Malachi 2:17 brings us to Yahweh's fourth statement: "You have wearied the lord with your words." (Yahweh's talking about himself in the third person again.) The priests ask, "How have we wearied him? Yahweh's answer is, "by saying, 'all who do evil are good in the eyes of the lord and he is pleased with them' or 'where is the god of justice?'" I have trouble believing that the Israelites actually said the first statement. I think it is hyperbole and that what was actually said was something like "(such and such a tribe) is not evil, god loves them too." This would not have been tolerated by the more fundamentalist Jews, just as it is not tolerated by other fundamentalists today. The question "Where is the god of Justice?" Is a valid question, especially if it is about justice for all, not just a select group.
In chapter three, the questioners are told that a messenger will prepare the way for the lord, then he will come. However, not many will be able to handle his coming. He will, cleanse, refine, and purify, bringing justice to the downtrodden, and judgement to sorcerers, adulterers, liars, the dishonest bosses, and those who take advantage of the weak.
In verse 6, Yahweh makes a statement claiming he does not change. If the Israelites turn back to him, he will return to them. This definitely sounds like a post captivity claim. The Israelites ask, "How are we to return?" There is no immediate answer.
Yahweh's next claim is that the Israelites rob him. He is asked, "How do we rob you?" They apparently rob him quite literally, by not giving him the proper tithes and offerings. This is making me suspect this book was written by a priest. Who else would benefit from the people returning to the Law of Moses's rules of sacrifices and offerings? The priesthood. Gods certainly don't need food or money. Yahweh tells them to test him by bringing the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in his house. Who will eat that food? The priests. Yahweh claims if they do that, he will throw open the floodgates of heaven and bless them with abundance. Give to get. The prosperity doctrine is not new.
Next Yahweh claims the people have said harsh things against him. They ask, "What have we said against you?" Apparently they said it was futile to serve god. (Amen) They got nothing from carrying out his requirements before. Plus, evildoers prosper.
Then some true believers got together and talked. Yahweh listened in on their conversation. He had a scroll of remembrance written in his presence, about those who respected him. What is a scroll of remembrance? Glad you asked. Kings would have scribes write down things they wanted to remember at a later date. It appears Yahweh does not trust his own memory. These godfearers will be saved in the future, when the day comes that the arrogant and the evildoers will be set on fire like hay stubble. At that time, those who revere Yahweh will cavort about like calves, trampling the ashes of the wicked under their feet.
Next, the Israelites are told to remember all the laws and decrees of Moses. This would fit much better after the question "How are we to return to you?" After that, Yahweh says he will send the prophet Elijah before the dreadful day that the lord comes, which was previously mentioned. Elijah will "turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to the fathers." If that doesn't happen, even though he says it will, he will come and strike the land with a curse." 'Cause that's what loving gods do.
Showing posts with label Priests. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Priests. Show all posts
Saturday, May 12, 2018
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Malachi, part 1
As I read through the first chapter of Malachi, I notice a literary pattern. First Yahweh makes a statement. Next, Israel or the priests ask a question based on the statement. Next, Yahweh elaborates. Then Israel asks another question based on what Yahweh just said, and so on.
The first statement Yahweh makes is "I have loved you." He is asked in return, "How have you loved us?" Then Yahweh talks of Jacob and Esau, when what he is actually referring to is the lands of Israel and Edom. Jacob and Esau were brothers, yet Yahweh favored Jacob. The statement "Jacob have I loved" is quite famous. In Malachi, land of Edom is said to be a wasteland. Yahweh basically says it is cursed and under his wrath. The author of Malachi has associated Edom with Esau. Since we know Yahweh never actually spoke to anyone, the author clearly has some kind of prejudice against the land of Edom and its people that he wants to see maintained. If you read the Wikipedia article on Edom, you will see several possible reasons Israel may have had for its animosity. Plus, it is unclear if a kingdom of Edom even existed by the time of this writing. As is suspected of many prophetic writings, the prophet may have been writing about Edom after it was already destroyed. This prophecy that is not actually prophecy is called postdiction.
Yahweh's second claim is to tell the priests that he gets no respect from them. They show contempt for his name. The priests ask, "how have we shown contempt for your name? Yahweh says, "You place defiled food on my altar." (This is his third claim) The priests ask, "How have we defiled you?" The answer to that question takes up the rest of chapters one and two.
These are the ways the priests defiled Yahweh: 1. They offered crippled and diseased animals as sacrifices. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal." If the priests do not listen to this admonition, they will also be cursed. Yahweh demands proper reverence, as in the old days when Levi was priest. 2. They married the daughters of foreign gods. This is akin to breaking faith with Yahweh. There is this weird kind of marriage analogy that represents Israel's relationship with Yahweh. In Malachi 2:14-16 it is not clear if god is talking about a man's actual relationship with his wife or his faith in god, or both. We are told Yahweh hates divorce. Yet Yahweh also hates the Jews' marriages to foreign women. He tells them not to break faith with the wife of their youth, but we saw in Nehemiah that the Jews were told to break up their marriages with the non-Jewish women. Confusing.
More to come.
The first statement Yahweh makes is "I have loved you." He is asked in return, "How have you loved us?" Then Yahweh talks of Jacob and Esau, when what he is actually referring to is the lands of Israel and Edom. Jacob and Esau were brothers, yet Yahweh favored Jacob. The statement "Jacob have I loved" is quite famous. In Malachi, land of Edom is said to be a wasteland. Yahweh basically says it is cursed and under his wrath. The author of Malachi has associated Edom with Esau. Since we know Yahweh never actually spoke to anyone, the author clearly has some kind of prejudice against the land of Edom and its people that he wants to see maintained. If you read the Wikipedia article on Edom, you will see several possible reasons Israel may have had for its animosity. Plus, it is unclear if a kingdom of Edom even existed by the time of this writing. As is suspected of many prophetic writings, the prophet may have been writing about Edom after it was already destroyed. This prophecy that is not actually prophecy is called postdiction.
Yahweh's second claim is to tell the priests that he gets no respect from them. They show contempt for his name. The priests ask, "how have we shown contempt for your name? Yahweh says, "You place defiled food on my altar." (This is his third claim) The priests ask, "How have we defiled you?" The answer to that question takes up the rest of chapters one and two.
These are the ways the priests defiled Yahweh: 1. They offered crippled and diseased animals as sacrifices. "Cursed is the cheat who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but then sacrifices a blemished animal." If the priests do not listen to this admonition, they will also be cursed. Yahweh demands proper reverence, as in the old days when Levi was priest. 2. They married the daughters of foreign gods. This is akin to breaking faith with Yahweh. There is this weird kind of marriage analogy that represents Israel's relationship with Yahweh. In Malachi 2:14-16 it is not clear if god is talking about a man's actual relationship with his wife or his faith in god, or both. We are told Yahweh hates divorce. Yet Yahweh also hates the Jews' marriages to foreign women. He tells them not to break faith with the wife of their youth, but we saw in Nehemiah that the Jews were told to break up their marriages with the non-Jewish women. Confusing.
More to come.
Tuesday, June 14, 2016
Judges chapter 18
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.
*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.
Monday, June 13, 2016
Judges chapter 17
After reading chapter 17:
*This story surprised me. I don't remember ever having read it or heard about it before. I read on to the next couple of chapters and was even more amazed. It will become clear why no one ever talks about the next few stories. What is not clear is why they are in the book of Judges when they are not about individual judges. The one common thread is a phrase stating "these things happened before there was a king in Israel, when everyone did as they saw fit." It would appear that the stories were written after there was a king to show people who complained about being under the rule of a king that things could be worse. Or that statement could have been added to the original text to show disapproval of former religious practices.
