Missio Dei for April 22, 2020: Wilderness Christianity: Part 1--First Peter and the "Elect Sojourners"
One of the more interesting, and often neglected, themes in the New Testament is that of the wilderness. For a number of New Testament authors, they look to the wilderness as a helpful way of understanding what Jesus has accomplished and as a way of fomenting Christian identity and mission.
To be clear, the wilderness these New Testament authors have in mind is Israel's sojourn out of slavery from Egypt and towards their inheritance, the Promised Land. This journey is cataloged in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) and remembered in a variety of Psalms (e.g. 95, 105, 106). But it is important to note that in the Old Testament itself the Exodus story becomes the paradigm for a future restoration that will impact not only Israel but also the entire world. In a variety of ways, Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, and Zechariah speak of a day in which God will again redeem His people from exile and slavery and fulfill His covenant with Abraham (Gen 12.1-3), Moses Exodus 19.4-6), and David (2 Samuel 7)--a covenant that was intended to bring peace and restoration to the whole world.
In the following posts entitled "Wilderness Christianity", I want to detail some of the ways in which our New Testament authors, taking their cue from the Old Testament, link the first exodus to the second exodus by means of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and as a way of shaping Christian identity and mission. We begin with 1 Peter.
We saw last Sunday in 1 Peter 1.1-9, Peter identifies his readers with two terms that were first given to Israel as they were called out of Egypt: they are elect (or chosen) sojourners (translated exiles in the ESV; 1 Pet 1.1). He wants both terms to shape our imagination. As elect or chosen ones, we are reminded that God has graciously initiated with us; He has redeemed us from slavery, called us to Himself, and given us a special responsibility to represent Him to the world. As sojourners (or exiles) we are reminded that we live out this privileged calling in the context of alienation or foreignness. That is to say, that we live out our faithfulness or allegiance to God in places where we will be misunderstood, where we are seen as foreigners, where other gods are called upon and trusted in. We are fundamentally people who do not belong, who are on our way to an inheritance, a home that is prepared for us but yet to be fully revealed.
There are a number of ways that Peter illustrates this in 1 Peter 1.1-2.10. For example, He declares that we have been redeemed (a word used in the OT Greek to describe what YHWH did for Israel in Egypt) by the precious blood of Christ, our unblemished Passover lamb (1 Pet 1.18-19; compare with Exodus 12). He describes our present condition as one in which we are faced with a variety of tests or temptations while we journey to our inheritance (1 Pet 1.4-7; compare this with Numbers). We live in a liminal state, in between redemption and inheritance. He emphasizes the need to be obedient to this new way that God has called us to, no longer conforming our lives to our Egyptian upbringing (if you will). The third exhortation of the letter is a refrain that is echoed throughout the wilderness tradition of the Old Testament, especially in the book of Leviticus: "be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet 1.15; Lev 11.44). In chapter two, he points his readers to the original wilderness call to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (1 Peter 2.5, 9-10; Exodus 19.5-6). He declares that this privileged, representative and mediatory calling has been enabled by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, through whom we offer spiritual sacrifices (sacrifices mediated by the Spirit) to God (1 Pet 2.5).
But it is important to note that Peter makes an interesting move in 1 Peter 1.1-2.10; he links this exodus imagery with the promises of a second exodus. For example, he says that the new birth that they have received in Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1.3, 23) is in keeping with the promise made in Isaiah 40. Most Old Testament scholars acknowledge that Isaiah 40 is the prologue of a longer unit in Isaiah (40-55), in which God declares that he will restore his exiled people, be faithful to His covenant, redeem them from their sin, and continue His mission put the world to rights. Throughout Isaiah 40-55 this fresh work of God is described in terms of a new or second exodus. We see this in subtle ways in 1 Peter 2.9-10. When Peter declares that they are a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2.9), he is combining phrases from both Exodus 19.5-6 and Isaiah 43.20--a text that speaks of God's second exodus work that He will initiate through his servant. When Peter declares that we were "once were not a people, but now we are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but how you have received mercy" he is alluding to Hosea 1.6, -10; 2.23. By now it is unsurprising to know that this prophetic passage in Hosea 1-2 describes God's fresh act of redemption, his renewal of covenant faithfulness, in terms of a second exodus in which He will heal us from the disease of idolatry, draw us into the wilderness (as He did in the first exodus), and continue the promises He made to Abraham and Israel.
