Hey Leviticus class!
I am going to post here an excerpt from the world's greatest Leviticus scholar, Jacob Milgrom. His writing is a little technical, but hang with it, because I think this is very helpful for understanding Leviticus 4 . . . tomorrow I'll post my notes about Leviticus 4 and expand on some of the theology he brings up.
This is from Milgrom's Leviticus: A Continental Commentary:
In the introduction I stated that biblical rituals are symbolic acts that, in the main, contain within them ethical values. This axiom is nowhere better illustrated than in the purification offering (often wrongly translated as "sin offering"). To make this point I will focus on one rite, with one ingredient, of one sacrifice: the daubing of blood on the horns of the altar (vv. 7, 25). According to Leviticus, the purification offering is prescribed as a response to moral impurity-defined as an unintended breach of prohibitions (4:2)-and to severe cases of physical impurity. Physical impurity in this context applies to either gender and has to do only with ritual, not with one's character or morality. Two examples of such physical impurity are the genital flow from a new mother and from a gonnorhean (chaps. 12 and 15). The first question to ask is naturally: Who or what is being purified? Surprisingly, it is not the person with the moral or physical impurity. According to Leviticus, if his or her impurity is physical, only bathing is required to purify the body; if the impurity is moral (the unintended breach of a prohibition), a remorseful conscience clears the impurity. In neither case does the offering purify the person bringing the offering. If the bringer of the sacrifice is not affected, who then is being purified? The telling clue is the destination of the blood of the sacrifice. It is not smeared on the offerer; it is smeared, rather, on the altar. The act is described by the word kippur, "purge" (as in Yom Kippur: the Day of Purgation). In commanding that the blood be daubed on the horns of the altar, the text is indicating that the altar is contaminated and must be purified. Since the offerer must bring the sacrifice, the offerer must in some way be implicated in the contamination of the altar.
Thus the first principle: Blood is the ritual cleanser that purges the altar of impurities inflicted on it by the offerer. If an individual has accidentally violated a prohibition, the priest purges the outer (sacrificial) altar with the blood of the offerer's purification offering (4:27-35). If the entire community has accidentally violated a prohibition, the priest purges the inner (incense) altar and the shrine, the outer room of the tent, with the blood of the purification offering brought by the community's representatives (4:13-21). If, however, ever, individuals have brazenly violated prohibitions, then, once a year, on Yom Kippur, pur, the high priest purges the entire sanctuary, beginning with the inner and holiest area containing the ark. In this case, the purification offering is not brought by the culprits-deliberate sinners are barred from the sanctuary-but by the high priest himself (see fig. 2). This graded impurity of the sanctuary and its purgation leads to the second principle: A sin committed anywhere will generate impurity that, becoming airborne, penetrates the sanctuary in proportion to its magnitude.
Israel's neighbors also believed that impurity polluted the sanctuary. For them, however, the source of impurity was demonic. Therefore, their priests devised rituals and incantations to immunize their temples against demonic penetration. Israel, however, in the wake of its monotheistic revolution, abolished the world of demonic divinities. Only a single being capable of demonic acts remained-the human being. The humans were even more powerful than their pagan counterparts: they could drive God out of God's sanctuary.
Thus the third principle: God will not abide in a polluted sanctuary. To be sure, the Merciful One would tolerate a modicum of pollution. But there is a point of no return. If the pollution levels continue to rise, the end is inexorable. God abandons the sanctuary and leaves the people to their doom. The priestly writers would claim that sin may not blotch the face of the sinner, but it is certain to blotch the face of the sanctuary, and, unless quickly expunged, God's presence will depart. Thus the fourth and final principle: the priestly doctrine of collective responsibility. Sinners may go about apparently unmarred by their evil, but the sanctuary bears the wounds, and with its destruction, all the sinners will meet their doom.
Jacob Milgrom. Leviticus (Continental Commentary) (Continental Commentaries) (Kindle Locations 568-579). Kindle Edition.
