Exodus Ce Summarized Notes From Lectures by John Kleinig

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig
1. Exodus
1.1.
as a Foundational Story
Israel as a Liturgical Community
What makes the church different from other organizations and communities? It is
liturgical. The Divine Service makes the church a liturgical community. Exodus tells
us how Israel was a liturgical community. The focus at Sinai is the divine service.
The gift of the divine service is given to Israel at Sinai. The divine service identifies
Israel as a unique community. They are a holy/priestly people. They are holy
because holy God is with them.
Exodus tells how the Israelites became a liturgical community. It provides a
foundation. A foundation is important to build upon. What is the function of this
biblical foundation? It identifies who Israel is. It unifies. It gives purpose. If you
destroy the rituals of the divine service, you destroy the foundation of scripture and
Gods people.
1.2.
The Past Serves as the Foundation
In the Pentateuch God instituted many things for the benefit of mankind and
especially for his people. All of the Bible has to do with these foundational acts by
God in Exodus and all of the Pentateuch. These acts are not just relics from the past
but continue to carry significant importance.
God Brings Order to Chaos

Here is something to keep in mind when studying Exodus and all of scripture. In
creation the natural order is chaos. Chaos did not come into play until sin arrived.
Sin creates chaos. God creates order in a chaotic world. He does this in many ways
(politically through governments, socially through marriage and family, etc.).
Religiously he provides order in worship through liturgy. A fulfilling life only comes
when there is order, the order that God creates. In Exodus God brings order to
Israels chaotic life of slavery.
1.3. The Importance of Institutions in Creating

the Foundation
Lets talk about the importance of institutions. Many people do not like institutions.
But they are vital for humanity. An institution is something established by someone
in authority; its a way of organizing a community in some area for a common
purpose.

The most important institutions for Israel were established by God within human
history. For Israel they go back to the patriarchs and to Sinai. God established these
institutions through his Word.
Why is this important? (1) God authorizes institutions in order that man may work
with God (that is what it means be his servant). (2) Through his Word God gives
power to do the work of the institution. In the institution, God does the doing and he
does it by his Word and Spirit through us. It is Gods gift. Divine institutions work
through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why is divine institution so important? What is its purpose? God authorizes and
empowers institutions to establish order through which he delivers blessing. Divine
institutions are established so that people have access to Gods good gifts. The
most important thing instituted by God in the OT is the divine service. All of the
Pentateuch has to do with Gods institutions.
Important Words Used in the Institution of the OT Divine Service
God instituted the divine service with his Word. He instituted statutes. He instituted
these liturgical statutes as a perpetual gift to his people. He also instituted
ordinances. Ordinances tell the right way to do the rituals. Gods instructions for
these statutes and ordinances are called torah, ritual instructions for worship.
God instituted these most important parts of the divine service by his Word.
Therefore these things are holy and become the means by which God shares his
holiness with people. God says to keep his statutes. That means to enact them and
do them. They are to do them because it is through them that God will share his
blessings with them. People receive holiness by enacting Gods statutes. So the
reason why God instituted certain parts of the divine service was to sanctify the
people.
Those parts of the divine service that were divinely instituted were instituted for two
reasons:
1) To prevent pagan practices and
2) They are essential to Gods work in the divine service.
How the Distinction between the Law and Gospel Causes Problems in
Understanding Ritual Legislation
Many Lutherans think that Gospel is promises and Law is commands. But there are
times when a command is pure Gospel. The point is that ritual legislation like that in
Exodus and Leviticus is a gift from God. When God legislates the tabernacle, he is
giving his people a gift (Gospel). And because it is legislated by God, it is binding
and certain.
1.4.
The Role of Moses
Moses plays a pivotal role. We normally think of him as the Law giver, but he is so
much more. He is the cult (ritual enactments) founder and pioneer. As the founder
he receives the instructions from God and then he is the first to do them. And then
he hands off responsibility for them to someone else. As the cult founder, he is
involved in the setting up of the tabernacle, the consecration of the priesthood, and
the inauguration of the divine service. Therefore he occupies a mediating position.
He represents God to the people (passing his Word to them) and the people to God
(interceding for them). That is what makes Moses different from everyone else in
the OT, but also like Christ.
Moses plays a central role at Mt. Sinai. Moses received the Torah (the teaching
about worship) at the top of the mountain (Ex. 25-31) in 7 speeches by God to
Moses (reminiscent of the 7 days where God created the world). Then Moses
constructed an altar at the foot of the mountain and sprinkled some of the blood of
the sacrifices on the altar and the rest on the people. The sprinkling of the blood
sanctifies, makes the people holy. Therefore this sprinkling made them Gods holy
people. Then Moses is responsible for the construction and consecration of the
tabernacle. He is also responsible for and consecrates the priests and the altar at
the tabernacle. Then he inaugurates the divine service in Lev. 9. This is the
culmination of what is being given at Mt. Sinai.
There are two times when Moses face is unveiled, when he speaks to God and
when he speaks Gods Word to the people. What does this tell us about the role and
task of Moses? Moses reflects Gods glorious presence to the people. The ministry of
Moses brought them the Word of God. They didnt have a dead face to speak to
them (like a pagan idol); they had the living face of a human being to speak Gods
Word to them and to bring Gods presence to them (his glory in Moses shining
face). God shows his face through human flesh; he puts on a human mask.
So Moses is:
The mediator between God and his people.
The lawgiver.
The cult founder.
Gods spokesman to the people.
The intercessor on behalf of the people with God.
He brings Gods glory from heaven to his people on earth.
Moses is a composite figure. No one is like him. He combines offices that are
separated later. Then they are all brought back together again in Jesus.

Moses was sent to pharaoh to harden pharaohs heart. To the world that does not
seem to be successful ministry. That will be the case for some pastors too. Moses
and pastors reveal the holy God to people. Gods holiness has two effects. Either it
kills or gives life. It either saves or condemns.
1.5.
The Nation of Israel
What is it that makes a nation a nation? In a nation people have something in

common ethnic origin, culture and language, the land they live on, etc. What
unified Israel as a nation? The divine service. It had religious unity. It is the same for
the church. The church is made up of people from all over the world. It is the Divine
Service that unites us all as the church.
The Israelites would have given three dominant answers as to what makes them
different from all the other nations, all of which are similar and are given in Exodus.
God chose them to be a holy nation with a holy mission (Ex. 19:5-6).
They had access to Gods presence (Ex. 33:15-16).
God through the institution of the divine service, through the sacrifices of
atonement, makes it possible for a holy God to live with a sinful people
(through the forgiveness of sins).
1.6. Gods Purpose for Israel and Their

Deliverance
For what purpose did God make Israel his holy people? The function of being a holy
people is to be a royal priesthood, priests standing between God and the nations,
representing the nations before God and bringing Gods blessings to the nations.
Exodus means journey out. The heart of the first part of Exodus is the deliverance
from Egypt. For what reason did God deliver his people from Egypt? The purpose
was not just to set them free. His purpose was liturgical. He delivers them so that he
can give them the divine service so that they will have access to him.
Gods purpose in delivering Israel was so that they could serve him. But their
service to Yahweh was different than a pagans service to his gods. Pagans served
their gods by providing clothing, food, and shelter for them. Israel brought food to
God like the pagans, but then God turned the ritual upside down. He made the food
holy and then gave it to his priests and people to eat. He provided a holy banquet
for them.
The best summary of Gods deliverance of his people and the purpose for that
deliverance in the book of Exodus is in Ex. 29:46. This comes at the climax of Gods
institution of the divine service as he explains the daily burnt offering. It states that
the purpose of the divine service was so that God might dwell among them.
1.7.
A Summary of Israels Foundational Story

To summarize, Exodus is Israels foundational story. Foundational stories tell who
you are, whats your purpose, what things you have in common as a community.
Exodus tells us about Gods foundational acts of his deliverance of his people in
Egypt and his covenant with them at Sinai. These two great acts by God are told
about in the first and second halves of Exodus. At the heart of the covenant is Gods
institution of the divine service and the priesthood (Ex. 25-31 and 35-40).
2. The Structure of Exodus

2.1. The Procession of Israel from Egypt to
Sinai (Ex. 1-18)
2.1.1.
Clues to Understanding Exodus
Before looking at Exodus structure, to make sense of any book you look at how it
begins, how it ends, and its various parts. Exodus has a carefully crafted structure.
Exodus begins with the Israelites in slavery. Exodus ends with the cloud of presence
moving from the mountain to the tabernacle. Exodus will tell the story of how Israel
went from slaves in Egypt to being witnesses of Gods glory descending upon the
tabernacle. Something else to keep in mind as you read Exodus is that the more
space and time that is devoted to something, the more important it is.
2.1.2.
4)
The Call and Commissioning of Moses (Ex. 1-
The dominant picture in Ex. 1-18 is a journey. Exodus means journey out. The
journey is a religious procession with God from Egypt to Mt. Sinai. But it is also a
victory procession because the oppression has been overcome through victory in
battle.
How are chapters 1-18 arranged? It begins with the birth of Moses and the
commissioning of Moses and Aaron as Gods agents. God commissioned Moses to
deliver Israel. If God commissions someone then he also equips them to get the job
done. God gives Moses what seems to be some of the most feeble weapons to get
the job done. He gives him his name and his presence. Thats it. Then Moses goes to
Egypt and the battle begins.
2.1.3.
Background Info on the Egyptian Religion
Now we pause and give some background info that will help you make sense of this
next section. Lets look a little bit at Egyptian religion. The Egyptians like many
ancient people believed the universe was full of many gods. And there were
basically three classes of gods. First there were the gods of the over-world, the
world above us. Second you have this-world gods, which is the environment people
live in and interact in. And third, there is the under-world, the world below us.

Yesterday we spoke of order and chaos. In the Egyptian religion, the ordered part of
the universe is the over-world. The realm of chaos is in the under-world. The overworld is the area of light and life and the under-world is the area of darkness and
death. The most important god is the sun god. He is important because without
light there is no life and there is chaos. So the sun god and the gods of the overworld brought order to the world.
Then you have the gods of the world itself. These gods tended to be female. This is
because they are associated with life and growth. Therefore the goddesses and
gods of the earth were primarily fertility gods.
The under-world gods had to do with death and destruction. Seth is the god of death
and his symbol was the crocodile and hippo. The water of the Nile comes from the
under-world. Therefore water was associated with chaos. This includes the seas.
This idea was carried forward for many centuries and cultures. It was still prevalent
at the time of Jesus.
The Egyptian religion was built around the role of pharaoh as the representative of
the sun god. Pharaoh was considered the son of the sun god. His main task was to
bring order out of chaos and to maintain order. He maintained order via religious
means.
Egyptian theology went like this. Every night the sun god went from the sky into the
under-world. Why? He went to battle Seth and put him back into his domain. Every
morning the sun god would rise victorious, declaring his victory over the powers of
darkness. He then rose to the top of the sky and delivered the benefits that he won.
Pharaohs played a role in this. Every evening pharaoh performed the rituals to
protect the sun god in his journey into the under-world. And every morning before
the sun rose, he performed rituals that helped the sun god rise up.
2.1.4.
The Ten Plagues (Ex. 5:1 12:36)
Moses goes to pharaoh and demands that pharaoh let Israel go to serve Yahweh.
Pharaoh does not recognize Yahweh. He doesnt take orders from someone inferior.
So the battle begins. The battle takes place in Ex. 6 12 between Moses and
pharaoh, between Yahweh and all the gods of Egypt.
In the battle that ensues God fights the gods of Egypt. First he fights the gods of the
under-world (first three plagues). Then he fights the gods of this world (second three
plagues). Then he fights the gods of the over-world. Finally he does battle with the
supreme god, the sun god and his son pharaoh.
In the plagues God carries out judgment on the Egyptians. The Hebrew word
translated as judgment means to make a wrong right. God acts in judgment against
the gods of Egypt; He puts them in their place. Yahweh will redeem his people with
an outstretched arm, that is, Gods judgments will come as acts of warfare. Through

such acts he will right what is wrong. God will attack and defeat the gods of the
Egyptians in the ten plagues.
The battle begins against the gods of the under-world (plagues 1-3): water to blood,
frogs, and gnats. Next the battle will be against the land based gods (plagues 4-6):
mosquitoes, livestock, boils. Next are the battles against the over-world gods, the
sky gods (plagues 7-9): hail, locusts, darkness. Finally, God battles the sun god
incarnate pharaoh. In the 10th plague the firstborn Egyptians were killed. This was
part of the Passover. The Passover which brought death to the Egyptians brought
freedom to the Israelites. This demonstrates that ritual actually does things! Every
enactment of the Passover frees from slavery. The Christian counterpart to Passover
is Easter. It is the great enactment of liberation.
2.1.5
The Red Sea (Ex. 12:37 15:21)
Trapped between the army and the sea, the Israelites watch as Yahweh opened a
way through the sea, led them through the sea, protected them from the Egyptian
army, and drowned the Egyptian army in the sea.
The glory cloud (the presence of God) went in front of them and led them into the
Red Sea. It leads them into the under-world into death. He entered it with them.
Actually he led them through the waters (death) to the other side (to life).
The cloud was light to Israel and darkness to the Egyptian army. The Israelites went
into the place of darkness and death but God provided light for them.
The Egyptian army followed Israel into the sea and were swallowed up and drowned
by the waters and taken down into the under-world never to rise again.
The crossing of the Red Sea culminates in the great Song of the Sea (Ex. 15:1-21).
2.1.6 Journey through the Wilderness (Ex. 15:22

18:27)
First they grumble because there is no water and when they finally get to a place
where there is water, the water is undrinkable. In response God fixes the problem by
providing sweet water for them. Next they grumble because there is no food in the
desert. God provides miraculous food - bread and meat every day. In connection
with it, he gives them the gift of the Sabbath. Then they grumble at Meribah where
they run out of water again. But it goes beyond water. Life is hard in the desert and
they question whether God is with them. The glory cloud was not enough for them.
They demand some proof of Gods presence. It is the grumbling of unbelief. And
once again God is gracious and gives them water, proving that he is with them and
cares for them. These grumbling episodes show Gods grace in the midst of sin; it
highlights Gods grace.

