Deuteronomy 1-6

The introduction to Deuteronomy in my New American Bible (New Catholic Translation) explains that Deuteronomy is "a partial repetition, completion and explanation" of the law given by the Lord at Mt. Sinai. As I read the first six chapters, a number of the themes that permeated the first four books of the Pentateuch jump out.  

First, fruitfulness:

The Lord, our God, has so multiplied you that you are now as numerous as the stars in the sky. May the Lord, the God of your fathers, increase you a thousand times over, and bless you as He promised!

Second, trust in the Lord:

Do not fear or lose heart.

. . . and again

Fear [your enemies] not, for the Lord, your God, will fight for you.

Third, God's tender caring and the Israelites' lack of trust:

The Lord, your God, who goes before you, will himself fight for you, just as he took your part before your very eyes in Egypt, as well as in the desert, where you saw how the Lord, your God, carried you as a man carries his child, all along your journey until you arrived at this place. Despite this, you would not trust the Lord, your God.

Fourth, the Israelites are a special people, and a light to the nations:

Observe [the Lord's commands] carefully, for thus will you give evidence of your wisdom and intelligence for the nations, who will hear of all these statutes and say, "This great nation is truly a wise and intelligent people."

Fifth, that there is only one god, the Lord our God, who is a jealous God:

For the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, a jealous God . . . . This is why you must now know, and fix in your heart, that the Lord is God in the heavens above and on the earth below, and that there is no other.

Having sounded these themes, Moses discusses again the Ten Commandments, and focuses especially on the greatest commandment:

The Lord is our God, the Lord alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, our God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

The Lord asks of me only that I believe this and embrace this; that I trust in Him; that I hear His commands and follow them; and that I not "put Him to the test."  Why is this so hard for me?

Numbers 26-28

The Lord instructs Moses to take a second census as the Israelites near their entry into Canaan. The second census reveals that the Israelite community has grown. It also reveals that, as God had promised, not a single man is still alive who had been counted in the first census at the base of Sinai, except for Joshua and Caleb (and Moses himself, of course)--the rest had perished as the Lord had promised for their lack of faithfulness. The Lord instructs Moses as to how the Promised Land should be divided among the twelve tribes, and reminds Moses that he himself will see, but not enter, the promised land. Moses accepts his fate gracefully, but does ask the Lord to appoint a successor to guide the people:

Set over the community a man who shall act as their leader in all things, to guide them in all their actions; that the Lord's community may not be like sheep without a shepherd.

God directs Moses to appoint Joshua as his successor. Moses lays his hands on Joshua in a ceremony before the whole community, and in this way the community itself also consecrates Joshua. This is a very interesting, and yes comforting, passage to be reading as we prepare for the election of a new Pope. It is an unsettling time for Catholics, with the historic resignation of BXVI, and we pray for God to guide the cardinals in the task ahead.

This passage ends with more detailed descriptions of the sacrifices that God expects the Israelites to offer on various occasions, all of which have that social dimension to them: a shared assembly of the people.

Numbers 10-12

A discontented people set out from the base of Sinai into the desert, following the pillar of fire by which the Lord guides them. Moses, whom the Lord calls "the meekest man on the face of the earth," despairs of the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites. He laments to God:

Was it I who conceived all this people? Or was it I who gave them birth, that you tell me to carry them at my bosom, like a foster father carrying an infant to the land you have promised under oath to their fathers? 

I cannot help but wonder if St. Joseph ever had a moment when he said something like this to God. Perhaps when the infant Jesus cried and cried during the night, and Joseph walked the floor with him, trying to comfort him. I am drawn to Joseph as a father, thinking about all the joys and frustrations and pain of being a father, and wondering how Joseph handled them. I often wish the Bible had more to say about this man.

Meanwhile, back in the desert, Moses is so moved and overwhelmed by distress from the complaining Israelites, that the Lord lightens his burden by taking some of the spirit that is on Moses and bestowing it on 70 elders.  Actually, 70 plus two more who were not at the gathering when this transfer took place. Upon receiving the spirit, the 72 begin to prophesy. Clearly, a foreshadowing of Pentecost, and the number 72 matches the number of disciples cited in the New Testament.  Moses is moved to say later, to a jealous Aaron and Miriam:

Would that all the people of the Lord were prophets! Would that the Lord might bestow his spirit on them all!

Of course, the Lord has done so. He has bestowed His spirit on all of His people in baptism. We are all called to holiness, to meekness, to be part of a community of believers and journeyers on the path to the promised land.

Numbers 8-10:10

Shortly before the Israelites set out from Sinai, the Lord instructs them in the purification of the Levites, the priests who are dedicated to the Lord. What I love about this passage is that God calls on the entire community of Israelites to gather and to lay hands upon the Levites to purify and sanctify them in their service to the Lord. There is a vital link between serving God and serving the community--they are completely intertwined. It is true today of the religious and the priesthood, but also true for all of us who are called by God in love, whatever our vocation. Love and service for God and for our neighbor are in many ways indistinguishable. Chapter 9 closes with another description of the fiery cloud that has guided the Israelites, and which will continue to guide them on their journey to the promised land. The cloud is God's message and instruction to the Israelites about the timing and path of their journey. 

Thus, it was always at the bidding of the Lord that they encamped, and at his bidding that they set out; ever heeding the charge of the Lord.

God wants to guide me and direct me on my own journey to the promised land, to salvation. I pray that I am able to see His Will for me as clearly as the Israelites were able to see the fiery cloud, and that, when I see it, I have the courage to follow.

One last thought here. It is fitting, and likely a very direct message to me, that I am reading this passage today, Ash Wednesday. Like the Israelites, the Church and I myself, embark today on 40 days in the desert of Lent on our way to the promised land of the Resurrection. I hope that I am able to make this a meaningful journey of preparation. But for today at least I will try to remember that I am indeed dust, and to dust I shall return, and I will strive to repent and make straight the way of the Lord.

