Holy Smoke!!!

Day 15: Exodus 26–30; Psalms 49–54; Mark 15–16

It is easy to draw parallels between the selection from Old Testament History, Psalms and Gospel today.  These are not a matter of interpretation either.  The text means for us to make these connections. 

Moses is given the Law on a mountain top wreathed in holy fire and dense smoke (Ex. 24:15-18).  This law from God defines for Israel ways to be with the Holy God on the mountain whose holy presence strikes fear in them (Ex. 20:20).  The laws give Israel a sense of how God views right relationships between them.  They are to respect one another's property, wives, daughters, slaves, livestock, and fields. If there is theft, violence, damages, the right thing to do is to restore and make reparations to the offended party.  And the Israelites are to treat God as holy.  This seems to carry with it the respect and awe deserving of a creator far beyond our comprehension.  The One in the fiery cloud and dense smoke who descended from the heavens to visit with Moses on the mountain top is transcendent, utterly surpassing His creatures. 

And yet He wants to be known.  There is an immanent quality.  The mind blowing mystery of the smoke and fire on the mountain is entered and clear communion/communication occurs.  The Israelites get a clear understanding through the law of how to please God by treating Him with reverent regard and each other with justice and righteousness.

The law set boundaries on behavior, describing rights, responsibilities and roles in the covenant community.  Through law observance The Holy One of Israel will dwell among them (Ex. 25:8).  This is risky business and must be attended to with careful attention to keep all God commands and ordinances, elsewise the holy wrath of the divine One may strike down the disobedient and casual who show contempt through carelessness. The covenant keeping people will be blessed by God's abiding presence and cursed by His anger when they are disobedient. 

Two psalms come to mind: one celebrates Israel's established and blessed position on Mt. Zion...

The LORD is great and is highly praised
    in the city of our God.
    His holy mountain, rising splendidly,
    is the joy of the whole earth.
    Mount Zion on the slopes of the north
    is the city of the great King. (Psa. 47:1-2)

The other laments their exile in Babylon...

You are my King, my God,
    who ordains victories for Jacob.
    Through You we drive back our foes;
    through Your name we trample our enemies...

But You have rejected and humiliated us;
    You do not march out with our armies.
    You make us retreat from the foe,
    and those who hate us
    have taken plunder for themselves.
   You hand us over to be eaten like sheep
    and scatter us among the nations. (Psa. 44:4-5, 9-11)

Israel has endured both sides of the Holy One, blessing and curse, pleasure and pain, comfort and confrontation. 

Jesus warned the disciples that the temple where God promised to dwell for all eternity would be torn down.  There would not be one stone left standing because Israel had failed to recognize the visitation of their God in Jesus Christ.  Just as Moses established the covenant with the sprinkling of blood, Jesus established the new covenant.  Repeating Moses' words Jesus passed a cup of wine during the Passover meal and said, "this is the blood of the covenant (Ex. 24:8; Mk. 14:24)."

Knowing that Jesus is the holy creator in pascal lamb's clothing, it seems to be a continuation of what God has been doing from the beginning, giving a means by which He can be known by His wayward children and dwell among them.  In the Mosaic covenant it was strict adherence to law and religious practices.  And in the new covenant it is strict adherence to Christ, loving as He loves us, serving as He serves, trusting as He is trustworthy.

May the Lord teach us to obey that we might continue to abide in Him and He in us. Amen