You have looked on me as though I were the Most Exalted of Men, O LORD God. (1 Chronicles 17:17)
Category: mediation of Christ
Resolved…
[slideshow]
...to present us spotless before the Father. Whatever the cost.
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You'll have to view this one on the blogpage
Creation and Salvation – Irenaeus and Athanasius 6
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Is salvation achieved merely by the incarnation?
Both Irenaeus and Athanasius are commonly accused of making the ‘bare fact’ of incarnation the sum total of Christ’s saving work. Yet this is unfair.
For Irenaeus, Christ’s filling out of Adam’s distorted image means necessarily a “filling up [of] the times of his disobedience” (Ad. Her. III.21.1) In taking on Adam’s substance, He took on Adam’s curse – this He satisfied at the cross, ‘propitiating indeed for us the Father, against Whom we had sinned’ (Ad. Her. V.17.1) and ‘redeeming us by His own blood’ (Ad. Her. V.14.3). Having put Adam to death, the resurrection then realizes Christ’s spiritual body bringing about the true glorified humanity to which the redeemed will belong and on which the renewed creation will be patterned.
Athanasius calls the cross "the very centre of our faith." For him, the curse of death is a key consideration. Within the creation narratives comes God's decree: "You will surely die." The word of Genesis 2:17 must be maintained lest God be proved false and, ironically, the serpent proved true. Christ’s incarnation is therefore that by which the Word can take a body capable of death “so that in His death all might die, and the law of death thereby be abolished." (De incarn. 8) Moreover this death is specifically a sacrifice (De. Incarn. 9; 10; 20) made under God’s curse (De incarn. 25) and offered without blemish (De. Incarn. 9) so as to be a ransom (De. Incarn. 9; 25) freeing us from Adam’s ‘primal transgression’. “In the same act also He showed Himself mightier than death, displaying His own body incorruptible as the first-fruits of the resurrection.”
Thus, while the Bishops both see the union of divine and human as the goal of God’s creation-redemption purposes; and while the ‘Word become flesh’ is their sole hope for this union; the ‘bare fact’ will not do on its own. The nature of Adam’s race requires much work to be done. Mankind must turn from idols to the Truth, we must receive and truly own an active righteousness before the Father, Satan has to be defeated, justice must be upheld, sin must be dealt with, incorruptibility must be won. Thus, Christ’s divine teaching, His demonstrations of authority over man, nature and the devil, His active obedience, His suffering, His death, His resurrection and His ascension are all crucial in order to accomplish redemption.
Yet, against those (especially the Arians), who would uphold the necessity of these works yet deny the Person who worked them, it must be maintained that the Agent of these works is God and the locus of their working is man. These works are, therefore, only effective because they are the works of the God-Man. Thus, the incarnation is the necessary cause of redemption, but sufficient only when articulated as the full work of the Incarnate, Creator-Word.
In the final post I'll draw out some implications for today...
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Creation and Salvation – Irenaeus and Athanasius 5
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The Fall - the Need for Re-Creation
In the philosophies of the third and fourth centuries, creation came out of great ruptures (e.g. wars in heaven). Against this, Athanasius maintained that physicality is not the issue for the creature before God. The problem – that is, the fall – occurs after creation. Thus it is humanity’s disobedience that gives rise to the rupture between God and man: an ethical rather than ontological problem.
The fall was a rejection of the Word, in consequence of which mankind no longer knew God and instead pursued false images (idols), not the true Image.Since God’s intention for creation is His fellowship with man in His Image, then this disruption affects the whole cosmos. The fall is thus ‘the work of God… being undone’ - de-creation.
Time and again Athanasius stresses how ‘supremely unfitting’ and ‘unthinkable’ it would be for the ‘All Good’ ‘Father of Truth’ to allow His creation to run such a ruinous path. He also notes that humanity has no resources within itself to remedy the situation. Thus God’s commitment to creation demands a reversal of the fall. Without redemption, God’s “consistency of character with all” is compromised. Or as Irenaeus had said, God must act lest He “be conquered [and] His wisdom lessened.” Since the fall was a ‘de-creation’ so redemption must be a re-creation. And if this is so, then the Creator Himself must be the Redeemer. Thus, creation and redemption are held together by the One Divine Word.
