The Birth of a Nation (Exodus 13 - 16)

Here’s a recap. I started a Bible study on the Book of Exodus back during Lent. Of course, covering the entire book of Exodus was a much bigger job than I anticipated. I intented to write a new Bible study post every week. After Lent was over, I was grew tired of the project and gave it a rest. I had pretty much decided to just drop it until I noticed how many hits that those posts were getting and I realized that people must be hungry for this type of material. So I am going to begin again and attempt to finish the study of Exodus. I will probably be much less ambitious and I anticipate a new Bible study post about once a month. At that rate it will take forever to finish, but so what?

Here’s a recap of prior posts in the series: Exodus Chapter 1 and 2; The Call of Moses (Exodus 3 - 6); The River of Blood (Exodus Chapter 7); The Finger of God (Exodus Chapter 8); When the Gods Were Silent (Exodus 9 - 10); An Ordinance Forever (Exodus 11 - 12).

PRAYER BEFORE STUDYING SCRIPTURE: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.

THE CONSECRATION OF THE FIRSTBORN AND THE FEAST OF UNLEAVENED BREAD (EXODUS CHAPTER 13: 1 - 16).

Exodus Chapter 13 begins with God’s command to consecrate all of the firstborn to Him. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me all the firstborn; whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.” (Exodus 13: 1-2). Professor Davis comments: “The consecration of the firstborn was closely associated with the events of the Passover and was to serve as a reminder of God’s mercy to His people.” (Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, p. 161). The Navarre Bible Commentary stresses that Jesus was the firstborn son dedicated to God: “This law, which is an acknowledgment that children are a gift from God and belong to him, stayed in place virtually unchanged up to the time of the New Testament. Jesus himself submitted to it in a profound act of humility.” (Navarre Bible, Volume I: Pentateuch, p. 294).

In verses 3 through 16, Moses gives the people liturgical instructions about how the Feast of Unleavened Bread is to be celebrated. Professor Davis comments “The feast of unleavened bread was not only designed to bring back the memory of that great deliverance, but to remind them of the possibilities of future blessing.” (Davis, p. 163). The Navarre Bible Commentary quotes paragraph 1363 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “This is how Israel understands its liberation from Egypt: every time Passover is celebrated the Exodus events are mad present to the memory of believers so that they may conform their lives to them” (Navarre Pentateuch p. 295).

Verses 9 and 16 command “And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth; for with a strong hand the LORD has brought you out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13: 9), and “It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes; for by a strong hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt.” (Exodus 13: 16). This is the origin of the Jewish practice of wearing tephillin which Orthodox Jews still maintain. As Professor Davis explains:

“The precise meaning of the term “token” . . . and its implications in daily practice have been the subject of some speculation. Upon the basis of this verse and Deuteronomy 6:8 and 11:18 the Jews have concluded that this means the wearing of literal pouches which they have designated tephillin, a term explained to mean prayers. The Greek designation was phylakterion (Matt. 23:5) from which the English word “phylactery” has been derived. The phylactery consisted of small pouches made from the skin of ceremonially clean animals, sewed to leather bands by which they were strapped to the forehead between and immediately above the eyes and to the left arms of males who had reached the age of thirteen. Inside the small pouches were strips of parchment on which were written certain passages from the Law (viz. Exod. 13:2-10; Deut. 6:4-9; 11: 13-21). These passages were placed in one of the four compartments of the head phylactery. The arm phylactery had but one pocket yet contained the same four passages written on one piece of skin. It was generally tied to the inside of the left arm a little above the elbow so that the Scripture passages might be close to the heart.

. . . This practice is still perpetuated today by orthodox Jews and phylacteries are worn by the pious during the daily morning prayer and by some devout men all day long. . . . In Jesus’ day men would make the phylacteries more conspicuous by broadening the bands, which practice was severely criticized by Christ in Matthew 23:5.” (Davis, p. 162 - 163).

THE DEPARTURE FROM EGYPT

When the children of Israel left Egypt God led them on a round about way in order to avoid contact with the Philistines. “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; for God said, ‘Lest the people repent when they see war, and return to Egypt.’ But God led the people round by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea.” (Exodus 13: 17- 18). The Bible notes that Moses took the remains of Joseph with him. “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him; for Joseph had solemnly sworn the people of Israel, saying, ‘God will visit you; then you must carry my bones with you from here.’ (Exodus 13: 19). The New Jerome Bible Commentary notes: “In Gen. 50: 22 - 26, Joseph made his brothers swear that they would take his bones with them when God ‘will visit you.’ The transfer of the bones is a sign that ‘the visitation’ has taken place.” (New Jerome Bible Commentary, p. 49).

“And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night; the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.” Exodus 13: 21-22). God appeared as smoke by day and as fire by night. (Davis, p. 167).

ESCAPE FROM DANGER (EXODUS 14: 1 - 15:21)

The exact location where Israel encamped and crossed over from Egypt into Sinai has been endlessly debated. Professor Davis notes: “The exact identity of the Red Sea (Heb. yam sup - “sea of reeds”) has been the subject of very lively debate. . . . The place of encampment is listed in verse 2 as Pi-hahiroth, ‘between Migdol and the sea, over against Baa-zephon. . . .’ The exact location of these sites is at present uncertain.” (Davis, p. 167).

