3.3 Moses and the Covenant with the Children of Israel

Transcription

1 3.3 Moses and the Covenant with the Children of Israel Key Concept Moses is the most important figure in the Old Testament. He is the founder of the primal religion that will mature into Rabbinic Judaism and Christianity. Key Terms Theophany Elohim Yahweh Adonai Pestilence Boils Manna Sacrilege Decalogue Ark of the Covenant Sabbath Outline Joseph to Moses A. About four centuries separate Joseph from Moses. B. Joseph and all of the other people of that generation eventually die. 1. The Israelites prosper and their numbers grow. 2. A new pharaoh comes to power who know nothing of Joseph. 3. The new pharaoh fears the Israelite and enslaves them. 4. The Children of Israel pray the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for a deliverer. The Early Life of Moses A. Egyptian authorities were systematically killing the male children of the Hebrews in order to reduce their future manpower. 1. The mother of Moses placed him in a water proof basket and sent out on the Nile River. 2. Pharaoh s daughter finds the baby and adopts him as her son. a. This story line appears often in Middle Eastern stories to indicate that the person escaped death as an infant because of a vital mission he had to accomplish. b. The name Moses means I drew him out of the water. B. During his early adulthood, Moses struck and killed an Egyptian foreman for abusing a Hebrew slave. 1. Moses fled to Midian where he became a shepherd for a priest of Midian named Jethro (Reuel).

2 2. Jethro give Moses his daughter Zipporah in marriage. They have a son named Gershom. C. The Burning Bush 1. One day while tending the sheep, Moses notices sagebrush on fire. This fire does not burn out. 2. This is a Theophany meaning an appearance or manifestation of God. 3. God tells Moses that he is to go to Egypt to free the Children of Israel from slavery. a. Moses says that he can t possibly make this work. b. God answers, I will be with you. 4. Moses asks by what name God wishes to be called. God answers, I AM WHO AM The Names of God A. The revelation of God s name offered important information. 1. It distinguished the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob from all others. 2. It gave people a way to call upon and engage God. B. The Old Testament employs numerous names for God. 1. Elohim means "God" (plural) as in the Creator: 2. Yahweh is found in Scripture as the consonants YHWH refers to God's Covenant name. The letters form the verb "to be" or I AM WHO AM. a. Jehovah is the older rendering of Yahweh. b. Yahweh is modified with a variety of other words to indicate qualities of God. Yahweh-rapha means Yahweh who heals. 3. Adonai means Lord is a term of reverence substituted for Yahweh out of respect The Ten Plagues A. Moses demands the release of the Children of Israel nine times and each time Pharaoh refuses. A plague follows: 1. Water turns to blood. 2. Frogs swarm over the land. 3. Gnats infest people and animals. 4. Flies cover the land. 5. Pestilence meaning disease will infect the livestock. 6. Boils meaning a painful inflammation on the skin infect people and animals.

3 7. Hail destroys crops. 8. Locusts eat the crops missed by the hail. 9. Darkness blankets the land of Egypt. B. The tenth plague and final plague marks the beginning of the Seder Meal, the remote origin of the Holy Mass. 1. God tells Moses that the angel of death will strike down every first born male in Egypt. 2. The Children of Israel are to mark their door posts with the blood of the lamb so that the angel of death may pass over and not take a life in that house. C. The Seder Meal 1. The meal is eaten on the night of the Passover and every year since to commemorate the Passover. 2. The meal is eaten as if you are a person in flight eating on the run. 3. The menu includes lamb (symbol of salvation) bitter herbs (reminder of slavery), unleavened bread (no time to let the dough rise) and wine (celebration of deliverance). Typology: The Passover Paschal Mystery A. The Israelites were in slavery to the Egyptians. 1. God chose Moses to lead them to freedom. Pharaoh and his army chased the Israelites all the way into the Red Sea. 2. Moses and the Israelites passed through and were saved; Pharaoh and his army were swallowed up in the waters and drowned. 3. After passing through the waters, the Israelites find themselves in the middle of a wilderness (a desert ) full of trials and temptations. 4. They are told that a promised land awaits them but they first must pass through a generation (40 years) of trials and difficulties and many tests of faith. 5. During their time in the wilderness they are fed by Moses with a mysterious manna or bread from heaven. B. If we read these passages carefully, we can see clear references to the sacrament of BAPTISM: 1. We were born into the slavery of sin and the devil God chose Christ to lead us to freedom. The devil and his demons chased us all the way into the waters of the Baptismal font

