Summer of the Bible 2014 - Week 4

Photo by:  Sara Holben, 2009

"Remembering the Burning Bush" - St. Catherine's Monastery, Mt. Sinai

"The Exodus"  

Background on the Book of Exodus, chapters 1-18:

            The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible.  While it may seem that we will never make it through the Bible in one summer if we’re in week 4 and only on the second book, don’t despair.   We are looking more in depth at this material because of how important Genesis and Exodus are in laying the theological foundations for Jewish and Christian faith.

            Exodus begins where the book of Genesis leaves off, but about 400 years later. The descendants of Jacob are in Egypt, but over those hundreds of years, the children of “Israel” (Jacob) begin to be seen as a threat to Egypt.  These first 18 chapters are where much of the excitement comes – Moses in the bulrushes, the burning bush, the “contest” between God and Pharaoh, the plagues of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, and manna in the wilderness.  Remember as you read: this is not a journalist’s report of what happened in the way we are used to getting news reports.  This is a “proclamation” about Israel’s experiences of the presence and activity of God. The book of Exodus can be read as testimony. Exodus narrates the movement of Israel from slavery in Egypt to serving Yahweh, the Lord.  In addition, it begins to tell us about Israel’s mixed experience of obedience to and rebellion from God. 

Readings for week of June 22-28:

·    [To get the “basics” on the background of Exodus – read: Exodus 1:8-2:10 and 3:1-15]

·    Exodus 5:1-23 – The harshness of slavery and Pharaoh

·    Exodus 6:1-13 – God promises deliverance

·    Exodus 14:1-31 – Escape from Pharaoh

·    Exodus 17:1-7 – “Is the Lord among us or not?”

·    Exodus 12:12-17; Matthew 26:16-18 – the Passover

Questions for reflection:

1.     The name that God reveals to Moses at the burning bus is “I am who I am” (transliterated as Yahweh) or in other translations it is “I will be who I will be.”  What does that imply about God?  About our experience of God?

2.     An important part of Exodus is the “proclamation” that God hears and responds to the cries of people who are in need.  How is God’s response experienced by Israel? By us?

Additional Resources for Reflection:You will need to copy the URL and "paste" it into the search function of your browser.

• http://www.enterthebible.org/oldtestament.aspx?rid=21 - background information on Exodus by Richard W. Nysse - Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary
• http://www.vts.edu/ftpimages/95/download/download_group10629_id314910.pdf - a study guide for Exodus from Virginia Theological Seminary (an Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, VA)
• http://www.sinaimonastery.com/en/index.php?lid=1 - the official website of St. Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai. According to tradition, the monastery is located at the foot of "Mt. Sinai" (one of several possible locations for Mt. Sinai) and also claims to have the original "Burning Bush" (see the photo that begins this entry.  St. Catherine's is a wonderful place which has been the site of continuous Christian worship since the 4th century.  It also has an incredible library of ancient manuscripts, including the Codex Sinaiticus (which includes the oldest existing complete copy of the New Testament in Greek).  
• See also: http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/sinai-monastery for more information about St. Catherine's that is not produced directly by the monastery.  
• For information on the library at St. Catherine's and the Codex Sinaiticus, please see: http://www.codexsinaiticus.org/en/ and http://www.pri.org/stories/2012-10-16/deciphering-ancient-manuscripts-saint-catherines-monastery and http://world.time.com/2013/07/21/monks-in-egypts-lawless-sinai-hope-to-preserve-an-ancient-library/