11/29: Transition to Deuteronomy

As we move into Deuteronomy  (see Homework Help at bottom)...4 topics today:

1)I have posted several more ideas for ADVENTURE projects on the tab at top.  One has to do with Exodus as

• "seminal story"(Van Der Lann)
• "foundational narrative" (Brian McLaren, chapter 6 here)
• "fulcrum event" (Elmer Martens)

of the entire Bible..

Often this is  specifically focused  on the Exodus 15 "dance party on the beach,"

but it is also helpful to view the whole story as a prototype and microcosm of the entire message, especially of the New Testament.  So I was glad to see that the leading New Testament scholar has made a case for the 7 themes of Exodus as "at the heart of the entire mission of Jesus":

The major themes of the Exodus are at the heart of Tom Wright’s new book Simply Jesus: A New Vision of Who He Was, What He Did, and Why He Matters. But there’s more to say than that: Exodus is at the heart of the entire mission of Jesus. Because this Exodus theme is both cut up into its seven segments (more below) and because Exodus becomes more central, it is fair to say that Simply Jesus takes us beyond Tom’s well-known Jesus and the Victory of God. He puts it all together in this book….
First the seven Exodus themes are tyrant, leader, divine victory, sacrifice, vocation, divine presence, and promised inheritance. This is at the heart of this book.
,,,: Jesus’ mission is shaped by those same themes, and so I want to quote from what I think is perhaps the crucial paragraph in this whole book. Remember: it’s Exodus, Exodus from Moses through Isaiah, through Daniel, through Zechariah, and now reshaped and reconfigured for a new day in a new way by Jesus — the three-fold storm converging: Rome, Jewish leaders, and the new message about God becoming king in and through Jesus:I am going to break the prose into sections so it’s easier to display and read (p. 175):

The tyrant would be not the Jerusalem leaders …, not even Rome …, but all the powers of the Accuser, up to and including death itself.
The leader would be, of course, Jesus himself.
The sacrifice, likewise, would be Jesus himself; that, we must assume, is why he chose to make his decisive move at Passover-time, knowing that it would lead to the death of the firstborn, the beloved son, a hint that he dropped in one of his last parables (Mark 12:6-8).
The vocation would be the vocation he had marked out for Israel in the Sermon on the Mount: going the second mile, turning the other cheek, loving enemies, and praying for them even as they nailed him to the cross.
The inheritance would not, now, be a restored holy land, but the whole world, the uttermost parts of the earth, which had been promised to the Messiah as his inheritance and then promised again to the servant as the realm to which he, through his suffering, would bring God’s justice.
And the presence of Israel’s God would be the presence of Jesus himself, coming to Jerusalem as the embodiment of Israel’s returning God, the fulfillment of Isaiah 40 and 52.
[ -Scot McKinight, full article

Elmer Martens m in "God's Design"

My claim is that the overarching theme of the Old Testament is God's design, a design that incorporates four components:   deliverance, community, knowledge of God, and the abundant life  (p. 3)..It is the thesis of this book that the fourfold design of Exodus 5:22-6:8 is an appropriate and also adequate grid according to  which to present the whole of the Old Testament material.. link  to whole book ,  read 19-24

Walter Bruggemann

THE EXODUS AND THE LOGIC OF LIBERATION

                Walter Brueggemann has a special way of capturing the essence of major biblical themes and movements.  His little book, Hope within History, summarizes the essence of the Exodus experience for the people of Israel.  He puts forward three important dimensions of the Exodus experience as foundational for the formation and renewal of Israel's faith throughout its history:

                +  critique of the dominant ideology,

                +  public processing of pain,

                +  release of new social imagination.  -link, full article

 ---

 2)Missiology (see this, this, this)

3) Enns, 31-32 on Code of Hammurabi

4) Treaties in the Ancient Near East:
Be familiar  with the idea of treaties in the Ancient Near East (especially Suzerain-Vassal realationship).

See pp. 216-217  (and chart on bottom of p. 220 of your Bible Background Commentary textbook, here/

 
  More info:
Video here , or below :

part 2:

"Suzerain Treaties & The Covenant Documents the Bible"

On The Origin of the Suzerain-Vassal Covenant

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We watched  "The Final Test" study notes here.

