Scripture with the Fathers

Systematically, "I AM" the God of the Hebrews, is systematically defeating the gods of Egypt, this time Apis, Hathor, Sekhmet, Nut, Shu, Tefnut, Senehem. Pharaoh at first ignores the plague, but upon the rain, hail and fire, pharaoh agrees to let the people go, and then goes back on his word. But in this pharaoh asks Moses to "entreat the Lord to relent the hail and I will let the people go," Is Pharaoh recognizing God? Pharaoh attempts to negotiate with God as he would as an opposing king, trying to keep the upper hand. This will not go well as we will see.

God sends Moses to Pharaoh to demand, on behalf of God to let His people go to serve the Lord God. God gives Pharaoh a choice, let my people go or the Nile will bring forth frogs. Pharaoh says no and the frogs come forth. But the magicians of Egypt did the same. Then the gnats from the dust of the earth. The magicians fail. Snakes from sticks, Nile water into blood, frogs from the Nile; all duplicated by the Egyptian magicians. God brings gnats from the dust, the magicians fail and say, "This is the finger of God." God is slaying or mocking each of these false gods (demons) of Egypt.

God hardens Pharaoh's heart. Pharaoh hardens his heart. Pharaoh's heart was hardened. So which is it? Who is hardening Pharaoh's heart? How can we decipher what is happening to Pharaoh's heart? In the first plague the waters in the Nile become blood. Why blood? What is God doing in these plagues on Egypt? Who is God executing judgment upon with these plagues.

We are introduced to the coming conflict between God and the gods of Egypt. Pharaoh, representing the tyrant of the devil responds to the modest request of a three days journey to enter into a feast, or liturgical sacrificial worship of God. Pharaoh does not know God and therefore intensifies the work required so as to consume all of the time of the Hebrews so that they cannot be idle. The worldly see time in rest (Hb. sabat) looking forward and back (Gen.2:3) as a time for rest in the Lord to worship Him to order things properly, God first, then work. Hence now in the New and everlasting covenant, we worship God on the first day, the first day of the New Creation, and giving to God the first fruits. The genealogy of Moses and Aaron is the demarcation, a breath if you will before we begin the confrontation of God with the gods of Egypt.

First God calls Moses to go to Egypt to Free His people, then God was going to kill Moses on the over-night stay. How can we explain this? What was the reason for God's seemingly turn around from calling Moses to intending to kill him? Why is Zipporah doing the circumcision? Why does God call Israel His "first born son"? What is the significance of the first born son?

We continue in our discussion of the Essence of God as revealed to Moses, and the significance of giving someone your name. God sends Moses on a Mission and Moses objects. God answers Moses' objections and provides the necessary ezer (in Aaron) grace and tools to carry out the mission God gives to Moses. How one of these signs is repeated in the book of Kings and Jesus repeats the sign of His own word in the Gospel of Mark and thus declaring that He is the God that spoke to Moses!

Moses the prince of Egypt becomes a shepherd and while tending the flock of his father-in-law, the Priest of Midian, he sees a burning bush. From this apparition of this unusual sight, Moses hears the Lord and for the first time in Scripture reveals His name. What is in a name? If it is God's name, a great deal. We learn what the Fathers drew from this and the significance of the name, I AM Who I AM.

We go into detail about Moses fleeing into Midian. Where is Midian, and why is that location called Midian? Why would, in God's providence have Moses wind up in Midian as opposed to somewhere else? Who is Reuel, the priest of Midian. Was he a priest of some polytheistic pagan religion or something else? God's thread of his holy ones meeting their wives at water wells continues with Moses as it had with Issac and Jacob.

We here from St. Cyril of Alexandria who gives us a typological sense of the book of exodus and sees the actions of Moses, the taskmasters and Pharaoh as types of Christ, the demons and Satan respectively. St. Cyril goes beyond the historical setting and literal meaning of the text, but sees Exodus in the broader sense of the entirety of salvation history.