4 2. We passed through the waters alive and renewed and were saved from original sin; the devil and his demons were destroyed (or at least a great part of their power over us was destroyed) 3. After passing through the waters of Baptism, Christians find themselves in the middle of a wilderness (a desert ) full of trials and temptations 4. We are told that a promised land awaits us (HEAVEN) but we must first pass through a generation (a lifetime) of trials and difficulties and many tests of faith 5. During our time in the wilderness of life we are fed by Christ with the mysterious Bread of Life called the Holy Eucharist Typology: Seder Meal Holy Eucharist A. The Israelites are in slavery to the Egyptians God chooses Moses to institute a ritual sacrificial meal 1. Through this ritual a lamb will be slain The lamb must fulfill three requirements (Exodus 12:5) a. It must be without blemish b. It must be a male c. It must be a year old 2. Two things must be done with the lamb after it is slain Its blood must be sprinkled on the doorpost of the house (Ex. 12:7) a. It must be roasted and EATEN (Ex. 12:8) The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture CDOPHRC01 Unit Number Unit Name Page 40 b. If these requirements are met (and ONLY if these requirements are met), then the first-born male will be spared and the angel of death will pass over the house (Ex. 12:13; 12:23) 3. The meal is also to be eaten with unleavened bread (Ex 12:15; 12:20) this signifying the haste with which the meal is to be eaten (Ex 12:11) 4. The entire Passover ritual is preparing the Israelites for their deliverance from slavery and God s mighty intervention God commands that the Israelites shall observe this rite as an ordinance for you and your sons forever. (Ex 12:24) B. If we read these passages carefully, we can see clear references to the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist 1. The world is in slavery to the devil God

5 chooses Christ to institute a ritual sacrificial meal at the Last Supper Luke 22:19: And He took bread and when he had given thanks he broke it and gave it to them, saying, This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. 2. The ritual of the Eucharist is made possible through Christ, the Lamb of God, being slain on Calvary 2000 years ago (note: Christ is NOT slain over and over during the Eucharist His one historic sacrifice is mysteriously made present at every Eucharist but Christ is NOT repeatedly slain at every Eucharist) 3. All four Gospel writers ( Evangelists ) point out that Christ was slain AT PASSOVER TIME in the Jewish Holy calendar year Christ was without blemish (sinless) malea year old, at least according to his life of public ministry recorded by Matthew, Mark and Luke 4. Two things must be done for us to receive the graces of the Eucharist. a. Christ s blood must cover us as it did the doorpost of the Israelites (see John 19:34) b. We must eat the flesh of the Lamb: If these requirements are met, the angel of death will pass over not just a certain house or a certain people, but will pass over anyone who believes and receives the Sacrament 5. The meal of the Eucharist is today eaten with unleavened bread which becomes the Body of Christ. 6. There is no longer any need for an actual animal lamb, since we have Christ, the mystical lamb now present in the form of the bread and wine John 6:51, 53: I am the bread of life. And the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh... Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and 7. I will raise him up at the last day. The entire Passover ritual of the Eucharist is preparing us for our ultimate deliverance from all slavery and God s mighty intervention in our lives today. 8. God commands us that we should always do this in remembrance of me (Luke 22:19) For those of you who are really

