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Commentary
The Great Adventure
Session 7 Egypt and Exodus Part 2
At the top of Mount Sinai, God gave Moses explicit directions for building a portable tent of meeting called a tabernacle or dwelling place and the furniture for the Tabernacle, the Ark of the Covenant, which was given pride of place in the Holy of Holies. This symbolized the throne of God; it was the place where God would come down and speak. In the Ark were to be kept a jar of manna, for a permanent remembrance of the bread with which God fed them in the desert, and "the testimony" or the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments on then later on, God would direct them to add Aaron's rod, representing his high priestly authority.
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Exodus chapters 25:1-26:37
Instructions for the Holy Sanctuary Part I
Chapters 25-26: The Instructions for Building the Sanctuary
You will make it all according to the design for the Dwelling [miskan ] and the design for its furnishings which I shall now show you.' Exodus 25:9
In this section Moses, standing on the cosmic mountain at the entrance to the heavenly Sanctuary, receives instructions on where to keep the two stone tablets of covenant treaty document and instructions on how to build an earthly Sanctuary.
Question: What is the purpose of the Sanctuary and its Tabernacle?
Answer: The Sanctuary will fulfill a three-fold purpose:
- It will be a dwelling place for God among His people.
- It will provide for the spiritual welfare of the children of Israel on the journey to the Promised Land.
- It will remain the center of religious life for the covenant people generation after generation until the Temple on Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem is built to take its place.
In order for Yahweh to safely dwell among His people, a central mobile Sanctuary must be built which encloses a Tabernacle that will be a "dwelling place" for God's Presence in the midst of Israel. The Sanctuary is to be a sacred structure that will not only provide a place for the God of Israel to "tabernacle" among His people, but it will also accommodate the people's ritual liturgical worship of the God who dwells among them as the people journey to the Promised Land of Canaan. The Sanctuary and its holy Tabernacle will also serve as the rallying point for the twelve tribes when they are disbursed throughout the land of Canaan, each tribe taking possession of their own tribal lands.
It is the Tabernacle as the dwelling place of Yahweh among His people and the cosmic focal point of the union between man and God that will provide a place of centralize liturgical worship and spiritual renewal for succeeding generations of the Israelites who are intended to continue as a unified nation in covenant with Yahweh. The covenant documents of the Decalogue, which bind Israel in covenant with Yahweh in the current generation and in all future generations, are to be kept in the Tabernacle of the Sanctuary in a box whose name defines its purpose " the "Ark of the Covenant."
| Sacred Furniture | Description and Function |
| 1. The Ark of the Covenant Ex 25:10-16; 26:34; 37:1-5 | An acacia wood box covered inside and outside with pure gold. It will house the stone tablets of the Decalogue. It is to be placed in the most sacred space "the Holy of Holies. |
| 2. The Mercy Seat Ex 25:17-22; 37:6-9 | Moses is instructed to place the solid gold Kapporet on top of the Ark of the Covenant. This lid is known as the "mercy seat" or "seat of atonement." It is the meeting place between God and His people. The figures of two solid golden cherubim with outstretched wings are to be mounted on the top of the lid of the mercy seat. |
| 3. The Golden Table of the Bread of the Presence Ex 25:23-30; 37:10-16 | An acacia wood table covered with pure gold. It will hold 12 loaves of unleavened bread, one loaf for each tribe of Israel. It is to be placed in the Holy Place on the north side opposite the lamp-stand. |
| 4. The Golden Menorah lamp-stand Ex 25:31-39; 37:17-24 | It must be made of pure gold. It must have one central trunk with 6 branches, three on each side of the main branch forming 7 branches with cups shaped in the form of calyxes, almond blossoms, and buds upon which its lamps are to rest. It is a visual representation of the burning bush/tree (Ex 3:2) and a visual reminder of the physical presence of God among His people. It is to be kept continually burning in the Holy Place on the south side opposite the Table of the Bread of the Presence. |
| 5. The Golden Altar of Incense Ex 30:1-10; 37:25-28 | Made of acacia wood covered with pure gold. The smoke from the burning incense represents the prayers of the faithful rising to heaven. It is to be placed in the Holy Place directly in front of the curtain which covers the entrance to the Holy of Holies. |
| 6. The Bronze Altar of burnt offerings Ex 27:1-8; 38:1-7 | Made of acacia wood and covered with bronze. It is the only altar upon which animal sacrifice to Yahweh can be made. It is to be placed in the middle of the Outer Courtyard. |
| 7. The Bronze Basin Ex 30:18-21; 38:8 | Made entirely of bronze from the mirrors of the women, it is to hold the holy water for ritual purification before entering the Holy Place of the Tabernacle. It is to be placed in the Outer Courtyard in front of the entrance to the Holy Place. |
Exodus 25:18: and you will model two great winged creatures of beaten gold, you will make them at the two ends of the mercy-seat.
