Tall Tales & Freewill

August 9, 2009, 1:55 pm by dc-agape.

Exodus 33:7 - 23

The beginning of this chapter is a little back history.  Prior to the instructions for the Tent of Meetings Moses had used a small tent of meeting.  So it was an up-grade from the altars of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.  It was also an up-grade from the altar that YHWH commanded Moses to make from un-worked earth (Exodus 20:24-25).  But this tent of meeting was not inside the Israeli camp. 

Some issues occur with the concept of putting a tent outside the camp.  The Word of God tells us that all (2,000,000) Israeli would worship when Moses interred the tent outside the camp.  I have in past posts attempted to describe the size of this camp.  I have also explained that if there were 600,000 men (over the age of 20) then there were at least an equal amount of women and children.  What must also be added to this are the cattle, donkeys, sheep, and goats.  So Moses setting up a tent of meeting outside the camp meant that it had to be (giving each person even a 3’x3’ area (1m²) – on average – up to at least 1.25 miles (2 km) from some of the Israelites.   Yet all the Israelites stop what they were doing while Moses was in this tent.  Somehow, even with the “pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent” people could see that up to 2km away.  The other issue that tent brings up is that if everyone stopped to worship, camp routine would be disrupted.  How long did Moses stay in the tent of meeting and how often did he inter the tent?  Animals had to be tended, food had to be prepared, children had to be looked after and most important – sanitation had to be continually dealt with.  Disrupting camp routine numerous times a day or even a week would leave the camp in massive disarray.  Animals would die, children become lost, and waste would spread disease.  You would also think that after spending over 3 months in one location modern humans would find the refuse from this many people staying near Mount Sinai.

Joshua would remain in the tent at all times, except when he accompanied Moses to the top of Mount Sinai.  During the first 40 days that Moses was on Mount Sinai no one tended to the tent. I guess that since YHWH wasn’t there the tent was useless.  But we have no dimensions of this tent, was Joshua also in the presence of YHWH during this time, or was there two rooms in the tent so Joshua was separated from YHWH?

The second part of this chapter continues Moses argumentative character.  Moses nearly demands that YHWH tell him who will travel with the Israelites and guard them from enemies.  YHWH clearly tells Moses:

Exodus 33:14 The Lord replied, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

But for some reason this does not satisfy Moses:

Exodus 33:15 Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not do with us, do not send us up from here.

Moses goes on to demand answers to how other nations will know that YHWH is pleased with Moses, himself, and the Israelites if YHWH is not with them.  He even wants to know what will distinguish the Israelites from other nations.  (So would any Atheist todayJ)  But Moses becomes even more bold.  He demands to see the presence of YHWH.  This initiates a situation that has two interesting conclusions.  I will start with the second one.  YHWH promises to show Moses “all his goodness”, but with a hitch.  Moses will only be able to see YHWH from the rear, after YHWH has passed by the place where Moses is waiting.  The first situation is actually the most important, and I want to end on it:

Exodus 33:19 And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence.  I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.

Of course, Moses is only allowed to see the tail end of YHWH’s goodness, but at least he will hear YHWH name – Jealousy (Exodus 34:14) I mean Lord.  But that is not the point I wanted to make.  It is that second part of the verse that is important.  Notice how YHWH makes one thing clear:  he will choice who he has mercy on and who he will show compassion to.  This, to an Atheist, indicates that YHWH chooses who will be saved and who will go to hell.  Then, as a result, this verse means that humans, under Christianity or Judaism, do not have freewill.  There is no choice; YHWH decides who receives peace and who receives punishment.  How does this indicate a loving supernatural being?  Arbitrarily deciding who will be punished for eternity, because YHWH has chosen not to have mercy on a soul, is not a sign of love.

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