After reading chapter 18:
*Again, we are reminded that Israel had no king. Also, the Danite tribe apparently didn't have a permanent homeland in the promised land, because they had been unable to occupy the land Yahweh had supposedly given them. (See Judges 1:34) The Danites sent out spies to explore the land, presumably to find a place they could settle. The spies came to Micah's house and spent the night. While there, they heard the voice of the young Levite who had become Micah's personal priest and they recognized him. This doesn't make much sense because the Levite was from Bethlehem in Judah. The study Bible suggests that they didn't know him personally, they just recognized his accent.
*The Levite told the Danite spies that he was working for Micah as his priest. The Danites asked the Levite to ask Yahweh if their journey would be successful. He told them they had Yahweh's approval. Of course he did. Basically he could say whatever he wanted because Gods don't talk to regular people. They wouldn't know if he made it up. What a sweet deal. The spies went on to Laish and saw that it was a great place to live, peaceful, safe, prosperous, and unsuspecting. When the spies returned to the other Danites they told them how wonderful that land was and suggested an immediate attack.
*Six hundred armed Danite men set out for Laish and came to Micah's house. The previous Danite spies told their kinsmen that Micah owned household gods, a cast idol and an ephod. So the army stopped at the entrance to the gate of the place Micah lived. The spies went in and "retrieved" the sacred objects. The priest asked them what they were doing. They sushed him and bribed him with a job as the priest of the whole clan, instead of one household. The priest was glad to accept and went with them when they left. They moved on, putting their livestock and small children in the front of the group as a buffer. Cowards.
*Meanwhile, Micah gathered some allies and went after the Danites. The Danites wanted to know why Micah came after them with an army. Micah replied that the reason was obvious, they had stolen the gods he had made and his priest. Which is kind of funny if you think about it. The Danites basically told him to get lost, unless he wanted them to attack his family. Micah saw that he was outnumbered and left.
*The Danites went on to attack the peaceful and unsuspecting people of Laish. They killed them all and burnt down their city. No one came to their aid. Then the Danites rebuilt the city, settled there, and named it Dan. Jonathan and his sons, descendants of Moses, were priests for the tribe of Dan. Is this the same person as the Levite mentioned in previous verses? The Danites set up and used Micah's idols the whole time the tabernacle was in Shiloh.
*I find it hard to figure out what to make of this story. Did Yahweh approve, disapprove, or not even care bout the preceding events? The Danites were successful; they were also thieves, murderers, idolaters, and law breakers. And nothing bad happened to them as a result of their actions. Why?
(We know it is because Yahweh didn't actually exist, but what is the purpose of this story?)
*By the way, Samson had been a Danite. Also, this story is apparently an account of what happened in Joshua 19: 47. It's not clear when it was supposed to have happened chronologically.
Edited.
Showing posts with label Dan. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dan. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Joshua chapter 19
After reading chapter 19:
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
*Here we have more distribution of land by tribe. First the tribe of Simeon, which was given a portion of Judah's land, 17 towns and villages, because Judah had more land than they needed. Next, the tribe of Zebulun was given twelve towns and villages. The tribe of Issachar was given 16 towns and villages. The tribe of Asher was given 22 towns and villages. The tribe of Naphtali was given 19 towns and villages.
*The tribe of Dan was given was given a territory but had trouble taking posession. (Yahweh must have been taking a break.) So they attacked the city of Leshem, killed all the inhabitants and settled there, renaming the city Dan. The second largest tribe, according to Numbers, recieved one of the smallest portions of land.
*Lastly, the Israelites gave Joshua the town he asked for, Timnath Serah, in the territory of Ephraim. (Joshua was an Ephraimite.) This was done by Yahweh's command, and Yahweh conveniently spoke through Joshua. So, Joshua basically said,"God told me to tell you that I get this land." And all this was sanctioned by the high priest, who of course would not object, considering the benefits of his job.
I encourage you to read all the articles on the various tribes and towns. They contain some interesting bits of information and folklore.
Saturday, August 15, 2015
Genesis chapter 49
After reading chapter 49:
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
*Jacob gathers his sons around to predict their futures, and the futures of their descendants. Reuben will not excel because he slept with his father's slave wife, Bilhah. Simeon and Levi, who killed all the men in Shechem, will be cursed and scattered in Israel. Judah will be a ruler, and is blessed. Zebulon will live by the sea. Issachar will be forced to labor. Dan will provide justice for the tribes of Israel. Gad will be attacked. Asher will be a gourmet. Naphtali will have beautiful offspring. Joseph is given many blessings and called the prince among his brothers. Benjamin is described as a ravenous wolf.
*Here is the first time we encounter symbolic references to the lion of Judah and God as a shepherd and a rock.
*For people, like me, who do not belive in being able to see the future, passages like this are assumed to have been written with hindsight, with knowledge of certain events having already happened. Therefore, it had to have been written some time after the first king of Israel in the lineage of Judah, David. That would be a good 700 years or so after these events.
*Jacob asks his sons to have him buried in the same place as Abrahaham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, and Leah, in the cave on land bought from the Hittites. Then he dies.
Tuesday, July 28, 2015
Genesis chapter 30, part 1
After reading chapter 30:
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
*Rachel, unable to have children, becomes jealous of her sister. Who saw that coming? She demands Jacob give her a child. To our modern eyes, Rachel is probably the one with the fertility problem, because Jacob is obviously doing his part to increase the population. Jacob says it's god's fault, not his. I'm sure this way of looking at the problem works better for everyone than blaming Rachel.
*Just like Sarah, Rachel gives her maidservant (read "Slave" here) Bilhah to Jacob as a wife. Now Bilhah becomes a different kind of slave. Of course no one asks her if that's what she wants. Jacob has no problem with this and promptly proves again that he is not the one with fertility issues. Rachel claims Bilhah's child as her own and names him Dan. Bilhah has no right to her offspring. Jacob gets busy and Bilhah produces another child for Rachel to possess. He is named Naphtali. Rachel gloats that she is winning the baby contest with her sister.
*Meanwhile, Leah, whose body is taking a break from baby making, is worried about falling behind. So, she gives her servant (slave) Zilpah to Jacob as a wife. Of corse, Zilpah is not consulted. She bears Jacob two children, Gad and Asher. Leah considers them her own.
*Reuben, Leah's oldest son, was working in the fields and found some mandrakes which were thought to have the power to increase or produce fertility. Today we know better. Reuben brought the mandrakes to his mother, but Rachel wanted them. She sold Jacob's services to Leah for the night, in return for the mandrakes. That didn't work out so well for Rachel. Leah got pregnant and had a fifth son, Issachar. She had the nerve to say that it just showed God was pleased that she gave her slave Zilpah to Jacob. Then she had a sixth son, Zebulun, and was sure this would make Jacob love her. After that she had a daughter, Dinah, who we will encounter later.
*Finally, Rachel gets pregnant and has a son, Joseph. She gives God all the credit for what her own body did, but she doesn't let him off the hook. She's already wanting another son.
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