In any event, when the people find out that Pharaoh’s army is behind them with chariots and coming up fast, they panic. Moses, however, remains calm and firm and tells the people that if they will only have faith the LORD will deliver them.

“When Pharoah drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them; and they were in great fear. And the people of Israel cried out to the LORD; and they said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, in bringing us out of Egypt? Is not this what we said to you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die I the wilderness.” And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will work for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The LORD will fight for you, and you have only to be still.” (Exodus 14: 10 - 14).

Professor Davis comments “The reaction of the Hebrews is quite typical of those whose spiritual perspectives are those which are conditioned by the present alone. Without a historical consciousness of what God has done and a deep rooted faith in what God will do, one is easily moved by the emotion of a given situation. The shallow responses of the Hebrews should be a warning to all of those who put their emphasis on the present.” (Davis, p. 169).

The Navarre Bible Commentary quotes the Church Father Origen: “You too, if you distance yourself from the Egyptians and flee far from the power of demons, will see what great helps will be provided to you each day and what great protection is available to you. All that is asked of you is that you stand firm in the faith and do not let yourself be terrified by either the Egyptian cavalry or the noise of their chariots.” (Navarre Pentateuch, p. 300).

CROSSING THE RED SEA

“Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued, and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharoah’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down upon the host of the Egyptians, and discomfited the host of the Egyptians, clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel; for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”

Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” So Moses stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its wonted flow when the morning appeared; and the Egyptians fled into it, and the LORD routed the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen and all the host of Pharoah that had followed them into the sea; not so much as one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians; and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the seashore. And Israel saw the great work which the LORD did against the Egyptians, and the people feared the LORD; and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.” (Exodus 14: 21 - 31).

The Navarre Bible Commentary notes that Saint Paul viewed the crossing of the Red Sea as pre-figuring the sacrament of Christian Baptism: “St. Paul sees in the passage of the sea a figure of Christian Baptism. Baptism marks the start of salvation, and the start also of a persevering effort on the Christian’s part to respond to it. (cf. 1 Cor. 10: 1-5).” (Navarre, p. 299).

Professor Davis comments: “From the days of Josephus onward there have been critics who have denied the very historicity of this event explaining it as simply mythology. . . .
Professor Angelos Galanopoulos of Athens University is quoted as ascribing both the pollution of the Nile River and the crossing of the Israelites through the sea, to a violent volcanic eruption which occurred somewhere in the thirteenth century B.C. According to Galanopoulos, this volcanic explosion set off air waves 350 times more powerful than those of a hydrogen bomb and devastated not only the presumed continent of Atlantis, but provided associated catastrophic events such as the plagues and the separation of the Red Sea. . . . A very popular view is that the Israelites crossed in a generally shallow and marshy district which could easily have been cleared of water and laid dry by the normal action of a strong wind. The difficulty with this viewpoint is that if this were merely shallow water, it is difficult to see how the Egyptians could have been drowned.” (Davis, p. 171 - 172).

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth, provides a possible naturalistic explanation: “. . . the events that took place could be described as follows: The Israelites had arrived at the Reed Sea at a point at which it was shallow. Possibly there was a ridge in the sea bed, normally covered by water, but occasionally - when, for example, a fierce east wind blows - exposed. This is how Cambridge University physicist Colin Humphreys puts it in his “The Miracles of Exodus”:

‘Wind tides are well known to oceanographers. For example, a strong wind blowing along Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, has produced water elevation differences of as much as sixteen feet between Toledo, Ohio, on the west, an Buffalo, New York, on the east . . . There are reports that Napoleon was almost killed by a ‘sudden high tide’ while he was crossing shallow water near the head of the Gulf of Suez.’

In the case of the wind that exposed the ridge in the bed of the sea, the consequences were dramatic. Suddenly the Israelites, traveling on foot, had an immense advantage over the Egyptian chariots that were pursuing them. Their wheels became stuck in the mud. The charioteers made ferocious efforts to free them, only to find that they quickly became mired again. The Egyptian army could neither advance nor retreat. So intent were they on the trapped wheels, and so reluctant were they to abandon their prized war machines, the chariots, that they failed to notice that the wind had dropped and the water was returning. By the time they realized what was happening, they were trapped. The ridge was now covered with sea water in either direction, and the island of dry land in the middle was shrinking by the minute.. The mightiest army of the ancient world was defeated, and its warriors drowned, not by a superior army, not by human opposition at all, but by their own folly in being so focused on capturing the Israelites that they ignored the fact that they were driving into mud where their chariots could not go.” (Sacks, Covenant & Conversation: A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Exodus: The Book of Redemption, p. 105).

The New Jerome Bible Commentary says that the account which we have is drawn from two different sources, identified as “J,” or Yahwist source, and “P” or the Priestly source:
“The battle is conceived by each source differently. According to P, Moses divided the sea by the rod and Israel walked through on dry land, the waters being a wall to their right and left. When Israel go to the other side, Moses raised his hand and the walls of water crashed in on the Egyptian army, wiping them out. According to J, Yahweh the storm-god drove back the sea long enough for Israel to cross in the night and then the sea returned to its wonted flow in the morning.” (New Jerome Bible Commentary, p. 49 - 50).

