Chapter 4: The Law Living Out the Covenant (text p.77-92)

Chapter 4: The LawLiving Out the Covenant(text p.77-92) Mrs. Kenny Old Version Religion 9

Major Concepts • Collection of Laws from Ex-Deut = “Law of Moses” • Leviticus: Holiness and Ritual • Numbers: Priestly Regulations and Inspiring Stories • Deuteronomy: The Law and Love

Law of Moses • Collection of laws from Ex – Deut • Spells out precisely how Israel is to keep the Covenant • A.k.a. Mosaic Law, or the Law

Leviticus: Holiness and Ritual • Holiness Code: How to live out holiness of worship and compassionate relationships • Describes sacrificial rituals of atonement that provide much of the language Christians use to characterize Jesus Christ’s redemption of the world (a.k.a. Christians refer to Lev in many ways!)

Leviticus: Holiness and Ritual • Israelites offered animal sacrifices as an atonement for sins: • Repair the damaged relationship bet. themselves and God • Animal blood on altar = symbolized life and an expression of sorrow • Altar = presence of God • Yom Kippur = Day of Atonement (Still worshipped today by Jews) • Holiest day of Jewish year • Jews atone for their sins of the past year • Ritual no longer includes animal sacrifice

Atonement Atonement/Yom Kippur Reconciliation/Penance Catholic sacrament 3 aspects: Contrition (contrite) Confession Satisfaction More individual sacrament More regular practice Should be done throughout year (esp. during Lent) • Forgiveness of sins • Feeling sorry • To make up for • Done in one religious ceremony/yr.

Rosh Hashanah = Jewish “New Year” • 1st Day of the 7th Month (Bul) • Yom Kippur = Day of Atonement • 10th Day of 7th Month • OT = only know Jewish months 1,2,3,7 • 1 – Aviv/Spring …Passover!  • 7 – Bul /Fall …High Holy Days (i.e. Yom Kippur, Rosh Hashanah)

Leviticus: Holiness and Ritual • Moral teachings accompany laws because they show how true worship is expressed in a person’s everyday life • In just and compassionate relationships, Holiness is not simply observing the right rituals but also loving God. • A person loves God by loving one’s neighbor. (The Golden Rule!  )

Leviticus: Holiness and Ritual • Examples of moral teachings: • Leaving some harvest for poor to glean (e.g. giving alms; Book of Ruth) • Not withholding a laborer’s wages until the next day • Not cursing the deaf or putting a stumbling block before the blind • Not taking revenge or holding a grudge • Treat others as yourself, especially foreigners • Not fashioning dishonest weights and measures • Calling a jubilee every 50 yrs in which debts are cancelled and people have an opportunity to redeem lost property

Leviticus • Themes or ways of categorizing things in the world: • Clean/unclean • Purity/impurity • Holy/profane • Life/death • What is ordinary, and what is sacred? • Holy = set apart, selected out • Space, object, person, activity, anything! • Laws are written for men to follow (e.g. Lev 18 – Sexual Laws) • Yahweh “opens the womb”…therefore every 1st born belongs to God

Numbers: Priestly Regulations and Inspiring Stories • Priestly regulations • Census report (tribes, clans, and duties of each) • Begins: Isr. Leaving Sinai • More tales of Israel’s wilderness wanderings • Israelites grumble about their plight and challenge Moses’ authority • Israelites falter in their trust in God to care for them • Ends: Isr. Crossing Jordan R. just before entering Canaan/P.L.

