Day 15 – November 29 (December 12 OC)
Ornament - Moses' Staff
Materials - Stick, tiny eye screw, raffia
(28th Sunday After Pentecost, Third Antiphon)
Moses, stretching out his arms on the mountain, prefigured the Cross and thus conquered Amalek.
Receiving it with faith as a mighty weapon against the demons, we all cry out: “Remember us also in
Thy kingdom!”
(Third Antiphon, 15th Sunday after Pentecost)
Of old Moses prefigured in himself an image of Christ’s most pure sufferings, standing between the
priests; for, forming a cross with his outstretched arms, he raised up victory, vanquishing the might of
the destroyer Amalek. Wherefore, let us hymn Christ our God, for He hath been glorified!
(Vespers of 5th Sunday after Pentecost)
With a pillar of fire, O father, God manifestly guided thee to salvation, to the calm harbor, to the
mountain of dispassion; and by thy prayer thou didst make water gush forth, didst cause the blind to see
and the lame to walk aright.
Stichera from Vespers for the Feast of the Life-Giving Spring, The Pentecostarion
Marvellous and most strange things the sovereign Master of Heaven from the first accomplished in
thee, O thou all-blameless one; for perceptibly He came down from on high like rain in thy pure womb,
and He thus proved thee, O Bride of God, a fountain gushing forth every kind of blessing and all good
things; as well as a flood flowing with lavish benefactions of remedies unto all that ask thee for
strengthening of soul and for the health of body, which thou dost grant to them through the water of
God's grace.
-St. Gregory of Sinai
If Moses had not received from God the rod of power, he would not have become god to pharaoh and
would not have punished both him and Egypt. In the same way the mind, if it does not wield in its hand
the power of prayer, will be unable to conquer sin and the powers of the enemy.
-St. John of Damascus, Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
For since death was by a tree, it was fitting that life and resurrection should be bestowed by a tree.
Jacob, when He worshipped the top of Joseph's staff, was the first to image the Cross, and when he
blessed his sons with crossed hands he made most clearly the sign of the cross. Likewise also did
Moses' rod, when it smote the sea in the figure of the cross and saved Israel, while it overwhelmed
Pharaoh in the depths; likewise also the hands stretched out crosswise and routing Amalek; and the
bitter water made sweet by a tree, and the rock rent and pouring forth streams of water, and the rod that
meant for Aaron the dignity of the high priesthood: and the serpent lifted in triumph on a tree as though
it were dead, the tree bringing salvation to those who in faith saw their enemy dead, just as Christ was
nailed to the tree in the flesh of sin which yet knew no sin. The mighty Moses cried, You will see your
life hanging on the tree before your eyes, and Isaiah likewise, I have spread out my hands all the day
unto a faithless and rebellious people. But may we who worship this obtain a part in Christ the
crucified.
See also Law of God, Sacred History Chapter 26, The Hebrews Pass Through the Red Sea and Other
Miracles
http://www.fatheralexander.org/booklets/english/law_of_god_slobodskoy_1.htm#_Toc36163705
(excerpt below):
At the time of the Hebrews’ journey out of Egypt into the Promised Land, the Lord worked many other
miracles as well. Once the Hebrews came to a place where the water was bitter. They could not drink it
and complained against Moses. The Lord showed Moses a tree. As soon as they had placed the tree in
the water, the water became sweet.
This tree which took the bitterness from the water was a foreshadowing of the tree of the Cross of
Christ, which took away the bitterness of life — sin.
When the Hebrews had used up all the bread they had taken from Egypt, the Lord sent them bread from
Heaven — manna. It looked like little white crumbs or pieces of hail and had the taste of bread with
honey. This bread was called manna, because when the Hebrews saw it for the first time, they asked
each other, "man-na" or "What is this?" Moses answered, "This is the bread which the Lord has given
you for food." Manna covered the earth in the morning around the camp of the Hebrews, for the entire
time of their journeying, on every day except the Sabbath.
When the Hebrews came to the place in the desert called Rephidim, where there was no water at all,
they again began to complain against Moses. At God’s command Moses struck a stone cliff with his
staff and water flowed from it.
Manna in the desert and water from the stone cliff, which saved the Israelites from death, foreshadowed
the true food and drink for us, which is the Body and Blood of Christ, which the Lord gives to us in
Holy Communion, saving us from eternal death.
In Rephidim, desert dwellers, the Amalekites, attacked them. Moses sent out Joshua, the son of Nun,
with an army. Moses then went up to the nearest mountain with his brother Aaron and with Hur and
began to pray, lifting both arms to Heaven, forming a cross.
Aaron noticed that when Moses held his hands up, the Hebrews prevailed over their enemies, but when
he let them fall out of weariness, the Amalekites overcame the Hebrews. To ensure victory Aaron and
Hur placed Moses on a stone and held his arms stretched out. Thus the Hebrews conquered the
Amalekites.
Moses, when he was praying with his hands stretched forth, foreshadowed the victorious Cross of
Christ, by whose power faithful Christians now conquer visible and invisible enemies.
