Week 6 - Reading the Bible in a Year & Gerhard's Sacred Meditations
When did the Exodus take place?
The Christian faith is a historic faith. What I mean primarily is not that it is an old faith, all though it is that. What I mean is that it is a faith rooted in historical events. The things conveyed in scripture happened.
When you look at the Old Testament, there are very few problems you will encounter when trying to construct a relative chronology. A relative chronology places things in historical order and gives the correct amount of time between events. That would be like me saying, “First I ate lasagna. The next day I ate steak.” You know the sequence and the space, but you do not know when in relation to other events that are not within that specific sequence. At what point did my neighbor get his mail? You cannot know from the information presented.
In order to know anything outside of the relative chronology, you must reference an objective chronology. To do accomplish this task, you must take the relative chronology and correlate it to a useful reference scale, such as our dates that use BC and AD. The way in which we number years provides an objective reference so that we can know the sequence and timing of events in various places so that we can have a fuller understanding of what happened and when it happened. This also allows us to see how events in various parts of the world may be related to one another. This is a more challenging task but a more meaningful task.
To accomplish this task, you must find benchmark dates. A benchmark is an event within the relative chronology that crosses over with a known event and date in the useful reference scale. objective chronology. It is an anchor which ties the relative to the objective. If you have one benchmark, you can with quite a bit of certainty place the relative chronology within the objective chronology. If you have more than one, that provides more certainty to the correct timeline.
Andrew Steinmann in his book, From Abraham to Paul, does a wonderful job of finding these benchmarks for us. He points out there are two events in OT history that can anchor the Old Testament’s relative chronology to our modern dating system. The first one is uncontroversial and the second one is “extremely controversial.” Most of the information below is from this book and from the sources cited.
If you want to cut to the chase, I put the dates for the benchmarks at the very bottom of this section for you to make it easy to find. If you are interested in the details, continue reading below.
When did Solomon Die?
The first benchmark is Solomon’s death which most scholars accept as 931 BC. To get that date, you must work backwards from Solomon’s successors. The books so Kings and Chronicles provided a plethora of information about the lengths of reigns for the kings of Israel and Judah. Also, in the Ancient Near East, kings and kingdoms took great care to document their victories in battle, tributes received, and even astronomy. If one of Israel’s or Judah’s neighbors mention a Hebrew king, and that mention can be fixed to the objective chronology, then you have your benchmark.
Astronomy provides an important key to establish this benchmark. Because the Assyrian Kings took careful chronicles of their reigns, we know that in the 10th year of Assyrian King Assur-dan II during the month of Sivan (May-June: lunar months) there was a solar eclipse that was observed in Assyria. Modern astronomers can use their observations and mathematical models to determine that there was a solar eclipse that occurred on June 15, 763 BC that would have been observed in Assyria and this fits within the chronology of the Assyrian Kings.
The chronicles of Assyria’s kings tells us of King Shalmaneser II, whose reign began 86 years before Assur-dan II. In the eighteenth year of Shalmaneser II, the king received tribute from Israel’s King Jehu. That would put that date at 841 BC. Twelve years earlier, in the summer of 853 BC, during the sixth year of Shalmaneser II, the king defeated a Syrian led coalition of kings at Qarqar on the Orontes River. He commemorated his victory by listing the defeated kings in a Monolith Inscription that archeologists have uncovered. Among the defeated kings, the infamous King of Israel, Ahab.
When you connect the dots between all of the kings of Israel and Solomon, you end up with Solomon’s forty-year reign spanning 971 - 931 BC.
When did the Exodus Happen?
From there, 1 Kings 6:1 is how we get the more controversial date of the Exodus, which serves as our second benchmark. “In the four hundred and eightieth year after the people of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon’s reign over Israel, in the month of Ziv, which is the second month, he began to build the house of the Lord.” (1 Kings 6:1, ESV)
So, from 971 BC, we subtract four years to put us in Solomon’s fourth year. That gives us 468 (Hebrew reckoning means you count the first year as year one: 471 is year 1, 470 is year 2, 469 is year 3, 468 is year 4.) Add 480 years to get to the beginning of the Exodus. That means the Exodus began on the 15th of Nisan in the year of 1446 BC (See Exodus 12:2 and Numbers 33:3).
