A few years ago my beloved co-worker in the gospel Tracey suggested to her female ministry trainees to come up with a one sentence summary of each book of the Bible. Like most things that come out of Tracey's mouth this suggestion was dripping with years of ministry experience. Perhaps I will attempt this at some stage. The problem with a single sentence summary, or sermons that wish to communicate just one big idea is the implication that God is only operating on one plane at a time. This we know to be false. And even though it is just a teaching device, we justify our "one big idea" by saying that when you teach that book again in ten years time you can emphasise a different "one big idea."
This semester we are studying Exodus in Bible Study groups. In trying to come up with the metanarrative of Exodus, I've realised your overall theme effects what you will emphasise as you go through each section.
For example, there are two options so far in my mind for the big idea of Exodus;
1. Fulfillment of promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (especially becoming a great nation)2. The glory of the Lord dwelling with his people.
I see both of these threads introduced in the opening chapters and referenced throughout, but will likely end up highlighting one more than the other. So far I've gone with promise fulfillment as we have been studying Genesis at our larger public meetings.
So what's your one sentence summary of Exodus?
Those two would seem to be an overarching metanarrative of more than just Exodus - but there is certainly something to the idea in 1 - that Exodus is where Israel establish some national identity.
ReplyDeleteYeah, to clarify they aren't my one sentence summaries but they are some big themes coming through.
ReplyDeleteI agree the promise fulfillment is huge. The first chapter is all about the number of people they started with and how at every point where you would think they could be wiped out or fail to grow God is stronger than all earthly authorities.
But the theme of God dwelling with his people within the Exodus narrative is also clear. The God who his people think is distant, hearing their cries, coming down to meet with Moses in the burning bush, leading his people by smoke and fire, the preparations to enable his presence to dwell amongst them and finally his glory filling the tabernacle in Exodus 40.
Yeah, but I wouldn't say it's the defining theme of the book. Nor are all the promises fulfilled at this point. How about "God guides his people on a journey to nationhood."
ReplyDelete"Israel are taken from slavery in Egypt towards the promised land via wanderings in the desert."
ReplyDelete... that describes the action. But what about the meaning...
"Despite their lack of trust, God fulfills his promise of nationhood by rescuing his people from slavery in Egypt that they may worship him in their midst."
I don't know how to summarise it in one sentence!
ReplyDeleteThe first emphasis seems to be on the creation(careful choice of words) of a people for himself, and displaying his glory in so doing. The addition of a people brings the possibility of blessing that went missing in Gen 1-11, but re-appeared by promise in the Abrahamic narratives. The book seems to leave us with the beginning of a tension: Will this special chosen people obey the covenant God gave them and so receive this great blessing from the God dwelling with them? Or will they be destroyed by his presence?
Perhaps a good summary may be: God creates, commands and cares for his son. (Sorry, got all alliterative there)
Meh, some thoughts.
I like this Kutz. You've reframed my thoughts.
ReplyDelete"God shows his glory by keeping his Abrahamic promise of a nation, rescuing his people from slavery, and providing laws to enable him to dwell with his people."
A neat summary. Perhaps the role of Moses (at the risk of sounding like a broken record! :P ) is worth mentioning also. Consistently his mediation (also a gift from God) is what keeps Israel alive. Far more so than the laws, really.
ReplyDelete"That describes the action. But what about the meaning"
ReplyDeleteThis is what happens when you miss an important prefix - I was giving, in that statement, narrative, rather than metanarrative... But I think your summaries fall into the same trap.
I would think that the first emphasis is not creation - but rescue... then fulfillment. But rescue first. The people have essentially already been created by the Abrahamic covenant.
I think there's a difference between defining a people and giving them a national identity too - which I think is what's really happening in Exodus - Deuteronomy. Then the people forge their identity in Judges, the Samuels and a bit of Kings, then they forget their identity from there on in. Until Jesus.
Hey Nathan, sorry about the confusion. That comment was directed at my own attempt immediately preceding it. I actually think your "God guides his people on a journey to nationhood" is descriptive of much more than the action but has hints of the meaning behind the action. It's strength is it's simplicity. But I think I'd want to expand it a bit more, add a few more commas seeing I've only given myself one sentence.
ReplyDeleteYou are right in your reflections on rescue rather than creation. The problem is we want to set Exodus in light of what has come before in Genesis, which helps us understand it with reference to the covenant promises to Abraham. But if we leave the description too wide (like in my original post) and just say it's fulfilling promises - then that's the whole Bible. Yet when we try to narrow it down, it's hard too. The promise while they are still in Exodus is that God is taking them out to the land - but they don't get there by chapter 40. They are a people, but not a great nation. That's why I liked your phrase "great nation", it captures some of this thought.
This discussion is helpful. I might have another go at a sentence soon.
@ Kutz
ReplyDeleteHow could I forget Moses! Man, there is great difficulty in simplicity. Let me keep thinking...
Out of Egypt, out of slavery.
ReplyDelete@Izaac: Yes.
ReplyDelete@Izaac & Nathan: I think there are good grounds to think that the writer wants us to be thinking about Genesis 1-2(mainly 1) in the first section of Exodus. Literarily, there are so many imagery allusions back to creation it's not funny. The author certainly presents it as the birth of the Israelite nation, and this is with particular reference to their relationship with God as a nation.
Just one example is the setting of the leaving as the beginning of time for Israel (Ex 12:1), but there are myriad more. (Especially in the giving of the covenant and the identity formulae in there)
That "Yes" to Izaac was about there being difficulty in simplicity, in case of confusion.
ReplyDelete@ Kutz
ReplyDeleteSo you're going for "the birth of a nation"? The only problem is Nathan is suggesting the nation is already born. But other than that technicality, I like it.
@ Simone
Simplicity is good. But how can we summarise the meaning rather than the action just a tad more? I think this could be achieved by adding something to yours.
Out of Egypt, out of slavery, in to... something.
Ideas?
Though technically my adjustment makes it more three sentences.
ReplyDeleteMaybe;
Out of Egypt, in to....
OR
Out of Egyptian slavery, in to...
I'm fighting the temptation to change the parameters to either;
ReplyDelete1. Less than 180 characters or
2. 5 words.
I think my 'out of egypt, out of slavery' is meaning, not just action.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with adding an 'into' is that Exodus finishes up in the air (or out in the wilderness). It's all about the 'out', not the 'into'.
I've posted my ideas for the rest of the pentateuch.
ReplyDeleteIt's not just the birth of a nation, it's a new creation out of the 'anti-eden' ruled by the 'anti-God' Pharaoh. It's the redemption of a people destined for blessing, who are given identity by the event itself, and is collectively called God's Son. (The adversarial part of this is missing from my earlier thoughts, but present in Simone's, to an extent)
ReplyDeleteMost places in the OT that ask you to remember God and his character in action are looking back to the Exodus, as it is when the identity in relation to God is remembered. (I am the LORD, who brought you up out of slavery in Egypt)
This all to the glory of the God who is determined to bless a sinful humanity. (Note the heaps cool play on words in Pharaoh's exchanges with Moses. The word 'to harden' is the same Hebrew word for heavy and glory. Eg, Ex 14:4)
So, I guess I'm saying that I think it's about God's great redemptive act which creates for himself a people, and this identity as Yhwh's blessed and rescued Son, living in their presence, and yet inevitably separated from God despite this, needing a mediator to relate to Him. (this then sets up for the rest of the pentateuch)
You can probably see here that while I think there's merit to thinking of the books of the pentateuch as individual books, it's even more important to see them as a unified whole.
Kutz, I look forward to seeing your summaries of the Pentateuch unfold as they come up.
ReplyDelete