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!

Day 31: Frogs, Gnats, and Flies

 Today's readings:  Exodus 8, Leviticus 6, and Psalm 48.

I. Moses went to Pharaoh again and, through Aaron, gave him God's demand to "let my people go" (8:1), which he would not do, so the Second Plague struck: frogs infested the land of Egypt, which the court magicians again did the same "by their secret arts" (8:2-7). Pharaoh agreed to release the Hebrews if the frogs would be destroyed, which Moses called upon God to do, but then reneged when "there was a respite, he hardened his heart, and would not listen to them" (8:8-15). 

A truly stubborn cuss, who might have been annoyed that this second plague could also be seen as an attack on the Egyptian false goddess Heket.

Interestingly, the Ignatius Bible notes this:

Ironically, the sorcerers [court magicians] worsen the frog plague and compound the hardships pressing upon Egypt. The frog goddess, Heket, was supposed to control the frog population of Egypt by protecting the crocodiles that ate them. (p. 135)

Pharaoh's stubbornness brought on the Third Plague: gnats "throughout all the land of Egypt" (8:16-17). The court magicians again tried their tricks, but couldn't replicate this plague, yet "Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them" (8:18-19).

Thus, the Fourth Plague was unleashed: swarms of flies "in all the land of Egypt [and] the land was ruined by reason of the flies" (8:20-24). Again, Pharaoh asked Moses to intercede and destroy what plagued Egypt, but then "hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go" once the flies departed (8:25-32). 

What an obdurate man, who would cause Egypt to suffer even more. This fourth plague was also likely an attack on their false goddess Uatchit.

I do like the BIY Companion, Vol 1, link's Pharaoh's stubbornness to all of us:

Today in Exodus, Moses tells Pharaoh that he can stop the plague of frogs whenever he says the word. Pharaoh responds, "Tomorrow" (Exodus 8:10). Here, Scripture acts like a mirror. Sometimes, when God tells us he can deliver us from something harmful or help us start something good, we respond, "Tomorrow." (p. 70)

II. This one from Leviticus (6:1-7) seems needed and just. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

Property that is stolen, withheld, or confiscated must be restored to its rightful owner, along with a fine of 20 percent, and a guilt offering must be brought to the sanctuary. These scenarios require a guilt offering because the offender swore falsely, i.e., he lied under oath and thus profaned the Lord's holy name (Ex 20:7; Ps 24:4; Jer 5:2). (p. 186)

So, no benefit from such underhandedness and deceit, or a simple apology. Nope, restitution to the one you wronged, a penalty, and a guilt offering required. I like that. 

Specific details on the law of offerings are outlined in verses 6:8-30.

III. Psalm 48 is a praise to God for Zion, a celebration of the glory and strength of Jerusalem, which He gave to them.

That's all for today!

Day 30: Nile Turned to Blood

 Today's readings: Exodus 6-7, Leviticus 5, and Psalm 47.

I. God reassures Moses that He will free the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt, make them His people, and that they will be given "the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob" (6:1-9). Moses told them, but they didn't believe him, "because of their broken spirit and their cruel bondage" (6:9). Bypassing further reassurance it seems, God commanded Moses to go to Pharaoh and tell him to "let the people of Israel go out of his land" (6:10-11). 

Oddly enough, we then get a genealogical digression detailing the ancestry of Moses and Aaron, brothers from the Levi clan (6:14-27). It seems out of place in this part of the story, interrupting the flow of the narrative. At the beginning of the tale would seem to me to have been better, but I'm sure it served a sort of cultural purpose for them at the time unknown to me.

