Day 66: Forbidden Forms of Worship

Numbers 17:1-11 The lord affirmed the primacy of Aaron in the priesthood through the gratuitous sprouting of flowers, symbolizing God’s blessings, from the rod of Moses.


Ch 17:12-13 The people finally understood that only priests were permitted to approach the tabernacle or the altar since they were the appointed mediators between God and his people. The Levitical priesthood was fulfilled by the priesthood of the New Covenant, whose members share directly in the HIGH PRIESTHOOD of Jesus Christ. (CCC 1544, 1546)


Deuteronomy 17:14-20 Although this section provides instruction on the powers and responsibilities of a king, it would be some time before God would anoint Saul as the first King of Israel. 


Ch 18:10 Human sacrifices and all kinds of sorcery, divination, and clairvoyance are prohibited as contrary to the reverence and respect that we owe to God and are grievous distortions of the supernatural assistance that we should seek from him alone. Any action by which we enter into the supernatural realm must be directed to God alone or those interceding with him on our behalf. (CCC 21115-2117)


Ch 18:9-22 Prophets were taken from among the people of Israel and were EXPLICITLY DESIGNATED BY GOD for that rold. These prophets would speak in God’s name, interpret the signs of the times, and make future predictions based on the fidelity of the Israelites to the covenant. I will raise up...brethren: This points to Christ and in a lesser way to all the Old Testament prophets who themselves point the way to the Messiah. (CCC 2115, 2574, 2593)


Psalm 98 Paul saw in this psalm a prophetic utterance about the work of God and the mystery of Christ. The psalm conveys the message that God always saves his Chosen People, and the other nations are certainly aware of this divine favor for Israel. The psalm goes on to say that everyone will be eventually called to become beneficiaries of salvation and everlasting life. This conviction led the early Church, under the special guidance of Paul, to its great mission of evangelization, first to the Jews and later to the Gentiles. The great third-century Christian writer Origen interpreted the “new song” as a prophecy of the Death and Resurrection of Christ. Previous prophets drew from inspired divine wisdom and worked miracles, but this particular prophecy speaks of Christ’s Paschal Mystery, i.e., his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension, by which he redeemed us from sin and gave us the inheritance of eternal life. (Cf. St. John Paul II, General Audience, November 6, 2002)

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

Key Event 26: Aaron’s Rod (Numbers 17)

Aaron is Moses’ older brother and Israel’s first high priest. When his priestly authority is challenged, his rod miraculously buds, confirming that the priestly line is to flow through Aaron and his descendants. Aaron’s rod, a symbol of the priestly authority, is to be kept in the Holy of Holies (Num 17:10)


Prayer by Fr Mike: “Father in Heaven, we thank you and give you praise. Lord God, your psalmist sings your praise and praises you better than we ever could, because it is your Word. It is your Holy Spirit, Lord, that helps us to pray. So we ask you please today to help us to pray because on our own we cannot pray as we ought. So Lord, help us. Help us to give you praise. Help us to see your wisdom in your word and to let it transform our minds and our hearts. And we give you thanks because you are good and you do good. You are our Father and we are your children. Thank you so much for claiming us as yours. And we claim you as ours as is our right. We claim our rights in the name of Jesus. Amen.”

ANDREW'S PARALLELS

God's command that cases and disputes are taken to the judge to declare a decision. This structure remained in the New Covenant, illustrated by the Coucncil in Jerusalem in Acts 15, where we see Church magisterium, Church authority, and the development of new Apostolic Tradition in action!

A side-by-side of the lives and ministry of Moses and Jesus, the foretold prophet like Moses that would come. In John 6, the Jews themselves were sure he was after his miracle fo multiplying to loaves and fish, perceiving it to be the return of the manna.