Being a fundamentalist, Professor Davis warns of the dire consequences of not believing that all of these events literally occurred just as they are recounted in scripture: “It would be well to observe at this point that not all scholars are agreed on the historical reality of the Red Sea crossing. There have been numerous attempts over the years to account for the origin of the story without having to resort to a literal event. . . . Such assertions, however, miss the point of prophetic admonition. If these historical events never occurred, there are no real theological or spiritual applications to be made. . . . if Christ did not literally and historically rise from the dead, we have no theology! Faith, as presented in Scripture, is predicated upon historical realities.”

Rabbi Sacks makes this comment on the nature of miracles: “. . . a miracle is not necessarily something that suspends natural law. It is, rather, an event for which there may be a natural explanation, but which - happening when, where and how it did - evokes wonder, such that even the most hardened sceptic senses that God has intervened in history.” (Sacks p. 106).

After safely crossing over the sea and reaching safety and having witnessed the defeat of the Pharaoh’s army at the hands of the LORD, Moses and the people of Israel sing a great hymn of victory. This victory anthem, Exodus 15: 1 - 21, will be discussed in the next post in this series.

Professor Davis sums up well the theological implications of the deliverance of the people from Egypt: “The story of the Red Sea crossing is a reminder to every believer that God is fully capable of completing His purposes and plans for those who have committed themselves to Him.” (Davis p. 182).

PRAYER AFTER STUDYING SCRIPTURE: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

An Ordinance Forever (Exodus 11 - 12)

Moses Announces the Death of the First Born from Cecil B. Demille's 1923 silent epic "The Ten Commandments"

PRAYER BEFORE STUDYING SCRIPTURE: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Obviously, my “Lenten Bible Study” is going to take a lot longer than Lent to complete. Oh, well, I can think of a lot worse things that I could be doing with my time other than studying Sacred Scripture.

The Passover of the Lord

Now the God of Israel brings his ultimate judgment down upon the Egyptians and their pagan gods. Each of the first born children of the Egyptians and their animals must die.

“For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12: 12 - 13).

Pharoah Yul Brenner mourns the death of his first born son.

Professor Davis comments: “At midnight Jehovah would pass through the land of Egypt and His judgment would bring about the death of all firstborn in the land including animals as well as human beings (v. 5). This judgment was appropriate in the light of what we now know about oriental societies. The firstborn was not only an heir of a double portion of the father’s inheritance, but represented special qualities of life and strength (cf. Gen. 49:3). In Egypt, the firstborn was the one who would succeed his father on the throne.” (John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus, p. 141).

The Southern Baptist Broadman Bible Commentary says this: “The death of the firstborn was of unusual significance, not only because of the extent of the disaster but because the firstborn symbolically stood for the entire offspring.” Broadman Bible Commentary, Revised Volume I, p. 347).

Professor Davis raises the issue of what this killing of children says about the character of God. Davis engages in what I think is a slippery slope by arguing that anything that God does is moral on the basis that God is God: “ . . . anything God does is right on the a priori grounds that He is God.” (Davis, p. 143). This is a slippery slope argument. If we believe in absolute Truth, Truth is Truth. In other words, if the killing of children is wrong then it is always wrong and since God is Love, how can we reconcile this act with a loving God who is also absolute truth?

The Broadman Bible Commentary says this: “One should face realistically the moral problem raised by the assertion that the Lord smote all the firstborn. The total witness of the biblical revelation concerning the nature and character of God suggests that while God may utilize fatal epidemics, or other catastrophes in nature, he hardly goes about slaying children. . . . One should read the passage from the theological and cultural perspective of the writer in order for the passage to speak its message: Yahweh, covenant God of Israel, is sovereign Lord - smiting even the heir of the divinized pharaoh.” (Broadman Bible Commentary, Revised Volume I, p. 348 - 349).

Becoming interested in this issue, I also consulted Jewish sources. According to Jewish Rabbi Jonathan Sacks this ethical dilemma is resolved by considering it an example of retributive justice. “By first ordering the midwives to kill all male Israelite babies, and then, when that failed, by commanding, “Every boy who is born must be cast into the Nile: (Exodus 1:22), Pharaoh had turned what should have been symbols of life (the Nile, which fed Egyptian agriculture, and midwives) into agents of death. The river that turned to blood, and the Heket-like frogs that infested the land, were not afflictions as such, but rather coded communications, as if to say to the Egyptians: reality has an ethical structure. See what it feels like when the gods you turned against the Israelites turn on you. If used for evil ends, the powers of nature will turn against man, so that what he does will be done to him in turn. There is justice in history. . . . Whereas the first two plagues were symbolic representations of the Egyptian murder of Israelite children, the tenth plague was the enactment of retributive justice, as if heaven was saying to the Egyptians: You committed, or supported, or passively accepted the murder of innocent children. There is only one way you will ever realize the wrong you did, namely, if you yourself suffer what you did to others.” (Jonathan Sacks, Covenant & Conversation, A Weekly Reading of the Jewish Bible: Exodus: The Book of Redemption, Maggid Books, 2010, p. 73 - 74).

