Dolphins in the
Desert
Exodus 36: 14-19
14 They made curtains of
goat hair for the tent over the tabernacle—eleven altogether. 15
All eleven curtains were the same size—thirty cubits long and four cubits wide.
16 They joined
five of the curtains into one set and the other six into another set. 17 Then they made fifty loops along the edge of
the end curtain in one set and also along the edge of the end curtain in the
other set. 18 They made fifty bronze clasps to
fasten the tent together as a unit. 19 Then they
made for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of
hides of dolphins.
The children of Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob had been in Egypt as slaves for hundreds of years. Their cry for help, for release from bondage “rose up to God.” God “heard their groaning” and “he remembered
His covenant.” You know the rest of the
story. God calls the reluctant Moses to
lead the Israelites out of Egypt. With a
mighty arm God leads them on the Great Escape.
They cross through the waters and begin a long journey to freedom.
Along the way, at a place called
Sinai, God makes an eternal agreement with them: I’ll be your God, and you will
be my people. The Israelites agree. They say, “Everything Adonai has said, we
will do.” Next God, being a good Methodist,
says, “Take up a collection.” He says in
Exodus 25: 8-9, “And let them make Me a sanctuary (mikdash, a holy place) that I may dwell among them. Exactly as I show you—the pattern of the
Tabernacle (mishkan, dwelling place)
and the pattern of all its furnishings—so shall you make it.”
And so we come tonight to those
instructions repeated as the craftsman, Bezalel and Aholiab carry out their
tasks—the details can make all but the true bible geek’s eyes glaze over. But I want to pause because there is a holy
surprise hidden in the midst of these arcane architectural instructions. After all these are instructions for God’s
House, we ought to take a bit of notice eh?
11 curtains of goat hair, 50 loops to
fit into 50 bronze clasps to make the covering around the tabernacle then cover
that tent with ram skins dyed red and over all of that, the protection for the
Holy of Holies, the place where the Ark of the Covenant will rest (the box with
the tablets of the covenant—the 10 words), the place where a human might
approach God and find mercy, over all of that, the text says, make a covering
of hides of dolphin skins. Dolphin
skins. Rams, goats, gold, silver,
bronze, linen acacia wood copper, all the other building materials, well with
all the gold the Israelites took out of Egypt, you can imagine they traded with
caravans to get that sort of stuff. these
items are not all that unusual among the folks who ply the Sinai
peninsula. But Dolphin skins—where and
how do you get dolphin skins in the desert?
I mean, it’s a desert right—no water, and last I knew dolphins swam in
water. What do we make of that?
Well most modern scholars think the
Hebrew word Tachash that I following
in the footsteps many of the ancient interpreters translated as Dolphin cannot
possibly be dolphin. After all, there
are no dolphins in the desert eh. One
commentator goes so far as to declare that the editor who put this passage
together just blindly followed a tradition that they couldn’t possibly have
understood. Now that editor must have
been very blind, because they made the “mistake” twice: once in chapter 20 where God gives the instruction
about building the Tabernacle and again here in chapter 36 where the craftsman
follow those directions to the letter and skin!
The NIV gamely translates the word as sea cow or dugong a Red Sea mammal
with a tough hide that Bedouins used for making sandals. The NRSV gives up completely and translates
the word as “Fine Leather”.
Well older commentators stepped up to
the book (rather stepped up to the scroll) and said look, God gave us this
book—every jot and tittle of it. Let’s
make a go at understanding it instead of declaring that we know more than the
ones who gave us the book. And so here
are two ways to find dolphins in the desert: the first is for children and
adults who love a good yarn
Now Adonai, our God, led the people
out of the slavery of Egyptland. And
when they had run so far they came to the sea.
There it was mayhem: the sea in front of them and the cruel chariots of
the Egyptian army behind them. It wasn’t
looking too good for Moses. He’d gotten
them into this mess . . . so and you know the story . . .Adonai, our God, parts
the waters. The wind, the very breath of
God, divides the sea and the Israelites start across on the dry land at the
bottom of the sea, right between two forty foot high walls of water. Imagine their wonder and delight. Imagine their joy and surprise. Given up for dead and now through the water
into life again! Hurray. Just one little minor difficulty. Fish start falling on their heads. Flop,
Flop Fish, Falling. All those fish,
swimming along minding their own business and suddenly, there is no more water. Flop,
Flop, Fish, Falling. Well this would
never do. It may be a minor problem,
really no cause for complaint, to people running for their lives from Egyptian
chariots this Flop, Flop Fish, Falling,
but if you’re a fish trying to swim in mid air, well that’s a major
problem. After all who likes to go flop
flop and end up under some Israelite foot!