Numbers: Priestly Regulations and Inspiring Stories • Of generation that comes from Egypt, only Caleb & Joshua make it to the P.L. • Joshua is blessed, chosen leader after Moses • Moses & Aaron don’t reach the P.L. bc God punishes them for treating the Israelites so irreverently • Prophecy of Christ’s coming: Soothsayer Balaam predicts that Israel will overcome other nations

Deuteronomy: The Law and Love • Last book of the Pentateuch/Torah • Brings people to brink of P.L. • Repeats story of Israel’s liberation and Covenant with God • 3 sermons attributed to Moses, told to the Israelites before entering P.L. • Stresses importance of keeping the Law • Gives instructions on how to settle in PL and keep Covenant • Reminds readers of how God never gave up on the people during their long journey

Deuteronomy • Insight into the essential spirit of Judaism • Wholehearted love for God (Shema) • Book was based on a code of laws discovered in the Temple about thirty years after the exile • Yahwist religion was being polluted with neighboring polytheistic rel. • Josiah, king of Judah (South) • King Josiah led ppl back to Covenant after discovery of the scrolls • Does not succeed, but played big part in helping Deut. write this book

Deuteronomy: The Law and Love • Deuteronomist writing/editing source • Deuteronomists = HARD CORE JEWS! Loved the rules. • prob. part of Jewish reform movement calling for strict adherence to the extensive legal code • Deut. Ends with Moses dying and Joshua leading Israel • Moses lays his hands on Joshua and blesses him • Moses dies, they mourn for 30 days

Death of Moses (Deut 34) • 1 Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, 2 all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the Mediterranean Sea, 3 the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. 4 Then the LORD said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” 5 And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. 6 He buried him[a] in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is. 7 Moses was a hundred and twenty years old when he died, yet his eyes were not weak nor his strength gone. 8 The Israelites grieved for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days, until the time of weeping and mourning was over. • 9 Now Joshua son of Nun was filled with the spirit[b] of wisdom because Moses had laid his hands on him. So the Israelites listened to him and did what the LORD had commanded Moses. • 10 Since then, no prophet has risen in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face, 11 who did all those signs and wonders the LORD sent him to do in Egypt—to Pharaoh and to all his officials and to his whole land. 12 For no one has ever shown the mighty power or performed the awesome deeds that Moses did in the sight of all Israel.

Why was Moses unable to reach the PL? • Because God said so. • Moses is the “sacrifice” so that his people may finally reach the PL (…Remind you of Jesus?) • Moses did not believe God when he was told to strike the rock to provide water to the thirsty Isr. He had to be instructed twice! (Ex 17 and Num. 20:7-12) • At Rephidim, in the 2nd month of the 1st year of the exodus, Moses was instructed to strike a rock with his rod to bring forth water. • And the LORD said unto Moses, Go on before the people, and take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it,that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel. (Ex 17:5) • At Kadesh, in the 40th year of the exodus, Moses was again commanded to bring water out of a rock; but this time by simply speaking to it. Because the people had made him angry, Moses did not give God the glory by saying “must we fetch you water out of this rock?” and disobeyed God by striking the rock instead of speaking to it. So at the end of the 40 years Moses was allowed to view the land but refused entry. • And the LORD said unto Moses, Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13 And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered. 14 For ye rebelled against my commandment in the desert of Zin, in the strife of the congregation, to sanctify me at the water before their eyes: that is the water of Meribah in Kadesh in the wilderness of Zin. (Num. 27:12-14)

Shema:Deuteronomy 6:4 • Shema • Prayer • at heart of all Deut. Laws • = God loves us and we must love God above all • law of Jewish culture recited daily today • Has been said by observant Jews 3x/day for thousands of years • Honors the unity of God

SHEMA: honors unity of God • Deuteronomy 6:4 • Hear, O Israel: The LORD is our God, the LORD alone! • Jesus used the Shema to summarize the Law and the faith of Moses into the 2 Great Commandments: Love God + love your neighbor! • 36“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a]38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b]40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

Mezuzah • Mezuzah = “doorpost” • Phylacteries = 2 sm. Square leather boxes • Orthodox Jews fasten this to their forehead or left arm when praying the Shema • Jews put Shema on scroll inside their mezuzah or phylacteries

Mezuzah

Congratulations! You have completed all the required learning for Chapter 4! 

Chapter 4: The Law Living Out the Covenant (text p.77-92)