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
Leviticus: Blood
Blood is a critical issue in Leviticus. We are repeated told about how blood is never to be eaten but to be given to God, and blood is the “key ingredient” in all the sacrifices of atonement that Leviticus details. This focus on blood is not unique to Leviticus, but is a prominent feature in the Torah. This blog will consider the “big picture” behind blood in Leviticus and why it matters to us.
The issue of blood and bloodshed is front and center in the first covenant in scripture: the covenant with Noah. God tells Noah in Genesis 9:1-6 that humans are subsequently allowed to eat meat (they weren’t previously!) but that they must not eat the blood. Check it out:
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.
6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
God made humankind.
All life belongs to God, and to the ancient Israelites the blood represented life. Therefore, in any act of killing the blood had to be dealt with. If it was a murder, the blood of the perpetrator was to be shed to expiate the sin. If it was a sacrifice, the blood was to be given to God at the altar (poured out or “dashed” against the sides of the altar). If an Israelite killed an animal in the field, the blood was to be poured out prior to consumption (Lev. 17:13). If blood was shed and not expiated then the land would become defiled, as in Numbers 35:33:
You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
The only legitimate human use for blood was for purifying or expiating sins and defilement. The priests were to apply blood to the various altars or sprinkle blood before the Ark (“mercy seat”) at different times to expiate sins and defilement. God allows the Israelites to purify the Tabernacle through sacrificial blood in order to maintain a relationship with Him (Lev. 17:11). This is a CRITICAL piece to understanding the sacrificial system . . . you’ll see in Leviticus 4-7 and beyond that blood is NEVER put on “sinners” to purify them of sins. Rather, blood is put on parts of the Tabernacle to purify it and remove the defilement brought about by sin.
So from all of this discussion of blood we are left with some significant theological points:
All life belongs to God . . . no human or animal lives are to be used as a commodity or treated lightly.
Violence (bloodshed) defiles creation and everyone who lives in an area of unreconciled bloodshed is defiled in God’s eyes
The cost of removing the defilement of sin is life itself (as blood represents life in sacrifice). Life overcomes death (the ultimate disorder or defilement) but at the cost of sacrifice. Beyond the obvious New Testament implications, this points to the reality in life that it is only by great sacrifice that we deal with sins. Whether they are personal sins, family sins, national sins or anything else there are no cheap or easy solutions. Healing and restoration require sacrifice, if not of our blood then our time, our resources, our love and ourselves (our desires, comforts, etc.).
God refuses to dwell in the midst or sin, disorder and impurity. If sin and disorder is not dealt with them fellowship and covenant with God will be broken. (See Ezekiel 8-10 for an example.)
The issue of blood and bloodshed is front and center in the first covenant in scripture: the covenant with Noah. God tells Noah in Genesis 9:1-6 that humans are subsequently allowed to eat meat (they weren’t previously!) but that they must not eat the blood. Check it out:
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. 3 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4 Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.
6 Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
by a human shall that person’s blood be shed;
for in his own image
God made humankind.
All life belongs to God, and to the ancient Israelites the blood represented life. Therefore, in any act of killing the blood had to be dealt with. If it was a murder, the blood of the perpetrator was to be shed to expiate the sin. If it was a sacrifice, the blood was to be given to God at the altar (poured out or “dashed” against the sides of the altar). If an Israelite killed an animal in the field, the blood was to be poured out prior to consumption (Lev. 17:13). If blood was shed and not expiated then the land would become defiled, as in Numbers 35:33:
You shall not pollute the land in which you live; for blood pollutes the land, and no expiation can be made for the land, for the blood that is shed in it, except by the blood of the one who shed it.
The only legitimate human use for blood was for purifying or expiating sins and defilement. The priests were to apply blood to the various altars or sprinkle blood before the Ark (“mercy seat”) at different times to expiate sins and defilement. God allows the Israelites to purify the Tabernacle through sacrificial blood in order to maintain a relationship with Him (Lev. 17:11). This is a CRITICAL piece to understanding the sacrificial system . . . you’ll see in Leviticus 4-7 and beyond that blood is NEVER put on “sinners” to purify them of sins. Rather, blood is put on parts of the Tabernacle to purify it and remove the defilement brought about by sin.
