Reading and Class Discussion Questions - Exodus 19-24 and 32-34, Bandstra 129-47  and Levenson on E-reserve.  For an outline of Exodus see http://barrybandstra.com/tables/ch03/ch03_tb24.htm

1. After reading Ex. 19:1-24:8, how would you describe the Sinai covenant between God and Israel? What is the motivation for the Israelites agreeing to the covenant (Ex. 19:3-8) ? What function do the laws in Ex. 20-23 serve as part of the covenant?  What passages stood out in your mind as keys to interpreting the whole?  Does this covenant fit more the Ancient Near Eastern charter covenant or treaty covenant pattern discussed by Bandstra on 84-85?

2.  The Ten Words or Ten Commandments is also sometimes called the Ethical Decalogue. (deca means ten). It is found in Ex. 20:1-17.  It is also found in Deuteronomy 5 with some slight variations.  Bandstra has a table comparing the two at http://barrybandstra.com/tables/ch03/ch03_tb18.htm   The commands are also numbered slightly differently in different religious traditions as Bandstra details at http://barrybandstra.com/tables/ch03/ch03_tb19.htm   Bandstra does a nice job explaining what each entailed in the original setting.   The Jewish Study Bible also has interesting annotations.  For class pick one of the laws and be able to explain what it likely meant in its original historical and cultural context.

3.  How do the apodictic (absolute, unconditional with no if. . ., then . . .) and casuistic (conditional, includes reasons and consequences) laws included in Ex. 20-23 compare with laws in the rest of the Ancient Near East? What kind of social conditions do they reflect? Why stick a bunch of laws in the middle of the story? Pick two of the laws in the Code of Hammurabi to compare with those in Exodus.  You can find the code at http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/MESO/CODE.HTM  

4.  There are several ceremonies concluding the Sinai Covenant in 24:1-15. What are the two traditions?  What distinguishes them?  What symbolism is involved?

5. Exodus 32-34 detail as Bandstra puts it, "Covenant Breaking and Remaking." (141).   Why a golden calf?  What does the calf forshadow in terms of life in the promised land and specifically in terms of 1 Kings 12:28?   What role do the Levites play?  What is a Levite?  What is the significance of Moses' meeting with YHWH at the tent of meeting?  Following the documentary hypothesis, much of 32-33 comes from "E"?  According to Bandstra, what E concerns are reflected and how might they reflect historical circumstances in which E traditions emerged?

6.  Exodus 34 contains the "Ritual Decalogue." (Bandstra 143).   What do these laws focus upon?

7.  Note the discussion of the Tabernacle in Bandstra 143-45. What do various elements of the tabernacle symbolize?  What parallels do you see to the creation story of Gen. 1?

8.  A general question that reading Exodus raises is, What is the purpose and function of law in general in any society?  Is law only coercive?   How might the grounding of agricultural, social, ritual, and other laws in the Sinai covenant shape an understanding of law for readers belonging to various communities in different times in history--ancient and modern? 

9.  What key concerns does Levenson raise in the brief e-reserve reading?   What is he afraid some Christian interpretations might miss about law and covenant?     FYI - Magnalia Dei means mighty acts of God. Mitsvot - plural of mitzvah -  depending on context: God-given commandment or law; good deed

10.   One traditional line of interpretation of Exodus is that these traditions are significant because they describe a God who acts in history, in time.  They establish historical-political models rather than natural or sexual models for understanding a divine/human relationship. In conjunction with this, they establish the divine as transcendent and powerful and at the same time immanent as the liberator and initiator of a personal relationship with a chosen people.  Ethics takes front and center stage with obedience to divine law as the sign of a loving relationship with God. Gratitude for liberation involves seeking to live justly. Evaluate this interpretation. What in the text supports or does not support this interpretation? How has this theological/ideological interpretation shaped Western culture?