
    • 2 instructions about being true to your enemies – Ex 23:4-5
      • Don’t pretend you weren’t aware of their needs.
    • 3 instructions about perverting justice in legal proceedings – Ex 23:6-8
      • Don’t act like the wicked, who are not able to see things clearly.
    • 1 instruction about being true to sojourners – Ex 23:9
      • Don’t feign ignorance of what it’s like to be a sojourner.
  • 6 instructions about work and rest (applying “remember the sabbath”)
    • 2 instructions about working hard so you can rest and provide for others – Ex 23:10-12
    • 1 instruction about crediting the right god (Ex 23:13) – this might be an application of “don’t take Yahweh’s name in vain”
    • 1 instruction, with 3 instances, about keeping Yahweh’s appointed feasts – Ex 23:14-17
    • 2 instructions about authorized offerings – Ex 23:18-19a
  • 1 concluding instruction about how to boil a young goat – Ex 23:19b
    • This final instruction stands apart, as it’s not really about work and rest (goats would not be boiled, but roasted, during an offering at a feast)

In addition, the next verse (Ex 23:20) takes us in a new direction. The rest of chapter 23 doesn’t have any case laws, but more of a vision for obeying the case laws. So the instruction about boiling a young goat takes a prominent place as the last instruction.

Holly Occhipinti (2013), Creative Commons

 

Interpretation of Exodus 23:1-19

Some possible questions:

  1. Why does God give so many instructions about truthful justice?
  2. What does the Lord want to communicate about the purpose of the sabbath?
  3. Why are the culinary habits of young-goat chefs so prominent? What is significant about boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk? Why is this the last case law?

My answers (numbers correspond to the questions):

  1. Clearly, we all are prone to one form of bias or another, so the Lord warns against it from all sides. Watch out for peer pressure (Ex 23:1), social pressure (Ex 23:2), and victimization (Ex 23:3). Don’t let your negative feelings toward someone prevent you from treating them humanely (Ex 23:4-5). Watch out for power-mongering (Ex 23:6), reversing God’s standards (Ex 23:7), and profiting personally from legal outcomes (Ex 23:8). Don’t ever forget what it’s like to be one of the little guys (Ex 23:9). Our sinful hearts will seek any direction away from truth and toward self-preservation. Be on your guard!
  2. The sabbath is not merely about going to church on Sunday, nor about dutiful religious activity. It requires hard work (Ex 23:10). For the Israelites, it’s not just one day per week, but also three weeks out of every year, and one year out of every seven. The purpose is not primarily for you, or even for God, but for others. The sabbath year is so “that the poor of your people may eat” (Ex 23:11). The sabbath day is so “that your ox and your donkey may have rest, and the son of your servant woman, and the alien, may be refreshed” (Ex 23:12). Here in the Old Testament, we learn why Jesus had little patience for people who refused to do good on the sabbath. When Jesus himself did so, he was never breaking the sabbath command, but actually obeying it.
  3. A mother’s milk was created by God to give life to her young. Boiling a young goat in its mother’s milk would be taking what was meant for life and using it as an implement for death. Perhaps this instruction is the last case law, to serve as a metaphor for the entire code of Ex 21-23. This body of instruction is meant to give you life, by showing you how God’s character works itself out in your community. Don’t use it (the law) to kill or destroy. In other words, don’t use it to try to earn God’s favor, which you already have (Ex 20:2). Don’t use it to bludgeon people into submission (as the Pharisees tried to do with Jesus and his disciples). Don’t use it to lay burdens on people without lifting a finger to help them carry those burdens. Instead, use the law to help improve the quality of life for God’s people in God’s world.

Train of thought:

  • Blind justice preserves extreme truthfulness.
  • Hard work promotes true rest.
  • Implements of life must never be twisted into agents for death.

Main point: God’s people diligently employ truth and rest to do good for others.

Connection to Christ: Jesus not only spoke the truth but was himself the embodiment of Truth (John 14:6). And Jesus’ work was never for himself but always for the good of others (Acts 10:38). He died, according to the will of his Father, so self-interested liars like us could have life.

My Application of Exodus 23:1-19

I usually focus on personal/inward application, but this text provokes me to focus more outwardly and culturally. We must apply these truths as a people before God, and God has called me to help influence the world for him.

So as a part of this community, I must fight to prevent channels of life from becoming instruments of death. Truth and justice matter, for the good of others. There is a time and a place for death (such as the field of battle, the hospice, and the execution chamber). But schools are not for shooting. Hospitals are not for euthanizing. Medical clinics are not for aborting. Homes are not for fighting or yelling. Conversations are not for tearing down. Sabbaths are not for coercing. And Bibles are not for thumping or berating.

Click here to see what I’m doing with this sample Bible study and why I’m doing it.