So from all of this discussion of blood we are left with some significant theological points:
All life belongs to God . . . no human or animal lives are to be used as a commodity or treated lightly.
Violence (bloodshed) defiles creation and everyone who lives in an area of unreconciled bloodshed is defiled in God’s eyes
The cost of removing the defilement of sin is life itself (as blood represents life in sacrifice). Life overcomes death (the ultimate disorder or defilement) but at the cost of sacrifice. Beyond the obvious New Testament implications, this points to the reality in life that it is only by great sacrifice that we deal with sins. Whether they are personal sins, family sins, national sins or anything else there are no cheap or easy solutions. Healing and restoration require sacrifice, if not of our blood then our time, our resources, our love and ourselves (our desires, comforts, etc.).
God refuses to dwell in the midst or sin, disorder and impurity. If sin and disorder is not dealt with them fellowship and covenant with God will be broken. (See Ezekiel 8-10 for an example.)
Thursday, January 26, 2017
Leviticus: Tabernacle, Final Thoughts
We've said a lot about the Tabernacle but here are three final thoughts to consider as you read Exodus and consider the role of the Tabernacle in Leviticus . . .
1. Gradations of Holiness
Notice in Exodus that the Tabernacle's center, the Holy of Holies, is the most holy. It is the area with precious metals and the finest wood, craftsmanship and fabric. The level of holiness in the Holy of Holies is lethal to anyone who is not the High Priest, and a curtain separates it from everyone else. The Holy Place is the next level down. It has some precious metals and fine craftsmanship, but is a step down in quality from the Holy of Holies. Priests may enter the Holy Place and it too has a curtain, but it is accessible. The Courtyard is the least holy part of the Tabernacle; anyone who is in a state of ceremonial purity may enter to perform a sacrifice. It's construction is quality, but it does not have any precious materials.
2. Grace
As we read the varieties of rituals and laws in Leviticus it is critical to remember that God's presence is an act of grace. Remember, He rescues Israel from Egypt and gives them the Tabernacle and the laws not as a harsh taskmaster, but as a God who wishes to dwell with His people (and in culturally appropriate ways). What we are reading is a covenant which allows Israel, in the midst of her sin and impurity, to meaningfully interact with God.
3. Tabernacle, Christ and the Church
In the New Testament, Christ refers to Himself as the Temple (Tabernacle, John 2:19). Therefore, what we see taking place in the Tabernacle (expiating sin, forgiveness, purification, communion with God, etc.) we see taking place in Christ's ministry. The New Testament goes further though; after Christ's resurrection, the Church becomes the Tabernacle (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, what happens in the Tabernacle in Leviticus and in Christ (the theological principles anyway) should take place in the church. This is a critical element to tracing God's intentions through the story. He is after the same things (dealing with sin, restoring relationship with humans, making us holy) but using different methods at different points in the story. Our task as interpreters then is to see these big theological principles and goals and ask: how is that true for me or my church?
1. Gradations of Holiness
Notice in Exodus that the Tabernacle's center, the Holy of Holies, is the most holy. It is the area with precious metals and the finest wood, craftsmanship and fabric. The level of holiness in the Holy of Holies is lethal to anyone who is not the High Priest, and a curtain separates it from everyone else. The Holy Place is the next level down. It has some precious metals and fine craftsmanship, but is a step down in quality from the Holy of Holies. Priests may enter the Holy Place and it too has a curtain, but it is accessible. The Courtyard is the least holy part of the Tabernacle; anyone who is in a state of ceremonial purity may enter to perform a sacrifice. It's construction is quality, but it does not have any precious materials.