Peter culminates this link between the first and second exodus in the central passage of 1 Peter, 2.21-25. He characterizes Jesus as the mysterious Suffering Servant whose humiliation and death (as described in the Gospels) not only parallels what we read in Isaiah 53, but also accomplishes the second exodus goal of returning God's people back to the Good Shepherd (see Ezekiel 34; Jer 23, and Zech 9-14), the promised Davidic King whose reign will have no end (2 Samuel 7.16).
This brief survey of the imaginative exegetical work that Peter does in his first letter illustrates what he has declared in 1 Pet 1.10-12--that the prophets prophesied about this salvation, this grace that is now ours. These prophets were serving us, announcing to us the Good News by the Holy Spirit.
It is important to underscore that Peter builds all of his exhortations on this imagery of t second exodus discipleship. That is to say that as he seeks to shape a new identify for those who have pledged their allegiance to Jesus Christ, he does so in terms of this overarching framework:
1. "Therefore, girding the loins of your mind for action (literally, see Exodus 12.11)...set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation (return) of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 13)
2. " As obedient children, to not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance". Instead, "be holy as I am holy" (1 Pet 1.14-15).
3. "Conduct yourselves with fear throughout our time of sojourning" (translated "exile" in the ESV; 1 Pet 1.17).
4. As sojourners and exiles abstain from the passions of the flesh (2.11)
5. You have been called to suffer as Christ did, who left us an example that we should follow (1 Pet 2.21).
In this season of Easter, I would like us to consider what it means that Peter (and others as we will see) compels us to think about the significance of the resurrection in terms of a second exodus,wilderness journey. To meditate on this imagery as a way of grappling with the implications of the resurrection for our lives. How does it shape our expectations? How does it shape our experience of hardship? How does it orient us?
I want to conclude with a few brief suggestions:
1. Gratitude. Wilderness reminds us that we are no longer in Egypt. We are no longer enslaved to the futile ways we have inherited from our father, Adam. In an act of grace, God has initiated with us to deliver us from that which we could not save ourselves. We love, because He first loved us. We live, because Christ died for us. 1 Peter begins and ends with grace: may grace be multiplied to you (1.2: set your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1.13); the God of all grace will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (5.10); stand in this true grace of God (5.12). Our fitting response to this grace is gratitude, thanks.
2. Hope. We are shaped by the promises that God has given us in Jesus Christ. We orient our lives, everything we do around this. As such, we recognize we live in an in-between time. We are not discouraged when we are told we do not belong, when we are misunderstood, when we suffer. For we know that our lives are being preserved for the promises that God has already delivered on in Jesus Christ. We will make it to the Promised Land.
3. Humility. We are not called to make our own way in the this world. God has a plan for us, and he will execute it on our behalf. We can, therefore, humble ourselves under God's mighty hand because we know that he will exalt us at the proper time (5.6)
4. Resistance. One of the primary ways in which we live out our allegiance to Jesus in in resisting the idolatry of our age. We say no to the false promises of the false gods in our midst. We say no to this present age the seeks to conform us to the world.
5. Blessing. We live to be a blessing to our neighbors, just as Israel was called to be a blessing. We have been made "elect sojourners" for the sake of blessing our neighbors and the nations (3. 9).
6. Loyalty (faithfulness).We are not measured by worldly success but rather by our fidelity or faithfulness in the wilderness.
7. Witness. Tests, trials, and temptations provide us the opportunity to bear witness to God, His mission, His care for our lives, and His love for the world. This is what God is doing in and through us in our time of wilderness sojourning.
