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.