Dt. 8: God is Life

Deuteronomy 8:20 "Like the nations the LORD destroyed before you, so you will be destroyed for not obeying the LORD your God."

What I find most interesting about chapter 8, is that it describes how lively the entire world can be in obedience to God...in following His commands and decrees.

Sure, everything came from God. When the Israelites were wandering, God provided for them in amazing and unheard-of ways. Their cloaks didn't even wear out! They were never thirsty. When they were hungry (sure, they whined about it) God gave them bread. We find out here that it isn't just by bread alone that man lives, but also by the word of God. Is it the same kind of life? Is it life to a greater degree?

Verses 6 through 9 talk about how the planet itself will be productive and bountiful in man's obedience to God. Just look: "...a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing..." It all sounds like paradise. When would the planet become...unlivable? When man forgets God. When man ceases obedience to God.

God will not be forgotten, and when He is, He will make one remember.

Dt. 7: Warning!

Deuteronomy 7:2 "and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy."

Chapter 7 is like, "This is how it's going down." The Israelites have to completely and utterly destroy these seven nations: The Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. We've heard those names before, numerous times. All larger nations. Israel is revealed in verse 7 to be the fewest of all peoples. The least. But God will use a tiny nation like Israel to destroy the bigger ones.

With great detail, Israel is instructed on how to destroy these nations...burn altars, tear down idols, slaughter every living person without pity. Can you imagine getting a command like that from God? To kill someone is tough to stomach, even then, and then to do it pitilessly...that's a lot to ask, from me at least.

And I thought, why can't people live side-by-side with the Israelites? Instead of Israel changing their ways, they have to kill off other nations so that Israel doesn't adopt their ways? Seems like a very severe safeguard. But then in verse six, I read that Israel is "a people holy to the LORD your God." They are to be separate from these other nations. We already know what happens when Israel hangs out with other nations.

Basically all the good things you could imagine will happen if God's commands and decrees are kept. And there are a lot of them. And I get the idea that obedience to God trumps following the actual commands. What I mean to say by that is that the consequences of following these commands aren't what leads to the prosperity, the increase, good health, etc. It is the act of obeying God.

God will send hornets to kill anyone the Israelites miss. I find that kinda funny, and also kinda terrifying. What's more creepy and doomy than a swarm of hornets? Eww.

Israel's holiness, and God's holiness are to be preserved, and all else is to be detested.

Dt. 6: Love God

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 "When the LORD your God brings you into the land he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to give you—a land with large, flourishing cities you did not build, houses filled with all kinds of good things you did not provide, wells you did not dig, and vineyards and olive groves you did not plant—then when you eat and are satisfied, be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery."

The first few verses of chapter 6 deal with the permanence God intends for His people and for their land. For generations to come, God plans for them to be prosperous, to be happy, and to be "well." To live a long life. All this milk and honey is theirs, on condition that they follow His commands and decrees. God indicates that He is not a temporal God, to set things in motion, and then leave, contradicting deistic philosophy. God shows here that He is in it to win it, until forever. That's comforting, an idea that not only will one be able to trust God to provide for him in this life, but also to provide for the lives of his descendants. It also suggests that life is short, and God is forever. God will be permanent and unchanging.

How should one "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength?" Those three aspects of a person's life are probably the most intimate, the most conspicuous and the most defining of anyone. And how are they to be used? To love God. Have you thought about what you do with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength? I suggest that this is how God loves, with all His heart, with all His soul, and with all His strength. His defining characteristic would then have to be love. Does God need to be loved? Maybe that's the wrong question. Maybe its not a question at all. Needs imply lack. I believe God will be loved. God must be loved.

I just love verses 10 through 12. It is a reminder of who didn't build the promised land. Vast land, flourishing cities, good houses filled with good things, wells and vineyards and olive groves...everything needed for life. And none of it was done by the heirs. Nothing was done by those who inherited the above good things. It was given, provided. Taken from someone else, and given over to Israel. When these things are enjoyed, it is God who must be remembered and thanked.

Massah, the place where the Israelites quarreled over whether God was with them is invoked here as an example of how not to behave. Rather, the people can trust that God will always be among them, and the easiest reminder is that have everything they need. Their thirst will be quenched.

Moses ends the chapter with a sort of history lesson, how to explain to one's children why they do these things they do, with the sacrifices and the rituals and the rules. It is so that they can be reminded themselves as they teach their children about their history, about how they were slaves in Egypt, how they were delivered for, watched over, and given this promised land. Children would be significantly important in this way, to God, and to the people.

Dt. 5: The Ten Commandments

Deuteronomy 5:29 "Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always, so that it might go well with them and their children forever!"

Moses hits the ten commandments in his Wandering In Review series. I can't really add any more to what was already said in that commentary.

Verse 3 makes me wonder though. Moses says that "It was not with our fathers that the LORD made this covenant, but with us, with all of us who are alive here today." These commandments were given to their fathers, but also, they were for everyone. Perhaps the verse says the same thing as "It was not just with our fathers..." I'm not sure.

Verse 15 is not duplicated in the original passage on the ten commandments in Exodus 20. With an "outstretched arm" God led the Israelites out of Egypt. God reached out from where He was, offering His hand.

Also, these commandments are given with an added reason, "that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the LORD your God is giving you." God is giving them this land, but the land itself is not the entirety of the gift. A long, prosperous life is the true gift. Life has always been the gift! To Adam, to Noah, to Abraham, to Joseph...

I want to get the instant replay on the blazing mountain in verse 23. Regardless of size, it would be sweet to see a mountain completely engulfed in flames. I wish I could have seen it. That would have given me a lot more to fear and believe about God, especially if I was an ignorant Israelite.

When Israel told Moses they would obey everything the LORD set down, God was moved by this. There seems to be a bit of longing emotion in God's words in verse 29. "Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands..." Not to please God. Not so they can earn rewards. Not so that God can boss people around. "..so that it might go well with them and their children forever!" That is unselfish. That is a giving, sympathatic God. I just love that part. If people would just walk straight, and not turn aside to the left or the right...

Dt. 4: Obey and Live

Deuteronomy 4:35 "You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other."

There is a lot more revealed about the nature of God, and man's relationship with him in Duder 4. Moses is about to lay down the law, and for many it will be a review. For some, it will be review. But how important are these laws, and how final?

Firstly, Moses says that no one should add to or subtract from the commands of God. In fact, Moses says just to keep what laws are about to be set down. Who is man to think that he could co-govern or co-legislate with God? That is unacceptable. In the previous 4 books, it is clear that man is subject to God, in power and in nature. How could God reduce Himself to a level tolerable enough for man to come alongside Him...to assist Him? It's outside either's collective nature. I think another command implicit here is to basically take these laws at face value, without needless debate. God did not want people choosing which laws they could follow, and ignoring others.

