Ruth 3

This chapter contains what I think is the most... whats a good word? Ah, 'unique' marriage proposal I've ever heard of. Apparently laying down next to a man and uncovering some not-well-defined portion of his lower anatomy could be taken to mean that you wanted to marry him. My, how times have changed!

There are some other customs and habits of the time period that are also shown here, though they aren't the focus. Apparently the places where harvests were processed - the threshing floor - doubled as a home away from home. Boaz is described as sleeping 'at the far end of the grain heap' (verse 7, NET). Maybe he had a cot or some blankets to sleep on, but that he would just lay down right there next to his work seems very foreign to me.

On the topic of marriage, it turns out that there was a pecking order of sorts within their culture. Boaz wasn't the closest male relative, so he had to check with the man who was before being able to commit to Ruth in marriage. We also have it implied here that Boaz was not a young man - but just how much older than Ruth he was, or whether he was already married, is not told (multiple marriages seem common at this time - see I Samuel 1).

Ruth 2

I like the glimpse we get in this chapter into life during this era. Ruth heads out to pick what were effectively scraps left behind accidentally while the wheat crop was being harvested. In modern days we would expect someone to just go 'get a job' - but I'm guessing women weren't really allowed to work in shops or other occupations, and doing something in this case was certainly better than begging.

Luckily, or perhaps through God's providence, she ends up working in a field owned by a relative of Naomi's who happens to be present at the field and asks about her. When he finds out who she is he takes measures to ensure she is taken care of without revealing his identity to her - though Naomi fills Ruth in on that point once she returns in the evening.

Boaz, the man in question, allows Ruth to continue working in this fashion throughout the end of the harvest. It sounds like that provides for both women during that season, but I wonder if Naomi also worked in some position in the village. Sometimes I wish the Bible had even more details on things like that.

Ruth 1

The book of Ruth starts off setting the scene. It is during the time of the Judges, and specifically while a famine was afflicting Judah. A man decides to take his family - a wife and two sons - to live in a nearby country... presumably one where there is more opportunity. We don't know how long they are gone in total, but it was a substantial amount of time as they settled, then the husband died and his sons married. We know they were there for about a decade from that point (Ruth 1:4), and since they were married for ten years without having children I want to know what sort of birth-control they had ;)

Anyways, the sons then die too - and Naomi (the wife/mother) decides to return to her own people. The devotion that Ruth shows by insisting to return with her is touching, especially her speech recorded in verses 16 and 17. I know the story already, of course, but even if I didn't I could see from this that Ruth is going to play a special part: her faith and commitment are amazing, especially considering her background.

Another interesting thing is that even after being gone so long (over a decade - maybe a lot longer) the people back in her hometown - Bethlehem - still remember her. They wouldn't have had telephones or the internet to keep in contact with her easily, and I don't think they even had a primitive version of the post office (especially not across country borders)... yet the people, or more specifically the women, still recognized her and remembered her name. I guess that isn't that hard to imagine, and from Naomi's point of view must have been encouraging despite her downtrodden spirit.

I'm back!

I'm afraid I took a rather longer break from reading the Bible than I had intended. My last post was just before a family vacation this past spring, and while I continued to read through much of the trip I didn't end up blogging or even journaling about it - and I completely failed to pick back up when I returned.

Since then my life and relationships have been through pretty rocky places, but I dearly want to get back in tune with God and His Word. I'm picking up in I Samuel with my wife, Rose, and we will be reading a chapter each day (individually) and discussing it in the evening. I am hoping to get back in the habit of also blogging about my thoughts and maybe some insights when we go over the chapters together.

After arranging all of that, though, I realized that I missed Ruth! I read it and the first parts of I Samuel while on vacation, but I never wrote down anything about it. I'll rectify that in the next couple of days, and then dig into the stuff Rose and I are reading together. That will probably mean more than one post a day for a short time till I catch up.

Upcoming Vacation

My family and I are going on a vacation for a couple of weeks, so starting tomorrow I may not be able to post every day. I will still do my daily reading, Lord willing, and I will try to post when I can - but I wanted to let you all know what is going on so that you don't worry at my intermittent silence over the coming days. For anyone interested, we will be posting details and perhaps pictures over at our family blog.

Judges 21

I knew that the results of the last chapter would not be good. Now the Israelites are regretful of their near-total destruction of the Benjamites. Instead of just living with their actions, they make it worse by wiping another whole Israeli city out and taking its virgin girls captive as wives for some of the remaining men. That isn't enough, so they also advise the Benjamites to kidnap the daughters of Shiloh. Frankly I don't understand why either of those groups of girls would be willing to submit to that sort of treatment, nor can I imagine that none of the other Israelites had friends or family in the towns that were wiped out; if you did, why would you allow this to happen? I think there are just a lot of cultural differences between our modern society and theirs, which probably account for many of the seemingly strange behaviors of those times. Women were obviously not treated as equals, and without a central leadership (no human king) we are told that 'each man did what he considered to be right' (verse 25). Anarchy, anyone?

Judges 20

I knew the events of the last chapter would not lead to anything good. The Israelites are rightly appalled at the behavior of those in the town of Gibeah, but their Benjamite brothers protect them rather than handing them over to be punished. Because of that, the whole country goes to war - and tens of thousands of soldiers are killed on both sides. Moreover, not only is Gibeah destroyed (a measure I can understand) but the whole Benjamite tribe is wiped out almost to a man. Even the women and children are erased, with only 600 men who escape the battles surviving. I'm pretty sure descendants of Benjamin still live today, though, so there should be some sort of resolution to this in the next and final chapter of Judges.

What surprises me here is the level of total warfare that is waged over this. In modern times we would call destruction of this degree 'genocide', and it was done by the Israelites against their own people. Why did all of them deserve to die? I understand killing the men responsible, and even the measure of destroying their city - and since the Benjamites sent soldiers to aid that city I understand defeating them too. However, it seems a bit much to go to the effort of them wiping out all the cities, towns, people and animals in that land; after all, what threat were they? Perhaps we should look back and shake our heads, or perhaps there is a lesson to be learned here about how war must sometimes be conducted. I just wish I knew which it was...

Judges 19

The story contained in this chapter is both sickening and saddening. We have another case like Sodom of a city so imbued with evil that they would rape guests, and at the same time a man who went out of his way to get his concubine back but then was willing to let her take the abuse that was demanded of him. Why would he go after her like that if he did not love her? Why would he let them do what they did to her if he loved her? Why would the people of a town be so evil? It all seems so pointless, but I'm sure that it is going somewhere; I guess we'll see tomorrow.

Judges 18

Well, this chapter didn't have nearly the bad consequences I was expecting it to have. Micah did have his priest and idols stolen, which was the least of what he deserved, but he wasn't punished or even reprimanded by God - nor were the Danites who stole his things, as best as I can tell. The final verses indicate that the tribe of Dan worshiped Micah's idol on their own until the time of the Exile; that means a few hundred years, and through the time of the various kings that Israel had. I am very surprised that God allowed that, but perhaps there was more to the story which was not recorded (or which is written elsewhere).