Question: When was the last time winged creatures were mentioned in Scripture? See Gen 3:23-24.
Answer: When Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden Sanctuary in Eden winged creatures were sent to guard the entrance and to protect the Tree of Life.
Question: Does the command to make these golden images of winged creatures above the Mercy-seat violate the commandment not to create idols? See Ex 20:4, 23; 25:18-20; 26:31; Dt 4:15-16; Num 21:4-9; Wis 16:5-14; 1 Kng 6:23-28; 7:23-26.
Answer: The prohibition was against making any cult images of Yahweh or false gods with the intent of worshiping an idol. Images like the cherubim were not intended for worship. They had to be acceptable because God Himself instructed the people to create them. In addition to the figures of the golden cherubim on the Kapporet (Mercy-seat) God commanded the creation of other such forms:
- Cherubim figures were woven into the curtains of the Tabernacle (Ex 26:31).
- The bronze image of the snake that saved the Israelites from poisonous serpents (Num 21:4-9).
- The huge golden cherubim statues in the Holy of Holies in Solomon's Temple and their figures carved on the Temple walls (1 Kng 6:23-29)
The Catechism teaches that these images pointed symbolically to the salvation mission of the Redeemer-Messiah as Jesus Himself taught in the Gospel of St. John 3:14-15, speaking of His sacrificial death on the altar of the Cross and comparing His elevation on the cross as necessary to the salvation of the world just as it was necessary for the people to look to the raise up image of the bronze serpent to be saved (Num 21:4-9). Also see CCC 2129-2132.
In Scripture the cherubim are mentioned as guardians of the garden Sanctuary in Eden and the Tree of Life. They seem to function as a protection against sin, maintaining the undefiled holiness of God. They are also responsible for the forces of nature and served as God's mobile throne (1 Sam 4:4; 2 Sam 6:2; 22:11; 2 Kng 19:15; Ps 18:10; 80:1; 99:1; Ez 1:4-28; 10:1-17). In the Tabernacle their images will be woven or embroidered upon the curtain that separates the Holy Place from the Outer Court (Ex 26:1) and the curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the Holy Place of the Sanctuary (Ex 26:31).
Moses and Joshua bowing before the Ark (James Tissot)
Exodus 25:16: Inside the ark you will put the Testimony which I am about to give you. The intended meaning of the Hebrew word edut (the accepted translation being "testimony"), following other Near Eastern parallels, refers to the stipulations in a treaty imposed by a great King on his vassal. The "testimony" is the Decalogue ("ten words") written on two tablets which we most often refer to as the Ten Commandments. The Ark of the Covenant was the visual reminder of the presence of God with His chosen people, and it was the designated receptacle to hold and preserve the covenant treaty documents: the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. This purpose gave the Ark its other name "the "Ark of Testimony," recalling the binding covenant treaty that Yahweh formed with Israel (Ex 25:22; 26:33; 40:21). See CCC 2058.
Question: In addition to being called the "Ten Words" (Decalogue) or the Ten Commandments, what other names are the two stone tablets, or the words engraved on them, called? See Ex 25:22; 26:33; 31:18; 32:15; 34:29; 39:28; 40:21; Dt 9:9, 11, and 15.
Answer:
- They are called "the tablets of the Covenant" (i.e., Dt 9:9, 11, and 15).
- The words engraved on them are called "the words of the Covenant" (i.e., Ex 39:28; etc.).