The Lamb of God

The Navarre Bible Commentary, being Catholic and Progressive and Hip, downplays the literal aspects of the biblical narrative and stresses that the Passover story “is a kind of catechetical - liturgical text.” Navarre Bible, Pentateuch, p. 286. The sacrificial lamb must be without blemish (Exodus 12:5) because it is to be offered to God.

“The rules laid down for the Passover are evocative of very ancient nomadic desert rites, where there was no priest or temple or altar. When the Israelites has settled in Palestine, the Passover continued to be celebrated at home, always retaining the features of a sacrifice, a family meal and, very especially, a memorial of the deliverance the Lord brought about on that night.” (Navarre, p. 287).

The Navarre Bible Commentary quotes the Catechism of the Catholic Church in stressing the relationship of the Passover to the Eucharist and the role of Christ as the Passover Lamb for all time: Our Lord chose the context of the Passover Supper to institute the Eucharist: “By celebrating the Last Supper with his apostles in the course of the Passover meal, Jesus gave the Jewish Passover its definitive meaning. Jesus’ passing over to his Father by his death and Resurrection, the new Passover, is anticipated in the Supper and celebrated in the Eucharist, which fulfills the Jewish Passover and anticipates the final Passover of the Church in the glory of the kingdom.” (CCC 1340).” (Navarre, P. 287).

Professor Davis also links the Passover Lamb with the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ:
“After the lamb was slain the Israelites were to take the blood of that lamb and to strike it on the doorpost of their houses . . . The act of slaying the lamb and sprinkling the blood on the door, which represented the entry and the protection of the house, had great significance. It immediately pointed out the great price of redemption and symbolically it pointed toward the death of Jesus Christ . . .” (Davis p. 147).

Continuing his theme of the ten plagues as God’s judgment on the gods of Egypt, Professor Davis says: “The death cry which was heard throughout Egypt was not only a wail that bemoaned the loss of a son or precious animals, but also the incapability of the many god of Egypt to respond and protect them from such tragedy.” (Davis, p. 149).

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

The Passover is so important that the Israelites will reckon time from its happening. The Bible commands the Israelites that “This month shall be for you the beginning of months . . .” (Exodus 12: 2).

The use of unleavened bread at the Passover meal has great spiritual significance:

“Unleavened bread was, and still is among the Bedouin, the norm in the desert. When the people eventually settled down in the promised land, the idea was kept that fermentation of any kind implied some impurity; which was why in the offering of sacrifices (cf. Lev. 2:11; 6:10) and even more so in the passover meal, only unleavened bread was used. Jesus availed himself of this notion when he advised his disciples to “beware of the leaven of the Pharisees” (Mk 8:15), that is, of their evil dispositions. In the Latin rite the Church uses unleavened bread in the Eucharist, to imitate Jesus, who celebrated the Last Supper with this type of bread.” (Navarre, p. 289 - 290).

“Leaven, of course, is understood to be a symbol of corruption and that which was evil. . . .” (Davis, p. 150).

The instructions for the Passover show that Judaism was a religion based upon Sacred Tradition:

“And when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, as he has promised, you shall keep this service. And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the LORD’S passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he slew the Egyptians but spared our houses.’ And the people bowed and worshiped.” (Exodus 12: 25 - 27)

"The children’s question about the meaning of the rite (v. 26) shows the importance that oral transmission of Tradition always had. Successive generations will learn the profound meaning of the Passover not from written documents but by word of mouth from their elders.” (Navarre, p. 290).

Being a low-church Evangelical who does not believe in sacred tradition or liturgical worship, Professor Davis takes this opportunity to re-open the Protestant Reformation and take a swipe at Catholics and other Christians who engage in sacramental worship: “The Church of Jesus Christ has long been plagued with those who have maintained the performance of certain rites, but the spiritual significance and symbolism of such rites have long since been lost and in most cases do not reflect personal experience.” (Davis, p. 152).

The Angel of Death

It is always best to let the Bible speak for itself:

“At midnight the LORD smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of the cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where one was not dead. And he summoned Moses and Aaron by night, and said, “Rise up, go forth among my people, both you and the people of Israel; and go, serve the LORD as you have said. Take your flocks and your herds, as you have said, and be gone; and bless me also.” (Exodus 12: 29 - 32).

Of Pharaoh’s change of heart Professor Davis comments: “The heart of Pharaoh and the will of Pharaoh had been broken. His spirit now changed from that of arrogance and resistance to grave concern . . . he simply stated that the children of Israel should leave. . . . His concern for his own welfare is expressed in the last phrase of verse 32, “Bless me also,” a most amazing request in the light of Pharaoh’s assumed divinity. The God whose existence and power he had questioned in earlier times (5:2) he now asks to bless him.” (Davis, p. 152 - 153).

The Despoiling of the Egyptians

“The people of Israel had also done as Moses told them, for they had asked of the Egyptians jewelry of silver and of gold, and clothing; and the LORD had given the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have what they asked. Thus they despoiled the Egyptians.” (Exodus 12: 35 - 36).