*A man named Micah goes to his mother and says,"Mom, remember those 1,100 shekels (coincidentally the same amount Delilah was given to betray Samson) that got stolen and how you put a curse on the person who stole them? Well, that was me. Then his mother blessed him in the name of Yahweh, which is kind of odd, but maybe it was supposed to counteract the curse. The son returned the money, but the mother decided the silver would be consecrated to Yahweh for her son. So, she took 200 of the shekels to a silver smith who made them into an idol, presumably of Yahweh, which is against the law of Moses. However, this passage does not condemn her actions, even though my study bible commentary does. The mother and Micah don't appear to be aware of the laws against idols and their worship.
*Micah put the idol in his house. He also had other idols, a shrine and an ephod. Plus, he made his son a priest. A priest's duties were basically servicing the gods. They would perform ceremonial sacrifices, feed and wash and dress the idols, and other ritual acts of worship for the gods. We are told Micah did this because there was no king, and everyone did as he saw fit. The writers obviously believed in the power of government to control the standards of religious activity.
*A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, left home looking for a place to stay. We are not told why. That does not stop my study bible from speculating that the Levites probably lacked support from the other Israelites because the law of Moses was not being followed. Poor babies, they had to go out and earn a living just like everyone else. This Levite wandered on to Micah's property and Micah offered him the job of priest at ten shekels a year, plus room and board. What did his son/priest do then? He had to put up wth the Levite becoming just like another son in his father's eyes, and he didn't have a cushy job any more. However, Micah himself was thrilled. A Levite was his personal priest, which he thought meant that Yahweh would be extra good to him.
*This is the first we have heard about Levites in the book of judges.
*This story surprised me. I don't remember ever having read it or heard about it before. I read on to the next couple of chapters and was even more amazed. It will become clear why no one ever talks about the next few stories. What is not clear is why they are in the book of Judges when they are not about individual judges. The one common thread is a phrase stating "these things happened before there was a king in Israel, when everyone did as they saw fit." It would appear that the stories were written after there was a king to show people who complained about being under the rule of a king that things could be worse. Or that statement could have been added to the original text to show disapproval of former religious practices.
*A man named Micah goes to his mother and says,"Mom, remember those 1,100 shekels (coincidentally the same amount Delilah was given to betray Samson) that got stolen and how you put a curse on the person who stole them? Well, that was me. Then his mother blessed him in the name of Yahweh, which is kind of odd, but maybe it was supposed to counteract the curse. The son returned the money, but the mother decided the silver would be consecrated to Yahweh for her son. So, she took 200 of the shekels to a silver smith who made them into an idol, presumably of Yahweh, which is against the law of Moses. However, this passage does not condemn her actions, even though my study bible commentary does. The mother and Micah don't appear to be aware of the laws against idols and their worship.
*Micah put the idol in his house. He also had other idols, a shrine and an ephod. Plus, he made his son a priest. A priest's duties were basically servicing the gods. They would perform ceremonial sacrifices, feed and wash and dress the idols, and other ritual acts of worship for the gods. We are told Micah did this because there was no king, and everyone did as he saw fit. The writers obviously believed in the power of government to control the standards of religious activity.
*A young Levite from Bethlehem in Judah, left home looking for a place to stay. We are not told why. That does not stop my study bible from speculating that the Levites probably lacked support from the other Israelites because the law of Moses was not being followed. Poor babies, they had to go out and earn a living just like everyone else. This Levite wandered on to Micah's property and Micah offered him the job of priest at ten shekels a year, plus room and board. What did his son/priest do then? He had to put up wth the Levite becoming just like another son in his father's eyes, and he didn't have a cushy job any more. However, Micah himself was thrilled. A Levite was his personal priest, which he thought meant that Yahweh would be extra good to him.
*This is the first we have heard about Levites in the book of judges.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Joshua chapter 7
After reading chapter 7:
*Here we have an interesting and instructive side story, meant to show that when Yahweh says he wants all the valuable objects for himself, he means it. They are called "devoted things" because they were to be devoted to Yahweh's treasury, of which the priests were in charge. After the storming of Jericho, there was a pile of plunder, which contained gold, silver, and a beautiful Babylonian robe. One wonders what a robe was doing in the plunder, it wasn't made of valuable metals and Yahweh couldn't wear it. One also wonders how a travelling nomadic herdsman is up on Babylonian fashion. Apparently, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, coveted that robe, along with some gold and silver. So, he took them and hid them under the ground in his tent. This was a big no-no. In the last chapter the people had been told trouble and destruction would come to them if they took any of the devoted things for themselves.
*Meanwhile, another battle was at hand. Joshua sent some men to spy out the lay of the land at a place called Ai, which according to archaeological evidence, may not have even been occupied at the time. When the spies came back, they were supremely confident and said there was no need to send everyone, the place had very few men. So, only 3,000 men went to take Ai. Wonder of wonders, Ai fought back and thirty six Israelites were killed. The Israelites hearts "melted like water" after this event. Awww. Joshua and the elders of Israel were devastated. They tore their clothes, fell on the ground, and sprinkled dust on their heads. That was to prove how upset they were. Then Joshua complained to Yahweh and told him Yahweh's reputation among the Canaanites would suffer because of this and the Israelites would be wiped out.
*Yahweh told Joshua to stand up then informed him that there was a thief and a liar among the Israelites. That was why they lost the battle with Ai. Joshua was to tell the people that they would not be able to stand against their enemies unless they removed the devoted objects from the camp. The perpetrator and all his possessions were to be burned. The next morning each tribe was called forth and examined. Joshua managed to separate out Achan. Joshua called Achan "my son" and told him not to hide what he had done. Joshua knew what the punishment was going to be, Achan didn't. Achan confessed; the objects were found and spread out before the lord. Achan, his children, his livestock, and the loot, were taken to the valley of Achor. There, all the living beings that belonged to Achan were stoned and then burned. Afterward, a bunch of rocks was piled on the site, which "remains to this day." In reality no one is certain where the site would have been.
*Why did Yahweh require the children and livestock to be stoned and burned (tortured) for what one man had done? What happened to the valuable objects?
*Here we have an interesting and instructive side story, meant to show that when Yahweh says he wants all the valuable objects for himself, he means it. They are called "devoted things" because they were to be devoted to Yahweh's treasury, of which the priests were in charge. After the storming of Jericho, there was a pile of plunder, which contained gold, silver, and a beautiful Babylonian robe. One wonders what a robe was doing in the plunder, it wasn't made of valuable metals and Yahweh couldn't wear it. One also wonders how a travelling nomadic herdsman is up on Babylonian fashion. Apparently, Achan, from the tribe of Judah, coveted that robe, along with some gold and silver. So, he took them and hid them under the ground in his tent. This was a big no-no. In the last chapter the people had been told trouble and destruction would come to them if they took any of the devoted things for themselves.
*Meanwhile, another battle was at hand. Joshua sent some men to spy out the lay of the land at a place called Ai, which according to archaeological evidence, may not have even been occupied at the time. When the spies came back, they were supremely confident and said there was no need to send everyone, the place had very few men. So, only 3,000 men went to take Ai. Wonder of wonders, Ai fought back and thirty six Israelites were killed. The Israelites hearts "melted like water" after this event. Awww. Joshua and the elders of Israel were devastated. They tore their clothes, fell on the ground, and sprinkled dust on their heads. That was to prove how upset they were. Then Joshua complained to Yahweh and told him Yahweh's reputation among the Canaanites would suffer because of this and the Israelites would be wiped out.