Judges 17

This short chapter describes the first 'cult' talked about in the Bible - and perhaps the only one, as I don't recall that being a theme or major issue anywhere else. The man named Micah and his family claim to be worshiping God, but he has idols and seems to have wrong impressions of what God's will is. Near the end he thinks that God will make him rich because he hired a Levite to serve as his priest - but I don't recall the Lord making any such statements previously. It will be interesting, and likely saddening, to see where this ends up.

Judges 16

It is pretty clear that Samson had women problems. I'm not sure what he did for the twenty years he led Israel, but his career started with a marriage gone bad, then he went in for a prostitute, and then fell in love with a woman who nagged him into giving away the secret of his strength. A flawed man, just like all of us, and it was his downfall.

In the end he got revenge, though, and the Bible says he killed more people in his death than he had in his life - which means quite a few, since he had already killed in excess of 1,030 (just in his early days).

Judges 15

I realized this evening that I haven't done my blog in several days - the first time since I started this over two hundred days ago that I missed it, and boy did I ever miss (at least three days without remembering). Anyways, I'm picking up tonight where I left off.

Samson really comes into his own, or more properly into God's power, in this section. He gets revenge first for his wife being given away to another man, and then when she and her father are killed he went on a rampage against those who did it. Lastly, he kills a thousand men with the jawbone of a donkey - amazing! A great example of God's purpose being carried out in a way which no mere human on his own could ever accomplish.

It also looks like Samson led the Israelites for a couple decades after these events, before he finally met his demise. But I am getting ahead of myself - that should be left for future entries.

Judges 14

The story of Samson picks up in this chapter, with some interesting exploits. It looks like God is setting him up to be hated by the Philistines, so that he will have cause to rise up against them. So far he has killed 30 of them, to provide clothes for a bet he made which he lost. I think this will also mark the beginning of 'women trouble' for Samson, as he was betrayed by the woman he was going to marry. If my memory serves, this will become a recurring theme in his life.

Judges 13

The cycle of disobedience among the Israelites is back yet again, and this time they are oppressed for 40 years. But as always in this chapter another judge is on his way - this time in the form of Samson. The account here in chapter 13 of how God told his parents about his coming is pretty cool; I especially like how God responds to the father's request to see the angelic messenger again, since only his wife had seen him at first. It is odd, though, that when he asks how the boy should be raised the answer is that the mother should avoid alcohol and unclean foods. I wonder if more was said that was not written down, or if that omission was intentional.

Judges 12

It looks like the loss of Jephthah's daughter was not the only negative result of his campaign - some of his fellow Israelites also took it badly, and there was a short but bloody civil war. After that was quelled he led Israel for six years before he died.

It seems, actually, that most of the judges listed in this chapter led short lives. None of them spent more than a decade leading the Israelites, so either they started their careers as old men they must have died at a rather young age. At least one had grandsons, though, so he was likely on the older side.

Judges 11

This chapter saddens my heart. It starts off well enough - a man is found to lead the Israelites efforts against their oppressors, and he appears to respect the Lord. However, before going to war he decides to make an oath that if he is given victory then the first creature to welcome him when he returns home would be offered as a burnt sacrifice to God. Of course he was successful in his campaign, but upon returning it is is only child, his daughter, who first comes out to greet him.

What a foolish thing to do! I can't imagine what would possess a man to make such an oath; I can understand offering any quantity of gold, goods, or animals - but to leave even the remotest chance that he would have to sacrifice a human... and a family member at that... it seems unconscionable.

There are apparently those who read this as the daughter being given to the Lord in a capacity of servitude instead: without the opportunity to marry and bear children, but not being literally given as a burnt offering. I don't know how they can read that from this text, but perhaps the original language doesn't translate well to English. I'd wish that were the case, but I can't see how it would have been as devastating a loss for the man (who truly seemed heart-broken over what had happened).

Judges 10

It looks like we are back to the cycle of sin and repentance found earlier in Judges, and this chapter is setting the stage for another character to rise and save Israel under God's direction. I look forward to where this is going in the next chapter.

Judges 9

The rather length chapter today reads more like Shakespeare than a passage of the Bible, as it is filled with treachery, murder, and tragedy. Despite Gideon's prodigious number of offspring his line is nearly wiped out: seventy of his sons, all but one, are killed by their half-brother (the son of his concubine). The one surviving heir curses both the half-brother and those who supported him, and the rest of the section tells of the ills that befall them as the curse runs its course. There is a lot that goes into the tale, but not really all that much to take out of it. I guess the moral here is not to conspire to commit evil, as God sees everything and will repay each person in turn for their actions.

Judges 8

Today the story of Gideon ends in victory over Israels enemies, but with a slightly tragic twist as well. Here are some observations:

- Gideon is older here than I thought, as he has a son already. Apparently his son was still young, though, and was afraid to execute the enemy kings as Gideon asked him to do.

- Even in victory, Gideon snares himself. While he rightly rejects becoming a king he does effectively make an idol, or something similar, which the Israelites elevate to a position higher than any man-made object should occupy. While it does not appear that God directly punished Israel or Gideon for the act, it does seem a poor way to end such a great military campaign.

- We are told that the enemies of this story, the Midianites, are descendants of Ishmael. Apparently even before the modern Islamic religion was founded his (Ishmael's) heirs were already a thorn in the side of Israel. History repeats itself, no?

Judges 7

More of the story of Gideon today - his first battle under the Lord's command. All it takes is three hundred men, less than one percent of the army that had answered Gideon's call, to throw the enemy army into disarray. Of course, it wasn't really the men who won the battle... it was God, and that is the reason He chose so few to go (so that they could not think it was their own strength that won the day). That is a good lesson for us all, even today: God can do anything through us, or with us, so we need to depend on Him and not ourselves.

Judges 6

Wow - Gideon rocks! I have the feeling that I am going to enjoy this continuing story. So far the Lord Himself came to Gideon, who was the youngest son in his family (reminds me of David - god seems to have a penchant for picking the 'underdog'), and commanded him to take on the foreigners who were harassing Israel. His first task was to destroy local shrines to Baal and Ashera, which he accomplished, and from there it looks like he is going to lead an army against the invaders.

A couple other things stood out to me here. Gideon saw God and knew it was a dangerous thing - but did not die. He also asked God for a sign of His identity and intent, three times in fact, and God never got angry with him. A pretty gutsy guy all around; I wonder just how old he was.

Judges 5

After the victory of Deborah and Barak in the last chapter, they sing a victory song. It is rather confusing in some places, but then I've never been a great lover of poetry - and poetry that has been translated is even trickier. It is very descriptive in places, almost to the point of being grotesque, but the theme is solid: when the Israelites cry out to God He hears them, He rescues them, and those who obey Him in the process are honored.