Then the Israelites are attacked by the Amalekites. The Israelites win an amazing
victory. During the battle Moses raises his hands to the heavens. What is Moses
doing? He is interceding for Israel. So he fights by praying. And holding his hands up
is also the gesture of blessing. Once again it is Yahweh who is fighting and Moses
looks to him for victory. His intercession brings blessing.
In ch. 18 Moses is fed up leading. Jethro suggests he delegate authority to others.
Whats important here is this is the foundation of something that is very important
in the NT. The 70 elders here form the basis for the Sanhedrin, the Supreme Court in
Israel, in the NT. The Sanhedrin was headed by the high priest and therefore the
judgment of the Sanhedrin was the judgment of God.
2.2 Consecration of Israel and its tabernacle at Mt

Sinai (Ex. 19-40)
2.2.1
Background: Theophanies of Pagan gods
You can understand the OT when you view it versus its pagan background. What
God does is speak his Word in contrast and in opposition to pagan religions. Many
times God takes a pagan teaching and overturns it and uses it for his own purposes.
He takes pagan rituals, such as sacrifices, prayers, and praise, changes it and reappropriates it. God speaks to us in human terms, in language, gestures, rituals,
and in acts of history.
Pagans have idols for their gods. The idol is a means of access for seeing the god
and a way for the god to see you. Through the idols eyes, ears, and hands the god
sees, hears, and touches people. The exchanged between a person and his god
went like this: the god sees you; you present offerings; and he decides if he is
pleased with you or not. From there you can make requests of him and he will bless
you. So pagan theophanies are visual. You see the god and more importantly the
god sees you. The idol is the means of access.
2.2.2 Yahwehs Theophany to and Covenant with Israel

(Ex. 19-24)
Yahweh revealed himself to Israel in cloud, thunder, lightning, etc. on Mt. Sinai. This
is the greatest theophany in the OT. If it were a pagan theophany the next thing that
would have happened would be that they saw God. But instead they heard God.
Lets go through the theophany at Mt. Sinai.
It begins with Israels preparation for the theophany. Then the cloud covers
the mountain and there is thunder and lightning.
Then comes the theophany in chapter 20. For us it is anticlimactic. He doesnt
show himself. Instead he speaks.
He introduces himself I am Yahweh. Its like me saying, Hi, Im John. Very

simple and bland.
Then he commits himself to his people when he says, I am your God who
brought you out of the house of Egypt ... .
Then he gives them the Ten Commandments. The commandments are part of
the theophany. This isnt moral stuff; its liturgical stuff.
That scares the people so that they ask that God not speak to them. From this
point forward Moses acts as their mediator. He is Gods spokesman to the
people and he speaks for the people to God.
The first instruction to Moses is the law of the altar. It begins with, You have
seen me speaking from heaven - a mixture of seeing and hearing. You
expect God to say, You have heard me speak. This is a theophany by
hearing more than it is by seeing. At this point pagans would build an idol for
their god to maintain access to him. But God gives instructions for building an
altar and in connection with it is the name of God and the offerings to God.
Access to God is not through an idol but through the means he gives (altar,
Name, offerings).
Next God gives three chapters of what is called the book of the covenant.
They are ordinances that tell them how to do things.
Then there is a strange incident in Ex. 24:1-11. God summons Moses to the
top of the mountain. He tells Moses to build an altar at the bottom of the
mountain, to sacrifice animals on the altar, drain the blood from the offerings,
put some of the blood on the altar, and then take the rest of the blood and
sprinkle it all over the people. What happens when the blood is put on the
altar? In the scriptures anything that touches the altar becomes holy.
Therefore the blood became holy. What happens when the holy blood is
sprinkled on the people? It makes the people holy. So here Israel is
consecrated as a holy nation by this ritual act. This is similar to what happens
when the priests are ordained (sprinkled with holy oil and blood).
Then comes a meal. Moses and the elders eat and drink in Gods presence.
They eat the holy meat from the sacrifices. And remarkably they see God.
(This continues to be part of the theophany. Here it stresses seeing instead of
hearing.) Under Gods feet is a sapphire pavement, like the dome of the sky.
What does that mean? This is heaven on earth. God had come down to be
with his people. This sacramental meal was the culmination of the theophany,
in which the Israelites were made his holy priestly people.
At the end of chapter 24 Gods glory becomes manifest in the form of fire in a
cloud on top of the mountain. On the eighth day Moses ascends the
mountain, going into Gods presence in the heavenly realm. Moses has
access to God in this manner.
2.2.3
God Gives Moses Seven Instructions (Ex. 25-31)
In Ex. 25-31 there are seven speeches by God to Moses in which God institutes the
divine service and everything that has to do with it.
1. Speech 1 is the longest (Ex. 25 to first part of 30). In it God institutes the
place of the divine service, the courtyard and its furniture. Then we have the
consecration of the priest and the altar. Then comes the incense altar and
the burning of incense.

2. Institution of the holy shekel which finance the operation of the daily
offerings.
3. Then there is the basin that the priests used for washing their hands and
feet.
4. Then there is the most holy anointing oil.
5. Then there is the most holy incense that burns in the altar in the Holy Place
every morning and evening.
6. Then there is the appointment or commissioning of two men to oversee the
building of the tabernacle and its furnishings.
7. Then there is a section on the observance of the Sabbath. That seems rather
strange. Why is the Sabbath mentioned here in the last speech? God rested
on the seventh day and his people are to rest on the seventh day, even when
they are building the tabernacle. The purpose in them building the tabernacle
is not for them to do work but for them to rest. This is another funny
inversion. In pagan theology the gods appoint humans to work for them. God
calls his people to rest, to do nothing. The most fundamental ritual
(remember ritual means work) of all for the Israelites was anti-ritual, doing no
work on the Sabbath.
2.2.4 The Golden Calf Incident and Moses Intercession

for the Israelites (Ex. 32-34)
While Moses is up on the mountain receiving Gods instructions, the people get
impatient. They dont know what happened to Moses. They believe in God but they
have no leader to take them to the promised land. And they had access to God
through Moses, but since Moses is nowhere to be found, they no longer have access
to God. So to get access to God, they do like the pagans do. They make an idol. The
language here is ambiguous. They are not making an idol to a pagan god, but of
Yahweh. They make a golden calf. It was to be Gods presence with them to lead
them. God had just told them in the Ten Commandments that they were forbidden
to make idols. Therefore this act broke the first commandment. They thought they
needed the idol to have access to God, but the first thing God had given them when
he spoke to them was his name. They already had access to God through his name.
In making an idol they are forsaking his name.
This infuriates God and God wants to destroy the Israelites and start off fresh with
the descendants of Moses. But Moses intercedes for Israel. There are four
intercessions by Moses. This section is the heart of teaching on intercession in the
OT.
1. Ex. 32:11-30 Moses asks God to turn from anger to grace, disaster to
salvation. The basis of his intercession is Gods promises to the patriarchs.
God then relents. Hes not going to wipe the people out, but that still does
not solve the problem of sin.
2. Ex. 32:31-34 Moses wants to explore the possibility of making atonement
for their sin. He is thinking that he may be able to offer himself so that the
people might be spared. Moses offers himself but God rejects that idea. God
says he wont go with them; he will send an angel to lead them to the
promised land. If he goes with them they will be destroyed because of their

sin and his holiness. When the day of judgments comes the people will have
to pay the consequences of their sin.
3. Ex. 33:12-17 Moses says, This is your people. Moses uses his access to
Gods grace for the benefit of the people. He basically says, If you dont go
with us then we are no different than any other pagan country and that is
going to make you look bad. God says, Ok Ill go with them. But the problem
of sin still remains.
4. There is a short intervening section in which Moses asks God to show him his
glory. Moses does not see the face of God. Instead he sees Gods backside.
Instead of showing him his face, he gives Moses his name. He reveals that his
name means that he is gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love,
forgiving sins. So Moses receives the meaning and use of Gods name.
Therefore Moses access to Gods holy name gives him access to Gods
forgiveness and grace.
5. Ex. 34:9-10 Moses says, Forgive us. God responds by making a covenant
with them and promises to do something marvelous, something that has
never been done before. What is it? A holy God will live with a sinful people
and not annihilate them. Ultimately that is only resolved by the atonement
made by Jesus.
This is Gods reaction to the golden calf incident. God agrees to go with them and to
do marvelous things for two reasons: because of his covenant promises and
because of Moses intercession.
2.2.5 Building and the Consecration of the tabernacle

(Ex. 35-40)
Moses received instructions from Yahweh on top of the mountain for 40 days and 40
nights. Moses came down from the mountain and Moses face was shining with
Gods glory. Weve discussed this some already.
Now Moses takes the instructions from God about the tabernacle and he does them
(Ex. 35-40). This section starts with Moses instructing the people to keep the
Sabbath. The important thing in Israels worship is not work but rest. Their resting
prepares them to do holy work.
Then the Israelites make contributions for the building of the tabernacle and its
furnishings. The remarkable thing is the willingness of the people to contribute what
is needed. (This is a good text for Christian stewardship.) Paul picks up on willing
giving, giving from the heart in 2 Corinthians.
Then comes the account of the making of the tabernacle, its furnishings, and the
priestly vestments (Ex. 36-39). And then comes the actual setting up of the
tabernacle and its consecration (Ex. 40). This occurs in seven stages; there are
seven acts. God told him what to do and Moses did it. Amongst all the other things
that Moses was and did, he is also the tabernacle builder; he oversees the
construction of the tabernacle.
Then comes the climax of the book.
Ex. 40:34-35 The glory cloud which had led them out of Egypt and through
the desert and had settled on top of the mountain now leaves the mountain
and settles over the whole tabernacle. The glory itself goes into the Holy of
Holies. From this point onward the tabernacle replaces the mountain. The
mountain is no longer holy because Gods holy presence has left it. The new
holy place is the tabernacle, the place where God now dwells.
Ex. 40:36-38 The glory would lead Israel from place to place. Notice that the
cloud is dark during the day and light during the night, another strange
reversal.
Taking the book of Exodus as a whole, what is the basic purpose of Exodus? The
purpose of Exodus is to show how God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt so
that he could dwell with them in the tabernacle. Thats it; simple as that. But with
that there are many themes which we will be looking at next.
One last thing to point out about the structure. There is something significant in
Lev. 1:1. Previously Yahweh called Moses and spoke to Moses from the mountain.
Now Yahweh speaks to Moses from the Tent of Meeting, the tabernacle. The
tabernacle replaces the mountain as the place to meet with God.
3 The Themes of Exodus

3.1 Theme Deliverance of Israel by God
3.1.1The status us the Israelites
Since they are already his people, God redeems them in Egypt. In fact they are
more than family. In Ex. 4:22-23 God calls Israel his firstborn son. The firstborn has
special responsibilities within the family. In this case he is responsible for divine
service let my firstborn son go that he may serve me.(Serve is a term for ritual
work.) He is not a slave (like pagans are for their gods) but a son. And not just any
son but the firstborn who has special status and significance. The firstborn carries
the fathers name. So Israel carries Gods name.
The picture is this. God is over all the nations of the earth. They are all his family.
Israel is Gods firstborn son who serves on behalf of the rest of the family. Israel will
perform divine service on behalf of all the nations, the other sons of God.
When the Israelites went to Egypt God went with them (Gen. 46:4). Now God is
assessing his sons situation and is intent on fixing what is wrong (redeem it). What
is it that triggers God to take action? It is Israels lament (Ex. 2:23-25). Israel groans
under its burden; it cries out for help; and then it directs its cries to Yahweh.
God responses to their lament (Ex. 3:7-9):
1
He heard their groans. Even before they articulate their problems he is aware
of them and understands them.
2
He remembers his covenant with Abraham. This is not cognitive. This
remembering is related to acting, to take action.
3
He saw their affliction and oppression.
4
He knew their suffering. This knowing is experiential knowing (like a husband
knows his wife). God experienced their suffering.

