The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 38: The Ten Commandments (2024)

Episode Date: February 7, 2024

Fr. Mike explains the meaning of a covenant with God, and how The Ten Commandments strengthen this relationship. Today's readings are Exodus 19-20, Leviticus 13, and Psalm 74. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear. Please note: The Bible contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is day 38. Let's keep on going. We'll be reading today from Exodus chapter 19 and 20, from Leviticus chapter 13, and also Psalm 74, chapter 19 and 20. We're going to continue journeying with the people of Israel,

especially as the Lord reveals himself even more deeply and entering into the covenant with Moses and with the people of Israel. But before that, the Bible translation that I am using is the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension, and you can follow along if you have that Bible or any Bible, really. You can also download the reading plan. You can go to ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a year and just simply get it for free. And you can follow along every single day. Not only can you follow along, you can also kind of look ahead and see where are we going? I think sometimes it's really helpful to look at the map before you get

there. And sometimes for me, that Bible reading plan is like a map and I can see, okay, here's where we are. Here's where we've been. Here's where we're going to go. That can be really helpful. okay, here's where we are, here's where we've been, here's where we're going to go. That can be really helpful. We're going to keep on trucking along as we read from Exodus chapter 19 and 20. Exodus chapter 19 and 20. On the third new moon, after the sons of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt, on that day, they came into the wilderness of Sinai. And when they set out from Reph that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai.

And when they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they encamped in the wilderness. And there Israel encamped before the mountain. And Moses went up to God, and the Lord God called to him out of the mountain, saying, Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the sons of Israel, You have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bore you on eagle's wings and brought you to myself. Now, therefore, if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my own possession among all peoples for all the earth is mine. And you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel. So Moses came and called the elders of the people and set before them all these words which the Lord had commanded him.

And all the people answered together and said, All that the Lord has spoken, we will do. And Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, Behold, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you forever. Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord. And the Lord said to Moses, Go to the people, and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, and be ready by

the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. And you shall set bounds for the people round about saying, take heed that you do not go up into the mountain or touch the border of it. Whoever touches the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch him, but he shall be stoned or shot. Whether beast or man, he shall not live. When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they will come up to the mountain. So Moses went down from the mountain to the people and consecrated the people and they washed their garments. And he said to the people, be ready by the third day. Do not go near a woman.

On the morning of the third day, there was thunder and lightning and a thick cloud upon the mountain and a very loud trumpet blast so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. And they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the Lord descended upon it in fire. And the smoke of it went up like

the smoke of a kiln. And the whole mountain quaked greatly. And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain. And Moses went up, and the Lord said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to the Lord to gaze, and many of them perish. And also let the priests who come near to the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out upon them. And Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai, for you yourself charged us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain and consecrate it. And the Lord said to him, Go down and come up,

bringing Aaron with you, but do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest he break out against them. So Moses went down to the people and told them. And God spoke all these words saying, I am the Lord, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of that house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself a graven image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above or that is on the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,

visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shall you labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God.

In it you shall not do any work, you or your son or your daughter, your manservant or your maidservant or your cattle or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor. You shall not covet your neighbor's house. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife,

or his manservant, or his maidservant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor's. Now, when all the people perceived the thunder and the lightning, and the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled. And they stood afar off and said to Moses, you speak to us and we will hear, but let not God speak to us lest we die. And Moses said to the people, do not fear for God has come to test you and that the fear of him may be before your eyes that you may not sin. And the people stood afar off, while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

And the Lord said to Moses, shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. An altar of earth you shall make for me, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you. And if you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool upon it, you profane it. And you shall not go up by steps The book of Leviticus chapter 13. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, When a man has on the skin of his body a swelling or an eruption or a spot, and it turns into a leprous disease on the skin of his body, then he shall be brought to Aaron the priest, or to one of his sons, the priests. And the priest shall examine the diseased spot on the skin of his body, and if the hair in the diseased spot has turned white,

and the disease appears to be deeper than the skin of his body. It is a leprous disease. When the priest has examined him, he shall pronounce him unclean. But if the spot is white in the skin of his body, and appears no deeper than the skin, and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest shall shut up the diseased person for seven days, and the priest shall examine him on the seventh day, and if in his eyes the disease is checked, and the disease has not spread in the skin,

then the priest shall shut him up seven days more, and the priest shall examine him again on the seventh day. And if the disease spot is dim, and the disease has not spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. It is only an eruption, and he shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he shall wash his clothes and be clean. But if the eruption spreads in the skin, after he has shown himself to the priest for his cleansing, he shall appear again before the priest, and the priest shall make an examination.

