Daily Old Testament and Early Christian Writings: Exodus 33 and Justin Martyr's First Apology 18-19

Exodus 33 – The Lord promises to send the people into the land He swore to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and He will send His angel before them.  But He says He will not accompany them Himself because they “are a stiff-necked people; [and He] might exterminate [them] on the way” (33:4). In repentance, the Israelites lay aside their ornaments (33:6).

The Meeting Tent or “Tent of the Lord’s Presence,” is pitched outside of camp “at some distance.” When Moses entered the Tent, the people saw a column of cloud outside the entrance “while the Lord spoke with Moses” (33:9).  This was a cue for everyone to worship at the entrances to their own tents.  Joshua would stay in the Tent of Meeting even when Moses returned from it.

Moses convinces God that He really must come along with them, that He must accept them as His people: “For how can it be known that we, your people and I, have found favor with you, except by your going with us?” (33:16) The Lord tells Moses “I myself  [note indicates the word literally is ‘my face,’ that is ‘my presence’] will go along, to give you rest.” This passage precedes Moses’ argument to God, but it seems to me to be a response.  Schocken’s translation is better, I think, making it a question: “If my presence were to go (with you), would I cause you to rest easy? (33:14).  Moses then tells YHWH if He will not come, then He should not bring them up from here; for only through that presence that they can become a distinct people at all.

Moses asks to see the Lord’s “glory” and God assures Moses He will permit him to see His “beauty,” but the Lord’s “face” he cannot see “for no man sees me and still lives” (33:20).  He places Moses “in the cleft of the rock” and screens his vision until He passes, but He permits Moses to see His “back” (33:23). The note suggests that God’s “back” is also reflected in the creation.

Early Christian Writers

Justin Martyr (100-165 AD) – First Apology

Immortality and Resurrection

18 – If we reflect on those kings and other rulers just talked about, we know they all die “the death common to all.” If death resulted in “insensibility” [the death of all that comprises who they are], then that would be a blessing to those who are wicked. But we believe “sensation remains to all who have ever lived, and eternal punishment is laid up . . . for the wicked.”

It is not only to the traditional Christian view of man’s eternal nature that Justin Martyr appeals. He is surrounded by necromancers, diviners and “dream-senders” who also believe in a spiritual realm not visible to the human senses. They all believe that “the spirits of the dead, whom all call daemoniacs or madmen” can reach into our lives. And he points out that all the great thinkers of their day – and earlier – ascribed to a belief in the afterlife – Empedocles, Pythagoras, Plato, Socrates, Homer.

19 – He gives an amazing argument in favor of the possibility of “resurrection” – bodily resurrection.  He starts by observing the miracle of life coming from the “human seed” that is the start of every life. No one would ever look at that drop of seed and imagine that a man or woman would arise from it.

“In the same way, then, you are now incredulous because you have never seen a dead man rise again. But as at first you would not have believed it possible that such persons could be produced from the small drop, and yet now you see them thus produced, so also judge ye that it is not impossible that the bodies of men, after they have been dissolved, and like seeds resolved into earth, should in God’s appointed time rise again and put on incorruption [incorruptibility].”

Daily Bible Reading: Wisdom 3-5 and Acts 27-28

Wisdom 3 – The souls of the virtuous are in God’s hand. It is true their death seems like annihilation, but they are at peace. “Their hope was rich with immortality” (3:4) The New Jerusalem note says this is the first use of the word “immortality” in the Old Testament. It means the abiding unity of the soul with God and does not yet mean resurrection of the body. “Those who are faithful will live with him in love; for grace and mercy await those he has chosen.”

Wisdom 4 – The godless will be judged and punished. Even those thought to be without much status in society – women without children, eunuchs, the lowly – all will have greater reward than those who reject wisdom.

Wisdom 5 – At the judgment, the virtuous will face their oppressors. They will confess their sins. They have pursued every path of worldly pleasure and gain through life but have never sought out the path to God. There follows several passages of beautiful poetry. It starts, “All [the worldly mockers]. . .have passed like a shadow. . .like a ship that cuts through heaving waves – leaving no trace to show where it has passed” (5:10). But the virtuous will live forever. Evil doing will bring the thrones of the mighty down.

Acts 27 – Luke starts again, saying that they were ready to sail for Italy in the custody of a centurion named Julius. They leave from Adramyttium (near Antioch) and sail along the coast. The centurion allows Paul to visit with friends along the way. It takes a fortnight (15 days) to get to Myra where they get on an Alexandrian ship for Italy.

They have rough wind for a time, and end up in Lasea (southern Crete). A “north-easter” hits them on their way west – they start throwing things overboard and pretty much give up hope. Paul tells the crew he had a vision, an angel who told them not to fear. In the Adriatic, still torn by the weather, some men try to abandon ship but Paul tells the captain and the boat they were going to escape on is cut loose. Paul gives everyone hope that they well survive. But the boat runs aground. The soldiers think they should kill the prisoners so they won’t escape, but the centurion is committed to bringing them through. They all get safely to shore.

Acts 28 – They discover they are on the island of Malta – south of Italy.  They are received well and taken care of. Paul is bitten by a snake, and some of the “natives” think it means Paul is a murderer suffering “divine vengeance” (28:5). He shakes it off into the fire and is fine; they are so surprised they end up thinking he was a god (28:6).

Publius is the prefect of the island. He entertains them for three days. Publius father was in bed with fever and dysentery, and after Paul lays hands on him he is healed. This leads to a long line of sick from the island visiting Paul. After three months they said again to Syracuse, spend three days there and then go up to Rhegium and then Puteoli, where they encounter Christians and stay a week with them.

Finally, they arrive in Rome where they are greeted by Jews and permitted to lodge with them, accompanied by a guard. Paul calls the leading Jews together and tells them his story, but they have heard nothing from Judaea or elsewhere about him. They are willing to hear his side, but they tell him “all we know about this [Nazarene] sect is that opinion everywhere condemns it” (28:22).

They arrange a day to listen to his case. He talks to them all day and some are convinced (28:24), but many remain “skeptical”. Paul leaves them with this quote from Isaiah: “Go to this nation and say: You will hear and hear again but not understand, see and see again, but not perceive. For the heart of this nation has grown coarse, their ears are dull of hearing and they have shut their eyes, for hear they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed by me” (28:26-27). So the salvation God meant for them has been sent out to the pagans – “they will listen to it” (28:28).

Paul spends two years in his own rented place, welcoming visitors and proclaiming the kingdom of God and “teaching the truth about the Lord Jesus Christ with complete freedom and without hindrance from anyone” (28:31).