In order to hear, see, and experience their suffering, Yahweh had to be present with
them. This is what God does. He is with his people; he suffers with them; and then
he acts to rescue them.
Yahweh chose to work through Moses. God officially called and commissioned Moses
on Mt. Horeb to work with him in delivering the people from Egypt. Moses was going
up against pharaoh, who had all power politically, militarily, and spiritually. God
equipped Moses with what seem like unimpressive tools, his name, his Word and his
presence. But Gods giving of his name is a great gift. When someone gives you their
name he gives access to himself.
3.1.2
The Nature of the deliverance
This deliverance is more than political freedom, more than a paradigm of freeing
from injustice. There are three pictures we can use to understand the act of
deliverance in theological terms. 1) The deliverance from Egypt was an act of
redemption. 2) It was an act of emancipation, an act of freeing. 3) It was a victory
over the powers of evil.
Deliverance as an Act of Redemption
A redeemer is the male head of the family, which is normally the oldest male in the
family. This is not just nuclear family, but the extended family. What is the function
of a redeemer? He protects the life, livelihood, and status of all family members. He
is the protector of the family.
What are the functions of a redeemer?
1) The redeemer would redeem one of the family members from false accusation in
a court of law. He acted as the defense council. In this role he redeemed the person
from injustice.
2) If a member of the family fell into slavery, it was the duty of the redeemer to get
the money together from the rest of the family to buy the person back so that he
was free again. Slavery very often had to do with debt.
3) When the Israelites were in the promised land, each family received a plot of
land. If a family had to sell the land to pay some debt, it was the duty of the
kinsman redeemer to redeem the land, to buy it back so that it was not lost from
the family.
4) If a man died having no male child to leave his property to, it was the job of the
redeemer to father a child with the mans wife in order to produce a male offspring.
It protected the ongoing continuity of the family.
5) If a family member was taken as a prisoner of war, it was the redeemers job to
rescue him from captivity. (See Abrahams rescue of lot.)
It was the job of the kinsman redeemer to ensure that the status of the family
(social, economic, and religious) was preserved.
So how does this apply to Israel in the situation they are in? Israel has been treated
unjustly and God intervenes to make sure that justice is done. Because of slavery
Israel had lost its inheritance and status. As the head of the family God came in to
liberate them and restore them.

Deliverance as an Act of Liberation
Moses repeatedly told pharaoh to let my people go or liberate my people. When
pharaoh would not let them go, Yahweh compelled him to by a mighty arm.
Yahweh freed them from their captivity. This is straightforward and very well known.
Deliverance as Victory
Not only is this a victory over pharaoh and his army but it is also a victory over
chaos and the powers of darkness. Here God is the divine Warrior; he is like Israels
Goliath. He is a Champion on behalf of his army; a person who fights single
handedly against the enemy. In this war God the Champion fights not another
champion but against all the powers of pharaoh, his magicians, his armies, and his
gods.
As Israels Champion, Yahweh fights for Israel; he is their Protector. Israel is
Yahwehs army, but they do no fighting. They are told to simply watch their
Champion win the victory. And when he does they plunder the enemy.
3.2 Theme - Exodus as Divine Theophany

3.2.1
Two Effects of Gods Revealed Glory
Theophany is a revelation of Gods glory, a manifestation of Gods presence. Gods

presence in Exodus is shown in the glory cloud. His visible presence is veiled in a
cloud. Theophany has two sides to it. When God reveals himself there are two equal
and opposite effects. He manifests himself in both grace and in wrath, judgment
and salvation, darkness and light.
The purpose of the ten plagues was so that God could reveal his glory to the
Egyptians, to Israel, and to the world. Glory could also be understood as fame and
reputation. The disclosure of Gods glory means salvation for the Israelites but
wrath for pharaoh and the Egyptians. Gods glory is manifest paradoxically. It is
revealed by being concealed; his glory is revealed when he conceals it in a cloud.
Why does God conceal it in a cloud? To protect his people. This is necessary
because if sinful people are exposed to the fullness of Gods holy presence they
would be annihilated. Paradoxically, the closer God comes to his people, the more
concealed he is to make himself available in a non-threatening way.
Because his glory is paradoxical, there are two kinds of knowing or experiences.
1. Yahweh is doing these things so that the Egyptians will know that I am
Yahweh. God brings the plagues, his judgments on them so that they will
know him (experience his wrath and judgment).
2. He does it also so that the Israelites will know that I am Yahweh. For them
the plagues lead to salvation. They will know him as their Redeemer and
Savior.

The preaching of Law and Gospel has to do with theophany. The disclosure of God in
his Word is either in judgment or salvation.
3.2.2
The Theophanies in Exodus (and Leviticus)
There
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
are seven important theophanies in Exodus and Leviticus.

The theophany in the fire of the burning bush made the ground holy.
The theophany of the glory cloud that leads Israel out of Egypt.
The theophany at the Red Sea.
A theophany in the Desert of Sin in connection with the manna and quails.
The climactic theophany was at Mt. Sinai, the glory cloud on top of the
mountain.
6. The revelation of Gods glory on the face of Moses.
7. In the inauguration of the divine service (Lev. 9) Gods disclosure of himself
culminates in the fire on the altar of the tabernacle. It produces a column of
smoke that rises up every morning and every evening. Lev. 9 is the first
divine service. In it the fire of Gods glory comes from the Holy of Holies to
the altar for burnt offering lighting the sacrifices. After that the holy fire was
not allowed to go out. The holy fire on the altar is theophanic fire. The cloud
that rises from the altar everyday is Gods theophany to his people.
The story of Gods theophany ends at the divine service. So the divine service and
Gods holy presence are closely related. The deliverance, freedom, and victory of
the exodus winds up on display in the divine service.
3.3 Theme The Institution of the Passover

3.3.1The Passover Provides Protection and Delivers Israel
Notice the close connection between the last plague, the death of the firstborn, and
the exodus. The Passover protects the Israelites from the angel of death. And it not
only protects them, but it also delivers them; it begins the journey out. The journey
from Egypt to the promised land begins with this ritual enactment. The ritual began
at night and Israel left in the morning. The journey they were taking was from night
to day, from darkness to light.
3.3.2The Firstborn were Holy to Yahweh

The Passover protected the firstborn sons of the Israelites and also the firstborn
male animals of Israel. Since these firstborn were saved by God, they belonged to
God; they were holy. If they were holy then they could only be used in the divine
service. They couldnt be used for secular purposes. Therefore the firstborn cattle,
sheep, and goats were presented to Yahweh as holy offerings. But the firstborn
unclean animals also belonged to God. Since they could not be used as an offering,
God provided a means by which they could be redeemed, bought back. If it was not
redeemed it had to be killed. The firstborn sons of each family also belonged to
Yahweh. Since they could not be sacrificed, they had to be redeemed.
3.3.3The Passover Meal
The Israelites were to keep a vigil (stay awake and keep watch) being ready
to leave. Yahweh also kept watch, protecting Israel. He was on guard duty
against the angel of death. Both Israel and Yahweh keep watch.
Each family slaughtered the Passover lamb and drained its blood and put the
blood on the door posts. When the angel saw it, it passed over. What does the
blood do to make the angel pass over? Normally the blood of sacrifices was
placed on the altar and the application of blood cleansed it. So the blood
made the house clean. Death and cleanness do not go together. So if the
house is clean there can be no death. If it is clean it is a place where God can
be present.
The lamb had to be roasted and then entirely eaten by the extended family
and invited guests with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. The Passover was
like a peace offering offered at home. In both cases the meat from the
offering was given by God to the family to eat as a holy meal.
The meal was eaten with the family dressed to travel. Normally a meal was
eaten sitting on the floor. This meal was eaten standing up. They stayed in
the house until morning and then the journey began.
3.3.4The Passover was to be Celebrated Every Year

The initial Passover was celebrated in Egypt, but it was also to be celebrated every
year thereafter. They were the same, yet different.
First of all it was a divinely instituted mandatory annual commemoration. It means
to remember, a memorial, but that doesnt give the full meaning. It is a liturgical
sacramental enactment. There are four divinely instituted commemorations and all
of them have the following elements: (1) They are divinely instituted by divine
command. (2) They have attached to it a physical ritual element (in this case the
Passover lamb and the blood). And (3) And they have a promise of Gods blessing.
Sounds like a sacrament doesnt it? Jesus plays on this when he says, Do this in
remembrance of me.
Secondly, the Passover meal is Gods provision or ration for his people, like a holy
meal from the peace offering.
Thirdly, the Passover was celebrated as a family meal.
Fourth, interestingly the focus in this meal was on the children. It was an occasion to
teach the children, not just theoretically about their ancestors, but to enact the
story and to ritually celebrate. The children ask the question: How is this night
different from all other nights and meals? Then the head of the house tells the
Passover story and proclaims the deliverance from Egypt.

The Passover started in the evening through the night and into the morning. And it
began one of the pilgrim feasts of Israel a 7 day long feast called the Feast of
Unleavened Bread. During this week of celebration they were not to eat leavened
bread. Leaven was associated with impurity.
What is the overall purpose of the annual Feast of the Passover? Every Passover is a
sacramental reenactment of the original Passover. A key text for the Jews is Ex.
30:4. It uses a present participle. Because it is in the present tense it means that
every Passover you go free, you go on a journey to a new place. So every
generation relives the original exodus. Every generation experiences a journey from
slavery to the new divine service. Its a journey from ritual impurity to ritual purity.
Its a journey from death to life, from sorrow to rejoicing.
3.4 Theme Enactment of the Covenant

3.4.1Important Elements of the Covenant Enactment
There are five important elements to the enactment of the covenant. This will show
that it is not just a legal transaction between two legal entities.
1. First we have Gods proposal of what he intends to do in Ex. 19:4-6. He wants
to make them a kingdom of priests, a holy nation, his personal, treasured
possession. Everything that follows comes out of this proposal. God has
recued them from Egypt and he tells them here what he wants to give them.
In verse 5 instead of obey my voice it would be better to translate it as
listen to my voice. They must hear before they can do anything.
The peoples reaction is all that Yahweh has spoken we will do (Ex. 19:8).
This is repeated 3 times (Ex. 19:8; 24:3; 24:7). They are making a strong
commitment. This is what they will do as the holy people of God. The
statement of commitment (Ex. 24:7) ends with and we will be obedient.
This is better translated as and we will listen. Its like God calling you on
your cell phone, giving you instructions, and then after youve listened to
him, you do them. We listen to Gods Word and his Spirit.
2. In the second element God gives his people three things: the Ten
Commandments (Ex. 20:1-21), the law about the altar (Ex. 20:22-26), and the
covenant code (Ex. 21-23). These all have to do with the life and mission of
Israel, not just the secular life, but with the mission and vocation of Israel as a
holy people.
3. The third element in the enactment of the covenant is the consecration of
Israel for divine service (Ex. 24). God said, You will be my holy people. The
people are happy to go along with Gods proposal. And then God does what
he promised to do; he makes them holy. Moses slaughters the animals and
drains the blood. Half the blood is splashed against the altar and the other
half is sprinkled on the people. This cleansed them and made them holy. The
blood consecrated them as priests, as a priestly people, as a holy people.
Blood consecrates and blood purifies. From this point forward Israel is Gods

holy people. (Most commentaries see the covenant as purely a legal
document. But the context says that it is more liturgical than legal.)
4. Next God gives his holy people his tabernacle (Ex. 25-27; 30-31), the
priesthood (Ex. 28:1 29:37), and the divine service (Ex. 29:38-46).
Then no sooner than they have been made holy, they desecrate their
holiness (Ex. 32:1-29). They desecrate their holiness in the worst possible
way, by breaking the first commandment. God could rightfully annihilate
them for it. But Moses intercedes for the people with four great acts of
intercession (Ex. 32:30 34:9).
5. In the last element of the divine covenant (Ex. 34:10) God basically says,
Behold, here and now I am making a covenant and will do a marvelous thing.
What was that marvelous thing? The thing that will astonish the nations that
God will do is forgiveness. A holy God will travel with and live with a sinful
people. Even by pagan standards this is impossible. The amazing thing is the
forgiveness of sins. This is spelled out subsequently in the giving of the divine
service and the gift of atonement through blood in the divine service.
Because of this unclean people can meet with holy God and do so safely.
The covenant then tells Israel how they can fulfill their priestly vocation before God.
The Ten Commandments sets boundaries and keeps them in line, but it does not
deal with the problem of sin. When they sin they need atonement. The Law does not
create purity; it doesnt create holiness. The Law discloses impurity and marks out
the way that you lead a holy life, but it does not create holiness.
3.4.2The Nature and Function of the Decalogue

