This chiasm was, in part, illustrated in a series of videos by Rabbi Fohrman at Aleph Beta, called "Why Did God Try to Kill Moses"? I don't entirely agree with Rabbi Fohrman's breakout of the chiasm, though. I think a couple of his points are weak and that the chiasm is more detailed in the center than he talked about. Maybe he's aware of that and just simplified it for the video.
One thing we can learn from this is that, like the burning bush that was not consumed by the fire, no matter what afflictions the Hebrews suffer, God will preserve them through it for the sake of his promises to the Patriarchs.
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V12 - This is the sign of the covenant between
me and you and all living creatures with you
o
V13 - Set bow in the cloud
§
Sign of the covenant between me and the earth
o
V14 - When I bring clouds and bow is seen
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V15 - I will remember my covenant between me,
you, and all kinds of living flesh
o
V16 - When the bow is in the clouds and seen
§
I will remember the covenant between God and all
kinds of living flesh on the earth
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V17 - This is the sign of the covenant between
me and all flesh on the earth
Here's an interesting literary structure in John 5:19-30 on the relationship between the divine Father and Son:
Luke 22:31-62 looks like it could be a chiasm centered on the angel encouraging Yeshua in the Garden and bracketed by Peter's betrayal.
- A - V31-34 – Yeshua predicted Peter's betrayal
--- B - V35-38 – Moneybag, knapsack, sword, and cloak. Scripture must be fulfilled
----- C - V40 – Yeshua told his disciples to pray to avoid temptation.
------- D - V41 – Yeshua went away to pray
--------- E - V42 – Yeshua prayed
----------- F - V43 – An angel appeared to strengthen him
--------- E - V44 – Yeshua prayed
------- D - V45 – Yeshua returned from praying
----- C - V46 – Yeshua told his disciples to rise and pray to avoid temptation
--- B - V47-53 – Yeshua betrayed by Judas (treasurer in a cloak). Sword and the priest's servant's ear.
- A - V54-62 – Yeshua betrayed by Peter
This chiasm in Matthew 12:9-14 is centered on the moral hierarchy implied by the fact that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.
This chiasm is brought to you, in part, by one of my Chiasm Course students at Common Sense Bible Study.
A - v2-12 - Spiritual application of Torah
-- B - v13-16 - Righteousness that glorifies God
---- C - v17a - Don't think that Yeshua will abolish the Law or Prophets
------ D - v17b - Yeshua didn't come to abolish them
-------- E - v18a - Until Heaven and Earth pass away
---------- F - v18b - Not an iota or dot will pass from the Law
-------- E - v18c - Until all is accomplished
------ D - v19a - Relaxes the least commandment and teaches others so
---- C - v19b - Does and teaches the commandments
-- B - v20 - Righteousness that glorifies man
A - v21-48 - Spiritual application of Torah
A few things that can be learned from this chiastic arrangement:
Someone on Facebook asked me, "How do you answer when someone says that the Sabbath is just a sign for Israel and not Gentiles?"
Good question! There are two approaches to this:
First, "we who were once far off have been brought near" and made one with Israel. The Greek word translated as "church" in most Bibles really just refers to "the congregation of the people"....in other words, it refers to the collective of God's people. God only has one people, Israel. If we have become God's people, then we have become part of Israel.
Second, the Sabbath is a sign of the relationship between God and Israel, but being used as a sign in one context doesn't preclude it being used as a moral imperative in another context. If God had said, "Wearing shoes will be a sign between me and Israel," would that mean that other people shouldn't wear shoes? The Sabbath is a good thing. It honors the Creator, promotes community cohesiveness, and shows kindness to one's servants, animals, and employees.
The commandment is very clear that one of the primary purposes of Sabbath is to show kindness to other people, and it doesn't work if everyone isn't doing it on the same day. If gentile Christians are supposed to love their neighbors, then they should be keeping the Sabbath for that reason. If they are supposed to love God, then they should be keeping the Sabbath for that reason also.
This passage describes the daily morning and evening offerings, but it does so in a peculiar manner. It sandwiches a detailed description of the grain and drink offerings that accompany the evening sacrifice between two very brief mentions of the evening lamb and two very brief mentions of different aspects of the morning offerings. At first glance, it sounds like the evening sacrifices are supposed to be a bigger production than the morning ones, but the second mention of the morning offering indicates that the evening grain and wine are supposed to mirror the morning grain and wine. Just as the sunset mirrors the sunrise, the sunset offerings mirror the sunrise offerings.
The axis of the chiasm says that these offerings were established by God at Sinai. If you take it as straight narrative, it reads as if only the grain offering was instituted at Sinai, but it's position at the center of the chiastic structure indicates that the whole set of offerings--lambs, grain, and wine--both morning and evening--are intended.
Fortunately, we don't have to depend on a chiasm for that conclusion. The same thing is said explicitly in Exodus 29:38-42.
Now this is what you shall offer on the altar: two lambs a year old day by day regularly...
Exodus 29:38
Although I say that there doesn't appear to be anything especially profound in this chiasm, I should clarify that I don't perceive anything especially profound. However, I suspect that every verse, every literary structure in the Bible holds deeper truths than we will ever know in this lifetime.
One thing to take from this chiasm is that God considers betrothal to be nearly as sacred as the marriage itself. If a man lies with a woman who is betrothed to another man, he is just as guilty of adultery as if she was already married.
Deuteronomy 9:26-29 – A parallelism in a chiasm on God's faithfulness to the covenant