But if the eruption has spread in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is leprosy. When a man is afflicted with leprosy, he shall be brought to the priest, and the priest shall make an examination. And if there is a white swelling in the skin, which has turned the hair white, and there is quick raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic leprosy in the skin of his body. And the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He shall not shut him up, for he is unclean. And if the leprosy breaks out in the skin, so that the leprosy covers all the skin of the diseased person from head to foot, so far as the priest can see, then the priest shall make an examination. And if the leprosy has covered all his body, he shall pronounce him

clean of his disease. It has turned white, and he is clean. But when the raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean. And the priest shall examine the raw flesh appears on him, he shall be unclean, and the priest shall examine the raw flesh and pronounce him unclean. Raw flesh is unclean, for it is leprosy. But if the raw flesh turns again and is changed to white, then he shall come to the priest, and the priest shall examine him. And if the disease has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce the diseased person clean. He is clean. And when there is in the skin of one's body a boil that has healed, and in the place of the boil there comes a white swelling or a reddish-white spot,

then it shall be shown to the priest, and the priest shall make an examination. And if it appears deeper than the skin, and its hair has turned white, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is the disease of leprosy. It has broken out in the boil. But if the priest examines it and the hair on it is not white and it is not deeper than the skin, but is dim, then the priest shall shut him up seven days. And if it spreads in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is diseased. But if the spot remains in one place and does not spread, it is the scar of the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean. Or when the body has a burn on its skin, and the raw flesh of the burn becomes a spot, reddish-white or white, the priest shall examine it, and if the hair in the spot has turned

white and it appears deeper than the skin, then it is leprosy. It has broken out in the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous disease. But if the priest examines it, and the hair in the spot is not white, and it is no deeper than the skin, but is dim, the priest shall shut him up seven days, and the priest shall examine him the seventh day. If it is spreading in the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is a leprous disease, but if the spot remains in one place and does not spread in the skin, but is dim,

it is a swelling from the burn. And the priest shall pronounce him clean, for it is the scar of the burn. When a man or a woman has a disease on the head or the beard, the priest shall examine the disease. And if it appears deeper than the skin and the hair in it is yellow and thin, then the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an itch, a leprosy of the head or the beard. And if the priest examines the itching disease and it appears no deeper than the skin and there

is no black hair in it, then the priest shall shut him up with the itching disease for seven days. And on the seventh day, the priest shall examine the disease. And if the itch has not spread, and there is in it no yellow hair, and the itch appears to be no deeper than the skin, then he shall shave himself. But the itch he shall not shave. And the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days more. And on the seventh day, the priest shall examine the itch. And if the itch he shall not shave. And the priest shall shut up the person with the itching disease for seven days more. And on the seventh day the priest shall examine the itch. And if the itch has not spread in the skin, and it appears no deeper than the skin, then the priest shall pronounce him clean. And he shall wash his clothes and be clean.

But if the itch spreads in the skin after his cleansing, then the priest shall examine him. And if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest need not seek for the yellow hair. He is unclean. But if in his eyes the itch is checked, the black hair has grown in it, then the itch is healed, then he is clean. And the priest shall pronounce him clean. When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body, white spots, the priest shall pronounce him clean. When a man or a woman has spots on the skin of the body,

white spots, the priest shall make an examination. And if the spots on the skin of the body are of a dull white, it is tether that is broken out in the skin, he is clean. If a man's hair has fallen from his head, he is bald, but he is clean. And if a man's hair has fallen from his forehead and temples, he has baldness of the forehead, but he is clean. And if a man's hair has fallen from his forehead and temples, he has baldness of the forehead, but he is clean. But if there is on the bald head or the bald forehead, a reddish