Because this is a controversial benchmark, let’s look at the text to see if it is consistent within the scriptural witness.
Jephthah gives us a useful reference. In Judges 11:26 Jephthah challenged the King of Ammon over a dispute with Israel about land. “While Israel lived in Heshbon and its villages, and in Aroer and its villages, and in all the cities that are on the banks of the Arnon, 300 years, why did you not deliver them within that time?” (Judges 11:26, ESV)
Let us extrapolate a bit to see if Jephthah can confirm our 1446 BC date. The Exodus was 40 years long, from 1446 BC to 1406 BC (Exodus 16:35; Numbers 14:33-34 and many others). Joshua’s military campaign to occupy the promised land was seven years from 1406 BC to 1400 BC. The land in dispute between Jephthah and the King of Ammon was among the last to be completely occupied by Israel (Numbers 32:20-28). That means the earliest time that Israel could have occupied the disputed land was 1400 BC. That would place Jephthah’s dispute with the King of Ammon around 1100 BC.
If Jephthah is around 1100 BC, that would mean there were about 133 years from Jephthah to the building of the Temple. Does that timeframe fit what is presented in Judges? Within the text, is this a possibility?
When you fit in the judges after Jephthah as well as Saul and David’s reigns, it works out that Jephthah’s figure of three hundred years provides us with an accurate approximation of the date of Exodus that serves to confirm 1446 BC. It is an approximation because it is likely that Jephthah was using round numbers and not exact numbers, like how we would say Jesus died two thousand years go.
I am not going to go any further into the weeds than this. There is plenty more that can be said about the dating of the Exodus both for and against the date that I am putting forward above, but the main point should be reiterated: Christianity is a historic faith based in actual historic events. That includes the Exodus and most importantly, includes the cross of Christ.
Conclusion
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:14-20, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” (1 Corinthians 15:14–20, ESV)
Because Jesus’ death and resurrection are true historical events, we can have confidence that our sins are forgiven, just as Jesus promised. We can trust that His righteousness is ours. We can look forward with eager and certain expectation that He will come again to collect us, His people and that we will dwell with Him for all eternity.
Benchmark Dates in the Old Testament
931 BC - Solomon’s Death
1446 BC - The beginning of the Exodus
Readings
Saturday - 2/5 - Exodus 19-21
Sunday - 2/6 - Exodus 22-24
Monday - 2/7 - Exodus 25-27
Tuesday - 2/8 - Exodus 28-29
Wednesday - 2/9 - Exodus 30-32
Thursday - 2/10 - Exodus 33-35
Friday - 2/11 - Exodus 36-38
MEDITATION VI
CONSOLATION FOR THE PENITENT SOUL FROM THE PASSION OF CHRIST
The Cross of Christ is our Crown.
(Written during a very severe illness, January I, 1604.)
ALL the glory of the godly is in the shame of our Lord’s passion. All their rest is in the wounds of our crucified Saviour. His death is our life; His exaltation is our glory. How great is Thy mercy, O heavenly Father, O Almighty God! By mine own power have I offended Thee; but by mine own power has it been impossible to please Thee! Thou, therefore, in Christ art reconciling me to Thyself. Behold, O holy God, the sacred mystery of Thy flesh, and remit the guilt of my flesh. Graciously regard what Thy blessed Son hath patiently suffered, and overlook what Thy sinful servant hath done. My flesh hath provoked Thee to anger; let the flesh of Thy Son, I pray Thee, incline Thee to mercy. My sins deserve the severest punishment at Thy hands, but far more hath the devotion of my Redeemer merited Thy mercy. Great is my unrighteousness, but greater far is the righteousness of my Redeemer. As far as the mighty God is above puny man, so far is my wickedness beneath His goodness, in quality as well as in quantity. All that I am is Thine, because Thou hast created me; grant, O Lord, that it may be wholly Thine also by free and happy choice. Thou dost lead me to ask (Matt. 7:7), grant that I may also receive! Thou dost give me the disposition to seek, grant that I may find. Thou dost teach me to knock, open unto me, I beseech Thee, when I do knock. From Thee cometh the desire, may the power to obtain come also from Thee. From Thee I have the power to will, grant me also the power to do (Phil. 2:13).
