Day 42: Moral Laws

Exodus 24:1-18 The people ratified the covenant offered by God, committing themselves to obey all that the Lord required of them. Fire, cloud, and light are among the ways God was made present to the people of Israel. (CCC 696-697, 2060, 2085)


Ch 24:8 Blood of the covenant: Under the Old Covenant, blood was shed by animal sacrifice; in the New Covenant, the Blood of Christ is shed for the FORGIVENESS OF SINS. (CCC 613-617)


Leviticus 17:1-16 The next several chapters concern the laws of holiness, which closely associate proper worship of God with the ritual purification of the priest. The purpose of the attention to cleanliness was to develop a more pure interior disposition as well so the divine worship could be approached more reverently. (CCC 582, 782)


Ch 17:14 Blood was seen as sacred in the Old Testament since it signified the life given directly by God. As an expression of this intimate connection with life, the consumption of any creature’s blood was prohibited. (CCC 2260)


Ch 18:1-30 Deterioration of moral conduct through the negative influence of pagan practices was a common pitfall among the Israelites. God specifically forbade immoral behavior peculiar to the neighboring peoples, which often included sexual perversions such as cult prostitution and incest. This chapter concerns itself with rules on marriage and sexual purity. (CCC 2201-2213)


Ch 18:7-20 Uncover the nakedness: This euphemism for sexual relations prohibited specifically the sin of incest, which is the conjugal act between close relatives; consequently, marriage among close relatives is not permitted. Incest is a particularly grave sin that severely damages family relationships and is an egregious violation of human dignity. (CCC 2388)


Psalm 78 The wisdom literature is evoked at the outset of this psalm, which poetically recounts the works of God as well as the Israelites’ frequent violations of the covenant. The psalmist characterized the Northern Kingdom of Israel as unfaithful and the Southern Kingdom of Judah as loyal, though in reality this was not always the case. Perhaps Judah was praised to stress the Northern Kingdom’s infidelity to the covenant. The detailed historical survey places emphasis on the great mercy of God, whose steadfast love is PERMANENT AND FOREVER. The redemption of Christ serves as the pinnacle of God’s might works on behalf of all people. I will open...from old: Mathew states that this prophecy was fulfilled in Christ’s parables and cites the passage in a paraphrased form (cf. Mt 13:35). He forsook...among men: This is a veiled reference to the loss of the Ark of the Covenant to the Philistines after it had been brought from its sanctuary in Shiloh in an effort to secure divine intervention in the war effort. The Philistines soon returned the Ark, but it was lost for good in the siege by the Babylonians in 587 BC. (CCC 546, 2607)

(*The Didache Bible RSV-CE Ignatius Edition, 2006)

Key Event 21: Covenant with Moses (Exodus 24)
At Mount Sinai, God establishes a covenant with Israel through Moses. This covenant is sealed with a sacrifice, as Moses proclaims, “Behold, the blood of the covenant”(Ex 24:8)-TYPOLOGY!!!!! Jesus uses THESE SAME WORDS at the Last Supper, offering Himself as the sacrifice that seals the NEW COVENANT. 

The Mosaic Covenant:


(*Walking With God: A Journey Through the Bible by Tim Gray and Jeff Cavins)

Typology of Moses and Jesus
(Did you not see this coming? ;) ) 

MOSES

JESUS





Prayer by Fr Mike: “Father in Heaven, we thank you for your Word. We thank you for this great prayer that reminds us of all that you have done in our lives. Lord God, one of the big temptations we all have is to forget what you have done. To forget your might. To forget your goodness. To forget your love for us. To forget that you have fought for us. In so many ways and so many times you remind us that the Lord will fight for us. All we have to do is keep still. Lord God, this Psalm 78 reminds us of the need for us to remember how good you are and to remember how fickle we can be. Lord God, please help us if we have been false to you. Help us to be true to you now. If we have strayed, please find us and bring us back to your heart. If we have run away from you, we give you permission right now to take hold of our hands, to take hold of our hearts and bring us back to you. Bring us back home. Bring us back to you who are good. Who fight for us, who love us. Lord God, we make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, your son. Amen.”

ANDREW'S PARALLELS

Moses heads up the mountain with Aaron and his two Sons (three people total).  In the New Testament, Jesus continues to provide signs that he is the "New Moses" by taking  his three closest Apostles: Peter, James, and John up the mountain where they will witness his Transfiguration.

When Jesus institutes the Eucharist and says, "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many, he is invoking the same sign Moses used when bringing forth God's covenant with Israel: the blood of the sacrifice that seals the covanental bond.

The Liturgy at Mount Sinai prefigures the Liturgy of the Mass in three disctinct ways:  1) A Reading from the Book, 2) Sacrifice, and 3) A Communal Meal between God and humans.

Through the writings of the Prophets, the Covenant made at Sinai between God and the Israelites is revealed to be the form of Wedding Covenant between God and his people.  To read more on this concept, check out "Jesus the Bridegroom: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told" by Dr. Brant Pitre

Prohibition against drinking the blood of animals compared to drinking the blood of God (Apologetics tip included)