Day 1 (Monday)
Leviticus 9:1-7, 22-24; 10:1-20 (Aaron’s Priesthood Inaugurated, Nadab & Abihu Die)
Since we finished the book of Genesis in early December, we have been reading excerpts from the book of Leviticus, seeing the establishment of the sacrificial offerings of the Tabernacle. We first read about the basic animal and grain offerings from chapter 1, then skipped ahead to chapter 8 to read about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as the high priests of Israel. We then had something of an interlude over Christmas, reading from the prophecy of Isaiah and from Proverbs, and then last week, we returned to Leviticus and read from chapter 11, in which instructions were given about clean and unclean animals. This time, we will return to the narrative about the ordination of the high priest, and will see them complete their seven-day vigil and begin to make the offerings themselves. We will see, too, the Old Testament’s version of the sad story of Ananias and Sapphira from the New Testament, as Aaron’s sons take lightly the grave responsibility that has been entrusted to them.
Aaron’s Priesthood Inaugurated
9 On the eighth day Moses summoned Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. 2 He said to Aaron, “Take a bull calf for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, without blemish, and offer them before the Lord. 3 And say to the people of Israel, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering; a calf and a lamb, yearlings without blemish, for a burnt offering; 4 and an ox and a ram for an offering of well-being to sacrifice before the Lord; and a grain offering mixed with oil. For today the Lord will appear to you.’”
5 They brought what Moses commanded to the front of the tent of meeting; and the whole congregation drew near and stood before the Lord. 6 And Moses said, “This is the thing that the Lord commanded you to do, so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.” 7 Then Moses said to Aaron, “Draw near to the altar and sacrifice your sin offering and your burnt offering, and make atonement for yourself and for the people; and sacrifice the offering of the people, and make atonement for them; as the Lord has commanded.”
…Then Aaron offered the calf of the sin offering for himself, the burnt offering, the sin offering, and the ox and ram as an offering of well-being for the people, in a similar manner to the sacrifices made at the beginning of the ordination…
22 Aaron lifted his hands toward the people and blessed them; and he came down after sacrificing the sin offering, the burnt offering, and the offering of well-being. 23 Moses and Aaron entered the tent of meeting, and then came out and blessed the people; and the glory of the Lord appeared to all the people. 24 Fire came out from the Lord and consumed the burnt offering and the fat on the altar; and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.
Nadab and Abihu
10 Now Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, each took his censer, put fire in it, and laid incense on it; and they offered unholy fire before the Lord, such as he had not commanded them. 2 And fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord. 3 Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,
‘Through those who are near me
I will show myself holy,
and before all the people
I will be glorified.’”
And Aaron was silent.
4 Moses summoned Mishael and Elzaphan, sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron, and said to them, “Come forward, and carry your kinsmen away from the front of the sanctuary to a place outside the camp.” 5 They came forward and carried them by their tunics out of the camp, as Moses had ordered. 6 And Moses said to Aaron and to his sons Eleazar and Ithamar, “Do not dishevel your hair, and do not tear your vestments, or you will die and wrath will strike all the congregation; but your kindred, the whole house of Israel, may mourn the burning that the Lord has sent. 7 You shall not go outside the entrance of the tent of meeting, or you will die; for the anointing oil of the Lord is on you.” And they did as Moses had ordered.
8 And the Lord spoke to Aaron: 9 Drink no wine or strong drink, neither you nor your sons, when you enter the tent of meeting, that you may not die; it is a statute forever throughout your generations. 10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean; 11 and you are to teach the people of Israel all the statutes that the Lord has spoken to them through Moses.
12 Moses spoke to Aaron and to his remaining sons, Eleazar and Ithamar: Take the grain offering that is left from the Lord’s offerings by fire, and eat it unleavened beside the altar, for it is most holy; 13 you shall eat it in a holy place, because it is your due and your sons’ due, from the offerings by fire to the Lord; for so I am commanded. 14 But the breast that is elevated and the thigh that is raised, you and your sons and daughters as well may eat in any clean place; for they have been assigned to you and your children from the sacrifices of the offerings of well-being of the people of Israel. 15 The thigh that is raised and the breast that is elevated they shall bring, together with the offerings by fire of the fat, to raise for an elevation offering before the Lord; they are to be your due and that of your children forever, as the Lord has commanded.
16 Then Moses made inquiry about the goat of the sin offering, and—it had already been burned! He was angry with Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron’s remaining sons, and said, 17 “Why did you not eat the sin offering in the sacred area? For it is most holy, and God has given it to you that you may remove the guilt of the congregation, to make atonement on their behalf before the Lord. 18 Its blood was not brought into the inner part of the sanctuary. You should certainly have eaten it in the sanctuary, as I commanded.” 19 And Aaron spoke to Moses, “See, today they offered their sin offering and their burnt offering before the Lord; and yet such things as these have befallen me! If I had eaten the sin offering today, would it have been agreeable to the Lord?” 20 And when Moses heard that, he agreed.
