Recap

So far in Exodus we've followed Israel's journey from slavery in Egypt to meeting God at Sinai. The Israelites, while initially welcomed in Egypt, find themselves oppressed. Raised in Pharaoh's palace, Moses end up killing Egyptian, forcing him into exile. It's there he encountered God through a Burning Bush, and sent back to Egypt to rescue God's people.

We read how Moses and his brother Aaron confront Pharaoh. A series of plagues unfold, each targeting a different Egyptian deity, culminating in the Passover. Here, the firstborn Egyptian son is killed while the Israelites are spared. This event led to the Israelites leaving Egypt, followed by the miraculous parting of the Red Sea and the subsequent drowning of Pharaoh's army.

Yet while the Israelites were now free, they still complained at God. Upon arriving at Sinai, God committed himself to the people of Israel with a new covenant guided by rules for how they will govern themselves. We read the 10 Commandments and other rules, but in these rules we discovered principles to live by.

Exodus 22-24

In today's passage, we've got a lot more laws that no longer seem to apply to us. Few of us are still farmers and go around lending our livestock to neighbours. But there are some themes that come up through these rules.

Note the punishment for many of the crimes. It usually involves repaying the victim of the crime, making what was wrong right. If someones steals something they are to give it back and some.

There is no jail time in these Ancient Israelite laws. You do something wrong; you make amends for it. If the crime is severe enough, you are removed from the community, either through exile or through death.

A few times, we are called not to oppress or take advantage of others. Specific groups that are mentioned are the poor, the widow, the fatherless (orphan), and foreigners. Basically, anyone who is marginalised is society. We are called to support these groups, to bring them in so that they feel part of the community.

There's a fair bit on honesty. Honesty in our dealing with others. Honesty in not spreading lies or rumours about people. Honesty in not telling a lie to protect someone who is guilty. Honesty is the foundation of a healthy community. Without honesty, there can be no trust, and without trust, a community cannot work together.

There are rules on the Sabbath and annual festivals. These are to help us to get into healthy rhythms. We make space for rest. We also put aside regular time where we remember and celebrate all that God has done.

Having unpacked the rules for the people to follow, God reaffirms what he is going to do. He is going to go ahead of them and protect them from enemies that would attack them. He is going to bring them into a promised land and expand their borders.

With the expectations laid out for both sides, the people make a commitment to this covenant, this relationship with God. They will follow all the rules and they will be his people. As a sign of this covenant, God allows the leaders of Israel to enter his presence and eat a meal with him.

The idea of eating a meal might seem strange, but we read how Abraham did the same back in Genesis 18:1-8. We’ll see this theme appear again in Leviticus.

What’s interesting to note is that, at this point, the leaders of Israel are allowed into God’s presence. Remember, the plan is for all of Israel to be priests. Everyone gets intimate access to God. These leaders are just the beginning. They get to see God, though the passage focuses on the floor at God’s feet, likely because he is too awesome to look at directly.

We’re going to see, however, that this doesn’t last. Because the people of Israel are unfaithful, this access will be restricted to just a few.

Psalm 24

This psalm falls into the category of a royal psalm (see Psalm 18, 45, 72, 110, 144 for examples of other royal psalms). Royal psalms are psalms that are focused on either God as king or on a human king. If Psalm 23 celebrates God as a shepherd, Psalm 24 celebrates him as king.

It is likely that this psalm was used as liturgy in a worship service. As the people got ready to enter God’s presence, they reminded themselves who it was they were coming before.

Psalm 24:1-2 - The Lord is creator of all the earth

Psalm 24:3-6 - Those who are pure may enter his presence

Psalm 24:7-10 - The Lord is the King of Glory

If there is a king, then there is a kingdom. This psalm opens by establishing the boundaries of God’s kingdom. In short, there are none. When it comes to God, all the earth is his kingdom. Everything in it belongs to him.

When faced with such a mighty king, who can enter his presence? In the same way that someone cannot just walk up to the king, or the President of the United States, there are expectations on entering God’s presence. Those that enter God’s presence must be of pure heart and committed to truth. Those that meet this requirement will be blessed and made righteous before God.

Now ready to enter God’s presence, the psalm builds to bring praise to God. Not only is he king over all the earth, he is a strong and mighty king. So make way for him and allow him to enter.

Much like Psalm 15, Psalm 24 seeks to remind us of the awesomeness of God, so that we never take the fact that we can enter into his presence lightly.