- They are also called "tablets of the Testimony" (i.e., Ex 31:18; 32:15; etc.)
Later the Ark would also come to hold a pot of the manna with which Yahweh had physically nourished and sustained Israel in her desert journey (originally place beside the Ark with the Book of the Covenant) and the branch of the High Priest Aaron which miraculously came to life and blossomed (Ex 16:34; Num 17:23/17:8; Heb 9:4).
Exodus 25:21-22: 21You will put the mercy-seat on the top of the ark, and inside the ark you will put the Testimony which I am about to give you. 22There I shall come to meet you; from above the mercy-seat, from between the two winged creatures which are on the ark of the Testimony, I shall give you all my orders for the Israelites.'
Question: What was the purpose of the Ark? See Ex 25:16, 21-22; Lev 16:14-16; Ps 99:5; 132:7.
Answer: The Ark of the Covenant served 3 purposes:
- It was a receptacle to hold the covenant treaty documents of the two stone tablets upon which were written the Decalogue/ the Ten Commandments.
- It was a support for the Kapporet (Mercy-Seat or Seat of Atonement) as the earthly throne (also referred to as the footstool of the heavenly throne) of Yahweh.
- It was the most holy altar of Yahweh when it received the blood of the Yom Kippur sacrifice in atonement for the sins of the entire covenant community.
The name "Ark of the Covenant" defines its function. The ark was the chest that protected the tablets of the Ten Commandments, making the tablets a treasure entrusted to Israel. The divine testimony of God hidden in the Ark became the guarantee of the fulfillment of the promises of the covenant made at Sinai.
The Ark served as a support for the solid gold Kapporet/ Kapporeth (see Ex 37:1-9). The Kapporet was placed on top of the Ark (which was opened at the top). But the Kapporet was more than a lid to cover the treaty document of the Ten Commandments. This is evident from the Hebrew root for this word (kpr) which means "to make atonement" (Childs, The Book of Exodus, page 524); therefore, its name does not simply imply its function as a "covering" for the top of the Ark. The inspired writer of Hebrews called the Kapporet a "throne of mercy" (Heb 9:5), and in English Bible translations the Kapporet is often translated as "Mercy-Seat" or "Seat-of-Atonement." The Hebrew name Kapporet and its English translations denote not a physical or material covering but a spiritual covering. That spiritual "covering" was not intended for the physical tablets of the Law. The whole purpose of the Law was that it was to be revealed continuously as the voice and will of Yahweh. The "covering" of the Kapporet was atonement for the sins of the covenant people in the blood of ritual sacrifice and the mercy and forgiveness extended by God to His people from the earthly throne of His Mercy-Seat.
The third purpose of the Ark of the Covenant was its use as Yahweh's holiest altar of sacrifice. The other two altars were the bronze Altar of Burnt Offerings in the Sanctuary Courtyard (Ex 27:1-8; 29:36-37), and the golden Altar of Incense (see Ex 30:1-10; Lev 4:7) that stood in the Holy Place in front of the curtain that covered the Holy of Holies and hid the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy-seat. Since the means of atonement for the sins of the covenant people had to be carried out upon the earthly throne of mercy "the Kapporeth, the Ark became an altar in a ceremony that cleansed Yahweh's Bride the covenant people of sin and again bound Israel the Bride to Yahweh the Bridegroom.
Once a year, on the Feast of Yom Kippur (kpr), the "Day of Atonement" (Ex 30:10; Lev 16:1-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11; Heb 9:6-14) the Ark served as the 3rd holy altar of Yahweh when the holiest of sin-offerings was sprinkled on the Kapporet. In the ordinary sacrifices on ordinary days, on Sabbath celebrations, and during the days of the seven annual Sacred Feasts of Yahweh (Lev 23; Num 28-29), the blood of the sacrificed victims was sprinkled and then poured out at the corners of the great bronze Altar of Burnt Offerings in the courtyard of the Temple, but on the Feast of Atonement the blood of the sin sacrifice was sprinkled upon the horns of the golden Altar of Incense that stood in the Holy Place (Ex 30:10) and was also sprinkled seven times on the east (front) of the Kapporeth that rested on top of the Ark of the Covenant (Lev 16:14-16).
