I’m participating in Disciple Bible Study, a 34 week intensive. For five days, we have different readings. I have decided to document my initial noticings from a close reading of the scripture. Well, an attempt at a close reading.
Week 7 Theme: Atonement
Readings (For the NRSV readings, visit Oremus Bible Browser):
- Exodus 24-27
- Exodus 34:29-36:1, Exodus 40, Psalm 81
- Leviticus 1-5
- Leviticus 6-7
- Leviticus 16-17, Deuteronomy 16, Leviticus 23
Noticings:
- Exodus 24
- v. 8: eww! dashing the blood on the people. Automatically makes everybody "unclean" or טָמֵא, taw-may (per Strong's Hebrew)
- v. 9: Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and 70 elders went up and saw the G*d of Israel. Note--that's a lo0t of people seeing G*d!
- v. 12: G*d gives Moses the tablets of stone that has the 10 commandments that G*d gave in Chapter 20
- Exodus 25
- There is a lot here about making the ark of the covenant and other things. I am just left wondering about what an idol is and isn't.
- v. 30: The Bread of the Presence - this seems to me something we can trace Eucharist to directly
- Exodus 26
- The Tabernacle and all those details!
- Exodus 27
- v. 2: The altar of burnt offering which has horns. Seems to be a tie to the worship of the golden calf that they got in trouble for and which is prevalent in the culture of the time
- v. 21: I like the idea of the perpetual light.
- Exodus 34:29-36:1
- Making the tabernacle again. Really want to get this information through, don't they!
- Exodus 40
- v. 16-33 - this seems to me to be a litany from a liturgy with the repetition of the phrase, "as the LORD had commanded Moses." See v. 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 32
- Psalm 81
- Read as a festival liturgy, this Psalm has a different appeal. Giving us the memory of the Exodus.
- Leviticus 1-5
- v. 2:11 - you must not turn any leaven or honey into smoke...why??
- Chapter 3 - talks about fat a lot; seems to me a good, healthy move to be forbidden to eat fat!
- Chapter 4 - sin offerings - note that these are all for UNINTENTIONAL sins
- Chapter 5 - I love that there is a way for the poor to be part of the system of forgiveness
- I am still left wondering about intentional sin.
- Leviticus 6-7
- v. 6:5 - Restitution is the price of the damage (principal) plus 20%. I wonder what our legal system would be like if we just implemented this. You're wrong? Pay 120%.
- Chapter 7 - is the guilt offering the intentional sin?
- v. 7:6 - what is the significance of eating sin?
- Leviticus 16-17
- v. 17:11 - no eating blood. Does this mean that meat must be well-done?
- Deuteronomy 16
- Review of festivals: Passover, Festival of Weeks, Festival of Booths
- v. 21 & 22 - why would G*d be upset with a tree as a "sacred pole" or a stone pillar (which, by the way, pillars are created in Exodus 24:4 to represent the 12 tribes of Israel)
- Leviticus 23
- Review of festivals again plus offerings: Sabbath, Passover, Festival of the Unleavened Bread, Festival of Weeks, Festival of Trumpets, Day of Atonement, Festival of Booths
Also, a lot of this is about worship, altars, tabernacles, etc. How the early Jewish community did, as me, a Christian, would say "church." I am including a link to a paper I wrote on altars for a class on Exodus.
But the main point, I think, is -- what is necessary for you to worship? what is necessary for G*d? can this meet somewhere? does it need to be mediated?