*Yahweh told Joshua to stand up then informed him that there was a thief and a liar among the Israelites. That was why they lost the battle with Ai. Joshua was to tell the people that they would not be able to stand against their enemies unless they removed the devoted objects from the camp. The perpetrator and all his possessions were to be burned. The next morning each tribe was called forth and examined. Joshua managed to separate out Achan. Joshua called Achan "my son" and told him not to hide what he had done. Joshua knew what the punishment was going to be, Achan didn't. Achan confessed; the objects were found and spread out before the lord. Achan, his children, his livestock, and the loot, were taken to the valley of Achor. There, all the living beings that belonged to Achan were stoned and then burned. Afterward, a bunch of rocks was piled on the site, which "remains to this day." In reality no one is certain where the site would have been.
*Why did Yahweh require the children and livestock to be stoned and burned (tortured) for what one man had done? What happened to the valuable objects?
Tuesday, March 22, 2016
Joshua chapter 6
After reading chapter 6:
*Jericho was tightly shut up, "No one went in, no one came out." Great story line. Yahweh told Joshua that the conquest of Jericho was a sure thing, with his help. Since we haven't done that yet, let's read about Jericho here. In spite of multiple periods of civilization, Jericho does not appear to have been inhabited at our supposed time of the Biblical story, about 1297 B.C.E. This presents a problem doesn't it? Keep in mind, there is also a history of earthquakes in the area.
*Now we have the famous tale: Yahweh told Joshua to tell the armed men of Israel (approx. 600,000) to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests blowing ram's horn trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, while the priests blew the trumpets. Then the priests would blow one long blast and all the people were to shout as loud as they could. Consequently, the walls of Jericho would fall down and the armed forces could enter the city.
*The instructions of Joshua, uh, Yahweh, were followed, each day for six days. On the seventh day, they got up bright and early and marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua commanded the people to shout, reminding them that Rahab and her family were to be spared. Plus, the Israelites were not to touch any objects used in the worship of the city's gods, or they would bring about their own destruction. Besides, all the valuable objects made of metals belonged to the priests, I mean Yahweh. They must go into Yahweh's treasury. Though what he wants with them is anybody's guess.
*When the people shouted, the walls collapsed. The men charged in and destroyed every living thing: all the people, including women and children, and the animals. Joshua told the two spies from chapter 2 to get Rahab and her family to safety. They were put in a place outside the camp of the Israelites. The city was burned to the ground. The precious metal objects were saved for Yahweh. Rahab and her family live with the Israelites " to this day." Last of all, Joshua put a curse on the city of Jericho and any one who might try to rebuild it. (The study bible says the curse was fulfilled in the days of King AhabAhab, which probably means that this book was written after that.) Any way, the city of Jericho has continued to exist in many forms down through the ages, and still exists today.
For more interesting information, read: The Battle of Jericho. There we see that the historicity of the Jericho story is non- existant.
*Jericho was tightly shut up, "No one went in, no one came out." Great story line. Yahweh told Joshua that the conquest of Jericho was a sure thing, with his help. Since we haven't done that yet, let's read about Jericho here. In spite of multiple periods of civilization, Jericho does not appear to have been inhabited at our supposed time of the Biblical story, about 1297 B.C.E. This presents a problem doesn't it? Keep in mind, there is also a history of earthquakes in the area.
*Now we have the famous tale: Yahweh told Joshua to tell the armed men of Israel (approx. 600,000) to march around the city once a day for six days, with seven priests blowing ram's horn trumpets in front of the ark of the covenant. On the seventh day, they were to march around the city seven times, while the priests blew the trumpets. Then the priests would blow one long blast and all the people were to shout as loud as they could. Consequently, the walls of Jericho would fall down and the armed forces could enter the city.
*The instructions of Joshua, uh, Yahweh, were followed, each day for six days. On the seventh day, they got up bright and early and marched around the city seven times. After the seventh time, the priests blew the trumpets and Joshua commanded the people to shout, reminding them that Rahab and her family were to be spared. Plus, the Israelites were not to touch any objects used in the worship of the city's gods, or they would bring about their own destruction. Besides, all the valuable objects made of metals belonged to the priests, I mean Yahweh. They must go into Yahweh's treasury. Though what he wants with them is anybody's guess.
*When the people shouted, the walls collapsed. The men charged in and destroyed every living thing: all the people, including women and children, and the animals. Joshua told the two spies from chapter 2 to get Rahab and her family to safety. They were put in a place outside the camp of the Israelites. The city was burned to the ground. The precious metal objects were saved for Yahweh. Rahab and her family live with the Israelites " to this day." Last of all, Joshua put a curse on the city of Jericho and any one who might try to rebuild it. (The study bible says the curse was fulfilled in the days of King AhabAhab, which probably means that this book was written after that.) Any way, the city of Jericho has continued to exist in many forms down through the ages, and still exists today.
For more interesting information, read: The Battle of Jericho. There we see that the historicity of the Jericho story is non- existant.
Friday, March 18, 2016
Joshua chapter 4
After reading chapter 4:
*The whole nation of Israel has finished crossing the Jordan and they are again told to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. This time they are told why. The men are commanded to go back to the middle of the river, where the priests are still standing with the ark, and each pick up a large stone. They are to bring the stones back to their camp. The stones are to be a memorial of the river crossing. Joshua took the stones and set them up. Supposedly, they were still there at the writing of this book, which would have been hundreds of years later.
*The priests stayed in the middle of the river till all the Israelites were out. Then they took the ark to the other side while everyone was watching. As an aside we are told that 40,000 armed men of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh had also crossed. Plus, Yahweh exalted Joshua and he became just as revered to the Israelites as Moses had been. Do you remember that Moses had been downright hated at times? The author of Joshua doesn't seem to remember.
*Again, we are told that the priests came out of the river with the ark. There are so many redundancies in scriptures, many in odd places, that it is becoming easy to understand why many scholars think that they were composed by multiple authors and kind of smooshed together. Anyway, as soon as the priests set their feet on dry ground (Wait. We had been told that the river bed was dry ground while the priests had the ark there. ) the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, at flood stage as before. Except now, the floods should have raged out of control after being held up for long enough to let hundreds of thousands of people pass. Apparently this was a peaceful flood.
* On the tenth day of the first month (the day the passover lamb was to be selected, Exodus 12:3) the people went up from the Jordan. They had to go up because the Jordan is in a Rift Valley. They camped at Gilgal on the east side of Jericho. The Wikipedia article on Gilgal is very interesting. Essentially, it is not clear where this may have been. Again we are told Joshua set up the twelve stones, but now it appears they were set up at Gilgal. Again, the Israelites are told what the stones mean: Yahweh did to the Jordan what he did to the Red Sea. According to the Gilgal article, this story may be the author's attempt to explain a Neolithic stone circle.
*The whole nation of Israel has finished crossing the Jordan and they are again told to pick twelve men, one from each tribe. This time they are told why. The men are commanded to go back to the middle of the river, where the priests are still standing with the ark, and each pick up a large stone. They are to bring the stones back to their camp. The stones are to be a memorial of the river crossing. Joshua took the stones and set them up. Supposedly, they were still there at the writing of this book, which would have been hundreds of years later.
*The priests stayed in the middle of the river till all the Israelites were out. Then they took the ark to the other side while everyone was watching. As an aside we are told that 40,000 armed men of the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Mannasseh had also crossed. Plus, Yahweh exalted Joshua and he became just as revered to the Israelites as Moses had been. Do you remember that Moses had been downright hated at times? The author of Joshua doesn't seem to remember.