The Fall - the Need for Recapitulation
Where Athanasius speaks of re-creation, Irenaeus speaks of recapitulation.
Recapitulation (anakephalaiosis; see especially Ephesians 1:10; also Romans 13:9) has been variously understood: to sum up, to go over the same ground again, to unite under a single head, to restore to the original, to bring to a climax. All of these capture something of Irenaeus’ meaning though I prefer the picture of 'a spiral climb'. It means going over the same ground but thereby raising it to a higher plane. Fundamentally, redemption is described as God “recapitulating in Himself His own handiwork." (Adv.H., III.22.1)
Thus “what we had lost in Adam – namely, to be according to the image and likeness of God – that we might recover in Christ Jesus.” (Adv. H., III.18.1) Christ achieves this by taking the very flesh of Adam (Adv. H. V.1.3) – the head of the old humanity – and, going over the ground of Adam’s history. E.g:
just as Adam had no earthly father, so too Christ (III.18.7); just as Eve was disobedient, so Mary is obedient (V.19.1); just as Adam was tempted through food and failed, so Christ was tempted through fasting and succeeded (V.21.2); just as Adam was disobedient with the tree, so Christ is obedient on the tree (V.16.3) etc. etc.
Christ achieves victory where Adam failed.
“He has therefore, in His work of recapitulation, summed up all things… in order that, as our species went down to death through a vanquished man, so we may ascend to life through a victorious one; and as through a man death received the palm [of victory] against us, so again by a man we may receive the palm against death.” Adv. H. V.21.1
Thus Christ can become the Head of the true spiritual humanity to which we must belong. This is, of course, not an innovation of Irenaeus’, but the plain teaching of the Scriptures – Romans 5:12-21; 1 Corinthians 15:20-22, 44-50.
What's important for out purposes is the fact that God’s creative work has moved in this direction from the beginning. Adam is always heading towards Christ. Eden is always heading towards the New Jerusalem, etc, etc. Christ’s incarnate work is completely ‘of-a-piece’ with His creation. The goal of all God’s ways with the creation has ever been to sum up everything under the Heavenly Man, Christ (Eph 1:10)
Thus, the humanity of Adam, for Irenaeus, was ‘sketched out’ expressly as that which must be filled out by Christ.
“The Word – the Creator of all – prefigured in Adam the future economy of His own incarnation. God first sketched out the ensouled human being, with a view to his being saved by the spiritual human being. Since the Saviour was already in existence, the one who was to be saved had to come into existence, or the Saviour would have been Saviour of no one." (Adv.H. III.22.3)
Notice that Adam was always 'to be saved' and that Christ is ‘Saviour’ even before the fall. Thus Minns must be right when he says of Irenaeus’ theology:
“Adam’s sin conditions the salvation to be worked by the incarnate Word but it does not call it into existence. For the earth creature does not come to be in the image and likeness of God until God becomes flesh, until the human being in whose image Adam was created stands on the earth.” (D. Minns, Irenaeus, p87)
For Irenaeus, Christ’s work is not simply the answer to sin (though it certainly accomplished this). Christ’s incarnate work inhabits and realizes the one dynamic story of creation’s fulfilment moving from Adam to Christ, from flesh to spirit, from Eden to the New Jerusalem. Salvation is not a response to the fall and it's not paradise restored. Salvation is the drawing into God of what has been made through the Son. And what has been made has always been destined for this redemption.
Thus, creation and redemption are not just held together by One Divine Word, they are also held together as one divine work.
Christ: Our Substitute and Representative
Mike Reeves talks about Adam and Christ in these great audios on sin and evil. Once we frame creation and salvation as the story of two men we see things much clearer.
For one thing we're able to honour Christ not only as Substitute but also as Representative. And we need both.
You see Christ drinks the cup so that - in one sense - we don't have to (Mark 10:38). But in another sense we do drink the cup He drinks and are baptised with the baptism with which He is baptised (Mark 10:39). He does die for us so that we do not face that same judging fire - this is His substitution. But we also die in Him experiencing it as a purifying fire - this is His representation.