Holy God, just Judge, if my sins are concealed (Ps. 32:3), they are incurable; if seen, they are detestable; they grievously distress me; but more than all, they oppress me with a horrible fear. Withhold not, I beseech Thee, O God, Thy real and tender compassion, where Thou seest such real and awful misery! Where sin abounds, may grace much more abound. Holy Father, do not, I pray Thee, pour out upon me Thy wrath, since for my sins Thou hast smitten Thy blessed Son! Holy Jesus, deliver me, I beseech Thee, from divine wrath, for that Thou hast borne upon the cross for my sake! Holy Spirit, protect me, I implore Thee, with Thy blessed consolation from the wrath of God, who in the gospel hath announced mercy to the penitent and contrite soul. O holy God, O righteous Judge, no whither can I flee from the face of Thy wrath. “If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I descend into hell, behold Thou art there; if I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me.” (Ps. 139:7–10.) To Christ, therefore, will I flee, and in His wounds will I hide me. O merciful God, behold the body of Thy Son so sorely wounded in every part, and regard not the wounds of my sins. Let the blood of Thy Son cleanse me from every sinful stain (1 John 1:7). Hear Thou His most earnest prayer, offered for the salvation of His chosen ones (John 17:9).
O holy God, Thou righteous Judge, my life terrifies me; for a diligent examination of it discloses only sin and unfruitfulness, and what fruit does appear therein is either so false, or imperfect, or in some way so corrupted, that it either cannot please Thee, or is absolutely displeasing to Thine eyes. Truly, my whole life is, on the one hand, sinful and worthy of Thy condemnation, and on the other unfruitful and wretched. But why do I distinguish between unfruitful and worthy of condemnation? For certainly if it is unfruitful it is to be condemned; for every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cast into the fire (Matt. 3:10). And not only shall that tree be burned which bears evil fruit, but that also which bears no fruit. When I think of those on Thy left hand in the judgment, I am sore afraid, since they are there not because they have done anything bad, but because they have done nothing good (Matt 25:32): to the hungry they gave no food; to the thirsty, no drink.
O fruitless tree, thou art dry and useless, and fit only for the eternal flames. What answer wilt thou make in that dread day when, in the twinkling of an eye, thy whole life shall lie open before thee, and the righteous Judge shall sternly demand how thou hast spent it? Not a hair of thy head shall perish unnoticed, nor a moment of thy life pass unjudged! Oh, what a strait to be in! On the one hand will be thy sins accusing thee, on the other God’s righteousness striking terror into thy soul! Beneath thee, the horrible pit of hell shall gape with wide-open mouth, and above thee shall sit the righteously angry Judge! Within thee, a burning conscience; without thee, a burning world! The righteous shall scarcely be saved; whither then shall a guilty sinner turn (1 Pet. 4:18)? To hide will be impossible, and yet to appear before God intolerable. How then can I possibly be saved? With whom shall I take counsel? Who is He that is called the Wonderful, the Counsellor (Is. 9:6)? It is Jesus Himself, the very same who is my Judge, and in whose hands I am trembling with fear. Take courage then, O my soul, and despair not. Hope thou in Him whom thou dost fear; flee thou to Him for refuge, from whom thou hast fled in fear. O Jesus Christ, for Thy name’s sake, deal with me according to Thy name. Mercifully regard me, a miserable sinner, as I call upon Thy name. If Thou shouldst admit me within the capacious bosom of Thy compassion, it will not be the more straitened on my account. True is it, O Lord, that my participation in sin merits condemnation, and my penitence can never satisfy Thee; but certain is it also that Thy mercy exceeds all my offense. In Thee, O Lord, do I put my trust, let me not be confounded forever.
Johann Gerhard, Gerhard’s Sacred Meditations, trans. C. W. Heisler (Philadelphia, PA: Lutheran Publication Society, 1896).