Exodus 25:31-40: The Golden Menorah
The next sacred furnishing that stood in the Holy Place was the golden Menorah (lamp-stand). No dimensions are given for the lamp-stand. The menorah was to be constructed of solid gold with a central shaft from which six branches sprang "three from the right and three from the left. Each of the six shafts extending from the central shaft was to have three almond-blossom cups with calyxes and buds (v. 33). The central shaft was to have four almond-blossom cups, calyxes and buds, and a bud was to be placed at the point where each of the pairs of shafts joined the central shaft (vs. 34-36). Seven lamps were to be placed on the top of each shaft of the lamp-stand (v. 37). Golden snuffers and snuff-holders were also to be made for the lamp-stand (v. 38). The total amount of gold used to create the lamp-stand was to be one talent, which equates to about 100 pounds or 50 kilograms of gold (v. 39).
Question: How many branches and lamps did the menorah have? What is the significance of this number?
Answer: There were seven branches and seven lamps. The number seven is one of the most important symbolic numbers in the Bible and is an expression of completeness and perfection "especially spiritual perfection.
Question: What was the position of the menorah in the Holy Place? See Ex 40:24.
Answer: On the south side of the Holy Place opposite the golden Table of the Bread of the Presence.
Question: According to the text what was the practical purpose of the lamp-stand? See verse 37.
Answer: To light up the Holy Place of the Tabernacle.
Question: From the detailed description of the menorah and its lamps what was the stylized form of the lamp-stand?
Answer: It was a burning tree/bush with forms like calyxes and buds, reminiscing of the burning tree/bush where Yahweh first called Moses near the holy mountain of Sinai in Exodus 3:1-6. The primary function of the lamp-stand was to light the interior of the sacred space but the light of the menorah also symbolized the Divine Presence of the spirit of Yahweh who resides in the midst of His people as He was present to Moses when God called to Moses from the burning tree/bush.
Exodus 26:6: You will also make fifty gold clasps, and join the sheets together with the clasps. In this way the Dwelling will be a unified whole. Large sheets of textiles and animal skins formed the roof and sides of the Dwelling (verses 6-14)
Question: How many colors were used in the textiles for the Sanctuary? See Ex 26:1 and 27:16.
Answer: Three colors were used to dye the linen for the Sanctuary: red, blue, and purple but there were four colors represented in the sheets that covered the framework of the Tabernacle and that surrounded the entire courtyard area of the Sanctuary: natural linen (beige) panels embroidered with red, blue, and purple.
Question: How was the Sanctuary to be divided spatially and spiritually?
Answer: It was divided into three parts with increasing degrees of holiness:
- The Outer Courtyard with the bronze altar was the least holy space where the congregation of Israel will come to offer their sacrifices. The entrance to the courtyard was on the eastern side of the Sanctuary.
- The Holy Place was an enclosed space to the west of the courtyard. It was to contain the Menorah, the Table of the Bread of the Presence, and a golden Altar of Incense. It was separated from the courtyard by a curtain and from the Holy of Holies by a second curtain.
- The Holy of Holies was the most sacred space in the Sanctuary. It contained the Ark of the Covenant and its Mercy-seat upon which rested the Presence of Yahweh between the two golden cherubim. The Holy of Holies was located in the western most part of the Sanctuary enclosure.
Question: How was Mt. Sinai a prototype of the Sanctuary?
Answer: Both the mountain and the Sanctuary had three levels of increasing holiness:
Most Holy Holy Least holy | Mt. Sinai Summit (Presence of God) /\ / \ / \ Midway (leaders of the tribes) / \ / \ / Base \ (the covenant people) | Sanctuary Holy of Holies (dwelling place of God) Holy Place (priests) Outer Court (the covenant people) |
The Sanctuary was composed of three spaces: (1) the Holy of Holies and (2) the Holy Place, the two spaces that formed the Tabernacle, and (3) the Outer Courtyard. But enclosed by the wooden frames and their sheets of fabric the Sanctuary was a unified whole.
Question: Looking at the Sanctuary in the light of the revelation of God imparted by Jesus Christ, what does the three-in-one plan of the Sanctuary symbolize?