Judges 4

Today the reading covers the story of Deborah, who was the only female "judge" or leader of Israel during this era (at least as far as I know). She is often referenced when the question of having women in leadership roles in the church is discussed, and something along those lines came up a few weeks back in my small group / bible study. When reading through the chapter that night what struck me was that Barak, the man who she summons and tells to go lead an army against their oppressors, would not just take her word and go - he insisted that she come as well. We don't know for sure why he does this, but it strikes me as a rather cowardly thing to do. If the leader of your country orders you to do that, you go - especially when she is relaying a command from God! In return, though, the honor of killing the enemy general does not go to him; it goes to a woman.

I'm actually not entirely sure why she killed the fellow, as we are told that her family had a treaty with the enemy, but she did - and in a rather sneaky, violent (is there any way to kill someone not violently?), and ingenious way. And now history remembers her...

Judges 3

As much as I don't like the reason that the Israelites need the leaders or judges God is providing, I do like them as individuals (at least the three described in this chapter). I used the term 'kick-ass' to describe them to Rose tonight, and while she said that might not be the most appropriate thing to call a Biblical character I think it is quite accurate. It takes a lot of faith in God to walk into a king's mansion and assassinate him, as Ehud did, and a lot of strength to kill six-hundred (600!) people with an oxgoad. These are my kind of men; someone should do a 'superhero' movie about them :)

Judges 2

It looks like the events of the previous chapter may indeed have occurred before Joshua's death, as that is repeated here in Judges 2. After those in his generation died out those who followed did indeed turn away from God and His commandments - just as I has suspected might happen, given the stern warnings in the preceding books. The cycle that will be repeated throughout the rest of this section of Scripture is described here: a generation disobeys, is attacked or enslaved by those around them, and then cries out to the Lord who sends a leader to rescue them. When the leader dies, it is 'rinse and repeat'.

This sounds a lot like the cycle in my own life, though on a much smaller scale :/

Judges 1

This opening chapter to the book of Judges seems to recap some of the end of the previous book, as it tells of the continued conquering of the promised land (some of which went well, and much of which seems to have gone amiss). We also get the story of Caleb retold, in almost identical wording to how it was presented before - which makes me wonder if that happened before or after Joshua died, since here is seems to have occurred after. Perhaps it was just being relayed along with the other successes his people had.

There is also a neat story of the defeat of Bethel, which is very reminiscent of Rahab and Jericho. Israelite spies convince a man to betray the city, but in turn spare him and his family. It almost seems odd to request and then reward what would normally be considered trickery and deceit, but perhaps to some degree the ends justify the means. It certainly turned out well for that man, who goes unnamed.

What worries me is that many of the tribes seem to have failed in their God-given orders to destroy the peoples living there before them. I wonder if this is going to come back to bite them.

Joshua 24

This chapter continues the theme of the one before - namely Joshua, near the end of his life, calling the Israelites to remain faithful to the Lord. We see the response of the leaders in that time as well, and they affirm that the Lord will be their God and they will serve Him.

The book ends with Joshua dying, at the age of 110, and the current high priest (Eleazar, son of Aaron) as well. We are told, though, that while Joshua's generation lasted the Israelites did faithfully obey God - but the way that was phrased does not bode well for those following them.

Joshua 23

We are not told how many years have passed, but just as the book of Joshua is drawing to an end so here is the man. His speech to Israel contained in this chapter indicates that he is on his death-bed, and as a last act he wants to remind the people to be faithful to the Lord. Everything God had promised to do for them had come to pass, and Joshua assures them that if they continue to follow the Lord the remaining nations nearby will be driven out and conquered just as easily as those already dealt with. However, he also warns that departing from God's commandments would be detrimental to the Israelites. I suppose we shall find out if they heed his words or not as the Old Testament continues to play out.

Joshua 22

The account contained in this chapter is quite interesting. Now that the main work of conquering the promised land was done, and the Israelite tribes had all received their inheritance, those who settled beyond the Jordan were sent home. That left them somewhat removed from the main community, and far from the tabernacle and altar where offerings to the Lord were given. Because of this they built an altar of their own, and a misunderstanding over that nearly brought on a civil war.

The main body of Israelites west of the Jordan saw it as an evil departure from God's instructions, and for once in their history were so zealous about the Lord and His commandments that they prepared to go to war against their own brethren to stop it. Thankfully they had some among them with level heads who sent an envoy first, and the true meaning of the altar was found out. The distant tribes had created it not to offer sacrifices upon, which would have been against the Lord's will, but as a reminder to themselves and the rest of the Israelites that they too were part of the God's people. Disaster averted :)

Joshua 21

This chapter appears to wrap up the division of the promised land by covering the cities assigned to the Levites. They were not given any large tracts of land, as they were to do the Lord's work, but they were given places to live and some minimal grazing land for their flocks. In total they had forty-eight cities, including five of the six cities of refuge. I'm rather surprised that they didn't have all six refuge cities, since that seems like it would be fitting for the priestly tribe, but oh well :)

Joshua 20

This short section of scripture describes the purpose of the cities of refuge, and lists the six cities selected for the purpose. The idea behind these places is cool, but upon reflection what I like even better is that God's law effectively allowed for vigilantism. The idea that you had to hide if you killed someone accidentally implies that under normal circumstances someone would try to take revenge, and that does not seem to be condemned as a practice. Being a fan of keeping justice quick, efficient and effective I applaud that approach :)

Joshua 19

Today's reading wrapped up the story of Israel dividing the promised land between their tribes, and also had a nice touch at the end of Joshua himself being given a city to live in. Not much else to say, but since we still have a couple chapters left I am looking forward to some more action or at least something to write about.

Joshua 18

The allotment of land between the tribes continues in this chapter, but before jumping into the borders of Benjamin's territory we get a story about Israel's own 'Lewis and Clark Expedition'. Joshua sent out 21 men, three from each of the remaining tribes, and they mapped the area and divided it into seven regions. Those, then, will be assigned by lot to the remaining tribes - and I suspect that will take us through the end of this book.

It is somewhat interesting, now that I reflect upon it, how important the division of land was to the Israelites. Today I just think of the whole of the USA as my country, and I couldn't care less where the exact border of states is. Oddly, I do very much care about the borders of Seattle, as making them larger would mean Seattle would get a bigger dot on maps, but I think that is just me wanting more bragging rights. I wonder if it was the same for people back then, or if land and borders meant more in that time and place. We are in such a global world now, no pun intended, that borders are beginning to have a lot less meaning. The more I think about that the less I think it is good, though - and I didn't think it was good to begin with. Perhaps clearly-defined limits are best...

Joshua 17

This chapter continues the tradition of the last couple: a description of the lands assigned to some of the Israelites; in this case, the two tribes of Joseph - Ephraim and Manasseh. They had grown quite large, though, and apparently wanted more than the initial amount of territory assigned to them. Joshua told them to go conquer some of the locals to increase their holdings, and while they were skeptical he assured them they could do it. What is it with the Israelites seeming afraid sometimes to try and fight the people God had told them they were to conquer? Aside from times of their own sinfulness, had He ever let them down?

