Day 38: The Ten Commandments

 Today's readings: Exodus 19-20, Leviticus 13, and Psalm 74.

I. The Israelites with Moses reach Mt. Sinai, witness God's power, and are given a covenant by Him to be His people with a special mission to all the nations (19:1-15). After 3 days, "there was thunder and lightning, and a thick cloud upon the mountain," before which the people assembled and God summoned Moses with Aaron to ascend, while the people were warned not to (19:16-25). God spoke to Moses the Ten Commandments, which, as the Ignatius Bible notes:

The Decalogue is an expression of universal law that is binding upon all people at all times, regardless of age, sex, status, or circumstance (20:1-17). It reiterates the precepts of the natural law engraved on the heart (Rom 2:14-15; CCC 2070-72). (p. 150)

 All of this terrified the people witnessing the divine power, but Moses reassured them and was told by God that He would honor the sacrifices they made to Him, but the Israelites should "not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold" (20:21-26).

II. In Leviticus chapter 13, there is a quite detailed telling of diagnosing leprosy, which is said to make one ritually unclean, as well as the garments that come into contact with such. To be honest, this seems a bit monotonous, but given the lack of modern medicines and doctors to do all of this, I find it actually comforting to know that God set something up for the ancient Israelites on this.

III. Psalm 74 is one of lament and national humiliation. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

Its background is the Babylonian conquest of Judah in 586 B.C. The Psalmist is writing in the middle of the sixth century while the Jerusalem Temple lies in ruins and the Jewish people are living in exile in Babylon. He is puzzled and growing impatient in God's inaction in the face of these calamities (74:1, 10-11), and so pleads for the Lord to remember his suffering people (74:2, 19, 21), to read himself for action (74:22), and to repay the enemy as their evil deserves (74:23). (p. 892)

I cannot imagine the pain and suffering the Israelites endured. They lost everything, and what they valued, especially the Temple, was either stolen or destroyed. Their nation was in ruins, and their people held captive by their enemy. The grief and desperation in this psalm are very clear, and it's difficult not to feel sympathy for the Psalmist and the Israelites for what they underwent.

That's it for today!

Day 37: The Mystical Works of God

 Today's readings: Exodus 17-18, Leviticus 12, and Psalm 73.

I. In a scene which is almost comical (I know that it's not meant to be), the Israelites complain again to Moses, this time about the lack of water to which he replies, "Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put the Lord to the test?" (17:1-2). To me, this is almost comical because it shows how exasperated Moses is becoming with his people over their constant bellyaching. Moses asks the Lord for help, He grants a miracle at Horeb, and the problem is resolved (17:3-6). I like how Scripture records though, what the place came to be called and why (17:7). From that day forward, their behavior would be recorded and remembered in the place called "testing" and "contention."

The Amalekites attack the Israelite refugees, who, with God's favor and Joshua leading them into battle, are defeated. God promised that in time He would "blot out remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (17:8-15).

Jethro went to Moses with the latter's wife and two sons. When they met again, they greeted each other warmly, discussed what had happened in Egypt, shared a meal, and offered a burnt offering to God (18:1-12). The next day, Moses "sat to judge the people," but after he had done so "from morning till evening," Jethro gave him some good advice: delegate. That is, he said Moses should organize the Israelites and choose trustworthy men to decide smaller matters, leaving only the larger ones to Moses, or he would wear himself out. Moses wisely decided to take his father-in-law's advice, who then left to return to his home (18:13-27).

II. In Leviticus chapter 12, the purification of women is outlined, for they are unique in their times of ritual uncleanliness, from their monthly period to the blood of childbirth.

III. Psalm 73 is a wisdom one. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The speaker relates a personal struggle that challenged his faith but resulted in a stronger commitment to God. Initially, he was jealous of sinners (Ps 73:3) because they enjoyed the best things in life despite being prideful, boastful, malicious, and dismissive of God (73:4-12). This made him wonder if religious devotion was worth the effort (73:13). But after praying in the Temple, he came to understand "their end" (73:17), i.e., the divine judgment that awaits evildoers (73:18-20). The psalm contrasts the wicked, who are "far" from God (73:27), and the righteous, who are "near" to God (73:28). (p. 891)

Is this the voice of King David? Whomever the speaker is, I can relate at times to what he expresses here, especially when I was younger.

That's all for today!  

