Monday Reflections...sermon post and wrap up of online master's class #2

I am breathing a little sigh of relief as my second online master's class comes to a close.  The final paper is done and submitted and the rental books are boxed up and on their way back to their destination.  I think it fitting to look back on this class and ask myself, "What is the lesson I will carry forward?"

I remind you, as I am very aware myself, that I did not attend seminary.  I received a Bachelor's of Art in Philosophy and Religion from a religious liberal arts college but never went on to formal higher education centered on the Bible itself.  I am thankful for the education I have gleaned via the internet but much of that has been more of a "pick and choose" method to what I needed at the time.  This course was forcing me into an area of the Bible I typically do not spent time in and giving me deadlines on assigned readings and papers that gave "giving up and going onto something else" not an option.  Therefore, these blog posts and some sharing at the Sunday evening services have been helpful to take the academic halls to the padded pews.

I learned about Moses use of the "chiasm literary structure" in the first five books of the Bible.  The chiasm literary structure is a way of organizing the elements of an event to show parallels between sections given before and after a center-piece or pivotal point.  

A - B - C - B - A

It was important for me to see how Moses does this over and over again as a teaching tool for his readers.  It was a way of organizing the data of the event.  The first "A" happened which paralleled with the last "A."  The first "B" happened which paralleled with the last "B." The center "C" was a pivot point which many times showed God's involvement in the event.  This formula, used over and over, not only gave more evidence that a single Moses wrote these books but also showed me another way to communicate in my world for greater recall and application.  Let me give you a couple of  examples.

The Tower of Babel:

A - humanity unified after the flood (one plain and city)

B - humanity's plan to reach God (tower to the heavens)

C - Divine investigation (came down to see)

B - Divine's plan to humanity (fruitful, multiply, subdue the earth)

A - humanity dispersed after the flood (multiple languages)

Humanity unified parallels humanity dispersed.  Humanity's plan parallels the Divine's plan.  The pivotal point is the Divine's involvement which changes the course to be back on course.

Joseph's Life:

A - disharmony with brothers (dreams, coat, pit)

B - Egypt events (faithful, rise to power, test brothers)

C - reunion and restoration (forgiveness)

B - Goshen events (provision, benevolence to brothers)

A - harmony with brothers (death of Jacob, death of self, bones)

The disharmony with his brothers at the start parallels the end of the story when lasting harmony takes his promised bones to be buried in the Promise Land.  The Egypt events of famine and the testing of his brothers parallels the Goshen provision and the benevolence for and to his brothers.  The center or pivotal point in the event was when Joseph gives forgiveness for what his brothers had done and glory to God as seeing God's hand in the whole matter.

Moses does this over and over again.  Much of the teaching was purely oral so maybe this was a way to remember what the point of the event was and not to forget any important parts.  I could see myself using the fingers of my hand to be the letters of the event as a reminder of where I was in the lesson.  It also puts God in the center, at the pivotal point, for a transformation to happen.

So our final paper was chapter 12 of Exodus on the Passover.  Was there a "chiasm" here?  I sought to find out.

Exodus 12:

A - God's initial instructions about the Passover (v.1-20)

B - Conveyed instructions prior and obedience (v.21-28)

C - God's action against Egypt's firstborn (v.29, 30)

B - Conveyed instructions after and obedience (v.31-39)

A - God's concluding instructions about future Passovers (v.40-51)

The overall lesson is about continual obedience to what God has said but we see the parallels between God's initial instructions about the first Passover and His concluding instructions about future Passovers.  We also see the instructions given to the Israelites by Moses prior to the event and their obedience paralleled to the instructions by the Egyptians after the event to the Israelites to leave with the plunder and their continued obedience.  In the center is the pivot point when God does what He says He is going to do.  God speaks before and God speaks after.  We are to obey before and we are to obey after.  God is a God of His word.

In the sense of putting together a sermon or Bible study lesson, I see the help this could be.  I also think this could be helpful in conveying our testimony of Christ.  

A - God is holy.

B - We are not.

C - Christ on the cross.

B - We are saved.

A - God's holy place.

Each point would be fleshed out more fully as I hold that finger before moving onto the next but I think this could help myself and others when we get the opportunity to explain the hope that is within us.  God is holy parallels with His holy place.  We are sinners parallels with salvation offers to sinners.  The pivotal point in this process is Christ's substitutionary death on the cross.  

So I finish my class looking at my hand and thinking through this teaching tool that was taught to me by looking at the writings of Moses to another people in another time and another place.  It helps me to see how important it is to communicate in a way for others to understand and apply.

Adam