Joshua chapter 22

After reading chapter 22:

*So, now that the conquest of Canaan is over, kind of, Joshua told the Reubenites, Gadites, and Manassehites, who had land on the east side of the Jordan, that they could go home. These were all the men of fighting age. One wonders who had been maintaining the land for the approximately 5 years of their absence, women and children? They were sent back with Joshua's blessing and a load of plunder: livestock, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and clothing (from the bodies of the slain?). Funny thing about the plunder....after Achan's plunder blunder and his execution, the prohibition  against plunder was mysteriously ignored or rescinded without any ill effects.

*The three tribes travelled back east with all their stuff. When they got to the Jordan River, they built a large altar. When the rest of the Israelites heard about this altar they were infuriated and gathered at Shiloh to go to war with the three tribes. The priest Phineas and ten tribal leaders went to the three tribes and accused them of breaking faith with Yahweh and attempting some other kind of worship. They informed the three tribes that if this was the case, they would incur the wrath of the entire community of Israelites. There was to be only one altar to Yahweh and that location had already been determined.  It was at Shiloh. Then they were reminded of what had happened to Achan. How ironic.

*The three tribes did some awesome back peddling. Oh, no, we weren't planing on actually using this altar. It's just a witness, a reminder to the west side of the river that we on the east side have a share in Yahweh. This is so that in the future the west side cannot try to tell the east that they don't also belong to Yahweh. We wouldn't rebel. No siree, not us. So, Phineas announced Yahweh must be with them and they had escaped his wrath. The priest and the elders returned to Canaan to report to the Israelites, who rejoiced at the news. The altar was named "A Witness that Yahweh is God."

*Some thoughts that always come to mind when I read these stories:

1. The action happens in a few paragraphs that take minutes to read. In actuality events like these would have taken weeks if not months. That is taking into account the distances individuals had to have travelled on foot or slow footed animals. There is no indication the Israelites were horsemen. In fact they hamstrung the enemies' horses.

2. Plus, supposedly the Israelites had taken over the land. How can they be spread over the land and yet gathered in one place at Shiloh? Do you realize how long it would take to muster all the Israelite troops if they were spread out the length and breadth of Canaan?

3. When they conquered one area, how did they keep it free and clear of "enemies" when they had to go fight elsewhere?

4. How quickly this became an "us and them" situation once the three tribes separated from the rest of the Israelites.

Joshua chapter 20 and 21

After reading chapter 20:

*Here we are told which cities are assigned to be cities of refuge for those who kill by accident, as described back in Numbers 35. The person who is responsible for avenging the death cannot harm a person who has fled to one one of these cities. The designated cities were: Kadesh in the land of Naphtali, Shechem in the land of Ephraim, Hebron in the land of Judah, Bezer in the land of Reuben, Ramoth in the land of Gad, and Golan in the land of Manasseh.

After reading chapter 21:

*Now the tribe of Levites come to Joshua and ask for their allotted towns with pastureland, prime real estate, as promised by Moses. Yahweh, through Joshua, gave the Kohathite levites who were descended from Aaron 13 towns in the lands of Judah, Bejamin, and Simeon. The rest of the Kohathite Levites were given 10 towns in the lands of Ephraim, Dan, and Manasseh. The Gershon Levites were given 13 towns in the lands of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh. The Merari Levites were given 12 towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. So, all twelve non-Levite tribes had Levites living among them to keep an eye on things and make sure they, um Yahweh,  was obeyed.

*The second half of the chapter seems to repeat the first half but with more detail. The Levites were apparently given the cities of refuge as part of their allotments. This could be very convenient. Imagine the opportunities for exploitation of the law and of those who were seeking refuge.

*Last we are told that Yahweh gave the Israelites rest and not one of their enemies withstood them. This is an odd statement, considering it was admitted in previous chapters that they could not control certain parts of the land. However, it is an opportunity to claim that all of Yahweh's promises have been fulfilled, if you overlook a few pesky details.

