Exodus: Unity of Law and Grace

Times of Observance

Professor: Dr. R.J. Rushdoony

Subject: Pentateuch

Lesson: Times of Observance

Genre: Lessons with Q & A

Track: 036

Dictation Name: RR171T36

Location/Venue:

Year: Early 70’s

Let us worship God. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come before His presence with singing. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful unto Him and bless His name, for the Lord is good, his mercy is everlasting, and His truth endureth to all generations. Let us pray.

Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we give thanks unto thee that thou art He who dost provide for us. Who in season sendest rain, who supplyest good to all living creatures. Make us truly grateful. Make us ever mindful, our Father, that our times are in thy hands, and that thou doest all things well. In thy justice and mercy, bring the nations to their knees, all peoples to thy house, and make of thee nations thine inheritance. Bless us in thy service, in Christ’s name, Amen.

Our scripture is Exodus 12:37-42. Our subject: Times of Observance. Exodus 12:37-42. “And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot that were men, beside children. And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle. And they baked unleavened cakes of the dough which they brought forth out of Egypt, for it was not leavened; because they were thrust out of Egypt, and could not tarry, neither had they prepared for themselves any victual. Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. And it came at pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of Egypt. It is a night to be much observed unto the LORD for bringing them out from the land of Egypt: this is that night of the LORD to be observed of all the children of Israel in their generations.”

The Hebrews assembled for their departure at Rameses, and the first stage of their journey was Succoth, the Egyptian Thuku. The men numbered, we are told, six hundred thousand, a rounded out figure. We are given a more precise figure in Numbers 1:47; six hundred three thousand five hundred and fifty men. This did not include the women nor the children. We are told also that a mixed multitude of non-Hebrews left with them. These could have been non-Hebrew slaves who chose to leave with Israel, and also believing Egyptians. It also included instances of intermarriage between Hebrews and Egyptians.

It is interesting to note that in Nehemiah’s day, a mixed multitude went to Jerusalem with the Jews. These were separated from the Jews by Nehemiah in terms of the law of Deuteronomy 23:3-8. Now such a separation had reference to membership in the covenant. No other discrimination was applied to them. They were simply barred from any governing power in Judea until specified generations had passed, and the people of alien origin had developed the moral character to become fully a part of the covenant nation. In some instances, this was three generations. In others, it was ten generations. So many of these people did not have the same moral character that Israel did. They were people who were marked by all kinds of bad moral characteristics, customs, traditions, and so on. And so, before they became voting members of the congregation of Israel, they had to have generations of discipline and training. This was not racial discrimination. It was giving time for a people to develop in their character and in their awareness of the meaning of the faith and culture into which they had been adopted by faith.

The interesting thing is this same law applied to King David’s ancestors, because of his Moabite ancestress, Ruth. Now we know that David’s father and grandfather were important people, but they were not a part of the covenant fellowship in any ability to serve as elders or to be voting members of the congregation of Israel until David’s day.

Given the number of Israelites and the mixed multitude, the common estimate that there were two million people who left Egypt is a reasonable one. In fact, it would be possible to say that the number could have been as great as three million. At the same time, we are told that the Hebrews had large holdings of livestock. Although they had been enslaved for the forced state-imposed tax levies, the Hebrews still had their own herds in Goshen. As a result, they were a nation on the march. They could only move slowly.

Now, the main preoccupation of many biblical scholars with this text is first, to question the population statistics. They want to reduce them to a few wandering families and tribes, at the most. And second, to question the length of the Egyptian sojourn as it is stated in verse 41. This is routine, of course. But is it not wiser to question our own understanding, because at this distance, centuries between us, many factors are unknown to us. For a long time, until about the time of my birth, it was said that Moses could not have written the five books of Moses, simply because there was no written script among the Hebrews. We know now that that is ridiculous. One argument after another used by the radical critics of the Bible has been destroyed. Their response instead of saying, “Maybe we’ve been all this time in error, and we ought to recognize that this narrative is true.” No, they invent further things to quibble at.

Now, there’s another factor. They question the ability of Israel to have left Egypt as quickly as they did, even though we would have to say it was not very rapid. But we forget that because today, we are so place-bound that we find it difficult to leave. That in bygone centuries people knew when the handwriting was on the wall and they moved. Near the end of the eighteenth century in Russian, four hundred thousand Tartars left Russia in a single night to start a hurried move to the borders of China, to East Asia. It has been done again and again in history. So, the idea of two million, or maybe three million people decamping and leaving a country is not only sensible, but given the fact that they were thrust out of Egypt, now they wanted rid of them, it would have been stupidity to remain.