2. Grace
As we read the varieties of rituals and laws in Leviticus it is critical to remember that God's presence is an act of grace. Remember, He rescues Israel from Egypt and gives them the Tabernacle and the laws not as a harsh taskmaster, but as a God who wishes to dwell with His people (and in culturally appropriate ways). What we are reading is a covenant which allows Israel, in the midst of her sin and impurity, to meaningfully interact with God.
3. Tabernacle, Christ and the Church
In the New Testament, Christ refers to Himself as the Temple (Tabernacle, John 2:19). Therefore, what we see taking place in the Tabernacle (expiating sin, forgiveness, purification, communion with God, etc.) we see taking place in Christ's ministry. The New Testament goes further though; after Christ's resurrection, the Church becomes the Tabernacle (1 Cor. 3:16). Therefore, what happens in the Tabernacle in Leviticus and in Christ (the theological principles anyway) should take place in the church. This is a critical element to tracing God's intentions through the story. He is after the same things (dealing with sin, restoring relationship with humans, making us holy) but using different methods at different points in the story. Our task as interpreters then is to see these big theological principles and goals and ask: how is that true for me or my church?
Wednesday, January 25, 2017
Leviticus: Tabernacle as Symbol, Part Two
As we discussed in the previous blog, the Tabernacle was not only a place to perform sacrifice and meet with God but was also a symbol of what the Israelites believed about God and His interaction with creation. We previously discussed the Tabernacle as a type of “Eden”, a representation of creation without the taint of sin. Today we’re going to explore how the Tabernacle functioned as a symbol of the world itself, and the world as it should be.
The Tabernacle as Microcosm of Creation
The Tabernacle divides into three distinct parts: Courtyard, Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The courtyard is a representation of the earth or land. We find in the courtyard water (in the laver, which is called the “sea” in the Temple), an altar of uncut rocks (land), and fire. Here any person who is ceremonially clean can come, both priests and lay people.
The Holy Place represents visible heaven. It has blue and purple curtains like the sky, lamps with seven lights representing the largest visible lights (sun, moon and five planets), and incense rising like clouds or mist. This area is restricted to a select few, the priests.
The Holy of Holies represents invisible heaven. Here we find angels embroidered into the cloth, Cherubim guarding God’s presence, and the Ark serving as the footstool of God’s throne. It cannot be seen or entered by anyone except the High Priest who God appoints.
The central meaning of this system of symbols is that God is at the center of creation and rules over it all as a king.
2. The Tabernacle as the Goal of Creation
While the Tabernacle functions as a symbol of what is, it also functions as a symbol of what is to come. The Tabernacle is a place where creation is properly ordered, where humans and God are in proper relationship, where death is controlled and where everything (time, space, people) is made holy by God’s presence. The reason this is so is because the Tabernacle was created according to what God showed Moses of the heavenly Temple (Hebrews 9:23). This is ultimately what God desires and will do for all of creation (Revelation 21:9-27). Furthermore, the Tabernacle then is an example of God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is a reflection of Heaven (the age to come) given in the present and is a forerunner to Jesus’ teaching on this in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10).
The Tabernacle as Microcosm of Creation
The Tabernacle divides into three distinct parts: Courtyard, Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies. The courtyard is a representation of the earth or land. We find in the courtyard water (in the laver, which is called the “sea” in the Temple), an altar of uncut rocks (land), and fire. Here any person who is ceremonially clean can come, both priests and lay people.
The Holy Place represents visible heaven. It has blue and purple curtains like the sky, lamps with seven lights representing the largest visible lights (sun, moon and five planets), and incense rising like clouds or mist. This area is restricted to a select few, the priests.
The Holy of Holies represents invisible heaven. Here we find angels embroidered into the cloth, Cherubim guarding God’s presence, and the Ark serving as the footstool of God’s throne. It cannot be seen or entered by anyone except the High Priest who God appoints.
The central meaning of this system of symbols is that God is at the center of creation and rules over it all as a king.