We tend to be good at 'substitution' talk but not so good at 'representation' talk. Consider this fairly common way of conceiving salvation and judgement...
Here the key players are the saved and the damned. Christ is not in the picture. But of course once we've set things up like this, Christ becomes extremely necessary. But He's necessary in that the cross becomes the accounting tool required to balance the justice books. Without the cross the story doesn't work. So in that sense Christ is central. But in effect, He's a peripheral figure only required because other factors are calling the shots.
When things are viewed like this, Christ is very much thought of as 'substitute' but not really 'representative'. And, when the details are pressed, even His substitution will start to look very unlike the biblical portrait.
We need a better formulation. We'll think of 1 Peter 4 and then tie this back to Adam and Christ.
In 1 Peter 4:17 it says that judgement begins with the house of God. It doesn't say 'Judgement avoids the house of God.' It begins there. It begins with Christ, the true Temple of God. It continues with the church, the temple of God in another sense. But then it flows out to the world - God's house in yet another sense.
Here humanity is judged. And this is where Adam and Christ will be so helpful for us.
The LORD pronounces His curse on Adam. And all humanity is in him. "Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned." (Rom 5:12) It is a universal judgement. No exceptions. The only path to salvation is the path through judgement.
But Adam is a type of the One to come (Rom 5:14). He was only ever setting the scene for Christ to take centre stage. And He does so, assuming the very humanity of Adam as substitute and representative.
Here centre stage is not occupied by the two bodies of people (the damned and the saved). What's driving everything is the two humanities (Adam and Christ). And the former is expressly a type of the Latter. And the Latter expressly assumes the fate of the former. So that in all things Christ will have the preeminence! (Col 1:18)
These diagrams were originally used in a blog post on judgement and salvation in Isaiah and for a sermon on Isaiah 2:6-22 (listen here).
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Sending our representative to the seat of power
A Tale of Two Thursdays
On Thursday we sent our representative to the seat of power. Eastbourne chose Stephen Lloyd to send him to Westminster. He will now represent us in matters relating to parliament. Whether you personally voted for him or not, he is our representative, he represents the whole constituency. And we have sent him to the seat of power to appear for us before parliament.
That’s what happened last Thursday. This coming Thursday we celebrate something that dwarfs the general election into relative insignificance. This coming Thursday is Ascension Day. You see after Good Friday where Christ made the one sacrifice for sins on the cross, He rose again on Easter Sunday and then appeared to hundreds of His followers over a period of 40 days. Then, 40 days after He rose, it was Ascension Day – the day Christ ascended from among us as the King of Glory and went to the true seat of power. He ascended to the right hand of God the Father – the throne of the universe. And Jesus Christ – our Flesh and Bone Brother – sat down to rule heaven and earth as our representative. We have sent our man to the seat of power to rule on our behalf.
At Christmas we sing the line “Pleased as Man with man to dwell.” On Ascension Day we can sing “Pleased as Man for man to rule.” He hasn’t just descended to us to become one of us. He has ascended from us to reign for us.
Look at verse 24:
24 For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God's presence.
Jesus Christ sits on the seat of power and He appears in Heaven FOR US. Pleased as Man for man to rule. He rules on our behalf. And this is so much better than anything a politician could offer us.
But maybe the first question we want to ask about our representatives is this: Are you qualified to rule? Do you know how to use power?
QUALIFIED
Our conservative MP kept telling us about his track record in parliament, he knew his way around the halls of power, you could trust him. The Liberal Democrat MP pointed to his years of successful business – he knew how to lead. And we want that for our representatives.
Well chapter 1 of Hebrews began by telling us Christ’s qualifications. When Christ ascended to heaven 2000 years ago He was not a new kid on the block. No Hebrews 1:2 says He is:
heir of all things, and through Whom God made the universe. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word.
Jesus is qualified to sit on the throne. It’s where He has always belonged.
But you know, we can get turned off a politician if we think they’re just big and powerful. We also want to know that they are one of us.
