The further we read in these primal stories of Genesis and Exodus, a clear theme begins to emerge about what it means to be 'God's People' (then and now). To the wandering Hebrew tribes God had said: "If you will keep my commandments, you will be to me a kingdom of priests in the midst of the earth." To be a kingdom of priests is a strange sounding idea to our modern ears, but the basic concept is fairly simple: a priest is one who stands between God and the masses, a mediator and communicator on behalf of both parties. A priest's primary function is to bring God before the people, and to bring the people before God. To stand in the gap.
When Yahweh made the commitment to work toward the redemption of the whole creation, from the beginning the plan was to do that work through people - through God's People... to use a certain group of people as 'priests' for the purpose of bridging the gap between God and the whole earth. And it is in the context of precisely this mission that the Law and the Commandments are given to this set-part people: to be a constant reminder to them (and to us) that we're not supposed to be just like everyone else...because our purpose for being here is inherently different.
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9 мар 2024