This dealt with temptations Israel would  face when they finally lest the desert/liminal space.

Note Moses reminded them not to forget God in the New Land...where they found "gan,"  walled gardens/vineyards  (a metaphor for Israel), and were tempted to become be-ushim. ( stinking or worthless things wild grapes

Original Word: בְּאֻשִׁים)...especially by being spoiled/not caring for each other/the needy and oppressed.

  (see notes above and this

Read

Isaiah 5 NIV - The Song of the Vineyard -

 =-===============

Dueteronomy, introduction from Yale course: transcript, audio, or video here

--

 From Biblica:

Deuteronomy

Title

The Hebrew name of the book is ‘elleh haddebarim (“These are the words”) or, more simply, debarim (“words”; see 1:1). The word “Deuteronomy” (meaning “repetition of the law”) arose from a mistranslation in the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) and the Latin Vulgate of a phrase in Dt 17:18, which in Hebrew means “copy of this law.” The error is not serious, however, since Deuteronomy is, in a certain sense, a “repetition of the law” (see Structure and Outline).

Author and Date of Writing

The book itself ascribes most of its content to Moses (see 1:1,5; 31:24 and notes). For that reason, the OT elsewhere ascribes the bulk of Deuteronomy and other Pentateuchal legislation to Moses (see, e.g., Jos 1:7–8; 23:6; 1Ki 2:3; 8:53; Mal 4:4 and notes). Similarly Jesus attributed Dt 24:1 to Moses (Mt 19:7–8; Mk 10:3–5), Peter attributed Dt 18:15,18–19 to Moses (Ac 3:22–23), as did Stephen (see Ac 7:37–38 and notes), and Paul attributed Dt 32:21 to Moses (Ro 10:19). See also Mt 22:24 and note; Mk 12:18–19; Lk 20:27–28. At the same time, it seems clear that the narrative framework within which the Mosaic material is placed (e.g., the preamble [1:1–5] and the conclusion [ch. 34]; see also 5:1; 27:1,9,11; 29:1–2; 31:1,7,9–10, 14–25,30; 32:44–46,48–52; 33:1–2) comes from another—and unknown—hand. See Introduction to Genesis: Author and Date of Writing.

Historical Setting

Deuteronomy locates Moses and the Israelites in the territory of Moab in the area where the Jordan flows into the Dead Sea (1:5). As his final act at this important time of transferring leadership to Joshua, Moses delivered his farewell addresses to prepare the people for their entrance into Canaan. In them, Moses emphasized the laws that were especially needed at such a time, and he presented them in a way appropriate to the situation. In contrast to the matter-of-fact narratives of Leviticus and Numbers, here the words of Moses come to us from his heart as this servant of the Lord presses God’s claims on his people Israel.

Special Function in the Bible

The trajectory of the story that unfolds in Genesis–Numbers seems to call for an account of the conquest of Canaan as found in Joshua to bring closure to the movement from promise to fulfillment (see Introduction to Joshua: Title and Theme). But Deuteronomy intervenes as a massive interruption. Here there is very little forward movement. At the end of Numbers, Israel is “on the plains of Moab by the Jordan across from Jericho” (Nu 36:33) and at the end of Deuteronomy, the people are still there (Dt 34:8) waiting to cross the Jordan (see Jos 1:2). All that has happened is the transition from the ministry of Moses as God’s spokesman and official representative to that of Joshua in his place (Dt 34:9; see Jos 1:1–2). But Moses’ final acts as the Lord’s appointed servant for dealing with Israel are so momentous that Deuteronomy’s account of them marks the conclusion to the Pentateuch, while the book of Joshua, which narrates the initial fulfillment of the promises made to the patriarchs and the conclusion to the mission on which Moses had been sent (see Nu 17:15–23; Jos 21:43–45), serves as the introduction to the Former Prophets.
So Deuteronomy creates a long pause in the advancement of the story of redemption:

1. of deliverance from bondage to a world power (Egypt) to a place in the earth where Israel can be a free people under the rule of God;
2. of deliverance from rootlessness in the post-Babel world (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) to security and “rest” (see Dt 3:20 and note; 12:10; 25:19) in the promised land;
3. of deliverance from a life of banishment from God’s Garden (Ge 3) to a life in the Lord’s own land where he has pitched his tent (Jos 22:19).