6 into this, you might notice that the blood of the lamb was to be sprinkled on the doorpost using a hyssop branch (Ex 12:22); it was a hyssop branch which was used to give Christ a drink of sour wine while He was dying on the cross (John 19:29) C. These similarities between the Passover event of Exodus 12 and the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist are not coincidental. 1. They are part of God s PLAN The story of the Passover prepares us for accepting the story of Jesus as the lamb of God and the Eucharist. 2. They show us that God was already foreshadowing (giving a sneak preview ) of what He would be doing for our salvation almost twelve hundred years later. 3. In other words, it makes the story of Jesus EASIER for us to believe and shows us that GOD HAD A PLAN ALL ALONG. The Exodus A. Pharaoh permits the Children of Israel to leave Egypt. 1. The Bible states that 600,000 men on foot not counting their children departed. 2. They were of mixed ancestry part Hebrew and part Egyptian. The Revelation of Jesus Christ in Scripture CDOPHRC01 Unit Number Unit Name Page They took their livestock and other possessions with them. B. The multitude was led by pillar of cloud during the day and pillar of fire during the night. 1. Pharaoh regretted freeing the slaves and sent his army after them. 2. The Children of Israel escaped by crossing the Red Sea or perhaps the Reed Sea. C. The travelers survived by gifts from God. 1. Manna is a sugary dew-like food. Perhaps a secretion of the Manna Ash tree. 2. Quail fly in from the sea, become exhausted and drop dead on the desert. 3. Water deposits can be found in limestone rock when the crust of the rock is broken.

7 Typology: Red Sea Crossing Baptism A. Moses and the Red Sea 1. God chose Moses to lead them to freedom 2. Pharaoh and his army chased the Israelites all the way into the Red Sea 3. Moses and the Israelites passed through and were saved; Pharaoh and his army were swallowed up in the waters and drowned 4. After passing through the waters, the Israelites find themselves in the middle of a wilderness ( a desert ) full of trials and temptations 5. They are told that a promised land awaits them but they first must pass through a generation (40 years) of trials and difficulties and many tests of faith 6. During their time in the wilderness they are fed by Moses with a mysterious manna or bread from heaven B. If we read these passages carefully, we can see clear references to the sacrament of BAPTISM: 1. We were born into the slavery of sin and the devil 2. God chose Christ to lead us to freedom 3. The devil and his demons chased us all the way into the waters of the Baptismal font 4. We passed through the waters alive and renewed and were saved from original sin; the devil and his demons were destroyed (or at least a great part of their power over us was destroyed) 5. After passing through the waters of Baptism, Christians find themselves in the middle of a wilderness (a desert ) full of trials and temptations 6. We are told that a promised land awaits us (HEAVEN) but we must first pass through a generation (a lifetime) of trials and difficulties and many tests of faith 7. During our time in the wilderness of life we are fed by Christ with the mysterious Bread of Life called the Holy Eucharist The Covenant at Sinai A. After three months of travel, the Children of Israel arrived at Mt. Sinai and made camp. 1. Moses goes up the mountain. God reveals to Moses the terms of the Covenant. 2. God says, "Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated

8 the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation. That is what you must tell the Israelites." EX 19: Moses relays the message to the elders of the Children of Israel and they agree. Moses returns to the mountain to report the elders response. 4. God tells Moses that the mountain is sacred and gives instructions on how to deal with sacrilege which refers to violating any person or thing that is sacred. The Great Theophany A. On the Moring of the third day, God comes down to the top of the mountain. 1. Clouds, lightning, thunder, fire and smoke mark the event. 2. God summons Moses and tell him to warn the people of the sanctions of sacrilegious behavior. B. Then God delivered the Decalogue or the Ten Commandments ( ) 1. I am the Lord your God; you shall not have strange gods before me. 2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. 3. Remember to keep holy the Lord s Day. 4. Honor your father and your mother. 5. You shall not kill. 6. You shall not commit adultery. 7. You shall not steal. 8. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. 9. You shall not covet your neighbor s wife. 10. You shall not covet your neighbor s goods. C. The Covenant is ratified. 1. Young bulls are offered in sacrifice as a peace offering to God. 2. Moses sprinkles blood from the bulls on the altar and on the people sealing the covenant. D. The Ark of the Covenant refers to the commemorative chest marking the cutting of the covenant at Sinai. 1. Detailed instructions as to the building of the Ark are revealed. 2. Further instructions are given concerning