white disease spot, it is leprosy breaking out on his bald head or his bald forehead. Then the priest shall examine him. And if the diseased swelling is reddish white on his bald head or on his bald forehead, like the appearance of leprosy in the skin of the body, he is a leprous man. He is unclean. The priest must pronounce him unclean. His disease is on his head. The leper who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose, and he shall cover his upper lip

and cry, unclean, unclean. He shall remain unclean as long as he has the disease. He is unclean, and he shall dwell alone in a habitation outside the camp. When there is a leprous disease in a garment, whether a woolen or linen garment, in warp or woof of linen or wool, or in a skin, or in anything made of skin, if the disease grows greenish or reddish in the garment, whether in warp or woof, or in skin, or in anything made of skin, it is a leprous disease, and shall be shown to the priest. And the priest shall examine the disease, and shut up that which has the disease for seven days. Then he shall examine the disease on the seventh day. If the disease has spread in the garment, in warp, or woof, or in the skin,

whatever be the use of the skin, the disease is a malignant leprosy. It is unclean. And he shall burn the garment, whether diseased in warp, woof, woolen or linen, or anything of skin, for it is a malignant leprosy. It shall be burned in the fire. And if the priest examines, and the disease has not spread in the garment, in warp or woof, or in anything of skin, then the priest shall command that they wash the thing in which is the disease, and he shall shut it up seven days more, and the priest shall examine the diseased thing after it has been washed. And if the diseased spot has not changed

color, though the disease has not spread, it is unclean. You shall burn it in the fire, whether the leper's spot is on the back or on the front. But if the priest examines and the disease is dim after it is washed, he shall tear the spot out of the garment or the skin or the warp or woof. Then if it appears again in the garment, in warp or woof, or in anything of skin, it is spreading, you shall burn with fire that in which is the disease. But the garment, warp or woof, or anything of skin from which the disease departs when you have washed it, shall be washed a second time and be clean. This is the law for leprous disease in the garment of wool or linen, either in warp or woof or in anything of skin, to decide whether it is clean or unclean.

Psalm 74. Plea for help in time of national humiliation. A maskill of Asaph. O God, why do you cast us off forever? Why does your anger smoke against the sheep of your pasture? Remember your congregation, which you have gotten of old, which you have redeemed to be the tribe of your heritage. Remember Mount Zion, where you have dwelt. Direct your steps to the perpetual ruins. The enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary. Your foes have roared in the midst of your holy place. They have set up their own signs for signs.

At the upper entrance, they hacked the wooden trellis with axes and then all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers. They set your sanctuary on fire. To the ground, they desecrated the dwelling place of your name. They said to themselves,

we will utterly subdue them. They burned all the meeting places of God in the land. We do not see our signs. There is no longer any prophet, and there is none among us who knows how long, how long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever? Why do you hold back your hand?

Why do you keep your right hand in your bosom? Yet, God, my King, is from of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth. You divided the sea by your might. You broke the heads of the dragons on the waters. You crushed the heads of Leviathan. You gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness. You cut open springs and brooks. You dried up ever-flowing streams. Yours is the day, yours also the night. You have established the luminaries and the sun. You have fixed all the bounds of the earth. You have made summer and winter. Remember this, O Lord, how the enemy scoffs and an impious people reviles your name. Do not deliver the souls of your dove to wild beasts.

Do not forget the souls of your poor forever. Have regard for your covenant, for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of violence. Let not the humble be put to shame. Let the poor and needy praise your name. Arise, O God, plead your cause. Remember how the impious scoff at you all the day. Do not forget the clamor of your foes, the uproar of your adversaries, which goes up continually. Father in heaven, we thank you. We give you praise for your word. We thank you so much for revealing yourself to us, revealing your heart to us, and revealing your commandments to us

here in the book of Exodus and in the book of Leviticus. Lord God, we know that you've called us by name, that you know us, that you love us. And we, in response, say that we also desire to know you. And we also desire to love you more and more fully every single day. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Wow, what a gift. It's always a gift.

