01.10.23 Recap: Timeline & Exodus

Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics House rules/notes… 1. Meetup is www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy Zoom Meeting Logon info is the same every week: Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952 2. Questions encouraged. If you have questions about anything, you can ask in the chat, email the Meetup group, or me directly at ron@hallagan.net. 3. Unedited recaps of meetings are posted via Meetup after our meeting. The final edited recap is posted within a week by Taylor on our Catholic Catacombs Light website at https://catholiccatacombs.wixsite.com/website/recaps. Taylor will notify everyone on Meetup with the link. 4. Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between religions and between Christian denominations, and agree to be respectful at all times. Specifically, Protestants are our friends and brothers in Christ; in fact, I personally owe part of my return to the faith to them! 5. No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal. Our goal is to learn/understand/apply the Bible and our Catholic faith. 6. Prison fellowship – opportunities to volunteer one Saturday per month for 2 hours (12-2 or 2-4) serving Catholic prisoners at the Fairfax County Jail. Ask Ron (ron@hallagan.net) or Gina (gmasterson99@gmail.com) for details. Why do this? "I was in prison, and you visited me." – Matt 25:36 7. Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying with other Catholics during the week? Fellow member Jason Goldberg has started just this at “Catholic Prayer, Fellowship, and Spirituality Meetup.” Sign up at: https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/ 8. I highly recommend seeing “The Chosen” TV series. We seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not easy at first. It helps when we can relate to a person that we have seen and heard. They have captured the real Jesus as close as any film I’ve ever seen. https://thechosen.link/1Y1R7. 9. RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recap notes afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give us exposure, which will draw more people to us, which is our way of evangelizing! Please RSVP when you get the Meetup invite weekly. Our Bible Study Format: 5 min prayers, 10-15 min Catholic topic, 40-45 min on the main topic from weekly List below: Week 1: Dec 6 - Gospel Week: Zacchaeus, Epiphany, 12 Days of Christmas, Nativity Scene Week 2: Dec 13 – Bible Week (Gen àRev): We are in EXODUS, the 2nd book of Moses, meeting #5. Week 3: Dec 20 – Survey Topics Voted on by Members: We are currently beginning Heaven.

Ö 1) Jesus’ Greatest Parables 2) Hell, Purgatory, Heaven 3) Christian Comparisons 4) Great Women in the Bible 5) World Religions 6) Book of Revelation 7) Major Heresies and Church Councils

Week 4/: Dec 27 – Member Questions

1. Organ donation

2. Love and Unity are two of the Holy Spirit’s Trinitarian descriptions. How are these different? How do they affect us?

3. The knowledge of God is “participatory.” Is that why nonbelievers have difficulty?

4. Are Charity and Love synonymous? How are they different? What are the 4 highest forms of Charity?

5. The History of the Mass going back to Cain & Abel, all leading to the sublime meaning of the Eucharist.

6. Can you review origin and meaning of the 12 statements of belief in the Creed?

7. Since you said that Gen 1-3 is likely mostly allegory, how do you think The Fall actually took place?

8. Who am I? It seems we all ask that question at some point; some ask it all the time. Can you answer this?

Next Holy Days of Obligation

Lent – Wed, Feb 22 – Thurs April 6

Triduum – Friday, Apr 7 – Sun Apr 9, Easter 8 – April 9

Opening Prayer

Dear God

Thank you for loving us into existence

And for taking us back every time we turn our backs on You.

Thank you for coming here yourself and walking in our shoes to show us the way.

Thank you for agreeing to take the cross as payment for our justice

So that we may receive forgiveness for the asking.

And thank you for sending us the HS to be our GPS the rest of the way.

And as You taught us to pray:

Our Father

Who art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.

Give us this day our daily Bread;

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on us all.

Amen.

Temporal freedom in the OT gives way to eternal freedom of the NT

The greatest book in the OT is Exodus, and the greatest person is Moses. Moses and Exodus are ONE. Moses prefigures Jesus in numerous ways, which is why Jesus is not only called the Second Adam but also the Second Moses. He COMPLETES them. The most important event in the Exodus that transcends time and has come to define Judaism is the First Passover. Similarly, the Last Passover/Last Supper transcends all time and defines Christianity. Like Jesus and Moses, the Last Supper COMPLETES the First Passover. We will see other comparisons in today’s study.

Joseph, Mary, and Jesus flee to Egypt – Matthew 2:13-16, 19-20

When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him.”

Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi.

When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

Q: Where are some other parallels in today’s readings with Moses?

Herod hears that the Messiah will be born in Bethlehem and seeks to eliminate a potential future rival.

Pharaoh hears of a child that will be born to the Hebrews who will rise up against Egypt, so he seeks to eliminate him.

Joseph and Mary take Jesus and flee to Egypt to escape certain death by Herod.