Gods Gifts in the Decalogue
Gods gifts in the Decalogue (Ex. 20:2) are the basis for his demands.
1. He gives the gift of his holy name (I am Yahweh). By giving them his personal
name he not only gives access to himself, he gives access to his grace.
2. The second gift is his commitment to his people as their God (I am Yahweh,
your God ).
3. The third gift was his liberation of his people from slavery in Egypt. In ancient
thinking when a king took slaves from another king, they became his slaves.
But when Yahweh took them from pharaoh, he didnt make them his slaves.
What he is doing is freeing his son from slavery (early in Exodus he calls
Israel his son). He wants to restore him to family status.
The Ten Commandments are made known and promoted in Yahwehs name. If they
are given in his holy name then if they are broken, his holy name is desecrated and
that leads to Gods wrath. So to keep the commandments, one sanctifies Gods holy
name. But to break them desecrates his name. In the Lords Prayer we say,

Hallowed be thy name. How is Gods name kept holy? When Gods Word is taught
in its truth and purity and when we order our lives according to it (catechism).
Link Between the Ten Commandments and the Divine Service
There is an important link between the Ten Commandments and the divine service.
They are presented together with worship.
1. God spoke the Ten Commandments directly to the people from his theophany
at Mt. Sinai in a liturgical context. He also preaches the Ten Commandments
to the people prophetically through the Psalms at the divine service.
2. A practical use of the Decalogue at the temple was in entrance liturgies. The
gatekeepers led the entrance liturgies. The people asked, Who may ascend
the hill of the Lord, who may stand in his holy place? The gatekeeper
responded with, He who has clean hands and a pure heart and who does not
lift up his soul to idols. So the Ten Commandments were to be used by the
priests to scrutinize and examine the people before they entered holy ground.
The people had to be clean because the gate that they were entering led to
Yahwehs presence.
So the Ten Commandments were used liturgically. Luther picked up on this
when he told people how to prepare for the Sacrament. You look at yourself in
terms of the Ten Commandments. It shows you your unrighteousness and
impurity. If not done, one receives the Sacrament in a state of impurity and
desecrates the Sacrament.
3. The Ten Commandments were written on stone tablets and placed in an
important location, in the ark beneath the mercy seat. You would probably
expect them to be prominently mounted at the entrance where the people
could see them. So why are they placed there? Once a year the high priest
sprinkled the blood of atonement on the mercy seat. Gods Law condemns
people but Gods grace covers their sin. So atonement is closely connected to
the Ten Commandments.
In summary there are two tables to the Ten Commandments. The first table deals
with our relationship with God and the second table deals with our relationship with
our neighbor. But notice that the first three commandments have to do with
desecration of Gods holiness. They deal with three holy things: the holy presence,
the holy name, and the holy day/holy word. The first table has to do with
desecration and the second table has to do with defilement, those things that make
you spiritually unclean. So once again we see a close connection between the Ten
Commandments and worship.
The Dominant View of the Covenant at Mt. Sinai
First we must talk about a recent theological and exegetical distortion of the
covenant. Recently one reading of the OT has come to dominate the understanding
of the covenant at Mt. Sinai and that is basically a Calvinist understanding of
covenant. Lutherans concentrate on Law and Gospel. Calvinists concentrate on

covenants. They understand covenant not in ritual terms but in legal terms. That
emphasis puts the emphasis not on faith but on obedience.
The classic form of these Hittite treaties consisted of the following elements:
1. In the Preamble both parties and their relationship with each other were
identified.
2. The Historical Preamble has the prior relationships between them. This would
always focus on the positive.
3. Then came the important Stipulations which governed the relationship
between the two parties. Usually no alliances with any other kings for the
vassal king. Each kingdom resolves to support each other if one comes under
attack. It was also stipulated that the vassal king was obligated to come
before the suzerain king once a year and he was expected to bring
tribute/gifts.
4. Copies of the treaty were deposited in the shrine or temple of the gods of
both countries and which would be read each year.
5. This treaty was not just legally binding but the gods of both nation became
witnesses to the decrees. And if the treaty was not kept the gods would bring
sanctions against the offending party.
6. Last would come the benefits and disadvantages of keeping and not keeping
the covenant. In Jewish terms these were the blessings and curses.
There are some problems in looking at it in this way.
1
Israel was already Gods people before Mt. Sinai. They became his people
when God made the covenant with Abraham.
2
The Hittites are historically and geographically remote from Israel. Their
empire existed from 1800 BC to 1300 BC. Israel began as a nation around
1300 BC.
3
Several important things are missing from the covenant in Exodus: no
historical preamble, no decree that the Ten Commandments be deposited, no
witnesses to the covenant, and there is no list of blessings and curses. The
closest book in the Bible that resembles this vassal treaty is Deuteronomy.
An Alternate View of the Covenant
We spent time on this legal view of the covenant because most Christians in North
America have this understanding of Exodus and the Ten Commandments. We now
go over deliberate counter points that go against that view.
1. There is little mention in Exodus that what God does at Sinai is a covenant. Only
four times is it mentioned and only one of those seems to be related to Ex. 20
and the Ten Commandments. So its not very prominent in Exodus.
2. The covenant that God makes with Israel is not a legal enactment. It occurs as
part of a theophany, so it is a liturgical enactment and not a legal enactment.
3. Here is the big picture of what happened.
3.1.Israel was Gods people already before the exodus. They did not become his
people at Mt. Sinai.
3.2.In the exodus the holy God of Israel gave his people access to his presence.
Their holy God from the holy mountain did three things:
3.2.1. He introduced himself by name to his people using his personal name
I am Yahweh. By giving them his personal name he gives them access to

himself. By doing this he makes the divine service possible. In the divine
service they will have access to him at his place of residence among
them. He will invite the Israelites to his home.
3.2.2. In Calvinist theology God introduces himself and then demands that
Israel commit themselves to him. This leads to decision theology. But the
reality is the opposite. He says, I am Yahweh, your God. In these words
Yahweh is committing himself to them. God was committing and binding
himself to Israel.
3.2.3. The third thing God gives Israel is the Ten Commandments. In them he
promises to bless them.
3.3.There are two sides to the covenant. After God made his commitments [and
he will make more commitments later], he laid out what was required of his
people - the Ten Commandments. [The Ten Commandments served a dual
purpose. When they kept the commandments Gods blessings would flow to
them. If they did not keep them, they would serve as a warning that they
were cutting themselves off from God and his blessing.]
3.3.1. Israel was already Gods people. But now God wants to make them his
holy people. The Ten Commandments spell out Israels vocation and
mission, what God is calling them to do. After he makes them holy, they,
as his holy and priestly people, are called to live holy lives.
3.3.2. The Ten Commandments have more to do with holiness than morality.
They have more to do with priestly living than moral behavior. So as an
example, I honor my father and mother. I dont do it because I know its
the right thing to do (and obviously it is). I do it because I am a holy
person. That is how holy people live. When people live that way, they
have a foretaste of heaven.
3.4.Dealing with the problem of sin. In looking at it in the normal Calvinist way, it
is all about my obedience and is reduced to morality. In looking at the
covenant liturgically, sin is dealt with through the blood. The Calvinist
reading stops the covenant at chapter 24, but God has so much more to give
them in chapters 25-31 --- the whole divine service. Those chapters are more
of Gods side of the covenant. Calvinists and Evangelicals believe that
worship is the human response to what God has done. But it is actually the
other way around, God is giving them himself, access to himself and his
blessings through the tabernacle, priesthood, the altar, and offerings. This is
all part of Gods covenant with his people.
3.5.When looked at in this way, it changes your view on the whole OT. It is the
key to understanding the ritual material in the OT. The people must continue
to listen to continue receiving Gods gifts. But they are not just to be
received but to be enacted/done. In their priestly mission the people do not
work for God (thats obedience) but they work with God in enacting the
divine service. That is a key distinction. You work for someone in their
absence. To work with someone, that person is there working with you. We
work with Jesus; he is present with us.
3.6.The covenant at Sinai is all about what God is doing. He was already their
King and they his people. The new thing he is proposing in the covenant was
to make them a holy people. He does not impose it on them, he offers it to
them as a gift. And on three occasions they agree to his gift. The picture here
is God with open arms and not God pointing a finger. The only time he is
pointing his finger is when they disobey. When they do break the

commandments, God tone is not, Dont do that in anger. Its, Dont do
that. Why do mess your life up?
3.7.In one respect the Ten Commandments are a gift. These are words of
freedom which map for them their lives as freed sons of God. They are not
slaves of God; thats Muslims. The commandments map the boundaries.
They dont tell you what to do so much as they set boundaries and there is
freedom [and safety] in those boundaries. [Think of little children in a fenced
in yard. Inside the fence they can play freely and in safety. Outside the fence
are all kinds of danger.]
3.8.Each commandment protects a gift of God. What are the gifts? 1 st comm.-his
holy presence in the tabernacle, in the divine service; 2 nd comm. his holy
name; 3rd comm. his holy day; 4th comm. parents and family; 5th comm.
life; 6th comm. sex; 7th comm. possessions; 8th comm. good name,
reputation; 9th & 10th comm. household, covers Gods general care for you.
Luthers praying of the catechism is along these same lines. First he rejoiced
in the gift and gave thanksgiving to God and then used it for confession
when he fell short to claim Gods promise of forgiveness. That is the right
way to use the catechism liturgically.
Summary of the Covenant
It has to do with holiness

The purpose for it for Israel is to perform God-pleasing service, the divine
service.
It has to do with the mission and vocation of Israel to be a holy, priestly
people.
This means liturgy rather than morality. Its more about sharing in Gods
holiness than it is about morality.
There are two sides to the covenant.
God gave Israel his name, his commitment, and access to himself and his
blessing, grace and gifts in the divine service (tabernacle, priesthood,
offerings).
Israels side of the covenant is to listen to Gods voice and keep his covenant.
And this involves keeping the Ten Commandments.
They are to keep the Ten Commandments not to become holy but because
they are holy.
All holiness comes from God and therefore to be holy they must keep in touch
with God. God gives access to his holiness through his Name, his Word, and
the divine service. Therefore they need to respect those things.
Since they are a holy people, they are to treat each other with honor and
respect.
Israels side of the covenant is not a condition but a consequence. Its not, If
you keep the commandments you will receive Gods holiness. Rather,
because God is committed to you and has given access to himself to you and
has shared his holiness with you, therefore you keep the commandments. You
keep the first table in order not to desecrate Gods holiness and come under
his wrath rather than receive his grace. You keep the second table so that you
dont become defiled and desecrate Gods holiness by coming into his
presence with your impurity.
3.4.3The First Commandment

