Father Mike Schmitz hosts the Bible in a Year podcast, reading from The Great Adventure Bible using the Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. This is day 33 of the journey through Scripture, covering Exodus chapters 10-11, Leviticus chapter 8, and Psalm 50.

The episode explores the eighth and ninth plagues against Egypt (locusts and darkness), God's warning of the final plague, and the detailed ordination rites for Aaron and his sons as the first Levitical priests. Father Schmitz emphasizes how each plague targeted specific Egyptian gods and how proper worship must follow God's requirements, not human preferences.

The Ten Plagues Target Egyptian Gods Systematically

Each plague attacked a specific Egyptian deity: the Nile turning to blood targeted Hapi (god of the Nile), frogs targeted Heqet (frog goddess), lice from dust targeted Geb (earth god), flies targeted Kipri (god of creation and rebirth), and darkness targeted Ra (sun god)

The plagues served dual purposes: demonstrating God's power to Pharaoh and purging Egyptian false gods from the hearts of enslaved Israelites who had absorbed Egyptian religious influences over 400 years

This spiritual cleansing was necessary because the Israelites would later create the golden calf, proving they had internalized Egyptian idolatry during their captivity

Moses Demands Complete Freedom for Proper Worship

When Pharaoh offered to let only the men go, Moses insisted: 'Not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there'

Pope Benedict clarified that Moses wasn't being deceptive but truthful - they genuinely didn't know what worship God would require and refused to offer false worship based on their own preferences

This principle extends to Christian worship: Jesus specified 'Do this in memory of me' at the Last Supper, establishing how He wants to be worshipped rather than leaving it to human invention

The Levitical Priesthood Emerges from Crisis

Originally, all Israelite fathers served as priests of their families, as seen in the upcoming Passover ritual where fathers lead the sacrifice

After the golden calf incident, when Moses called 'to arms' for justice, only men from the tribe of Levi took up swords to end the false worship, leading Moses to declare 'you have ordained yourselves this day'

From that point forward, priesthood was restricted to the tribe of Levi - not a chosen vocation but a birthright, with Leviticus chapter 8 detailing the ordination rites for Aaron's sons and future generations

Old Testament Sacrifices Prefigure Christ's Sacrifice

The detailed sacrificial system in Leviticus - burnt offerings, cereal offerings, sin offerings - all point forward to 'the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ'

Reading Letter to the Hebrews alongside Leviticus provides 'illuminating' insights into how 'God had been preparing his people from the beginning' to understand Christ's ultimate sacrifice

The ordination ceremony in Leviticus 8 involves blood on the right ear, thumb, and big toe of priests, symbolizing consecration for hearing, acting, and walking in God's service