Exodus 15 – There
follows here Moses’ famous “Song at the Sea” which the Schocken Bible editors
aptly say, “provides a natural boundary in the book of Exodus. It sets off the
Egypt traditions from those of Sinai and the wilderness, and brings to a
spectacular close the sage of liberation”
“So YHWH
delivered Israel on that day from the hand of Egypt; Israel saw Egypt dead by
the shore of the sea, and Israel saw the great hand that YHWH had wrought
against Egypt, the people held YHWH in awe, they trusted in YHWH and in Moshe
his servant. Then sang Moshe and the Children of Israel this song to YHWH . . .
I
will sing to YHWH,
for
he has triumphed, yes, triumphed,
the
horse and its charioteer he flung into the sea.
My
fierce might and strength is YAH,
he
has become deliverance for me (15:1-2).
You
led in your faithfulness
your
people redeemed,
guided
(them) in your fierce-might
to
your holy pasture (15:13).
Until
they crossed—your people, O YHWH,
until
they crossed—the people you fashioned.
You
brought them, you planted them
on
the mount of your heritage,
foundation
of your (royal) seat
which
you prepared, O YHWH,
the
Holy Shrine, O Lord,
founded
by your hands (15:17).
Miriam, Aaron’s (and
Moses’s) sister is called a prophetess (15:20), but here she dances and sings
this exultant song.
They are led to the desert of Shur, to Marah, where the water is so bitter they
cannot drink it. The people grumble, but the Lord helps Moses to sweeten the
water.
They move on
to Elim, a large oasis and camp there. Schocken editors
again point out something interesting. The whole exchange between Pharaoh and
Moses can be seen as an argument about who shall be king—the powerful earthly
ruler, pharaoh of Egypt, or the Lord of the universe—and here the choice is
definitively made. The Lord is king,
“magnificent in power” (15:6), “my savior” (15:2), “magnificent in holiness. .
.terrible in renown, worker of wonders” (15:11); “Let YHWH be king for the
ages, eternity”(15:18). This hymn is the celebration of that revolution in sovereignty.
The
wilderness narratives follow – they represent the process by which spiritual
maturity is to be arrived at (Schocken, 341-343). There
are three desert themes: grumbling/rebellion; hostility of the surrounding
nations; and working out a scheme of government and law (341). The process cannot be achieved in a single
generation. He points out that here again as in the Abraham narrative, despite the
promise of much fertility there is not a single birth story recorded in the
wilderness—the process here is one of preparation for entry into the promised
land where child-bearing, planting and productivity will be central.
The Epistle of Barnabas
There follow several
sections on the “Two Ways” – the Way of Light and the Way of Darkness. These sections do not read
like the earlier chapters; they seem to be the work of another writer. A
similar theme will be part of the next “treatise” we will look at – The Didache.
18 – The Two Ways: “There are two Ways of teaching, and
two wielders of power; one of light and the other of darkness . . . . over the
one are posted the light-bearing angels of God, and over the other the angels
of Satan; and one of these two is the Lord from all eternity to all eternity,
while the other stands paramount over this present age of iniquity” (179).
19 – The Way of Light: “”First, then, for the Way of Light;
and here a man who would make the pilgrimage to his appointed home must put his
whole heart into his work. To aid our steps on the road, illumination has been
given to us then – Love your Maker; fear your Creator; give glory to Him who
redeemed you from death. Practice singleness of heart, and a richness of the
spirit. Shun the company of those who walk in the Way of Death” (179).
Avoid every
form of hypocrisy. “Do not exaggerate your own importance, but be modest at all
points, and never claim credit for yourself” (180). Avoid appearance of
presumption, and vices like fornication, adultery or “unnatural vice” (180). Be
clam and mild-mannered.
Do not be
duplicitous. “Never make free with the Name of the Lord. Love your neighbor
more than yourself. Never do away with
an unborn child or destroy it after its birth” (180).
Do not
hesitate to discipline your children; bring them up in the fear of the Lord. Do
not covet your neighbor’s goods or ever be greedy for gain. Don’t try to be
pals with the powerful “but look for the company of people who are humble and
virtuous” (180)
“Whatever
experience comes your way, accept it as a blessing, in the certainty that
nothing can happen without God” (180).
Do not
equivocate in thought or speech. Obey your “masters” “as the representatives of
God” (180). “The Lord did not come to call people according to their rank; He
came for those who were already prepared by the Spirit” (180).
Give you
neighbor a share of all that you have; don’t be in a hurry to speak “for the
tongue is a fatal snare” (180)
Keep the Day
of Judgment in mind at all times. And do nothing to encourage dissension “And
make confession of your own faults; you are not to come to prayer with a bad
conscience. That is the Way of Light” (181).
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