2. The Tabernacle as the Goal of Creation
While the Tabernacle functions as a symbol of what is, it also functions as a symbol of what is to come. The Tabernacle is a place where creation is properly ordered, where humans and God are in proper relationship, where death is controlled and where everything (time, space, people) is made holy by God’s presence. The reason this is so is because the Tabernacle was created according to what God showed Moses of the heavenly Temple (Hebrews 9:23). This is ultimately what God desires and will do for all of creation (Revelation 21:9-27). Furthermore, the Tabernacle then is an example of God’s “will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. It is a reflection of Heaven (the age to come) given in the present and is a forerunner to Jesus’ teaching on this in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:10).
Tuesday, January 24, 2017
Leviticus: Tabernacle as Symbol, Part One
The Tabernacle had a variety of functions for the Israelites. It was a place for leaders to meet with God, a place for sacrifices to be performed, and a place for the tribes to gather around to renew covenants and obligations to each other. But it also functioned as the central symbol of Israel's beliefs about God and the world, and it did this on a variety of levels. I'll spend the next few blogs briefly exploring the different symbolic and unspoken (at least to modern, Western ears) meanings behind the Tabernacle.
Tabernacle as Symbol of Pristine Creation
One of the very interesting things that stands out when you read God's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle is how they parallel the creation of the world in Genesis 1. The Hebrew words used, the cadence and the repetition are strikingly similar. This is not a coincidence! Here is an example:
From Genesis 1:
A1 And God saw all that he had made and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (Gen 1: 31)
B1 1The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2On the seventh day God finished the work which he had been doing, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. (Gen 2: 1– 2)
C1 And God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, for on it God had ceased from all the work of creation which he had done. (Gen 2: 3)
From Exodus 39:
A2 All the work of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Encounter, was finished. The Israelites had done everything exactly as YHWH had commanded Moses: Thus had they done it. (Exod 39: 32)
B2 And Moses saw all the work and found that they had made it as YHWH had commanded: Thus had they made it. And Moses blessed them. (Exod 39: 43)
C2 You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it, and you shall make it sacred, along with all its furnishings. It shall be sacred. (Exod 40: 9)
The work is done according to God's plan and order, the work is approved, and then made holy. The point of this parallelism is that the Tabernacle is like a piece of new creation, without the curse of sin and death, plopped right down into the world. That also means that the Tabernacle is something akin to the Garden of Eden in the eyes of the Israelites: a place where God and humans are living together in harmony. This is also seen in some of the symbols in the Tabernacle: lamps shaped like fruit trees, and Cherubim guarding God's presence (compare with Genesis 3:24). When the Israelites build a Temple years later they expand upon this symbol, as the whole interior of the Temple is designed like a paradise (i.e. Eden).
So, the takeaway for an Israelite worshiper is that while he or she may not have direct access to Eden and God due to sin and corruption God still intends to keep them close by and bless them through the Tabernacle (Eden partially restored). It is now the place where heaven and earth meet (again, just like Eden) and therefore where God is revealed, where His blessings are poured out, and the place where people can know Him and be restored by Him. And of course as Christians, all of this points towards to Christ (John 1:14): who will live with us, reveal God to us, and restore us to God in a permanent and transforming manner.
