The Torah: Holy Expectations and Paul's Understanding of Exodus
20:12
In Genesis 12:1-3, God promises
Abraham that he was going to make him into a great nation, with a great name,
and through him all of the nations will be blessed. In Genesis 15, God solidifies this promise
with a unilateral covenant with Abraham.
In the midst of that promise God tells Abraham that his offspring will
be foreigners in a land that does not belong to them; they will be enslaved and
oppressed for 400 years. Then God will
judge that nation and they will leave with many possessions (Genesis 15:13-14).
Exodus one affirms this promise and
explains how it was partially fulfilled.
The Israelites were fruitful, increased rapidly, and multiplied and
became extremely numerous so that the land was filled with them (Exodus
1:7). The remainder of the chapter shows
their enslavement and harsh conditions do to the Egyptians fear of Israel
joining their enemies in war. The following chapters explain how God miraculously delivers Israel from the hands of Pharaoh and provides for His people despite their unfaithfulness.
Moses receives the Torah from
Yahweh (Exodus 20) instructing the people in how to dwell with God in the land He is going
to give them. It is here we find the
reference Paul uses in Ephesians 6:3 to Exodus 20:12; “Honor your father and
mother so that you may have long life in the land your Lord God is giving you.”
In the context of Exodus we see the
faithfulness of Yahweh keeping his covenant promise to Abraham (Gen 15). God desires to tabernacle with his people and
live among them. In order to continue
the covenant the people must learn how to dwell with Yahweh. In His mercy, Yahweh gives Israel the
Torah. The Torah is not a means to
salvation, but a means of sustaining a proper relationship with Yahweh. Just as the people could not break the barrier
at Mount Sinai, unless Yahweh’s holiness break out and kill them (19:12-13,
24), Israel must learn the proper way to live with a holy God, lest His anger
break out against them and they perish from the land.
There were stipulations attached to
the covenant between God and Israel. For
God to dwell among them Israel must obey the Torah they received. In doing so, Yahweh promised that He would
look on them with favor and give them peace in the land. Their children would not die from sickness
nor will they be threatened by the wild beast.
Israel would overcome their enemies and their bins of grain would never
be empty. Yahweh would be their God and
dwell with them in the land (Leviticus 26:1-13). In short, they would receive the blessing of
longevity in earthly life.
However, if they did not keep the
covenant, Yahweh would bring terror and death upon them, and everything that He
promised in the positive light would be reversed in horrific proportions
(Leviticus 26:14-35). If they disobeyed,
they would be devastated with death and exiled from the land. This is a major theme with the giving of the
Torah; obedience equals life, disobedience equals death.
It is important to mention that the
generation the Torah was given would eventually rebel against the Lord and
would not be permitted to enter the promise land. The promise was then given to their children
(Numbers 14). For forty years the old
generation would wonder through the wilderness until they all died off (except
for Joshua and Caleb). This judgment
highlights the theme of disobedience equaling death.
The Shema: Teach Our Chidlren Well and The Weight of Deuteronomy 6:1-9 on Paul's Shoulders
Deuteronomy picks up with the new
generation about to enter the land promised by Yahweh. In the first five chapters, Moses gives a
brief historical theology and a call to obedience. Throughout these chapters Moses continuously
calls the people to possess the land, keep the Torah, and teach it to their
children. Deuteronomy 6:1-9, emphasizes
all three of these in what is known as the Shema, the Jewish confession of faith.[1] Here Moses exhorts Israel to keep the law and
to teach it to their children, so that they may know the Lord and not forget
who gave them the land. By faithfully passing
the Torah on to the next generation, the land and its blessing of life, will be
preserved for future generations.
When we look at Paul’s reference to
Exodus 20:12 in Ephesians 6:3, we must also keep in mind Deuteronomy 5-6. There are three reasons for this. To begin with, in Deuteronomy 5:16, Moses
reiterates the Decalogue and cites the commandment to honor your father and
mother. He is citing Exodus 20:12. Paul’s wording of the commandment textually
matches both Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16 almost verbatim. The only difference is that Paul leaves out
the phrase “Lord God is giving you.”
This would make sense considering the different audiences who are
hearing the reference. Moses was
speaking to the generation who was about to enter the land and dwell with
God. Paul was speaking to those whom God
already dwells in through Jesus Christ.
This textual clue points to both Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16.
Second, both Testaments carry the theme of
teaching children the things of God. In
the Old Testament, parents, particularly fathers, were instructed to teach the
Torah and the works of God to their children. Genesis 18:19, tells us that the Lord
commanded Abraham to teach his children to keep the way of the Lord. This is highlighted in Isaac’s understanding
of the proper practices of worship in Genesis 22:7-8. In Deuteronomy 4:9 and 11:18, Moses exhorts
the Israel to make known the things of God to their children lest they forget
what Yahweh has done. Asaph, in Psalm
78:4, says that “they will not hide the glorious deeds of the Lord from their
children, but with the law that was appointed the fathers would teach it to
their children.” Solomon devoted most of
the book of Proverbs to instructing his sons about Godly living. (cf. Joshua 4:22; Proverbs 3:1-4; 4:1-4;
22:5-6).
This theme picks up in the New
Testament as well. In the gospels,
Christ rebuked the disciples from hindering children being brought to Him, and
instead said “Let the children come to me for to such belong the kingdom of
God.” (Mark 10:13-16; Matthew 19:13-14; Luke 18:15-16) Timothy is commended by Paul as one who knew
the scriptures as a child (2 Timothy 3:14-15) , which implies that he was
taught them by his grandmother and mother (2 Timothy 1:5). The theme of instructing children in the New
Testament lands most directly on Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:4, “Fathers, do
not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and
instruction of the Lord.”
Paul recognizes this theme and
applies it in the Ephesians context.
This is further seen in the echo of Deuteronomy 6:7, “You shall teach
them diligently to your children,” in Ephesians 6:4, “bring them up in the
discipline and instruction of the Lord.”
Finally, building off the second
point, with the significance of the parent-child relationship being so
important in the Old Testament[2],
and the significance of maintaining that relationship through the purity of the
faith being passed down from generation to generation (Deuteronomy 6:4-25),
Paul could have felt the weight of this imagery and would have had it in mind
as he was speaking to the parents and the children in the Ephesian church. Consider for a moment Yahweh’s relationship to
Israel in the Father-son context.
Out of Egypt Yahweh called his son,
Israel, to keep His commands (Hosea 11:1) and worship Him alone. The fathers of
Israel neglected to teach their sons the Torah, and as a result, the nation as
a whole became a prodigal son. They
intermarried with the Canaanites of the land, intertwining the worship of Baal,
becoming wicked with every generation. They failed to keep the purity of the faith
for future generations. Israel failed to
model what Yahweh modeled for them. As
the Father gave the Torah to His son (Israel), the fathers were expected to
give the Torah to their sons (Psalm 78:5), so that those sons would grow up to
be fathers and faithfully pass it on to their sons.
No comments:
Post a Comment