We are told also, that at the same day they left, the fifteenth of Nissan, four hundred and thirty years of captivity ended. Here again, our knowledge is limited. To declare that no text in the Bible can stand unless we verify it, is to make ourselves god over God. This is what the Bible says and we are to believe it. We have never proven the Bible to be wrong at any point, and all the archeological work has confirmed it again and again.

Robert Jamison wrote, concerning Israel’s departure, and I quote, “It is a groundless objection to say that this vast multitude so widely disbursed, and so encumbered with old and young, and cattle, were summoned to march at a moment’s notice. They had been fully apprised of their approaching release immediately after the return of Moses to Egypt. Every successive plague awakened brighter hopes, and they were led in prospect of the last awful judgment to make active preparations for the journey so that, so far from being taken by surprise, the entire Hebrew population were in the attitude of eager expectation for the signal to depart.”

Now, to leave so quickly meant all kinds of inconveniences and problems. Calvin observed that “God’s blessings are always accompanied by some inconvenience so that the souls of the devout will not be spoiled by too much pleasure.” Whether this is always true or not, it was so in this case. We are told that the women hastily baked bread on the march. At the moment, Israel had many, many inducements to leave. There is clear-cut evidence that those who left, both Israelite and non-Israelite were no godly in the main, and hence that generation was published in the wilderness, but they had the sense to get out when they knew they had to. God did not see them as fit for the responsibilities of the Promised Land. Calvin said about this mixed multitude, but it applies as well to Israel, and I quote, “But if any should think it absurd that ungodly men with no better hope before them would voluntarily forsake a rich and convenient habitation in order to seek a new home as wanderers and pilgrims. Let him recollect that Egypt had now been afflicted by so many calamities that by its very poverty and devastation, it might easily have driven away its inhabitants. A great part of the cattle had perished. All the fruits of the earth were corrupted. The fields were ravaged and almost desert. We need not therefore wonder if despair should have caused many sojourners to fly away, and even some of the natives (the Egyptians) themselves. It may be also that having been inhumanly been treated they shook off the yoke of tyranny when a way of liberty was opened to them.”

We do know that many of the people who left were sorry that they had left and were eager to look back on Egypt as security. Well, that’s what slavery is. Slavery is security, cradle to grave security, and that has been the appeal of slavery over the generations to countless numbers of people. We are often told by liberals who write histories about slavery about slave revolts, and they’re very real. But the fact remains that in slave revolts only a handful of people are involved. That in some countries, like the West Indies, there would be only one or two Europeans for hundreds of slaves, and rarely did any problems result, because what slavery offered with all its griefs and inconveniences, and often brutalities, was cradle to grave security. We shouldn’t wonder at that. All we have to do is to look around us today and see how people are pushing this country, and country after country into slavery. They are doing it because their modern name for slavery is security, and in the name of security, they are going turn us all into slaves, and how many are ready to rebel against it? Slaves have always been famous for complaining, not for doing anything about their condition.

So, today we have a world that is moving into slavery as rapidly as it can. Even those for example, who escape from the Soviet Union because they find the tyranny finally unbearable, become very upset when they come to the United States. More often than is written about, but it is written about, when they walk into a supermarket for the first time, they are horrified. To think of all this food piled up, why it’s criminal! For them, everything should be rationed. That, to them, is the orderly way. So, we should not be surprised that the slaves left the land where there was slavery, but they did not leave the spirit of slavery behind.

But then, we must remember, this type of thing, God leading people in spite of themselves, is not only true of the ungodly. We often take steps without realizing the problems which will ensue. It is the grace of God that the future is at best only dimly known to us. When we take the steps we believe are the best decisions we have made, we do it because we don’t see the consequences. Every step we take towards greater freedom, greater responsibility, also means greater problems.

In verse 42, the last verse of this passage, we have a reference to the passover, because the deliverance of Israel from Egypt is not Israel’s work, but God’s. It was due not to Israel’s merits, but to God’s grace. As a result in the account of their departure, God’s work of mercy is once again stressed. James Moffett’s rendering of verse 42 is telling. He rendered it, “It was a night when the Eternal was on the watch to bring them out of Egypt. A night when all Israelites must keep watch for the Eternal age after age.” This verse is given to us in this passage with a particular emphasis. First, the omnipresence and the providence of God is stressed in a very personal and particular way. We are not permitted to think of God as a remote, determinism and a far out power. The totally personal and triune God is a very present help in time of need, and also when we are not aware of any needs. In the words of James Russell Lowell, writing in 1845, “Behind the dim unknown standeth God within the shadows keeping watch above His own.” That is from the hymn, Once to Every Man and Nation,” which unhappily is not in our hymnal. It is one of the greater hymns written by an American.