Exodus Chapter 2 introduces us to Moses. Who is Moses and where did he come from? We look deeper into the origins of Moses and his upbringing. We look to Josephus, Haydock's Biblical commentary and the Catholic Ignatius Study Bible by Dr. Scott Hahn and Curtis Mitch.

The Israelites in Egypt fulfill the command of God to "be fruitful and multiply". Pharaoh becomes afraid of the Israelites as they grew rapidly in number and so deals shrewdly with them by putting them to work in rigor. This situation sets up the book of Exodus as the struggle of the Israelites to become liberated from Pharaoh so that they could worship God in freedom. This struggle is true for man in himself as well by detachment from things of this world, our idols so we can worship God in true freedom.

Who was the Pharaoh at the time of the Exodus? When did the Exodus happen? We discuss the written and archeological evidence within the Sacred Scriptures and from extra-biblical sources. In this episode we look at the background information of that time period of the XVII and XVIII Dynasty in which the Egyptian Empire reached its height. We look at the religious and military practices of the Egyptians during that time period.

Jacob prophetically tells the outcome of each of the tribes of Israel. In this, Jacob foretells of the coming of Christ out of the tribe of Judah which will be the royal tribe. Jacob dies and is buried by his sons in the land of Canaan. Israel returns to Egypt and all in the land mourn for Jacob. We hear from Dr. John Bergsma and Dr. Brandt Pitre in discussing the overarching theme of the "Joseph Cycle." We turn to St. John Chrysostom to see the foreshadowing of Jacob's last words for each of the tribes of Israel.

Jacob/Israel blesses Joseph's two sons Ephraim and Manasseh as Jacob would bless his other sons and grants them lands in the land of Canaan. Jacob blesses the younger to be greater than the older. St. Augustine and St. Cyril comment on the meaning of this blessing. We discuss Haydock's commentary as well.

We hear from St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Augustine, and Haydock's Catholic Biblical Commentary to gain an understanding in the literal, moral and end times all found within this chapter 47 of Genesis. The Fathers gives us the tools to see the Scriptures in the fullness of the light of Jesus Christ.

Joseph's Prudent Stewardship separates his family into the fertile Nile Delta where they are fruitful and multiply. Even though the famine becomes more and more intense in its effect, Joseph is able to provide food and grain to the Egyptians in exchange first fore their money, then their animals, land and lastly themselves, becoming slaves (serfs) to Pharaoh. Joseph institutes a flat 20% tax of harvest. Joseph's prudence saves Egypt and they recognize Joseph as a savior and not just for Egypt, but Canaan as well. Jacob blesses Pharaoh?

Jacob revives at the news and proof of the wagons and gifts that Joseph his beloved son is alive. Jacob first goes to Beersheba to offer sacrifice and to worship the God of his father Isaac. The prayer to God in worship, (which always involves sacrifice) comes first before Jacob sets out to go to Egypt. God reiterates the promise he made to Abraham and Isaac that Israel would become a great nation, Joseph rushes to meet his father and falls on his neck, and weeps a flood of tears in joy, for words have no ability to express this joy at Joseph seeing his father and Israel seeing his beloved son! Jacob's life is complete, seeing his son, whom he thought was dead is alive.

Joseph makes himself known to his brothers after Judah's supplication to sacrifice himself for his younger brother Benjamin's sake. Joseph is reduced to tears at God's providence and mercy.

Joseph puts his elder brothers to the test to gain information about where their true hearts are. Recalling how he was treated with envy and contempt, Joseph tests his brothers to see if their disposition has changed toward their father, to whom they must have lied to and toward their younger brother Benjamin. Are they still envious of the younger? Do they still hid their evil or will they come to the truth in humility. Repentance comes from humility in a trial. Judah, although not the eldest acts as the goel or redeemer of the youngest brother Benjamin.

From Moses to St. Paul to St. Cyril of Alexandria to the Second Vatican Council in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium; a continuity exists as God designs His Church, beginning with the topology foreshadowed in Genesis 43. God's plan is eternal to gather all men into His everlasting covenant in the One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church.