Answer: The unity of the Most Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit "three in one.
Question: What was the orientation of the Sanctuary according to the four points of the compass? See Exodus 26:22, 33-35; 27:9-16; 40:20-30; Num 3:38.
Answer: The Sanctuary faced the east, with the opening to the courtyard on the eastern wall of the enclosure facing the rising sun and the Holy of Holies in the western most part of the Sanctuary.
Question: What connection can be made to the Book of Genesis in movement entering the Sanctuary from the east and the most sacred space in the west of the structure and leaving the Sanctuary by moving to the east? See Gen 3:24 (literal translation is "in the east" of the garden God posted the cherubim); 4:16 (Cain is sent east in exile); 13:11 (Lot chose to leave Abraham and move eastward); 19:17 (the angels urged Lot to flee to the hills in the west toward Abraham, but Lot chose to go east to Zoar); 25:6 (Abraham's other sons by Keturah settle in the east).
Answer: This arrangement is consistent with what we observed in Genesis after the Fall where movement to the east was moving away from God while movement to the west (in this case moving into the Sanctuary) was drawing closer to God who dwelt in a special way in the Holy of Holies located in the western-most part of the Sanctuary.
Originally all Catholic churches were oriented in this same east to west arrangement with the altar located in the west and the entrance to the church in the east. St. Peter's Cathedral in the Vatican is oriented this way.
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Agape Bible Commentary
Leviticus 19
Topics of commands and prohibitions in Lev 19:1-18
| 1. Honor for parents | 8. Lying | 15. Respect for the blind |
| 2. Keeping the Sabbath | 9. Deception | 16. Respect for God |
| 3. Idolatry | 10. Profaning God's name/false oaths | 17. Perversion of justice |
| 4. Communion offerings | 11. Exploitation | 18. Slander |
| 5. Gleaning fields | 12. Theft | 19. Respect for family and neighbor |
| 6. Gleaning orchards | 13. Payment of wages | 20. Mercy in human relationships |
| 7. Stealing | 14. Respect for the deaf | 21. Love of neighbor |
| Adapted from Sailhamer's chart in The Pentateuch as Narrative, page 349 | ||
The laws are numbered according to the Rabbis' list of the 613 commands and prohibitions of the Law of Moses (see Sailhamer, page 349-52).
Yahweh spoke to Moses and said: 'Speak to the whole community of Israelites and say: "Be holy, for I, Yahweh your God, am holy. This command with variations is repeated seven times in Lev 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7, 26; 21:8; and 22:33.
Law #1: 19:3Each of you will respect father and mother. This command echoes the command in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16).
Law #2: And you will keep my Sabbaths; I am Yahweh your God. This is the first of seven times the phrase "I am Yahweh your God" is repeated. Keeping the Sabbath obligation is a "sign" of the covenant (Ex 31:12-17).
Law #3: 6Do not turn to idols and do not cast metal gods for yourselves. I am Yahweh your God. This is a prohibition in the Decalogue (Ex 20:4; Dt 5:8). Making a carved or metal idol is one of the twelve curses imposed for violation of the law in the Deuteronomic Code (Dt 27:15).
Law #4: 5If you offer a communion sacrifice to Yahweh, make it in such a way as to be acceptable. The literal translation is "a sacred gift of peace." The basic rites of the communion offerings are set down in Leviticus 3:1-17; in 7:11-34; and in 22:21. The Toda/Todah communion offering was eaten the same day as was the neder vow offering; only the nedavah free-will/voluntary offering was eaten over a two day period.
Question: What was the double penalty associated with eating the communion sacred meals improperly?
Answer: The communion meal was food given to God that He shared with His people in a meal of reconciliation and fellowship. To eat the communion offerings without properly observing the commands associated with the holy food was to profane God's holiness. The penalty was excommunication.
Law #5: 9When you reap the harvest of your land, you will not reap to the very edges of the field, nor will you gather the gleanings of the harvest; Dt 24:19-22 This command the and next provide for the care of the poor and the stranger. The Moabitess Ruth was able to collect grain for herself and her mother-in-law Naomi because of this provision for the poor (Ruth 2:3, 7).