Numbers 6-7

The Lord continues to instruct Moses as the Israelites are being prepared for the journey from Mt. Sinai to the Promised Land. The passage begins with a discussion of Nazirites, who are people who dedicate themselves to the Lord in a special way (either permanently or for a set period of time). The passage ends with a description of the offerings made to the Dwelling by the princes of the twelve tribes. Tucked between these two discussions is a short description of the priestly blessing. The Lord tells Moses to instruct Aaron to use this prayer to bless the Israelites. This same short, beautiful blessing (or a variation of it) is used to bless the congregation at the end of the Catholic Mass:

The Lord bless you and keep you!
The Lord let his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you!
The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!

Such a tender blessing! So at odds with a lot of the other things we've read in Leviticus and Numbers! I have always been struck by "keep you." What does that mean? Keep you safe? Keep you close to Him? Keep you in His heart? Whatever it means, it sounds wonderful--warm and close and tender. Likewise, "let His face shine upon you." I think about laying in the grass or on the beach on a summer day with eyes closed, feeling the powerful yet soothing warmth of the sun on my face. I had a friend who used to like to do this and to feel that warmth as God's love. And, of course, it ends with peace. I just love this short blessing and often turn it over in my mind. It is hard to imagine a better way to end the Mass, and here it is, tucked away in Numbers. Awesome.

Numbers 3:33-5:31

The Lord continues to instruct Moses and Aaron in preparation for the Israelite's departure from the base of Mt. Sinai. He directs them to assign certain tasks relating to the Dwelling to particular clans within the group of Israelites. The passage shifts to a discussion about expelling the unclean, such as lepers, from the encampment, and then on to directions about the test to be used to confirm a hsuband's suspicions that his wife has committed adultery. In Rediscover Catholicism, Matthew Kelly identifies fasting as one of the seven pillars of the Catholic life. He explains that to give oneself in love (to God, to a spouse), one first must possess oneself. Self-possession, in turn, is aided by--indeed, is impossible without--self-discipline. Habits of discipline when it comes to food, drink, and other daily aspects of our lives can help build and strengthen the discipline we need to be the best version of ourselves and to give ourselves in love to others. As I read Kelly's explanation, I thought of Leviticus and Numbers. The Lord is preparing the Israelites for a journey to the promised land. This time of preparation includes a great deal of detailed instruction from God about what they may and may not do, what they may and may not eat, etc. Perhaps one of God's purposes in this was to instill a sense of individual and communal discipline, which would steel the Israelites for the journey ahead, but would also ready them for entry into the promised land. Likewise, God calls me to look at my habits and my actions, calls me to be more disciplined, for example, about what I ingest (do I treat my body right?) and what I say (do I use appropriate language? Is it sharp, sarcastic, inappropriate?). Living more disciplined in this manner helps to make straight the way for the Lord. As we approach the start of Lent (early this year!), I would like to focus more on this self-possession and self-discipline to help ready myself for Easter.

Numbers 1-3:32

Numbers is the fourth book of the Pentateuch.  It describes the 38 years covering the end of the encampment at Mt. Sinai through the journey in the desert to their arrival at the border of  the Promised Land. It begins with a census of the Chosen People commands by the Lord. Thus, the journey of the law, from Sinai to the Promised Land begins with a census. Similarly, the story of the birth of the New Law, the fulfillment of the law, Jesus Christ, also begins with a census.  The census ordered by the Romans is the reason Joseph and Mary journeyed to Bethlehem, of course. 

Exodus 21:22-25:9

God continues to provide Moses with instructions and commands for how the Israelites should live. Criminal law, tort law, property law, personal injury law, and rules of social behavior. We find here the "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" language that is ingrained in our cultural lexicon, in the context of the punishment for fighting with a pregnant woman and causing her to be injured and to miscarry. But if she miscarried and is not otherwise injured, the punishment is only a fine in an amount to be determined by the injured woman's husband. Curious. Also in this passage we find the special admonition to treat widows and orphans well--another reference that is or at least was commonplace in our Anglo-American culture at one point. The Lord tells the Israelites that he will surely hear the cry of the widows and orphans. Going on, He instructs them to "keep away from anything dishonest." Surely outstanding advice, and I know I try in my life to keep a distance from people I feel or fear are not honest. As the passage ends, the Lord has called Moses to ascend Mt. Sinai where He is to give him the tablets containing the Ten Commandments and to instruct him to build the Ark. More on that in the next passage. But just before that, the Lord describes the rewards to come for the Israelites if they are faithful to Him. He says, "I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared." These words call to my mind the words Jesus speaks just before his Ascension, as He explains to His disciples that he is going ahead of them to prepare room for them in His Father's house. It also reminds me of Jesus' words in promising to send the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, to help His disciples in the future.  

Exodus 18-21:21

The narrative tone shifts suddenly from "I, the Lord, am your healer" to "I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God." It feels very much like God the Parent laying down rules for His children. I recognize that the Ten Commandments have a depth and resonance that has made them timeless guides, so I am not trying to diminish them, but I guess it is more the tone of the whole passage. God lays down rules and establishes boundaries--literally in some respects when He lays out the point beyond which the Hebrews many not venture near Mt. Sinai. He is very prescriptive, setting out His expectations for the way the Israelites must live in their new land. It is both literal and metaphorical as He establishes a new people, a new nation, in a new land. His expectations deal less with how the Israelites are to deal with God, and more about they will live with and treat each other. Similarly, I live out my love for God, my devotion to Him or lack of it, primarily in the way I treat others and myself, the way I treat the least of my brothers as it were.