But in that long pause on the threshold of the promised land Moses, in this renewal of the Sinaitic covenant, reminded Israel at length of what the Lord required of them as his people if they were to cross the Jordan, take possession of the promised land and there enjoy the promised “rest” in fellowship with him. It was a word that Israel needed to hear over and over again. Upon reading the Pentateuch, Israel was brought ever anew to the threshold of the promised land and its promised “rest” to hear again this final word from God through his servant Moses (see also Ps 95:7b–22). For this reason, all the history of Israel in Canaan as narrated in the Former Prophets is brought under the judgment of this word.

Theological Teaching and Purpose

The book of Deuteronomy was cast in the form of ancient Near Eastern suzerainty-vassal treaties of the second millennium b.c. It contained the Great King’s pledge to be Israel’s Suzerain and Protector if they would be faithful to him as their covenant Lord and obedient to the covenant stipulations as the vassal people of his kingdom. There would be blessings for such obedience, but curses for disobedience (chs. 27–30). Deuteronomy’s purpose was to prepare the new generation of the Lord’s chosen people to be his kingdom representatives in the land he had unconditionally promised them in the Abrahamic covenant (see Structure and Outline below; see also notes on 3:27; 17:14,18).
The love relationship of the Lord to his people, and that of the people to the Lord as their sovereign God, pervade the whole book. Deuteronomy’s spiritual emphasis and its call to total commitment to the Lord in worship and obedience inspired references to its message throughout the rest of Scripture. In particular, the division of the Hebrew Bible called the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) is thoroughly imbued with the style, themes and motifs of Deuteronomy. Among the Latter Prophets, Jeremiah also reflects strong influence from this book.

Structure and Outline

Deuteronomy’s literary structure supports its historical setting. By its interpretive, repetitious, reminiscent and somewhat irregular style it shows that it is a series of more or less extemporaneous addresses, sometimes describing events in nonchronological order (see, e.g., 10:3). But it also bears in its structure clear reflections of the suzerain-vassal treaties (see chart, p. 23) of the preceding and then-current Near Eastern states, a structure that lends itself to the Biblical emphasis on the covenant between the Lord and his people. In this sense Deuteronomy is a covenant renewal document, as the following outline shows:

• Preamble (1:1–5)
• Historical Prologue (1:6—4:43)
• Stipulations of the Covenant (4:44—26:19)
  • The Great Commandment: The Demand for Absolute Allegiance (4:44—11:32)
    • God’s covenant Lordship (4:44—5:33)
    • The principle of consecration (ch. 6)
    • The program for conquering Canaan (ch. 7)
    • A call to commitment in the new land (ch. 8)
    • The lesson of the broken tablets (9:1—10:11)
    • Another call to commitment (10:12—11:32)
  • Supplementary Requirements (chs. 12–26)
    • Ceremonial consecration (12:1—16:17)
    • Human leaders in God’s righteous kingdom (16:18—21:21)
    • Sanctity of God’s kingdom (21:22—25:19)
    • Confessions of God as Redeemer-King (ch. 26)
• Ratification; Curses and Blessings (chs. 27–30)
• Leadership Succession under the Covenant (chs. 31–34)
  • Change of Leadership (31:1–29)
  • Song of Moses (31:30—32:47)
  • Moses’ Testamental Blessing on the Tribes (32:48—33:29)
  • Death of Moses and Succession of Joshua (ch. 34)

© Zondervan. From the Zondervan NIV Study Bible. Used with Permission.

 

 

Wiki:

 

Structure

Patrick D. Miller in his commentary on Deuteronomy suggests that different views of the structure of the book will lead to different views on what it is about.^[4] The structure is often described as a series of three speeches or sermons (chapters 1:1-4:43, 4:44-29:1, 29:2-30:20) followed by a number of short appendices^[5] – Miller refers to this as the "literary" structure; alternatively, it is sometimes seen as a ring-structure with a central core (chapters 12-26, the Deuteronomic code) and an inner and an outer frame (chapters 4-11/27-30 and 1-3/31-34)^[5] – Miller calls this the covenantal substructure;^[4] and finally the theological structure revealed in the theme of the exclusive worship of Yahweh established in the first of the Ten Commandments ("Thou shalt have no other god before me") and the shema ("Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One!")^[4]

 Read/skim  Deuteronomy  rapidly.. Make some notes on impressions, themes, and attempt a  simple chart or outline.  above is a good intro to the book

11/22 : Passover and the Fifth Cup (Elijah's Cup)

Video today: "The Fifth Cup".

short excerpt:


Look for:

• What is a gethsemane?
• What is Leyl Shimmurim?
• What is the Fifth Cup?

