The Daily Office: 3rd Week of Easter

Mon. – Exodus. 18:13-27
Tue. – Ex. 19:1-16
Wed. – Ex. 19:16-25
Thurs. – Ex. 20:1-21
Fri. – Ex. 24:1-18
Sat. – Ex. 25:1-22

This week, we look at the Old Testament, the beginning of the story of God's relationship with the human race, that began with one tiny nation, and ends with the Savior of the world. At this point of the story, the people of Israel have been liberated from Egyptian slavery, as we have all been liberated from the fear of death by the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. The inevitable question, after the gaining of new-found freedom is, Now what? This week, the people of Israel get their answer at Mount Sinai.

First, God says to the Israelites, "you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Ex 19:6). All the people of Israel are to be priests, who mediate between God and the people so that God saves the people on whose behalf the Israelites mediate. But just whom are the Israelites mediating salvation to, each other? No, the people of Israel are to be "holy," that is set apart, so that their light will shine for all people to see and be saved from the futile worship of man-made idols. The Israelites are to be a holy people. But they are not to stew in their own personal holiness. They are to make all people holy. But to do that, they must still stand apart as a distinctive people, worshipers of the One God who is Lord of all. That is the tension between holiness and priesthood. You can't be content to stand apart from the poor sinners and feel superior. But to help them, you have to offer a clear alternative to their current set of values and choices.

So, what values are the Israelites to offer to the rest of the nations? They are set out in the Ten Commandments, presented this week to Moses and Israel. They give a clear direction to the Israelites. At the same time, they are more than a checklist of dos and don'ts. Many scholars have noted that the first five delineate our obligations to God, while the second five spell out our obligations to each other. One of my clergy colleagues, Kevin Phillips, has highlighted how the 1st and the 6th, the 2nd and 7th, and so on, actually speak to the same Root Value. Key to making the Ten Commandments more than a checklist, or political platform, is understanding the Five Root Values that underlie the Ten Commandments. Some 3,500 years later, those values endure as sure guides for us in these changing times.