THE COVENANT AT SINAI

TYPES OF ANE COVENANTS Parity – between equal parties Suzerainty – between a suzerain (sovereign) and a vassal The Sinai covenant is most like a suzerain-vassal covenant

THE LAW The law as covenant The covenant as agreement (19.4-6) Ratified and accepted (24.1-8)

THE LAW AS TEACHING (TORAH) The law based on what God had done – instructions on how to live within a relationship that already existed How to live in the presence of God as a redeemed people How to live in community as a redeemed people Sought to heal broken relationships Two basic type of laws – apodictic (declarative laws) and casuistic (case law)

THE LAW AS SOCIOECONOMIC SYSTEM Designed to put limits on greed and exploitation Taught a complete dependence on God’s provision

THE LAW AS A JUDICIAL-POLITICAL SYSTEM It is not clear what type of ‘government’ was established at Sinai A hierarchal system of ‘elders’ was set up (Ex.18) The legal system functioned to establish justice (See Ex. 23.1-9)

THE LAW AS A RELIGIOUS SYSTEM Contained instructions for worship Led by a ‘priestly clan’ and a central worship location, the tabernacle

HEBREW LAW IN ANE CONTEXT

CODE OF HAMMURABI Hammurabi – king of Babylon (1792-1750 BCE) Famous for the Code of Hammurabi A compilation of laws and precedents collected before his death Craved into a black piece of stone (diorite) Found in Persia in 1901 by a French archeologist Housed today in the Louvre in Paris

HAMMURABI If any one steal cattle or sheep, or an ass, or a pig or a goat, if it belong to a god or to the court, the thief shall pay thirtyfold (8) If any one place his property with another for safe keeping, and there, either through thieves or robbers, his property and the property of the other man be lost, the owner of the house, through whose neglect the loss took place, shall compensate the owner for all that was given to him in charge. (125) If a son strike his father, his hands shall be hewn off. (195) If a man put out the eye of another man, his eye shall be put out. If he break another man's bone, his bone shall be broken. (196, 197) MOSAIC LAW If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep. (Ex.22:1) If a man delivers to his neighbor money or articles to keep, and it is stolen out of the man's house, if the thief is found, he shall pay double. If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods. (Ex.22:7,8) And he who strikes his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. (Ex.21:15) But if any harm follows, then you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe. (Ex.21:23-25)

THE TABERNACLE Symbol of God’s presence among the people ‘Meeting point’ between God and the people Two primary parts: The ‘courtyard’ – area surrounded by a fence of curtains containing a large bronze basin and the altar The ‘Tent of Meeting’ – A fabric-covered tent divided into two sections: 1) the ‘holy place’ containing a table for bread and a lamp stand and 2) the ‘holy of holies’ containing the ark of the covenant

TABERNACLE REPLICA

THE LEVITICAL LAW

THE BOOK OF LEVITICUS Purpose – to detail the various regulations regarding sacrifices, priestly functions, liturgical calendar, purity and health matters, dietary restrictions, and sundry moral and social laws Divisions of the book: Sacrifices (1-7) Priests and worship (8-10) Purity (11-15) The Day of Atonement (16) The holiness code (17-26) Oaths and gifts (27)

SACRIFICIAL SYSTEM Consecratory Expiatory Communal Served to dedicate a person or thing to God. Often accompanied by cereal and/or drink offerings Expiatory For the removal of the guilt of sin Included both guilt and sin offerings The person offering put his hand on the animal Communal Expressed gratitude to God Included peace, votive, and freewill offerings

THE PRIESTHOOD From the tribe of Levi Separated from the rest by anointing Represented God before the people and the people before God; served as intermediaries Duties included: Receiving offerings and sacrifices Instructed the people on the proper way to present themselves before God for the purpose of worship Blessing the people and reading God’s word to them

THE LITURGICAL CALENDAR The Passover - commemorates the Exodus with a communal meal Unleavened bread - after Passover when no yeast was to be found in households for seven days Firstfruits – thanksgiving for God’s provision at the beginning of the harvest Pentecost (Feast of Weeks) - the end of the grain harvest Trumpets - the end of the agricultural year and the beginning of the new (Rosh Hashanah?) Atonement – when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to offer sacrifice for Israel’s sins Tabernacles (Booths) – five days after the Day of Atonement to commemorate the time spent in the desert Two additional post-OT festivals: Purim – commemorating the victory of the Jews over their enemies during the time of Esther Hanukkah – the festival of lights commemorating the rededication of the Temple during the time of the Maccabees

THE FESTIVALS TODAY

THE SEDER PASSOVER MEAL The Seder Plate Haroset – a mixture of fruit and nuts symbolizing the mortar used in Egypt A boiled egg – meaning spring and sacrifice Roasted bone – Passover animal sacrifice 2 Bitter herbs – a remembrance of slavery Green vegetable – dipped in salt water to remember the tears of slavery

MATZO AND WINE Matzo – a dry cracker made without yeast or symbolizing the haste of the Hebrew departure from Egypt Four wine glasses – symbolize the four expressions used by God in Ex.6:6,7 “I will bring out” “I will deliver” “I will redeem” “I will take”

YOM KIPPUR THE DAY OF ATONEMENT First observed during the Exodus (Leviticus 16) The most holy day of Judaism today A day of fasting and abstaining from physical pleasures to devote oneself to prayer

THE FESTIVAL OF TABERNACLES A time of remembering the 40 years in the desert during the exodus A celebration of the last harvest Giving thanks for God’s provision Observed by constructing “booths” that serve as temporary dwellings

THE JOURNEY TO CANAAN

THE BOOK OF NUMBERS Taking stock – the two census (Nu.1; 26) Served to count and organizes the people 1st census yielded 603,550 men twenty years old and older The journey to Canaan The people stayed at Sinai for a year The reconnaissance of the land of Canaan (13; 14) Twelve spies sent in; 10 brought back negative reports Only Joshua and Caleb encouraged the people in spite of the reports Because of their desire to return to Egypt, God decided that the all the people would die in the wilderness An abortive attempt was made to enter the land As a result the people spent 40 year in the desert near Kadesh Murmurings, complaints and rebellion (11; 12; 16; 20) Leaving the desert Moses prohibited from entering the land

MOVING INTO THE TRANSJORDAN Bypassing Edom (20:14-21) The death of Aaron and the bronze serpent Opposition (21-24) Balak and Balaam Apostasy and idolatry (25) Enticed by the Moabites Sacrificed to an idol (Baal of Peor) Preparing to enter Canaan Second census (26) Joshua commissioned as Moses’ successor Land given on the east side of the Jordan Boundaries of the new land

THE LAND OF EDOM

PLAIN OF EDOM

MOAB

THE BOOK OF DEUTERONOMY Preparations to enter Canaan Reiteration of the law for a new land Three discourses by Moses: A historical review (1:1-4:49) Covenant laws (5:1-26-19) Reiterations of the Ten Commandments Appeal to faithfulness Right worship Guidelines for living Renewal of the Covenant (27-34) Blessings and curses Leadership succession The death of Moses

MOUNT NEBO LOOKING NORTHWEST