Bible Study #14
Miracles in the Desert
Make the pure light of Your divine knowledge shine in our hearts, Loving Master, and open the eyes of our minds that we may understand the message of Your Gospel. Instill also in us reverence for Your blessed commandments, so that overcoming all worldly desires, we may pursue a spiritual life, both thinking and doing all things pleasing to You. For You, Christ our God, are the Light of our souls and bodies, and to You we give the glory, together with Your Father, without beginning, and Your All Holy, Good, and Life- Creating Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen. (2 Corinthians 6:6; Ephesians 1:18; 2 Peter 2:11)
Review. The “Passover” protected the Jews from the final plague then He led them across the Red Sea.
Liturgical Review. Today (February 2/15) we celebrate Christ being offered at the Temple on the fortieth day after His birth. This feast resonates with us even more now that we are studying the Old Testament.
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St. Luke 2:22-24. The Feast of the Meeting.
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Exodus 13:14-16. Part of the Old Testament reading for the Feast of the Meeting.
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St. Jerome. All the heretics have gone astray by not understanding the mystery of his nativity. The statement “He who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” is more applicable to the special nativity of the Savior than to that of all humanity. For Christ alone opened the closed doors of the womb of virginity, which nevertheless remained permanently closed. This is the closed east door, through which only the high priest enters and leaves, and nevertheless it is always closed (Lienhard & Rombs, p. 154).
Exodus 13:20-15:21. The Song of Moses (and Miriam).
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Liturgical use. Exodus 13:20-15:1 is the sixth Old Testament reading at the Vespers & Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great on Holy Saturday (i.e. the first service of the Resurrection). At 15:1, most of the lights are turned on, the Holy Doors are opened, and Exodus 15:1-21 is done responsively with the refrain being “for gloriously has He been glorified.”
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St. Augustine. This is what Moses sang and the sons of Israel with him, what Miriam the prophetess sang and the daughters of Israel with her. It is what we too now should sing, whether it means men and women or means our spirit and our flesh. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus,” you see, as the apostle says, “have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires.” This can be suitably understood in the drum which Miriam took to accompany this song: flesh, you see, is stretched over wood to make a drum (Lienhard & Rombs, p. 82).
Exodus 15:22-27. Bitter Waters Made Sweet
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This is mentioned in the prayer for the blessing of waters; “today the bitter water, as once with Moses and the people of Israel, is changed into sweetness by the presence of the Lord; today we are delivered from the ancient mourning, and, like a new Israel, we are saved.”
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St. Ambrose. Marah was a fountain of most bitter water. Moses cast wood into it and it became sweet. For water without the preaching of the cross of the Lord is of no avail for future salvation. But after it has been consecrated by the mystery of the saving cross, it is made suitable for the use of the spiritual laver and of the cup of salvation. As then Moses, that is, the prophet, cast wood into that fountain, so too the priest utters over this font the proclamation of the Lord’s cross, and the water is made sweet for the purpose of grace (Lienhard & Rombs, p. 83-84).
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Tears are often called “bitter”. What can we learn about tears from this event in salvation history?
Exodus 16:1-3. Complaining in the Desert of Sin.
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John Cassian. Although this manner of speaking first referred to that people, nonetheless we see it now daily fulfilled in our life and profession. For everyone who has first renounced this world and then returns to his former pursuits and his erstwhile desires proclaims that in deed and in intention he is the same as they were, and he says, “It was well with me in Egypt.” I fear that there will be found as many such people as we read there were multitudes of sinners in the time of Moses. For although six hundred and three thousand armed men were said to have left Egypt, no more than two of these entered the Promised Land.2 Hence we must strive to take our models of virtue from the few and far between, since, according to that figure of speech in the Gospel, many are said to be called but few are said to be chosen. Bodily renunciation and removal from Egypt, as it were, will be of no value to us, therefore, if we have been unable to obtain at the same time the renunciation of heart which is more sublime and more beneficial (Lienhard & Rombs, p. 85).
Exodus 16:4-36. Bread from Heaven.
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Cassiodorus. These incidents are quite well known from our reading of Exodus, for quails rained down like the heaviest shower, and the Jews received manna to get their fill. But to demonstrate that this was a prefiguration, he spoke not of manna but of the bread of heaven, so that the Lord Savior’s coming could be visualized in this blessing, for he is “the living bread which came down from heaven.” The meaning of manna, as was stated at Psalm 77, is “What is this?” (ibid).
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Psalm 77:20-29. Bread from Heaven is one of the “wonders of old.”
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St. John Chrysostom. If anyone cannot endure what I have said but still clings to the poverty of worldly things, snatching at the things which undergo diminution, let him call to mind the food of manna. Let him tremble at the example of that punishment. For what happened in that instance, this same result one may now also see in the case of covetous people. But what then happened to them? Worms were bred from their covetousness. This also now happens in their case. For the measure of the food is the same for all. You have but one stomach to fill. Only you who feed luxuriously have more to get rid of. Those who gathered in their houses more than the lawful quantity gathered not manna but more worms and rottenness (Lienhard & Rombs, pp. 87-88).
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Origin (anathematized, but not for this). The Word of God becomes all these things to each and every one according as the capacity or the desire of the participant requires. In just the same way the manna also, although it was one food, yielded its flavor to each person after his desire. So he does not offer himself only as bread to those who hunger and as wine to those who thirst, but he presents himself also as fragrant apples to those who crave delights (Lienhard & Rombs, pp. 88-89).
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John 6:49-51. So many things in the Old Testament prepare us to understand the salvation that is offered in Christ and His Church!
Exodus 17:1-7. The Stone Gives Water (compare to Numbers 20).
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Caesarius of Arles. Behold, there is a rock, and it contains water. However, unless this rock is struck, it does not have any water at all. But when it has been struck, it produces fountains and rivers, as we read in the Gospel: “He who believes in me, from within him there shall flow rivers of living water.” (Lienhard & Rombs, pp. 90)
Exodus 17:8-16. Military Victory… through the Cross!
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St. Justin Martyr. In truth it was not because Moses prayed that his people were victorious, but because, while the name of Jesus was at the battle front, Moses formed the sign of the cross. … On this occasion Moses (or any after him) did not pray in such a manner; he was seated on a stone. And I have shown that even the stone is symbolical of Christ. (Lienhard & Rombs, p. 92).
NEXT WEEK: Governing advice… and Sinai.