ONE OF US
During the election campaign the various candidates kept trying to tell us how Eastbournian they really were. “Born and bred in Eastbourne” is a line that goes down well with voters. The candidates want to be able to say: “I know all your issues, I suffer all the same trials as you do, I’m one of you.” That’s what wins votes. That’s what’ll get you political power.
But what about heavenly power? Can we really believe that the One who sits on heaven’s throne is ONE OF US? Well Ascension Day says Yes. The book of Hebrews says Yes. Jesus Christ, was born and bred in our constituency. That’s what Hebrews chapter 2 was all about. Look at Hebrews 2 and v14: “Since we have flesh and blood, He too shared in our humanity.” (v14).
Or verse 17: “He was made like His brothers in every way in order that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in service to God [representing us to God].”
Born and bred in our constituency. Suffering all the same troubles that we face. Verse 18 says “He Himself suffered when He was tempted and He’s able to help us when we’re tempted.” The Ruler of the Universe has gone through all the trials we go through. The One on the throne is one of us!
FOUGHT OUR BATTLES
And He’s fought all the same battles that we fight. In the election, everyone wanted to claim that they’d saved the DGH. You might have thought that they’d thrown themselves in front of bulldozers to save the maternity ward. Because it was a battle that affected us all, and all the candidates wanted to be able to say, “I fought the powers that be and I won through for Eastbourne.” That’s going to win votes.
Well Jesus Christ fought the ultimate powers that affect us. In chapter 2 we read halfway through v14:
By His death He destroyed him who holds the power of death--that is, the devil-- 15 and freed those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Jesus went to the cross. And there He fought against the powers that be – sin and death and the devil. And He alone defeated them. He’s not just qualified, He’s not just one of us, He’s fought our battles and won!
But more than that, He’s sympathetic to our suffering.
SYMPATHETIC TO OUR SUFFERING
When a politician says “I, like you, have suffered through the recession and I know what it’s like to struggle to make ends meet” that’s a vote-winner. We don’t believe them, but it’s a vote winner. And if they’ve made good through adversity we reckon that this breeds character. And it makes them more approachable if they can sympathise with our suffering.
What about Jesus? Heb 4:15
15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are--yet was without sin. 16 Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
Chapter 5 speaks more about Christ’s sufferings for us. The One on the throne sympathizes with our suffering. He was Himself THE Great Sufferer. So we can go to Him.
But there’s something else I want from my representative. I want them to be above reproach...
ABOVE REPROACH
The expenses scandal has damaged a lot of politicians from all the parties. And I’m sure it damaged the former MP who held office here. We want our representatives to be completely above board, to be pure and blameless. We have a great fear that power corrupts. And we hate to think that our politicians are corrupt.
But do we ever wonder whether heaven is corrupt? Whether heaven rules righteously? When things go wrong in life we’re very tempted to question whether the universe is being run fairly and above reproach. Can we be certain that the One who sits on the throne is not just a self-interested, power-hungry bully? Can we be sure of that?
Well yes we can. Because of Ascension Day, we know that the One in absolute control is absolutely pure. The One up there has been down here and He’s been completely transparent with us. Think of the Gospels. Even Christ’s greatest enemies couldn’t make their smear campaigns stick. And the One thing He’s shown that He does with His power is He gives it away to protect and serve the weak. That’s the One who sits on the throne. He is above reproach. Look at chapter 7 verse 26:
26 Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens.
Jesus Christ the Son of God is qualified to rule, He’s one of us, He’s fought our battles, He sympathizes with our suffering and He’s completely above reproach. That’s what we want in our representatives in Westminster and we probably won’t get it, let’s be honest. But this IS what we already HAVE in heaven. We have a Great High Priest who represents us right now as He occupies the true seat of power.
Don’t put your trust in politicians or in politics or in parties or in electoral reform. You can pray for all of that, you’re commanded to pray for all of that, but you’re commanded to pray for all that because that’s not where the real power is. Your real representative occupies the true seat of power.
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...continue reading "Sending our representative to the seat of power"
Hebrews 7 sermon
Hebrews 7. It’s a rump steak of a chapter. Chewy, rich, dense, meaty. Melchizedek, my goodness, the choicest of choice cuts, Melchizedek. But... it’s a shame isn’t it? Shame you guys aren’t really up to digesting this kind of material are you? I mean, you’re sweet and I love you, you should know that.
