Egypt and Egypt's gods
A very revealing insight from the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas, on the reasons for the Old Testament sacrifices ... (I have somewhat paraphrased the exact quote to make it more clear):
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God did not wish these sacrifices to be offered to Him because of what the actual sacrifices were (calves, sheep, etc.), as though He needed them: Thus it is written (Is. 1:11): "I desire not holocausts of rams, and fat of fatlings, and blood of calves and lambs and buckgoats."
Rather, as stated above, He wished them to be offered to Him, in order to prevent idolatry; in order to externally signify the proper ordering of man's mind to God; and in order to represent the mystery of the Redemption of man by Christ.
In all the respects mentioned above, there was a good reason for these animals (as opposed to other kinds of animals) to be offered in sacrifice to God.
First, in order to prevent idolatry. ... the Egyptians (among whom the Israelites had been dwelling) considered it abominable to kill these kinds of animals, and for this reason they never offered them in sacrifice to their gods. Hence it is written (Ex. 8:26): "We shall sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians to the Lord our God." For the Egyptians worshipped the sheep; they reverenced the ram (because demons appeared under the form of a ram); they employed oxen for agriculture, which was considered by them to be something sacred. (Summa Theologica, Prima Secundæ Partis, Q.102, art. 3)
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In other words, the Egyptians idolized sheep, rams, and oxen as gods. Since Israel had spent some 400 years dwelling in Egypt, it seems reasonable to assume that they had adopted some of the pagan practices and mindsets of the Egyptians viz. the sanctity of these animals.
So when God wished to free Israel, not just from natural bondage to Pharaoh, but from supernatural bondage to idolatry, the first thing He wished them to do was to slay the very gods whom they had been worshiping.
What a powerful object lesson!
You think the ox is divine? You think the ox is sacred? Here's an ox, Israel, now slit its throat on the altar and see how divine and sacred it really is.
What better way to demonstrate to the people that these beasts were nothing but beasts, and not divine?
Another thing to note... in the ten plagues that God called down upon Egypt, He used:
1) The Nile
2) Frogs
3) Gnats
4) Flies
5) Cattle
6) Boils
7) Hail
8) Locusts
9) Darkness
10) Death of the Firstborn
Just by coincidence, the Egyptians worshiped:
1) Hapi, god of the Nile
2) Heket, under the form of a frog
3) Set, god of the desert
4) Vatchit, in the form of a fly
5) Hathor, under the form of a cow, and Apis the bull
6) Sekhmet, goddess over diseases
7-8) Osiris, god of crops
9) Ra, god of the sun
10) The Pharaoh and his firstborn, who were considered divine
So not only was God working some pretty awe-inspiring miracles for the people to marvel at, He was systematically slaying the gods of Egypt so that His people would realize who was the true "God above all gods."
Have you read the Old Testament yet today?
********************
God did not wish these sacrifices to be offered to Him because of what the actual sacrifices were (calves, sheep, etc.), as though He needed them: Thus it is written (Is. 1:11): "I desire not holocausts of rams, and fat of fatlings, and blood of calves and lambs and buckgoats."
Rather, as stated above, He wished them to be offered to Him, in order to prevent idolatry; in order to externally signify the proper ordering of man's mind to God; and in order to represent the mystery of the Redemption of man by Christ.
In all the respects mentioned above, there was a good reason for these animals (as opposed to other kinds of animals) to be offered in sacrifice to God.
First, in order to prevent idolatry. ... the Egyptians (among whom the Israelites had been dwelling) considered it abominable to kill these kinds of animals, and for this reason they never offered them in sacrifice to their gods. Hence it is written (Ex. 8:26): "We shall sacrifice the abominations of the Egyptians to the Lord our God." For the Egyptians worshipped the sheep; they reverenced the ram (because demons appeared under the form of a ram); they employed oxen for agriculture, which was considered by them to be something sacred. (Summa Theologica, Prima Secundæ Partis, Q.102, art. 3)
********************
In other words, the Egyptians idolized sheep, rams, and oxen as gods. Since Israel had spent some 400 years dwelling in Egypt, it seems reasonable to assume that they had adopted some of the pagan practices and mindsets of the Egyptians viz. the sanctity of these animals.
So when God wished to free Israel, not just from natural bondage to Pharaoh, but from supernatural bondage to idolatry, the first thing He wished them to do was to slay the very gods whom they had been worshiping.
What a powerful object lesson!
You think the ox is divine? You think the ox is sacred? Here's an ox, Israel, now slit its throat on the altar and see how divine and sacred it really is.
What better way to demonstrate to the people that these beasts were nothing but beasts, and not divine?
Another thing to note... in the ten plagues that God called down upon Egypt, He used:
1) The Nile
2) Frogs
3) Gnats
4) Flies
5) Cattle
6) Boils
7) Hail
8) Locusts
9) Darkness
10) Death of the Firstborn
Just by coincidence, the Egyptians worshiped:
1) Hapi, god of the Nile
2) Heket, under the form of a frog
3) Set, god of the desert
4) Vatchit, in the form of a fly
5) Hathor, under the form of a cow, and Apis the bull
6) Sekhmet, goddess over diseases
7-8) Osiris, god of crops
9) Ra, god of the sun
10) The Pharaoh and his firstborn, who were considered divine
So not only was God working some pretty awe-inspiring miracles for the people to marvel at, He was systematically slaying the gods of Egypt so that His people would realize who was the true "God above all gods."
Have you read the Old Testament yet today?
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