Then Aaron
stretches out his staff and turns dust into gnats – the third plague. This the
magicians cannot match, but Pharaoh is not moved.
Then the Lord
tells Moses to threaten swarms of flies as the fourth plague—but he promises he will not afflict the people in
Goshen, thus distinguishing between them and the Egyptians for the first time. Pharaoh is willing to let them sacrifice to
their God in Egypt, but not in the wilderness outside of Egypt. Moses insists they
must go on a journey of three days—to be out from under the strictures against
such worship in Egypt. Pharaoh promises but again reneges (8:28).
The Epistle of Barnabas
2 - He calls their days "evil days, with the Worker of
Evil himself in the ascendant" (159). He believes studying the
"Divine ordinances, having patience and the fear of God . . . and
resignation and self-discipline for allies" they will be able to see their
way through it. (160).
On Sacrifices: What
the Lord has made clear through his prophets is that these are things "of
which He has not the smallest need" (160). He cites Isaiah 1:11-13.
"All these things He swept away; intending the New Law of our Lord Jesus
Christ to impose no yoke of coercion, and its Oblation to be no offering of
human hands" (160).
What "He
tells us is, the sacrifice for the Lord is a contrite heart; a heart that
glorifies its Maker is a sweet savor to the Lord" (160, citing
Zech.8:17).We must look carefully into this matter, for if the Evil One gets
his way, we could be "cast . . .out from the life that lies before
us" (160).
3 - On Fasting:
Quoting unknown sources on the pointlessness of fasting, he then uses this
quote (also unknown) to say what God wants "Look, the fast of my choice is
this: relax all your iniquitous restrictions, loosen the shackles of your
oppressive covenants, let your ruined debtors go free, and tear up all your
unjust agreements. Break up your bread into portions for the starving; and if
you see a man who is in want of clothing, fit him out yourself. Bring in the
homeless under your own roof; and should you happen to catch sight of some
person of low degree, be sure that neither you nor anyone belonging to you
casts an eye of scorn upon him. Then shall your light shine out like the rising
sun; healing shall dawn swiftly upon you, and you will march forward with
holiness as your vanguard and the glory of God on either flank" (161, citing
Isaiah 58:5).
4 – We must consider the present situation and see what
"offers assurance of salvation for us" (161). We should avoid any
kind of wrong-doing. "Let there be hatred in us for the errors of this
world, so that there may be love for us in the world to come" (161).
Do not give reign to
"natural instincts" to associate with "rogues and sinners, or we
shall only grow to resemble them ourselves" (161). He refers to Enoch and
the "end days" that are at hand, "so that his Beloved can come
quickly and enter upon his inheritance" (161). Quoting Daniel, he alludes
to the "ten kingdoms" that will reign, after whom "a petty king
will arise and bring down three of those kings at once" (161).
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