The story continues with God telling He will speak to Moses and that Aaron will speak for him to Pharaoh, who will not listen and then be chastised by divine power. Interestingly, both are quite old: Moses is 80 and Aaron 83 (7:1-7). It's not those the world considers strong and of prime age that God always chooses to do His will; many times, He surprises us by doing the opposite of our expectations. So the brothers do as God commanded, with Aaron throwing his staff down to miraculously turn into a serpent, as a sign to Pharaoh. His court magicians somehow do likewise, but Aaron's ends up swallowing them up, but "Pharaoh's heart was hardened and he would not listen to them" (7:8-13). I've always been curious if what the magicians did was some kind of illusion trick or perhaps demonic power. Regardless, Pharaoh's poor choice brings the first of the Ten Plagues: the water of the Nile is turned to blood (7:14-24). Given the importance and sacredness of the Nile River to Egyptian pagans, this must have seemed like quite the blow. As shall be seen, each of the Ten Plagues will also be an attack on the Egyptian false gods and goddesses, as can be seen in the Ignatius Bible, p. 134. Hapi, their Nile god, was the first target.

Yet even this first plague didn't faze Pharaoh, for his court magicians again pulled some trick to imitate this, so "Pharaoh's heart remained hardened and he would not listen to them" (7:22).

I do like how the BIY Companion, Vol 1, comments on the repeated reminders to Moses here:

We can have short-term memory regarding God. We can easily forget what he has done for us due to our anxiety about the present or future. We study Scripture to be reminded of who God is, so he can reveal himself to us and we can know him even more deeply. (p. 68)

II. Leviticus continues listing offenses that require a sin offering. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

Three offenses requiring a sin offering. The first is a sin of omission: a witness who declines to testify in court despite having knowledge relevant to the administration of justice (5:1). The second and third offenses are sins discovered after the fact: a person who touches uncleanness is liable for the offense as soon as he learns of it (5:2-3), as is the person who comes to learn that he has violated a careless oath (5:4). (p. 185)

As this doesn't apply to us today, it can seem boring, which is why many readers tend to get bogged down in Leviticus while trying to read Scripture from the beginning to the end. Nevertheless, I did find it interesting that even in this list, God thinks of the poor in 5:7-13. 

The BIY Companion, Vol 1, comments on this:

In Leviticus, regarding the sin offering to be presented, God is merciful. If someone cannot afford a lamb or a goat, he can offer two pigeons or turtledoves. If he cannot afford even that, he can offer fine flour. God does not want anything to get in the way to stop people from receiving his mercy. (p.68)

III. Psalm 47 is a royal celebratory one. Even the way it begins speaks of this praise:

Clap your hands, all peoples!

Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

For the Lord, the Most High, is terrible,

    a great king over all the earth. (47:1-2)

That's all for today! 

Day 29: Moses Returns to Egypt

 Today's readings: Exodus 4-5, Leviticus 4, and Psalm 46.

I. Moses protests to God that he is not a good choice, saying that the Hebrews "will not believe me or listen to my voice" and even after being shown miracles by God, saying that he was "slow of speech and of tongue" (4:1-10). Basically, giving every excuse he could think of not to do what God wanted him to do. God persisted, telling Moses that He "will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak," but of course the latter pleaded with Him to "send, I pray, some other person" (4:11-13).

It's quite understandable that Scripture next tells us that "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses." God tells Moses that He will speak to him and he will speak to Aaron, his brother, who will then speak to the people (4:14-17).

'Tis a good thing that Scripture says God is "slow to anger" (34:6-7), but clearly Moses was pushing it.

Moses stops his protesting, gathers up his kin, and heads off back to Egypt. God tells him what he is to say to Pharaoh, but warns him that the latter will not believe him even under divine threats (4:18-23).

Then an odd episode occurs "at a lodging place on the way" where God "sought to kill him" (4:24-26). The Ignatius Bible explains:

Original meaning obscure. Moses may have followed the Midianite custom of waiting to circumcise boys until just before marriage. If so, he neglected the Abrahamic covenant, which required newborn males to be circumcised on the eighth day after birth (Gen 17:9-13). Failure to observe this rite meant being "cut off" from the covenant people (Gen 17:14)... (p. 131)

Moses and Aaron meet, then convince the Hebrew people in Egypt of what God had commanded (4:27-31). They next meet with Pharaoh and deliver God's command to "let my people go," but he refuses (5:1-5). Angrily, he increases the burdens on the Hebrews, who react negatively to Moses and Aaron, who themselves turn to God, asking Him, "Why have you done this evil to the people?" (5:6-23). 

