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).

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.

Exodus 29

As with the preceding chapters, I am not getting much out of this. The idea of a real blood sacrifice being in any way necessary for worship of God is pretty far removed from our modern culture, and the requirements of what to do with various bits of the animals is especially confusing to me. Why do some parts need to be burned on the altar, some eaten, and some burned outside the camp? What does it all represent? I had always assumed it was the sacrificing of a live creature, especially one that had a monetary value in society, that was important - but there seems to be a lot more to it than that.

Genesis 22

Today we have one of the more memorably passages from the book of Genesis - God's command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, his son through whom God had promised to make a great nation. It took a lot of faith on Abraham's part to believe God's promise in the first place, but to now throw it away would be almost unthinkable. Now that I am a father myself I can better understand what God was asking of Abraham here, and it would be very tough to follow through with.

Thank goodness it was just a test, though! God knew what He was doing, of course, and all that was necessary was for Abraham to show that he had faith enough to act on such a seemingly impossible request. Bravo sir, well done!

Genesis 15

This section of scripture contains further interaction between God and Abram, where we see Abram's faith in God and His promises. As I've mentioned before, it must have been absolutely amazing to have such a relationship with the Lord - where he not only speaks through written words but in dreams and even directly in the waking day! I cannot imagine it, but it encourages me to look forward to Heaven with great expectations.

Toward the end of this passage, God also gives a physical description of the lands which are promised to Abram and his descendants: "From the river of Egypt as far as the great river, the river Euphrates" (NAS). If I read that correctly, it means that the current boarders of Israel are far smaller than they should be! I'd say that the Israeli people have a right to all of Lebanon, as well as a few other countries or parts of countries in that region.

This chapter in:
New America Standard, New King James, New International