Tabernacle as Symbol of Pristine Creation
One of the very interesting things that stands out when you read God's instructions for the construction of the Tabernacle is how they parallel the creation of the world in Genesis 1. The Hebrew words used, the cadence and the repetition are strikingly similar. This is not a coincidence! Here is an example:
From Genesis 1:
A1 And God saw all that he had made and found it very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day. (Gen 1: 31)
B1 1The heaven and the earth were finished, and all their array. 2On the seventh day God finished the work which he had been doing, and he rested on the seventh day from all the work he had done. (Gen 2: 1– 2)
C1 And God blessed the seventh day and made it sacred, for on it God had ceased from all the work of creation which he had done. (Gen 2: 3)
From Exodus 39:
A2 All the work of the Tabernacle, the Tent of Encounter, was finished. The Israelites had done everything exactly as YHWH had commanded Moses: Thus had they done it. (Exod 39: 32)
B2 And Moses saw all the work and found that they had made it as YHWH had commanded: Thus had they made it. And Moses blessed them. (Exod 39: 43)
C2 You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the Tabernacle and all that is in it, and you shall make it sacred, along with all its furnishings. It shall be sacred. (Exod 40: 9)
The work is done according to God's plan and order, the work is approved, and then made holy. The point of this parallelism is that the Tabernacle is like a piece of new creation, without the curse of sin and death, plopped right down into the world. That also means that the Tabernacle is something akin to the Garden of Eden in the eyes of the Israelites: a place where God and humans are living together in harmony. This is also seen in some of the symbols in the Tabernacle: lamps shaped like fruit trees, and Cherubim guarding God's presence (compare with Genesis 3:24). When the Israelites build a Temple years later they expand upon this symbol, as the whole interior of the Temple is designed like a paradise (i.e. Eden).
So, the takeaway for an Israelite worshiper is that while he or she may not have direct access to Eden and God due to sin and corruption God still intends to keep them close by and bless them through the Tabernacle (Eden partially restored). It is now the place where heaven and earth meet (again, just like Eden) and therefore where God is revealed, where His blessings are poured out, and the place where people can know Him and be restored by Him. And of course as Christians, all of this points towards to Christ (John 1:14): who will live with us, reveal God to us, and restore us to God in a permanent and transforming manner.
Leviticus: Tabernacle, the Big Picture
Welcome "Vision of the Kingdom: Leviticus Bible Study" friends! I am thankful you've found our class blog and hope this will be a valuable resource to you throughout our study. Last night I did not get to cover all that I wanted to about the Tabernacle, so I'll be posting several times this week to get us up to speed . . .
Exodus End Game:
We often think that God's goal in the Exodus was simply to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And while this is certainly true, it is not the whole story. God didn't just work to free Israel, but to make Israel His holy people, establish them in the promise land, and to teach them how to live in communion with Him and properly worship Him. From the very beginning when God speaks to Moses through the burning bush, His goal is for Israel to worship Him:
Exodus 3:12
He (God) said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”
God of course fulfills this promise and sign by bringing Israel to Sinai (by means of plagues, Red Sea, etc.) and bringing them into His worship. God then empowers Israel to live with Him by giving Moses the Law, and perhaps most importantly by giving Moses a vision of the Tabernacle and the instructions to build it.
Exodus 25:8
". . .and have them (the Israelites) make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
The point then of the Tabernacle, laws, sacrifices and even the Exodus itself is for Israel to live with God. This is the starting point of Leviticus: the assumption that God desires to live with His people, commune with them and care for them. This is an act of grace on God's part, that then calls for a response from His people. Their response is to follow the law and learn from God how to be a holy people who will reflect His glory to the nations (Ex. 19:5-6).
Exodus End Game:
We often think that God's goal in the Exodus was simply to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. And while this is certainly true, it is not the whole story. God didn't just work to free Israel, but to make Israel His holy people, establish them in the promise land, and to teach them how to live in communion with Him and properly worship Him. From the very beginning when God speaks to Moses through the burning bush, His goal is for Israel to worship Him:
Exodus 3:12
He (God) said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”
God of course fulfills this promise and sign by bringing Israel to Sinai (by means of plagues, Red Sea, etc.) and bringing them into His worship. God then empowers Israel to live with Him by giving Moses the Law, and perhaps most importantly by giving Moses a vision of the Tabernacle and the instructions to build it.
Exodus 25:8
". . .and have them (the Israelites) make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them."
The point then of the Tabernacle, laws, sacrifices and even the Exodus itself is for Israel to live with God. This is the starting point of Leviticus: the assumption that God desires to live with His people, commune with them and care for them. This is an act of grace on God's part, that then calls for a response from His people. Their response is to follow the law and learn from God how to be a holy people who will reflect His glory to the nations (Ex. 19:5-6).
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