I. Charism - La Salle.org

16
II. CHARISM IN THE BIBLE
are still alive (Ex 4:18). It involves a return to his own people motivated
by the same curiosity he had for the burning bush: he wants
“to see if they are still alive”. Moses’ vocation springs, first of all
from the charism of his curiosity. God burns for his people in the
burning bush. Moses finds him there and also through curiosity he
will see the seething cauldron of his oppressed people.
God comes down to deliver his people (3:8) in coming again to Moses
to bring them forth from Egypt (3:10) and God also will bring them
out (will raise them up and cause them to come up from Egypt to the
Promised Land, says the Hebrew text). Moses’ faith is strengthened
and completed. He has two credos, the dogmatic credo of Dt 6:4-
9 and the historical credo of Dt 26:5-11; one of faith at the
Burning Bush and the other of faith in God the liberator of his
oppressed people. In freeing his people Moses is responding to his
charism of leader not without doubts and putting God to the test
with seven objections or questions! (1 st in Ex. 3:11; 2 nd in 3:13; 3 rd ,
4 th and 5 th in 4:1; 6 th in 4:10; and 7 th in 4:13). Finally, God gives
Moses the visible sign of his charism of authority: “You shall take
in your hand this rod, with which you shall do the signs” (4:17).
Thanks to this charism Moses is able to extol his authority and
God acting in him (Dt 31:22) and he understands that he has to
pass on his leadership (Nb 27:12-18; Dt 31:7) in the meantime
suppressing mutinies and rebellions (Num 16:1; 12:1). The ultimate
goal of the charism is to make possible the liberation which
culminates in the covenant.
There is no theory of charism in the Old Testament. It would be
possible to draw up a list of charisms, focussing for the most part
on that of leadership, starting from the sapiential literature of
Proverbs, Wisdom, Ecclesiastes of Qoheleth and Ecclesiasticus of
Ben Sirach. However we shall find the best illustration of leadership
in those leaders raised up by God in Israel. Among them are
those who were unhappy, victorious, contrite, legislators and sav-