Secondly, Moses offers a new perspective on the Israelites' story in the history of the world. He points out to them that there are no other gods (on the surface). There is no similar narrative for any other nation with their respective gods. They saw how God reacted at Baal Peor when another god was given worship. It is truly a "great" nation of people whose god is as near as God is to Israel. And is that important? God has put in these laws and decrees as protection. Moses makes it pretty clear: Obey the commands so you can live. He leaves pretty dire consequences for disobedience.

I find the section on idolatry the most revealing. Why would God so severely and vehemently oppose cast or carved images of gods...or for that matter, even of Himself? The Israelites have not seen any form of God. I think "form" is the key word here. Form or Image seem to be synonymous with corrupt.

Just as a form is not the real thing, a mirror image is not actually you. It is a representation of you. It is you minus all of your character, minus all of the things that make you you. Forms do not see, hear, taste or smell as v. 28 puts it. These forms and images therefore (of a God unseen), are bastardized versions of God. Misrepresentations of God. An imperfect version of God upheld beyond God Himself. These things that God has created have form...calves, fish, birds, dogs, planets, stars, whatever. They are tangible creations and affectations of the actual God. They are therefore not objects of worship, rather reasons to worship, maybe?

Idolatry and form-making attempt to give a visual representation of an invisible being which will not be seen. It is anathema. Polar opposites. An idol is about as far from God as one can conceivably be.

So serious this commandment that Moses calls heaven and earth as witnesses that he told the Israelites, so that they are without excuse, and calls on them to pass this command down through the generations. Destruction and scattering will be the consequences for idolatry, a revoking of their rights to the promised land.

Can Israel turn back and return to God? Oh my, yes. Verses 29-31 are just about the most uplifting verses I have read in a long time in these scriptures. God here is described as ready to be found, an answer to distress, merciful and faithful to His word.

So where is God God? Moses says everywhere, in heaven above and on the earth below. There is no other. God's reign permeates everything. God's superiority and distinction are singular.

Man, Deuteronomy 4 is so full of incredible things, I hope you go read it.

Dt. 3: We Kicked Some Tail

Deuteronomy 3:11 "Og king of Bashan was the last remaining Rephaite. His bed, made of iron, was over thirteen feet long and six wide. You can still see it on display in Rabbah of the People of Ammon."

Moses continues reciting to the people what they've gone through. He recounts the complete and total victory over Og, the king of Bashan. He was apparently the last of the Rephaites, that race of giants. How big was he? Well, he was laid to rest in a bed that was 13x6. My deck isn't even that big. The victory given by God was complete and total.

Moses also recounts the division of the land, telling how Reuben and Gad were able to get the land they requested, if they went to war with their brothers. I guess when I first read it, I reacted as Moses did, thinking what selfish people they were. It just goes to show that people can do something right in the eyes of God, but annoying in the eyes of ignorant me, even though I try to see through the eyes of God.

I began to think that with this writing that Moses was doing, how easy it would have been to glorify himself, and elevate himself above others, and embellish how great he was, he still included instances where he was wrong, where he sinned, and where he brought his weaknesses to God. Most evident is the place where he records how he struck the rock instead of speaking to it, and as a result was forbidden from entering the promised land himself.

Is Moses blaming the Israelites for God's anger with him in verse 26? The Israelites grumbled against him a lot, but Moses received a specific command and chose to disregard it, and essentially disregarded the holiness of God and His word. In spite of this punishment, Moses still trusted God.

Dt. 2: ...And We Wandered.

Deuteronomy 2:13 "And the LORD said, "Now get up and cross the Zered Valley." So we crossed the valley."

Moses continues recounting the Isrealites' journey in the desert.

A couple of the highlights include when they passed through the land of Edom, Esau's descendants. Back in Numbers 20, it says they turned away, but here in Duder, it says they were careful when they went through, and paid for any food and water. But maybe I'm splitting hairs between passing through, and passing by.

I find Deuteronomy 2:7 a rather fascinating insight into the heart of God during a time of discipline. While he was punishing Israel for their unbelief, at the same time, God was "watching over their journey through this vast desert." How many deserts do you pass through, and assume God isn't watching or caring? Even in a time where God is upset with the Israelites for a pretty grievous sin, He has set this precedent where he still lovingly watches over them, provides for them ("...you have not lacked anything..."), and protects them.

When it comes to Moab, God told them not to mess with the Moabites, because they have their promised land already. God won't even allow the dispossession of promised land away from those who aren't his chosen people. The same goes for the Ammonites. Moab and Ben-Ammi both are the result of Lot's daughters' drunken incest. Both of them had conquered land inhabited at one point by people called Rephaites, which appears to be a race of giants.

Interesting that in verse 14, it is recounted that it took 38 years to go from Kadesh Barnea to the Zered Valley. I find that ridiculous. On a clear day, you could probably see that far. Had to be absolutely aggravating, like waiting to decide what degree you want to pursue in college, or what career God wants you in. But, like it says in verse 13, when God said "Move," they moved.

Moses then recounts the story of how they defeated Sihon the Amorite, and how Israel was going to be feared in the hearts of other nations. God hardened Sihon's heart, and made him obstinate. And here in Duder, God explains why. It was so that he would be delivered over to Israel. Same with the Pharaoh, I would assume.

Dt. 1: Where We've Been

Deuteronomy 1:32-33 "In spite of this, you did not trust in the LORD your God, who went ahead of you on your journey, in fire by night and in a cloud by day, to search out places for you to camp and to show you the way you should go."

Well, I don't know what to think now concerning the boundaries of the promised land, as Moses just said that it was up to the Euphrates River, which was originally promised to Abraham, but was not part of the promised land to the Israelites. Did God change his mind? Are the borders exact? Were they established with a kind of fluidity? And what part of the Euphrates? Its not all that far off it's the northern portion. The southeast mouth of the Euphrates presents a significant difference. Does it matter? Will the Bible be completely torn down if we get a line of demarcation wrong? I don't know. This is going to bug me, and I will have to study it deeper on my own. Ponderous.

Moses kicks off the book reiterating a few things that have happened in the past 40 years or so. Moses reminds them of the leaders that were needed, which I believe was originally proposed by Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, who kind of popped in and out of the lives of Israel.

Then he reminds them of why it took them 40 years to travel an eleven or twelve day's journey, with the spies bringing back a good report, and then Israel losing their minds and not wanting to go in, being afraid of the inhabitants of the land. Because of their attitude, their minds changed, but probably not their hearts, leading to an ill-fated charge into the hill country.