Deuteronomy chapter 22

After reading chapter 22:

*Verses 1-12 are a series of odd laws that seem to have nowhere else to go:
-Give lost animals and personal property back to their rightful owners. No "finders keepers."
-Help a fellow Israelite restore a fallen animal to its feet.
-Noone must wear the clothes of the opposite sex, God detests people who do that. (The obvious inference would be that some people did this at that time.)
-Wild bird eggs can be harvested from nests, but the mother birds must be left alone.
-A railing must be built around the edge of a roof, so that the owner of the house won't be liable if someone falls off the roof.
-Do not plant two kinds of seeds in a vinyard or the vinyard will be defiled.
-Do not yoke an ox and a donkey together.
-Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together.
-Make tassels on the four corners of your cloak

*The rest of the chapter contains some rather barbaric marriage rules. Basically, if a man expects to be marrying a virgin, he better get one. If he doesn't like his wife, he can yell foul after the marriage and the bride's parents have to provide proof of the bride's virginity in the form of a cloth stained with blood from the wedding night. If there is no proof, the woman is to be stoned to death at the door of her father's house by the men of the town. If there is proof of her virginity,  it is to be shown to the village elders and the accusing husband is to give his father- in- law 100 silver shekels. Then he can never divorce the woman. Poor woman.
-If a man sleeps with another man's wife, they must both die. No exceptions.
-If a man sleeps with a virgin in town, who was pledged to be married, they must both be stoned to death. 1. Because she belonged to another man. 2. Because she was in town and didn't scream. Um, how do they know this in advance? What if she was threatened with death if she screamed?
-If a man rapes a virgin in the countryside, who was pledged to be married, only the man is to be killed. After all,  she screamed bloody murder and no one could hear her. That makes her innocent. Again, how do they know this? She could have been quite willing and no one would know the difference.
-If a man rapes a virgin who is not pledged to be married, he must give her father fifty shekels of silver and marry her. This marriage is for life, no divorce permitted. Poor woman. Unless, the two of them cook up this scheme so that the father could have no choice but to agree to the marriage.
-A man may not sleep with his father's wife. We would say "duh" but if this wasn't an issue, why is it mentioned? Reuben, son of Jacob (Israel), did this very thing in Genesis chapter 35.

Lesson: It's safer for a woman to be raped in the country, especially if she was already pledged to be married. Then she gets to live and won't have to marry her rapist.

Numbers chapter 32

After reading chapter 32:

*While the Israelites were still on the east side of the Jordan River, the Reubenites and Gadites went to Moses and asked to be able to settle on that side, in the lands of Jazer and Gilead, instead of in canaan. They liked that land because it had enough space and food for their large herds of animals.

*After an initial protest, some insults and veiled threats, and some bargaining, Moses agreed , on condition that their fighting men still help the rest of the Israelites conquer the Canaanites. Plus, if they didn't help, they would be sorry. The Ruebenites and Gadites consented. Moses gave them the land, as though it was his to give. They built many "cities" which are named in the text.

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.

Genesis chapter 42

After reading chapter 42:

*The famine reached Canaan. Jacob told ten of his sons to go to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest son of Rachel, was left behind. When Joseph's brothers arrived in Egypt, they went to Joseph and bowed down to ask for grain, without knowing who he was. He knew them and remembered his dreams that he would one day rule over them. He accused them of being spies even though he knew they were not. They explained who they were and why they were there, but Joseph continued to act suspicious. He put them in custody for three days and told them that one of them needed to go back and get the youngest brother to prove they were not lying. After the three days, he changed that to one remaining and the others going back.

* The brothers discussed why this had happened and became convinced it was because of the way they had treated Joseph when he was young. Unknown to them, Joseph overheard and began to cry. Then he had Simeon taken and tied up. He had their sacks loaded with grain and their silver put back in the sacks. When they stopped to camp, they discovered the silver and were afraid. They thought God was punishing them 27 years after the fact.