It's always a gift to be able to receive the Lord's word. But today, what we see is, here is God who is revealing himself to his people on Mount Sinai. And not only does he reveal himself to his people, he enters into covenant with them in this unique particular way. I mean, this is kind of, it's, there's, there's a lot to the story, obviously, right? But here is God who is establishing his desire and his desire is I will be your God and you will be my people. So there's more that's going to happen, obviously, in the future as they move forward to seal the covenant and whatnot. But the Lord has revealed his desire, and that desire is covenant.

One of the things that we know about covenant is it is incredibly different than a contract. You may have heard this before. A contract is an exchange of goods or services based off of a condition. An exchange of goods or services based off a condition. I'll do this for you if you did that for me. So if you don't do the thing you said, then I don't have to do the thing I said. But a covenant is profoundly deeper, profoundly more significant. Because where a contract is an exchange of goods or

services based off of a condition, a covenant is an exchange of persons. And there's no condition. And so we have here the Lord God revealing, I will be your God. You will be my people. Basically, I desire to be yours. And I desire for you to be mine. And there's that gift of self that's meant to happen when it comes to covenant. We saw this when it came to God's covenant that he made with Abram back in Genesis. And we see it again and again as God deepens his covenant and expands his covenant until we get to the new and eternal covenant. Because what happens there in the new and eternal covenant, what does Jesus say? He says, this is the covenant of my blood, the new and eternal covenant. Because what happens there in the new and eternal covenant, what does Jesus say? He says, this is the covenant of my blood, the new and eternal covenant where he does what,

where he gives himself to us, like truly body, blood, soul, divinity. He is making a gift of himself. And then when we receive Holy communion, we're making a gift of ourselves back to him. So that's the exchange of the covenant. That's what happens in married life where here's husband and wife, and they give themselves to each other in the covenant, saying, this is my body, this is my heart, my soul, my mind, everything. And so we see this, of course, most clearly fulfilled, as I said, in the Eucharist, in the new covenant. As Jesus says, his own words, this is the new and eternal covenant in my blood. And then we have this next piece where God then reveals his commandments. And I think this is incredibly important. If we

were just to find out that the Lord God had commandments without a covenant, it would be rules without a relationship. Again, if there were commandments without a covenant, it would be rules without a relationship. Hey, just do these things because if you don't do these things, you're breaking the law. But God is establishing covenant prior to commandment. God is establishing relationship prior to rules. And so often for us, when we first start learning about God, we first learn about the rules. We first learn about the commandments, which is not bad. It's just how sometimes we have to do it. You have to teach people stuff. But the way God taught

his people was first, here's who I am. Here's my identity. Here's my desire. My desire is to have covenant with you. Now come the commandments. Here God is saying, first, my desire is to have a relationship with you. And then now comes the rules. Because this is true when it comes to any of our human relationships, isn't it? I don't know of anyone you met and the first day they say, okay, if we're going to be friends, here are the rules. Or if you start dating someone in the first date, they say, okay, let's sit down. I hope you enjoy your coffee. Here are the rules about our relationship.

That would not go well. And that's not what God does either. He's very wise because he is the Lord and he knows everything. He establishes the relationship and says life in the relationship has some rules. These are the rules that will give life to the relationship, that will preserve the relationship, that will grow and deepen the relationship. And that's when he gives us the commandments. So covenant, then commandment, relationship, then rules. And those commandments and those rules serve to strengthen the covenant.

They serve to strengthen the relationship. That's why we need to know them. That's why we need to do everything we can to say yes to the Lord in the midst of this world. We also say yes to the Lord when we pray for each other. And so we're going to continue to pray for each other. I ask that you pray for me. Just please, I beg you maybe. And I'm praying for you every single day. This is a community of people journeying through scripture. This Bible in a Year podcast is a community. It's not just an isolated individual, but it is all of us traveling through scripture, knowing that the Lord has his word for us

and has a plan for us and has a will for us. And that is our holiness, our becoming more and more like him every day. And that's why we're praying for each other. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you all again tomorrow. God bless. you