29 February 2024
Still working from The Language of Creation, we learn that Moses' staff represents the pillar of space. It was a talisman of sorts God used to make people aware of His Presence and power. Thus, it could turn into a snake, which symbolizes time and chaos. But as a staff, it could quite literally separate the waters into dry land, as at the Reed Sea crossing. Furthermore, it corresponds to the Pillar of Fire/Cloud in upholding God's protection.
Pageau points out three important symbols together as to how that staff was used:
Almost as a side note, he tells us how the Twelve Tribes symbolized the cycle of time (months), but when camped in formation around the pillar of divine presence, they are formed into the four cardinal directions. You may recall very early in the book that this symbolizes the stability, the squaring of space to make it more solid and secure.
We go on considering how the other primary miracle of Moses -- manifesting "leprosy" on his own hand -- was a symbol of invasive and irresistible chaos. Pageau asserts that the leprosy in the Old Testament is presented in English as a translation term that isn't precise, and misses the whole point. The Hebrew word (tzaraath) is a functional term referring to the moral principle of dissolution and chaos, not specifically Hanson's Disease.
Indeed, the Hebrew word translated as "leprosy" is applied to any transformation that attacks the solidity of things built/made to preserve life. It could be found in fabrics, leather, the adobe-like home walls, etc. It's more about the influence of time, flooding on all scales of reality -- personal, community and cosmic. Indeed, Miriam's revolt compares favorably with "leprosy" in terms of how it tends to dissolve the structure of the covenant community.
As a final note, God warned that with almost every prophet except Moses, He would communicate via dreams and visions, and the content would be symbolic and sometimes very difficult to discern. Moses conversed directly with God and it was clear and concise discussion content. It's not that Moses was so wonderful, but that he was simply God's chosen instrument/tool to build a nation based on His ways.
There is an ineffable certainty in God's dealings. In the Old Testament, we find that most pagan mythology could not offer that certainty; it was almost incomprehensible to pagans that such a thing could exist. Pagan worship was always a little iffy and uncertain, and it was all too easy to rile the various deities without knowing it. God made it painfully clear what it would take to break peace with Him.
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Admin note: I will offer readers again a chance to participate in our community Skype chat this coming Sunday afternoon, March 3, 2PM EST. The link is https://join.skype.com/ksfdigqfRWZM. As before, you don't need to install Skype. Just click the link in your favorite browser and it should open a window to the Skype site with our video conference call. You'll need a webcam and microphone to participate. You'll get to see my fuzzy face and I'll see yours, such as it is.
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