Israel as son of God in Torah

Biblical Theology Bulletin, Summer, 2004 by John J. Schmitt

This send-off for Israel as he is considering his future relation to God certainly is a sharp warning, that this father and Lord will take no untoward behavior from this truculent, possibly already spoiled, son. This father needs distance from his own son, lest his anger and his demands for perfection destroy the object of his affection. Exodus 33 underscores the filial relation between God and Israel.

Before leaving the book of Exodus, one should note the predominance of the second person masculine singular in chapter 34. In 34:10, God begins to speak with Moses but again continues with Israel as the obvious addressee.

   Observe thou that which I command thee this day: behold,
   I drive out [grsh] before thee the Amorite, the Canaanite,
   and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Hivite, and the
   Jebusite. Take heed to thyself, lest thou make a covenant
   with the inhabitants of the land whither thou goest; lest it
   be for a snare in the midst of thee" [34:11-12, KJV].

Moses cannot be the addressee in this speech because he does not need nations cast out, for he will never enter the land.

These verses are part of the so-called Ritual Decalogue (34:11-26). The regulations are all given in the singular, with the interruption of a unique verse on the destruction of religious sites, v 13, which occurs in the plural. But then the passage continues with the idea of the male individual who will enter the land and live in a special relation with God. "For I will cast out the nations before thee, and enlarge thy borders: neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice a year" (34:24, KJV).

The book of Exodus has initiated and underscored in many different ways the image of Israel as a masculine individual, the son of God. The call of Israel, the covenant with Israel, the failures of and the promises to Israel all bear the marks of a father-son relationship. The book of Exodus is a major witness to Israel's sonship.

Leviticus

The book of Leviticus, with its ritual interests, might seem to he an unlikely place to look for gendered imagery that the rest of the Bible uses. The book, however, does offer material for assessment and comment in this regard. Within Leviticus, there is great variation between the singular and the plural in address in the second person. This alternation is startling in those verses where the masculine singular and the masculine plural appear beside one another. For some observers, this phenomenon of both singular and plural forms occurring side by side could suggest that there has been a combination of sources. More important is the continual return to the singular. This phenomenon demands some analysis of the passages where the singular is noteworthy.

These passages can be grouped by topic or interest. First there is a group where the topic is offerings, whether cereal offerings (Lev 2:4-8, 13-15) or flour offering (6:21). Also, in 22:23, the mention of a free-will offering appears in the singular, "that thou mayest offer for a freewill offering," which interrupts a passage in the plural. And in 24:5-7, the instructions for the showbread and frankincense are given in the singular, addressing Israel.