Then second, we are told of the passover, that it is a night when all Israelites must keep watch for the Eternal, age after age. The later part of this verse is rendered by the Berkeley version, “The Israelites shall keep watch in the presence of the Lord.” To cite two other readings of this verse, or translations, Joseph Bryant Rotherham, “A night of solemn observances it is unto Yahweh for bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt. This same night pertaineth to Yahweh for solemn observances by all the sons of Israel to their generations.” Robert Young rendered it, “A night of watchings it is to Jehovah to bring them out from the land of Egypt. It is this night to Jehovah of watchings to all the sons of Israel to their generations.” Others have rendered that phrase, “A night of vigils.”

What it tells us is this. God requires us to observe and celebrate certain holy days. Time is marked, not only by the cycles of work, of weeks, of sabbaths, but also God’s acts in history. For this reason, national holidays, or holy days, were once religious observances. I can recall, as a boy, that the town celebration of the fourth of July began with a religious observance, in a park. The same was true of Memorial Day, only then it was held in the cemetery, and everyone turned out. All the national holidays were seen from a religious perspective, and so God tells us, when in His providence He blesses us, we are to make it a night, or a day, or a time of vigils, or remembering, or watching. So, the days when God, as a nation has blessed us, or as individuals, we are to keep them in remembrance and celebrate them.

Now, if you didn’t know, I’ll tell you now, this is why we observe wedding anniversaries. Why the birthdays of a family are important to the family. These are occasions when God has blessed us. They are to be a time of remembrance. So, some people who think they are being holier, and there are churches and persons who feel that they’re above ever celebrating Christmas, or Easter, that every Sunday is a day of worship and they’re all the same to them, or who are above remembering the family and personal days of remembrance, are out of touch with God. Times of remembrance, nights and days of vigils, of rememberings, or watchings. Looking forward to them, celebrating them as families, individuals, and as nations is commanded, because in our lives, personal and national, there are times of providential blessings and deliverances which we are required to commemorate. What this tells us is that God’s blessings must mark our times and our days, so we work by the clock. We work by the week. We go to work at a particular time so many days and then we’re off, and God says, “Remember the days of blessing.” Let us pray.

Our Lord and our God, we thank thee that thou hast blessed us all our days. That thou hast led us through doorways which, if we known, we would not have entered, but which have been the making of our lives. Teach us to remember the times of thy care, of thy blessing, of thy grace unto us as individuals and as a people. Thy word is truth, oh Lord, and thy blessings should mark all our days with thanksgiving. In Christ’s name. Amen.

Are there any questions now about our lesson? Yes?

[Audience] Just an observation with regard to the mention of the fact that non-Israelites left Egypt with the Israelites. I was in Eastern Europe a few times and it struck me that there were a number of non-believers who risked their lives to cooperate with Christians, and I wondered about that at the time. It occurred to me that the reason they did that was they saw something unique and very free and special about the non-believing, or about the group of believers that they were associated with, wanted to have a share in whatever that life was, even though they didn’t profess to be believers.

[Rushdoony] Yes, in the first case of church and state conflict, the resistance began when everyone else was ready to fold, with a father who was not a Christian. It was in the Wisner case in Ohio, and in that case, every parent who had his child in that particular Christian school was told to appear at court with their children’s bags packed, because their children were going to be taken from them after that hearing. And some of the parents were ready to surrender then and there, and withdraw their children from the Christian school. But it was a husband of a Christian wife, the man was unbelieving, and he had objected to his child going to a Christian school, but once he saw the difference it made in his child and in his home, he was the one who said, “I don’t care about the rest of you,” when they had a parental teacher’s meeting, but he said, “I feel that we have been a better family for that, because of that Christian school, and I’m going to fight,” and with that, the Christian fathers and mothers were ashamed and agreed to fight, and they won the case. Yes?

[Audience] It seems so often that we in the western church almost tend to repulse people rather than being a community which is so attractive that people would want to associate with us, for what we are.

[Rushdoony] Yes. That unhappily is true. Are there any other questions and comments? Well, if not, let us bow our heads in prayer.

Our Lord and our God, we thank thee for thy word. We thank thee for the multitude of thy blessings, they are new every morning. And thou hast for us in time, and even more in eternity, a glorious providence and provision. Make us ever grateful and mindful of how rich we are. And now go in peace. God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost bless you and keep you, guide and protect you this day and always. Amen.

End of tape.