There are no doubt many other implications. And I would encourage you to explore them in this time, and place share them in comments below.
He is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.
To be clear, the wilderness these New Testament authors have in mind is Israel's sojourn out of slavery from Egypt and towards their inheritance, the Promised Land. This journey is cataloged in the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Old Testament) and remembered in a variety of Psalms (e.g. 95, 105, 106). But it is important to note that in the Old Testament itself the Exodus story becomes the paradigm for a future restoration that will impact not only Israel but also the entire world. In a variety of ways, Old Testament prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Micah, and Zechariah speak of a day in which God will again redeem His people from exile and slavery and fulfill His covenant with Abraham (Gen 12.1-3), Moses Exodus 19.4-6), and David (2 Samuel 7)--a covenant that was intended to bring peace and restoration to the whole world.
In the following posts entitled "Wilderness Christianity", I want to detail some of the ways in which our New Testament authors, taking their cue from the Old Testament, link the first exodus to the second exodus by means of the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, and as a way of shaping Christian identity and mission. We begin with 1 Peter.
We saw last Sunday in 1 Peter 1.1-9, Peter identifies his readers with two terms that were first given to Israel as they were called out of Egypt: they are elect (or chosen) sojourners (translated exiles in the ESV; 1 Pet 1.1). He wants both terms to shape our imagination. As elect or chosen ones, we are reminded that God has graciously initiated with us; He has redeemed us from slavery, called us to Himself, and given us a special responsibility to represent Him to the world. As sojourners (or exiles) we are reminded that we live out this privileged calling in the context of alienation or foreignness. That is to say, that we live out our faithfulness or allegiance to God in places where we will be misunderstood, where we are seen as foreigners, where other gods are called upon and trusted in. We are fundamentally people who do not belong, who are on our way to an inheritance, a home that is prepared for us but yet to be fully revealed.
There are a number of ways that Peter illustrates this in 1 Peter 1.1-2.10. For example, He declares that we have been redeemed (a word used in the OT Greek to describe what YHWH did for Israel in Egypt) by the precious blood of Christ, our unblemished Passover lamb (1 Pet 1.18-19; compare with Exodus 12). He describes our present condition as one in which we are faced with a variety of tests or temptations while we journey to our inheritance (1 Pet 1.4-7; compare this with Numbers). We live in a liminal state, in between redemption and inheritance. He emphasizes the need to be obedient to this new way that God has called us to, no longer conforming our lives to our Egyptian upbringing (if you will). The third exhortation of the letter is a refrain that is echoed throughout the wilderness tradition of the Old Testament, especially in the book of Leviticus: "be holy, for I am holy" (1 Pet 1.15; Lev 11.44). In chapter two, he points his readers to the original wilderness call to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (1 Peter 2.5, 9-10; Exodus 19.5-6). He declares that this privileged, representative and mediatory calling has been enabled by the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, through whom we offer spiritual sacrifices (sacrifices mediated by the Spirit) to God (1 Pet 2.5).
But it is important to note that Peter makes an interesting move in 1 Peter 1.1-2.10; he links this exodus imagery with the promises of a second exodus. For example, he says that the new birth that they have received in Jesus Christ (1 Pet 1.3, 23) is in keeping with the promise made in Isaiah 40. Most Old Testament scholars acknowledge that Isaiah 40 is the prologue of a longer unit in Isaiah (40-55), in which God declares that he will restore his exiled people, be faithful to His covenant, redeem them from their sin, and continue His mission put the world to rights. Throughout Isaiah 40-55 this fresh work of God is described in terms of a new or second exodus. We see this in subtle ways in 1 Peter 2.9-10. When Peter declares that they are a "chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet 2.9), he is combining phrases from both Exodus 19.5-6 and Isaiah 43.20--a text that speaks of God's second exodus work that He will initiate through his servant. When Peter declares that we were "once were not a people, but now we are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but how you have received mercy" he is alluding to Hosea 1.6, -10; 2.23. By now it is unsurprising to know that this prophetic passage in Hosea 1-2 describes God's fresh act of redemption, his renewal of covenant faithfulness, in terms of a second exodus in which He will heal us from the disease of idolatry, draw us into the wilderness (as He did in the first exodus), and continue the promises He made to Abraham and Israel.