But – you’re not really ready for meat are you? You like your bible to be vanilla milkshake. Sweet and frothy and bland and pre-digested. That’s you guys isn’t it? “Ooh – you’re bible is too chewy. Can you mush up the bible and put some sugar on it. I can't handle your heavy bible study.” That’s you guys isn’t it? Shame because, Melchizedek, wow – the complicated splendour, the rich mystery, the deep profundity. Never mind. I can tell you’re not ready. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. In fact, why don’t we just skip over chapter 7. Let’s forget the sermon this week. Musicians, let’s get back and sing some choruses. “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” – that should suit you bland, milky milk-loving children.
But it’s just a shame, cos Melchizedek. I mean, that’s some of the good stuff... What’s that? You want to study Melchizedek? All right. Strap in, because we’re about to go on a wild and crazy ride.
Ladies and Gentleman, that was my impression of the writer to the Hebrews. Check out Hebrews 5 from v11. You’ll notice that in v6 and v10 he’s mentioned Melchizedek. And you can just tell, he’s weighing up whether he should explain the whole Melchizedek thing. And from v11 he seems to decide that Melchizedek is a bit beyond these Christians.
11 We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain because you are slow to learn. 12 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God's word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
Do you see what he’s doing? He’s laid Melchizedek out there and said – I got a lot of stuff on Melchizedek. Meaty stuff. But... nah... you won’t want to hear that. You’re milky, bland, frothy, milky milk-lovers. You’re not ready for steak.
And so chapter 6 talks about their maturity (verses 1-3) and how they’re not as bad as those apostates over there (verses 4-9) and from verse 10 he concedes that they are growing and bearing fruit in their Christian walk. And so by the time he gets to chapter 6, verse 19 he feels he can drop Melchizedek back into the discussion:
19 We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest for ever, in the order of Melchizedek.
And so now he’s mentioned Melchizedek three times. He’s teased them long enough and so from chapter 7 he decides to give up the good stuff on Melchizedek. He’s going to serve up a sirloin steak of a chapter.
Are we ready for sirloin steak? Or do you want your vanilla milkshake? Meat or milk?
Let the record show – meat is what you want. Meat is what you will get.
I’d like to appear on your behalf – gratis
Far and away the best Australian comedy ever made, The Castle is a must-see movie. Brilliantly observed, funny, heart-warming and if you're not punching the air at the triumphant ending I fear for the state of your soul.
The Kerrigan family are threatened with eviction by a nasty corporation. But 'a man's home is his castle' so they fight it through the courts and... (last second spoiler alert!)... win.
It taps into some deeply felt Australian myths. It's about home and land - with overt references to aboriginal land rights. It's about family and mateship and a fair go. Most of all it's the myth of the little Aussie battler winning through.
Or is it?
In the story, Darryl Kerrigan (right) is completely helpless. He's all at sea in a legal world far beyond his understanding. As much as he wants to protect his family, he's absolutely powerless. His fate, and the fate of his household, lies with one of two advocates.
First, Dennis Denuto (left) makes terrible representation (see below). All is lost.
But a saviour is found in Lawrence Hammill QC (centre). Everything changes the minute 'Lawrie' utters those words, "I'd like to appear on your behalf - gratis... free!"
To the court, Darryl Kerrigan only looked as good as his representative. When his representative was poor, his case was thrown out. When his representative was good, he was utterly vindicated. His destiny lay in the hands of his advocate.
As an audience, we have a soft spot for the Kerrigans. But Lawrie wins our hearts. Only the emotionally constipated could watch his final speech (not shown above) with dry eyes.
The Castle's not about a working class hero who never gave up. This is not the story of one man standing against the powers that be - much as we love that myth. It's about the powerful one stepping down for the weak. It's the strong advocate who graciously intercedes.
Therefore - two things. 1) Go and see The Castle if you haven't already!
