Covenant 4b: Moses, the Lawgiver

Note:

Have you noticed that with every covenant God becomes more and more involved in the lives of those whom He calls and He continues to draw more and ask more of those that follow Him?

Exodus 24:3-18 Bloody Sacrifice/The Heart of Worship

What does respond with one voice remind us of?

• Responses at mass

What does the reading remind us of?

• Liturgy of the word

• Jewish concept of memory

• Luke 4:17-21

What might "ate and drank" recall to our minds?

• The Meal of Passover and of Melchizedek

• Takes place in the midst of God.

Does the dashing of the blood on the people? 

• Easter holy water being sprinkled on the people.

• Baptism of Christ

What might the mountain remind us of and what might it mean?

• Tower of Babel

• Raised to God's level.

• Why the fire on top of the Mountain?

  • Burning bush -> hysop

  • Sin offering/burnt offering vs. reception of the law 

    • symbol of purity

• Why forty days and forty nights? Where else does this number come up?

  • May symbolize just a long time

  • Lent forty-six days before the deliverance.

  • Christ's fasting in the desert Matthew 4:1-11

    • What does He do when He is done?

    • Shaping His humanity perhaps? that is certainly what we do fasting for anyway

We see something of the role of a priest, prophet, and king in Moses, he brings the law, He intercedes on behalf of the people is one of them, and he brings His encounter with God to the people.

This ritual at Sinai is not only important for understanding a foundational moment in Israel’s relationship with God; it also tells us a lot about how we Christians are to worship the Lord today, for the specifics of this ritual at Mount Sinai reflect a divine pattern for worship. Already in the time of Moses, God establishes the basic structure for worship that He desires to be used for the rest of time. Note how, at Sinai, there is found a Liturgy of the Word and a Liturgy of Sacrifice. Moses first proclaims the Word of God and then leads the people in sacrifice, a blood ritual, and a communion meal.

Exodus 32:1-6 The Golden Calf

What problem might Aaron have on judgment day?

• Leading the people astray

What parallels do we see in Christ's temptation in the desert? What significance might it have?

• Temptation Christ resisted but the Israelites returned to paganism and the slightest difficulty.

God just ransomed Israel from slavery. Were they grateful?

• Not really. Why not?

  • Do we always want to be saved?

    • No, sometimes we are rather comfortable with the familiar aspects of our attachment to worldly things after all giving stuff up is proving difficult

  • Do we fail to see what God is doing in our lives?

  • What might this say about our salvation?

    • We need God's grace, our openness, and intentional obedience to Him.

    • There will be failures along the way.

    • Sometimes we will miss aspects of our slavery.

Other overtones include: The bull symbolizes fertility and the "revel"-ing may well be an orgy

As fun as it is to follow Israel in this time of purification we will jump to the end of their wanderings in the desert.

Numbers 13:25-14:4

Why again did the spies lie about the promised land AKA Kadesh?

• because they felt God did not have a plan to practically make the transition happen

• The people have thus led astray into thinking that God is not trustworthy yet again (takes us back to the garden) and were very easily convinced of this lie

  • Concupiscence

Why might Israel have sent spies, to begin with?

• Because the LORD told them to do so, very likely it was their lack of trust that needed tangible hope.

As the people lament, they wish again for the object of their captivity and denounce the Lord and His representatives. This is a major problem on account of the fact they have been lied to. The LORD delivered them before can He not do it again?

Deuteronomy 30:1-6

This is an important promise as it will shape the whole rest of revelation. Please keep this in mind throughout the rest of this study.

Hebrews 11:23-29 The Faith of Moses

• Notice the mention of "unafraid" a couple of times.

  • his trust was rewarded with protection.

• The incorporation of will to be pure.

• Also notice the mention of Passover, the Sprinkling of Blood, and the deliverance through the read sea

The Catechism of the Catholic Church says...

God forms his people Israel

62 After the patriarchs, God formed Israel as his people by freeing them from slavery in Egypt. He established with them the covenant of Mount Sinai and, through Moses, gave them his law so that they would recognize him and serve him as the one living and true God, the provident Father and just judge, and so that they would look for the promised Savior.[1]

63 Israel is the priestly people of God, “called by the name of the LORD”, and “the first to hear the word of God”,[2] the people of “elder brethren” in the faith of Abraham.

64 Through the prophets, God forms his people in the hope of salvation, in the expectation of a new and everlasting Covenant intended for all, to be written on their hearts.[3] The prophets proclaim a radical redemption of the People of God, purification from all their infidelities, a salvation which will include all the nations.[4] Above all, the poor and humble of the Lord will bear this hope. Such holy women as Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Judith, and Esther kept alive the hope of Israel’s salvation. The purest figure among them is Mary.[5]

[1] Cf. DV 3.

[2] Deut 28: 10; Roman Missal, Good Friday, General Intercession VI; see also Ex 19:6.

[3] Cf. Isa 2:2-4; Jer 31:31-34; Heb 10:16.

[4] Cf. Ezek 36; Isa 49:5-6; 53:11.

[5] Cf. Ezek 2:3; Lk 1:38.