Also, I was surprised to see the name "Noah" mentioned here as a girl's name. Having recently been through the process of naming my son, I am acutely aware of the gender of names - and I had thought that neutral names (which can be either male or female) was a pretty recent thing. I guess I was wrong :/

Joshua 16

This chapter was very short, consisting largely of a description of the lands allotted to Joseph's tribes. Thankfully it was not in as great of details as the account of Judah's holding from the last section.

The one thing that I did notice here was that some of the Canaanites living in this area were not conquered, which seems to go against God's command to the Israelites. They were described as being servants of the Israelites, so perhaps they pulled something like the Gibeonites back in chapter 9 - but it makes me wonder if their continued presence will come back to bite the Israelites later.

Joshua 15

Wow, my head is spinning after the reading today. The first half of the chapter was not too bad - a description of Judah's tribal lands border, and a couple of small stories about Caleb. From there, though, it goes into a list of all the cities in the lands controlled by Judah... and that was too much for me. I read through it all, but trying to pronounce some of those town names in my head was quite difficult. The only interesting things I can take from it are 1) that there were a lot of cities and towns for such a (relatively) small area and 2) the men of Judah had not managed to take Jerusalem from the native inhabitants, which was surprising. I wonder how long they tolerated that presence in their midst, given God's command to wipe out the locals.

Joshua 14

Todays chapter was short, but very memorable. I was wondering if we would hear about Caleb again, the other spy - along with Joshua - who stayed loyal to God among those that Moses sent out to scout the promised land. It turns out that he was forty at the time of that mission, and now is eighty five (which basically answers my question about how long the conquest of the promised land took: at most five years). Not only has he lived to a ripe old age, but he is still as hale as he was before - we are told he can still fight and tend to his duties. God obviously blessed him for his steadfastness, and now he is rewarded with the choice lands that he had spied out nearly half a century before.

Joshua 13

The reading today is split into two parts: a section covering God's instructions to Joshua in his old age, presumably well after the wars of the previous chapters, telling him that there was more land yet to be conquered. I had thought the earlier fighting was all, but apparently I was mistaken.

From there, the chapter takes an abrupt turn and goes over the geographical description of how the land east of the Jordan river was split up between the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. While I'm sure the specific boundaries were important at that time, they don't mean a whole lot to me - especially since I am blissfully unfamiliar with the layout of those lands.

Joshua 12

Not much to say about today's reading - it is just a recap of the kings that Israel defeated. It includes both those from the east side of the Jordan when Moses led the people, and the many more inside the promised land under Joshua's leadership. Quite a long list of kingdoms that fell to the Israelite war machine and God's divine power.

Joshua 11

Just as chapter ten described Israel's defeat of the nations in the southern portion of the promised land, so this section covers the northern half. With Joshua's leadership and more importantly his obedience to God and His might the whole land was subdued. Earlier I remember that God told Moses this would not all be done immediately, but that it would take time so that the people could spread and settle the area rather than have it become desolate and a wasteland - which makes me wonder what span of time the last two chapters cover. Perhaps that will be told later.

Joshua 10

This chapter was a little on the lengthy side, but it covered a lot of history. Under Joshua's command, and with God fighting for them, the Israelites conquered city after city in the promised land. This process, and the destruction left behind, underscore how smart the Gibeonites were to ally themselves with Israel - no matter the cost.

The reading today also included one of the most unique miracles recorded in the Bible, or indeed anywhere. At Joshua's request, God kept the sun and moon in the sky to light a battlefield and allow the Israelites to thoroughly destroy their enemy. Knowing what we now do about astronomy, it would have actually been God keeping the earth from rotating on its axis (or at least substantially slowing it), and holding the moon temporarily in a geosynchronous orbit. Most impressive, but I'm sure not even the least of what the Lord of all Creation is capable of :)

Joshua 9

This is the most interesting chapter, at least in some ways, that I have yet read. The Israelites are deceived by some of the people living in the promised land - all of whom they were to wipe out per the Lord's orders - and made a treaty with them. That appears to have involved some sort of oath, taken in the Lord's name. When the trickery is found out, Joshua and the people are put in a tough spot: do they disobey God's command to wipe the inhabitants of the land out, or do they honor the oath they swore in His name? They choose to honor it, and as best as I can tell God does not punish them for breaking His previous command. I would not have thought that oaths given under such false pretense would be valid, but it appears that God values such agreements highly. How important our promises must be in our daily lives, then!

On a side note, the people who tricked the Israelites apparently survived - which is far more than any of those who opposed them this far have been able to claim. Having just seen a movie about the lengths one man went to in order to save his daughter I can understand their motivation to save their people and families. They would be slaves to the Israelites, but at least they lived.

Joshua 8

The attempt to take a city that failed in the last chapter due to one Israelite's disobedience succeeds today. That is what happens when the Lord is on your side :) The tactics Joshua used in combat are also pretty cool - I'd like to convey my interpretation of them here, but I can't really draw it out and to describe it in correct strategic fashion would make for a long post (and rather off topic). It is cool that God let the Israelites plunder the city for themselves this time, though; if only the greedy guy from chapter seven had waited till the next battle...

Joshua 7

This is a very sobering chapter: one man steals from the Lord, and in turn gets 32 Israelite soldiers killed and dooms his entire family to death. That is one heck of a punishment, and I am glad today that I am not held responsible for my father's actions in such a way. I suppose, though, that our sins do often affect those close to us; if we lie it can hurt relationships, and when we don't do things we should others may have to take an additional burden on themselves instead.

On the other hand, though, it is somewhat surprising that only one man out of the whole nation of Israel decided to take possessions from the ruins of Jericho. With how many people were there, and the temptation that must have existed with the wealth of a whole city, I would have expected that more than one bad egg would surface.

Joshua 6

The chapter today tells the classic story of God bringing down the walls of Jericho. From the description it is quite clear that God is the one who destroys the city walls, as simply marching around and blowing horns would do no good against such strong defenses. I bet the fact that they marched for a week before the battle put some serious fear into the inhabitants of the region, and for good reason since none of them was left alive. Well, technically Rahab and her family were spared - to honor the protection she gave to the Israelite spies earlier. In that chapter it was said that her house was part of the wall of the city, so it must have been protected from the collapse of the rest of that structure. It is cool how this account says that "she lives in Israel to this very day" (verse 25), showing that it was written not long after these events took place.

Joshua 5

The reading today covers four main things:

- The enemies of Israel who inhabited the promised land were stricken with fear by the Lord's miracle at the Jordan river

- The new generation of Israelite men were circumcised after crossing into the land, since their parents had not done that to them as children. I was rather surprised at this, as I thought the command given by God was to circumcise sons early in their lives - but perhaps either they had not had the proper tools or facilities to do so in the desert wanderings or they were just disobeying the Lord; or maybe the command just hadn't taken effect yet.

- The Israelites began eating produce from the land again, instead of God's manna; as soon as they did so the manna stopped.