The Broadman Bible Commentary gives this explanation of the despoiling of the Egyptians:
“The purpose in asking their neighbors for valuable possessions was to profit at the expense of the Egyptians. Such action was viewed as an example of the superior “wisdom” of the Hebrews. The despoiling of the Egyptians was probably a source of delight to Israelites for centuries.” Broadman Bible Commentary, Revised Volume I, p. 347).

Six Hundred Thousand Men?

The Bible says that the Israelites numbered “about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children.” (Exodus 12: 37).

There is a great deal of debate about whether or not we are to take these figures literally. Professor Davis, being a Fundamentalist Evangelical Preacher takes the number absolutely literally. The Navarre Bible Commentary, being Catholic and Progressive and Hip, takes the number to be symbolic: “The figure of 600,000 is an idealized one . . . for it would imply a total population of three million people, women and children included. Maybe for the hagiographer’s contemporaries this figure had a significance which escapes us today; or perhaps it is just a way of indicating that there were very many people - part of the epic style of the account, to highlight the power of God.” (Navarre, p. 292).

Christ Our Passover

The Passover meal forshadows the Eucharist and the sacrifice of the unblemished lamb foreshadows Christ’s sacrifice of Himself on the Cross. St. John uses the requirement that the sacrificial lamb’s bones are not to broken to show that the Passover lamb is a figure of Christ sacrificed on the cross. John 19: 36 (1 Cor. 5:7) (Navarre, p. 294).

“Christian liturgy celebrates the Lord’s resurrection with a solemn vigil, commemorating the deliverance of the Israelites, the redemption of Christians, and Christ’s victory over death - three stages in God’s intervention to save souls; as the Church sings: ‘This is the night when first you saved our fathers; you freed the people of Israel from their slavery. [. . .] This is the night when Christians everywhere (are) washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement. [. . .] This is the night when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death and rose triumphant from the grave.” (Roman Missal, Exultet).” (Navarre, p. 293).

PRAYER AFTER STUDYING SCRIPTURE: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

The Finger of God (Exodus 8)

PRAYER BEFORE STUDYING SCRIPTURE: Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in us the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created and You shall renew the face of the earth.

Chapter 8 deals with the plague of frogs, the plague of gnats and the plague of flies.

The Plague of Frogs

The presence of frogs in Egypt was not unusual. Professor Davis notes that amulets have been discovered bearing pictures of frogs and the frog, because of its association with the rising and falling of the Nile, was considered a sacred animal:

“The common presence of the frog to the Egyptians was not something loathsome or to be abhorred. The frog, to a large degree, represented fruitfulness, blessing and the assurance of a harvest. This concept came about as a result of the flooding of the Nile which continued through mid-September. By the middle of December the Nile had once again returned to its normal channel. The receding water, however, left many pools and ponds over the countryside which were quickly inhabited by frogs whose chorus was often heard on balmy Egyptian evenings. To the farmers this sound was music indeed because it indicated that the gods who controlled the Nile and made the land fertile had completed their work. . . . These associations caused the Egyptians to deify the frog and make the theophany of the goddess Heqt a frog. . . . She was the symbol of resurrection and the emblem of fertility. . . . The frog was one of a number of sacred animals that might not be intentionally killed, and even their involuntary slaughter was often punished with death.” (John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus, page. 107 - 108).

So the problem was not the presence of frogs but their great number. If frogs were everywhere, in houses, in beds, and in food storage areas, and they couldn’t be killed because they were sacred, this would be a very bad problem. Again, Pharaoh calls for the Egyptian magicians and they are able by their “secret arts” to duplicate the miracle. However, realizing that this slave god has real power, Pharaoh now entertains the idea of letting the Hebrews go and worship their God. Pharaoh promises to let the people go and asks Moses and Aaron to pray and ask God to remove the plague of frogs. Moses wants Pharaoh to name the time when the plague will end so that everyone will know that it is the power of the Lord. In answer to Moses’ prayer all the frogs on the land die. With the problem taken care of, Pharaoh now goes back on his word and refuses to let the people go.

As some interesting trivia, the film historian’s commentary on the DVD for Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments notes that DeMille filmed the plague of frogs but after watching the dailies thought that it looked too comical and cut it from the film.

The Plague of Gnats

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your rod and strike the dust of the earth, that it may become gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.” And they did so; Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and struck the dust of the earth, and there came gnats on man and beast; all the dust of the earth became gnats throughout all the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 8: 16-17).

Professor Davis says of the plague of gnats: “It is not clear against what specific deities this particular plague was directed.” (Davis, p. 111). Davis opines that since the Egyptian priesthood had to keep ritual purity in order to practice their rites, having gnats everywhere would render them ritually impure thereby keeping them from performing religious rituals. Professor Davis also says that the word which is translated into English as “gnats,” may well mean mosquitoes. If they were mosquitoes, this would be a real scourge. Swarms of gnats are a nuisance, swarms of biting mosquitoes covering every man and beast would be a real plague.

