2020, October 11 ~ Exodus 32:1-14; Isaiah 25:1-9; and Philippians 4:1-9
During Pentecost Season 2020, the Revised Common Lectionary offers two “tracks” of readings from the Hebrew Bible. Congregations may choose either track.
The first track of readings follows major stories and themes, read mostly continuously from week to week. The second track of readings thematically pairs the reading from the Hebrew Bible with the Gospel reading.
The readings from the Epistles are the same in both tracks.
Exodus 32:1-14
Reading
1 When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” 2 Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” 5 When Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation and said, “Tomorrow shall be a festival to the LORD.” 6 They rose early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought sacrifices of well-being; and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to revel.
7 The LORD said to Moses, “Go down at once! Your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have acted perversely; 8 they have been quick to turn aside from the way that I commanded them; they have cast for themselves an image of a calf, and have worshiped it and sacrificed to it, and said, ‘These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!’” 9 The LORD said to Moses, “I have seen this people, how stiff-necked they are. 10 Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; and of you I will make a great nation.”
11 But Moses implored the LORD his God, and said, “O LORD, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? 12 Why should the Egyptians say, ‘It was with evil intent that he brought them out to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce wrath; change your mind and do not bring disaster on your people. 13 Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, how you swore to them by your own self, saying to them, ‘I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your descendants, and they shall inherit it forever.’” 14 And the LORD changed his mind about the disaster that he planned to bring on his people.
Commentary
The Book of Exodus is the second book of the Bible, and covers the period from the slavery in Egypt under Pharaoh (around 1250 BCE, if the account is historical), the Exodus itself, and the early months in the Wilderness.
Today’s reading is separated by 11 Chapters from last week’s reading in which YHWH gave the Decalogue and the people asked Moses to serve as their covenant mediator by speaking directly with YHWH (Ex. 20:19).
Chapters 21 to 23 contain ordinances called the “Covenant Collection.” Moses and the people ratified the Covenant (24:8), and Moses went up to the top of Mount Sinai (24:18). In Chapters 25 to 31, YHWH was said to give instructions to Moses on building and furnishing a Tabernacle, ordaining priests, and priests’ vestments. YHWH emphasized that observance of the sabbath was the sign of the perpetual covenant between HYWH and the Israelites (31:16). Finally, YHWH gave Moses two tablets on which YHWH had written the covenant (31:18).
Chapters 25 to 31 contain the instructions about the way in which YHWH would dwell among the Israelites and be acknowledged as their God. Because the Golden Calf story follows soon after these instructions, the author of Exodus wanted to emphasize that making an idol was a perverted, humanly devised means of securing God’s presence and a violation of YHWH’s instructions.
The Golden Calf story has some curious elements. The gold for the idol presumably comes from the gold jewelry that was mysteriously given to the Israelites by Egyptians when they were leaving Egypt (12.35-36). Aaron, who was Moses’ brother and the first High Priest, led the idolatry (v.5).
The calf was a symbol of strength and fertility, key elements in Baal worship that was present in Israel until the Exile (587 BCE). The “festival” described in verses 5 and 6 was not for the worship of some other “gods,” but was a festival to YHWH (v.6). Making the idol itself, however, was a violation of the commandment that no idols of God could be made (20:4).
In anger, YHWH told Moses that the Israelites were “your” people (v.7) and that YHWH was going to “consume” them (v.10). In urging YHWH to change his mind, Moses appealed both to YHWH’s reputation with other nations and his earlier unconditional promises to the patriarchs (v.12-14). After Moses broke the two covenant tablets in anger, he ground the golden calf into powder, mixed it with water and made the people drink the mixture (v.19-20).
The idea that an anthropomorphic YHWH could have a change of mind (v.14) is also found in the story of the decision by God to destroy mankind by the Great Flood (Gen. 6:6), and when Abraham negotiated with YHWH to dissuade God from destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18:23-32).
Isaiah 25:1-9
Reading
1 O LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you; I will praise your name; for you have done wonderful things, plans formed of old, faithful, and sure.
2 For you have made the city a heap, the fortified city a ruin; the palace of aliens is a city no more, it will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you; cities of ruthless nations will fear you.
4 For you have been a refuge to the poor, a refuge to the needy in their distress, a shelter from the rainstorm and a shade from the heat. When the blast of the ruthless was like a winter rainstorm,
5 the noise of aliens like heat in a dry place, you subdued the heat with the shade of clouds; the song of the ruthless was stilled.
6 On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines, of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
7 And he will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the sheet that is spread over all nations;
8 he will swallow up death forever. Then the LORD God will wipe away the tears from all faces, and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth, for the LORD has spoken.
9 It will be said on that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us. This is the LORD for whom we have waited; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.
Commentary
The Book of Isaiah is a composite of writings from three distinct periods in Ancient Israel’s history. The writings were made from about 700 BCE to about 300 BCE, and then assembled into a single book.
Chapters 1-39 are called “First Isaiah” and are the words of a prophet (one who speaks for YHWH – translated as “LORD” in all capital letters in the NRSV) who called for Israel and Judea to repent in the years before Israel was conquered by the Assyrians in 722 BCE and Jerusalem came under siege by the Assyrians in 701 BCE. “Second Isaiah” is Chapters 40 to 55. In these chapters, a prophet brought hope to the Judeans during the Exile in Babylon (587 to 539 BCE) by telling them they had suffered enough and would return to Jerusalem. “Third Isaiah” is Chapters 56 to 66 in which a prophet gave encouragement to the Judeans who had returned to Jerusalem (which was largely destroyed by the Babylonians in 587 BCE) after the Exile had ended.
Today’s reading is part of four chapters (24-27) that are called the “Isaiah Apocalypse” because of the eschatological (end times) themes in them. Although they are included in First Isaiah (Ch. 1-39), most scholars date these four chapters to the Persian Period (539-333 BCE) or the early Hellenistic Period (333-300 BCE).
Today’s reading is in the form of a psalm and contains two distinct themes. Verses 1-5 began with praise for YHWH and then recounted the destruction of an unidentified city (v.2). Some scholars suggest that the verse is a “look back” and that city may be Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire, that was destroyed by the Babylonians in 612 BCE.
The last four verses depicted God’s victory over evil and sorrow. The image used is an eschatological banquet reminiscent of the banquet on Mount Sinai alluded to in Exodus 24:11. Because YHWH will “swallow up death forever” (v.8), it reversed the customary image of death swallowing up everything. These verses are often read at funerals.
Philippians 4:1-9
Reading
1 My brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord. 3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice. 5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. 6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.
Commentary
Philippi was a major city in Macedonia on the Roman road to Byzantium (Istanbul). Most of its inhabitants were Roman citizens. Paul had deep affection for the Jesus Followers in Philippi and had founded the Jesus Follower community there in 50-51 CE (Acts 16:11-40). Paul thanked the Philippians for gifts sent to him in prison (4:18). Paul wrote this letter from prison, but it is not clear if he was in Rome, Caesarea, or Ephesus.
Euodia and Syntyche were women leaders in the Jesus Follower community in Philippi and were likely heads of house-churches. Paul saw their disagreement as harmful to the community. He urged them “to be of the same mind in the Lord” (v.2) and asked an unidentified “loyal companion” to assist them in resolving their differences (v.3).
As the early (c. 55-60 CE) Jesus Follower community tried to determine what it meant to be a Jesus Follower in terms of beliefs and practices, it is not surprising that disagreements arose. At the time of Paul’s writing to the Philippians, none of the Gospels had been written (“Mark” was written around 70 CE) and it took many years for “orthodox” positions and practices to develop.