Day 36: Manna From Heaven

 Today's readings: Exodus 15-16, Leviticus 11, and Psalm 71.

I. Moses, "the sons of Israel", and even the women sing a victory song, praising God for saving them and defeating their Egyptian enemy (15:1-21). After this, we get one of the first problems that causes people to complain: undrinkable, bitter water in Marah. Through Moses, God resolved this problem miraculously, telling them to "diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God" (15:22-27). Then, troubles came up again with hunger, and people murmured against Moses. God told him that He would provide and test the people. He gave the Israelites manna or bread from heaven, which tasted "like wafers made with honey," but the people still struggled with learning to follow God (16:1-34).

As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The Lord provided a daily ration to feed the children of Israel until they reached Canaan (Josh 5:12). With the supply always abundant, no one went hungry and there was no need to hoard (16:18). Manna is known in Scriptura as the "bread of heaven" and the "bread of the angels" (Ps 78:24-25; cf Wis 16:20). Recalling this provision in the desert, Jesus declares himself to be the true manna that descends from heaven in the Eucharist (Jn 6:30-59). Paul gives this sacramental interpretation as well (1 Cor 10:1-6). (p. 146)

II. In Leviticus chapter 11, kosher food, essentially, was established. That is, creatures on the land, in the sea, and even insects, that are considered to be clean (kosher) or unclean (non-kosher). The carcass of any unclean creature that is touched by someone makes them ritually unclean until evening. The details are surprisingly elaborate, with things like pork, rabbit, crab, lobster, and shrimp being what I'd probably struggle the most with! Thank the Lord for the New Covenant (e.g., Acts 10:9-16). I'll still refrain from cuy though, with only half-hearted apologies to my Ecuadorean friends!

III. Psalm 71 is a plea to God for protection and help. From the wording of the psalm, I'm curious if this was written by King David as an old man? As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The speaker is a man with "gray hairs" (71:18) who is struggling with failing health (71:20) and the taunts of those who claim that God has abandoned him (71:11). He cleaves to the Lor with firm hope (71:5, 14), trusting that just as God was his help in youth, so he will come to his rescue in old age (71:17-18). When the time is right, God will "revive" him (71:20) and "comfort" him (71:21); then he will witness to the Lord's goodness (71:15-18) and sing praise to his name (71:22-24). (p. 889)

That's it for today! 

Day 35: Crossing the Red Sea

 Today's readings: Exodus 13-14, Leviticus 10, and Psalm 53.

I. Moses told the Israelites that on this day they were leaving Egypt, they would keep remembrance of it in the Feast of the Unleavened Bread afterward (13:3-10). Also, the final plague that the Egyptians suffered would be remembered by the consecration of all firstborn males, both human and animal (13:11-16). God led the Israelites out of Egypt, not by the direct route to Canaan but further south into Sinai to avoid the Philistines. He did this by means of a miraculous pillar of cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night (13:17-22).

That must have been an extraordinary and frightening sight.

You'd think at this point, Pharaoh would just let them leave. He and his people had suffered 10 plagues for his stubbornness, the final one particularly painful.

No. Of course not.

Pharaoh's heart hardened again, and he missed having the Israelites do the dirty work in Egypt. So "all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army" went off after them, overtaking them while encamped at the Red Sea (14:1-9).

Seeing Pharaoh's army charging towards them, the Israelites were understandably terrified and cried out to Moses, who reassured them that God would save them (14:10-14). Moses called out to God, who told him to miraculously part the Red Sea and cross it. The Israelites did with Pharaoh's army in hot pursuit (14:15-25).

That must have been an even more amazing sight to behold, and the terror the Israelites felt during all this would have been indescribable.

When the last Israelite had successfully crossed the Red Sea, and the Egyptians in pursuit were all in the passway that had been created, God told Moses to close the gap and let the waters flow back and drown them. So he did, and thus God had saved them (14:26-31).

The Ignatius Bible notes that this miraculous event was seen in even deeper lights by early Christians:

Paul interprets the sea crossing as a type of Baptism, which brings salvation anew through water and the power of God (1 Cor 10:1-2) (CCC 1221). Allegorically, the sea is a type of Baptism, for just as it caused the demise of Pharaoh, so our washing is the end of the devil's tyranny. In the sea the enemy is slain, and in Baptism our enmity with God lies dead. From the sea the people emerged unharmed, and from the water we step forth saved by the grace of the One who called us (St. Basil, On the Holy Spirit 15, 31). (p. 144)

II. In Leviticus chapter 10, a sad incident occurs where Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu are consumed them both for acting against what he had commanded for worship (10:1-2). 