So Adonai, blessed be the Holy One,
called on the smartest of the sea creatures for help. He called the dolphins. He said, “My dolphins, I’ve got to get these
people out of Egypt and away for the slavers who are coming after them. While I’m busy with that could you make sure that
there’s no more Flop, Flop Fish, Falling.” The dolphins all agreed. They cried, “Let it be so. Amen” and away they swam right up to the edge
of the water wall. They began to patrol
the edge, and whenever a fish swam too close they would swim quickly over and
herd them back to safety. This went on
and on as the people raced across the sea floor. The dolphins were tired, but they had told
Adonai they would serve Him and serve Him they did—all afternoon they swam back
and forth on patrol. No more Flop, Flop Fish, Falling. Hurrah for the
dolphins! Then as the last of the people
climbed out of the sea bed, the Egyptian chariots were entering the sea bed
back on the other side. Now, you know
what happens next. God stops the wind. The walls of water fall. The pride of the Egyptian cavalry is swept
over by the roaring sea. Miriam leads
the women in song: a song of safety, liberation and freedom sung loudly as only
liberated slaves can sing. But the dolphins, the dolphins, they were tumbled
about as the walls of water collapsed.
Many were so tired from doing the will of Adonai and saving the fish
from flop flopping, they themselves
were flop, flopped over and over
tumbled hither and yon. Alas, many a
dolphin gave her life to follow God’s will and save God’s creatures. To honor the sacrifice of the dolphins on the
day of liberation, God told the Israelites to go to the sea shore and there
among the washed up pieces of broken chariot, they found the dolphins. They gathered their bodies tenderly and
carried them to Sinai. There they were
told that the dolphins skins were to cover the meeting place of God and
humans—the Holy of Holies, the Tabernacle of the Lord. And so that’s how there were dolphins in the
desert.
There’s another tradition of
interpretation among the Sages. This
explanation is very different. It goes
like this: Oh course there are not dolphins in the desert. Who ever heard of dolphins in the
desert? What are we children that we
tell just so stories, moralizing tales where all is wrapped up in the end just
right? Of course not, don’t you be foolish.
Life is much more complicated than that—it really is. We’re grown people. Dolphins in the desert are impossible. Everybody knows that. And you see that’s just the point. You, dear reader, dear listener are supposed
to cruise along through this text about tents
and tabernacles, wood, gold, rams, goats, acacia wood and on and on. You dear reader dear listener, dear friend
are to hear or read this story year after blessed year and not think a thing of
it, until one day you stumble—dolphins, how can there be dolphins in the
desert. And because God gave us every
jot and tittle of this book you’re not supposed to think it’s a mistake. No indeed, you are supposed to say that’s
impossible and go back and read slowly and realize just what the impossible
covers. The very place where God and
humans meet face to face why its covered with “no, that’s impossible, it can’t
be”, and you’re supposed to pause and begin to think about who meets there
under this impossible covering; why it’s the God who promised Abraham that his
100 year old loins would produce a great nation, a blessing to the entire
world. Indeed there under, “no, that’s
impossible, it can’t be”, you meet the God who told Abraham in 3000 years there
will even be a bunch of Gentiles in Southeastern Michigan at a place called
Stony Creek who will bless your name and will be trying to go about the
business of being a blessing for others.
Heck you walk into this place
covered by, “no it can’t be, that’s impossible”, and you’ll met a God who tells
you his name is, and I’m not making this up, it’s in the Scriptures, his name
is “ I will have compassion on whoever I have compassion” and maybe just maybe
that compassion may be for you—“no, it can’t be, that’s impossible”.
But Friends, You see, God seems to be
in the impossible business—but it’s not just any kind of impossible that we
want. Nope, I won’t turn young, handsome
and rich because dolphins can turn up in deserts, and no, even if I really,
really squeeze my eyes tight shut when I say I believe it, it still won’t
happen. No matter what some slick haired
pretty boy preacher says from his expensive church stadium on Sunday morning,
thinking right doesn’t make it so and getting rich, being happy, and full of
positive thoughts just might not be the blessing to the entire world Abraham
was promised.
God is in a particular kind of the
impossible business—he’s in the business of freeing the oppressed, of bringing
high and mighty empires down to their humble knees, of healing the lame,
feeding the hungry, giving sight to the blind, running right toward suffering
and taking it on, sharing it. God is
seeking out those with no friends and offering community. And most of all, He’s
dying to forgive all sorts of sinners who realize that time has run out and run
to that impossible place to meet a God whose name is I’ll have compassion . . .
He’s in the business of taking what’s left for dead . . . and making it alive.
Dolphins in the desert? Holy places
covered by the impossible? Think about it . . . last year at Stony Creek there
were times when, heck, as many as 40 or 50 of us sat right here on Sunday
mornings and heard stories of God’s compassion and sang of His grace. This past Sunday, Jim Sayre [now, in 2014, of blessed memory] told me that over
100 of us sat and heard stories of God’s compassion and sang of His grace. Impossible, eh? Dolphins in the desert, eh? Friends I’ll tell you what’s impossible,
listen close you might have to tell this story again sometime—God is a Jew who
died, tortured on a cross by the empire with the most powerful military of the
day. Three days later that given up for
dead Jew showed up very much alive looking so much like Eden’s original gardener
that even one of his good friends named Mary couldn’t tell the difference until He called her by name. When He called
Mary’s name that morning He turned her weeping with grief into tears of
joy. That Dead Jew turned live Gardener of Eden
might even call your name. What might
happen when you hear Him call your name? Just what looks over and done with that might have breath again? What’s dead that might come alive? A dead Jew from 2,000 years ago who calls
your name this very day? Now you tell me what’s more impossible than
that: Dolphins in the desert, indeed.
Buen Camino!