Class discussion on "loaded words":
"watch": watch this word when it shows us on Scripture ; link it to Exodus Watch Night, Jesus and disciples "watching: in the garden...and :watching for Jesus return (even in Scriptures like Col 4:2)

"cup": When you see this word, think of all you learned in the video and readings about the cup of judgement/damnation


"It is finished": one early tradition about what Jesus meant by these words are "The cup is finished (I drank it all, all the wrath and judgement of God".  Bit since the line comes from Psalm 22, and since Jesus clearly quoted the first line of Psalm 22 on the cross ("My God, why have you forsaken me?," He could have been quoting this line from the Psalm as well.

Rom 9:1-3: Paul says he'd go to hell (take the cup) for his Jewish brothers and sisters if he could..

But he knows he doesn't have to, because he knows who did.

-Study guide on today's video, p. 225ff here

Some thoughts on today's video from Jay Guin

Faith Lessons by Ray Vander Laan: The Fifth Cup

Posted by Jay Guin

The Lord’s Supper was instituted as part of a Passover meal. The Passover, of course, celebrates God’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage.
By the time of Jesus, the meal was celebrated with four cups of wine, each reflecting a promise of God made to Moses and Israel at the beginning of their delverance –

(Exo 6:5-8)  “Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’”

RVL finds that at least three of the cups were recorded in the Gospels’ account of the Last Supper.

Imagine Jesus presiding over the Last Supper, a traditional Passover meal that gives new significance to each cup. In the traditional Passover meal, the head of the household would recite each promise from God with each cup.
The first cup, preceding the meal, is the Cup of Sanctification – based on God’s statement, “I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians”
The second cup, preceding the first course, is the Cup of Judgment or Deliverance — based on God’s statement, “I will deliver you from slavery to them”

(Luke 22:17)  After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you.”

Drink!
The family would then take the meal together, followed by the third cup, the Cup of Redemption – based on God’s statement, “I will redeem you with an outstretched arm”

(Luke 22:20)  In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.”

Drink!
The fourth cup is the Cup of Protection – based on God’s statement, “I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God.” In fact, pesach, translated Passover, most literally means “protection.”
Drink!
Jesus did not take this cup, forfeiting the Passover, God’s protection against the death angel. Instead, he said,

(Mat 26:29)  I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

Although Jesus drank no more wine, he did drink from another cup. You see, the traditional Passover has a fifth cup, taken from Jeremiah –

(Jer 25:15-17)  This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from my hand this cup filled with the wine of my wrath and make all the nations to whom I send you drink it. 16 When they drink it, they will stagger and go mad because of the sword I will send among them.” 17 So I took the cup from the Lord’s hand and made all the nations to whom he sent me drink it:

This is the cup of God’s wrath, also known as Elijah’s cup. Malachi prophesied that Elijah would return shortly before the coming of the Messiah and day of God’s wrath against all wickedness.

(Mal 4:5)  “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”

At this part of the Passover ceremony, the door is opened, and the head of household says, “Pour out your wrath on the world!”
In the traditional ceremony, this cup is filled but not drunk — not until the coming of Elijah. But Jesus drank the cup.

(Mat 26:39-42)  Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” … 42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.”

Jesus drank the cup of God’s wrath against the nations.  -Jay Guinn, link

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More:
A rabbi's perspective here

Elijah's cup (Judaism)

www.wholetthejewsout.com

Path, Journey, Desert, Lifewalk, Wilderness, Timeline..or Destination?

Great conversation today, gang!

