fixed on what it had received from God, and what God had promised to his people: namely, an amplitude of earthly goods, a homeland, peace, and happiness in this world. Yet all these things were fraught with symbolic meaning, and the people did not understand what lay hidden under these signs. They thought these were the greatest things God had to give, and could not imagine that he reserved better gifts for those who love him and serve him. So Israelites concentrated on immediate rewards, and observed