So, after this reading, I imagine Israel probably was feeling a little sheepish, and probably annoyed. After all, all the times they screwed up were being listed off and read back to them. They were being reminded of their failings, and nobody wants that.

But here they were, on the doorstep of the promised land. The inhabitants had been defeated. And Moses was ready to give a history lesson. It's like waiting to open presents on Christmas until after the Bible reading....let me have my gift already!

Nu. 36: Zelophehad's Daughers...In Law

Numbers 36:7 "No inheritance in Israel is to pass from tribe to tribe, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal land inherited from his forefathers."

And the loose end is tied up in the final chapter of Numbers. What becomes of the land inherited by Zelophehad's daughters? recap

Of course they were able to inherit land, but now their kinsmen from Gilead wanted to know just what was going to happen to this land, their tribal land, when the Fab Five got married. If they married outside their clan, the land would tribal inheritance of whichever clan one the single sister lottery at the Year of Jubilee.

I remember suggesting that these women marry some dude, and just inherit his land, but God prepares a way from women to be able to own land. Which is just unheard of. How can women own land? They're women. I speak tongue-in-cheek, of course, but at this point, women aren't exactly held up as bastions of responsibility and legal status. If women wanted to keep their land in their tribe, they had to marry someone from their own tribal clan.

Additionally, no inheritance was able to pass from tribe to tribe. It was already tried with Jacob and Esau, and that was unpleasant.

Nu. 35: Levite Towns, Murder Defined

Numbers 35:33 "Do not pollute the land where you are. Bloodshed pollutes the land, and atonement cannot be made for the land on which blood has been shed, except by the blood of the one who shed it."

I know what you're thinking. What about the Levites? Where do they live? Well, each Israelite tribe was commanded to give the Levites towns to live in and pasturelands for their cattle. In all, the Levites were given 48 towns to live in. I don't know how many towns the other tribes took...or were given. But each tribe gave proportionally to the Levites. 6 were given to the Levites as something called "Refuge Cities."

A refuge city was a place that someone who killed another person could flee to and be safe from an avenger until due process was served. If the person was determined to be a murderer, they were given over to the avenger. If it was an accident, he was judged accordingly.

So what constitutes murder? Striking someone with an object of wood, stone or iron that was meant to commit great bodily harm. "Malice aforethought" is what determines murder. No one could be brought up on murder charges if only one person saw him. If a person sets foot outside the city of refuge, he was fair game to the avenger.

I wouldn't want to be an avenger of blood. I'd find someone else if a loved one were killed. I can't imagine being in that situation, but to kill someone, regardless of who they killed...that's not in me.

Money could not protect murderers. Ransom was not allowed. Awesome. Money queers deals.

Bloodshed was something that defiled land. Another example of how humans have this sort of living give-and-take with land. If blood was shed on some land, it could only be atoned for by the blood of the one who shed it to begin with. Shed blood is an atonement here, not just to absolve sin, but to atone for the land, since the LORD Himself dwells in it. That's quite the concept.

Nu. 34: Live here

Numbers 34:2 "Command the Israelites, When you come into the land of Canaan (which is the land that shall be yours for an inheritance, the land of Canaan according to its boundaries)"

The north border:
From the Great Sea to Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath to Zedad to Ziphron to Hazar Enan.

The east border:
From Hazar Enan to Shepham to Riblah to the Sea of Kinnereth (Galilee), down the Jordan River to the Salt Sea.

The south border:
From the Salt Sea to Zin to Kadesh Barnea to Hazar Addar to Azmon to the Wadi of Egypt to the Great Sea

The west border:
The Great Sea

So, what exactly are the boundaries of the promised land? I found a map. Thanks to the people at cdlib.org, who are graciously unaware of what I have blatantly stolen from them.

Next to that, I found another map based on the promise made to Abraham.
What gives? The promised land has shrunk big time it would seem. Well, we do need to be reminded that this land in the lower map was promised to Abraham's descendants. The land in the upper map was promised to the descendants of Jacob. You can be a descendant of Abraham and not be a descendant of Jacob. Abraham's descendants came also from Ishmael, Esau...etc. Is it that simple though? Ponderous.

Additionally, there were descendants of Jacob (Reuben, Gad, Manasseh) that chose to inherit land outside of the promised land, east of the Jordan River.

Then God had Moses have Eleazar and Joshua along with leaders from the other 9.5 tribes help assign inheritance based on lots. From Urim and Thummim maybe?

Nu. 33: Connect the Dots

Numbers 33:5 "The Israelites left Rameses and camped at Succoth."

Israel's journey from Egypt to the threshold of the promised land is chronicled in chapter 33. I tried looking these place up on maps to try to find out what their journey actually looked like. Only thing we really have are educated guesses. The point is, they took 40 years to travel about 200-ish miles. If they traveled every day, taking the sabbath off, that's a mind-blowing rate of about 72 feet per day. No, that's feet-per-day. Does God take his sweet time, people?

The passage lists off about forty places where the Israelites stopped and camped.
The people had made it as far as Rithmah in the desert of Paran before they lost their minds and rebelled after hearing the scouts' report. That wasn't even in the right direction of the promised land. If these people knew where the promised land was, and continued to be led by this cloud in the wrong direction, no wonder they were ready to rebel so easily.

Moses, who still hasn't been gathered unto his people after seeing the promised land from the mountain in chapter 27, and devastating the Midianites in chapter 31, is told to instruct the Israelites on how to capture the land. Interesting that this land was given to them, but they still had to go in and take it.

The Israelites were to follow the five Ds: Drive out, Destroy, Demolish, Distribute, and Drive out.

• Drive out the inhabitants
• Destroy carved images and cast idols
• Demolish the high places
• Distribute the land by lot.

The Israelites cast lots to determine where tribes would live, and larger clans (Judah, Issachar, Zebulun) would get larger parcels of land. Duh.

Seems easy enough. Go forth into the land, and with God on their side, they kick butt and take land. Biblical narrative over. Everyone lives happily ever after.

But verse 55 serves as a warning as to what would happen if they don't follow the 5 D's. The inhabitants would become "barbs in their eyes" and "thorns in their sides." Then God will turn his anger on the Israelites as opposed to the people the Israelites were supposed to wipe out.

Nu. 32: Promise This

Numbers 32:33 "Moses gave the families of Gad, Reuben, and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon, king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og, king of Bashan—the land, its towns, and all the territories connected with them—the works."

So, the jist of Numbers 32 is that Gad, Reuben and Manasseh were doing a little scouting, and figured that the land they were already near, Jazer and Gilead, were actually not that bad for raising livestock and families. This was not the land promised to them, but not yet handed over to them by God. They wanted this land for themselves, and would allow the promised land to be divided among the other tribes.

