Exodus 13
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
2 ‘Consecrate all the first-born to me, the first birth from every womb, among the Israelites. Whether man or beast, it is mine.’
3 Moses said to the people, ‘Remember this day, on which you came out of Egypt, from the place of slave-labour, for by the strength of his hand Yahweh brought you out of it; no leavened bread may be eaten.
4 On this day, in the month of Abib, you are leaving,
5 and when Yahweh has brought you into the country of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, flowing with milk and honey, which he swore to your ancestors that he would give you, then you must observe this rite in the same month.
6 For seven days you will eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there must be a feast in Yahweh’s honour.
7 During these seven days unleavened bread may be eaten; no leavened bread may be seen among you, no leaven among you throughout your territory.
8 And on that day you will explain to your son, “This is because of what Yahweh did for me when I came out of Egypt.”
9 This will serve as a sign on your hand would serve, or a reminder on your forehead, and in that way the law of Yahweh will be ever on your lips: for with a mighty hand Yahweh brought you out of Egypt.
10 You shall observe this law at its appointed time, year by year.
11 ‘When Yahweh has brought you into the Canaanites’ country, as he swore to you and your ancestors that he would, and given it to you,
12 to Yahweh you must make over whatever first issues from the womb, and every first-born cast by animals belonging to you: these males belong to Yahweh.
13 But every first-born donkey you will redeem with a lamb or kid; if you do not redeem it, you must break its neck. All the human first-born, however, among your sons, you will redeem.
14 And when your son asks you in days to come, “What does this mean?” you will tell him, “By the strength of his hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt, out of the place of slave-labour.
15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, Yahweh killed all the first-born in Egypt, of man and beast alike. This is why I sacrificeevery male first issuing from the womb to Yahweh and redeem every first-born of my sons.”
16 This will serve as a sign on your hand would serve, or a headband on your forehead, for by the strength of his hand Yahweh brought us out of Egypt.’
17 When Pharaoh had let the people go, God did not let them take the road to the Philistines’ territory, although that was the shortest, ‘in case’, God thought, ‘the prospect of fighting makes the people change their minds and turn back to Egypt.’
18 Instead, God led the people a roundabout way through the desert of the Sea of Reeds. The Israelites left Egypt fully armed.
19 Moses took with him the bones of Joseph, since Joseph had put the Israelites on solemn oath with the words, ‘It is sure that God willvisit you,’ he had said, ‘and when that day comes you must take my bones away from here with you.’
20 They set out from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the desert.
21 Yahweh preceded them, by day in a pillar of cloud to show them the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could march by day and by night.
22 The pillar of cloud never left its place ahead of the people during the day, nor the pillar of fire during the night.
Exodus 14
1 Yahweh spoke to Moses and said,
2 ‘Tell the Israelites to turn back and pitch camp in front of Pi-Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, facing Baal-Zephon. You must pitch your camp opposite this place, beside the sea,
3 and then Pharaoh will think, “The Israelites are wandering to and fro in the countryside; the desert has closed in on them.”
4 I shall then make Pharaoh stubborn and he will set out in pursuit of them; and I shall win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and his whole army, and then the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.’ And the Israelites did this.
5 When Pharaoh king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, he and his officials changed their attitude towards the people. ‘What have we done,’ they said, ‘allowing Israel to leave our service?’
6 So Pharaoh had his chariot harnessed and set out with his troops,
7 taking six hundred of the best chariots and all the other chariots in Egypt, with officers in each.
8 Yahweh made Pharaoh king of Egypt stubborn, and he gave chase to the Israelites. The Israelites marched confidently away,
9 but the Egyptians, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, his horsemen and his army, gave chase and caught up with them where they lay encamped beside the sea near Pi-Hahiroth, facing Baal-Zephon.
10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up — and there were the Egyptians in pursuit of them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to Yahweh for help.
11 To Moses they said, ‘Was it for lack of graves in Egypt, that you had to lead us out to die in the desert? What was the point of bringing us out of Egypt?
12 Did we not tell you as much in Egypt? Leave us alone, we said, we would rather work for the Egyptians! We prefer to work for the Egyptians than to die in the desert!’
13 Moses said to the people, ‘Do not be afraid! Stand firm, and you will see what Yahweh will do to rescue you today: the Egyptians you see today you will never see again.
14 Yahweh will do the fighting for you; all you need to do is to keep calm.’
15 Yahweh then said to Moses, ‘Why cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to march on.
16 Your part is to raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, so that the Israelites can walk through the sea on dry ground,
17 while I, for my part, shall make the Egyptians so stubborn that they will follow them, and I shall win glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and all his army, chariots and horsemen.
18 And when I have won glory for myself at the expense of Pharaoh and his chariots and horsemen, the Egyptians will know that I am Yahweh.’
19 Then the angel of God, who preceded the army of Israel, changed station and followed behind them. The pillar of cloud moved from their front and took position behind them.
20 It came between the army of the Egyptians and the army of Israel. The cloud was dark, and the night passed without the one drawing any closer to the other the whole night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and Yahweh drove the sea back with a strong easterly wind all night and made the sea into dry land. The waters were divided
22 and the Israelites went on dry ground right through the sea, with walls of water to right and left of them.
23 The Egyptians gave chase, and all Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea after them.
24 In the morning watch, Yahweh looked down on the army of the Egyptians from the pillar of fire and cloud and threw the Egyptian army into confusion.