Pharaoh again calls the Egyptian priests and for the first time they cannot match the miracle. “The magicians tried by their secret arts to bring forth gnats, but they could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. And the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” (Exodus 8: 18-19). But despite the admission of his priests that the Hebrew God has more power than them, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them; as the LORD had said.” (Exodus 8: 19).

The Plague of Flies

Being Catholic and Progressive and Hip, The Navarre Bible Commentary says that the plague of flies may be a variation and a retelling of the previous plague of gnats rather than a separate plague. Being a Fundamentalist Evangelical, Professor Davis takes the Bible at its word that there was a separate plague of flies following the plague of gnats.

“The blood sucking gadfly or dogfly was something to abhorred and may in part have been responsible for the great deal of blindness in the land.

It might also be noted that the Inchneuman fly, which deposits its eggs on other living things upon which its larvae can feed was regarded as the manifestation of the god Uatchit. Perhaps other insects were likewise revered; if so, this plague takes on new dimensions.” (Davis, page 114).

Pharaoh is now ready to compromise. He will let the people go so long as they don’t go too far. In other words, Pharaoh is saying to Moses, I’ll let you go perform your rituals but you’re still our slaves and we want you back. Moses responds that they need to get far away from the Egyptians because the Egyptians find the Hebrew sacrifices abominable. Professor Davis says that this probably refers to the sacrifice of animals, such as sheep, which were sacred to the Egyptian gods. (Davis, p. 116-117). Moses says that God has ordered him to take the Israelites three days journey into the desert and he cannot vary the terms of God’s command in order to compromise with Pharaoh. Perhaps the lesson here for us is that we cannot compromise with the world on issues like abortion and the sanctity of traditional marriage where God’s commands and the teachings of the Church are clear and unambiguous. Like Shiphrah and Puah, the Hebrew midwives, we must fear God more than Pharaoh. As Saint Peter told the Sanhedrin, “We must obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29).

In any event, Pharaoh promises to let the people go if the plague is lifted. Again Moses keeps his part of the bargain and prays that God will lift the plague, and again Pharaoh goes back on his word with his “hard heart.”

PRAYER AFTER STUDYING SCRIPTURE: O God, who by the light of the Holy Spirit, did instruct the hearts of the faithful, grant that by the same Holy Spirit we may be truly wise and ever enjoy His consolations. Through Christ Our Lord. Amen.

COMING SOON: When the Gods Were Silent: Exodus 9 - 10.

The River of Blood (Exodus Chapter 7)

Continuing with our study of the Book of Exodus, Chapter Seven begins the plagues on Egypt. The plagues do increasing damage as they go on. They start off as nuisances and end in a devastating event which affects every family in Egypt.

In verse 7, scripture says that Moses was eighty years old and Aaron was eighty three. The Navarre Bible Commentary, being Catholic and progressive and hip, says that the ages given for Moses and Aaron are probably more symbolic than real. Professor Davis, being a Conservative Evangelical Protestant, takes the ages given for Moses and Aaron absolutely literally. It is certainly possible that God may have graced Moses and Aaron with vigorous strength deep into their old age. It is also possible that the Biblical 80 may mean 50. We don’t know. But one way or another, Moses and Aaron were old guys. Old guys rule!

First, to show God’s power, Aaron casts down his rod which becomes a serpent. Pharaoh calls his magicians who also turn a rod into a snake, but Aaron’s snake eats the snake charmers’ snake. The Navarre Bible Commentary says that magical rites and snake charmers were held in high regard in Egypt. I can’t help thinking that we seem to have a lot of snake charmers and magicians around nowadays. The Church Fathers saw Aaron’s rod as a pre-figuring of the cross of Christ, since from its wood comes the “power and wisdom of God.” Jewish tradition named two of Pharaoh’s magicians Jannes and Jambres. Saint Paul quotes this tradition in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:8).

In any event, since the Egyptian priests can do the same stuff Moses and Aaron do, Pharaoh is not impressed. How can the Egyptian priests do the same stuff the prophets of the true God do? Once again, Professor Davis, being a fundamentalist, has a fundamentalist answer: Satan and evil spirits can mimic the miracles of God.

Next, God commands Moses to have Aaron stick his rod into the Nile which causes all the water in Egypt to be turned into blood. Pharaoh again calls his priests who are able to mimic the miracle through what the Bible calls “their secret arts.” Both commentaries which I am using go on at some length about whether it was really blood or just excessive deposits of mud which killed the fish and caused a stench and caused the water to be undrinkable. Professor Davis is worth quoting in full:

There are really only three possible ways of approaching the phenomenon of the ten plagues as recorded in the Book of Exodus. One is to dismiss all of the literature of Exodus as being purely fanciful myth and having no foundation in reality whatsoever. . . . A second viewpoint would be that these were merely natural occurrences that were given theological interpretation by Moses. It is generally conceded by liberal-critical scholars who have adopted this viewpoint that the plagues were perhaps more intense than normal, but that there was nothing miraculous about their appearance or disappearance. . . . The third approach to the plagues is that these were separate miracles.” (John J. Davis, Moses and the Gods of Egypt, p. 94).

