This chapter is a recap of all the material from the Exodus up to now. Basically.
It would be so many levels of ridiculous to recap a recap. So I’m only going to touch on a couple of things that particularly stood out to me.
(And be forewarned – I’m feeling particularly linguistic today. 🤓😏 There are gonna be some totally made up words alongside some real ones. (Kinda like Dr. Seuss. Just sound them out. Hooked on Phonics and all that.) The made up words are there to fill in conceptual holes so I’m not picking on one doctrine and getting everyone sidetracked on it.)
Ok.
The first thing that stood out is…
🤔 Uh… I don’t remember half of those locations do you? I’m pretty sure we didn’t read about them before. 📍🗺️🧭
They went places that Moses recorded in his travel journal, and they must have been doing things there. People lived. They probably sinned and offered sacrifices. But there was zero mention of them in previous books.
🤔 Huh…
What this tells us is that we didn’t get every single tiny detail in Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers.
I know. I know. It feels like we got way more details than anyone ever wanted to know – especially the bits about bodily functions, the color of every piece of fabric, the lists of names and the number of critters sacrificed at the dedication of the Tabernacle and all. But there were things left out.
If I were a Christianity Referee, this is something that I see Christians do that I would blow my whistle and call a foul on.
🚩Technical Foul: 🖐🏼🫸🏼 Wonky Assumption 🤌🏼🤞🏼Player blind spot. Assumed there was nothing happening outside the text. 👇🏼 🤜🏼 Penalty: Read a history book. ✌🏼
What’s in the text is divinely inspired for doctrine, evidence, correction, and training in the way of righteousness. And it’s sacred. Everything we need to know “for life and godliness in this present world” is in there. But it isn’t exhaustive. Which is why we don’t make arguments from silence.
An “argument from silence” is when someone says something like – “Well, the Bible doesn’t say that playing the lottery is a sin, so it’s fine.” Or – “The Bible doesn’t say that Flubberlanders are going to Heaven so I can assume that they’re not.”
Let’s learn a $5 seminary word, shall we?
Exegesis. (Ex-uh-gee-sis): verb; an explanation or critical interpretation of a text. From the Greek exegeisthai: “explain, interpret.” From ex “out” + hegeisthai “to lead, guide.”
In sound biblical exegesis, we begin with the text and we draw meaning OUT of the text rather than begin with an idea (meaning) and go looking INTO the text for evidence.
The $5 seminary word for starting with an idea then finding biblical “proof” for it is called Isogesis (Eye-so-gee-sis). It is reading an idea INTO the text. With isogesis, it really looks like a verse (or two) is telling you that people who don’t believe in smaggervatten or who do not observe snookerboggin are definitely not going to heaven. And if you’ve embraced smaggervattenism and decided you can’t fellowship with anyone who doesn’t do snookerboggin exactly like you, it’s hard to walk back from that. It can be scary to even consider the possibility that you might be wrong. Here’s something that could help.
Create a mental shelf where you temporarily set aside your dearly-held view of smaggervattenism, and stow away your commitment to snookerboggin. Next – and this is crucial – is to say, “I’m going to temporarily assume that I have NO IDEA what the Bible actually says about this,” (because it’s possible that I don’t)… Then, dig into the text (and I mean the whole text from Genesis to Revelation) determined to make no decision about where you land on those ideas until you’ve studied it ALL… AND, while doing so, be sure you have no theological axe to grind, nothing to prove, and no goal except to learn Christ… Here’s what will happen:
You’ll find out that your view is or is not supported by the whole counsel of God.
- If you find that the Bible doesn’t actually teach smaggervattenism, you can let go of that view with a clear conscience. Your theology is now better and (more importantly) you’ve drawn closer to the heart of God, and that’s a win.
- If you find that smaggervattenism IS supported by the whole counsel of God, then now you know for yourself and not just because someone told you so. You also know which texts support it and why. This is also a win.
No matter the outcome, you win. 🏆
Isn’t that cool?!! 😁🎉
But first you have to do the scary thing of setting aside what you think you know otherwise it doesn’t work.
Doing good exegesis teaches us to create a distinction between ourselves and our thoughts. We experience taking them out of your head as it were, and examining them from a neutral position. I suspect that this is at least part of what the Apostle Paul was getting at when he wrote:
“for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human, but powerful to God for the tearing down of fortresses, tearing down arguments and all pride that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 LEB
Every thought. Take it out of your head and look at it as though it is something apart from yourself. The goal is not to win arguments or prove a point or have the last word. The goal is to defeat pride and obey Christ.
Well. That was a merry chase, eh?
Back to Numbers 33…
“… Yahweh also executed punishments among their gods.” Numbers 33:4 LEB
There is a view that the little-g-gods of the nations are figments of the imagination on par with the Tooth Fairy or perhaps an allegorical device like an evil witch in Grimm’s fairy tales. In other words, not real. If that is the case, how on earth does Yahweh execute punishment on an imaginary thing in any meaningful sense? How is that any credit to Him?
If I said I “punished the Easter Bunny,” I’d need a psychiatric evaluation. 🐇 Unless we’re talking about me eating my 🍫chocolate Easter bunny ears-first, that claim has no meaning.
The Bible does not make meaningless claims. When it says that Yahweh executed “punishments” upon the Egyptian’s gods, that claim must be real to be meaningful. Otherwise it could’ve said that He punished the Egyptians for believing in imaginary beings. 🧞♂️🗿
I put it to your consideration that the “gods of the nations” are very real entities. We don’t need to get into the weeds just yet about exactly who they are. That is coming soon enough. But we do need to come to terms with the fact that the Biblical text treats them as real entities with abilities and will and intelligence.
Let me be crystal clear on one thing:
Yahweh ALONE is the uncreated Creator existing eternally as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. ALL things were made by Him and for Him. No one is His equal. Not even close. By calling these invisible entities “gods” in no way puts them on equal footing with the LORD Almighty. K? I’m just calling them what the scripture calls them: gods.
So… whatever the gods are, Yahweh is treating them as worthy of punishment, capable of being punished in some real way, and that what happened during the 10 Plagues was in fact, an infliction of punishment upon them.
Final thought…
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from your presence, then it will happen that whomever you let remain of them will be like irritants in your eyes and like thorns in your sides; they will be your enemies in the land in which you live. And just as I planned to do to them, I will do to you.’ ” Numbers 33:55-56 LEB
This isn’t threat. It’s a prophecy.
To The Reader 