*Again, we are told that the priests came out of the river with the ark. There are so many redundancies in scriptures, many in odd places, that it is becoming easy to understand why many scholars think that they were composed by multiple authors and kind of smooshed together. Anyway, as soon as the priests set their feet on dry ground (Wait. We had been told that the river bed was dry ground while the priests had the ark there. ) the waters of the Jordan returned to their place, at flood stage as before. Except now, the floods should have raged out of control after being held up for long enough to let hundreds of thousands of people pass. Apparently this was a peaceful flood.
* On the tenth day of the first month (the day the passover lamb was to be selected, Exodus 12:3) the people went up from the Jordan. They had to go up because the Jordan is in a Rift Valley. They camped at Gilgal on the east side of Jericho. The Wikipedia article on Gilgal is very interesting. Essentially, it is not clear where this may have been. Again we are told Joshua set up the twelve stones, but now it appears they were set up at Gilgal. Again, the Israelites are told what the stones mean: Yahweh did to the Jordan what he did to the Red Sea. According to the Gilgal article, this story may be the author's attempt to explain a Neolithic stone circle.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Joshua chapter 3
After reading chapter 3:
*The morning after the spies reported to Joshua, the Israelites that were going to cross the Jordon moved to camp by the Jordan river. Remember, we are talking about at least a million people. After they had been camped for three days, Joshua walked among the people giving them instructions. When they saw the priests carrying the ark of the covenant they were to follow in a proscribed order, probably that given back in Numbers chapter 2. However, they were to stay 2,000 cubits back from the ark, which is about half a mile! Think about it. How easy is it to see people half a mile away? Can you see what they are carrying or doing, hear what they are saying? It would partly depend on the terrain and the vegetation, wouldn't it? You can read about the geography surrounding the Jordan River here and here. As far as I can determine, the Jordon River itself is currently a little over half a mile wide at its widest point and could have been up to a mile wide in antiquity. The river is in a depression in the Jordon Rift Valley.
*Joshua promises that Yahweh will do amazing things. Then he tells the priests to take the ark, go to the river and stand in the water. After that, he tells the Israelites they will know God is with them when they are able to drive the previous inhabitants out of the land. Then they are told to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, but we are not told why. As soon as the priests with the ark will set foot in the water, the flow will cease and the water will pile up in a heap.
*The priests and the people did what Joshua said. Supposedly, the river was at flood stage, but as soon as the priest's feet touched the water, it stopped flowing and piled up in a heap "a great distance away" near Zarethan, which was apparently about 30 miles away from the crossing near Jericho. All those people then crossed over on dry ground while the priests with the ark stood firmly in the middle of dry river bed. So how did the all the people cross and maintain the required half mile distance from the ark? How did the river bed dry so quickly? However they did it, we are told everyone got across safely. By that time the heap of flood waters near Zarethan must have reached incredible hieghts. I wonder if anyone in that vicinity noticed?
*Can you see the resemblance of this story to the crossing of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14? This time, however, they are not being chased, they are on the attack. The two crossings are like bookends to the time in the desert.
*The morning after the spies reported to Joshua, the Israelites that were going to cross the Jordon moved to camp by the Jordan river. Remember, we are talking about at least a million people. After they had been camped for three days, Joshua walked among the people giving them instructions. When they saw the priests carrying the ark of the covenant they were to follow in a proscribed order, probably that given back in Numbers chapter 2. However, they were to stay 2,000 cubits back from the ark, which is about half a mile! Think about it. How easy is it to see people half a mile away? Can you see what they are carrying or doing, hear what they are saying? It would partly depend on the terrain and the vegetation, wouldn't it? You can read about the geography surrounding the Jordan River here and here. As far as I can determine, the Jordon River itself is currently a little over half a mile wide at its widest point and could have been up to a mile wide in antiquity. The river is in a depression in the Jordon Rift Valley.
*Joshua promises that Yahweh will do amazing things. Then he tells the priests to take the ark, go to the river and stand in the water. After that, he tells the Israelites they will know God is with them when they are able to drive the previous inhabitants out of the land. Then they are told to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, but we are not told why. As soon as the priests with the ark will set foot in the water, the flow will cease and the water will pile up in a heap.
*The priests and the people did what Joshua said. Supposedly, the river was at flood stage, but as soon as the priest's feet touched the water, it stopped flowing and piled up in a heap "a great distance away" near Zarethan, which was apparently about 30 miles away from the crossing near Jericho. All those people then crossed over on dry ground while the priests with the ark stood firmly in the middle of dry river bed. So how did the all the people cross and maintain the required half mile distance from the ark? How did the river bed dry so quickly? However they did it, we are told everyone got across safely. By that time the heap of flood waters near Zarethan must have reached incredible hieghts. I wonder if anyone in that vicinity noticed?
*Can you see the resemblance of this story to the crossing of the Red Sea back in Exodus 14? This time, however, they are not being chased, they are on the attack. The two crossings are like bookends to the time in the desert.
Saturday, January 30, 2016
Deuteronomy 16 and 17
After reading chapter 16:
* Here is a reiteration of the instructions for observing the Passover, except with the addition that it must be celebrated in the place the lord will choose for a dwelling, not in their towns. Then we revisit the feast of weeks and the feast of tabernacles. In verse 18 the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges for each tribe, in each town. No bribing judges allowed. Also, no Asherah poles next to the altar and no sacred stones.
After reading chapter 17:
*Do not sacrifice a blemished animal to the lord, for he is picky. If anyone is found to be guilty of worshipping other gods, they are to be taken outside the city gate and stoned to death. However, there must be more than one witness. Plus, the witnesses must cast the first stones.
*Difficult court cases must be brought to the place the lord chooses and decided by a priest or a judge. Thier decisions will be binding and must be obeyed or the penalty is death.
*When they enter the promised land and go to choose a king, they must choose someone of whom God approves. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner. He must not acquire a lot of horses, wives, or silver and gold. (All things that Solomon supposedly acquired. ) When he becomes king, he is to write his own personal copy of the law on a scroll and read it every day, so he will follow it carefully. The king is not to consider himself better than other Israelites, then he will reign a long time. Apparently the author of Deuteronomy was not aware of any objections to having an Israelite king, which we will see later.
* Here is a reiteration of the instructions for observing the Passover, except with the addition that it must be celebrated in the place the lord will choose for a dwelling, not in their towns. Then we revisit the feast of weeks and the feast of tabernacles. In verse 18 the Israelites are instructed to appoint judges for each tribe, in each town. No bribing judges allowed. Also, no Asherah poles next to the altar and no sacred stones.
After reading chapter 17:
*Do not sacrifice a blemished animal to the lord, for he is picky. If anyone is found to be guilty of worshipping other gods, they are to be taken outside the city gate and stoned to death. However, there must be more than one witness. Plus, the witnesses must cast the first stones.
*Difficult court cases must be brought to the place the lord chooses and decided by a priest or a judge. Thier decisions will be binding and must be obeyed or the penalty is death.
*When they enter the promised land and go to choose a king, they must choose someone of whom God approves. He must be an Israelite, not a foreigner. He must not acquire a lot of horses, wives, or silver and gold. (All things that Solomon supposedly acquired. ) When he becomes king, he is to write his own personal copy of the law on a scroll and read it every day, so he will follow it carefully. The king is not to consider himself better than other Israelites, then he will reign a long time. Apparently the author of Deuteronomy was not aware of any objections to having an Israelite king, which we will see later.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Numbers chapter 18
After reading chapter 18:
*Now Yahweh tells Aaron that he and his sons, and their descendants, will be the only ones responsible for the altar, the sanctuary, and the duties inside the tabernacle. This service is given to them as a priesthood. If anyone else comes near the sanctuary, they will die. The other Levites are given to the priests to be helpers with all the stuff and activities outside the tent.