Reading 4
973 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 there is much discussion in both rabbinic and patristic commentaries regarding what exactly the sin of Nadab and Abihu was. There are a few candidates. First is the mention of “unholy fire,” and from this some commentators have suggested that they put coals from a common fire into the consecrated censers and brought this into the Tabernacle. This may be true, but it may also be that God’s commandment that the priests are never to drink strong drink before coming to perform the services of the Lord is an indication that they had gotten drunk, and then had come to offer incense. Whatever the case, they were careless and cavalier with the most holy responsibilities that had been entrusted to them, in the very moment in which God had revealed Himself to Israel in His power and glory. This is therefore one of the primary examples of what is sometimes called “death by Holiness,” when a human being comes too close to God’s holy presence and is consumed in their failure to prepare themselves. It is a warning for us all.)
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 – 12
This week, we return to the story of Joseph and Aseneth, to read the conclusion of the story of their marriage. When we had left off, we saw Aseneth preparing herself for Joseph’s arrival, dressing herself as a bride according to the commandment of the Man from Heaven, and finding that, despite her week-long fast and general dishevelment, her countenance was shown forth to be most beautiful, as our writer emphasizes that true beauty is the fruit of humility and repentance, not youth, art, or adornment. This time, we will see Joseph arrive.
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.
Joseph arrives and acknowledges Aseneth
19 1 (1) And while they were still speaking this (way)a a boy came and said to Aseneth, “Behold, Joseph is standing at the doors of our court.” 2 And Aseneth hurried and went down the stairs from the upper floor with the seven virgins to meet Joseph and stood in the entrance of the house. 3 And Joseph entered the court and the gates were closed, and all strangers remained outside.
4 (2) And Aseneth went out of the entrance to meet Joseph, and Joseph saw her and was amazed at her beauty, and said to her, “Who are you? Quickly tell me.” 5 And she said to him, “I am your maidservant Aseneth, and all the idols I have thrown away from me and they were destroyed. And a man came to me from heaven today, and gave me bread of life and I ate, and a cup of blessing and I drank. And he said to me, ‘I have given you for a bride to Joseph today, and he himself will be your bridegroom for ever (and) ever.’”
“And he said to me, ‘Your name will no longer be called Aseneth, but your name will be called City of Refuge and the Lord God will reign as king over many nations for ever, because in you many nations will take refuge with the Lord God, the Most High.’ 6 And the man said to me, ‘I will also go to Joseph and speak into his ears concerning you what I have to say.’ 7 And now, you know, my Lord, whether that man has come to you and spoken to you concerning me.”
8 And Joseph said to Aseneth, “Blessed are you by the Most High God, and blessed (is)f your name for ever, because the Lord God founded your walls in the highest, and your walls (are) adamantine walls of life, because the sons of the living God will dwell in your City of Refuge, and the Lord God will reign as king over them for ever and ever. 9 For this man came to me today and spoke to me words such as these concerning you. And now, come to me, chaste virgin, and why do you stand far away from me?”
10 (3) And Joseph stretched out his hands and called Aseneth by a wink of his eyes. And Aseneth also stretched out her hands and ran up to Joseph and fell on his breast. And Joseph put his arms around her, and Aseneth (put hers) around Joseph, and they kissed each other for a long time and both came to life in their spirit. 11 And Joseph kissed Aseneth and gave her spirit of life, and he kissed her the second time and gave her spirit of wisdom, and he kissed her the third time and gave her spirit of truth.
20 1 And they embraced each other for a long time and interlocked their hands like bonds.
Aseneth leads Joseph into the house and washes his feet
(1) And Aseneth said to Joseph, “Come, my Lord, and enter our house, because I have prepared our house and made a great dinner.” 2 And she grasped his right hand and led (2) him into her house and ´seated him on Pentephres her father’s throne. And she brought water to wash his feet. 3 And Joseph said, “Let one of the virgins come and wash my feet.”
4 (3) And Aseneth said to him, “No, my Lord, because you are my lord from now on, and I (am) your maidservant. And why do you say this (that) another virgin (is) to wash your feet? For your feet are my feet, and your hands are my hands, and your soul my soul, and your feet another (woman) will never wash.” 5 And she urged him and washed his feet. And Joseph looked at her hands, and they were like hands of life, and her fingers fine (4) like (the) fingers of a fast-writing scribe. And after this Joseph grasped her right hand and kissed it, and Aseneth kissed his head and sat at his right (hand).
