Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 24 and The Didache 12-13

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Exodus 24 – Moses goes up the mountain again, this time with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu (Aaron’s sons) and 70 elders, but only Moses is permitted to “come close” (24:2). 

Moses writes down all that the Lord tells him and in the morning erects an altar and 12 pillars or stones at the foot of the mountain.  He sprinkles blood on the altar and puts half of it in large bowls. The people confirm their allegiance to the covenant and he sprinkles the blood from the bowls on them, saying “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you . . .” (24:8). 

Then Moses and his companions go up and they behold the God of Israel.  “Under his feet there seemed to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli, as clear as the sky itself. And though these nobles of Israel gazed upon God, he did not destroy them. In fact, they ate a covenant meal, eating and drinking in his presence” (24:10-11). Schocken editors translate the phrase “(something) like the work of sapphire tiles, (something) like the substance of the heavens in purity . . . as clear as the sky itself.” 

Then, Moses and Joshua, his companion and later successor as leader, go up further.  A cloud covers the mountain for six days.  “On the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the Lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire. Then Moses disappeared into the cloud as he climbed higher up the mountain. He remained on the mountain forty days and forty nights” (24:16-18). Notice that this fire consumes whereas the fire Moses saw in the bush did not. The numbers throughout this chapter are all symbolic: 70, 12, 6, 40.

The Didache

Apostles and Prophets (continued)

12 – Everyone who visits the community “in the Name of the Lord” should be welcome, but at some point he must be “tested” so you can discern “the true from the false” (196).

“If the newcomer is only passing through, give him all the help you can—though he is not to stay more than a couple of days with you, or three if it is unavoidable. But if he wants to settle down among you, and is a skilled worker, let him find employment and earn his bread. If he knows no trade, use your discretion to make sure that he does not live in idleness simply on the strength of being a Christian. Unless he agrees to this, he is only trying to exploit Christ” (196).

13 – Prophets are given high status as are teachers. Prophets are the church’s “high priests” – they are entitled to the “first products of your winepress, your threshing-floor, your oxen and your sheep” (196). “If there is no prophet among you, give them to the poor” (196), but prophets are to be granted a “tithe” of everything.

Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 23 and The Didache 11

Exodus 23 – The listing of wrongs continues: Do not spread false rumors; do not side with the majority to the perversion of justice; do NOT favor the poor in a lawsuit when the facts do not support their cause [this is an interesting one]; do not mistreat foreigners; do not accept bribes.  What to do if you find lost property; caring for animals—even if they belong to people who hate you and your help will indirectly help your enemy; do not deny the needy their rights; avoiding dishonesty of every kind; not condemning the innocent man to death; not sparing the guilty man.

Then readers are reminded about not tilling the soil each 7^th year so “that the poor among you may eat of it and the beast of the field may eat what the poor leave” (23:11); the Sabbath rest; celebration of the pilgrim feasts—Passover, Pentecost  (Shavu’ot or Weeks—wheat harvest and first fruits in early June) and booths (final grape harvest in late September or early October—called Sukkot or Huts); offerings; not boiling a kid in its mother’s milk.

“See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you” (23:20-22).

The Lord promises his blessings on those who are faithful—fertility, health, fullness of life (23:25). The victory over those in the land will not be quick but little by little. “I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land” (23:30). God promises to hand over the people of the region to drive them out. They “must make no treaties with them or their gods. They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry” (23:32-33).

The Didache

Of Apostles and Prophets

11 – If visitors come and introduce the community to teachings that differ from those presented here, people should pay no attention to them; but then the writer adds an addendum – if the teaching promotes “righteousness and knowledge of the Lord” (195), you should welcome him as you would the Lord.

There are “apostles” and “prophets” in the church. Apostles who come to visit should not stay longer than a day, “two if it is really necessary” (195). Anyone who stays longer than this is a “false prophet” (196). Apostles also should accept only provisions for another day’s travel and no money at all.

Prophetic inspiration was given great latitude. The possible relationship between this treatise and the 2nd c. Monatist movement seems very possible. Scholars are not certain about it.  Prophets speaking “in the spirit” are not to be subject to “tests or verifications” – to do this would be to violate the authority of the Holy Spirit, an unforgivable sin (196). But it isn’t enough to just “speak” in the Spirit; you must also “exhibit the manners and conduct of the Lord. It is by their behavior that you can tell the impostor from the true” (196). If a prophet, seemingly “in the Spirit” calls out for food and eats, or calls out for money that is not meant for the poor, he is a phony.

A prophet, “thoroughly accredited and genuine, living the mystery of the Church in the world, may yet fail to teach others to copy his example. In that case, you are not to judge the man yourselves; his judgment lies with God. The prophets of old used to do things of a similar kind” (196).