I find it interesting that here, this deviation is brought directly to Moses and Eleazar, rather than presumptively moving into the land. Before they made all their plans, and roused the rabble, they took their requests to the leaders.

Moses, who knew that an armed conflict was coming that would pit the Israelites against the inhabitants of the promised land across the Jordan from them, suspected ulterior motives. Truthfully, I would have done the same thing. As I read, I waited for Moses to bring the hammer down on them, and for God to send a plague through them or something. Moses recounted the situation with Caleb and Joshua, and gave warning of the LORD's destructive power on those who disobey Him. But punishment never happened. Gad and Reuben proved themselves by offering to gear up and go to battle with the rest of the Israelites against the occupants of the promised land. They would prepare cities on the east side of the Jordan, and would not return until the Israelites had their inheritance on the west side of the Jordan.

Moses consented to this deal, and Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh took over the cities they wanted.

Was it just short-sightedness that made them want to take this land? Why would they not want to partake in this promised land? Was it the desire for more land? What does it mean to their ancestors who died in the wilderness before they could enter the promised land?

Nu. 31: Midianite Massacre

Numbers 31:49 "..."Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing."

Numbers 31 begins with a promise from God to Moses that once he took vengeance on the Midianites for the debauchery in chapter 25, then Moses would be gathered unto his people. Is this something to look forward to? A reward? Also, I'm not sure at this point of the relationship or the similarity between the Moabites and the Midianites, as in chapter 25, it says the Moabite women seduced the Israelite men, and Zimri did bring a Midianite woman back to his tent...maybe Midianite::Southerner as Moabite::Alabaman...or vice versa. That's my guess.

Anyway, Israel took 12,000 men into battle against Midian (1,000 from each tribe), and kicked hiney. The five kings of Midian were slain, and so was our dear "friend" Balaam. Apparently Balaam wasn't as pro-LORD as he appeared in previous chapters. They took all kinds of plunder, and brought it back home.

Moses wasn't too happy that the Israelites had allowed women and children to live. It was apparently these women that had "followed Balaam's advice" and brought the Israelites into idolatry.

I get it now. After Balaam couldn't curse Israel, he did advise the Midianites that Israel's men could be seduced. No wonder he had to die.

Anyway, Moses instructs them to kill all the boys, and kill the non-virgins. I imagine the boys had to be killed to not grow up to be Midianite men, and the non-virgins were responsible for Israel's slide into immorality. The virgins were fair game.

In accordance with the cleansing ritual, anyone who killed someone or touched someone who was killed had to go be purified, and any plunder that had done that touching had to be purified by fire or by the cleansing water...you know, the heifer ash tea.

Half the plunder went to the men who fought in the war, so among 12,000 dudes, they split a whole bunch of animals, and 16,000 virgin women. 32 of them went to God. I don't know if these women were burned as a sacrifice (I hope not, but what if they were?) or maybe they served the Levites in the temple. ("Served" used in the most holy way possible, by the way.) Maybe they were redeemed? I don't know. Up to this point, God has never accepted a human sacrifice. Only once as a test of faith has God commanded a human sacrifice (with Isaac). I don't know what was done with these women. What was the point of sacrifice...to honor God. To show devotion to Him. To make atonement. To establish or solidify a fellowship with God. To honor a command. In what way could these women serve those purposes? Maybe they were killed with a sword of justice as opposed to burned on the altar of sacrifice? Curious.

Also, not one soldier was lost in the battle. Which had to have been pretty fierce, to lay waste to five whole kingdoms. Imagine being one of those soldiers who went through it, and the wonder and gratitude you would have felt. Neither you or your brothers in arms were killed. Amazing.

Not only that, there was lots of gold seized that went into the service of the tent of meeting as well.

Nu. 30: Vows

Numbers 30:2 "When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything he said."

In the absence of written contracts and lawyers, great weight must have been given to just the words people spoke. It was a commandment by the LORD to keep a pledge, to not break his word, but to do everything said. And you did not want to disobey a commandment from the LORD.

Women's vows could be overruled by their husbands, or their fathers if they still lived at home. And once her vows were forbidden by her father or husband, the LORD released her from them. It is interesting to note that the vows stand if the husband or father hears about them, but says nothing about them. His inaction is what makes the vow binding, in a legal sense (God, in the cosmic sense). But if he speaks up, then God releases her.

However, the husband could not just pick a time later in the future to nullify a woman's vow. If he was going to nullify a certain vow, he had to do so straightaway.

I guess this makes sense, especially from the standpoint of a young daughter making an irrational, poorly thought out vow. With the importance of someone's word, vows could become like a bad tattoo, marring you forever. Dad, who had been around the block a time or two, could wisely consider these vows from his standpoint, and nullify his crazy daughter. And like any kid, she probably hated him for it and slammed the curtain to her room in her hut, yelling about how he never gave her any respect.

I wonder what kind of abuse arose from this power given to husbands to pick and choose which vows he could nullify? After about 150 chapters, I think I know the Israelites well enough at this point to presume some sort of shady goings-on were...going on.

It doesn't appear that men's vows could be overruled by their wives. Why?

Nu. 29: Trumpets, Atonement, Tabernacles.

Numbers 29:32 "On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect."

Further review.

Feast of Trumpets.

In addition to just commemorating the first day of the seventh month with trumpets, as specified in Leviticus 23, We find out that there is a burnt offering, with one young bull (not two), one ram, and seven male lambs a year old. The only difference from the previous burnt offerings is that there is one bull. Why is it different here? The grain, drink and sin offerings are the same as well.

Day of Atonement

Abstinence, rest and a burnt offering as above. The instructions for the priest given in Leviticus 16 are discussed here.

The Feast of Tabernacles

This feast is described in much greater detail here than it was previously in Leviticus 23.
There is a toooooooooon of sacrificing going on here. Again, 15th day of the seventh month. A festival for seven days.

Day one: Burnt offering of 13 bulls (with 3/10ths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil), 2 rams (with 2/10ths of an ephah of flour mixed with oil)and 14 male lambs a year old (with 1/10th of an ephah of flour mixed with oil), without defect, and drink offerings. And a male goat as a sin offering.

Day two: Burnt offering of 12 bulls (with...yadda yadda...

Day three: Burnt offering of 11 bulls (with...yadda yadda...

Day four: Burnt offering of 10 bulls (with...yadda yadda...

Day five: Burnt offering of 9 bulls (with...yadda yadda...

Day six: Burnt offering of 8 bulls (with...yadda yadda...

