Mosaic Worship and the Exodus

After the Exodus the worship of Israel became more formalized, characterized by the Mosaic institutions and regulations. The commitment to the law of the covenant became the central feature of Israelite worship.

Worship forms became more formalized in the book of Exodus. Yahweh’s active intervention in Israel’s history is characterized in the contest with Pharaoh. The deliverance from Egypt embodied the essence of Yahweh’s relationship with his people; the “Song of Moses” (Exod. 15) enshrined deep-seated truths. One of Israel’s great festivals looks back to this experience of liberation. The remembrance of the Passover incorporates Jews of every generation as actual participants in the Mosaic exodus.

Despite their murmurings through the desert wanderings, the Israelites learned to know Yahweh as he provided food for them and called them his own. The desert experience in later worship became symbolic of God’s provision and care (Deut. 8:1–20). God’s instructions for the building and arrangement of his dwelling in the tabernacle and the details pertaining to the priesthood, the sacrifices, and the worship service were very specific. Many chapters of the Pentateuch are dedicated to the details of the tabernacle’s construction (Exod. 25–31). Worship and the manner in which worship was offered were evidently extremely important to Yahweh.

The tent of meeting illustrated the mobility of Yahweh. Unlike the pagan gods, who were deities of limited geographical areas, Yahweh went with his people as an ever-present reality through their wanderings. In the desert wanderings Yahweh led Moses and the people to Mt. Sinai. Here an encounter with Yahweh grounded Israelite worship in an event that would profoundly affect the rest of Judeo-Christian history. The covenant of Sinai bound the whole nation of Israel to Yahweh. The nation received the Law, that is, the Decalogue, and the Book of the Covenant, which would direct its future. The covenantal relationship and the commitment to the Law of Yahweh became the stamp of Judaism. Ironically, one of the historic high points of Yahweh’s relationship with his people also revealed the sin and the alien worship that God’s people were tempted to embrace later (Exod. 32). The golden calf became a reminder of the syncretistic nature of God’s people. From this point forward false versus true worship would be a theme for the worshipers of Yahweh.

The Exodus was a fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham (Gen. 12:1–3). The book of Exodus is pivotal in describing the central experience of the Hebrew people. This story records the celebrations and ritual acts of Israel that arose in response to the liberation event that gave freedom to a nation. Exodus records the transformation of the old pagan notions into new forms, such as covenant and law, that brand Israel as unique among nations, with the Passover rite (Exod. 12) at the heart of all.