Moses flees Egypt to escape certain death by Pharaoh.

Herod has all boys two years of age and under put to the sword.

Pharaoh has all boys two years of age and under drowned in the Nile.

Moses returns to Egypt to save the Hebrews by freeing them from slavery taking them to the Promised Land. Moses falls short.

Jesus returns to Israel to save Israel and humanity from slavery to their sins, and take them to the Promised Land. Jesus succeeds.

The blood of the unblemished lamb on the wooden door posts keeps temporal death from entering their homes.

The blood of Christ on the cross keeps eternal death from swallowing us up.

God says to Moses: “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites, and I will put my words in his mouth.” –Dt 18:18

“Out of Egypt I called my son.” – Hosea 1:11

Where we left off … the Plagues

Recall we discussed the understanding of “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart…”

In Exodus there are about 10 times when it says Pharaoh hardened his heart against Moses and Aaron, and there are another 10 times when it says God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. They mean the same thing. Nowhere is it ever suggested that Pharaoh’s free will was compromised as that would be unthinkable. God’s gift of free will is a fundamental tenet of who we are, of our Fall from grace, and of our accepting redemption. Just like the actions of one can upset another (or harden their hearts), so the implications of God’s actions hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

A very good analogy to help explain this concept is that 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. The heart in this analogy is the will.

The meaning of the plagues…

The plagues themselves are not just displays of divine power over nature by the God of Israel, they are systematic and public displays of divine power over the Egyptian gods – including Pharaoh – designed to show that the Lord is God, and that the gods of Egypt are not. No wonder Pharaoh had such a hard time letting go. The world as he knew it – with him at the center – was falling apart.

There are the Ten Plagues and the Egyptian gods they rendered meaningless:

The first and last plagues

Chapter 11: The Tenth Plague – The Death of the Firstborn

Then the LORD spoke to Moses: One more plague I will bring upon Pharaoh and Egypt. After that he will let you depart, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.

Tell the Israelite men and women to ask their Egyptian neighbors for articles of silver and gold. .

And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians,, and Moses himself was very highly regarded by Pharaoh’s officials and the people of Egypt.

So Moses said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go forth throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in the land of Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh who sits on his throne to the firstborn of the female slave who is at the hand mill, as well as all the firstborn of the livestock. There shall be great cry throughout the land of Egypt, such as has never been, nor will ever be again.

But among all the Israelites – humans and animals alike – not even a dog shall move his tongue, so that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

All these servants of yours shall come and bow down to me, saying: ‘Get thee out, and all the people that follow thee!’ After that, I will depart.”

With that, Moses left Pharaoh’s presence in hot anger. The Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, and thus my wonders will be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”

Discussion topics: What are your thoughts on the jewelry? (small token given 400 years of profiting off the Hebrews)

Why was Moses so highly regarded by the Egyptians? (previous role as Pharaoh’s son, plus the plagues)

How bull-headed must this Pharaoh have been, to put his people at risk like this plague after plague?

Moral questions about the death of the firstborn… (below)

Many people have questioned the goodness of Yahweh since he killed the firstborn of every family in Egypt in the 10th plague – especially considering that the people of Egypt didn’t personally disobey God. It was Pharaoh, right? At least that’s how the thinking goes.

But this is a superficial view that has not taken the time to consider the facts and context of the events.

Q: What are some possible explanations?

It should be logical, at least to Jews and Christians, that a God who is perfectly just does not need justifying. God created all life, and it is His to take. He permits all of us to die, the only question is when.

That being said, God also gives us intelligence and reason and encourages us to use these gifts as far as we are able; therefore, we will explore some additional justifications for our human minds. However, as God more or less explained to Job, we can question all we like but we should not expect to understand everything that He does in this lifetime.

Here are several perspectives to consider:

· The Egyptians were not innocent. Egypt had grown rich by enslaving the Jewish people for 400 years (Gen 15:13). As God has taught us, just because one’s king or ruler is sinful, cruel, murderous, etc. is not an excuse for you to participate in that behavior or say, “Well, it’s not my fault.” Everyone knows basic right and wrong behavior because it is part of our spiritual natures. For example, in any culture a man can love his wife and children, be honest with his neighbors, and honor his commitments. OR, he can be hateful, cruel, dishonest, and a cheater. You don’t need to be a Christian to know these things.

· Recall when, nine plagues earlier, God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh that Israel was his “first-born” and to let him go (Ex.4:22). This warning about his “firstborn” may have been an ominous warning to Pharaoh, but the fact is that God’s first-born (the Jews) had been suffering under Egyptian slavery for 400 years already, and it appears they had done nothing to the Egyptians to deserve it.