Day seven: Burnt offering of 7 bulls (with...yadda yadda... Wow. It lines up. Seven on day seven. Seven is a magic number by now.

Day eight: Burnt offering of 1 bull (with...yadda yadda... Also, it was a day to hold the sacred assembly and to do no work. These were all in addition to the vow and freewill offerings, not in place of. So...there were vows and free will stuff that pleased God in addition to the burnt offerings.

I think I get it by now. Lots of offerings. Lots of sacrifices. Lots of dead animals. This countdown from thirteen to seven in seven days is most ponderous. Thirteen is widely regarded as an unlucky number, while seven is the reverse. Is this some sort of perfecting the imperfect? I'll have to do some more thinking on this one.

Nu. 28: Offerings and Feasts

Numbers 28:2 "Give this command to the Israelites and say to them: 'See that you present to me at the appointed time the food for my offerings made by fire, as an aroma pleasing to me.'"

How about another review of the offerings and feasts? (click to enlarge)

Nu. 27: Inheritance; Joshua

Numbers 27:22-23: "He took Joshua and had him stand before Eleazar the priest and the whole assembly. Then he laid his hands on him and commissioned him, as the LORD instructed through Moses."

Joseph's great-great-great-grandson Cephalopod, I mean...Zelophehad, apparently didn't have any sons. This was listed in the previous chapter. Anyway, his daughters, Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tirzah took this before Moses. They cited that their father never aligned himself with Krazy Korah, rather he died for his own sin in the desert. Because of this, they had no inheritance. Instead of telling them to go get husbands (which would have been my solution), Moses kindly took it before God. God put down an order of succession in case there was no one capable of assuming ownership. Son - daughter - brothers - nearest relative. So there it was. The five women were able to inherit some land. And, good for them.

Then, God is clearing the way for Moses to be gathered to his people, as Aaron was. He tells Moses to go up on the mountains and view the land promised to the Israelites. You'll remember he was not allowed to enter the land, because he whaled on the rock instead of speaking to it. Moses' concern is not for himself at this time of impending death. His first thought is of the Israelites, and he pleaded with God not to leave them like sheep without a shepherd. God has Joshua in line to go before Eleazar and be commissioned, and to make decisions using Urim...those chance things mentioned back in Exodus 28:30. Here, a little more is revealed. Joshua will "obtain decisions for him by inquiring of the Urim before the LORD." It was an obvious way for God to work. Joshua is commissioned and given authority.

Nu. 26: Census II

Numbers 26:65 "For the LORD had told those Israelites they would surely die in the desert, and not one of them was left except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun."

OK, well that plague back in Numbers 16 wiped out a bunch of people, and God decided to have Moses take a second census. The first being back in chapter one. This census numbered how many men there were 20 or older who could serve in the army.

Reuben's descendants (from four clans) numbered 43,730. Down from 46,500. This was the clan of Dathan and Abiram who rebelled. Korah's line was not wiped out though. Verse 10 points out that this die-off was a warning sign. Not to rebel, probably.

Simeon's descendants (from five clans) numbered 22,200. Way down from 59,300.

Gad's descendants (from seven clans) numbered 40,500. Down from 45,650.

Judah's descendants (from three clans) numbered 76,500. Up from 74,600.

Issachar's descendants (from four clans) numbered 64,300. Up from 54,400.

Zebulun's descendants (from three clans) numbered 60,500. Up from 57,400.

Joseph's descendants (from five clans of Manasseh and Ephraim) numbered 52,700 and 32,500, respectively. Manasseh went way up from 32,200 and Ephraim went down from 40,500.

Benjamin's descendants (from five clans) numbered 45,600. Up from 35,400.

Dan's descendants (from the Shuhamite clan) numbered 64,400. Up from 62,700.

Asher's descendants (from three clans) numbered 53,400. Up from 41,500.

Naphtali's descendants (from four clans) numbered 45,400. Down from 53,400.

The total was 601,730. Down from 603,550.

The land was distributed as inheritance, based on the number of names. Interesting that no adults counted in the first census survived for the second one (except Caleb, Joshua and Moses), just as God promised in Numbers 14.

I wonder if these Israelites kind of viewed them as sort of father figures?

Nu. 25: Phinehas Takes Charge

Numbers 25:8 "...he drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped..."

Israel was in a place called Shittim. Which...was kind of telling...

But anyway, the Israelite men were seduced by the Moabite women. And if you like a Moabite chick, you have to worship a Moabite god. By following their...urges, the Israelite men broke the first commandment, to have no other gods before God. And God got mad, and ordered Moses to have the leaders of the people killed, so that it would turn the LORD's fierce anger away from Israel. Its like tearing the mildew out of a garment to purify it. So the tribal judges put the idol worshippers to death. And there is much weeping.

While this weeping over the dead was going on, and apparently a plague was killing Israelites, this guy Zimri, a Simeonite, brought a Midianite chick back to his tent for some loving, in full view of Moses and the Israelites. Ballsy. Not a good decision. Bad enough to make Phinehas, Eleazar's son, grab a spear, leave the assembly and follow Zimri into his tent, and ram a spear through the both of them. That's quite the measure of zeal. I don't know if I could shove a spear through one person, let alone two, and have it be lethal.

By this time, 24,000 more Israelites had died. God rewarded Phinehas by giving his line the high priesthood. He may not have been Eleazar's firstborn, but God rewarded his zeal.

After this affair, God tells Moses that the Israelites have to wipe out the Midianites...to treat them as the enemy, like they treated Israel.

God was serious about having no other Gods before him.

Nu. 24: Balaam's Oracles 3-7

Numbers 24:17 "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. He will crush the foreheads of Moab, the skulls of all the sons of Sheth."

This time around, Balaam did not resort to sorcery for this third oracle. The Spirit of God came upon him to utter this one. I had figured Balaam wasn't using sorcery in the previous oracles, but maybe that whole sacrifice deal and the solitude was a part of it. God still spoke through him. Is it possible to contact God through sorcery? Something tells me that God would have to talk back. God would have to do the work.

Another thing is the mention of the Spirit of God. Rare up to this point, and only appearing at creation, filling Bezalel and Oholiab, and visible in Joseph by the Pharaoh. It came upon him, and he spoke this to Balak.

"How beautiful are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwelling places, O Israel!

"Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the LORD,
like cedars beside the waters.

Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
"Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be exalted.

"God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
and break their bones in pieces;
with their arrows they pierce them.

Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness—who dares to rouse them?
"May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!"

More about the lion analogy. What makes this one different from the previous two? What does God say different here, in this oracle What's the drive here? I had to read it as though it was important enough to God to tell people outside of the nation of Israel to just what it was He was able to do, and how.