And 2) realise this: You are not the determined little guy who'll make good in the end. You're facing trial - powerless and guilty. But you have a brilliant Advocate. He says, "I'd like to appear on your behalf - gratis!" And He makes faultless representation to the court of heaven. You stand in Him completely vindicated. What kind of Advocate is this!
24 Because Jesus lives for ever, He has a permanent priesthood. 25 Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. 26 Such a high priest meets our need--one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens. (Heb 7:24-26)
19 Even now my Witness is in heaven; my Advocate is on high. 20 My Intercessor is my Friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; 21 on behalf of a man He pleads with God as a man pleads for his friend. (Job 16:19-21)
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Who is Melchizedek?
Who is Melchizedek?
You know what? I'm not going to go to the stake on this. I believe Christ was active in the Old Testament. He was known as God-from-God, the Divine Mediator of the Most High. Many people met Him. All faithful Israelites trusted in Him and in His future incarnate work. But none of that commits me to saying Melchizedek was one of His titles. But, having said that, I think it's a pretty good bet!
He is a beginningless, parentless, everlasting, royal priest of God Most High. He's the King of Righteousness, King of Peace, King of Jerusalem. Ring any bells?
"Ah but what about Hebrews 7:3?" someone will say. Indeed, what about about Hebrews 7:3?
without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, and being made like to the Son of God, doth remain a priest continually. (YLT)
Is that true? Is he really without beginning of days and end of life? And does he remain a priest continually? I'm aware of more sophisticated arguments on this point but I try to be a simple sort. In which case he's either the pre-incarnate Jesus or there's four members of the trinity.
Ok, but what about "being made like to the Son of God"? Well:
a) "Son of God" is a title - and a crucial one in Hebrews. So much of the book is a comparison of "Son" to other titles: "angels", "Son of man", "servant", "high priest" etc. "King of Righteousness" is like "Son of God" especially when you consider Heb 1:8 - 'the Son' has the 'sceptre of righteousness.'
b) The perfect passive ("being made") is common in Hebrews for what happens to Jesus. So in Heb 1:4 He becomes superior to the angels because of the more excellent name He has inherited (i.e. "Son"). In Heb 2:9 He is crowned with glory and honour (high priest's clothing - Ex 28:2,40). In Heb 2:17 He is made like His brothers. In Heb 3:3 He is found worthy. In Heb 5:5 He is appointed high priest, in v9 He is made perfect, and in v10 He is desgnated high priest in the order of Melchizedek. In fact it's this verse that prompts the discussion of Melchizedek. And in Heb 6:20 it is repeated that Jesus has become high priest in the order of Melchizedek.
So Melchizedek in Genesis 14 is a type - but a type of Himself, i.e. His future incarnate work. He is indeed the King of Righteousness, the King of Peace and the eternal Priest of God Most High. And He is that as He meets Abraham.
God was not trying to deceive Abraham by having a mere man appear in such an exalted Role. So it truly was the Son of God who appeared as Melchizedek. But His appearance as Melchizedek was a foretaste of His future priestly work. This is just the same as His appearances as "The Angel (i.e. Sent One) of the LORD." They were foretastes of His future incarnate work as Sent from the Father.
So for Melchizedek to effect His true priesthood, He would need to lay hold of the Seed of Abraham (Heb 2:16), to take flesh and perform His true priestly work. In other words, He would need to be made like "the Son of God." You see He always has been Son of God, but the title while eternal is also inherited through His incarnate work! Get your head around that one if you can - but Heb 1:4 and 5:5 state it plainly. So Melchizedek (who is pre-incarnate Son of God) must be made like "the Son of God" in order to be a true Priest.
The argument of chapters 5-7 therefore is something like this: He's superior to Aaron because He is also King. And He's superior to Melchizedek because He's also man.
You might ask why He's in the order of Melchizedek. Well I think the real problem would be if He was in someone else's order. Jesus is in a class of His own! He started the club (as Priest-King) and then slotted into the fullness of the Role: incarnate-Priest-King.
That's my understanding at the moment anyway.
Of which I'm sure about 3% will make it into my Sunday sermon.
Any thoughts of your own? Tips on how to preach Hebrews 7?