- The "commander of the Lord's army" (verse 14) appeared to Joshua. This must have been an awesome sight, and I suspect that it was Jesus Himself pre-incarnate; why else would the ground Joshua was standing on have been holy (verse 15)? The only other time I recall this happening so far was Moses and the burning bush, which was clearly an instance of God appearing to him. I suppose that is actually another similarity between the early parts of Moses' and Joshua's service.

Joshua 4

As I mentioned in yesterday's entry, having similar miracles to both begin and end the Exodus is pretty cool, and furthermore it occurred to me after this chapter that both Moses' career as leader of the Israelites and now Joshua's began with a similar display of God's power. It was almost his way of anointing these two men, and showing that in a big way to the people so that they would follow them.

Taking stones from the bottom of the riverbed as a memorial is also a nice touch, and it makes me wonder how long they lasted in such a role. Did an invading nation during Israel's fall destroy the monument? Did erosion over time wipe it out? Or maybe is there a pile of rocks near the Jordan today that still stands as a testament to the Lord?

Joshua 3

The reading today was short, but interesting. The first "miracle" God did during Joshua's leadership of Israel was to halt the waters of the Jordan river, so that the people could cross over into the promised land easily. This mirrored Moses' parting of the Red Sea as the Israelites left Egypt, only this time it was allowing them to invade rather than to flee. It is sort of cool that the whole period of the Exodus was enclosed between these two events.

On a side note, I wonder if any of the local inhabitants were watching this happen. I imagine it would have put further fear into them, since none of their deities would have been able to accomplish such feats.

Joshua 2

The chapter today covered the classic story of Rahab protecting two Israelites scouts from being caught while spying out Jericho. It is quite interesting, because she apparently recognized that their coming was a harbinger of destruction for her people - and instead of trying to fight against that she accepted it and asked for protection of her family in trade for her assistance. Her help proves trustworthy, and the spies return and this time give a favorable report of the land (as opposed to a similar, larger party sent forty years prior).

One interesting tidbit is that Rahab seems to be a prostitute - yet she of all the people there takes the Israelites in and hides them. I can only assume that she changed professions when Jericho was destroyed, but it shows that God uses all kinds of people to accomplish His will.

Joshua 1

The reading today serves mainly as an introduction to this book, and repeats God's call to Joshua to take Moses' place and lead the Israelites into the promised land. He must be getting into middle age at this point, since he was one of the spies sent to scout out the land forty years earlier - and one of only two to bring back a favorable report. Having served under Moses for so long I'm sure he was strong in the Lord, and I greatly look forward to reading about the conquering of the promised land under his leadership.

Deuteronomy 34

It was a short reading today, and simple: Moses died at the ripe old age of 120, though he himself was still strong. Joshua followed him in the role of leading the Israelites, and we'll hear more of his activities in the next book (which bears his name).

I did find it interesting that the oldest manuscripts of this chapter indicate that God Himself buried Moses, such that the Israelites did not know the exact location of his tomb or grave. That man truly had a close relationship with the Lord.

Deuteronomy 33

This chapter I suspect contains some of the last words we hear from Moses - blessings on Israel, both as a whole and each tribe. Some tribes get quite a short mention, and a couple are even lumped together; yet others get several verses to themselves. All of the blessings were quite positive, though, so it looks like Moses will be leaving his people on a good note.

Deuteronomy 32

The vast majority of the chapter today is a song that God gave to the Israelites to help them remember the results of breaking His covenant in a form that could easily be passed from generation to generation. The lyrics, at least as they came across in the translation I read today (NET), contained many vivid images. The basic idea was that the Israelites would eventually fall away from God, that they would be punished, but then that God would remember them and punish their captors in turn - showing His superiority and power. It stands out as being pretty unique among the first few books of the Bible.

Deuteronomy 31

Further narrative today, as this book and Moses' life both draw to a close. What stood out to me here, and was noticable in the preceeding couple chapters as well, was that God didn't so much warn the Israelites of what could happen if they disobeyed as foretell that they would. Here He is even more clear about it, coming out directly to Moses and saying that they would disobey after his death (verses 16, 20, 27). Obviously God knew what would come to pass, but it is interesting how blatantly He told about this and warned the Israelites. Hopefully His words stuck with them for at least a few generations.

Also, I thought the tradition implemented in this chapter of retelling these stories and the warnings to follow God's covenant every seven years is pretty cool. I'm not much of one for formalities and such, but I think that something once every seven years I could handle.

Deuteronomy 30

More discourse today about the covenant God gave the Israelites - both the life it would bring if they obeyed, and the death if they turned aside. There is also a description of how God would gather the Israelites again if they fell away and then turned to follow the Lord again. Given that the Israelites have been dispossed from the promised land and then eventually returned multiple times I can only assume that they have been through this cycle more than once.

Deuteronomy 29

This book is starting to draw to a close, and we have a recap today of the covenant and the brief history of the Exodus. It looks like the covenant is expanded a bit as well, and futher warnings are given against straying and worshiping other gods. There isn't much to say beyond that.

Deuteronomy 28

Wow. That is all I can say after reading this chapter. The first paragraph's blessings, which the Israelites will enjoy if they obey God's commands, are very pleasant to read - but then it turns to horror. The rest of the section, which is quite long, contains vivid and terrifying descriptions of what would happen if they turned from God and His laws. I suspect, from my memory of later Israelite history, that some of these predictions came true. I will be on the lookout for fulfillment of them later in the Old Testament, and I may even go do some reading up on that now.

Deuteronomy 27

We are indeed back into more of a narrative here, though not a lot is happening (just Moses giving more instructions for when the Israelites will cross into the promised land). The idea of half the Israelites standing to represent the blessings God put on them, and the other half standing to represent the curses that would fall on those who broke His laws seems a bit odd to me. The idea of writing the laws and commandments on stones atop a mountain is pretty cool, though; I wonder how long those stood. Are they perhaps still there somewhere?

Deuteronomy 26

This book is now starting to trend away from laws and back toward rules concerning offerings and tithes. We have a reiteration here of the command to bring the firstfruits of all the produce and livestock raised in the promised land to the Lord, as well as a reminder that the third year (of each seven year sequence, if I remember correctly) was to be donated to the poor and the Levites.

The chapter ends with a call to remember the Lord, and what He has commanded the Israelites. I suspect this marks a transition back to historical narrative, but we'll have to see tomorrow.

Deuteronomy 25

Same story as yesterday, and probably the day before that. The particular laws that stand out in this chapter are as follows:

- The law that a childless widow must marry her dead husband's brother and bear an heir for the deceased man. I think in the time of the Israelites family lines were more important than they are today, or at least more important than they are in my mind.


- The command to wipe out the Amalekites as retribution for their attacks on the Israelites during the Exodus. I don't actually remember the initial story of this happening, but I'll have to be on the lookout for its fulfillment.

*NOTE* - Somehow it looks like I forgot to hit "post" on this last night; I realized it when I looked today and saw that though I was read chapter 26 the last post was about 24. I'm posting it now, an appologize for any confusion!