As readers, we know how this will all turn out, but for Moses, Aaron, and the Hebrew people, it was happening in real life, with the future uncertain.

II. The first three offerings were voluntary, but this fourth, for sin, is not. A listing of sins for which this mandatory sin offering must be given is outlined, requiring a bull, goat, or lamb (4:1-35). The Ignatius Bible comments on this:

The sin offering, which cleanses the worshipper of impurity, moral (4:20; 16:30), as well as ritual (12:6-7; 14:19), since both defile the Lord's sanctuary (16:33; 20:3). For this reason, it is sometimes called the purification offering. The law differs according to the offender's position and level of responsibility: a bull is offered for the high priest or the congregation (4:1-21), a goat for a tribal ruler (4:22-26), a female lamb or goat for a common citizen (4:27-35), and a pair of birds or a patch of flour for the poor (5:7-13)... (p. 184)

Given the detailed description of how these animals are to be offered, even down to "the fat that covers the entrails and all the fat that is on the entrails, and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them at the loins, and the appendage of the liver" (4:8-9) gives an idea of how serious God considers sin to be. It's as if these details are meant to disgust the sinner for what they have done and the cost for their sin, though this could probably be more the reaction of a modern person to an ancient practice. After all, most ancient religions I'm aware of practice animal, and sometimes human, sacrifices to their gods. Though I'm not sure many of the pagan ones went to such detail in their sacrifices as outlined in Leviticus.

III. Psalm 46 is one of praise for His defense of Jerusalem and the people of Israel, as can be seen in is deliverance of them time and time again.

"Be still, and know that I am God.

    I am exalted among the nations,

    I am exalted in the earth!"

The Lord of hosts is with us;

    the God of Jacob is our refuge. (46:10-11)

That's all for today! 

Day 28: The Burning Bush

 Today's reading: Exodus 3, Leviticus 2-3; and Psalm 45.

I. While tending "the flock of his father-in-law" (3:1), he received a miraculous theophany in a burning bush that was not consumed by the fire (3:2-6). God says to Moses that He knows of the suffering of the Hebrews in Egypt, and calls on him to lead them out to "a land flowing with milk and honey" (3:7-9). He reveals His Name to Moses and promises to be with Moses as he confronts Pharaoh for this (3:10-22). The revelation of the Name of God to Moses, or perhaps God’s own explanation of His divine name, is interesting as to what this tells us about Who God Is, as the Ignatius Bible notes:

I AM WHO I AM: The personal name of God, which is also a revelation of his nature. Traditionally, the name is said to express a philosophical truth: God is infinite Being, the One whose essence is to exist, without beginning or end, independently of all other things that exist... This aspect of the mystery may be seen in the burning bush, where the fire of divine presence burns undiminished without need of created realities to generate or sustain itself. The name can also be said to express a historical truth: God is sovereign over all ages of time, for he is the First and the Last, who is present and active in history from its inception to its consummation... (p. 128)

Moses' hesitation in 3:11 is probably to be expected when faced with a theophany such as this. We are weak, finite beings after all. The man was undoubtedly awestruck by the encounter and afraid.

II. In Leviticus chapters 2 & 3, cereal offerings and peace offerings are described, and as to how the Hebrews shall give them to the Lord. This all seems odd to us today, but the right way to worship God was outlined for them at that time, and it all foreshadowed what would come with Christ (Heb 10:1). I do like how the Ignatius Bible explains these offerings:

The cereal offering, which is a gift of "tribute" presented to the Lord as Israel's covenant King... The peace offering, which promotes "peace" between partners joined together in a covenant... (p. 182)

That explanation was helpful for understanding these offerings more.

III. Psalm 45 celebrates a royal wedding. I'm curious if this was for an actual royal wedding (whose?) or if the psalmist was taking some poetic license here. Interestingly, there are lines in it which are messianic, such as "Your divine throne endures for ever and ever" (45:6; Heb 1:8-9).

That's all for today!