Balak of course is extremely displeased, recounting how much he was willing to pay Balaam, and now fires him. Balaam's like, "Hey, I could only say what God told me to." He was an interesting third party to Israel's travels and interactions with the other nations.

Balaam is full of oracles, and it wasn't enough to leave Balak with that last one.

"The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of one whose eye sees clearly,

the oracle of one who hears the words of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

"I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,
the skulls of all the sons of Sheth.

Edom will be conquered;
Seir, his enemy, will be conquered,
but Israel will grow strong.

A ruler will come out of Jacob
and destroy the survivors of the city."

Balaam has the appearance of someone who could believe in God, and trust Him completely. He has seen what God can do, and how God operates. But the question is, would Balaam allow this God to stand above the other powers he has probably encountered in his oracling. Balaam foresees here a star coming from the Israelite people that will crush foreheads and break skulls. Pretty amazing. So Israel will be delivered at some point by a great warrior. It's apparently quite a ways off in time, though. It's also a continuation of the blessing given by Joseph to his son Jacob in Gen. 49.

Balaam also has less than positive outlooks for Amalek (who God promised would struggle with Israel forever), the Kenites, and others.

Nu. 23: Balaam's Oracle 1 & 2

Numbers 23:21 "No misfortune is seen in Jacob, no misery observed in Israel. The LORD their God is with them; the shout of the King is among them."

Balak needs his answers as to what God will say through Balaam, and he gets a couple in this chapter. The first thing they need to do is make offerings, so they build seven altars, and offer seven bulls and seven rams. I'm not sure God instructed Balaam to do this at this point in the reading, and it sounds kind of like what God would make them do, but not exactly. Other religions may have had similar practices.

Balaam goes off to solitude to meet with God, and God gives him a message to give to Balak.

Here is the text of Balaam's first oracle, as revealed by God.

"Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
'Come,' he said, 'curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.'

How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
those whom the LORD has not denounced?

From the rocky peaks I see them,
from the heights I view them.
I see a people who live apart
and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
and may my end be like theirs!"

This is pretty revealing about supernatural and paranormal phenomena in respect to God's power. Any power appears to be subject to God ("How can I curse those whom God has not cursed?") Additionally, if a certain power is to beset man, it would be God who allows it, even if God is not the vessel for this power. The separation emphasized all throughout Leviticus is made very clear to Balaam. He sees that Israel does not consider itself among the nations, rather seperate...Holy. Their holiness was visible, it was evident. So evident that Balaam wished to identify with their end.

Of course Balak isn't pleased to hear this news. It was not what he wanted to hear, so he brings Balaam to another place where he can see part of the Israelite encampment. They do the seven offerings thing and God gives Balaam a second oracle.

"Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.

God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Does he speak and then not act?
Does he promise and not fulfill?
I have received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot change it.

"No misfortune is seen in Jacob,
no misery observed in Israel.
The LORD their God is with them;
the shout of the King is among them.
God brought them out of Egypt;
they have the strength of a wild ox.
There is no sorcery against Jacob,
no divination against Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
and of Israel, 'See what God has done!'

The people rise like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion
that does not rest till he devours his prey
and drinks the blood of his victims."

God appears to address Balak more personally in this one. A change of scenery would not sway God's promise or judgment. What God said the first time around stood, and God would not change based on a man's vantage point. God commands Balaam to bless Israel, the complete opposite of what Balak was hoping to hear. God has given strength and endurance through hardships to Israel, as this whole episode with Egypt gave them the strength of an ox.

Another reiteration is given of how Israel is protected from sorcery and divination. What times it must have been to have to live in fear of that. There is nothing in my reading so far that I can recall that promulgates an idea that Israel was cursed or plagued by anything other than God. Will they never be subject to a curse brought by man? I'll have to keep reading.

Israel is given the comparison to a lion, in the sense that it does not rest until it is satisfied, until it has devoured its prey.

Oh, verse 20 is interesting too, where Balaam says "I have received a command to bless, he has blessed and I cannot change it." Who is man to try to improve on or add to what God has done? Israel was already blessed, and my interpretation here is that Balaam could do nothing to improve upon that blessing. I think this is why Balak questions why Balaam does not bless or curse them.

Balak thinks another change of scenery is in order to get what he wants.

Nu. 22: Balaam's Donkey

Numbers 22:28 "Then the LORD opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, "What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?"

Israel moved on to Moab, where Balak the King was well aware of what Israel had done to the Amorites. And he was scared, terrified. And who wouldn't be? God was clearly with these people, so Balak sends for a sorcerer named Balaam. In his letter to Balaam, Balak says that with a curse on Israel, "Perhaps" he will be able to defeat them. There's no sense of certainty. He also notes that with Balaam, "those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed." Very similar to the language God uses when making His promise to Abram.

God came to Balaam, who apparently was not an Israelite, but was apparently useful to God anyway. Interesting that God asks Balaam who these people with him are. Not because God didn't know, but more likely as was the case with Adam, to get Balaam to speak with him as to what he is doing. Balaam tells God the message from Balak, and God gives Balaam instructions not to go with Balak's men. Was Balaam in wonder at all that he was talking to God? As a sorcerer, perhaps he was accustomed to supernatural and paranormal phenomenon.

Balak offered Balaam almost anything as a reward, but still Balaam recognized who God was, and refused to do what Balak wanted. God eventually told Balaam to go with the men, but to do only what God tells him to do. So the next morning, Balaam goes with the men, but God gets angry. I'm not sure why, unless there was something in Balaam's heart that was dishonest or selfish ($reward$). So God puts the angel of the LORD in front of Balaam as he is riding along with his donkey. The donkey had enough innate sense not to mess with the angel of the LORD, and it he been visible, I'm sure Balaam wouldn't have either.

The donkey is beaten each time it swerves off the road and eventually lays down. Finally, God opens the donkey's mouth, and it asks Balaam if she'd ever done this to him, which she had apparently not done. Balaam doesn't freak out with this talking donkey, again, because he's probably seen some weird stuff with his divination.

Balaam's heart is refocused, and he continues to follow Balak's men. When he meet's Balak, Balak gets all mad, because he sent for him a long time ago, and wants this Israel problem taken care of. Balaam is like Frank Martin. He has rules, and one of them is to speak only what God put in his mouth. He doesn't fake anything.

This brings up the apparent supernatural powers outside of God's that non-Israelite people have, ie, Pharaoh's priests. Where is it from?

