Daily Reading Passages

Click below to see the passages online. Although, I recommend that if you can you read these in your own Bible. That way you can underline, comment, and become familiar with your own Bible.

Exodus 19:16 - 21:21

Matthew 23:13-39

Psalms 28:1-9

Proverbs 7:1-5

Coaching Comments

The Old Testament reading for today is a critical one. Exodus 19:16 - 21:21 shows us Israel's interaction with God at Mount Sinai, the giving of the Ten Commandments, and the beginning of the civil law for Israel. What we read here and in the next few days will be foundational to the culture that Israel becomes in the coming years, even centuries.

The context of this is pretty important to understand. It's easy for us to think of the Bible characters as all having the same revelation of God. But, as you've been seeing through the narrative, that is not the case. God has been reaching to this particular family, condescending Himself to reach them, regardless of where they were at. What many people don't realize is that by the time of the Exodus, the Hebrews' knowledge of Yahweh God was pretty limited. Four hundred years had passed in slavery, surrounded by the polytheistic culture of Egypt. What knowledge they had was passed down by word of mouth, some of it clear, much of it faded to the level of myth. That's part of the reason for God's actions in the plagues. He was having to establish to these people that He was more powerful than Osiris, Horeb, Ra, and all the other Egyptian deities. So, when we look back it's easy for us to think that such and such a thing is obvious about God, but we cannot forget that the people in the story don't have the benefit of a widely distributed scripture, systematic religious education, or even a clearly defined cultural heritage with this God.

That's another thing to consider. When Israel/Jacob's children came to Egypt, they came in as a single bedouin tribe. Their culture and their laws were from that background, and suited for keeping the peace between small, nomadic tribes. But now, leaving Egypt, they were an enormous group of people, twelve interconnected tribes plus all sorts of other associated people. If they were really going to be a nation, they were going to have to transition to a whole new model of civic society.

So, at Mount Sinai both of these things happen. God reveals more of Himself, establishing Himself as a trustworthy and powerful God, capable of fulfilling His promises to them. He also reveals more about His expectations of them, and the rough outlines of the culture they are to become. So, as we start reading through lists of laws, keep this in mind. God is taking a bunch of slaves not used to governing themselves, slaves who have largely lost their functional spiritual journey, and kick-starting their sense of connection to Him, and their ability to live together in the kind of community He wants for them.

God appeared on the mountain in a stunning display of power, setting Himself apart as holy and unique from the gods they were used to seeing in Egypt, strange animal-headed men with limited and conflicting power. The first thing to come from the conversation is the Ten Commandments.

Now, we could go into an in-depth study of just these few verses, but for now, just consider this one thing. The Ten Commandments get big press in Christianity. They have been called the "perfect revelation of God's character." They are pretty frequently seen as God's highest standard for humanity. I believe that this is in fact 'not' the case. The Ten Commandments are not God's high standard for a redeemed people. They are God's lowest threshold of what it means to be a human community. These are the lowest possible lines that can exist for a healthy community where God's creation is respected.

This is not to demean or denigrate the Ten Commandments. For the Hebrews coming out of four hundred years of slavery, this is exactly what they needed to guide them into the future, and for humanity at many points, these standards have proven to be life-savers. But for Christians - people who have been saved from their sin, filled with the Holy Spirit, and set on mission to be an avenue of grace to the world - the Ten Commandments are the least of our concerns. Listen carefully. I do not mean to say that Christians shouldn't live by these standards. I am saying that Christians are to live so far above these standards, that they don't even enter into the discussion. For example, if we are to let Jesus change us so that we no longer hate our enemies, we will never need fear crossing the line of killing them. Not killing is the lowest possible threshold of how to love the people around you. But you would probably agree with me that not killing is certainly not in the same neighborhood as loving. And loving is what Christians are called to be about. That being said, we need to read these commandments (and the laws that follow them) trying to understand what God was saying to these people in the text. This is the only way we will really understand what God was getting at. That comes first, before we can ever tackle the discussion of how these things may apply to Christians today.

Following the Ten Commandments we get the first installment of civil laws given by God through Moses to help shape this new community. First, there are some laws about how to sacrifice to God. These are largely about creating a distinction between the worship of Yahweh God and the worship of other gods going on at the time. Then we get a list of rules about how to interact with servants. Interestingly enough, these laws about slaves are some of the most liberal in the ancient world. Here we see the seed of God's ultimate truth - that people are valuable, and regardless of the cultural standards, are to be treated with respect and dignity. Following these, we get laws about personal injury and retaliation, including some basic situations warranting capital punishment.

Through these laws God is establishing some firm boundaries meant to strengthen the fabric of this new culture being formed, that would ultimately become a kingdom of priests and bless the world.

The New Testament reading for today, Matthew 23:13-39, continues the teachings of Jesus. In response to the conflict with the religious leaders from yesterday, Jesus launches into a series of condemnations on this form of hypocritical religion. This whole sequence of "woes" is largely directed at the empty and manipulative practices of people who are in power spiritually, who use that position for their own benefit, rather than for furthering their spiritual mission. It becomes a powerful sequence of warnings to us about how not to go about our religious life. The emotional sermon ends with a window into God's heart, how He longs for these stubborn and rebellious children to come to Him, but how He will let them face the consequences of their own choices.

Our Psalm for today is Psalms 28:1-9. This one falls in the now familiar pattern of David's. A call for aid, condemnation of his enemies, and then a statement of faith and trust in God. Like our life - the tone is the same, the circumstances different. God is the foundation of strength - even in the face of terrible circumstances.

The Proverbs reading today, Proverbs 7:1-5, begins a little story about a young man who abandoned wisdom and allowed adultery to lead him astray. Again, we have reiterated for us the critical importance of keeping God's wisdom close to your heart. "Write it on the tablets of your heart."

2007 Cohort Comments