· When Pharaoh ordered all of the infant Hebrew boys to be drowned in the Nile River (Ex. 1:22), the Egyptians were well aware of it and many, such as the military and the midwives, participated. This order to kills the Hebrew boys continued for an indefinite period of time. There was everything unjust about it. God’s judgment was just, it was one time, and it was only upon the firstborn of Egypt.

· The Hebrew infants were drowned in the Nile River, suffocating and dying alone. When God took the lives of the firstborn in Egypt, it appears these boys likely died in their sleep (“Now it came about at midnight…” – Exodus 12:29). It was not done cruelly.

· As for the Egyptian children who would have died, let us remember God is perfectly just. Furthermore, Jesus implies that little children will be in heaven (Mk. 10:14; Mt. 18:3; 19:14). It would seem then that God would have brought the innocent immediately into his presence. The Bible doesn’t spell out every possible situation so there are no hard and fast rules for all scenarios – but this is the Church’s theological opinion.

· Note that the 10th plague was last one because it was a last resort. Pharaoh had been warned by God for nine straight plagues. He gave Pharaoh multiple opportunities to change his mind and avoid judgment. Pharaoh did not give the Jews any chances or any way out when he killed the Hebrew boys. While God exercised patience and gave Pharaoh many chances, Pharaoh gave none.

BTW, God gives signs and warnings every time He is about to bring down justice on people. In effect, He pre-explains and often post-explains. Only a God that cares would do this. Think of tough love vs the greater evil of letting evil continue.

· Finally, we must think about this: Could a God who eventually gives up his own firstborn son for the salvation of the human race, be unjust? Let us remember that while God is willing and able to judge, He was also willing to take our place and receive our judgment.

Q: About how long did the Ten Plagues last from beginning to end?

It is estimated that the plagues lasted from Feb 10 to March 22– the night of the First Passover when the Angel of Death “passed over” their homes and enabled them the Jews to finally be freed of Egyptian slavery. That is about 40 days.

https://thebiblehistoryguy.com/blog/f/how-long-did-the-ten-plagues-in-egypt-last

Q: Forty is a special Biblical number meaning trial, preparation, or purification. What other events do “40” call to mind?

Noah in the Ark – it rained 40 days and nights, cleansing the land of rampant sin.

Moses was fasting up on Mt. Sinai for 40 days preparing to receive the Ten Commandments.

The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years (preparation and purification).

Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights to prepare for His public ministry, during which time he had to overcome an elevated repeat of Adam’s temptations as a part of undoing The Fall of Man.

Jesus spent 40 days after his Resurrection preparing the Apostles before his Ascension.

Q: This period before the First Passover was about 40 days. What is the 40 day period before Easter called?

Lent, which means preparation and renewal. Once a year, we practice to be “not of this world.”

Speaking of the First Passover…

The First Passover

Moses leaves the Pharaoh in anger as Pharaoh does not give in. Before the 10th plague occurs, the Passover meal must occur. God gives very specific instructions for observation of the Passover sacrifice and meal, which becomes the most important, fundamental observance of the Israelite religion and later Judaism. This will be Israel’s only escape from the 10th plague. Chapter 12 is the Passover instructions.

Passover comes from the Hebrew word pesah, meaning to “pass over,” referring to the angel of death who would pass over their homes.

The Passover sacrifice is intended to commemorate this event and establish the identity of the people of Israel on the basis of this single saving act of deliverance. But it was not just to “remember,” as the translation is “anamnesis,” which means to “re-live” or “re-present” the event as though it was happening again. Even to this day, the father at the Passover meal must ask his son to read a “retelling of the story of liberation from slavery,” which God instructs them to do in Exodus 13:8.

Here were the ritual requirements of Passover:

· On the 10th day of the month, the Israelites are to take a one-year-old lamb without blemish. Slay it on the 14th day of the month.

· Not a bone of the lamb is to be broken; it is to be sacrificed whole.

· Dip a hyssop branch in the blood of the lamb and sprinkle the blood on the doorposts and lintel of the home, assuring the angel of death would “pass over” their homes.

· Eat the flesh of the lamb roasted, with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. Unleavened bread because they would not have time for the bread to rise. The bitter herbs would be a reminder of their time in captivity.

· They would have to stand while they ate, because they would need to be ready to leave quickly.

· They were to perform this ritual every year as a “remembrance” (anamnesis) of the first Passover. Again, the meaning of the word anamnesis isn’t just remembrance. It is a “re-living” of the event, a “making present” the truth and reality of God’s saving act. Consequently, children must repeat the events of Exodus from Scripture at every Passover.

· The father acted as the “priest” during the ritual, which was how it had always been since the time of Adam and Noah. (The “ordination” of the priestly Levite tribe hasn’t happened yet.)

Understanding the Sacrifice

The blood of the lamb is described by God as “the life of the animal,” which then accrued to one offering the sacrifice, for it would offset justice that was due to them for their sins.