We started by talking about several movies that all share a theme of "our lives are more cinnected/interconnected than we think/realize." We mentioned

• Crash
• 13 Conversations About One thing
• "Magnolia"
• Can you name a few others?  ("Girl Walks into a Bar"  and Short Cuts  and (one of my favories, "Grand Canyon")

We noticed that several of these had Bible references, even Exodus references.
There are some obvious Exodus reference in  Magnolia...sometimes someone even holds up as a sign with Exodus chapter and verse:

Even a plague of frogs:

So..question: why, in our generation,. so many films like this?

So.. wuestion. what's the connection between Exodus themes and the  "our lives are more cinnected/interconnected than we think/realize" theme?

How might that theme be present, or latent/embedded/between the lines in Exodus?
Think about 1000s of people travelling/wondering together for 40 years..Surely there were days where one traveller met someone new, etc and discovered commonality (besides the obvious, the liminal journey that they were sharing?  Maybe the fact that theyy were all on a liminal journey together made them more open to sahring their personal journey/life story along the way. (Microcosm and microcosm)

We played a new clip  ("They Were Not Wandering"from Ray Van Der Laan from "The Desert  series"  (previews)
One thing that is strilinbg about this new serties is Van Der Laan shares far more pesonal stories about hismelf (like his mon dating in a carcarsh whiile they were filming, and his bypoass surgery.  Thjs series also emphasizes "deserts" that people on the tour (and people in general go through."

We noticed that the path in the desert (much emphasis on the Bible word "path") was in a way more important than the destination.  We learned the word "walk" and "life" are the same word in both Bible languages

HMMM..
Unfirtunately, the video  froim tiday is not online,
but here an introduction to the new series, suggesting "God is sufficient in the dessert you are going through":




Here is a video VDL made for the hospital where he had his surgery:


It gave us a closer :realtionship with him, after months of watching him a s  a  more objective teacher.





Re-watch the Trucker Frank story and watch for the "point A to point B" themes:


So toady we were let in on Ray Van Der Laan's timeline/story/path/journey/..

as well as Trucker Frank's..

and them mine
and a class member (Jheanique..it was an honor to hear/see her story:

Click: Knowledge & Innovation: The Journey Is as Valuable as the Destination

Did you know Facebook is being redesigned around the concept of a person;s "TIMELINE"?


Why so you think that is?  Because the Facebook founders are addicted to change, and/or because they are picking up on a current in our culture?

Have they been studying Exodus?  (:
Info

• About Facebook Timeline.facebook.com/about/timeline
• How to Enable the New Facebook Timeline NOW
• Tell Your Story with Timeline

==

A chart/map of the Hebrews wanderings are almost comica.
Why no straight line/path from A (Egypt) to B (Promised Land).
Why go through X?  Sidetrips?  Detours?

Compare terms:

Pligrimmage
Journey
Wander/wonder
path
treak
life/walk

What issues, relational and otherwise come up when a community in commuitas wanders together?

Wanderlust?

What issues arise when a people finally arrive at their:
-Destination
-Point B
-Goal

We'll pick up nest week with the  loaded Hebrew term:


be' ushim 
(hint: click here)




stay tuned..

11/7 Moses and Leadershift: "By Every Word: Striking the Rock"

Some study guide notes from today's video  "By Every Word: Striking the Rock":

11/3 Test Review

We reviewed for the test; see questions and links to answers here (or at the tab at top of page).

Michael Beaudoin's video will help with question #12c:


To help answer  question 11 we watched "He Led Them Like a Shepherd"":


-What are two kinds of leadership? 
Two different "sticks": Pharoah's staff (coercive power) or Moses' (compassionate leading, like a shepherd)
--What is God's purpose? 
To lead people out of the suffering of chaos and into order/shalom.
--Why the desert for training?
Two reasons
--it's a place of dependence/trust on God
--it's the place of the shepherd.  God as Shepherd trained a shepherd  (Moses)to lead like Him.
The word "shepherd" and "word" are almost the same word in Hebrew.  May imply leadership is by word/instruction  (Neh 14, Psalm 77-78)



Here's a short excerpt from another episode, re:
 Shepherds/green pastures

11/1 The Tabernacle

trailer for today's video:

edited version of today's video:


"The imagery of Ramses' war camp at the battle of Kadesh at Abu Simbel shows remarkable similarities to the design of the tabernacle. God often communicates his desire to be with his people through familiar images and customs"-Van DerLaan: