Jason L. Lavoie Jr.

Israels Call to Holiness and the Typography of Her Patriarchs The mercy and compassion of God is so thorough and all-pervasive that even after the great ancestral sin He immediately gave man a promise: that he would raise one up who would bruise the head of the devil, destroying his power over mankind [Genesis 3:15]. This promise was to come in the form and substance of a child (seed) of Eve and would prove to be the Wisdom and Power which would restore mankind and the entire universe to a state of glory. Because of the great faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob-Israel it was this specific bloodline that was chosen by God to bear the Promised One to come [Hebrews 11:2]. However, to be the people chosen to bear Christ means more than simply to be fruitful and multiply until God determines its the best time for Him to be a fruit of their line. The coming of Christ required preparation on the part of man, and the nation of Israel is chosen to make those preparations so that they might be blessed and so that in them all the families of the earth [would] be blessed. (Genesis 12:3). This preparation consisted of two things: the call to holiness and the prophetic typography found in the actions of the patriarchs, both of which are found most representative in the person of Moses. The commandment to become a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6) is the most concise summary of what the people of Israel were called to do. Those who fulfilled this command of God had a closer relationship to Him in their own lifetime, unknowingly prepared themselves for Christs descent into Hades, and became witnesses to the people around them of the glory, power, and law of God. You shall therefore keep all my statutes and all my ordinances, and do them... You shall be holy to me; for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine. (Leviticus 20:22,26) This specific call to holiness is the final point of all the non-religious commandments given to Israel in the book of Leviticus. With this in mind, it seems that the call to holiness is intimately linked with the call to keep Gods commandments and, it can be assumed

from this, that holiness is found in the fulfillment of the commandments of God. When Israel kept Gods commandments, God identified with them as His people and His presence was with them. To have His presence dwelling among them was a great blessing, showing that they found favor in His sight (Exodus 33:15-16) and with that favor came blessings both temporal (manna, deliverance from Egypt, establishment of the nation of Israel) and eternal. The eternal blessing given to Israel is found in this same call to holiness. God not only gave a way for the Israelites to be in His presence in their lives on earth but also gave them a way to experience His presence even in Hades in the descent of Christ. St. John the Theologian tells us in his first epistle that those who keeps Gods commandments know Him (1 John 2:3). Those Israelites who kept Gods commandments in their lifetime were, after death, able to know Christ upon His descent into Hades and thus be able to rejoice when He ascended on high leading them as a host of captives (Ephesians 4:8,9). Even without their knowledge of a Messiah, God allowed them to receive the eternal blessing of His Son were Israel to take up its call to holiness. In their following Gods commandments on earth they were preparing themselves for Christ and eternal life without even knowing it. In their call to holiness and being chosen to bear Christ in their line they also benefit all the families of the earth. The most obvious way is through the birth of Christ who reconcile[s] to himself all things, whether on earth of in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. (Colossians 1:20) In their being holy they were also meant to become an example to others of holiness and in their obedience to God they were meant to show forth the power and law of God in their actions and words. This is shown forth best in the Israeli spies encounter with Rahab. She told them that because of the signs and wonders shown by God and through them she recognized their God as the true God (Joshua 2:9-13).

The patriarchs themselves had a very special role in their call to holiness. Many commandments given to them would typify Christ, helping those in the future come to see that He is truly the Messiah. This role is seen most clearly in the actions commanded to Moses, who is so great a representative of this that Christ Himself mentions his typographic actions: that He will have to be raised up just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness. (John 3:14) This typography is quite amazing; just as the serpent being raised up on the wooden staff cured the poison of the serpents, so the dead Christ raised up upon the wooden cross defeated Death. Another type of Christ prefigured by Moses is found in the battle of Israel with Amalek (Exodus 17:8-16. This battle was won by the effort of Israels army but only when that effort was combined with Mosess arms being raised in the shape of a cross while he stood on the top of a hill. In this we see the combined struggle of man with Christ crucified against the powers of darkness. Again another type is seen when his arms grew weary; he was propped upon a rock and his arms had to be held up by his brother Aaron and Hur. In this we see that Christ crucified at the hands of man. After their victory Moses commanded the battle be recorded and proclaimed with triumph: The Lord is my banner. It is this banner, the Cross, which is the triumph of mankind to this day fulfilled in Christ. The faithful, those struggling with their faith, and even those who have none are benefited greatly by this and all types of Christ found in the patriarchs of Israel and so this can be called an unknown calling of Israel and a benefit given by the holiness and obedience of them and their Patriarchs alike. Moses clearly fulfills this second preparatory call in His obedience but he also best represents the call to holiness in a way that extends beyond the typography of Christ. Even Scripture testifies that a prophet such as Moses never arose in Israel (Deuteronomy 24:10), at least until St. John the Forerunner who Christ calls greater than all those born of women (Matthew 11:11). While he was not without fault he went forty years with a people who continually disobeyed God without losing faith in Him and almost always abiding by His commandments. He continually interceded for the people of Israel even in their deepest sins when God wanted to destroy them (Exodus 32). He was blessed with the radiance of the Uncreated Light after talking with God on Sinai. Moses life is truly represents of the calling of Israel more so than any other Israelite read of thus far.