Without this life from the animal, they would remain separate from God – spiritual death. God was teaching them how important it was for them to be good people. In effect, the sacrifice of the lamb would take away their sins.

However, these sacrifices were imperfect and temporary. Imperfect because an animal’s life was not sufficient to cancel human sin; and it was temporary because humans continued sinning. Consequently, the sacrifices had to continue. For the next thousand-plus years, including during the time of Jesus, sacrifices took place at the Temple twice a day – morning and dusk – every day of the year, every year.

Lastly, the Passover was not completed with the death of the lamb or its blood, but with the eating of the lamb. This was very unusual in ancient sacrifices which were 100% offered up to the gods – not eaten by those sacrificing. But with Yahweh, this sacrifice was also a meal with God. It was a relationship-building sacrifice! The life of the sacrificed lamb was not only spiritually passed on to the people, but eating the lamb was an act of friendship and love with God. God accepted their sacrifice but then he shared it with them.

Who can see how the Passover is beginning to prefigure the Last Supper?

Let’s discuss the ways that Last Supper is going to elevate and complete the Passover.

Q: What are the parallels between the First Passover and the Last Supper?

Passover: The blood of the lamb is described by God as “the life of the animal,” which then accrued to one offering the sacrifice, for it would offset the justice due for their sins.

Last Supper: Who is the lamb? When John the Baptist sees Jesus for the first time, what does he say?

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world!” – John 1:29

The Blood of this Lamb – Jesus’ blood – was eternal life that would pass to us, offsetting the justice due for our sins.

Passover: Without this life from the animal, they would remain in their sins, separate from God – a spiritual death.

Last Supper: Without this life from Jesus, humans would remain in their sins, separate from God – spiritual death.

Passover: These sacrifices were imperfect and temporary. Imperfect because an animal’s life was not enough to cover human sin, and therefore, it was temporary, resulting in continued sacrifices, doubly necessary because humans continued to sin.

Last Supper: This sacrifice was God Himself, not an earthly animal, and therefore it was not temporary but permanent and perfect. It would never need to be repeated.

Passover: The Passover was not completed by the death of the lamb nor through its blood, but by the eating of the lamb. It was a relationship-building sacrifice!

Last Supper: The Last Supper was not completed by the death of the lamb (Christ) nor his blood, but by the eating of the lamb – the Eucharist. It was to be a relationship-building meal with the entire Trinity, because God became man (Christ) through the HS.

Passover: They were to perform this ritual every year as a “remembrance” (anamnesis) of the first Passover. The meaning of the word anamnesis isn’t just remembrance. It is a “re-living” of the event, a “making present” the truth and reality of God’s saving act.

Last Supper: We are to perform this ritual in what is now called the Mass as a “remembrance” (anamnesis) of the Last Supper. The meaning of anamnesis isn’t just remembrance but a “re-living” and “making present” of the reality of Christ’s saving act.

Passover: The word Passover, or pesah, means to “pass over,” and refers to the angel of death who would pass over their homes.

Last Supper: The Eucharist, or paschal lamb, also means to “pass over,” and refers to the deathpassing over our lives for eternity.

“In the Old Testament the New is concealed, and in the New Testament the Old is revealed.” - St. Augustine ~420 AD

There is another very cool connection: Do you recall the Transfiguration?

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up the mountain to see his transfiguration in order to encourage them, because they were depressed over finally understanding the hardships that Jesus – and the rest of them – were about to face when they got to Jerusalem.

Jesus wanted them to see that there was a much greater thing being accomplished here.

“About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became a radiant white. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem…” – Luke 9:28-32

The word being translated for ‘departure’ is ‘exodus’! (Greek: exodon). With the Greek translation, it reads:

“They spoke about his exodus, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.”

Q: Why do you think this would be the chosen subject in this most glorious conference in the entire NT between the Lord and this heavenly duo?

As we now know, what Jesus would be completing in Jerusalem was an exodus for humanity. It was the reason he came here.

The Morning After Passover…

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was nearer… so God led the people around by the way of wilderness toward the Red Sea.

“And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel swear a solemn oath, saying, “God will surely attend to you, and you shall carry up my bones from this place.”

“So they took their journey from Succoth and camped in Etham at the edge of the wilderness.

“And the LORD went before them in a pillar of cloud to guide their way by day, and in a pillar of fire to give them light by night, so that they could travel day or night.” – Exodus 13:17-21

Chapter 14: Pharaoh has a change of heart (again!)

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.”

So he made ready his chariot and took his people with him.

To be continued…

Closing Prayer

Lord, we thank you for the blessing of reading your Word together

As we followed the Israelites along their escape to freedom.

And as you elevated the First Passover into your Last Supper

May our love and appreciation elevate that much more for the Mass you have left for us.

Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Amen!