* All the wave offerings, first fruit offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings that the Israelites give to Yahweh, become the priests'. This is Yahweh's gift to them and an everlasting covenant, or at least Aaron said it was. They must take his word for it, or rather the word of the person who wrote about it, who was probably a priest. They may share it with others in their household who are ceremonially clean, of course. However, they will get none of the promised land as an inheritance. Who needs land when they have a guaranteed steady supply of food and money?
*For their service, the rest of the Levites get all the tithes that the Israelites bring to Yahweh. They will also have no inherited land. Of the tithes that the Levites get from the Israelites, they must take the best and holiest tenth and give it to Aaron and his sons. That is their tithe to the lord, so they won't be guilty and die. How nice for the priests that the lord is so generous and gives them all his stuff, which he has no use for anyway.
*Now Yahweh tells Aaron that he and his sons, and their descendants, will be the only ones responsible for the altar, the sanctuary, and the duties inside the tabernacle. This service is given to them as a priesthood. If anyone else comes near the sanctuary, they will die. The other Levites are given to the priests to be helpers with all the stuff and activities outside the tent.
* All the wave offerings, first fruit offerings, grain offerings, sin offerings, and guilt offerings that the Israelites give to Yahweh, become the priests'. This is Yahweh's gift to them and an everlasting covenant, or at least Aaron said it was. They must take his word for it, or rather the word of the person who wrote about it, who was probably a priest. They may share it with others in their household who are ceremonially clean, of course. However, they will get none of the promised land as an inheritance. Who needs land when they have a guaranteed steady supply of food and money?
*For their service, the rest of the Levites get all the tithes that the Israelites bring to Yahweh. They will also have no inherited land. Of the tithes that the Levites get from the Israelites, they must take the best and holiest tenth and give it to Aaron and his sons. That is their tithe to the lord, so they won't be guilty and die. How nice for the priests that the lord is so generous and gives them all his stuff, which he has no use for anyway.
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Numbers chapter 5
After reading chapter 5:
*Yahweh tells Moses that anyone, male or female, with a skin disease, a discharge, or who has come in contact with a dead body, must be sent outside the camp so they don't "defile" it. Supposedly, the Israelites did that.
*Next, Yahweh tells Moses that any one who has wronged another person, or God, must confess and make equal restitution plus a fifth. If there is no one to give the restitution to, it is to be given to the priest, along with a ram for atonement. Everything given to the priest belongs to the priest, another job benefit.
*Verses 11-29 is one of the most disturbing passages I have come upon so far. It is how to test to see if a wife is unfaithful, not because there reason to believe she is, but because the husband is feeling jealous.
-First the husband is to take the wife to the priest, along with an offering of barley flour for jealousy. Who wants to bet that the woman had no choice in this matter?
-The priest will make the woman stand before the lord. Presumably this means in front of the tabernacle.
-The priest will put holy water in a clay jar. There is no explanation of where he got the holy water and what makes it holy compared to regular water. Then, get this, he will scoop up dirt from the tabernacle floor and put it in the water.
-Then the priest will loosen the woman's hair, and make her hold the barley flour offering. (Humiliation?) While she is doing that, he says a magical oath over the pitcher of dirty water: If the woman has been faithful to her husband, may the bitter water not harm her; BUT if she has been unfaithful, may she be under a curse that causes her abdomen to swell and any child she is carrying to be miscarried. How's that for the sanctity of life in the womb?
-The woman is required to say, "Amen, so be it."
-The priest then writes the above curses on a scroll and washes the curses off the scroll into the water in the pitcher. One wonders what the ink was made from.
-Next, the priest takes the grain offering, waves it in front of the lord, and burns a handful of it. After that, he makes the woman drink the " bitter," cursed, dirty water. Again, do you think she had a choice?
-If the woman was not unfaithful, nothing would happen to her. She would be declared clean and would be able to have children. If she was unfaithful, her abdomen would swell, her womb would miscarry, and she would become a bitter curse. This would be proof of her guilt. Of course it would have nothing to do with the filthy poisoned water she was given. How many times do you think a woman would have been proven faithful using this method? (What happened to the woman after she was proved "guilty" of adultery?)
-No matter what the result, the husband would not be considered guilty of any wrong doing. One wonders what the test for an unfaithful husband was, or if there even was one.
*Yahweh tells Moses that anyone, male or female, with a skin disease, a discharge, or who has come in contact with a dead body, must be sent outside the camp so they don't "defile" it. Supposedly, the Israelites did that.
*Next, Yahweh tells Moses that any one who has wronged another person, or God, must confess and make equal restitution plus a fifth. If there is no one to give the restitution to, it is to be given to the priest, along with a ram for atonement. Everything given to the priest belongs to the priest, another job benefit.
*Verses 11-29 is one of the most disturbing passages I have come upon so far. It is how to test to see if a wife is unfaithful, not because there reason to believe she is, but because the husband is feeling jealous.
-First the husband is to take the wife to the priest, along with an offering of barley flour for jealousy. Who wants to bet that the woman had no choice in this matter?
-The priest will make the woman stand before the lord. Presumably this means in front of the tabernacle.
-The priest will put holy water in a clay jar. There is no explanation of where he got the holy water and what makes it holy compared to regular water. Then, get this, he will scoop up dirt from the tabernacle floor and put it in the water.
-Then the priest will loosen the woman's hair, and make her hold the barley flour offering. (Humiliation?) While she is doing that, he says a magical oath over the pitcher of dirty water: If the woman has been faithful to her husband, may the bitter water not harm her; BUT if she has been unfaithful, may she be under a curse that causes her abdomen to swell and any child she is carrying to be miscarried. How's that for the sanctity of life in the womb?
-The woman is required to say, "Amen, so be it."
-The priest then writes the above curses on a scroll and washes the curses off the scroll into the water in the pitcher. One wonders what the ink was made from.
-Next, the priest takes the grain offering, waves it in front of the lord, and burns a handful of it. After that, he makes the woman drink the " bitter," cursed, dirty water. Again, do you think she had a choice?
-If the woman was not unfaithful, nothing would happen to her. She would be declared clean and would be able to have children. If she was unfaithful, her abdomen would swell, her womb would miscarry, and she would become a bitter curse. This would be proof of her guilt. Of course it would have nothing to do with the filthy poisoned water she was given. How many times do you think a woman would have been proven faithful using this method? (What happened to the woman after she was proved "guilty" of adultery?)
-No matter what the result, the husband would not be considered guilty of any wrong doing. One wonders what the test for an unfaithful husband was, or if there even was one.
Monday, October 26, 2015
Numbers chapter 1
After reading chapter 1:
*Back in Exodus 40, the tabernacle was finished and set up on the frst day of the first month, of the second year in the desert. Now, in Numbers, it is the first day of the second month of the same year. Moses has a private conversation with Yahweh in the tent of meeting, which we will assume is the tabernacle. So, apparently, Leviticus took place in between these times. God tells Moses that he and Aaron are to take a census of all the male Israelites twenty years and older who are able to serve in the army. The heads of the clans were to help them.
*Each person counted registered his ancestry by clan and family. Every single name was supposedly written down, one by one. Twelve clans of Israel were counted, those of Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh (sons of Joseph), Benjamin, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. The Levites, the clan of priests, were exempt from service in the Army because they had the special privilege of taking care of all the tabernacle stuff. Nice work, if you can get it.
