Stoned-Campbell Disciple

Take Hebrews. Hebrews is loaded with the Hebrew Bible (through its Greek translation, the Septuagint, LXX). Psalms is paramount. Some imagine Leviticus is supreme. These are all there. But the Sermonator preaches Jesus the Messiah/King Priest through an Exodus Story Filter. Hebrews scholar David Moffitt put it like this,

“[O]ne can see how Hebrews maps the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus onto the events of the exodus/covenant inauguration, the inauguration of the priesthood and tabernacle, and the ongoing worship and covenant maintenance the priests performed within that sacred space …” (“Exodus in Hebrews,” in The Exodus in the NT, ed, Seth M. Ehorn, p. 158).

This narrative structure in Hebrews is shaped by the Pentateuch itself and also by the liturgy of Israel itself. In the “Pilgrimage” festivals of Israel, have you ever noticed, that Israel is always in the Wilderness, they are not “in the land.”

Passover … Israel out from Egypt into the Wilderness (covenant of hesed inaugurated by God). Israel, God’s house, was to be set free so they could “worship” or “draw near” to God (that was the goal).

Weeks/Pentecost … Israel arrives at Mt. Sinai covenant ratified in the Wilderness (Covenant is broken – Golden Calf and made new, Ex 32-34)

Tabernacles/Booths … Israel is in the Wilderness because they broke the covenant AGAIN/had hard unbelieving hearts (but Yahweh in Hesed cares for and feeds even the rebellious)

In the worship, Israel is always a redeemed but pilgrim/wilderness people. They are a redeemed but a fallen short of the glory of God people. They are a redeemed but waiting for transformation people.

Israel is a Wilderness People … they have not “entered” into God’s Rest in the liturgy. The Story of those festivals is one of incredible Hesed in the face of unbelief. The Festivals tell the story (of course not every detail but the gist) of Exodus through Deuteronomy.

The Sermonator “maps” the life of Jesus ONTO this narrative. The Psalms, the kainos/renewed/covenant made new, the entry into the sanctuary Moses saw on the Mountain, and the people coming to Mt. Zion places the Sermonator’s congregation in the EXACT SAME PLACE as Israel of Old.

Israel made new (not replaced) has been liberated but we have not arrived. Jesus is the guarantee of the kainos/renewed/covenant made new through HIS perfect maintenance of it. But we still sin, we still do not know God as we should, we still do not have God’s law written on our hearts. We are on the “edge” of God’s Rest but have not entered into it, yet. Thus in a very real sense beloved the “kainos” covenant is STILL FUTURE and its effects upon us await for Jesus to appear.

The Sermonator is sort of like a Moses figure himself. Preaching covenant faithfulness to God’s rowdy bunch on the east side of the Jordan River. But the Holy Spirit is with us, just as he was with Israel in the Wilderness … where we still are. But we “see Jesus” the King of Israel who has been perfected with a resurrected body, an indestructible life, that HAS entered God’s Rest.

See Also

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 14th, 2026 at 5:08 am and is filed under Exodus, Hebrews, Jewish Backgrounds, Patternism. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.