Catholic Doctrine Bible Study

“The Bronze Serpent. May We Still Slaughter Our Enemies? (Just War Doctrine)Can Donkeys Talk? Sexual Immorality.” 21:4-9 As with the Israelites, we don’t worship objects!  They may act as reminders to be faithful. 21:33 See CCC paragraph 2309 on our Just War Doctrine. 22-24 The talking donkey may have been a literary device to show that even a “dumb ass” could see what Balaam could not. 22-24 As with many people you may know, Balaam (eventually) acknowledged the EXISTENCE of God, but never committed to following God. Commit! 25-Sexual immorality can get your mind off your own journey to the Promised Land.  How are you doing in this area?

The Red Heifer, Jesus, and Fundamentalist End-Times Prophecy. Also, Why Didn’t Moses Make It To The Promised Land? (Or, Did He?) Chapter 19-Red heifer and Jesus “free from every blemish and defect”, “killed outside of camp”, given as a “sin offering”, used to cleanse oneself of impurities. (Some ultra-fundamentalists seek, even this day, to produce a perfect red heifer that they can use to make a cleansing agent to prepare the grounds for a new Jewish Temple, which may lead to the final battle of Armageddon.  Do an online search for “Red Heifer End-Times.”  We Catholics see the real temple as Jesus Himself (John 2:21), so no need to rebuild the Jewish Temple and provoke war.) 20:2-12 Moses struck the rock vs speaking to it as he was told by God to do.  It appears he was trying to take partial credit for the water that flowed, or perhaps because he showed anger toward the people.  Though he was denied the earthly Promised Land in his earthly life, he eventually appeared there with Jesus at the Transfiguration. (Mt. 17)  Lesson for us?  Your Eternal reward certainly more than makes up for any “failures” in achieving your earthly goals.

Numbers 15-18 “Old Testament Mortal vs. Venial Sins, Excommunication, More Old Testament “Protestants” And Their Punishment, Tithing and the Catholic View Of Tithing.” 15:28-31 “Venial” vs “Mortal” sins. 15:32-36 A harsh punishment, but the people needed to start out and n the right foot. We can only speculate on what else the man may have done.  Was he a “rabble-rouser” who could ruin discipline for others?  Also, it doesn’t say that the man went to Hell.  (Eternal Life more important!!!!) 15:37-41 “Tassels”- same purpose as our Crucifixes. 16 Korah, Dathan, Abiram - “Protestants”- rebelled against God’s appointed leader...it did not go well for them!!! (Be faithful to the Catholic Church, the only church appointed by Christ, (Mt 16:17-20) and her teaching!! 18:1-7   Again, only God’s appointed priest can offer the sacrifice.  (See our Apostolic Succession.) You don’t get to start your own church! 18:21-32 The “tithe” (10%) is not found in the New Testament.  Our view is that God owns it ALL; we are merely stewards- some can “give” far MORE than 10%, some can’t give much.  Give out of LOVE FOR GOD!! We are not limited by a legalistic Old Testament percentage.

Chapter 12-Miriam and Aaron, much like the original Protestants, thought their authority to speak for God was equal to Moses’.  (Like Luther, Calvin, etc. vs the Catholic Church.) But God had appointed ONE spokesperson, Moses.  In the New Testament, God (Jesus) has appointed ONE spokesperson; the Church. Chapters 13 and 14-Ten of the twelve spies didn’t trust God’s promises to deliver the Promised Land to them; they only relied on their own human logic.  Had they listened to God’s spokesman, instead of “Protesting” , they would not have suffered death in the desert.

Chapter 6: Our priests make lifestyle sacrifices, as did Nazirites. (Such as Samson, Samuel, John the Baptist, Paul).  They are “set apart” for the Lord. In a sense, we all should be. The Israelites were enthusiastic as they left camp, but that enthusiasm only lasted 3 days!  Make a COMMITMENT to God to trust him as He leads you, even when (ESPECIALLY when!) times are hard.  Keep your “eyes on the prize” in your OWN journey across the “desert” of this world; ETERNAL LIFE!

Chapter 1:46  For the bible skeptic, if the Hebrew word “elep” is translated  “unit” and not “thousand”, a much more reasonable number of Israelites were on the Exodus journey. See Chapter 2 for the organization of the tribes that corroborates the title of this Session. See especially v2(b). Chapter 3:10 People couldn’t start their own church based on if they “felt called.”  They had to be chosen and appointed by the current leaders.  (Like the Catholic Church!) Chapter 4: We all have a job to do for the Lord.  We are all to spread the Gospel, and in addition, to serve in some specific ministry.  (Are you doing your part?)

Leviticus 25-26 Even though the people didn’t trust God to provide for them by letting their land lay fallow each 7th year, (25:4, 25:20-21), and would suffer consequences for their lack of faith (26:33-35), God will keep his promises to them. (26:44-45) Numbers represents the last approximately 39 years of the 40 years of the Israelites’ wanderings on their way to their Promised Land.  They could have made the journey in 40 DAYS if they had trusted God.  Let us learn from this, and trust God, instead of our own humanistic, worldly thinking, to guide us as we are on our OWN journey to the Promised Land.

Chapters 13 and 14:  If Israelites were “unclean”, they had to show themselves to the priest, and offer a sacrifice.  If we are unclean spiritually through mortal sin, we must do the same, and offer our contrition and do penance. Chapter 16  Their Day of Atonement is somewhat like our Ash Wednesday. 18:22 On homosexual practice.  See Romans 1:26-27 and CCC 2357-2359. 19:18 “ Love your neighbor as yourself” quoted in Mt. 19:19. 20:2 Sacrificing children....abortion. 22:19-21 (animal) sacrifice to be “unblemished male”  “without defect.” (Prefigures Christ.) Chapter 23 Required feasts (Passover, Pentecost) mirror our own. 25:23 Everything is God’s; we are merely stewards.

As with the Israelites, we also “offer up” to God our best, we admit our guilt for sins, and do something (penance) for cleansing and restitution. 10:1-2  Priests (of OT and now)  Don’t mess with the rubrics!  Worship needs to be respectful. Christians of all denominations don’t need to keep the Israelite Dietary laws because the Catholic Church, the one Church founded by Christ, was uniquely given the power to “bind and loose” in Matthew 16:18-19, and the Church “loosed” this requirement.  Leading up to this “loosening” is the voice from heaven to Peter in Acts 10:15 -“Kill and eat...What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.”  This was ratified in Acts 15:28-29 by letter from the Apostles. Mary, in Luke 2:24, obeyed the ritual spelled out in Leviticus 12:6, by offering up “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”   Mary respected the Law. ( The New Covenant was not yet in effect; Jesus had just been born.)

The Israelites were to offer their best up to God, and so should we.  The central theme of Leviticus is Holiness, both in worship and in everyday activities. Worship and everyday life are to be interconnected. The Levites sacrificed ANIMALS through death for sin; Christ offered Himself as a perfect sacrifice through death on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. The 5 types of sacrifices are listed and explained in the chart below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11OWChEpP5dKhaA1nZHzXd1mgsvlCsYjJ/view?usp=sharing