*The numbers of fighting men in each clan are almost miraculous, they all end with zeroes. All but one end with two zeroes. No odd numbers. Each clan has between 32,000 and 75,000 men. Together they total 603,550. My study bible suggests that the total population, including women and children should have been in excess of 2 million persons, twice the population of Austin, Texas. They all travelled and camped in the desert together for many years and left no trace of their existance. Amazing feat.
*Whenever the Israelites camped, they were to set up their tents in divisions according to their clans. The Levites were to set up their tents around the tabernacle. Only Levites could participate in the setting up and dismantling of the tabernacle. If anyone else came near during this process, they wiould die. They were to literally keep it all in the family.
*Back in Exodus 40, the tabernacle was finished and set up on the frst day of the first month, of the second year in the desert. Now, in Numbers, it is the first day of the second month of the same year. Moses has a private conversation with Yahweh in the tent of meeting, which we will assume is the tabernacle. So, apparently, Leviticus took place in between these times. God tells Moses that he and Aaron are to take a census of all the male Israelites twenty years and older who are able to serve in the army. The heads of the clans were to help them.
*Each person counted registered his ancestry by clan and family. Every single name was supposedly written down, one by one. Twelve clans of Israel were counted, those of Reuben, Simeon, Gad, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Ephraim and Manasseh (sons of Joseph), Benjamin, Dan, Asher, and Naphtali. The Levites, the clan of priests, were exempt from service in the Army because they had the special privilege of taking care of all the tabernacle stuff. Nice work, if you can get it.
*The numbers of fighting men in each clan are almost miraculous, they all end with zeroes. All but one end with two zeroes. No odd numbers. Each clan has between 32,000 and 75,000 men. Together they total 603,550. My study bible suggests that the total population, including women and children should have been in excess of 2 million persons, twice the population of Austin, Texas. They all travelled and camped in the desert together for many years and left no trace of their existance. Amazing feat.
*Whenever the Israelites camped, they were to set up their tents in divisions according to their clans. The Levites were to set up their tents around the tabernacle. Only Levites could participate in the setting up and dismantling of the tabernacle. If anyone else came near during this process, they wiould die. They were to literally keep it all in the family.
Friday, October 23, 2015
Leviticus wrap up
First, what did we not see in Leviticus: Heaven, Hell, eternal punishment or reward, demons, devils, miracles, Satan, any mention or hint of a messaiah or son of God,
What did we learn about Yahweh:
-He favors the Israelites over all other people and the Levites over all other Israelites.
-He approves of slavery, unless it involves Israelites
-He is extraordinarily obsessed with ceremonial cleanness and the number seven.
-He is loves animal sacrifices, gifts of food that he will never eat, and money that he will never use.
-He is ruthless and unbending in his punishments for disobedience, not considering circumstances.
-He seems unaware of simple preventative measures for mold, how to keep land fertile, how to treat wounds, and other things an omniscient God should know.
-He places a lower value on females than males.
-He lives in an inner area of the tabernacle tent, hovering over the arc, between the cherubim's wings..
-He is only to be visited once a year, on the day of atonement, by the high priest.
-All the info about him and his laws was supposedly given to Aaron and the people by Moses.
We also learned that there was unrest in the camp. Some people made their own sacrifices to other gods out in the fields. Some even blasphemed Yahweh. It was made quite clear that doing your own thing could have dire consequences, namely death or excommunication. Execution included stoning and burning. Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, used the wrong kind of incense and were blasted out of existance by God.
All that aside, what we see is an extraordinary amount of control over the personal lives and possessions of others given to the priestly class. This is a true theocracy. Certainly no one today wants that.
One thing to remember is that these laws were supposedly created over three thousand years ago for the Israelites as a nation, living in the "promised land." Nowhere do these passages imply that any other people living in any other place are expected to abide by them, least of all in modern America. To expect otherwise is delusional.
Other legal codes predate this Mosaic law by several hundreds of years and use some of the same terminology, such as the code of Hammurabi. They are also better attested to in the archaeological record, being found on very ancient clay tablets and stones. The mosaic law can not be proven to be anywhere near as old as it claims to be.
There is no concrete evidence for any of the specific events in this book. It does not claim to be written by Moses or to be the word of God.
Edited 10/25/15
What did we learn about Yahweh:
-He favors the Israelites over all other people and the Levites over all other Israelites.
-He approves of slavery, unless it involves Israelites
-He is extraordinarily obsessed with ceremonial cleanness and the number seven.
-He is loves animal sacrifices, gifts of food that he will never eat, and money that he will never use.
-He is ruthless and unbending in his punishments for disobedience, not considering circumstances.
-He seems unaware of simple preventative measures for mold, how to keep land fertile, how to treat wounds, and other things an omniscient God should know.
-He places a lower value on females than males.
-He lives in an inner area of the tabernacle tent, hovering over the arc, between the cherubim's wings..
-He is only to be visited once a year, on the day of atonement, by the high priest.
-All the info about him and his laws was supposedly given to Aaron and the people by Moses.
We also learned that there was unrest in the camp. Some people made their own sacrifices to other gods out in the fields. Some even blasphemed Yahweh. It was made quite clear that doing your own thing could have dire consequences, namely death or excommunication. Execution included stoning and burning. Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu, used the wrong kind of incense and were blasted out of existance by God.
All that aside, what we see is an extraordinary amount of control over the personal lives and possessions of others given to the priestly class. This is a true theocracy. Certainly no one today wants that.
One thing to remember is that these laws were supposedly created over three thousand years ago for the Israelites as a nation, living in the "promised land." Nowhere do these passages imply that any other people living in any other place are expected to abide by them, least of all in modern America. To expect otherwise is delusional.
Other legal codes predate this Mosaic law by several hundreds of years and use some of the same terminology, such as the code of Hammurabi. They are also better attested to in the archaeological record, being found on very ancient clay tablets and stones. The mosaic law can not be proven to be anywhere near as old as it claims to be.
There is no concrete evidence for any of the specific events in this book. It does not claim to be written by Moses or to be the word of God.
Edited 10/25/15
Thursday, October 22, 2015
Leviticus 27
After reading Leviticus 27:
*I found this chapter a little confusing and had to read it multiple times, along with the study bible notes. Here is what it seems to be saying, at face value:
Things and people can be given (dedicated) to the lord by special vows. But the actual person or item doesn't have to be physically given, an amount of money equivalent to the gift can be given. Who do you think got the money? Did you say the priests? I'm thinking that would be a good guess. What would God do with money?
There are rules for each type of gift:
-A gift of a person (as though you can give people as gifts) is represented by a monetary amount based on their age and gender. The most valuable people were between twenty and sixty years of age. Young children were of the least value. Females were less valuable than males. Frankly, this appears to me to be a substitute for human sacrifice.
-A ceremonially clean animal gift to the lord is accepted outright and becomes holy.
-A ceremonially unclean animal gift to the lord must be presented to the priest who will judge it as good or bad. The priest will set a value for the animal. If the person wishes to give money in place of the animal, he must add a fifth to the value.
-A house dedicated to the lord is to be judged good or bad by the priest, who will set its value. If the person wishes to give money in place of the house, he must add a fifth to the value. It seems that, among other things, the priests would have controlled the market value of real estate.
-Family land dedicated to the lord is to have a monetary exchange value of the amount of seed it would take to plant on it, but only in the year of Jubilee. Its monetary value decreases during the years between Jubilees. The priests set the value, and if the person wishes to substitute money for the gift of land, he must add a fifth of the value. If he does not substitute money for the land, he doesn't get the land back at the Jubilee. It becomes holy land belonging to the priests, of course.
