Bits and Pieces in Exodus 3

Yesterday I preached on Exodus 3 (story of Moses and his encounter with God in a burning bush). There are lots of details in the story that add to its richness and multi-layered meanings, but I found a couple of things interesting to both chew on and to carry me into the rest of Exodus.

Good storytellers and writers tend to sprinkle details or use words or phrases in the first few chapters or scenes in their books that carry great weight later on or lead to surprising turns and twists. So much about my study of Exodus has led me to see details from the beginning chapters in a new light-especially as they have related to my understanding of what happens in the rest of the narrative.

Two things caught my eye this week. The first is from the JPS Torah commentary on Exodus by Nahum M. Sarna. He comments on the phrase, "a land flowing with milk and honey":

“A recurrent symbol of the land’s fertility. The combination of the two products is also popular in classical literature. The phrase is never included in the divine promises made to the patriarchs, for whom famine was frequently a grim reality. Besides, their faith did not need to be reinforced by stressing the attractiveness of the land. For the demoralize, enslaved masses of Israel, however, such an enticement would carry weight. As a matter of fact, ancient Egyptian sources testify to the richness of the land.
Milk in the Bible is generally from the goat, “the little man’s cow.” A plentiful supply presupposes an abundance of goats, which in turn points to ample pasturage and the prospect of much meat, hide and wool.
Honey in the Bible is predominantly the thick, sweet syrup produced from dates and known to the Arabs as dibs. Apiculture seems to have been unknown in Palestine; the few explicit references in the Bible to bees’ honey pertain to the wild variety. While the date itself is never mentioned, the inclusion of honey among the seven characteristic products of the land listed in Deuteronomy 8:8 indicates that, like all the others, it too derives from the soil.
The combination of milk and honey provides a highly nutritious diet. Milk, widely regarded in the ancient world as a source of vitality, is rich in protein; the dried date is rich in carbohydrates. Ben Sira declared milk and honey to be among the chief necessities of human life. Some Arab tribes are known to subsist for months at a time solely on milk and honey.” (pg. 16)

Breaking open the phrase "flowing with milk and honey" was powerful for me this week. It made me think of what constitutes a "promised land" for me. Flowing with iPads and pizza? What is it that represents what I need (being "highly nutritious") but is also a symbol of abundance? How has God shown that to me? What are symbols that are tightly packed and come to symbolize so much more?

It is important that this land is fertile. There needs to be a symbiosis between the people and the land. Fertile or "fruit-bearing" people...in a fertile land that supports them.

And it made me think--what fertility has God shown to me in the place where I have landed? What fruit does God expect me to bear here not just because it's me, but because it's this place? I know what others expect of me, but what does God expect?

What is the fertility of the place where God has called you?

The other tidbit we'll save til tomorrow!

Another One?

Yes--I keep coming up with things that I think I ought to turn into more serious blog posts over on pastorcynthia.blogspot.com (otherwise known as "Someday Soon"). Most of the time, these revelations occur during my study days when I'm in the library or at one of my coffee-house "offices". My study notes are littered with the words BLOG THIS! because I think somehow I'm going to remember to go back and write a nice little blog post on my immediate thoughts.

But stuff keeps coming up that really doesn't require much thought--it's just interesting. It pertains to the text I'm using for the sermon, and if I was preaching for 30-45 minutes, I would probably work it in. Otherwise, it's just a wonderful other exercise for my theological imagination.

I think there are probably a few other exegetical "geeks" out there...or at least people who want to be stretched to think differently about a passage. I took the title for this blog from something a rabbi once told me. He said that he loves thinking about heaven as the place where scripture is written one word on a page...and he has eternity to learn what God is saying "in between" each of the words.

It's my hope that the posts here help you to go just a bit deeper--or maybe take you down a side road you hadn't thought of. That they show you scripture is vital and packed and goes much deeper than a couple of illustrations can measure. I hope that these tidbits become the place for your musings with God--the sermons that you will compose in your own head between the ones you hear (or preach!) on Sundays.

Cynthia