The scene that Moses describes in Deuteronomy 27ff. is a covenant renewal ceremony. After Israel has gone into the land, they are to reaffirm their identity as God's people, His blessings to them, and their own loyalty to Him.
As so often in the Old Testament, ‘mount’ is a little generous for Ebal and Gerizim. According to one source Ebal rises about 1400 feet above the valley floor, and Gerizim rises several hundred feet over the same valley. This is not the Grand Canyon! It is, though, a sort of natural amphitheater, with a fairly narrow valley framed by two sloping hills. So, the picture we should have in our minds is the tribes of Israel arrayed on the slopes of the hills, filling in toward the valley floor.
As so often in the Old Testament, ‘mount’ is a little generous for Ebal and Gerizim. According to one source Ebal rises about 1400 feet above the valley floor, and Gerizim rises several hundred feet over the same valley. This is not the Grand Canyon! It is, though, a sort of natural amphitheater, with a fairly narrow valley framed by two sloping hills. So, the picture we should have in our minds is the tribes of Israel arrayed on the slopes of the hills, filling in toward the valley floor.
They’re arranged this way for a covenant renewal/affirmation ceremony. They are, in a sense, summarizing who they are and affirming the consequences of disobedience to the covenant before them. Their ‘Amens’ after each of the curses is sort of like signing and signing and signing when you get a loan or a mortgage. Your signature says, “Yes, I agree to that stipulation. Yes, I agree with that statement. Yes, I agree that that’s a fair penalty if I default.” The scene carries on for several chapters.
Humans seem to need these reaffirmations. Our sinfulness leads us astray and we need constant reminders of who we are, Whose we are, and what we are supposed to be. Christians do a similar thing in our regular recitation of the Creed. If we were to use the Luther's order of Morning and Evening Prayer (http://www.cph.org/t-topic-catechism-dailyprayers.aspx), we'd find a reaffirmation in the sign of the cross, a reminder of our Baptism and God's claim on us as His adopted children.
Humans seem to need these reaffirmations. Our sinfulness leads us astray and we need constant reminders of who we are, Whose we are, and what we are supposed to be. Christians do a similar thing in our regular recitation of the Creed. If we were to use the Luther's order of Morning and Evening Prayer (http://www.cph.org/t-topic-catechism-dailyprayers.aspx), we'd find a reaffirmation in the sign of the cross, a reminder of our Baptism and God's claim on us as His adopted children.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.