Professor Davis then begins an extensive discussion of the fact that the plagues represent the God of Israel’s judgment on the gods of Egypt. Since Pharaoh was considered in a literal sense to be one of the gods, when Pharaoh cannot protect the people of Egypt this shows God’s judgment on the entire Egyptian religion.

The Egyptians were just about the most polytheistic people known from the ancient world. Even to this day we are not completely sure of the total number of gods which they worshipped. . . . Almost all living creatures, whatever their habitat, and even inanimate objects became the embodiment of some deity. The Egyptians considered sacred the lion, the ox, the ram, the wolf, the dog, the cat, the ibis, the vulture, the falcon, the hippopotamus, the crocodile, the cobra, the dolphin, different varieties of fish, trees, and small animals including the frog, scarab, locust and other insects. In addition to these there were anthropomorphic gods; that is, men in the prime of life such a Amun, Atum, or Osiris. (Davis, p. 94-95).

The Nile itself was considered holy. In a very real sense, the Nile River was the source of life for ancient Egypt. If the Nile stopped rising and stopped having fresh water, Egypt was doomed. Professor Davis discusses that Egyptian theology revolved around the waters of the Nile:

It was appropriate that the first of the plagues should be directed against the Nile River itself, the very lifeline of Egypt and the center of many of its religious ideas. The Nile was considered sacred by the Egyptians. Many of their gods were associated either directly or indirectly with this river and its productivity. . . .One of the greatest gods revered in Egypt was the god Osiris who was the god of the underworld. The Egyptians believed that the river Nile was his bloodstream. In the light of this latter expression, it is appropriate indeed that the Lord should turn the Nile to blood! (Davis, p. 102).

In verse 25 we read that the plague of blood lasted for seven days. Remember, in scripture, seven is the mystical number of completion. Professor Davis sums up the plague of the River of Blood very eloquently:

The first plague brought upon Egypt eloquently revealed the power of God and the impotence of Egyptian deities. For the Egyptian who sought water for his cattle and for himself, it would have meant an exercise in deep frustration and despair. For the very religious Egyptian who faithfully sought the guidance and protection of the various deities associated with the Nile it must have raised serious questions about the unqualified powers of such deities. To the Israelites who witnessed this event, it was a reminder of the awesome power of the God who had chosen them and had blessed them. To us who are alive today the witness the idolatry of this present generation, this miracle is a reminder of the tremendous power of a God who will not only bring blessing upon those who are faithful to Him, but will, with equal power, bring judgment and humiliation upon those who lift up their hand in rebellion. (Davis, p. 103 - 104).

COMING SOON: The Finger of God (Exodus 8).

The Call of Moses (Exodus 3 - 6)

The next unit of our Lenten Bible Study of the Book of Exodus covers Chapters 3 through 6.

At the beginning of Chapter 3, we find Moses before God’s holy mountain attending to the sheep of his father in law, Jethro. As Moses first leads a flock of sheep to the Holy Mountain, so he will return leading the flock of God’s people. Thus, his exile as a shepherd of Midian is a preparation for the ultimate task which God has for him.

When Moses sees a bush which burns but is not consumed, he decides to go aside and see this great sight. According to the Navarre Bible Commentary, fire is often a feature of theophanies because it is the best symbol to convey the presence of things spiritual and divine. Some Christian writers have seen the burning bush as a symbol of the Church which endures and is not consumed despite many persecutions and trials.

God tells Moses to take off his shoes because he is standing on holy ground. Some Christian writers have seen in the act of taking off the shoes the idea that no one can gain access to God without first shedding every earthly attachment. The text says, “Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” We should have a healthy fear of God. Sacred Scripture says that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we Catholics really believe what we say we believe about the Blessed Sacrament, we should have a healthy fear and respect of the Lord every time we enter the Church. We genuflect and reverence the tabernacle not just to be carrying out the motions but out of respect that we are standing on Holy Ground. For surely, every time we enter a Catholic Church we are standing on Holy Ground the same as Moses was.

When God commissions Moses to go and free the people and lead them to the Holy Mountain, Moses objects and says that he can’t do it. How many times has God called to us, that we have said “I can’t do it.” However, if a task is God’s divine will for us, He will always equip us. How many times have unlikely people been equipped for great tasks. Who would have commissioned the playboy Francesco Bernadone who wanted to give away every thing he owned and live like a beggar, or the little Albanian nun Mother Teresa who wanted to help the poor and sick? For that matter, who would have called the hapless fisherman Peter to be the leader of a movement?

The Divine Name is then revealed to Moses. We need to stop trying to pronounce the Divine Name. Hopefully, when the new English liturgy comes in we will stop singing banal hippy mass songs like “Yahweh, I know You are Near.” If the New Jerusalem Bible is read in public, we need to pronounce the Divine Name as “Adonai” or “LORD.” This too, is part of the respect and fear of God that we should have. For the ancient people, to be able to name a thing or a person was to have control over it. To attempt to pronounce the Divine Name is to attempt to domesticate God. We can’t do it and we should stop trying. “Yahweh” being written all over everything in Catholic hymnals and literature is a symptom of the liberal theology of the nineteen seventies which is about as outdated now as lava lamps, mood rings and shag carpets.