9 sacrifice and other aspects of religious practice. 3. Moses places the stone tablets upon which the Decalogue was carved into the Ark. 4. The Ark was the most sacred artifact of the Children of Israel. E. God instructs that people are to work for six days and on the seventh day rest in observance of the Sabbath meaning the seventh day of the week reserved for rest. The Golden Calf A. Moses was delayed on the mountain. 1. The Israelites thought he might not return, so they made an idol a golden calf. a. People donated their gold for the making of the idol. b. They drank, danced and carried on before the idol. 2. God is angry and tells Moses he will destroy the people and start over with Moses. a. Moses begs God not to destroy the people out of regard for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. b. The Lord relents and does not destroy the Children of Israel. B. Moses comes down the mountain and his wrath flares up. 1. He throws the tablets upon which God wrote the Decalogue breaking them on the base of the mountain. 2. Moses destroyed the calf, ground it into powder and made the Israelites drink the powder. C. God replaces the tablets. The Israelite camp at the foot of the mountain for about a year. 1. More religious laws are revealed. 2. The basic elements of worship are made. Forty Years in the Desert A. Israel breaks camp to begin what will be a forty year trek of the Promised Land. 1. The journey is difficult causing some to rebel against Moses. 2. Kingdoms along the way are not always willing to let the travelers cross their territory. B. Finally, they arrive on the plateaus of Moab overlooking the Promised Land. 1. Moses dies. 2. Joshua takes charge.

10 Revelation and Insights A. Revelations 1. Exodus reveals in more detail the precise way that God intends to fulfill His promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. 2. The Children of Israel will have a special relationship with God that ultimately will lead to a blessing of the entire human race. 3. Faithfulness to the Covenant is the essential defining element in the relationship between God and the Children of Israel, B. Insights 1. The Covenant gives the Children of Israel a. Identity Chosen People. b. Destiny the Promised Land. c. Purpose conduit for human salvation. 2. Being chosen does not protect someone from temptation and sin. Scripture Typology Connect the Israelites forty years in the desert with Jesus forty days in the dessert with the forty days of Lent. Scripture Structure Genesis 01:01-11:26 Primeval History 11:27-25:18 Patriarch Abraham 25:19-36:43 Isaac and Jacob 37:01-50:26 Joseph and his Brothers Exodus 01:01-12:36 Israelites in Egypt 12:37-18:27 Exodus from Egypt 19:01-24:18 Covenant at Sinai 25:01-40:38 The Ark and its Furnishings Leviticus 01:01-07:38 Ritual of Sacrifice 08:01-10:20 Ceremony of Ordination 11:01-16:34 Legal Purity 17:01-26:46 Legal Holiness 27:01-34 Redemption of Offerings Numbers 01:01-10:10 Preparations to Leave Mt. Sinai 10:11-22:01 Sinai to Moab 22:02-36:13 Moab Deuteronomy 01:01-04:43 Historic Review

11 04:44-11:32 God and His Covenant 12:01-26:19 The Law 27:01-34:12 Final Words of Moses Exercise Select a paragraph from the catechism between paragraphs and explain what is being taught. Applications Find an article, photo, video clip, or music bite that illustrates a covenant. Discussion Hoover says, Hey Maynard, Father Cosmos says that idolatry is still a problem as it was for the Children of Israel, but who worships a golden calf today? Help Maynard explain. Faith Formation How are the Ten Commandments presented in the Catholic Catechism? Discuss how the lapse of faith experienced by the Children of Israel impacted their morality. How does Moses foreshadow the Christ? Review 1. How does the person of Moses foreshadow Christ? 2. How does the Seder meal and Passover foreshadow the Paschal Mystery and the Eucharist? 3. How does the Covenant at Sinai foreshadow Jesus and the Church? 4. Why didn t Jesus come at this point in history; why did there need to be this first covenant?

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