A literal translation of the first commandment is : You will/shall have no other gods
against/next to/upon my face. It is both a statement and command. This means that
no gods/idols are allowed in Gods presence. But where was God present for
Israel? He was present at the tabernacle in the Holy of Holies on the mercy seat. For
the people, God was present at the altar for burnt offering. Therefore there were to
be no idols brought into the tabernacle.
In the first commandment, a carved image or statue of a god was prohibited. Even a
statue of Yahweh was prohibited and was considered another god (see golden calf
incident). God considers all idols as gods.
It is common for us to believe that pagans believe that idols are actually gods. And
we think, how dumb could they be to think that. But they do not believe that.
Pagans understand idols to be the face of their gods. And through the face they
have access to their gods. Their gods can see and hear through those faces; its
kind of their means of grace/access/blessing. They believe the spirit of the god is in
the statue. You can see this in Hab. 2:18-20. This commandment contradicts pagan
theology.
Note that some Christians divide what we Lutherans call the first commandment
(Ex. 20:2-6). But this is not correct because both verse 3 and verse 4 are talking
about other gods. To not have gods before me is to not have idols before me (v. 3).
And then they are prohibited from making idols and worshipping them (v.4). Both
parts talk about idols and both parts talk about gods. Therefore it should not be split
apart into two commandments.
There are three things that are prohibited in the first commandment.
1. They are not to manufacture idols.
2. They are not to prostrate themselves before other gods. (Note that the
Israelites were not required to prostrate themselves before God in the divine
service. This is because they are sons and not slaves.)
3. They are not to serve other gods, which means that they are not to perform
the divine service to them. This means that they are not to offer sacrifices
and prayers to an idol. Instead their offerings and prayers are to be directed
to Yahweh.
Ex. 23:24, Deut. 12:3-4, and Deut. 12:29-32 are an extension to the first
commandment. They say that Israel is not to bow down (prostrate themselves) and
serve (perform rituals, worship) other gods. They say that they are not to worship
Yahweh in the way that pagans worship their gods. So the first commandment is
extended here to the prohibition of Canaanite rituals. Commenting on this, the
Rabbis say there are two different kinds of divine service. There is authorized
service and unauthorized service. This means that if you perform divine service in a

way that Yahweh has not authorized, you are guilty of idolatry; you desecrate Gods
holiness.
Also included in this extension of the first commandment is that when Israel enters
the promised land they are to destroy all the pillars and all the other pagan
apparatuses that are associated with their gods. The reason for this is that while
these gods are really nothing, there is power behind these gods - demonic power.
Reasons idols are prohibited:
1. The first commandment says you shall not bow down and serve them. An
alternate reading which is just as valid is you shall not bow down and be
enslaved by them. So the first commandment prevents enslavement.
2. If you have the real thing why go with a poor inadequate substitute? God has
given access to himself through his name. They dont need an idol to get access
to God.
3. God has instituted the altar for burnt offering as the place where he will come to
his people and bless them. Pagans approach an idol to receive blessing. You
dont receive blessing from an idol but you do receive blessing from Yahwehs
altar in the divine service and in the Aaronic benediction and in eating the holy
meal.
4. Deut. 4 is a discussion about idolatry and why idolatry is prohibited. Read Deut.
4:15-18. Why should you not make any idols? Because you saw no form when
God spoke to you out of the fire on Mt. Sinai. Read Deut. 4:12. They didnt see
his form but they heard his voice speaking to them out of the fire. Read Deut.
4:32-33. The Israelites have experienced something that is absolutely unique in
human history. They heard the voice of God. So why no idols? God doesnt reveal
himself through the face of an idol but through his voice, through his Word.
Paradoxically, God shows his face through his word. If you want to get to know a
person, you get to know them not by seeing them but by listening to them.
5. Idols are prohibited because they are associated with evil spirits. The OT is
strangely quiet on this matter. There is probably a good reason for it. The less
said the better. The more you speak about them the more arise two things,
either idle curiosity that leads deeper and deeper into it or unnecessary fear.
6. Read 1 Ki. 12:28-33. What was the sin of Jeroboam, the founding king of the
Northern kingdom? Most people would say that it was the idols that he made.
They are right but there is more to it. Notice that Jeroboam went up on the altar
and offered sacrifices. He acts like he is the high priest even though he was not a
priest. Secondly he said, Behold you gods. Elohim is a strange word. It could be
gods but it is also the term for God. He is making an idol for Yahweh who brought
them out of Egypt. There is a pun here. So what is the sin of Jeroboam?
6a First he uses a forbidden image/idol to Yahweh, two golden calves. So he is
guilty of making and serving idols. But there is more.
6b He does all sorts of unauthorized things. He performs the divine service in an
unauthorized place Bethel.
6c He performs the service with unauthorized priests, people who are not of the
tribe of Levi.
6d He performs the service at an unauthorized time. He celebrates the Feast of
Tabernacles in the 8th month instead of the 7th month.

6e The service is performed by an unauthorized high priest. He was the king
acted like the high priest.
So what is idolatry? It is a whole range of things. Its having idols; its trusting other
gods; its worship the one true God in ways that he has not authorized. God
instituted Divine Service. It provides certainty in our dealings with God and it
provides the way in which God gives out and delivers his gifts.
3.4.4The Second Commandment

You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain. For Yahweh will not hold
him guiltless who takes his name in vain. This means using Gods name for the
wrong purpose, using it for an unauthorized purpose.
When you meet someone, you introduce yourself to them. The way you introduce
yourself makes a big difference in how you open yourself up to the other person.
Some examples:
Hello, I am Dr. Kleinig. This gives formal and academic access. Offering an
academic relationship. So it is limited access.
Hello, I am professor Kleinig. Presenting myself as a teacher and giving a
person access as a student. Offering a teacher/student relationship.
Hello, I am Mr. Kleinig. It is very formal and impersonal, a business
relationship. The relationship goes no further than business.
Hello, I am pastor Kleinig. Establishing a pastoral relationship. Offering myself
as a pastor to you.
Hello, I am John Kleinig. More familiar and more personal.
Hello, I am John. Offering the most intimate personal relationship.
In giving someone your name, you are doing something extra-ordinary. In each case
you give access to yourself. And not only that, but also the level of access, the
degree of access, and the kind of access. In Exodus God introduced himself with his
personal name, giving Israel the most access possible. In baptism God gives us his
personal name, which means he is offering the highest degree of access to himself
and to his grace. Gods name is an important gift. We use it to do everything, to
meditate, to pray, to give thanks, to praise him, teach. Gods name is the most holy
thing God has given to his people and the worst act of desecration is the
desecration of his holy name. The proper use of Gods holy name is at the sanctuary
in the divine service
How God Gave His Name to His People
How he gave his name is a long story and it is found in Exodus.
Ex. 3:13-15. When the people ask, What is his name?, they are really asking
what is Moses authority? Who is he speaking for? Gods answers in a
strange way. First of all he answers in a riddle I AM who I AM or I will be who
I will be. That answer is almost a put off. It is like this: Whats your name? My
name is what my name is. Or just hang around and youll find out. Then he

goes from I AM who I AM to just I AM (which is Yahweh, usually translated as
the LORD).
Moses uses the holy name to promise the deliverance of Israel (Ex. 3:16-17).
And he uses the holy name to demand that pharaoh release the people of
Israel (Ex. 3:18). Moses speaks the Word of God in the name of God as if he is
God, that is, like a prophet.
God introduces himself to his people at Mt. Sinai when he says, I am Yahweh
your God (Ex. 20:2). He gives them his name and he commits himself to
them. This formula for self-introduction I am Yahweh occurs many times in
the book of Exodus.
The most important reflection on the holy name is found in the aftermath of
the golden calf incident. This is when Moses wants to see Gods glory and
God shows him his back side. Go to Ex. 34:6-7. This is one of the most
important passages in the entire OT. It is pointed to and alluded to more often
than any other passage in the OT. Almost all the psalms allude to or directly
quote this passage. This is the Gospel in the OT.
What is being said here? By repeating his name twice he adds emphasis.
They are to use this name when they call upon him. He then lists his
credentials, what kind of God he is, what kind of benefits he offers to his
people through his name. First he is the compassionate and gracious God.
Second, he is slow to anger. He is patient and doesnt overreact. Third, he is
great or rich (unlimited) in mercy and faithfulness.
This is followed by three participial phrases.

1) The first has to do with the character of God.
2) The second has to do with Gods activity, the way he treats his people. There
is a contrast here of Gods grace and wrath. Grace goes to thousands of
generations and his wrath goes to at most three or four generations. They are
not equal; they are totally disproportionate. His grace and mercy is unlimited.
He bears iniquity, rebellion, and sin.
3) Thirdly, he does not excuse sin. He allows the consequences of sin to come
upon people. If I sin then at the most it will affect three or four generations. It
will be limited. It means those who come in contact with me will be affected
by my sin. But once I go thats the end of it.
So there is a great contrast between unlimited grace and limited judgment.
Gods wrath serves his grace. He allows people to suffer the consequences of
their sin in order to bring them to their senses so that he can right whats
wrong so that his grace will triumph.
Gods Name Means Forgiveness (Ex. 34:6-7)

God deals with sin in two ways.

1. First he uses sin against sin. He uses restorative justice. He limits the
consequences of sin and he brings the consequences of sin back on the
sinners head. By doing this he causes sin to undo itself. This limits sin but
does not deal with the problem of sin. It contains sin.
2. The second way he deals with sin is through atonement and forgiveness.
Instead of human beings having to bear their sin, he bears sin. Pr. Kleinig
translates forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin in 34:7 as bearing/
carrying/ removing. People should bear sin but he carries it in order to
remove it.
Lets talk a little more about forgiveness. We have a cheap doctrine of forgiveness.
It usually goes like this. We sin. God gets upset. We eat some humble pie and suck
up to him. Then he says, Thats ok, dont worry about it. And he just forgets about it.
But God cannot and does not excuse sin. God does not excuse sin; God forgives sin
by bearing sin. He himself takes the consequences of sin and removes the
consequences of sin from us. That is why Ex. 34:6-7 is such a profound passage. It is
pure Gospel.
In this passage God authorizes us to meditate on his holy name, to pray with his
name, to thank and praise with his name, and to teach with his name. He institutes
the use of his holy name. Using Gods name in the wrong way is using it in vain.
Here he shows us the right way. The book of Psalms provides us models of people
using Gods name correctly. Every psalm is an enactment using Gods holy name.
Most psalms refer to one or several parts of these verses. So this passage is the
foundation of the Psalter. In it Gods name is used to access Gods grace.
Gods Name and His Presence
In Deuteronomy it says that God put his Name in the tabernacle. And when Solomon
built the temple, he built it for the Name of Yahweh. So the place of the Name is the
tabernacle/temple. By doing so he gave Israel access to himself at that place. In
doing so, he gave access to his heavenly presence here on earth. So the theology of
the Name has a close connection with Gods presence in the temple.
We are all familiar with the Aaronic benediction. Have you noticed the conclusion to
it? God says, In this way you shall put my name on them or in them and I will bless
them. What is God saying and doing in this benediction? God is making them his
tabernacles, the place where he dwells. When they leave the temple they take with
them the Name, which means they are taking his presence and blessing with them.
3.4.5The Third Commandment

The third commandment is found in Ex. 20:8-11. Note that the Sabbath is holy. The
only thing we can do is either desecrate it or keep it holy; We cant make it holy.
Notice that the Sabbath is referenced 6 times in these verses. The most unusual
and unexpected thing about the worship of Gods people is that all they were

required to do was rest. This is counter-cultural to all pagan religions. In the pagan
religions people were constantly doing ritual work to please their gods. And the
pagan gods did nothing. Israel is the opposite, they have a God that works, right
from the beginning of creation, creating an orderly world which he also maintains.
And his work culminated in his rest. And God created human beings in his image so
that they work with him and rest with him. That is the divinely instituted pattern.
You need to see the stuff about the Sabbath against the pagan background in order
to get a full understanding.
Israels only obligation was to rest on the Sabbath, not to do any kind of work. In the
ancient world the only class of people who didnt work was the sons of the king. So
in requiring rest God treated his people as if they were his royal sons.
We come at the Sabbath from the NT and we see that the Pharisees treat the
Sabbath as an onerous burden. But the OT perspective is that the Sabbath is a gift.
Lets say you never had any holidays or weekends off. You work 365 days a year.
And then the boss came along and said you could have a holiday every week. Would
you complain? No. Is that an imposition? No. It is a great gift.
In the story of manna where the manna comes down for six days but not on the
seventh day, God is trying to teach them that their livelihood comes not from their
work but from him. On the seventh day they do not work to collect the manna. God
gives them the Sabbath as a gift, as a day to rest.
The Purpose of the Sabbath Day
What is the reason for the Sabbath rest? There are two reasons given.
1. The first is that God rested after six days of working. God sets the pattern; it
is a divine pattern. So that means it has to do with God. We are made in his
image, so we copy him.
2. Most important God blesses and sanctifies the seventh day. Blessing is lifegiving, life-sustaining power. Because it has to do with life, normally living
things are blessed. But here a day is blessed. God intends to use this day as a
way of bringing his blessings to his people. In this way God shares his divine
power with human beings and they receive it by resting. They are blessed in
order to bring Gods blessing to the world through their work.
The pattern for the first 6 days of creation was: evening, morning, and pronounced
good. But the seventh day (the day of rest) is not closed; it is left open. It is a day of
rest that is open to Gods people throughout this age. It looks forward to the eternal
Sabbath. We join in it every time we have the Divine Service. We enter that rest
when we hear the Word of God and participate in the heavenly liturgy.
How Luther Connected Gods Word with the Sabbath Day
The people came to the temple for the great pilgrim feasts. Ps. 95 is an entrance
psalm sung by the choir ushering the people into the temple for the feast. Ps. 95