Deuteronomy 24

It looks like this section of Deuteronomy is full of laws, and this chapter is no exception. The particular instructions that stand out to me here are as follows:

- Laws concerning divorce and remarriage; apparently divorce was allowed for some limited reasons, and remarriage to another person as well, but not marrying the person you were divorced from again

- The separation of a child and parent in terms of responsibility for sins; while God would punish or bless descendants for their ancestors' sins the Israelites were not to

- The concept that one should not be too thorough in harvesting; the leftovers were to be left for the poor in the community

Deuteronomy 23

More laws again today, focusing on purity in various aspects of Israelite life. The thing most interesting to me here was the laws concerning heritage: you couldn't partake in services at the tabernacle if you were within ten generations of someone born out of wedlock, or three generations of an Egyptian or Edomite. It seems odd to my modern sensibility to be punished for something done by ones ancestors, and in particular for the nationality of those people - but the only restriction for them seems to be this religious service; it isn't a just cause for discrimination in other areas of life.

Deuteronomy 22

More laws today - covering purity in (and out) of marriage, as well as responsibility for the property of neighbors. The laws about sexual relations all seem to make sense to me, and seem quite appropriate given God's strict views on intimacy and physical relationships. What was more interesting I thought was the idea that if someone else's belongings - whether a living animal, or an item of clothing - is lost that the Israelites were not simply ignore it, or intervene if they felt like it; instead they were commanded to help.

There were also a couple of other miscellaneous rules, including a provision forbidding cross-dressing. I wonder how to take that today: pants, for example, have become standard clothing for both men and women - though once they were just a man's realm. My suspicion is that it changes over time, and that the idea here isn't that a certain specific article of clothing is forbidden from either gender but rather that one is not to make oneself look like the opposite sex. If that is correct, then it could be taken a step further to imply a taboo against gender-changing operations.

I do wonder, though, what constituted mens' vs womens' clothes in the time of the ancient Israelites...

Deuteronomy 21

Just some miscellaneous laws today, covering unsolved murders, taking wives from conquered people, and children. What stood out to me were mostly the things relating to marriage: the idea that multiple wives were still accepted, which just seems wrong to me, and even stranger that one could take a wife from among peoples you conquer in war. I'm sure that from the man's perspective that is cool, but it seems odd to me that a women could love a man who participated in destroying her people. I suppose that back then the woman's desire wasn't really taken into account much, since as we saw in the last chapter the people taken in war were to be slaves.

Deuteronomy 20

As soon as I read the title of this chapter I knew I would enjoy reading it. War and combat happen to be specialties of mine: I have studied them most of my life, and I very nearly joined the Navy when I was in college.

You could almost look at this chapter as 'rules of engagement' for the Israelites. They were to offer terms to any city outside of the promised land that they might go to war against, and if it accepted peace then the inhabitants would survive (as slaves). If they did not, and fought against the Israelites, then all adult males would be executed upon taking the city. If that was well known, I imagine cities might tend to surrender rather than resist.

If the city was in the promised land, though - the land God sent them to take - then no terms were offered and every living thing inside would be killed. This is known as total war, and while looked down upon today one cannot deny its effectiveness. Since it was God who commanded it here, it had to be done.

The other interesting thing in this section is the exceptions from service in the army. If one had newly built a home, planted a vineyard, or gotten engaged then they were not to participate in combat. Furthermore, those who were weak of heart were not allowed since their fear and doubt could spread to other troops. I think those instructions make a lot of sense, and I must assume that enough men were still left to fight - but that would matter little anyways, as God himself would fight for the Israelites. How cool is that!

Deuteronomy 19

The reading today reiterates the laws about murder and accidental killings, along with the cities of refuge. One thing that I know has been mentioned before, but which struck me as I read, is that a single witness was not enough to convict a wrongdoer - apparently of any crime. That must have made judging a bit easier, but at the same time the punishment for a false witness was harsh to prevent people from making up accusations: they would be dealt with as the person who was on trial. Imagine if false witnesses in murder trials today were put to death; I should think that would make others think twice before lying under oath, which appears to have been the goal of the law that God put in place here.

Deuteronomy 18

Nothing too special in the reading today - further emphasis that the Levites would not have a part in the inheritance of the Promised Land itself, but that other tribes are to provide for them, and more warnings against imitating the practices of those whom the Israelites would drive out of the land. The most noteworthy thing here is the promise that more prophets of the Lord would arise, like Moses, to speak to the people. This came with a warning to heed their words, and a test to ensure that they spoke what God wished: any predictions that truly came from God would come true, so if anything was said that did come to pass it would give away a false prophet.

Deuteronomy 17

This portion of scripture covers some additional regulations for worship and legal recourse, plus a mention of how a future king over the Israelites should act. I find that particularly interesting, because my understanding before tonight was that the idea of a king didn't come up until the Israelites started to beg for one a few hundred years later (after the time of the judges). Perhaps I am getting my ancient history mixed up, or maybe this was just a prediction of the demand for a ruler that the people would make in the distant future. Either way, I really like the limits placed on a king: no personal accumulation of massive wealth, wives, or armies.

Deuteronomy 16

Today's reading reiterates the three yearly festivals that the Israelites were to have, with the added stipulation that they be celebrated 'in the place where the Lord chooses to locate His name' (verses 2, 11, and 16). This concept was introduced by Moses earlier in Deuteronomy, and is somewhat interesting. It seems that God was going to select locations in the Promised Land where festivals and sacrifices were to be carried out; temples, effectively, though perhaps without the fancy buildings and such. I wonder if we will get an account later of where those ended up being; furthermore, I wonder if any are still in use today.

The last paragraph is also cool - it instructs the people to select judges in each town, and indicates that they are to carry out their duties without showing favor or taking bribes. I'm sure that is pretty obvious, given the commandments that have come before it, but it is neat to see God's provision for taking care of day-to-day legal administration.

Deuteronomy 15

This chapter focuses on the ideas of generosity. God commanded that the Israelites cancel any remaining debts to each other every seven years, and that slaves should be freed after six years (at the beginning of what would be the seventh). This seems pretty cool, because it would effectively prevent folks getting so deep in debt that they ruin their lives. The option for a slave who enjoys his position to stay permanent is also cool, though I don't think I could go through with the required ceremony: having your each pierced with an awl (not just a little piercing, but a very large one which could well leave a hole in the ear for good).

Deuteronomy 14

The chapter today covers two subjects. The first was a simple recap of what was and was not okay for the Israelites to eat; nothing new there. The second paragraph talked about the practice of tithing, as the Israelites knew it, and it seems to have been quite different from what we do today. It appears, if I understand things correctly, that they were to actually partake in consuming their tithe - whereas today it is a gift we give to the Lord's work. At the same time, it also looks like every three years they were to give it to those among them who had no other source of food; I wonder if they did that with the parts of the normal yearly tithe which they couldn't eat by themselves (I can't imagine any farmer - even with his family - eating a full ten percent of his crops each year in one sitting).