Peter culminates this link between the first and second exodus in the central passage of 1 Peter, 2.21-25. He characterizes Jesus as the mysterious Suffering Servant whose humiliation and death (as described in the Gospels) not only parallels what we read in Isaiah 53, but also accomplishes the second exodus goal of returning God's people back to the Good Shepherd (see Ezekiel 34; Jer 23, and Zech 9-14), the promised Davidic King whose reign will have no end (2 Samuel 7.16).
This brief survey of the imaginative exegetical work that Peter does in his first letter illustrates what he has declared in 1 Pet 1.10-12--that the prophets prophesied about this salvation, this grace that is now ours. These prophets were serving us, announcing to us the Good News by the Holy Spirit.
It is important to underscore that Peter builds all of his exhortations on this imagery of t second exodus discipleship. That is to say that as he seeks to shape a new identify for those who have pledged their allegiance to Jesus Christ, he does so in terms of this overarching framework:
1. "Therefore, girding the loins of your mind for action (literally, see Exodus 12.11)...set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation (return) of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet 13)
2. " As obedient children, to not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance". Instead, "be holy as I am holy" (1 Pet 1.14-15).
3. "Conduct yourselves with fear throughout our time of sojourning" (translated "exile" in the ESV; 1 Pet 1.17).
4. As sojourners and exiles abstain from the passions of the flesh (2.11)
5. You have been called to suffer as Christ did, who left us an example that we should follow (1 Pet 2.21).
In this season of Easter, I would like us to consider what it means that Peter (and others as we will see) compels us to think about the significance of the resurrection in terms of a second exodus,wilderness journey. To meditate on this imagery as a way of grappling with the implications of the resurrection for our lives. How does it shape our expectations? How does it shape our experience of hardship? How does it orient us?
I want to conclude with a few brief suggestions:
1. Gratitude. Wilderness reminds us that we are no longer in Egypt. We are no longer enslaved to the futile ways we have inherited from our father, Adam. In an act of grace, God has initiated with us to deliver us from that which we could not save ourselves. We love, because He first loved us. We live, because Christ died for us. 1 Peter begins and ends with grace: may grace be multiplied to you (1.2: set your hope fully on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ (1.13); the God of all grace will restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you (5.10); stand in this true grace of God (5.12). Our fitting response to this grace is gratitude, thanks.
2. Hope. We are shaped by the promises that God has given us in Jesus Christ. We orient our lives, everything we do around this. As such, we recognize we live in an in-between time. We are not discouraged when we are told we do not belong, when we are misunderstood, when we suffer. For we know that our lives are being preserved for the promises that God has already delivered on in Jesus Christ. We will make it to the Promised Land.
3. Humility. We are not called to make our own way in the this world. God has a plan for us, and he will execute it on our behalf. We can, therefore, humble ourselves under God's mighty hand because we know that he will exalt us at the proper time (5.6)
4. Resistance. One of the primary ways in which we live out our allegiance to Jesus in in resisting the idolatry of our age. We say no to the false promises of the false gods in our midst. We say no to this present age the seeks to conform us to the world.
5. Blessing. We live to be a blessing to our neighbors, just as Israel was called to be a blessing. We have been made "elect sojourners" for the sake of blessing our neighbors and the nations (3. 9).
6. Loyalty (faithfulness).We are not measured by worldly success but rather by our fidelity or faithfulness in the wilderness.
7. Witness. Tests, trials, and temptations provide us the opportunity to bear witness to God, His mission, His care for our lives, and His love for the world. This is what God is doing in and through us in our time of wilderness sojourning.
There are no doubt many other implications. And I would encourage you to explore them in this time, and place share them in comments below.
He is risen. He is risen indeed. Hallelujah.
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