Day 1 (Monday)
Leviticus 8:1-36 (Ordination of Aaron and his sons)
Last time, we read about the offerings that God commanded His people to make to Him, and saw how the blood of the animal, its life, became a symbol of the life of the one making the offering, as they brought themselves and their household before the Lord and offered Him hospitality, sharing a meal with the God of Israel, in thanksgiving for His blessings. We saw how God made it possible for everyone to do so, whether they were rich or poor, by establishing offerings as expensive as an entire bull, and as inexpensive as a handful of grain, which could be offered to Him. This time, we will skip ahead a few chapters, to see how Aaron and his sons were ordained to be the priests who served at the Altar of the Lord.
The Rites of Ordination
8 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 2 Take Aaron and his sons with him, the vestments, the anointing oil, the bull of sin offering, the two rams, and the basket of unleavened bread; 3 and assemble the whole congregation at the entrance of the tent of meeting. 4 And Moses did as the Lord commanded him. When the congregation was assembled at the entrance of the tent of meeting, 5 Moses said to the congregation, “This is what the Lord has commanded to be done.”
6 Then Moses brought Aaron and his sons forward, and washed them with water. 7 He put the tunic on him, fastened the sash around him, clothed him with the robe, and put the ephod on him. He then put the decorated band of the ephod around him, tying the ephod to him with it. 8 He placed the breastpiece on him, and in the breastpiece he put the Urim and the Thummim. 9 And he set the turban on his head, and on the turban, in front, he set the golden ornament, the holy crown, as the Lord commanded Moses.
10 Then Moses took the anointing oil and anointed the tabernacle and all that was in it, and consecrated them. 11 He sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times, and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its base, to consecrate them. 12 He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him, to consecrate him. 13 And Moses brought forward Aaron’s sons, and clothed them with tunics, and fastened sashes around them, and tied headdresses on them, as the Lord commanded Moses.
14 He led forward the bull of sin offering; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head of the bull of sin offering, 15 and it was slaughtered. Moses took the blood and with his finger put some on each of the horns of the altar, purifying the altar; then he poured out the blood at the base of the altar. Thus he consecrated it, to make atonement for it. 16 Moses took all the fat that was around the entrails, and the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat, and turned them into smoke on the altar. 17 But the bull itself, its skin and flesh and its dung, he burned with fire outside the camp, as the Lord commanded Moses.
18 Then he brought forward the ram of burnt offering. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 19 and it was slaughtered. Moses dashed the blood against all sides of the altar. 20 The ram was cut into its parts, and Moses turned into smoke the head and the parts and the suet. 21 And after the entrails and the legs were washed with water, Moses turned into smoke the whole ram on the altar; it was a burnt offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord, as the Lord commanded Moses.
22 Then he brought forward the second ram, the ram of ordination. Aaron and his sons laid their hands on the head of the ram, 23 and it was slaughtered. Moses took some of its blood and put it on the lobe of Aaron’s right ear and on the thumb of his right hand and on the big toe of his right foot. 24 After Aaron’s sons were brought forward, Moses put some of the blood on the lobes of their right ears and on the thumbs of their right hands and on the big toes of their right feet; and Moses dashed the rest of the blood against all sides of the altar.
25 He took the fat—the broad tail, all the fat that was around the entrails, the appendage of the liver, and the two kidneys with their fat—and the right thigh. 26 From the basket of unleavened bread that was before the Lord, he took one cake of unleavened bread, one cake of bread with oil, and one wafer, and placed them on the fat and on the right thigh. 27 He placed all these on the palms of Aaron and on the palms of his sons, and raised them as an elevation offering before the Lord. 28 Then Moses took them from their hands and turned them into smoke on the altar with the burnt offering.
This was an ordination offering for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the Lord. 29 Moses took the breast and raised it as an elevation offering before the Lord; it was Moses’ portion of the ram of ordination, as the Lord commanded Moses. 30 Then Moses took some of the anointing oil and some of the blood that was on the altar and sprinkled them on Aaron and his vestments, and also on his sons and their vestments. Thus he consecrated Aaron and his vestments, and also his sons and their vestments.
31 And Moses said to Aaron and his sons, “Boil the flesh at the entrance of the tent of meeting, and eat it there with the bread that is in the basket of ordination offerings, as I was commanded, ‘Aaron and his sons shall eat it’; 32 and what remains of the flesh and the bread you shall burn with fire. 33 You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting for seven days, until the day when your period of ordination is completed. For it will take seven days to ordain you; 34 as has been done today, the Lord has commanded to be done to make atonement for you. 35 You shall remain at the entrance of the tent of meeting day and night for seven days, keeping the Lord’s charge so that you do not die; for so I am commanded.” 36 Aaron and his sons did all the things that the Lord commanded through Moses.
Reading 3
1002 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note that elements of this ordination, and of the consecration of the altar and the tabernacle which accompanies it, are very similar to what is done in ordinations and consecrations in the Church, with the vesting of the one being ordained, on the one hand, and with the anointing of the place of worship and everything within it, on the other. That said, a great deal of this is very very different, with the sacrifices of animals, and the blood, and the anointing of the priests with both anointing oil and blood. For these specifically, it is worth observing that the ordained clergy of the Church are not anointed, neither with Chrism or with Holy Unction (and certainly not with blood). However, when a new Christian is made, they are both baptized into Christ, into His death and His Resurrection, putting on Christ and being joined to His Life, and are then anointed with the Chrism of the Church for the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit. Thus, it can be argued that the Faithful of the Church, when they are baptized, are effectively ordained into the fulfillment of the priesthood of Aaron.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Joseph and Aseneth – 11
Last time, we saw the Man from Heaven show Aseneth a miracle, as He made the sign of the Cross in the honeycomb from which He had given heavenly food to Aseneth, and from the honeycomb came forth marvelous bees, clothed in brilliant white and crowned with crowns, and they made a honeycomb in her mouth and were nourished from it, until the Man from Heaven took them away into Heaven. Then He touched the honeycomb, and fire consumed it all, but did not harm the table, and then He left her and returned to Heaven Himself, leaving her to marvel that she had been visited by God Himself. This time, we will see her return to her family and prepare to meet Joseph once again.
James H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament: Expansions of the “Old Testament” and Legends, Wisdom, and Philosophical Literature, Prayers, Psalms and Odes, Fragments of Lost Judeo-Hellenistic Works, vol. 2 (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 1985), 202–238.
IV. JOSEPH’S AND ASENETH’S MARRIAGE
Joseph’s second visit is announced. Aseneth’s foster-father notices her fallen face
18 1 (1) And as Aseneth was still saying these things to herself, behold, a young man from Pentephres’ servant staff rushed in and said, “Behold, Joseph the Powerful One of God is coming to us today. For a forerunner of his is standing at the gates of our court.” 2 (2) And Aseneth hurried and called her foster-father, the (steward) of her house, and said to him, “Hurry and make the house ready and prepare a good dinner, because Joseph the Powerful One of God is coming to us today.”
3 And her foster-father saw her, and behold, her face had fallen from the affliction and the weeping and the fasting of the seven days, and he was distressed and wept, and he took her right hand and kissed it and said, “What have you, my child, because your face has fallen so (much)?” 4 And Aseneth said to him, “My head is stricken with heavy pain, and the sleep kept away from my eyes, and therefore my face has fallen.” 5 And her foster-father went away and prepared the house and the dinner.
Aseneth dresses as a bride and is transformed to heavenly beauty
(3) And Aseneth remembered the man (from heaven) and his commandment, and she hurried and entered her second chamber where the chests (containing) her ornaments were, and opened her big coffer and brought out her first robe, (the one) of wedding, like lightning in appearance, and dressed in it. 6 (4) And she girded a golden and royal girdle around (herself) (5) which was (made) of precious stones. And she put golden bracelets on her fingers and on her feet golden buskins, and precious ornaments she put around her neck in which innumerable costly (and) precious stones were fastened, and a golden crown she put on her head, and on that crown, in front on her brow, was a big sapphire stone, and around the (6) big stone were six costly stones. And with a veil she covered her head like a bride, and she took a scepter in her hand.
7 And Aseneth remembered the words of her foster-father, because he had said to her, “Your face has fallen.” And she sighed and was much distressed and said, “Woe is me, the humble, because my face has fallen. Joseph will see me and despise me.” 8 (7) And she said to her foster-sister, “Bring me pure water from the spring, and I will wash my face.”
9 And she brought her pure water from the spring and poured it into the basin. And Aseneth leaned (over) to wash her face and saw her face in the water. And it was like the sun and her eyes (were) like a rising morning star, and her cheeks like fields of the Most High, and on her cheeks (there was) red (color) like a son of man’s blood, and her lips (were) like a rose of life coming out of its foliage, and her teeth like fighting men lined up for a fight, and the hair of her head (was) like a vine in the paradise of God prospering in its fruits, and her neck like an all-variegated cypress, and her breasts (were) like the mountains of the Most High God.
10 And when Aseneth saw herself in the water, she was amazed at the sight and rejoiced with great joy, and did not wash her face, for she said, “Perhaps I (will) wash off this great beauty.” 11 And her foster-father came to say to her, “Everything is prepared as you have commanded.” And when he saw her he was alarmed and stood speechless for a long (time), and was filled with great fear and fell at her feet and said, “What is this, my mistress, and what is this great and wonderful beauty? At last the Lord God of heaven has chosen you as a bride for his firstborn son, Joseph?”
673 words
Reading 11
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out how the text here is reflecting on Aseneth’s beauty, and in what it is found. On the one hand, within the normal frame, her steward sees her weary and sleep-deprived from her fasting and comments upon how her face has fallen. But on the other, when she looks at her face and sees it, she sees the glory of God in her face, and when she returns to her steward, he sees the same thing, although she has done nothing. I think the point here is that the very signs of her humility and repentance are themselves precisely the true beauty and glory of the one whom God has chosen and accepted. The words of St. Paul may be helpful here, as he says: “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us. We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.” 2 Corinthians 4:5-10)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
Acts 9:1-25 (Conversion of Saul, Saul Preaches in Damascus, Escapes the Jews)
The last couple weeks, we have seen what Philip and some of the Apostles have been doing in the aftermath of Stephen’s martyrdom, as Saul of Tarsus was hunting down any followers of the Lord Jesus Christ in Jerusalem, and most of them scattered from the city. Philip, then Peter and John, went to Samaria, where many were baptized and received the Holy Spirit, and then Philip met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza and baptized him there after explaining to him the meaning of the Suffering Servant passage from the prophecy of Isaiah. This time, we will return to Jerusalem, and see what Saul is doing.
The Conversion of Saul
9 Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest 2 and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 Now as he was going along and approaching Damascus, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do.”
7 The men who were traveling with him stood speechless because they heard the voice but saw no one. 8 Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him into Damascus. 9 For three days he was without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
10 Now there was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias. The Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” He answered, “Here I am, Lord.” 11 The Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and at the house of Judas look for a man of Tarsus named Saul. At this moment he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him so that he might regain his sight.”
13 But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much evil he has done to your saints in Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who invoke your name.” 15 But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel; 16 I myself will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.”
17 So Ananias went and entered the house. He laid his hands on Saul and said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” 18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, 19 and after taking some food, he regained his strength.
Saul Preaches in Damascus
For several days he was with the disciples in Damascus, 20 and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” 21 All who heard him were amazed and said, “Is not this the man who made havoc in Jerusalem among those who invoked this name? And has he not come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” 22 Saul became increasingly more powerful and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Messiah.
Saul Escapes from the Jews
23 After some time had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, 24 but their plot became known to Saul. They were watching the gates day and night so that they might kill him; 25 but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.
Reading 16 – 605 words
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that there are some peculiar elements to this story. The first is that Saul’s journey to Damascus is disrupted by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself; seeing and hearing Him, Saul is struck blind, but he listens and obeys. Second, we see Ananias go and lay hands of Saul and baptize him, and are given to understand that Saul receives the Holy Spirit, even though none of the twelve apostles are there with him. Thus he is granted to participate in the glory of Pentecost directly, without the need for another apostle to be present. These two points are unique, and are part of the reason that St. Paul, and the other Apostles, and the Church at large, count St. Paul as one of the Apostles, and not simply one of their disciples. He bears direct witness to the Lord’s Resurrection, and receives the Holy spirit without the intervention of another apostle. This is why he claims to be a direct eye-witness of the Lord, as in 1 Corinthians 15:8-10 “And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” This should be considered next to the appointment of Matthias; that was the work and decision of the 11 Disciples, and God seems to have honored it, and Matthias is remembered as one of the Apostles…but Paul is the one that God chose Himself to take the place of Judas the betrayer.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?