Pentephres proposes to give a wedding feast, but Joseph prefers Pharaoh
6 (5) And her father and mother and his whole family came from the field which was their inheritance. And they saw Aseneth like (the) appearance of light, and her beauty was like heavenly beauty. And they saw her sitting with Joseph and dressed in a wedding garment. 7 And they were amazed at her beauty and rejoiced and gave glory to God who gives life to the dead. 8 And after this they ate and drank and celebrated.
(6) And Pentephres said to Joseph, “Tomorrow I will call all the noblemen and the satraps of the whole land of Egypt and give a marriage feast for you, and you will take my daughter Aseneth for (your) wife.” 9 (7) And Joseph said, “I will go tomorrow to Pharaoh the king, because he is like a father to me and appointed me chief of the whole land of Egypt, and I will speak about Aseneth into his ears, and he himself will give her to me for (my) wife.” 10 And Pentephres said to him, “Go in peace.”
21 1 (20:8) And Joseph stayed that day with Pentephres, and he did not sleep with Aseneth, because Joseph said, “It does not befit a man who worships God to sleep with his wife before the wedding.”
925 words
Reading 12
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how different this second meeting of Joseph and Aseneth is. The first time, Joseph was self-consciously the only person in all of Egypt who was faithful to the God of Israel, and he held himself at a distance from not just Aseneth, but everyone in Pharaoh’s kingdom. This time, as they speak to one another, it becomes clear that she is utterly changed, as she recounts to him her repentance and her encounter with the Man from Heaven. At this point they are betrothed by the hand and intervention of that Man from Heaven Himself, and are waiting only upon the marriage. We should note, however, the chastity and care with which they treat one another. There is an intimacy here, as they kiss, and hold one another, and as she washes his feet, but as Joseph says at the end, it is not fitting for a man who worships God to sleep with his wife before the wedding. In this we see the chastity which was normative in both the Old Testament and the New expressed simply and succinctly, in the face of the permissiveness of the world around them. From this we may and must note that this expectation of chastity is not some new or foreign thing imposed on the Church from outside, but is intrinsic to our nature as human beings in relationship with God. Faithfulness to God is incompatible with faithlessness in these matters.)
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 11:1-18 (Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem)
Last time we saw Peter in the house of Cornelius, as he preached to the Gentiles gathered there and saw the Lord Himself confirm the vision that Peter had received of the unclean animals being proclaimed clean, as the Gentiles present in the house were filled with the Holy Spirit even without having been baptized. He therefore urged that they should all be baptized, and no one present refused this clear sign from God. This time, we will see him return to Jerusalem to make his report there.
Peter’s Report to the Church at Jerusalem
11 Now the apostles and the believers who were in Judea heard that the Gentiles had also accepted the word of God. 2 So when Peter went up to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him, 3 saying, “Why did you go to uncircumcised men and eat with them?” 4 Then Peter began to explain it to them, step by step, saying,
5 “I was in the city of Joppa praying, and in a trance I saw a vision. There was something like a large sheet coming down from heaven, being lowered by its four corners; and it came close to me. 6 As I looked at it closely I saw four-footed animals, beasts of prey, reptiles, and birds of the air. 7 I also heard a voice saying to me, ‘Get up, Peter; kill and eat.’ 8 But I replied, ‘By no means, Lord; for nothing profane or unclean has ever entered my mouth.’ 9 But a second time the voice answered from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, you must not call profane.’ 10 This happened three times; then everything was pulled up again to heaven.”
11 “At that very moment three men, sent to me from Caesarea, arrived at the house where we were. 12 The Spirit told me to go with them and not to make a distinction between them and us. These six brothers also accompanied me, and we entered the man’s house. 13 He told us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, ‘Send to Joppa and bring Simon, who is called Peter; 14 he will give you a message by which you and your entire household will be saved.’
15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as it had upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’ 17 If then God gave them the same gift that he gave us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could hinder God?” 18 When they heard this, they were silenced. And they praised God, saying, “Then God has given even to the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.”
Reading 20 – 394 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 how Peter is immediately criticized for what he has done; they ask him why he even entered the house in which there were uncircumcised Gentiles. It is for this reason that we hear for the third time the story of Peter’s vision, as he makes very clear that he did nothing on his own authority, but simply obeyed the clear commandments of God Himself. We should note, too, that those who are criticizing him are immediately silenced; the vision and the sign are sufficient, and they give glory to God. This will not end the controversy, however; now that Gentiles have entered the Church, the question of how far they need to go to become part of the household of Faith will become a thorny issue.)
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?