Aaron must have been on the verge of freaking out, as any father would in this case, but he was calmed by what Moses told him from the Lord and "held his peace" (10:3).

At this point, God spoke of other instances where going against His commands for proper worship will result in death, I guess to reiterate that He wasn't kidding (10:4-11).

Aaron is still shaken by the death of his sons, as can be seen at the end of the chapter. Moses gets angry that he doesn't eat the sin offering, but was "content" once Aaron explained his fear (10:16-20).

III. Psalm 53 is one of lament. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The speaker is distressed by the corruption that surrounds him (53:1-2), but he is confident that God will bring inners to judgment (53:5) and will restore the fortunes of Israel (53:6). (p. 874)

The opening line of this psalm is powerful, not only against atheism but also against a slack attitude as if following God's will isn't important in our lives:

 The fool says in his heart,

“There is no God.” (53:1)

That's all for today!

Day 34: The Passover Instituted

 Today's readings: Exodus 12, Leviticus 9, and Psalm 114.

I. God establishes perhaps one of the most sacred days for Israel to remember every year: Passover and the Feast of the Unleavened Bread. These are also heavily significant for Christians too, as they foreshadow the sacrifice of Christ and the Eucharist. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The feast of Passover is charged with typological significance: the lamb offered in sacrifice prefigures Christ as the unblemished lamb slain for our redemption (Jn 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7; 1 Pet 1:19), and the lamb eaten in the meal looks ahead to our communion with Christ in the Eucharist (Jn 6:52-58; 1 Cor 10:16). both ideas are present at the Last Supper, where Jesus transforms the Jewish Passover into the memorial meal of a new exodus from sin (Mt 26:17-29) (CCC 608, 1340). (p. 140)

He outlines how the Israelites are to all gather together with their families in their houses, with no one left outside, and sprinkle a lamb's blood on the "doorposts and lintel" of their houses, how they are to eat (lamb, unleavened bread, and bitter herbs), and that they must eat all of it; how they are to be fully clothed with their sandals on, ready to travel; that they must keep this service every years in remembrance of their exodus from Egypt (12:1-28).

The final and most terrible of the Plagues then struck: the death of all Egypt's first-born. God said that "on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments..." (12:12), and for this last plague, Osiris, their false god of life and patron of Pharaoh, was the main target. As for the death of the first-borns, that's of all Egyptians, high and low, as well as their cattle (12:29). There was a great cry, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron, and finally told them that they should all leave, with their flocks (12:30-32). Fearing all of them would be killed, the Egyptian people rushed the Israelites along, and the latter were "thrust out of Egypt and could not tarry" (12:33-42). Lastly, God gave a command to Moses and Aaron that no foreigner or uncircumcized male was to eat of the Passover meal (12:43-50).

II. In Leviticus chapter 9, the inauguration of Aaron's priesthood and "the beginning of public worship at the Tabernacle" commence. Interestingly, the Ignatius Bible notes:

[T]he initial sin offerings prescribed for Aaron and the people are connected with specific sins of idolatry. (1) Aaron sacrifices a calf for himself because of his leadership role in the golden calf apostasy. (2) Aaron sacrifices a goat for the people because the tribes worshiped goat idols in the wilderness during the encampment at Sinai. The lesson implied: worship of the true God (the Lord) entails a cultic renunciation of false gods (idols). (p. 192)

III.  Psalm 114 is a short one of historical remembrance. The wonders of God during the Exodus from Egypt are expounded, with poetic language employed that personifies nature "fleeing in fear from the Lord's presence" and the divine establishment of their homeland in Canaan (p. 931).

That's it for today!

Day 33: Locusts, Darkness, and Death of the First Born

 Today's readings: Exodus 10 & 11,  Leviticus 8, and Psalm 50.

I. Moses goes again to Pharaoh to give him God's demand that he let the Israelites go (10:1-6). Pharaoh agrees only to let the Israelite men go, but not the rest, for in his mind, if he doesn't hold the women and children essentially as hostages, the Israelites will "have some evil purpose in mind" (10:7-11).

Big mistake.