Day 27: The Birth of Moses

 Today's readings: Exodus 1-2, Leviticus 1, and Psalm 44.

I. The Book of Exodus begins by noting that the descendants of the sons of Jacob/Israel had grown numerous in Egypt (1:1-7). A new pharaoh arose and stoked fear among the Egyptians that they would be overrun, and enslaved the Hebrews to do tough, menial work for them and "made their lives bitter with hard service" (1:8-14). On a side note, isn't this always like tyrants? Find a scapegoat to blame and soothe the masses from what's really wrong in society. Like sheeple, we seem to fall for this time and time again, no matter the culture. At any rate, when the number of Hebrews failed to decrease as a result, he next moved to having newborn Hebrew sons killed by the midwives, which also failed, and then ordered them to just be tossed into the Nile River (1:15-22). It's like a perversion of this probably historically fictional scene in the movie Braveheart. Kill the boys, but keep the girls, thereby essentially "breeding" out the Hebrews.

Then a boy is born to parents from the House of Levi (2:1-2). The mother put the boy into a basket near the Nile riverbank, which was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, who "took pity on him" (2:3-6). It sounds like the mother knew that Pharaoh's daughter would find her son, who had been named Moses, especially when she managed to conveniently have herself hired as the baby's wetnurse (2:7-10). Moses grew up in the household of Pharaoh's daughter, and one day, when he was grown, he killed an "Egyptian beating a Hebrew" (2:11-12). I've always wondered if there was more to this story. From the surface of it, we'd normally consider what Moses did to be defending his fellow Hebrew. Since he killed the man after looking around and seeing no one, does this mean it went beyond self-defense or defense of another? Did Moses kill mainly out of anger and hatred, instead of just incapacitating him? Interesting to consider.  

Word seems to have gone around, and after Pharaoh finds out, he flees to Midian, where he marries a woman who bears him a son (2:13-22). The Pharaoh who had sought his blood dies, and the chapter ends with God taking notice of the suffering of the Hebrews (2:23-25).

II. The next book begun today is that of Leviticus, which, like many people, I confess to finding boring. In one sense, it's like reading the tax code. Yet, it does have some interest in seeing how the Hebrews were commanded to worship and what each part came to be later on. Today, for instance, the first chapter is on the rules concerning burnt offerings of animals for atonement of sins. This would eventually lead to the great Temple in Jerusalem, culminating in the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the Cross out of love for us (Eph 5:2). 

III. Psalm 44 is another moving lament, only this one is national, as well as a heartfelt plea for God's help and deliverance from their enemies. As the Ignatius Bible notes:

The people of Israel feel abandoned by God (44:24). They have suffered defeat at the hands of their enemies (44:10); they have been exiled to foreign lands (44:11); and they are cruelly taunted by their captors (44:13, 16). This was the result of many national sins (79:5-9). Nevertheless, the faithful remnant - those who stayed true to the covenant - they, too, are targets of humiliation and death, thanks to their loyalty to God (44:22). Their cry for deliverance (44:26) is inspired by God's saving actions in the past (44:1-8). (p. 867)

I'm curious when this was written and the context for the national disaster it describes. Unfortunately, we do not know for certain, but from what little I could find online, scholars seem to think it is from 600-400 BC and may date from around the Babylonian exile. Whatever the true context and dating, you can almost hear the deep lament and deep cry for help in the face of utter catastrophe.

That's all for today!

Introduction to Egypt and Exodus

 

Today is an introduction to the next time period in the Bible in a Year program: Egypt and Exodus. Jeff Cavins joins Fr. Mike Schmitz in the above video.

As the BIY Companion, Vol 1, notes:

The period of Egypt and Exodus is a time of tremendous change. After they leave Egypt, their home for four hundred years, God leads the Israelites into the desert of Sinai, where he calls them to be holy as he is holy. During the Exodus, God is reforming his people, who had lost their identity in Egypt. What they will eat and wear from now on will be different, and the way they relate to one another and other nations will change according to God's Law. (p. 61).

This video, probably from a Protestant source, does a pretty good job of summarizing the events in Ch. 1-18: