Exodus 4-5; Leviticus 4; Psalm 46
Commentary on Exodus 4-5
Key themes:
- To prove the Divine Revelation to Moses, the Lord gives signs for Moses to perform in front of the people, so that they believe him. Moses’ brother is the one who performs the sign, because Moses was afraid. Moses returns to Egypt, Aaron performs the signs and the people believed.
- Aaron and Moses beg Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go into the wilderness for three days to make a feast to make sacrifices to God. Pharaoh not only rejects, but deals more harshly with the them, making them work without the necessary materials, but with the same production quota.
Questions:
- What is happening in Ex 4:24-26??
Literal sense:
- The signs were: the rod that becomes a serpent and back (Ex 4:3), the hand that became leprous and healed (Ex 4:6), water of the Nile that turned into blood (Ex 4:9).
- Offerings/sacrifice were deemed abominable to the Egyptians, that were idolatrous and revered animals as living images of the gods.
- Ex 4:21 God foretells the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. The hardening of the heart of Pharaoh by God is a response to Pharaoh’s hardening his own heart first. God’s reaction is a removal of the gift of mercy after rejection by Pharaoh.
Moral sense:
- Ex 4:10 “I am not sufficient”, says Moses. Paul alludes to that passage (2 Cor 3:5) when he says the same about him, but he learns to accept his mission and allow the grace of God to compensate for his weaknesses. Learn to accept that God is and will be with you through all hardships and He will give you the necessary strength to survive the storm.
Commentary on Leviticus 4
Rules on sin offerings. Lev 4:28 talks about one of the requirements for mortal sin: full knowledge (“when the sin which he has committed is made known to him”).
Commentary on Psalm 46
Do not fear changes and trouble, because God is our refuge and strength.