Deuteronomy 13

The reading today is exclusively focused on God's command to the Israelites not to be tempted to follow other gods, and furthermore to put to death any person on group who tries to seduce them away from Him. The directness of that order makes quite an impact: even if the person in question is your wife you are to have her stoned, and if a city falls away from God then the whole city is to be slaughtered and offered with their possessions as an offering to the Lord. That shows how serious God is about such things, but it also makes me wonder if a city as a whole ever had to be purged like that. I'll try to keep a lookout for such events as I continue to read through the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 12

Today's reading tells about where the Israelites are to sacrifice to God when they enter the promised land: the Lord would select locations in each tribal area to be sacred where offerings could be given. It also forbids worshiping the gods followed by the peoples they would dispossess, and even worshiping the Lord in the ways of those people.

It isn't directly related, but what struck me while reading this was that atheism is a fairly recent occurrence. Nowhere in the Bible that I am aware of are people warned not to start disbelieving in the supernatural altogether: the warnings are always to obey God and not follow other deities. I wonder when the first atheists - people specifically not believing in any god or religion - started popping up. I personally can't see how the world can be explained without a Creator, and while I can understand that folks may not know or follow the One True God it baffles my mind when people don't acknowledge the existence of any higher power.

I've been reading a very good book recently, which is made up of essays by fifty scientists about why they believe in the Biblical creation account - and it is fascinating. Well-trained men from all the various scientific disciplines are represented, and they each have a unique take on why there must be a Creator, and why the God of the Bible is the most logical answer. It is a great read for anyone with an inquisitive mind.

Deuteronomy 11

There is further discussion in today's chapter about the call to follow God, and the promise of greatness if the Israelites do - or curse if they do not. We've read all of that before, though; what I found most interesting in the passage was the description of the promised land as being a luscious area which God himself tended to. I suppose in some sense God tends to the whole planet - but the verses here seem to indicate a strong interest on His part in the area He was bringing the Israelites to. That sounds pretty cool to me, but all of the imagery in my head of Israel (the land) is of a dry, fairly arid place. I wonder if I have a mistaken impression, or if the area has changed over the millennia since this was written.

Deuteronomy 10

It looks like the historical narrative that Moses began several chapters ago is drawing to a close. It ends with a reminder of what God asked of his people, which although it was a fairly short list looks like it would be tough to follow perfectly. One item in particular that is called out as something they were to do was to be kind to the foreigners living among them. That caught me off guard a bit; at first I thought it was so simple and obvious that it should have gone without saying. However, upon reflection, I wonder if the way we treat immigrants in this country - legal or otherwise - might not be a good reflection of this principle. Of course there are also the laws of this land to consider, but if they actually conflict then God's commands would trump human law; I may have to think on this some more.

Deuteronomy 9

The first part of today's chapter is quite interesting in that it gives a justification for conquering the promised land besides God's covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Apparently the peoples living there were wicked, and God was using the Israelites as a judgment on them. Since God has also promised their forefathers that they would inherit that region, I can only assume that God knew that the peoples living there would need to be dealt with; perhaps the reason God didn't leave Jacob there but instead brought him to Egypt was in part because they were not yet evil enough to deserve removal.

The rest of the chapter recounts, yet again, the Israelites' disobedience during the travels from Egypt. It looks like this is going to continue over into the next chapter, and I think the length of this description is intended to drive home God's forgiveness and mercy.

Deuteronomy 8

The reading today relates Moses' reminder to the Israelites of God's goodness to them in their desert travels, how He provided for them, and how if they remember to keep His commandments they would be well taken care of in the promised land.

It is definitely interesting how in that time and place the blessings and provision of God were almost entirely dependent on the actions of people (in following Him), but now we are covered by Christ's blood and His sacrifice means that we don't have to be 100% perfect - which we as humans can't be anyways. Of course that doesn't mean we shouldn't strive for it, but it is a great relief to know that a single failure won't doom us.

Deuteronomy 7

Moses' instructions to the Israelites continue in this chapter, and focus in on God's greatness and power - specifically as it relates to His bringing Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land. They are also commanded to absolutely wipe out the current occupants of the land, down to each person, along with their idols and objects of worship. Moses also notes that all of their enemies won't be destroyed at once, lest wild animals srpead uncontrolled and cause problems - which is something I would not have thought about as a problem, but it makes sense. That region of the world isn't huge, but still it would be hard to fully occupy and civilize with a host of only 600,000 men and their families (maybe two or three million total people, at most).

Deuteronomy 6

This chapter continues Moses' teaching about the covenant, with special emphasis on following the Lord only, and passing that command and the whole of the laws on to future generations. Not a ton else to say, really.

Deuteronomy 5

Indeed, as I suspected yesterday, it looks like Moses is going to reiterate the law as a reminder to the Israelites of how they are to act in the Promised Land. Today covered the ten commandments, and a description of how the law was given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

I don't remember if I mentioned this during the original rendition of these ten laws back in Exodus, but the one that many modern Christians - myself included - disregard is the Sabbath. I've had jobs where I worked on Sunday (and Saturday, which may be a more accurate choice for a 'sabbath' since it is the end of our seven-day calendar week), and even now I often shop, travel, and do chores on that day. I would know for sure I was sinning if I broke any one of the other ten commandments, so why do I not feel the same way about the Sabbath? I wonder if it truly a law we need no longer follow, or if I just casually disregard it because of the era in which I live. I would be very curious to hear what others out there think on this subject!

Deuteronomy 4

The chapter today largely was a recap of the ideas behind the Abrahamic covenant - that the Lord is the one true God, that He has selected the Israelites as His people, and that they were not to make or bow to any shape made by man or any part of creation. I especially like the affirmations of God's power and sovereignty, and the warnings that foretold of Israels fate should they disobey were (of course) a perfect prediction of what has happened throughout history to their people.

It looks like the end of this section is setting up the following passages to contain a more comprehensive review of the covenant and the laws that God gave to Moses. I wonder how much more of the book those will take up; perhaps 'deuteronomy' itself means something about law or covenant. Ah, indeed that is correct - Wikipedia indicates that the term is from the Greek and Latin for "second law".

Deuteronomy 3

It looks like today's reading wrapped up the recent history of Israel, and brought us up to the current situation with Israel on the verge of passing into the Promised Land. Here are a couple interesting things that I did note in this chapter, though:

- It sounds like one of the kings that Israel defeated before crossing the Jordan was a giant - a 'Rephaite', which from earlier reading seems to be a people group related to the Nephilim. I wonder if his casket, the size of which is quite large apparently, has ever been found by archaeologists.

- Moses asked God to lift the ban on his entry into the land, but God did not change His mind. This is a good example of how one poor decision can affect the rest of our lives, and I'm sure Moses regretted his action. Oddly, though, in this chapter and the preceding ones he blamed the Israelites... and sure, he wouldn't have done what he did if it were not for them, but still it was his decision to disobey God.