Law #6: 10nor will you strip your vineyard bare, nor pick up the fallen grapes. You will leave them for the poor and the stranger. I am Yahweh your God. The Deuteronomic Code also commands that what is left of the harvest in the fields and vineyards must be allowed to be collected by the poor: widows, orphans and foreigners (Dt 24:19-22).
Law #7: 11You will not steal, This is a repeat of the commandment in Exodus 20:15 and includes the crime of abduction in the Deuteronomic Code (Dt 24:7; 25:13).
Law #8: nor deal deceitfully [lie] The Hebrew verb lo' teshakkeru literally mans "You shall not lie" (JPS Commentary: Leviticus, page 127). It approximates the intent of the command in the Ten Commandments to not bear false witness (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20). In the Book of the Covenant the command is that one must not spread false rumors (Ex 23:1a).
Law #9: or fraudulently [falsely] with your fellow-citizen. The Hebrew noun in this phrase is sheker, meaning "witness" and the phrase 'ed shaker means "a false witness (JPS Commentary: Leviticus, page 127). This is a repeat of the commandment not to give false evidence against a neighbor in the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:16; Dt 5:20) and in the Deuteronomic Code: You will not spread false rumors. You will not lend support to the wicked by giving untrue evidence (Ex 23:1).
Law #10: 12You will not swear by my name with intent to deceive and thus profane the name of your God. I am Yahweh. Oaths were sworn in God's name as the keeper of the oath between the two parties. The person who swears falsely treats God's name as if it were not sacred and the false swearing becomes a desecration of God's holy name. This is also the case when a person uses God's name as an expletive; it is a desecration of God's name that brings judgment on the speaker.
Law #11: 13You will not exploit [or oppress]
The Book of the Covenant and the Deuteronomic code both include the command not to oppress the alien, widows or orphans (Ex 22:20; 23:9; Dt 24:17-18, 21b).
Law #12: or rob your fellow [neighbor].
In the Ten Commandments this violation and the next are addressed in the final two commands concerning coveting what is not yours (Ex 20:17), and in the Book of the Covenant the prohibition reads: You will not cheat the poor among you of their rights at law (Ex 23:6), which also applied to the next command.
Law #13: You will not keep back the laborer's wage until next morning.
Labors must be paid before sundown when the next day begins. To keep his wages until morning is robbing the laborer of the wage he has earned for his living that day. In the parable Jesus told in Matthew 20:1-16, the Master paid the laborers their wages before sundown (Mt 20:8).
Law #14: 14You will not curse the dumb [the deaf and those who cannot speak] The Israelites were responsible for caring for the most vulnerable in their community (Ex 22:20-27; Dt 24:17-18; 27:19).
Law #15: or put an obstacle in the way of the blind The abuse of the bind in one of the twelve curses in the Deuteronomic Code: Accursed be anyone who leads the blind astray on the road (Dt 27:18).
Law #16: but will fear your God. I am Yahweh. This command is repeated in Lev 19:32, numerous times in the Deuteronomic Code (Dt 17:19; 19:20; 21:21), and also in Moses' first and final homilies (Dt 8:2-6; 31:12-13). As Moses told the Israelites at the Theophany at Mt. Sinai in Exodus 20, fear of God keeps us from sinning (Ex 20:20-21). It is a teaching he will repeat in his first homily to Israel as he prepares the people to begin the conquest of Canaan, reminding them of the day they feared God in the divine encounter at Sinai (Dt 8:2-6).
Law #17: 15You will not be unjust in administering justice. You will neither be partial to the poor nor overawed by the great, but will administer justice to your fellow citizen justly. Book of the Covenant has a similar, but more detailed command:
- You will not lend support to the wicked by giving untrue evidence. You will not be led into wrong-doing by the majority nor, when giving evidence in a lawsuit, side with the majority to pervert the course of justice; nor will you show partiality to the poor in a lawsuit (Ex 23:1-3).
- You will not cheat the poor among you of their rights at law. Keep clear of fraud. Do not cause the death of the innocent or upright, and do not acquit the guilty. You will accept no bribes, for a bribe blinds the clear-sighted and is the ruin of the cause of the upright (Ex 23:6-8). The Deuteronomic Code includes similar commands (Dt 16:19 and 27:25).