Nu. 21: War; Bronze Snake

Well, a Canaanite king heard Israel was going to be passing through, so he attacked them and took some prisoners. Israel vowed to completely destroy their cities if God would deliver the Canaanites into their hands, which they did. Israel was not one to be trifled with. The Canaanite people suffered the recourse of the actions by the king. They would have reaped the benefit of Israelite slaves, so to feel bad for them is probably slightly misplaced. Sure, loss of life sucks. But God seemed willing to give Israel complete power over this nation. As though eliminating other nations would prevent further interference with Israel by other neighbors.

Shortly after this, Israel deviated from the straight and narrow, and spoke against God (not to God). They hated the food, the underabundance of water...basically everything. So God sent venomous snakes among them and "many Israelites died." Then they saw that they were dying, continuing in their panicked repentance as usual. So Moses prayed, and God had Moses make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole, so that anyone who was bitten by a snake could look upon the bronze snake and live. Why did it have to be bronze? Bronze was already used for the wash basin, so the symbolism of cleanliness comes in...purification. But the snake has a less than appealing history this far in my reading, so its sort of an interesting juxtaposition to ponder. The snake was to identify was the problem the people were having, in order to save the people from the problem.

Then Israel moves on...Oboth, Iye Abarim, Zered Valley then to the border between Moab and the Amorites.

In verses 14 and 15, there's a reference to something called "The Book of Wars." I don't really have any idea what this is at this point in my reading. Anyway, here's what it says:

"...Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab."

I guess its some other document chronicling what Israel did. And also, it is apparently something said by God. Where is this "Book of Wars" and why haven't I heard of it?

Then they move on to Beer, where...fittingly, God gives Israel something to drink. So happy for this water, Israel makes up a song, and it goes a little something like this...

"Spring up, O well!
Sing about it, about the well that the princes dug,
that the nobles of the people sank—
the nobles with scepters and staffs."

It seems to refer to the Egyptian army drowning. Did a prince dig the Red Sea though? Whatzat mean?

After Beer, its off to Mattanah, to Nahaliel, to Bamoth, to "the valley in Moab where the top of Pisgah looks over the wasteland."

Then Israel demolishes Sihon and Og. They just wanted to pass through, but the king wouldn't let them be, and attacked them. God gave them victory, and they devastated the entire land and the cities of Sihon. So Israel settled there for the time being. Then Og from Bashan comes out and tries to fight them, but God tells Moses not to be afraid, because God has handed them over to him, and has Moses annihilate Og and his army as well, leaving no survivors. Israel took that land as well.

What an amazing thrill it must have been for Moses when God tells him that a leader and an army are handed over to him. Invincible! I wonder if Israel lost any men during this rout. I imagine the Bashanite swords turning to wussy rubber and not being able to do any harm to Israel. I imagine that kind of complete and total victory.

Nu. 20: Rock Water, Aaron Dead

Nu. 20:11 "Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank."

There's a lot going on Numbers 20. Two prophets die. Moses gets water from a rock, and is forbidden to lead Israel into the promised land. Edom makes a jerk of itself.

The first few verse sound a lot like Exodus 17, where Israel is mad about having to be in a desert and there being no water. Instead of wishing to be back in Egypt, the Israelites wish they had been struck down like their brothers, when God sent the plague. Brazen.

Furthermore, they ask Moses why they "bring the LORD's community into this desert." I find that the most telling quote from an Israelite to this point. It speaks on a couple levels...First off, that they think of themselves as pretty all right people. They are "the LORD's community." An amazing air of self-entitlement.

Secondly, that Moses is just dragging them around this desert with no regard to what the LORD wants. They were promised land. This promise was passed down from Abraham and was deeply engrained in their culture. Here they were, so close, and this clown Moses was getting them lost in the Sinai wilderness. Moses was deliberately trying to kill them off and keep them from getting was they assumed was theirs.

Thirdly that God and Moses are not communicating, and maybe Moses is spreading rumors to God about the people. Would God not know what was going on?

To solve the "no water" problem, God tells Moses to take his staff, speak to a big rock out there, and that water would pour out.

Moses goes for it, but in his anger at the Israelites, Moses strikes the rock. Not once, twice. Water poured out anyway, even though Moses disobeyed God. Moses' error did not further antagonize the Israelites.

Oh, Moses. Why would you hit the rock? It worked last time, but this time you disobeyed. He rebelled against God at the same time he called the Israelites "rebels" in verse 10. It seems like a very unjust punishment on Moses to not be able to lead the Israelites into the land God promised. God says Moses did not honor Him as holy in the sight of the Israelites. Its sad, I can only guess at the degree of schadenfreude the Israelites must have felt to see Moses get chewed out by God as they watered their livestock. Whoever was going to lead Israel into the promised land was apparently going to have to be more holy than Moses. The waters again were called Meribah, as they were in Exodus.

Moses tries to bring the Israelites through Edom (who were the people descended from Esau). Even thought Israel promises to mind its own business, Edom refused to let them go through their land, even threatening military intervention. A couple things strike me here. First, it must have been engrained in Edom's culture how Jacob deceived their father. Secondly, if Israel needed to go somewhere, it would seem that God could help them overcome any army. Israel avoided war for some reason in this situation. Perhaps it was because it was their brother nation?

Aaron dies at the end of Numbers 20, and Eleazar, Aaron's son, takes over as the high priest. He was gathered to his people, whatever that means. And the only thing I can think of is that he goes to wherever his ancestors are. It is apparent even here that death isn't the end of the person. Korah and his family simply went into "the grave." The people who died previously still exist at some level, and I don't really yet know what that entails. They will be together, apparently, wherever it is they are.

Nu. 19: Rinse Death Off

We have a new ritual to concern ourselves with in Numbers chapter 19. The way to purification after becoming ceremonially unclean is fairly similar to a typical burnt offering. You take a red heifer, or female cow, that has no blemish and has never been under yoke, slaughter it outside the camp. Then it has to be brought back to the Tabernacle, where Eleazar will sprinkle some blood toward the front of it. The whole lot of it needs to be burned. In addition, he needs to toss on some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool and throw it all on the burning heifer. Eleazar and the burner are both ceremonially unclean. A third, clean guy has to take the ashes somewhere ceremonially clean outside the camp.

What's with this back-and-forth, outside the camp, inside the camp, outside the camp business?

Essentially, a Heifer Ash Tea is to be made to make the water of cleansing.

Who/what does it purify?

Anyone who touches a dead body, a human bone, a grave, someone who has been killed.
Anything in a tent that was there when the above were.

Unclean things have to be sprinkled with this Heifer Ash Tea in order to be made clean again.

It's interesting in Numbers 19:20-21 that even the person who sprinkles this cleansing water on someone who is unclean becomes unclean himself by this very act. It's as though the clean person needs to identify himself with the unclean person. He had to give up his own cleanliness, and purify himself through the way that everyone else had to.

