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?

Covenant Mediators, Roles, Participants, and Witnesses

Divine Initiative

God sets up the Context and Speaks to Man

• This is what we discussed Last Session

• Take initiative to deliver His people: Exodus 19:3-6

• Even in Prayer the Initiative is God's, He Speaks with Moses Face to Face Catechism 2575-6:

  1. 1. Here again the initiative is God's. From the midst of the burning bush he calls Moses. (Ex 3:1-10.)  This event will remain one of the primordial images of prayer in the spiritual tradition of Jews and Christians alike. When "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob" calls Moses to be his servant, it is because he is the living God who wants men to live. God reveals himself in order to save them, though he does not do this alone or despite them: he calls Moses to be his messenger, an associate in his compassion, his work of salvation. There is something of a divine plea in this mission, and only after long debate does Moses attune his own will to that of the Savior God. But in the dialogue in which God confides in him, Moses also learns how to pray: he balks, makes excuses, above all questions: and it is in response to his question that the Lord confides his ineffable name, which will be revealed through his mighty deeds. "Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend."  (Ex 33:11.)  Moses' prayer is characteristic of contemplative prayer by which God's servant remains faithful to his mission. Moses converses with God often and at length, climbing the mountain to hear and entreat him and coming down to the people to repeat the words of his God for their guidance. Moses "is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face, clearly, not in riddles," for "Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth." 

God’s Faithfulness

• Calls Moses in spite of His sinfulness

• Exodus 2:23–25 – God hears Israel’s groaning, remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and knows.

• 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.

• Exodus 34:6–10: God Renews the Covenant even after it is contravened

Nature and Structure of the Human Party

Mediator

Moses, called to the burning bush, acting as a representative of God to the people and of the people to God

• Exodus 19:3, 7–9 – Moses goes up to God and then down to relay the words; the people respond via Moses.

• Deuteronomy 5:5 – “I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to declare to you the word of the Lord.”

• 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

Covenant Expression / Form of Human Party Bounds

A chosen people pursuant to nation

Change and Content of the Blessing, Promise, Curse, Reward, and Signs

Reward If Lived

• Implied:

  • Deliverance from Egypt/Slavery

  • Communion with God and with His chosen people

  • Follow-up on the Promise to Abraham - Being a Chosen nation, freedom from slavery

• Explicit:

  • Leviticus 26:3-12 – If they walk in God’s statutes: rain in season, fruitful land, peace, victory over enemies, and “I will walk among you and will be your God, and you shall be my people.”

  • Deuteronomy 28 - Also lists many

Curse If Broken

• Deuteronomy 28:15–68, (Skim rather than read) A comprehensive Undoing of the Covenant, arguably even creation, indicative of Sin in general

  • Fruitfulness and Health become barrenness and Disease

  • Victory becomes defeat

  • Possession of the Promised Land becomes Exile even slavery - Bishop Barron notes that Land is equivocal with God's 

  • Rest and security is replaced with terror

  • Abundance with Famine

  • Harmony with Creation undone

  • Human Dignity contradicted

  • Leviticus 26:14–39 (similar)– Progressive punishments: disease, defeat, failed harvests, exile, if they despise God’s statutes. But is a little more hopeful in terms of healing them.

Signs, In light of Other Parts

• Deliverance through water

• Pillar of Fire, Cloud in the tent of Meeting

• Holy of Holies in the 

• Ark of the Covenant (which will be discussed 

• The Law

  • Ceremonial Precepts

    • The Passover Meal (as read about last session)

    • Sabbath is codified

    • These regulate divine worship and the sacred rites, foreshadowing Christ and ordering Israel’s liturgical life (sacrifices, feasts, purity rites, priesthood, etc.).

  • Moral Precepts

    • A Sign of Departure from common human sinfulness; These express what the natural law requires for all people at all times (e.g., interior and exterior acts concerning God and neighbor).

    • Ten commandments

  • Judicial Precepts

    • These govern the political and social order of Israel as a people—laws about penalties, property, restitution, and courts—applying the moral law to Israel’s concrete life.

    • The law of restitution in Exodus 22 (e.g., requiring a thief to make multiple-fold repayment) determines how justice is to be carried out among citizens.

Historical Context, Timing, and Narrative Setting

History Since Last Covenant

As Stated last Session: 

• Moses came from the Tribe of Levi (brother to Joseph) (the great-grandson son of Abraham whom the tribal patriarchs are), he was the great-grandson to Levi, Grandson to Kohath, and Son to Amram. 

• Christ (by way of Joseph) and David are from the Tribe of Judah

• Jacob and His descendants settled in Egypt in conjunction with Joseph rise to power through his giftedness

• Period I — The Covenant Promised (Abraham | c. 2000 BC)

• Period II — The Covenant Preserved (Isaac | c. 1900 BC)

• Period III — The Covenant Enlarged (Jacob / Israel | c. 1800 BC)

• Period IV — Providential Refuge (Joseph | c. 1700 BC)

• Period V — From Favor to Slavery (Israel Enslaved | c. 1600–1200 BC)

Immediate Context (as discussed last Session)

1. Egypt's economy was likely thriving from all the slave labor

2. Pharoh fears the people Israel and has enslaved them

3. Moses was called as a murderer fugitive from Justice to represent God

4. God Sends plagues (Exodus 7–12)

   1. Blood

   2. Frogs

   3. Gnats/Lice

   4. Flies

   5. Livestock Pestilence

   6. Boils

   7. Hail

   8. Locusts

   9. Darkness

   10. Firstborn 

5. Testing/Correction in the Desert

Other Background/Reflection

• The people Israel prefigures the Church as being set apart for a holy purpose

• Cultivation of Remembrance via Oral Tradition: Deuteronomy 6:20–25

• Israel did not earn the promised land: Deuteronomy 9:4–6

The Making of the Covenant: Rituals and Ratification

God as Primary Maker and Active Party

• Exodus 19:10–19

Human Response: Obedience, Sacrifice, and Failure

Exodus 24:3-18 Bloody Sacrifice/The Heart of Worship (see also Prep for 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?

  • Mountain as place of encounter with God

  • Burning bush -> hyssop

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

    • symbol of purity

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.

Obedience and Reverence

Exodus 24:3–11

• The covenant ceremony: the people say “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do,” Moses builds an altar, sacrifices are offered, blood sprinkled on altar and people, and the covenant is formally ratified.

• Moses and the elders ascend and “beheld God, and ate and drank,” a covenant meal.

Disobedience and Failure

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 at the slightest difficulty. However, is this not we often do

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

• CCC 2577 concerning return to idols: "But it is chiefly after their apostasy that Moses "stands in the breach" before God in order to save the people."

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?

Purpose of This Covenant

Preparation for Christ

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]

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

• 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.

Preparation for the Eucharistic Sacrifice

The Passover–Unleavened Bread complex, understood in todah terms as a thanksgiving sacrifice for deliverance shared with bread and wine, provides the primary Old Testament pattern for the Eucharist, while Israel’s other feasts—Weeks, Booths, Rosh Hashanah, and Yom Kippur—each prefigure complementary dimensions of that one sacrificial mystery: firstfruits, joyful pilgrimage, covenant remembrance under God’s kingship, and atoning priestly mediation fulfilled in Christ our Passover.

Deuteronomy 18:15–19  Promise of a prophet like Moses to whom the people must listen.

Restoration and Redemption of Humanity

• Rituals of Cleansing

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]

Growth of Communion and the Kingdom

• Promises land as indicative of Communion

• Deuteronomy 7:6 – Israel as “a people holy to the Lord” and “His treasured possession,” indicating a visible, ordered people of God.

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.

[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.