Today's chunk of text illustrates brilliantly what happens if you accept the artificial divisons imposed over the centuries, as the first bit more properly belongs with the end of yesterday's material, and what follows is a bit of a hotchpotch to say the least.
Justice for All
The section begins with a series of rules designed to ensure justice for all, irrespective of wealth and influence. Perverting the course of justice, even under the strong influence of others, is not acceptable.
I think it was the peer pressure element that struck me, and how difficult it can be to stand up for views that seem not to be shared by others whose opinons or friendships we value, or who we perceive as the 'gatekeepers' within communities or organisations. To 'go with the flow' can be as bad as to actively behave in unjust ways. We know that, it just isn't always so easy (a) to recognise when we do so and (b) to change it when we do.
Rest and Ritual
Clearly refering to a settled society, comes the instruction to allow a sabbath for the land - a year in which the fields, orchards and vineyards may 'rest' and restore themselves after six years of cultivation. And a reminder of the Sabbath day as a routine rest day for people and animals alike. Perhaps the repetition shows that the temptations of intensive farming and relentless human endeavour were as real then as they are now. I recall when at primary schoool, how we were taught about the introduction of three-field crop rotation system and even then I felt it was prefigured in the Bible... However the ancients came upon this model of farming, like many other agricultural 'rules' practised by earlier societies, it has taken until recent times for science to understand why they were a good idea.
Three 'lasting ordinances' are specified - the Passover, the First Fruits (Spring Harvest) and the In-gathering (Autumn Harvest). Inherent in these rituals is something both about dependence on God as liberator and provider, and of the rootedness of the people within the natural world. The festivals kept by the Church bear little resemblance to these ancient rituals, either in style or purpose, and, though sometimes one might be forgiven for thinking otherwise, not one of our major festivals is a divinely mandated 'lasting ordinance'. Were we to search the New Testament for anything that might constitute their equivalents we find only 'Breaking bread', 'Baptism' and possibly 'Foot-washing'. I wonder how we might feel were the church to abandon Christmas, Easter and Pentecost? It is certainly worth pondering why we choose these and what it is we think they are all about...
Meat and Milk
In what seems a random addition, comes the prohibition of eating a kid boiled in its mother's milk. Jewish dietary laws to this day prohibit the consumption of meat and dairy at the same meal. A roast dinner followed by pie and custard, or trifle, or ice-cream is out. Quite what the logic is, I don't know and any ancient explanation is long since lost. To me, it always seemed like the epitome of cruelty and disregard for the animals involved, but I doubt that is the reason; more likely it had some cultic or idolatrous significance. Whilst we are unlikely to to be troubled by the literal ruling here, maybe it does remind us to think about where our food comes from and the welfare of the animals raised either for dairy or meat production.
Having stopped eating meat on other grounds (it just seems terribly hypocritical foe me to eat meat when I would no longer be willing to slaughter or butcher the animal myself. I don't need or expect anyone else to agree or do likewise) I am fairly safe on the literal probibition, but I still think there are questions to ask of myself about farming methods, manufacturing processes and so on.
Whose Land is it Anyway?
As the story is told, the Hebrews are the 'goodies', and the land that God has promsied them is occupied by assorted 'baddies' who need to be expelled and preferably exterminated in order to rid the land of their influence and religion.
To contemporary thinkers, informed by, for example the revisionist histories of North America, Australia and New Zealand which recognise the horrors inflicted on indigenous, 'first-nation' 'aboriginal' and 'maori' people, this apsect of the Exodus story is as a minimum disquieting.
History is, traditionally, told from the perspective of the victors. The role of God is interpretted as favouring those who triumph. In our Post Modern age such claims cannot pass unchallenged... and when we read this material in Exodus we find ourselves uneasy.
Two lines of thought strike me.
Firstly, there seems to my simplistic reading a bit of an inconsistency within the text as we have it. In the preceding rules and regulations, perceived by scholars to be the "Book of the Covenant" referred to a little further on in this chunk, are clear instructions to treat well those who are 'resident aliens' and ensure that their rights are protected. Now, the natural residents of the land are to be displaced by marauding aliens, claiming divine warrant for their actions. I don't have the knowledge to try to relate any of this to the ongoing situation in Israel-Palestine, but I do see how assertions of divine mandate lead to demonisation of the 'other' and appalling treamtent of the residents who are now defined as aliens.
The second thought is that this a newly emergent nation, and that like all new 'movements' survival is often equated with 'purity'; rules as to who is 'in and 'out' are very clear, and sometimes behaviour is extreme. It doesn't mean that the behaviour is right, but it is perhaps understandable, at least in principle. There is certainly no part of the Christian Church that can hold up its hands and say "never did we behave like that." Drownings of Baptists, burning of heretics, the Spanish Inqusition, the Crusades... let the one with no sin cast the first stone. At the same time, let us not forget the darker side of our own story but instead learn lessons from it.
"Ding ding! Flash, flash!"
One of my 'A' level Maths teachers use to make this exclamation when he same aross something that he felt ought to 'ring bells' or 'flash lights' as we made connections with other topics or techniques. I have long since forgotten the majority of the maths, but the expression remains!
Twice in this account I noticed details that had the 'ding, ding' effect as I made connections with the New Testament... whether the NT writers anticipated such connections being made, or whether they are mine, who knows, but for anyone who reads the scriptures closely, such moments may well arise.
Firstly, Moses along with Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy elders go up the mountain and see God. Seventy, like seven and forty, is one of those Biblical symbol numbers, so it's use is significant. As I read the words, I was reminded of the time that Jesus sent out either 70 or 72 (depending which source is used) disciples. For someone with a Jewish background the potential significance of the number would be recognised. The parallel may perhaps be extended slightly... Jesus sending of the 72/70 signifies an extension of his ministry and mission; the inclusion of the 70 plus 2 who go with Moses suggests a possible extension of those drawn into the cultic/religious life and leadership of the emergent nation.
Secondly, when the elders see God - which is incredible in its own right - they see something that looks like a 'sapphire pavement'... "flash, flash"... immediately, I was reminded of the vision of heaven described in Revelation, with the 'sea like crystal' and the walls of sapphire. I could have, but did not, looked more deeply into the significance of 'sapphire'; rather what struck me was the consistency of imagery over hundreds and hundreds of years. In this complex set of confusing texts, every now and then there are connections just waiting to be made...
Another 'Duff Duff'
The section ends with the Moses and Joshua going up the mountain having left Aaron, Hur and the elders to take care of things. After six days when the mountain is shrouded in cloud, Moses is called to ascend the mountain - where he remains for 'forty days and forty nights'... a long, long time.
Surely, having encountered God, the elders will be inspired to lead wisely and well? But Moses is gone for ages...
OK, we know what happens next, but let's try to pause here, at the edge of the mountain, living our daily lives, trusting these newly appointed leaders, whilst Moses is away doing whatever he's doing... duff, duff....