Law #18: 16You will not go about slandering your own family, The Deuteronomic Code cursed those who mistreated parents (Dt 27:19), and in the Ten Commandments to honor one's parents is the only commandment that carries a promised blessing (Ex 20:12; Dt 5:16).
Law #19: nor will you put your neighbor's life in jeopardy. I am Yahweh. Respect for one's neighbor/countryman and the rejection of violence are two hallmarks of a civilized society.
Law #20: 17You will not harbor hatred for your brother. You will reprove your fellow-countryman firmly and thus avoid burdening yourself with a sin. Showing mercy in human relationships is another hallmark of a civilized society.
Law #21: 18You will not exact vengeance on or bear any sort of grudge against, the members of your race, but will love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh."' Love of one's neighbor is the sum of the last seven of the Ten Commandments (Ex 20:12-17; Dt 5:17-21).
Question: What did Jesus teach about loving one's neighbor in Matthew 22:34-40? Is there a connection to Leviticus 19:18?
Answer: In summing up the whole Law and the teachings of the Prophets into two broad commandments Jesus listed love of neighbor as the second commandment after love of God; it is a reference to Leviticus 19:18.
In Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus quoted from Leviticus 19:18 in the command to love one's neighbor as oneself and also from Deuteronomy 6:5: You must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. In the Beatitudes Jesus explained that by being obedient to Leviticus 19:18 in showing God's love and justice to others that the people of God were distinguished from others in the world and became "children of God (Mt 5:43-48). St. Peter wrote that the strength to offer this kind of love comes from living in imitation of God's holiness, and St. Paul wrote we must have the courage to love others as Christ loved us: As God's dear children, them, take him as your pattern, and follow Christ by loving as he loved you, giving himself up for us as an offering and a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God (Eph 5:1-2), because God is love (1 Jn 4:8). That God is love becomes the principle of our activity in extending works of mercy and charity to others and in fulfilling the commandment to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Also see 1 Pt 1:14-16 and 1 Jn 3:2-10.
CHALLENGE: “The Catholic use of statues of saints is idolatry.”
DEFENSE: Idolatry involves worshipping a statue as a god. That's not what Catholics do with statues. Statues of saints do not represent gods. They represent human beings or angels united with God in heaven. Even the least learned practicing Catholics are aware that statues of saints are not gods, and neither are the saints they represent.
If you point to a statue of the Virgin Mary and ask, “Is this a goddess?” or “Is the Virgin Mary a goddess?” you should receive the answer “no” in both cases. If this is the case for the Virgin Mary, the same will be true of any saint. As long as one is not confusing a statue with a god, it is not an idol, and the commandment against idolatry is not violated.
This was true in the Bible. At various points, God commanded the Israelites to make statues and images for religious use. For example, in the book of Numbers the Israelites were suffering from a plague of poisonous snakes, and God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that those bitten by the snakes could gaze upon the bronze serpent and live (Num. 21:6–9). The act of looking at a statue has no natural power to heal, so this was a religious use.
It was only when, centuries later, people began to regard the statue as a god that it was being used as an idol and so was destroyed (2 Kings 18:4).
The Ark and the Mercy Seat (1894 illustration by Henry Davenport Northrop)
God also commanded that his temple, which represented heaven, be filled with images of the inhabitants of heaven. Thus he originally ordered that craftsmen work images of cherubim (a kind of angel) into curtains of the Tent of Meeting (Exod. 26:1). Later, carvings of cherubim were made on the walls and doors of the temple (1 Kings 6:29–35). Statues were also made. The lid of the Ark of the Covenant included two statues of cherubim that spread their wings toward each other (Exod. 25:18–20), and the temple included giant, fifteen foot tall statues of cherubim in the holy of holies (1 Kings 6:23–28).
Since the Ascension of Christ, the saints have joined the angels in heaven (CCC 1023), making images of them in church appropriate as well.
Jimmy Akin, A Daily Defense: 365 Days (Plus One) to Becoming a Better Apologist
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