Reading for June 18th

God calls Moses to lead Israel out of Egypt
In 3.1-4.31: Moses encounters God veiled in a burning bush at Mount Horeb, otherwise known as Mount Sinai.
God calls Moses to leave Midian and return to Egypt to lead Israel out of slavery to freedom.
Moses responds with five objections or reasons why he should not lead Israel (3.11. 13; 4.1, 10, 13).
However, God patiently responds to each objection and insists that Moses go.
Finally, Moses obeys (4.18-20).

Read Exodus 3.1-22

In verse 1: Jethro is an alternative name for Moses' father-in-law, who is otherwise know as Reuel (2.18) or Hobab (Num 10.29.

Mount Horeb is an alternative name for Mount Sinai (19.11).

The mountain of God reflects a common notion in the ancient Near east that mountain tops were the special dwelling places of the divine.

In verse 2: Fire is a frequent biblical image for the deity's presence (Gen 15.17).

In verse 4: The lord is considered interchangeable with the angel of the Lord in v. 2.

In verse 6: To look at God was a fearful thing because it could mean instant death (33.20: Isa 6.5).

In verse 8: This is the first of many biblical examples in which the phrase a land flowing with milk and honey describes the goodness and fertility of the promised land of Canaan (13.5; Num 13.27).

The list of peoples- the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites- is a traditional listing of the native inhabitants of the land of Canaan (Gen 15.19-21; Deut 7.1).

In verses 11-12: This is the first of a series of five objections which Moses raises to God's call to lead Israel out of Egypt.

Moses feels inadequate for the mission, but God assures him that God will be with him.

As a sign God promises that Moses and the Israelites will return to worship on this mountain of Horeb or Mount Sinai (19.11).

In verse 13-15: Moses' second objection is a request for God's name.

God reveals the new divine name as I am who I am ("ehyeh asher ehyeh") or I will be who I will be.

This name is a wordplay on the divine name "yhwh" derives from the verb "to be" or "he creates."

Ancient Jewish practice considered the divine name "Yahweh" so holy and special that is should never be pronounced.

Wherever the name occurred , the reader used instead the Hebrew word for "the Lord" ("adonai").

The NRSV translation follows the ancient practice, substituting "the Lord" for every occurrence of "Yahweh" in the Hebrew text.

The divine name, I am who I am reveals God's intention to be present with Israel.

At the same time, the name hides some of God's character until a later time of disclosure (33.19; 34.6-7).

Moreover, the text underscores the identification of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob from the book of Genesis with the same God who new name is revealed as the Lord ("Yahweh").

In verse 18: Sacrifice involves the killing of an animal and offering part of it to the deity as an act of worship and devotion.

In verse 22: God's pressure on the Egyptian to release the Israelites will eventually become so strong that the Egyptians will be anxious to send them away with gold, silver, and fine clothing.

In this way, Israel will plunder the Egyptians and take their war booty as a sign that God has won the victory in the battle with Pharaoh and the Egyptians.

The promise is fulfilled in 12.33-36.

Comments or Questions..