warned that in the desert when Gods people heard his voice they hardened their
hearts and God swore they would not enter my rest. The rest can be looked at in
three ways: 1) If they did not hear his voice, they would not enter the promised
land. 2) If they did not hear his voice, they would not have rest with Yahweh at his
temple. 3) If they did not hear his voice, they would not enter Gods eternal rest. In
each case they could not enter Gods rest because they did not hear Gods voice
(Gods Word). Therefore we keep the Sabbath Day holy when we hear Gods voice in
his Word and do not despise it.
3.5
Theme - The
Consecration of Israel as Gods Holy Nation
3.5.1Israel as a Royal Priesthood and Holy Nation
A key passage in Exodus is Ex. 19:4-6. It uses picture language. It pictures God
bringing Israel to himself on eagles wings. It pictures God as the Emperor over the
whole world and choosing Israel as his special nation. They are his private treasured
possession.
What was Israels vocation? God says if they keep listening to his voice and keep on
observing his covenant, they will be a royal priesthood and a holy nation. That is
Gods proposal to them. As King of the universe, God wishes to use Israel as a
priest. He gives Israel access to himself. A priest is a mediator. He represents God to
the people and he represents the people to God. Israel then is the mediator
between God and the nations. You can see this in the psalms. Israel praises God on
behalf of the nations and it praises God to the nations. Through this role, they
function sacramentally and sacrificially.
So Gods covenant equips his people to serve him as his holy royal priests. But how
can Israel, a sinful people, represent the nations before God? The only way that they
can stand in Gods holy presence and represent the nations is because of the
atonement, through the blood of the sacrifices. God is saying they can be a royal
priesthood if they observe the covenant that follows. Most people think the
covenant is the Ten Commandments, but it also includes the tabernacle, the
priesthood, and the divine service. So if they worship God faithfully they will be a
royal priesthood.
Israel was consecrated as Gods holy nation in Ex. 24:1-11. In this ceremony with
the application of blood the covenant is enacted. The most important thing he did
was carry out the rite of atonement, splashing blood against the altar and sprinkling
the rest of the blood on the people. This is a ritual preformed here and never again,
a unique enactment. The closest act to it is the consecration of the priests. There is
an analogy between the two. Just as the priests were made holy when they were

sprinkled with the mixture of blood and holy anointing oil, so the people were made
holy when the blood was sprinkled on them.
And the consecration rite culminates in a meal. Israels representatives went up on
the mountain. So the representatives of Israel entered into the heavenly realm. And
they ate and drank in Gods presence. Israel is now a priestly people.
3.5.2God Communicates His Holiness Physically

Israel had been made holy in the covenant. Holiness was not something that Israel
possessed but something that they received from God. God devised a way where he
could continually share his holiness with Israel and Israel could safely receive it. The
way that God would share his holiness was through the tabernacle and priests. The
way that he would share his holiness was that he made some things most holy. Then
when something that was common and clean came into contact with these holy
things, it became holy. The most holy things that are mentioned in Exodus and
Leviticus are:
Most holy anointing oil
The most holy altar for burnt offering
Blood from the altar mixed with the most holy anointing oil (which was
sprinkled on the priests, made the priests holy)
The meat and bread from the ordination offerings make the priests holy
Ex. 29:42-44 tells how Israel will continue to receive Gods holiness. It will be
through the daily divine service. They will be sanctified at the altar for burnt
offering. There Israel will share in Gods holiness and the tent of meeting will be
made holy by Gods glory (his presence). And Aaron and his sons will be
consecrated as priests by God glory. So through the daily divine service, Israel, the
sanctuary, and the priests share in Gods holiness. Note that the divine service
happens twice a day, every day. This means that they are continually receiving
Gods holiness. We never possess holiness; we only receive it. So in Christian terms,
the means of grace are the means of sanctification. They are the means by which
God shares not only his righteousness, but also his holiness with us. The means of
grace are our most holy things that make and keep us holy.
What is behind these means of sanctification is Gods Word. By his Word he
institutes all of these things. Gods Word and Gods Name make all these things
holy. God institutes these things in order that through them he can share his
holiness and sanctify his people. A NT parallel would be our participation in Holy
Communion. In it we are sanctified. What is it that sanctifies the bread and wine? It
is the Word of God, the words of institution which are spoken every Sunday. They
are words of consecration; they are words that make holy. They make holy the
things that make us holy.

Whatever touches a most holy thing becomes holy. So whatever Gods Word or
Name touches becomes holy. Whatever the water of baptism or the bread and wine
touches by means of the Word becomes holy. Holiness is not a mental or emotional
thing. Holiness involves our whole bodies and is primarily physical. Our bodies are
temples of the living God, not just our minds. That is why touch and contact is so
important. Both impurity and holiness are communicated physically.
3.6
Theme The Institution of the Altar (Ex. 20:2224)
[Either Dr. Kleinig skipped over this or it was not recorded. Pagans sacrifices were
made to provide food for their gods. For Israel the opposite was true. Israel brought
sacrifices for Yahweh. Yahweh took possession of them, made them holy, and then
turned around and gave them back to his priests and people as holy food to be
eaten as a holy meal. The altar was the place where God appeared to his people
and announced his favor for them. He did this through the sweet smell and sight.
The sweet smell of the sacrifice and the sight of the column of smoke from the
offering conveyed to Israel that God accepted them and their sacrifices. God gave
them the divine service in order that he might bless them.]
3.7
Theme The Institution of the Tabernacle (Ex.
25-27)
[The recording picks up in the middle of this section. The following was missed.
God instituted the tabernacle when he spoke to Moses on top of the mountain
(Ex. 25-27). He did it through 7 speeches reminiscent of the 7 days of
creation.
Moses constructed the tabernacle exactly as God commanded (Ex. 36-38).
The tabernacle was erected (Ex. 40:1-33).
Mt. Sinai gave the pattern for the tabernacle. Only Moses could go to the top
of the mountain and meet with God. This corresponded to the Most Holy
Place, which was entered only once a year by the high priest. The elders went
up on the mountain and ate before God. This corresponded to the Holy Place
where the priests came before God. The people were at the foot of the
mountain where the altar was. This corresponded with the courtyard where
the people brought sacrifices and where the sacrifices were offered on the
altar for burnt offering.
The tabernacle was rectangular in shape. It was twice as long as it was wide.
It could be divided in half and each half made a square. The entrance to the
tabernacle was on the east side. Exactly in the middle of the eastern half and
the focal point of it was the Altar for Burnt Offering. Exactly in the middle of

the western half and the focal point of it was the Holy of Holies and the Ark of
the Covenant.
The recording of the lecture picks up at this point.]
The tabernacle was a mobile Mt. Sinai. It had three zones.
1. The Most Holy Place is made up of the cherubim, mercy seat, and ark. In the
tabernacle is Gods throne. In the temple it becomes his foot stool. [This is
Gods private place of residence. No one is allowed in here except the high
priest once a year.]
2. The Holy Place is Gods audience room. Here God, the King, enacts his
business with his top officials, the priests. The most important piece of
furniture in here is the altar of incense. The lampstand and the table for the
Bread of the Presence have secondary significance.
3. The third part is the courtyard, which has the altar for burnt offering. This is
the place for public assembly and meeting. This is where God meets with his
people. Here the people have access to the King.
The tabernacle is a model of the heavenly sanctuary (Ex. 25:9, 40). God showed
Moses the heavenly prototype of the earthly tabernacle. The tabernacle was to be a
copy of the heavenly reality. The craftsmen are given Gods Spirit in order that they
might make the tabernacle like its heavenly counterpart.
In modern terms the layout is like our altar, chancel, nave. The biggest difference
for us is that there is nothing separating our Most Holy Place from our Holy Place;
there is no curtain. The Most Holy Place and Holy Place are kind of brought together
and the altar is not in the nave but in the Most Holy Place. So our churches are very
similar to the tabernacle/temple but there are differences that show what has
changed with the coming of Christ. They had access to God at his earthly sanctuary,
but we have access to the heavenly sanctuary. And this access is not just for the
pastors but for every baptized person.
Lets look at some terminology used for the tabernacle.
If something is done in the presence of Yahweh, it is done either in the Most
Holy Place or at the altar for burnt offering.
The tabernacle was a place to reside or to dwell in, to live in a house. It was
Gods dwelling place. It can be thought of more narrowly or more broadly. In a
narrow sense his dwelling place is in the Most Holy Place. In an extended
sense it includes the Holy Place. And sometimes it extends out to the altar for
burnt offering. So it can refer to the whole tabernacle complex. The
tabernacle is Gods earthly dwelling place with his people. It becomes his
dwelling because his glory cloud dwells over the tabernacle and it fills the
dwelling place.
The tabernacle is also Gods sanctuary, his holy place. Different forms of
this word mean to be holy, to make holy, and to cause to be holy. To make

holy is used for God. To cause to be holy is used when human beings use
the means provided by God to sanctify something, to consecrate something.
From this comes the noun first mentioned, holy place.
This tells us some things about the theology of the tabernacle.
1. The tabernacle has to do with the presence of God. When the psalms talk
about seeking God, seeking his presence, it is not speaking about private
prayer, but rather the people coming to the temple to the altar.
2. The tabernacle is the place where God resides, his house, his earthly
residence.
3. It is the holy place because this is the place where holy God makes himself
accessible to human beings.
Now we come to a whole cluster of Hebrew terms that are very important ritually
and theologically.
First there is the rare verb which means to arrange to meet. It is usually
used to meet together with God. And it is usually used for God meeting
with his people rather than the people meeting with God; God taking the
initiative.
From this comes the word that means the meeting place and the meeting
time. So the Sabbath and the festivals are meeting places and times.
Another Hebrew term refers to the people who meet with God at the place
where God has arranged to meet with them. They use the time and means
that God has provided so they can meet with him.
Another word refers to the assembled congregation. This term refers to those
who are actually meeting with God.
The tabernacle is called the tent of meeting. The place where God meets
with Moses, and Aaron, and the priests is the Holy Place. The place where the
people meet with God is in the courtyard at the altar for burnt offering. And
the time of meeting is the morning and evening burnt offering. God meets
with his people at these places at these times in the divine service.
So the basic purpose of Israel participating in the divine service is for God to meet
with his people. It is true that the people come to meet with God, but the accent
here is on God arranging to meet with his people. God is convening the meeting; he
takes the initiative; he reaches out to them. Because of his initiative he makes it
possible for them to meet with him. He meets with them on earth in a physical
place at a set time and in a set way.
3.8
Theme The Institution of the Divine Service
3.8.1The Order of the Divine Service

Gods institution of the divine service is the heart and core of everything. Every
morning and every evening the divine service was enacted by the priests on behalf
of the people at the tabernacle and later at the temple. You must distinguish
between the public offering and the private offerings of the people. In the morning
there was the public offering. And in the evening was the public offering (basically a

duplicate of the morning offering). During the time between the two, personal
offerings were made. It appears to be three separate offerings but in reality it was
one single enactment.
Here is the order of the daily offering, the regular ritual performed each day,
morning and evening. It is rather complex. We will explain the morning sacrifice.
The evening sacrifice follows the same pattern.
- Preparation for the divine service 1. The priest on duty cleared the altar of the ashes from the previous day. He
then took the hot coals from the previous day and used them to start up a
fresh fire for the new day.
2. Then on the north side of the altar, the priest slaughtered the year old male
lamb that was to be presented to God as the morning offering. It was
slaughtered in such a way that all of the blood was drained from the meat.
The priest caught the blood in bowls and put them aside. The rest of the lamb
was dressed. The important thing is that you had two things - the meat/body
and the blood.
- Divine service Proper 1. Step one of the divine service. The first important ritual enactment was that
the priests took all of the blood of the lamb and splashed it against the sides
of the altar. The proper question to understand the ritual is, what does this
do? What does this accomplish? Or what is God doing here? This act of
splashing blood was the rite of atonement. God instituted the rite of
atonement as the way that people and things were cleansed from impurity.
That means if people have sinned, they are forgiven. If they have been
sinned against, then they are cleansed. So the atonement cleanses the
people, the priests, and the tabernacle itself from impurity. Why would
atonement come first in the OT divine service? Unless one is clean and pure,
one cannot come into Gods holy presence. An unclean person who comes
into Gods holy presence comes under Gods wrath. It allows one to enter
safely in Gods presence.
2. Step two of the divine service. Next the priest washed his hands and feet at
the basin before entering the Holy Place. Why? Because he will be walking on
holy ground and he will be handling holy things, so he needed to be clean. He
then entered the Holy Place with coals from the altar for burnt offering. He
put the hot burning coals on the incense altar. And then he burned the most
holy incense on the altar before Yahweh. This caused the entire Holy Place to
be filled with a powerful smell from the incense. And the vestments of the
priest were filled with this powerful smell. On the priestly vestments were the
names of the twelve tribes of Israel. So when he entered the Holy Place he
symbolically carried Israel before Yahweh on his shoulders and over his heart.
The priest then came out of the tent. He went in smelling like a normal
person but he came out bringing the sweetness from God to the people.
Burning incense was an act of intercession, not a spoken intercession, but an
enacted intercession. He carried the people to God and interceded for them.
Thats the one side, the going in. The other side is the coming out. And he