-Previously purchased, non-family land dedicated to the lord is valued by the priests according to how close to the Jubilee it is. In the year of the Jubilee it reverts to its family of origin.
-A first born animal may not be dedicated to the lord because it already belongs to him. If it happens to be unclean, he can buy it back at a fifth more than its value (determined by the priests) or the priests will sell it themselves.
The money used to redeem property is silver shekels. The standard is the sanctuary shekel.
Now, apparently, Devoting something to the lord is different than Dedicating something. People or property devoted to the lord cannot be redeemed monetarily. Everything devoted becomes holy, probably meaning it now belongs to the priests.
People devoted to destruction cannot be redeemed monetarily, they must be put to death. I take this to mean that anyone incurring the death penalty, because of breaking the aforementioned laws in Leviticus, cannot get out of their sentence by monetary redemption.
*Added to everything else, a tithe of everything that a person's land produces,of all food and livestock, must be given to the lord. (Read the priests) It can be monetarily redeemed by adding a fifth to its value, which was probably determined by the priests.
There ends the book probably written by priests, outlining laws, duties, responsibilities, plus priestly privileges and job benefits.
*I found this chapter a little confusing and had to read it multiple times, along with the study bible notes. Here is what it seems to be saying, at face value:
Things and people can be given (dedicated) to the lord by special vows. But the actual person or item doesn't have to be physically given, an amount of money equivalent to the gift can be given. Who do you think got the money? Did you say the priests? I'm thinking that would be a good guess. What would God do with money?
There are rules for each type of gift:
-A gift of a person (as though you can give people as gifts) is represented by a monetary amount based on their age and gender. The most valuable people were between twenty and sixty years of age. Young children were of the least value. Females were less valuable than males. Frankly, this appears to me to be a substitute for human sacrifice.
-A ceremonially clean animal gift to the lord is accepted outright and becomes holy.
-A ceremonially unclean animal gift to the lord must be presented to the priest who will judge it as good or bad. The priest will set a value for the animal. If the person wishes to give money in place of the animal, he must add a fifth to the value.
-A house dedicated to the lord is to be judged good or bad by the priest, who will set its value. If the person wishes to give money in place of the house, he must add a fifth to the value. It seems that, among other things, the priests would have controlled the market value of real estate.
-Family land dedicated to the lord is to have a monetary exchange value of the amount of seed it would take to plant on it, but only in the year of Jubilee. Its monetary value decreases during the years between Jubilees. The priests set the value, and if the person wishes to substitute money for the gift of land, he must add a fifth of the value. If he does not substitute money for the land, he doesn't get the land back at the Jubilee. It becomes holy land belonging to the priests, of course.
-Previously purchased, non-family land dedicated to the lord is valued by the priests according to how close to the Jubilee it is. In the year of the Jubilee it reverts to its family of origin.
-A first born animal may not be dedicated to the lord because it already belongs to him. If it happens to be unclean, he can buy it back at a fifth more than its value (determined by the priests) or the priests will sell it themselves.
The money used to redeem property is silver shekels. The standard is the sanctuary shekel.
Now, apparently, Devoting something to the lord is different than Dedicating something. People or property devoted to the lord cannot be redeemed monetarily. Everything devoted becomes holy, probably meaning it now belongs to the priests.
People devoted to destruction cannot be redeemed monetarily, they must be put to death. I take this to mean that anyone incurring the death penalty, because of breaking the aforementioned laws in Leviticus, cannot get out of their sentence by monetary redemption.
*Added to everything else, a tithe of everything that a person's land produces,of all food and livestock, must be given to the lord. (Read the priests) It can be monetarily redeemed by adding a fifth to its value, which was probably determined by the priests.
There ends the book probably written by priests, outlining laws, duties, responsibilities, plus priestly privileges and job benefits.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Leviticus 22
After reading chapter 22:
*More rules about the "sacred offering" for the priests:
-They must treat the offerings to God with respect, even though God doesn't need them, he won't use them, and they will get to use the leftovers from the offerings themselves.
-They must not come near the offerings if they are unclean or they will be cut off from Yahweh's presence. Does that mean they will no longer be able to serve as a priest or does it mean excommunication?
-A descendant of Aaron will not be allowed to eat any of the sacred offerings, if he is unclean by an infectious skin disease or bodily discharge, until he is cleansed. What will he eat, and where will he get it from?
-He also can't eat any of the sacred offering if he is unclean from touching something defiled by a corpse or a person with an emission of semen (How will he know? Did the priests have to ask all the men they came in contact with if they had an emission of semen in the last 24 hours? ), touching an unclean crawling animal, touching an unclean person, or eating found meat. These will make him unclean and he will have to wash and wait til evening to be magically clean again.
-They must keep these requirements or they will be guilty (Of what?) and may die because of it. Verse 9
*No one at at all outside of the priest's immediate family may eat any of the sacred offering, with one exception: his personal slaves. Yes, priests can buy and own slaves, Yahweh has no objections. If the priest's daughter marries outside the priesthood, she is no longer permitted to eat from this holy food. But if she is widowed or divorced and has to come back to live with her father, she can eat the food.
*If anyone eats the sacred food by mistake, he must pay the priest back and add a fifth of the value to it. Who is the extra fifth for, God or the priest?
*Verses 17-25 are rules for the physical condition of the animals to be sacrificed. They must have no defect or blemish of any kind when it is a burnt offering or fellowship offering that is used to fulfill a special vow or as a free will offering. An animal with damaged testicles will not be accepted, presumably this includes castrated animals. These are not acceptable as food for their God. (Or the priests.) Verse 25.
*An newborn sacrifice must remain with its mother for seven days. After that, it is free to be ritually killed, burnt, and eaten. A mother animal and her young may not be slaughtered for sacrifice on the same day. Why? Well, that's another mystery. It certainly can't be to recognize the sanctity of motherhood.
*We end with a reminder that Yahweh is holy, and he makes the Israelites holy, so they better do what he says.
Articles of interest:
Herodotus on animal sacrifice in ancient Egypt
Scholarly article on sacrifice in Britannica
*More rules about the "sacred offering" for the priests:
-They must treat the offerings to God with respect, even though God doesn't need them, he won't use them, and they will get to use the leftovers from the offerings themselves.
-They must not come near the offerings if they are unclean or they will be cut off from Yahweh's presence. Does that mean they will no longer be able to serve as a priest or does it mean excommunication?
-A descendant of Aaron will not be allowed to eat any of the sacred offerings, if he is unclean by an infectious skin disease or bodily discharge, until he is cleansed. What will he eat, and where will he get it from?
-He also can't eat any of the sacred offering if he is unclean from touching something defiled by a corpse or a person with an emission of semen (How will he know? Did the priests have to ask all the men they came in contact with if they had an emission of semen in the last 24 hours? ), touching an unclean crawling animal, touching an unclean person, or eating found meat. These will make him unclean and he will have to wash and wait til evening to be magically clean again.
-They must keep these requirements or they will be guilty (Of what?) and may die because of it. Verse 9
*No one at at all outside of the priest's immediate family may eat any of the sacred offering, with one exception: his personal slaves. Yes, priests can buy and own slaves, Yahweh has no objections. If the priest's daughter marries outside the priesthood, she is no longer permitted to eat from this holy food. But if she is widowed or divorced and has to come back to live with her father, she can eat the food.
*If anyone eats the sacred food by mistake, he must pay the priest back and add a fifth of the value to it. Who is the extra fifth for, God or the priest?
*Verses 17-25 are rules for the physical condition of the animals to be sacrificed. They must have no defect or blemish of any kind when it is a burnt offering or fellowship offering that is used to fulfill a special vow or as a free will offering. An animal with damaged testicles will not be accepted, presumably this includes castrated animals. These are not acceptable as food for their God. (Or the priests.) Verse 25.