The Eighth Plague is unleashed: a huge swarm of locusts over all the land (10:12-15). 

Again, Pharaoh begged Moses to intervene and stop this plague, but once more he reneged and "did not let the children of Israel go" (10:16-20). This plague could also be seen as an attack on the false Egyptian god Senehem.

The Ninth Plague is unleashed: darkness over all of Egypt, except for where the Israelites lived. Pharaoh tries again to get Moses to intercede for him, saying that only the flocks and herds of the Israelites must stay behind. Moses says they are needed for sacrifice to God, but Pharaoh responds angrily, "Get away from me," and says that Moses will die if his face is ever seen again. Moses leaves his sight (10:21-29). Interestingly, the text doesn't say if the Ninth Plague ended or not.

Regardless, God gives Moses a warning of the Final Plague: "all the first-born in the land of Egypt shall die" (11:1-10).

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, has some good commentary on this:

Through the plagues, God not only inflicts punishment on Pharaoh for refusing to free his people from slavery and not only demonstrates his power over Egypt's false gods, but he is also seeking to reach the hearts of the Israelites. The Israelites had been enslaved in Egypt for four hundred years, so they have been affected by its culture and religious practices. Through the plagues, God is releasing his people from the influence of the Egyptian gods. (p. 74)

II. In Leviticus chapter 8, a detailed description of Moses ordaining Aaron and his sons as priests, the first being the high priest, and consecrating all the vestments, objects, furniture, and tent as commanded by God.

III. Psalm 50 is one of prophetic exhortation. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

It announces that God is coming in judgment because his people have become lax in keeping the covenant. Two problems are noted: (1) some wrongly think that sacrifice is something God depends on, rather than an expression of Israel's dependence on God (50:9-15), and (2) some recite God's commandments with their lips but fail to observe them in their relationships with others (50:16-20). What truly "honors" the Lord and leads to "salvation" is a sacrifice of thanksgiving and a life of obedience (50:23). (p. 872)

 That's all for today!

Day 32: Cattle, Boils, and Hail

 Today's readings: Exodus 9, Leviticus 7, and Psalm 49.

I. The next Fifth Plague strikes Egypt: "all the cattle of the Egyptians died," but not those of the Israelites (9:1-7). You'd think that Pharaoh would have been moved by this, but what must have seemed like an attack on his false god of Apis, made sure that he wasn't, and "he did not let the people go."

With the Sixth Plague, "boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt," this did nothing to shake the pigheadedness of Pharaoh (9:8-12). I suppose he was too enthralled with the false goddess Sekhmet.

Moses then went to Pharaoh and gave him God's message that He could have wiped out all Egyptians through pestilence, but He did not; Pharaoh was still "exalting yourself against my people and would not let them go" (9:13-17). He was warned that a great hailstorm "shall come down upon every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home, and they shall die" (9:18-19). No hail fell upon where the Israelites lived, of course, and Pharaoh was moved briefly to sue for peace with Moses (9:20-33).

So all was good then, and everyone lived happily ever after, right?

No.

Spoiler alert: Pharaoh reneged yet again. You'd think that after the last couple of times, he would have learned his lesson. Nope. Not at all, and "the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the sons of Israel go" (9:34-35). You could say the false goddess Nut smiled at his persistent stubbornness.

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, has some good commentary on this:

When the Bible says that God hardened Pharaoh's heart, this does not mean that God removed Pharaoh's free will or caused his heart to harden. God is like the sun. In the heat of the sun, wax melts but clay hardens. If our hearts are like wax, they will soften in God's presence, but if they are like clay, they will harden. (p. 72)

II. In Leviticus chapter 7, more specific laws are given for the guilt and peace offerings. Most significantly, for Jewish dietary restrictions, animal fat and blood are strictly prohibited (7:22-27).

III. Psalm 49 is a wisdom psalm. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

It is a call to attention for all people (49:1-2) to gain wise instruction about life and the laws that govern it (49:3). At issue is whether God or wealth is the most secure basis for our trust. Since death robs men of riches (49:16-17), and God alone can ransom from death (49:15), fear of the wealthy is rejected (49:16) and trust in worldly belongings is exposed as "foolish confidence" (49:13). Death comes to all, wise and foolish, rich and poor (49:10). (p. 871)

All this on wisdom reminds me of some of Job and Proverbs that I've been recently reading.

 That's it for today!