comes out bringing with him all the sweetness of Yahweh, which symbolizes
Gods grace, favor, and approval. So once again we have a reversal of what
one would think was going on. The burning of incense was not done to please
God but was done to show that God was pleased with his people. It was done
for the peoples benefit and not Gods benefit.
3. Step three of the divine service. The third part of the service is the heart and
core of it. When the priest came out, he washed his hands and feet again.
And then he went up on the altar for burnt offering. The other priests handed
to him piece by piece the parts of the lamb that had been slaughtered and
dressed. Apparently he covered the surface of the altar with the parts of the
lamb. Then a mixture of flour, olive oil, and incense was put upon the altar. If
flour is burned it gives off a putrid smell. The olive oil helped it burn better
and the incense gave it a sweet smell. The addition of the flour mixture would
produce a column of dark smoke, which smelled sweet because of the
incense. The technical Hebrew term is not to burn up offerings, but to smoke
up offerings to God. This sight in this rite is reminiscent of the pillar of cloud
and fire through which Yahweh was present with and led the Israel out of
Egypt. The function of this rite then is to produce a theophany, an
appearance and revelation of God to his people.
4. Step four of the divine service. Next the priest poured wine on the altar. The
alcohol in the wine would cause it to flame up.
5. Step five of the divine service. After the smoke has been produced, the priest
came down from the altar and stood in front of the altar and delivered the
Aaronic benediction. He did this facing the congregation. The priest raised his
hands and said, Yahweh bless and keep you. Yahweh make his face shine on
you and be gracious to you. Yahweh look on you with favor and give you
peace. According to Numbers, when the priest did this, he placed the name
of God on the people. And then Numbers continues with Yahweh saying, I
will bless them. So the benediction communicates Gods name and blessing
to the people. This is not the end of the divine service, but it is the
culmination of the divine service. Everything that has happened to point had
been done for the purpose of Gods name being placed upon his people and
God giving his blessing to his people. That means they carry Gods name with
them and carry Gods blessing with them. If Gods name is on them that
makes them holy. They are holy people who carry Gods holy name and
blessing to their homes, villages, and farms. That ended the divine service
proper.
-Priests Personal Grain Offering Part of the priests personal grain offering was offered to God on the altar.
The rest was given by God to the priests as their daily ration. They baked this
as bread and they ate it as a most holy meal. It had to eaten in Yahwehs holy
presence. So the daily offering ended in a priestly meal. God feeds his
servants holy food.

So the main parts of the divine service are:
1. Atonement
2. Intercession
3. The smoking up of the offering
4. The benediction
5. A holy meal
3.8.2The Institution of the Daily Service

Lets look at the passage where the daily burnt offering was instituted (Ex. 29:3846). (Dr. Kleinig provided his own literal translation to highlight certain things.) The
word do is normally translated as prepare. That is a good translation, but do is
used in a technical ritual sense in the same way that Jesus says, Do this in
remembrance of me. They are to do a regular ritual enactment on the altar. What
are the parts of the regular ritual enactment that they do?
The regular burnt offering. Every morning and evening the burnt offering was
made.
The regular grain offering. Every morning and evening the grain offering was
made.
The regular fire. Every day the fire is regularly rekindled from the coals still
burning from the previous day. The fire is perpetual, never going out, yet it
needs to be stoked each day.
The regular light. This refers to the regular lighting of the menorah each
evening.
The regular bread. This refers to the Bread of the Presence which is regularly
put out each week.
The regular incense. This is the incense that is burnt daily on the incense
altar.
The day started with the morning sacrifice and ended with the evening sacrifice.
The sacrifices sanctified the work and sleep of Israel. The sacrifices occurred at the
time when they normally ate. This linked together the sacred meals at the
tabernacle with the normal meals eaten at home.
The basic material for the daily service was the basic food stuff for the people of the
Middle East. Bread was the primary food. They also used olive oil and drank wine.
Meat from livestock was eaten occasionally. These regular food items were used in
offerings to God. When the food came into contact with the altar, the food became
holy. Yahweh in turn gave this holy food to his people and along with it came his
blessing.
The main location for the divine service is at the altar for burnt offering. Three of the
five main acts were performed at the altar. It was the focal point of the divine
service. It was at the altar that God met with his people. The rituals held were done
for the benefit of the whole people. In the divine service all the people have access
to God and his blessings.

One thing theologians stress is how God makes himself know in his mighty acts in
history. This is true but the most important place where God reveals himself is in the
divine service. All of the theophanies of Exodus and Leviticus culminate in the
theophany of God in the inaugural divine service. Take a look at Lev. 9:1-6. The
LORD will appear to you, or today you will see the LORD. Israel was to do these
rituals in order that Yahweh would appear to them. In the divine service Yahweh
made himself visible (in a hidden way) and accessible to his people. And the glory of
God was seen in the column of smoke, the cloud that rose from the altar.
So what is the purpose of the daily burnt offerings? Ex. 29:41 says, ... for an aroma
that puts at rest (or that gives rest), a gift belonging to the Lord. This refers the
smoke that rises from the burnt offering and the grain offering. It gives off an aroma
that puts you at rest; it gives you a good conscience; it signals Gods approval. In NT
terms, it signals that God is well pleased with you and your worship. By means of
the aroma God showed that he accepted the offering and the people who presented
it.
What is Gods activity in the divine service? This passage (Ex. 29:41-46) says that
he does three main things.
1. He meets with Moses/Aaron/the high priest at the tent of meeting in order to
speak to them. In Leviticus God speaks to Moses in the Tent Meeting.
2. In the divine service God makes everything holy. His presence sanctifies the
tent of meeting, the altar, and the priests and the Israelites.
3. God dwells with and in the midst of his people. That is remarkable! God
comes from heaven to earth, to be their God, to serve them, to care and
provide for them.
3.9
Theme The Institution of the Priesthood
3.9.1
The Institution of the holy vestments
Look at Ex. 28. The vestments were sanctuary vestments. They were vestments
that are used in the Holy Place.
High Priest several layers of clothing
We start with the over-vestment of the high priest. First there was the ephod.
It had two onyx stones which were inscribed with the names of the 12 tribes
of Israel. These two stones were on the shoulder pieces of the ephod.
The ephod held the breast piece. The breast piece was made of costly fabric.
On the breast piece there were 12 precious stones on which were engraved
the names of the 12 tribes of Israel. There was also a pocket in the breast
piece which contained 2 lots, one positive and one negative, 2 stones. The
stones were used in determining Gods will. He prayed and then pulled out
one of the stones which communicated Gods answer.
Under the breast piece was the robe. It had an opening for the head and it
went down all the way to the feet. On the bottom of the robe it alternated
between pomegranates and bells. Whenever the high priest moved the bells
rang. Bells always signify good news. So the high priest always brought good
news. This is the origin of bells in our churches. The bells ring to say that
Christ our High Priest is here with Good News.
Then he has a diadem or crown. It was a turban that had a gold plate
attached to it with a blue cord. The plate was on the forehead. Inscribed on
the plate were 2 words: holiness and to Yahweh. Holiness referred to a
holy person, thing, or place that belonged to Yahweh. He wore the holy Name
on his forehead. In giving the blessing the high priest was taking the name
that was on his forehead and placing it on the people.
Underneath these vestments he wore the vestments of an ordinary priest.
Priest
The priests wore a tunic made of white linen. It went from his shoulders to his
knees.
He had a girdle around his waist.
He had a cap on his head.
Underneath he wore a loin cloth as a kind of underwear.
The material used for the high priests vestments was exactly the same as the
material used for the tabernacle. This conveyed that the priests were like mobile
sanctuaries. The high priest corresponded to the tabernacle proper. The priests
corresponded to the courtyard of the tabernacle. The two dominant colors were blue
and white. Blue was the color of heaven and white is the color of purity. There was
also gold, the color of the sun and of eternity. There are all kinds of symbolism in
the colors and fabrics.
The main function of clothing is to cover up parts of your body. It covers our
nakedness. Clothing also communicates our vocations and social status and social
roles. What is the importance of the priests wearing holy vestments? The opposite
of wearing vestments would be coming into Gods presence naked. Why is that a
problem? In doing so, you are saying you are not a sinner and your sin is not
covered; it is exposed to the eyes of God. And what would God have to do? He
would have to kill you. God gave Adam and Eve clothes to cover themselves. But
the priestly vestments are not just plain clothes, they are holy clothes. God is
covering them with his holiness.
He provides these holy clothes to them so that they can stand before him
unafraid. So when God sees them, he doesnt see their nakedness but his
holiness.
He also covers them so that they can work with him in the administration of
his holiness.
3.9.2
The Institution of Ordination
The ritual of ordination for the foundational day of ordination

Aaron and his sons were completely washed. This is a ritual cleansing; this is
their baptism. Normally before going to the altar the priest had to wash his
hands and feet. This daily washing was a repeat of the ordination ritual in
miniature.
Aaron was dressed in all of his vestments by Moses. It was being done to him
just as baptism is done to us. Then Moses anointed Aarons head with the
most holy anointing oil. By doing this, he became a messiah, an anointed
one for Yahweh. What is significant about having your head anointed? The
head controls the rest of the body. If the head is anointed, then the whole
person is anointed. Being anointed with the most holy anointing oil makes
him holy. The priests were not anointed on the head, only the high priest was.
Jesus Christ means Jesus the anointed one, Jesus the anointed High Priest
and the anointed King.
Then Aarons sons (the priests) were dressed in their vestments
Moses then offered a sin offering of a bull for Aaron and his sons. The blood
from the bull was smeared on the horns of the altar and the rest of it was
poured out at the base of the altar. Why a bull? The bull was the head of a
herd. The priests are to lead the nation. Sin offerings remove impurity and
remove sin. The sins of Aaron and his sons were forgiven. It was like
confession and absolution before ordination.
Then came the burnt offering of a ram. The ram was the head of a flock.
Israel was the flock and the priests were the leaders of the flock. The blood
from this offering was splashed against the sides of the altar, consecrating it
for the first time. Notice that the priests and the altar are consecrated
together. One cannot work without the other.
Then came the most significant part, the ram for ordination. It was used to do
a number of things to Aaron and his sons.
o ..Moses put some of the blood on the right ear, right thumb, and right
big toe of the priest. Blood cleansed the priest so that the priest could
hear the word of God, handle holy things safely, and walk on holy
ground safely.
o ..The rest of the blood was splashed against the altar.
o ..Moses took some of the most holy blood from the altar and mixed it
with some of the most holy anointing oil and he sprinkled it on the
vestments of the high priest and the priests. Picture that, blood on
white material. This mixture sanctified them. (The book of Hebrews
says that every time we go to Holy Communion our hearts are
sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, cleansing us on the inside.)
o ..Then parts of the ram were burnt and smoked up on the altar.
o ..The breast was given to Moses to eat.
o ..The hindquarters were given to Aaron and his sons to eat.
o ..This ceremony was repeated everyday in the morning for 7 days.
Then the holy meal (holy meat and holy bread) was eaten at the sanctuary.
So the altar and the priests were consecrated together in this ceremony. This
was done because you cant have a priest without an altar and you cant
have an altar without a priest. They are inseparable.
The priests approach the altar. Only a priest who has been ordained could
approach the altar and work at the altar. It means draw near. The priests also
enter or come in to the Holy Place. Only after he has been ordained can he
enter the Holy Place and burn incense.