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Exodus 32
It was 3 days from the arrival at Sinai to law-giving. (19:11)
1 day later the blood of the covenant was sprinkled on the people (24:4)
6 days after that Moses enters the glory cloud on top of the mountain (24:16)
For 40 days Moses receives the instructions for the tabernacle (24:18)
So when Moses descends the mountain we have a kind of a Pentecost - a 50th day.
But it's a reverse-Pentecost. The nations are repulsed (32:25). 3000 people die (v28), cf Acts 2:41). And all because they didn't wait for the LORD (v1, cf Acts 1:4).
The people have always wanted (and needed) someone to go before them. The Unseen LORD had promised His Divine Angel to fight at their head (23:20ff). He was the One who had commissioned Moses (3:2) and brought them out of slavery (14:19) on eagles wings (19:4) to serve God Most High (3:12). Moses and the elders have seen Him and eaten with Him (24:9ff). Yet He obviously wasn't moving according to the people's timetable. So in impatience they settle for counterfeits - a religious substitute for Christ. (Notice the same sin again in 1 Samuel 8:20 - this time the Israelites seek a political substitute for Christ - one 'to go before them').
In contrast to the free and liberal giving for the tabernacle, Aaron demands offerings for his false gods (v2). False religion is always compelled, true worship of the LORD is always free.
The plunder from the Egyptians (3:22; 12:36), instead of being pressed into the LORD's service, is made into a golden calf. But this is idolatry no matter how much the LORD's name is invoked (v5).
Why a calf? Well Psalm 106:19-20 clarifies that this is the calf of an ox. Now when you put Ezekiel 1:10 and 10:14 together you see that cherubs are like oxen. And we all know who the guardian cherub is (Ezekiel 28:14ff). Here is worship of Satan! Within a month of being sprinkled by the blood of the covenant and solemnly vowing to uphold it, while Moses is on the brooding fiery mountain with God Most High, here they are worshipping the devil. Notice how "the LORD" is invoked in their Satan worship - a salutary lesson that not everyone who says "Lord, Lord" is truly serving Him!
These people deserve the burning wrath of the LORD out of the heavens (v10; cf Gen 19:24). But just as Moses had interceded for wicked Pharaoh (e.g. 8:8) now he intercedes for wicked Israel. The LORD had called Israel "your people" (v7), Moses responds to the LORD - they are "your people" (v11) and implores the LORD to turn (shub) from wrath and have compassion (naham) (v12). The LORD does indeed have compassion / is sorry but this is not the end of the matter.
Moses descends the mountain with the same burning anger as the LORD Himself (v19).
Through the priests he executes a judgement on the people - this is the Levites' ordination! (v29) They have always been blood-thirsty men: "their swords are weapons of violence." (Gen 49:5) When you came to a Levite to confess your sin, you were coming to a violent man with a sword. As he plunged that sword into the animal substitute you would be left in no doubt that this blood-shed is precisely what you deserved.
But even after this blood-shed, Moses realises there's still a work of atonement to be performed:
I will go up to the LORD; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin. (v30)
Here's what he offers to the Father:
Blot me out of the book you have written. (v32)
He doesn't offer the blood of goats or bulls, he doesn't offer the blood of the guilty. He offers his own blood - the blood of the innocent, the blood of a Levite, the blood of the people's ruler.
Would Moses himself be the promised Lamb to be provided on the mountain to make atonement? Genesis 22:1-14 has been promising just this atonement for centuries - the Lamb on the mountain as a burnt offering. And Abraham is certainly on Moses' mind (v13). Would Moses be the One to make atonement?
No. God Most High declines Moses' offer. Instead He reminds him of His Angel - the true leader of the people (v34). The true Warrior and Commander at their head was indeed going before them. They must continue to wait for Him and to trust in Him.
One day He would descend from the heavenlies, the Divine Angel and Saviour, an Intercessor for the people, a Priest in the order of Melchizedek, the Ruler of rulers and a true Innocent. He would be handed over to death by Levites, killed by piercings and blotted out of the Father's book. And right there in bloody sacrifice the true God is on show for the whole world. Not a golden calf. More of a bronze serpent. But this is the real God. Every other god is a counterfeit.
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