God reveals his Divine Name as I AM THAT I AM. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says “The divine name is mysterious just as God is mystery. It is at once a name revealed and something like the refusal of a name, and hence it expresses God as what he is - infinitely above everything that we can understand or say: he is the ‘hidden God’ (Is 45:15), his name is ineffable, and he is the God who makes himself close to men.” (CCC 206).

God tells Moses that the journey of the children of Israel to the Holy Mountain from Egypt will take three days. Like every other number in scripture, the number of days in the journey is not without significance. Three, the number of the Holy Trinity, is a number which symbolizes divine action.

In Chapter 4, we have the puzzling episode where Moses falls violently ill and his wife Zipporah circumcises their son, touches the bloody foreskin to her husband’s genitals and says ‘Surely you are a bridegroom of blood to me!” (Exodus 4:24-26). What does this mean? Nobody knows. According to the Navarre Bible, the Church Fathers tended to comment on this passage allegorically, saying that Moses blessed his wife and children by means of this rite, to give them a share in the fruits of his salvific mission.

Verses 29 through 34 tell how Moses and Aaron gathered together the elders of the people of Israel and explained their mission to them. “And the people believed; and when they heard that the LORD had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshipped.” God’s plan for deliverance can be put into action only if men are ready to believe in it.

In Chapter 5 Moses has his first audience with Pharaoh. It doesn’t go well. Pharaoh says that he doesn’t know the god of the Hebrews and he will not let the people go. Oh, and by the way, you slaves can go and get your own straw to make bricks with and you better not let production go down. For following the commands of God, the children of Israel will be punished and suffer at the hands of “the world.” This will always be so. Those whom God chooses undergo all kinds of trials but we should put our trust in God alone.

Pharaoh would not have been completely ignorant of the God of Israel. To Pharaoh, who is considered a living god, the God of Israel is the god of an insignificant tribe of slaves. Pharaoh’s statement “I do not know the LORD” doesn’t mean that he doesn’t know about the Hebrew God but that he does not recognize that such a god really exists or has authority over him. Just like Pharaoh “the world” today doesn’t know the LORD and doesn’t care what his commandments are. The secular world has its own agenda and secular cultural elites like the media and Hollywood just can’t understand or comprehend religion or religious people. To them, the Christian Church is a backward relic of ages past which should soon pass into oblivion. Just like the children of Israel, we today can expect much opposition and persecution from the pharaohs of modern western culture.

COMING SOON: Exodus Chapter 7, The River of Blood.

Moses and the Gods of Egypt

As spiritual reading for Lent this year, I am undertaking a study of the Book of Exodus. My tools for this undertaking are Moses and the Gods of Egypt: Studies in Exodus by John J. Davis and the text of the Revised Standard Version and commentary from the Navarre Bible.

Chapter 1 of Professor Davis’ text serves as the introduction to the study and deals with the dating of the Exodus of Israel from Egypt and the historicity of the Biblical text in general. Chapter 2, which is titled “A Dilemma and a Deliverer” covers Exodus Chapters 1 and 2.

The commentary in the Navarre Bible tells that the ancient Church Fathers considered the situation of the individual human person to be comparable to the that of ancient Israel enslaved in Egypt. Just like the children of Israel were enslaved and oppressed in Egypt and were in need of a deliverer, we have been enslaved and oppressed by sin and are also in need of a deliverer. In general, Israel can be viewed as the Church and Moses is a type of Christ who will deliver us from slavery to the promised land.

Without a doubt, the heros of Exodus Chapter One are the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah who disobeyed the order of Pharaoh to kill newborn Hebrew boys:

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, ‘When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, she shall live.” But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. (Exodus 1: 15-17).

There is a lot to meditate on here. I wonder, when it really comes down to it and it really counts, if I would fear God more than Pharaoh? I said this to a friend of mine who said “You had better.” I can’t help but think about medical professionals who have lost jobs and may face the loss of professional licenses because they refuse to take part in abortions, or pharmacists who face termination or professional discipline for refusing to dispense contraceptives. I have never faced arrest and prison time for protesting at an abortion clinic. I’ve never had to face a situation like many Christians were faced with when they hid Jews from the Nazis. If my livelihood or my very life were at stake to do the right thing, would I? In Flannery O’Connor’s story “The Temple of the Holy Ghost” the little girl who is the main character thinks to herself that she might could be a martyr if they killed her quick. The question is could you be a martyr if you knew that they were going to kill you slow? I pray that if the time ever comes, (and I fervently pray that this cup can pass me by), that God will grant me the courage to fear God more than Pharaoh.

In Chapter 2 Moses, the Prince of Egypt, is cast out and flees to the house of the priest of Midian. The daughters of priest of Midian are seven in number. In scripture, seven is the mystical number of perfection.* Therefore, we can infer that there is spiritual perfection in this priest and his family which Moses is content to settle with and marry into. In exile in the land of Midian, Moses is being prepared by God for his great task. This should teach us that we should always be patient and wait on the Lord, who, if we allow Him to, will always mold us to His holy will. Amen.

* ”In the Bible the number seven had a sacred character, symbolizing in some way the perfection of God.” The Navarre Bible Commentary note on Leviticus 23-44.