In summary, the ordination indicated the most important tasks that the priest would
do in the divine service.
He was to splash the blood against the side of the altar to atone for himself
and the people. The blood cleansed them and the altar of impurity. He
performed the rite of atonement. The Christian equivalent to this is
confession and absolution.
Then he burned incense in the Holy Place for the acceptance of the people
and their offerings.
Then he smoked up the offerings on the outer altar for the sanctification of
the place and the people.
3.9.3 Seeing the Purpose of the Divine Service by the

Vestments of Aaron and the Location on the Body
Where He Wore Them
The four locations of the vestments were:
1. First, the ephod with the memorial stones was on his shoulders. Shoulders are
used to carry things. The high priest carried the Israelites before Yahweh on
his shoulders. The ephod has to do with doing the work of God.
2. Second, the breast-piece with the names of the Israelite tribes and the two
lots was worn over the heart, the center of his being. This involves
ministering to people from the heart of God.
3. Third, he wore a crown on his head. This is ministering in Gods name. This
controls his whole ministry and life.
4. Fourth, the robe was worn over the whole body. His whole body is covered
with Gods holiness to do Gods work.
Lets take a closer at each one of these.
1. First is the ephod over the shoulders. It has the memorial stones with the 12
tribes of Israel on it. A key verse is Ex. 28:12. It speaks of Aaron bearing on
his shoulders the names of the Israelites. When Aaron comes into Gods
presence, he brings all of Israel with him. This is done for remembrance of the
12 tribes. What does this mean? It is for God to remember them. This is not
just thinking about them. This is doing things for them, providing, teaching,
and caring for them, like what a parent does for his child.
2. The breast-piece of judgment is over the heart. Remember that judgment is
righting what is wrong. Judgment can be favorable or unfavorable. A key
verse for this is Ex. 28:30. Regularly in this verse means every morning and
every evening. Every day he bears the judgment of the Israelites on his heart.
When people come into Gods presence they come under his judgment. And
that judgment could be that they are guilty or not guilty, condemned or
vindicated. But he brings them before God so that he will judge them
favorably. He receives for the people a favorable decision. This is indicated by
Gods acceptance of them and their offerings. This is an act of intercession
for the people for their justification and absolution, so that God will look
favorably upon them and accept them. Aaron is their advocate just as Christ

is our advocate. This means that if God is displeased with them then it will be
Aaron/the high priest who comes under Gods negative judgment rather than
the people.
3. Next is the wearing of the name upon the head. The key passage for this is
Ex. 28:38. The inscription, Holy to Yahweh, was Gods seal on the high
priest. Since it was on his head it meant that the whole person belonged to
Yahweh. And the high priest not only belongs to God but the holy name also
makes him most holy.
What is the purpose of wearing this crown? It shows he is the leader and this
leader takes responsibility for his people. Aaron stands in for the people and
he bears iniquity for the people. At the same time that he bears it, he
removes iniquity from the people. For instance, if I am an Israelite and I come
to the tabernacle unsure if I am ritually clean and have brought the right
offering, and therefore I am afraid to come into Gods presence because I
might desecrate Gods holiness. God gives assurance to his people because if
they do something wrong they will not suffer punishment. Aaron will. The
high priest takes responsibility for the people. The people can be sure that
when they bring their offerings to Yahweh they will obtain his grace. They can
be sure that God will accept them, be gracious to them, and favor them. So
the high priest who is Holy to Yahweh covers for them when they come to
the tabernacle. This is the vicarious work of the high priest
4. Next we have the robe that covers the whole body (Ex. 28:35, 43). He wears
the robe so that he will not come under Gods judgment and die. He must
wear the holy robe because he is sinful, unclean, and unholy. The vestments
had been consecrated with the most holy blood and most holy anointing oil.
That means that Yahweh covers the priest every time he puts on the
vestments. He covers them with his holiness.
Lets sum up the work of a priest. There are a lot of bits and pieces, but actually the
work of the priest is very simple. A priest is a person who has access to Gods
gracious presence. He has access to Gods face. He is then in a position to
mediate between God and other people. So on the one hand, the priests stand in for
the people before God. Priests intercede for the people. On the other hand, they
represent God to the people. They mediate Gods presence, grace, and love to the
people. God chose Israel to be a holy, priestly nation. They have access to him and
his grace and they are to use that access to bring blessing to the nations.
4 Conclusion
We have concentrated on the OT divine service with occasional mention of the NT
Divine Service. In the last 200 years it has been fashionable to deny any continuity
between the OT divine service and the NT Divine Service. Of course there is some
discontinuity between the two. This is most obvious in four things: baptism,

absolution, the proclamation of the Gospel, and the Lords Supper. They are what is
new and different. But they too have their antecedents in the OT. More and more
these days scholars are going the other way and stressing the continuity.
The best discussion of this comes from the apostle Paul. Go to Rom. 9:4-5. Paul is
here considering the legacy that Christians have from the OT. Its not just Christ but
there are 7 things that Paul mentions. 7 is the number of completion; so it is a
perfect legacy. The 7 things that we have from the OT are:
1. The sonship (adoption). The Israelites were sons of God.
2. The glory. The glory cloud revealed the presence of God.
3. The covenants, both the Abrahamic and Sinaitic.
(Notice the pattern between the first three things and the next three. They
produce a rhyme.)
4. The law-giving.
5. The service (the divine service).
6. The promises.
7. The patriarchs. Behind all of the above, laying the foundation, are the
patriarchs.
And then of course from the Israelites comes the Christ in the flesh.
We have received the same things as OT Israel but even more fully.
1. We are sons and daughters of the heavenly Father.
2. We also have the glory and presence of God, which is no longer in the temple
but in the body of Jesus.
3. We have the covenants which culminate in the new covenant. The new
covenant doesnt annul the OT covenants. Rather it fulfills the covenants.
4. We have the Law. It still applies to us. The 10 commandments still apply to
us.
5. We have the divine service. The Divine Service that we have, we have
inherited from the OT. And its done in such a way that the OT divine service
is fulfilled in and through Christ.
6. Everything God promised to Abraham is given to us in and through Jesus
Christ.
7. We have the same spiritual ancestors. Abraham is our father and Sarah is our
mother. Isaac and Jacob are our fathers. They are our ancestors because we
are united with Christ and he is a descendant of the patriarchs.
Most of these 7 things were instituted in the book of Exodus.
1. Exodus is the only book in the OT that talks about the sonship of Israel.
2. The whole book of Exodus has to do with Gods glory (presence) shown
through theophany.
3. The book of Exodus deals with Gods covenant with his people at Mt. Sinai,
the covenant of sanctification.
4. The entire second part of Exodus has to do with the giving of the Law.
5. The divine service is instituted in Exodus.

6. In Exodus God makes promises of what he would do for Israel in the divine
service. Of course there are many other promises in the OT.
What Paul says here in Romans is almost a summary of what weve learned in
Exodus. Weve inherited these things which were instituted in the book of Exodus.
Thats one way of looking at it. Another is that the divine service in all of its parts
has been fulfilled by Jesus. Everything that God established for his people in the OT
has been fulfilled by Jesus. The basic difference is that the OT divine service gave
Gods people access to God here on earth, while the NT Divine Service, through the
suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, gives us access to God in the
heavenly sanctuary. We now have access to God through baptism, the Gospel,
absolution, prayer, and the Lords Supper. We will stop here so we have time for
questions.
(The rest of the time Dr. Kleinig took questions.)
(Question) I am interested in the correlation between the OT vestments and the lack
of respect and reverence in worship today. (Response) The lack of reverence today
is done quite deliberately by those who practice it because the theology behind that
is that there is no difference between the sacred and the profane. Many people
believe that Jesus came to abolish the difference between the holy and the
common. That leads to a secularized version of Christianity. How important are
vestments then? Nowhere in the NT does it mandate vestments. However, every
Christian wears vestments[, the righteousness of Christ received in baptism]. Since
vestments are very important in the OT, one might infer that they have some
importance in the NT. What is the message I give [as a pastor] if I serve Holy
Communion in a tee shirt and shorts? It says that it is just an ordinary meal and the
pastor is just an ordinary person like everyone else. Those who dress like me will
identify with me, thinging there is nothing special about him or what he is doing. On
the other hand, what is the message given when the pastor dresses in vestments?
We dont identify him with any secular group here on earth. Rather we identify him
with Christ. No one in their regular life dresses this way. That is because this is not
ordinary work; it is something different. The vestments say that I am standing in the
shoes of Jesus. Anyone there can see that something different is going on, that this
is other-worldly. We wear white vestments to show that we are covered with Christs
holiness. Without the vestments people will take what is said and done in the Divine
Service and filter it and understand it through a secular understanding and view.
Dressing down is done in the name of outreach, but it doesnt work because it only
communicates confusion. People wonder who is in charge here? When vestments
are used, people know that they need to pay attention to the person in charge.
Thats all from the receiving end. But what about from the pastors end? By dressing
casually when I preach and administer the sacraments, I am putting the focus on
me. Vestments cover up and take the focus off of the pastor. This marks the pastor
as being in office and acting and administering in the name of Jesus.
It is quite common for pastors not to wear vestments in many churches. Why? What
do people want? They want personalities. They want charismatic leaders. That is
what they believe builds up churches. And it will build up church numbers. But they
are not necessarily believers. People are drawn to people with exciting personalities.

Vestments quite deliberately deface the personality of the pastor. Vestments focus
our attention on the face and on the words being said. The pastor becomes the face
and presence of Christ to the people.
(Question) The next question is related to the previous one. How important is it for
our churches to develop a consistent symbolic language? If I use incense every once
in a while because I want to or if I wear vestments at some service and not at
others, it seems to introduce confusion, doesnt it? (Answer) If we do this the
symbolism doesnt work because it is all arbitrary and people can see that. Dr.
Kleinigs opinion is that it is a great necessity to be consistent in our churches. It is
not done because it is divinely instituted, but for the sake of the people. Its done so
that the right message gets out. If different churches within the same denomination
do things differently then the average person will think they have a different
confession and a different theology. Our confession is enacted in everything we do.
Until about 50 years ago, Lutheran churches around the world had a common liturgy
and practiced the liturgy in the same way. This was done so that the church spoke
with one voice, so that there would be one confession of faith.
[One thing the church needs to understand is that] the church is not the same as
the world. There are two kingdoms. The kingdom of heaven is not the kingdom of
the world. That is one of the biggest failures of Christians in the United States.
Young people see the things of this world and they are disappointed by them. The
world make promises but doesnt deliver on them. So they go to church and what do
they find there? More of the same the same music, the same art, the same as far
as sex and marriage, etc. They want something different; they want something
countercultural. What we offer must be countercultural and it must consistently
proclaim the Gospel and Gods holiness in an unholy world.
(Another question.) There seems to be a belief in American Christianity that the
office of the pastor is optional because we are all priests now. Can this be related to
and addressed through the OT? (Answer) It is true that every Christian is a priest,
including pastors. In the OT you had the Levites. But out of the Levites there was
one group who was assigned the ministerial priesthood and was responsible for the
holy things. The idea of egalitarianism among us means that we can no longer make
distinctions; we want to level everything. We dont have enough time to really go
into this. See essays by Dr. Kleinig on the ministry of ordination. [Although Dr.
Kleinig did offer the thoughts below.]
Another way of looking at this is by way of analogy. The office of the president
belongs to the nation. Does it mean that everyone is the president? No, not
everyone exercises the office of president. Only the person who has been elected to
it. In a similar way, the Word and Sacrament belong to the whole church. But that
does not mean that the whole church exercises the office of ministry. It is only
exercised by those that God has placed in that position. Strictly speaking the office
of pastor is exercised by Christ through the pastor.
Another way of looking at it is that the Keys belong to everyone in the church. But
the office of the keys belongs only to those who have been called and appointed to
exercise them. What would a church be like if everyone demanded that they preach

at the same time. And everyone demanded that they administer the Sacrament at
the same time. That would lead to a church of one.

Exodus Ce Summarized Notes From Lectures by John Kleinig

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Exodus Ce Summarized Notes From Lectures by John Kleinig

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Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

Israel as a Liturgical Community

The Past Serves as the Foundation

God Brings Order to Chaos

1.3. The Importance of Institutions in Creating

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Role of Moses

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Nation of Israel

What is it that makes a nation a nation? In a nation people have something in

1.6. Gods Purpose for Israel and Their

A Summary of Israels Foundational Story

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

2. The Structure of Exodus

Clues to Understanding Exodus

The Call and Commissioning of Moses (Ex. 1-

Background Info on the Egyptian Religion

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Ten Plagues (Ex. 5:1 12:36)

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Red Sea (Ex. 12:37 15:21)

2.1.6 Journey through the Wilderness (Ex. 15:22

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

2.2 Consecration of Israel and its tabernacle at Mt

Background: Theophanies of Pagan gods

2.2.2 Yahwehs Theophany to and Covenant with Israel

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

He introduces himself I am Yahweh. Its like me saying, Hi, Im John. Very

God Gives Moses Seven Instructions (Ex. 25-31)

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

2.2.4 The Golden Calf Incident and Moses Intercession

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

2.2.5 Building and the Consecration of the tabernacle

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3 The Themes of Exodus

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Nature of the deliverance

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3.2 Theme - Exodus as Divine Theophany

Two Effects of Gods Revealed Glory

Theophany is a revelation of Gods glory, a manifestation of Gods presence. Gods

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

The Theophanies in Exodus (and Leviticus)

are seven important theophanies in Exodus and Leviticus.

3.3 Theme The Institution of the Passover

3.3.2The Firstborn were Holy to Yahweh

3.3.3The Passover Meal

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3.3.4The Passover was to be Celebrated Every Year

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3.4 Theme Enactment of the Covenant

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3.4.2The Nature and Function of the Decalogue

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

It has to do with holiness

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig

3.4.3The First Commandment

Summary of Exodus Lectures for CE Class by John Kleinig