Deuteronomy 2

This chapter continues to detail the travels of the Israelites as they approached the Promised Land. What I found interesting here was that they were forbidden from taking the lands occupied by the descendants of Esau and Lot. Even though those peoples were not specifically part of the covenant God had still set aside lands for them, and it sounds almost like they were guided to them in a similar fashion to what the Israelites experienced. I can only assume this was because they too were descended from or related to Abraham, and I thought that was pretty cool!

Deuteronomy 1

This book begins with a recounting of the major events the have occured since God brought Israel out of Egypt. As we saw at the end of Numbers, the people are now on the cusp of entering the Promised Land, and the generation which rejected God's instructions to conquer the land the first time around have passed away. Moses himself is likely nearing his end, since God had said he would not be allowed to enter the land. It should start to get very interesting in the next few chapters...

Numbers 36

The last chapter in Numbers doesn't have a whole lot to it, or at least not much that matters any more since Israel no longer allots land based on tribal heritage (at least, as far as I know).

I am hopeful that Deuteronomy, despite the odd name, will have a bit more action: the taking of the Holy Land in particular should be of great interest.

Numbers 35

Today's chapter covers two subjects: the cities of the Levites, where they were to live (since they had no other land in the inheritance), and a subset of those where people who accidentally killed someone could flee to avoid vengeance. The passage makes very clear, though, that killing someone intentionally or with malice did not count - those people were murderers, and not just could be killed but had to be. No ransom was to be allowed.

It is interesting to note that a prevision also was put in place stating that two or more witnesses were required in order to convict someone of murder; that helps avoid a he-said-she-said sort of situation. Also, a person who had fled to a city of refuge had to stay there until the death of the current high priest; after that he would be free to return to where he had come from, without fear of vengeance. I'm not entirely sure why that provision is in there, but it makes me wonder what the turnover rate of high priests was.

Numbers 34

Today's reading covered the borders of the Promised Land, as God gave it to the Israelites. I'm sure it made more sense at the time, or to those with a better familiarity with that area, but since I don't know most of the landmarks mentioned I will have to consult a map. The last section also listed those who were to take part in deciding how the land would be split up - the anointed leader (Joshua), the chief priest (Eleazar), and one representative from each tribe involved. That excluded the two tribes who had decided to settle east of the Jordan, as discussed previously.

After the reading this evening I looked at some maps of ancient and modern Israel, and if the map of the older lands was what this chapter represented then the modern country is quite a bit smaller than the full borders of the Promised Land as God described it. Given that info, I certainly don't have a problem with the Israelis subduing opposition to their presence within their own rightful territory.

Numbers 33

Today's reading chronicles the route that the Israelites took from Egypt to Canaan, the Promised Land. Due to some poor behavior in the wilderness they took a rather long and complicated journey, but forty years after the Exodus they now stand on the doorstep of their inheritance. The last warning that God gives them before entering is that they are to completely drive out the current inhabitants of the land - and that should they fail, those left will become thorns in their side. I guess we will see how well they keep that command; the description alone though makes me wonder if they did not, and if they might still be reaping the results in the current conflicts.

Numbers 32

The reading today was not very deep or meaningful, but it was interesting. Two of the twelve tribes of Israel requested to settle outside of the Promised Land, based on the area's suitability to raising livestock (of which they apparently had a lot). At first Moses reacts negatively, seemingly considering this an abandonment of the rest of the nation, but then accepts their proposal when they commit to sending troops to help with the coming conflict. Apparently another of the tribes also liked this idea, and forcibly took further lands on the far side of the Jordan as their inheritance; I can only presume they also agreed to send their military forces with the rest of Israel, since they were not rebuked.

Numbers 31

This chapter chronicles a war that God commanded the Israelites to fight, against the Midianites who had tried to corrupt them in an earlier section of the book. There are many things here that stand out, and I may have missed some, but here are the ones that caught my attention most:

- Only 12,000 men were sent out to fight (verse 5) - not even a tenth of Israel's full military power at the time. In addition, all of them survived (verse 49)!

- When the soldiers returned with all the women and children of those they fought, Moses commanded that the male children and all women who were not virgins be killed. This sort of massacre seems shocking by our standards today, but what is key here - and I think will be repeated in the taking of the Holy Land - is that leaving these people alive meant a continued threat to Israel. When God truly is the one ordering these acts then they are acceptable; the risk is when people claim to be doing His will and are not.

- Even though there were only 12,000 soldiers involved in the war, they are given 16,000 young virgin women as part of the spoils. That seems odd, since it is more women than there were men and likely many of the men already had wives. I wonder if they used them as slaves, or if they perhaps gave them to sons for wives.

- Balaam was among the men killed in the fighting. I would have thought, based on his actions in blessing Israel, that he would not have been killed - but further reading in this chapter implicates him in the plot to tempt the Israelites away from God. Perhaps he had realized that although he could not curse them God Himself would turn on them if they strayed from Him.

Numbers 30

The reading today was quite short, and covered only one topic: vows made to God. In short, vows by a man or widowed woman are binding, but those of a woman who is under the care of her father or a husband can be nullified by him when he finds out (if he chooses). This lends further weight to the idea that a man is the head of his household - over both a wife and children - in Israelite culture.

Numbers 29

Not a lot to say about the reading today - just a continuation of the previous chapter with details and regulations on special yearly sacrifices. This section specifically focuses on several holy days in the seventh month, and the Feast of Weeks (in the same month). Aside from the pretty high amount of animals being offered to the Lord there isn't much else here. Oh, I suppose it is noteworthy that the Israelites were told not to do any "regular work" on the holy days: that makes them very much like our modern holidays, and perhaps it was even where the custom of having them off work came from in western society.

Numbers 28

This chapter contains a summary of the regular scheduled offerings the Israelites were to make - daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly (at important feasts or holy days). I don't have a lot to say about it, but something did come to my mind that has been floating around ever since we started getting the instructions for offerings and sacrifices back in Exodus. There always seems to be a combination of some or all of the following: meats, grains, oils, and liquids (alcoholic by the sound of it); however, fruits and vegetables seem to be missing entirely! This mirrors the story of Cain and Abel, where God was pleased with Abel's animal sacrifices but not with Cain's fruits. Now I've heard that might have been because Abel brought the best of his flock, and Cain isn't explicitly said to have done the same - but the lack of fruits and veggies in Israelite offerings makes me wonder if there might not be a deeper significance to it.

Numbers 27

Today's reading covers two subjects - the inheritance laws among the Israelites (how it is to pass to sons, then daughters, then other relatives in a certain order) and the passing of leadership from Moses to Joshua, which was a similar inheritance of authority specified by God. It is interesting to note that Joshua, and likely other leaders after him, were no longer to speak to God directly as Moses had. The instructions God gave this time were that they should go through the high priest, who would use the Urim to determine God's will. This is another of the very few references to that device, which was mentioned earlier as a possession of the high priest. I very much wonder what it was, along with its companion item (the Thummim) - but it seems to be a mystery lost to the ages.