From Slaves to Priests: Exodus 19-20
Reading for Saturday 3.26 – Tuesday 3.29
As we cross the threshold of Lent's midpoint, we traverse a massive turning point in the Exodus narrative. Turning from Pharaoh and the exploitative empire, Israel gazes upon the glory of their redeeming God. Israel will be shaped by sustained practices, becoming an emancipated community that stands defiant to the pharaonic system of exploitation and abuse.
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Read Exodus 19–20
“You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”
Exodus 19:4-6 (ESV)
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From Slaves to Priests
Emancipation is not freedom into nothing. This sort of independent, enlightenment freedom into personal autonomy risks Israel becoming the same type of empire they were liberated from. Instead, Israel will be shaped by sustained practices, becoming an emancipated community that stands defiant to the pharaonic system of exploitation and abuse.
The faithful and mighty acts of God's redemption (19:4) transfigure the status and awareness of the slaves into Yahweh's treasured possession, a people set apart by God. No longer under the rule and reign of Pharaoh's oppressive empire, the Israelites are now expected to serve Yahweh, not as a nation of slaves, but as a nation of priests (19:6).
Freedom from slavery and into the community of God entails living out God's distinct mission. Freedom to live as one pleases is a road that leads back to Pharaoh's empire. Instead, Israel entrusts herself to her deliverer for guidance, wisdom, and mission. This mission stands out against the backdrop of the self-serving kingdoms of the world. The exploitative missions of greed and power necessarily trample the earth. Yahweh's mission restores it. The way of Yahweh is the way of life. As a nation of priests, Israel will be the conduit for the life of the world if they will believe and follow Yahweh.
The fear of Yahweh (20:20) is the crux of the issue. Moses offers a confounding double fear, "Do not be afraid, for God has come... so that you will continue to fear God." The language couched as fear in the Old Testament connotes allegiance, fidelity, and adherence to Yahweh. In this way, it is much like the New Testament's belief or trust. It is a commitment that assumes a readiness to obey the covenant and offer loyalty, not to the laws themselves, but to the God that commands them. The world of Exodus assumes everyone lives in fear of something, offering fidelity, trust, and obedience to something. The fear of Yahweh leads to a life where fear of anything else is unnecessary.
Whether Israel or the Church, the community of God is always distinct among the world, defined and shaped by God as a priestly and holy community (19:5). These identifiers shape her identity and her mission and only come about by means of her fidelity to Yahweh.
A priestly community is one through which God works to mediate Himself to the world. This was Israel's mission, and it is now the community of Jesus' mission. The Church, endowed with the presence of God's Spirit, is a unique people through which God reveals Godself. In this way, the Church mediates the life of God to the world while mediating Godself to the world.
The mediation of God results in holiness. The community of God devotes herself to the service of Yahweh. Doing so necessarily pits God's people as living objections to the pharaonic empires and their various regimes. This distinction in service results in a distinct people, a set-apart people, a holy people.
Our fidelity to God, rooted in our freedom from enslavement, results in our being used by God to bring emancipation to the spaces we inhabit. In New Testament language, the Light of the World (John 8:12) deputizes us as lights of the world (Matt 5:14). This phenomenon is echoed by Paul (Phil 2:12-16) and reinforced by Revelation (21:22-27).
A liberated life means taking on a new identity and a new mission within the world. It is a life we can only live by faith. This faith obligates and transforms us, making us those who move differently through life, bringing life to the world as we do.
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Reflect with a friend
What would change if you began to see yourself as God’s priest? What might this look like in your world?
Do you have positive or negative connotations of “being holy?” Where do these come from and how does the description here challenge them? How do you see yourself as holy within God’s holy community? Also see 1 Peter 2:9-10
How does the description of fearing God strike you? Does Moses contradicting “fears” help? In what ways have you seen this language abused? How does what Exodus describes here differ from the toxic uses you’ve encountered?
Does this type of obedient loyalty to Yahweh (or Jesus) seem restrictive or life giving? Do you tend to run to it or shy away from it? Discuss ways you can help encourage one another to trust the grace and love of Jesus more in being lights of the world.
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Next Reading
Wed 3.30 – Sat 4.2
Exodus 21-23