Nu. 18: Priestly Duties Again

Numbers 18 is a whole lotta review. The LORD is speaking to Aaron.

Basically, it will be the Levites who are in charge of performing all the duties of the Tabernacle. No regular old Israelite was allowed to enter in. They had full responsibility for making atonement and offering sacrifices. Anyone who came near the sanctuary must be put to death. They wouldn't die instantly, I'm thinking. Death would be the punishment doled out by human hands.

The LORD kinda makes it a sweet deal. As Levites, they would be the recipients of all the firstfruit offerings. As God demanded the best of the people, it would be the Levites who reap the reward of this...the best from the fields, from the herds, and from the winepress.

The Levites were not to have an inheritance in the land, however. Rather, God says that He Himself will be the inheritance and share for the Levites among the Israelites.

Then God turns to Moses and lets him know that of this ten percent tithe given by the Israelites, the Levites were in turn to give ten percent of that to God as His offering.

So...there was only one person who could make atonement. Any attempt by an individual to make atonement meant certain death.

Nu. 17: Aaron's Staff Buds

The Israelites still needed convincing as to who would be their leader.

God says, "I'll put an end to this grumbling once and for all." Right?

So he has each tribal head bring his staff to the Tabernacle, and whoever God chooses, that man's staff will bud. So all twelve tribes were represented, plus Aaron, who represented Levi. Each staff was inscribed with the tribe's leader's name.

Overnight, not only did Moses find Aaron's staff budding, but it had also blossomed, and bore almonds. I imagine it probably looked like a wooden version of the Lampstand.

Moses brought out all the staffs and gave them back to their rightful owners. He put Aaron's staff by the ark of the covenant to be a sign to the rebellious, "so that they will not die."

But the Israelites kept on panicking and complaining, saying "Oh no, we're doomed! We are lost!" etc.

Interesting how they don't respect Moses as a leader until there is something to complain about.

Nu. 16: Korah Pwned

Numbers chapter 16 is probably best remembered as "that chapter where God makes the ground open up and swallow a buncha people." Secondly, it is probably remembered as "that chapter where God sends a plague and kills 14,700 people." Thirdly, it is probably remembered as "that chapter where God burns up 250 priests." Horrible. Death. Lots of charred bodies. Sick.

So what could possibly bring this much rage and killing out of God? What kind of horrible crime must have been committed to strike 14,700 people with a plague, incinerate 250 priests, and bury alive three entire families?

Well, Moses and Aaron's privileged position wasn't sitting well with some of the Israelites. Korah, in particular. Even though he was a Levite, and was given a high place of service in the priesthood, he felt that Moses and Aaron believed they were better than he. Who is this Korah, guy anyway? Exodus 6 mentions him among the chiefs of the clans of Israel. That's already a high honor.

With high position comes high claims in Nu. 16:3. The first is that Moses and Aaron have "gone too far." Whether this refers to the fact that the Israelites were counting down 40 years until they could enter the promised land, or this Sabbath breaker was stoned, it wasn't actually Moses' judgment. Moses actually had to go ask the LORD, as he usually did. The second claim Korah makes is that "the whole community is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is with them." So, Moses and Aaron were no better than the community. And Moses and Aaron would probably agree with that statement. Where the wheels come off is when Korah asks why Moses and Aaron "set themselves above the LORD's assembly." Which...I have no recollection of them doing that, deliberately or otherwise. What it comes down to is Korah's mighty jealous.

Moses, crestfallen, decides to have a showdown. He has the followers of Korah go ahead and prepare the censers, and make an offering before God, and God will choose who will be holy. God will choose whoe heart is in the right place. Moses, despite the opposition of these people, still was willing to pray for them. He wanted only to have them come to their senses. He knew exactly what awaited those who "brought strange fire." He summoned Dathan and Abiram, two of Korah's cohorts, to come to the Tabernacle to try and reason with them. So blinded were these two that they refused to come, thinking Moses was going to try to fool them.

That's it for Moses. He tells God not to accept their offering. God says "Stand back, I'm ending them." God wanted to take out everyone associated with them, but Moses still cries out for their salvation. What a gesture. But still, God causes the ground to open up and swallow all three guys and their families and possessions. By this time, I imagine the guys with the censors have to be a little stunned, but still they go forward with their censers for some reason I'll never comprehend, and then the LORD's fire came out and consumed them.

How'd you like to be Eleazar, to have go among all those charred corpses, pry the censers from the blackened bones, and then hammer them all down into a covering for the altar?

Even then, the people grumbled against Moses, saying that he killed the LORD's people. You read that right....see Nu. 16:41. They still opposed Moses. Amazing.

So then God wants to kill them again. Moses has Aaron run among the people as the plague is spreading to make atonement for them with the censer and fire. As he made the atonement for the people who hated him and grumbled against him, the plague ceased. 14,700 bodies littered the landscape.

So, why be jealous of what God does with other people?

Nu. 15: Aliens. Tassels.

Man, in Numbers 15, we hear about offerings again. Its nothing I haven't already read back in the beginning of Leviticus, with hins and ephahs and bulls and pleasing aromas.

What I find most interesting here is that now these offerings emphasize how an alien, an outsider is subject to the same regulations and stipulations. They are not exempt from following these laws. Aliens and foreigners...non-Israelites are able to be brought in under the same system. The same goes for unintentional sins. See Leviticus 4. reading : blog

The Israelites were called to be a holy, separate people. So much emphasis was placed on the distinction Israel had from these other nations. With this inclusion of aliens and foreigners, it suggests to me that somehow God still had his eye on these other nations...God was still at work with these other people. I wonder though to what extent? There doesn't appear to be any sort of...missions work. Outreach...I guess. Did these other millions of people on earth live and die outside of God's grace? If God had put in place this method for aliens to make offerings, and be atoned for, that suggests that, yes, these other nations were basically screwed. At least at this point in my reading.

God's punishment for unintentional sins is nowhere near as severe as his punishment for the defiant sinner...the blasphemers, those who despise God's word and commands.

A Sabbath breaker is found gathering wood. He wasn't resting. He knew the commands. The assembly stoned him outside the camp. He was put to death for just gathering some wood. Harsh. Severe. Just. Consistent. Horrifying.

Then God posts a rule about putting tassels on the fringes of garments. I guess they serve the same purpose as tying a thread around your finger to remember something. In this case, to help remember God's commands. When those tassels are there, the people will always be reminded of the specter of God always being there, always watching, always looking out for them. They will see the tassels everytime they dress, and be reminded of who they are called to be.