*An newborn sacrifice must remain with its mother for seven days. After that, it is free to be ritually killed, burnt, and eaten. A mother animal and her young may not be slaughtered for sacrifice on the same day. Why? Well, that's another mystery. It certainly can't be to recognize the sanctity of motherhood.
*We end with a reminder that Yahweh is holy, and he makes the Israelites holy, so they better do what he says.
Articles of interest:
Herodotus on animal sacrifice in ancient Egypt
Scholarly article on sacrifice in Britannica
Leviticus 21
After reading Leviticus 21:
*Here we have rules for all the priests, the sons of Aaron:
-A priest may not make himself ceremoniously unclean for anyone except a close blood relative: father, mother, unmarried sister, son, daughter, or brother. He must not make himself unclean for anyone just related by marriage, which seems to include his wife. That would defile him. (Defilement is another one of those abstract concepts that has an ambiguous meaning. But we know one thing, it is BAD. )
-He must not shave his head, or cut the edges of his beard or his body. The study bible says this is what other religious groups did at the time.
-He must not marry a divorced woman or a prostitute. Why? Because priests are holy. Why? Because they offer food to a God who doesn't eat it. That's all.
-If his daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be burnt to death. When we think about reasons why a daughter might become a prostitute, maybe it's the father who should be burnt to death for not taking better care of his daughter.
*Rules for the high priest:
-He must not have messy hair or tear his clothes.
-He must not enter a place that has a dead body.
-He must not make himself unclean for anybody, even a blood relative.
-He must not leave the tabernacle area. (Will he keep his sanity? )
-He cannot marry anyone but a virgin, or he will defile his offspring. Lovely. "I'm sorry dear, you are defiled because your mother was not a virgin when we married, that's just the way it is. Yahweh said so."
In the future, only physically perfect specimens of manhood, who are descendents of Aaron. may offer food to God. (The God who doesn't eat food.) They must be not be blind, lame, dwarfed, or disfigured in any way. Why? Because God is holy. Why? Because he said so! There is some compensation, they are still allowed to eat any food left over when God is done with it. Hey, free food without working for it, just because they are descendents of Aaron? We should all be so defective. Someone else can be holy.
*Here we have rules for all the priests, the sons of Aaron:
-A priest may not make himself ceremoniously unclean for anyone except a close blood relative: father, mother, unmarried sister, son, daughter, or brother. He must not make himself unclean for anyone just related by marriage, which seems to include his wife. That would defile him. (Defilement is another one of those abstract concepts that has an ambiguous meaning. But we know one thing, it is BAD. )
-He must not shave his head, or cut the edges of his beard or his body. The study bible says this is what other religious groups did at the time.
-He must not marry a divorced woman or a prostitute. Why? Because priests are holy. Why? Because they offer food to a God who doesn't eat it. That's all.
-If his daughter becomes a prostitute, she must be burnt to death. When we think about reasons why a daughter might become a prostitute, maybe it's the father who should be burnt to death for not taking better care of his daughter.
*Rules for the high priest:
-He must not have messy hair or tear his clothes.
-He must not enter a place that has a dead body.
-He must not make himself unclean for anybody, even a blood relative.
-He must not leave the tabernacle area. (Will he keep his sanity? )
-He cannot marry anyone but a virgin, or he will defile his offspring. Lovely. "I'm sorry dear, you are defiled because your mother was not a virgin when we married, that's just the way it is. Yahweh said so."
In the future, only physically perfect specimens of manhood, who are descendents of Aaron. may offer food to God. (The God who doesn't eat food.) They must be not be blind, lame, dwarfed, or disfigured in any way. Why? Because God is holy. Why? Because he said so! There is some compensation, they are still allowed to eat any food left over when God is done with it. Hey, free food without working for it, just because they are descendents of Aaron? We should all be so defective. Someone else can be holy.
Friday, October 2, 2015
Leviticus chapter 8
After reading Leviticus 8:
*This chapter is about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, which I thought had already happened back in Exodus chapter 40. Here it goes into much more detail and is pretty much an acting out of god's instructions delivered in Exodus chapter 29. After the ordination ceremony, Moses told Aaron to cook the meat from the sacrifice and eat it at the entrance to the tabernacle. They were not to leave the entrance for seven days and nights so they would not die. They did everything Yahweh had commanded.
* I am going to ask the same question Ramona Quimby asked her kindergarten teacher about Mike Mulligan. "When did they go to the bathroom?" I will add "Where did they go?" as well. Ramona recognized that was a very important question, even if her teacher didn't. Seven days is a long time for five men to spend in the entrance of a tent without proper facilities and means of waste disposal.
*Also, what did they eat and where did they sleep during that time? Their priestly garments had blood and oil sprinkled on them, wouldn't that have attracted critters while they slept? Those fine clothes would have been mighty smelly, dirty, and wrinkled by the end of seven days.
*This chapter is about the ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests, which I thought had already happened back in Exodus chapter 40. Here it goes into much more detail and is pretty much an acting out of god's instructions delivered in Exodus chapter 29. After the ordination ceremony, Moses told Aaron to cook the meat from the sacrifice and eat it at the entrance to the tabernacle. They were not to leave the entrance for seven days and nights so they would not die. They did everything Yahweh had commanded.
* I am going to ask the same question Ramona Quimby asked her kindergarten teacher about Mike Mulligan. "When did they go to the bathroom?" I will add "Where did they go?" as well. Ramona recognized that was a very important question, even if her teacher didn't. Seven days is a long time for five men to spend in the entrance of a tent without proper facilities and means of waste disposal.
*Also, what did they eat and where did they sleep during that time? Their priestly garments had blood and oil sprinkled on them, wouldn't that have attracted critters while they slept? Those fine clothes would have been mighty smelly, dirty, and wrinkled by the end of seven days.
Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Leviticus chapter 1
After reading Leviticus chapter 1:
*This book is named Leviticus because it pertains to instructions that are pertinent to the priestly class who are from the clan of Levi.
*In this chapter, Yahweh gives Moses specific detailed instructions for how the Israelites are to sacrifice a bull, a sheep or goat, and a dove or pigeon, as a burnt offering. The person making a livestock offering is to slaughter the animal himself. The priests will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. Then it is to be cut in pieces and washed. All of it is to be burnt up, which begs the question: Why did it need to be washed if it was going to be burnt to a crisp? The birds are to be killed by the priests wringing off their heads. They will drain the blood, remove the digestive system, and tear it open before they burn it. Apparently God doesn't like blood or guts in his offerings. When it is done the way he likes it, the burnt offering will smell great to him, even though he can't eat it. Neither can anyone else, which is a waste of good meat.
Edited.
*This book is named Leviticus because it pertains to instructions that are pertinent to the priestly class who are from the clan of Levi.
*In this chapter, Yahweh gives Moses specific detailed instructions for how the Israelites are to sacrifice a bull, a sheep or goat, and a dove or pigeon, as a burnt offering. The person making a livestock offering is to slaughter the animal himself. The priests will sprinkle its blood on the sides of the altar. Then it is to be cut in pieces and washed. All of it is to be burnt up, which begs the question: Why did it need to be washed if it was going to be burnt to a crisp? The birds are to be killed by the priests wringing off their heads. They will drain the blood, remove the digestive system, and tear it open before they burn it. Apparently God doesn't like blood or guts in his offerings. When it is done the way he likes it, the burnt offering will smell great to him, even though he can't eat it. Neither can anyone else, which is a waste of good meat.
Edited.
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