25 He so clogged their chariot wheels that they drove on only with difficulty, which made the Egyptians say, ‘Let us flee from Israel, for Yahweh is fighting on their side against the Egyptians!’
26 Then Yahweh said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea and let the waters flow back on the Egyptians and on their chariots and their horsemen.’
27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea and, as day broke, the sea returned to its bed. The fleeing Egyptians ran straight into it, and Yahweh overthrew the Egyptians in the middle of the sea.
28 The returning waters washed right over the chariots and horsemen of Pharaoh’s entire army, which had followed the Israelites into the sea; not a single one of them was left.
29 The Israelites, however, had marched through the sea on dry ground, with walls of water to right and left of them.
30 That day, Yahweh rescued Israel from the clutches of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the sea-shore.
31 When Israel saw the mighty deed that Yahweh had performed against the Egyptians, the people revered Yahweh and put their faith in Yahweh and in Moses, his servant.
Leviticus 10
1 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu each took his censer, put fire in it and incense on the fire, and presented unauthorised fire before Yahweh, which was not in accordance with his orders.
2 At this a flame leapt out from Yahweh’s presence and swallowed them up, and they perished before Yahweh.
3 Moses then said to Aaron, ‘That is what Yahweh meant when he said: In those who are close to me I show my holiness, and before all the people I show my glory.’ Aaron remained silent.
4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Aaron’s uncle Uzziel, and said to them, ‘Come here and take your brothers away from the sanctuary, out of the camp.’
5 They came and carried them away, still in their tunics, out of the camp, as Moses had said.
6 Moses said to Aaron and his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Do not disorder your hair or tear your clothes; or you may incur death and his retribution may overtake the whole community. No, it is for the entire House of Israel to lament your brothers who have been the victims of Yahweh’s fire.
7 To avoid incurring death, do not leave the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for Yahweh’s anointing oil is on you.’ And they did as Mosessaid.
8 Yahweh spoke to Aaron and said:
9 ‘When you come to the Tent of Meeting, you and your sons with you, to avoid incurring death you may not drink wine or any other fermented liquor. This is a perpetual law for all your descendants.
10 And so shall it be also when you separate the sacred from the profane, the unclean from the clean,
11 and when you teach the Israelites any of the decrees that Yahweh has pronounced for them through Moses.’
12 Moses said to Aaron and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, ‘Take the cereal offering left over from the food burnt for Yahweh. Eat the unleavened part of it beside the altar, since it is especially holy.
13 Eat it in the holy place, since it is the portion of the food burnt for Yahweh that is prescribed for you and your sons; this is the order I have received.
14 ‘You, your sons and daughters with you, will eat in a clean place the forequarter offered and the thigh presented, for these have been given to you and your children as your due from the Israelites’ communion sacrifices.
15 The thigh presented and the forequarter offered, once the fat has been burnt, revert to you and your sons with you, after they have been presented before Yahweh with the gesture of offering, in virtue of a perpetual law as Yahweh has ordered.’
16 Moses then enquired carefully about the goat offered as a sacrifice for sin, and found that they had burnt it. He was angry with Eleazarand Ithamar, Aaron’s surviving sons, and said,
17 ‘Why did you not eat this victim for sin in the holy place, since it is especially holy and was given to you to take away the community’s guilt, by performing the rite of expiation for them before Yahweh?
18 Since its blood was not taken inside the sanctuary, you should have eaten its meat there, as I ordered you.’
19 Aaron said to Moses, ‘Look, today they offered their sacrifice for sin and their burnt offering before Yahweh, and these disasters have befallen me. If I had eaten the sin offering today, would this have met with Yahweh’s approval?’
20 And when Moses heard this, he was satisfied.
Psalm 53
1 [For the choirmaster In sickness Poem Of David] The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God!’ They are corrupt, vile and unjust, not one of them does right.
2 God looks down from heaven at the children of Adam, to see if a single one is wise, a single one seeks God.
3 All have proved faithless, all alike turned sour, not one of them does right, not a single one.
4 Are they not aware, these evil-doers? They are devouring my people; this is the bread they eat, and they never call upon God.
5 They will be gripped with fear, just where there is no need for fear, for God scatters the bones of him who besieges you; they are mocked because God rejects them.
6 Who will bring from Zion salvation for Israel? When God brings his people home, what joy for Jacob, what happiness for Israel!
Thoughts and Reflection
In Exodus, God leads the Israelites out of Isreal and helps them by showing his power to part the Red Sea. God tells the Israelites that he will fight for them and they only need to be still. He, in turn, is telling us the same thing. How wonderful is that? Here is the Lord God telling us that he is fighting for us and not run away.
In Leviticus, we continue to learn about God’s holiness. It is easy to forget at times God’s holiness and we may not present ourselves to him without proper reverence. We learn that we need to approach the Lord with seriousness.
Do we participate in Mass and present ourselves to God in prayer in a way that shows that we respect his holiness? Or do we have a fear of the Lord? How would our lives look differently if we took God seriously?
About This Project
For the year 2022, I decided that my New Year’s Resolution was to read the whole Bible following the Bible in the Year plan presented by Fr. Mike Schmitz. It is a big and bold undertaking. You can follow along by subscribing. Feel free to look at previous day’s post and comment. It’s something we can all learn from together!