*When they got home, they told Jacob everything that had happened. He was very upset. Reuben offered to have his two sons put to death if Bejamin was not brought back safely. ( nice) Jacob was not going to allow Benjamin, the only surviving child of Rachel, to go to Egypt. He would surely die if Benjamin left.

* Notice that the brother's three days in prison echoes the three days between the interpretation of the cupbearer's and baker's dreams and their release from prison.

Genesis chapter 37

After reading chapter 37:

*This chapter begins by telling us it is the account of Jacob. When we read it, we see it begins the story of Joseph, Jacob's son by his beloved wife Rachel.

* Joseph,  the youngest son, is seventeen. He is tending the flocks with his brothers by Bilhah and Zilpah, his father's slave wives. He tattles.

*Joseph is Jacob's (The text can't decide whether to call him Jacob or Israel. This may be because it is  a mash up of two different texts and traditions.)  favorite son. Israel personally makes Joseph a fancy robe. The other sons are jealous because they know Joseph is their father's favorite child. They despise him and let him know it. Then Joseph has a dream which makes them hate him even more. His dream obviously means that he will rule over his brothers. Then, he has another similar dream. This time it includes his mother and father. (His mother died back in chapter 35!?) His father publicly rebukes him but privately wonders if there is  any truth in it. His brothers become even more jealous.

*The brothers are grazing their father's flocks near Shechem, which should not exist any more because they destroyed it back in chapter 34. Israel sends Joseph from Hebron to check up on his brothers. When he gets to Shechem, a man tells him they have moved on to Dothan. He goes after them. His brothers see him coming and begin to plot to kill him. When you have killed a whole village of men, what's one more, even if it is your brother. Reuben, the oldest, convinces them just to throw him in a cistern. He plans to come back and rescue Joseph later.

*So they take off his fancy robe and throw him into the empty cistern. They see some Ishmaelite travelling merchants coming along on their way to Egypt. Judah convinces the rest of the brothers to sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites. (They are also called Midianites in the next few verses. Ishmael and Midian were both sons of Abraham. That would make the traders their second cousins.) They sell him for twenty shekels of silver. Later, in Leviticus 27, we will see that God sets the value of a male between the ages of 5 and 20 at twenty shekels. Reuben was not present at the time. When he gets back he is in despair. What's he going to do now?

*The brothers kill a goat and paint Joseph's fancy coat with blood to make Jacob think he is dead. It works. Jacob goes into deep mourning. Joseph is sold to Potiphar, Pharoah's captain of the guard.

Genesis chapter 35

After reading chapter 35:

*After the Dinah episode, God conveniently tells Jacob to move to Bethel. Before they leave, Jacob gathers up all the idols and earrings his household has and buries them under the oak at Shechem. Remember his household now contains all the women and children of Shechem as slaves. The tree is most likely one of the "great trees" that were found near each town. They were where the people of those places went to consult their gods.

*As they pass through the land, nobody bothers them because the "terror of God" was upon them. If this actually happened, it would be more likely they had heard about the massacre and were afraid they would be next. When they got to Bethel, Jacob built an altar. Then Deborah, Rebekah's nurse dies and is buried. What she is doing with them is anybody's guess.

* Verses 9-15 are weirdly redundant and don't seem to fit in the story. There is reiteration of Jacob being named Israel, the promise of the land of Canaan for his descendants, and Jacob naming the place where God talked to him Bethel.

*The storyline continues with verse 16. They are  on the move from Bethel when Rachel gives birth to another son named Benjamin. The birth was difficult and Rachel died. She was buried and Jacob set up a pillar to mark her tomb. They moved on again and while they are in Migdal Eder, Reuben sleeps with his father's concubine Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel's slave and was the mother of two of Reuben's brothers, Dan and Naphtali. Here it says she was a concubine, before she was described as a wife.

*Jacob finally reaches his father in Hebron. Isaac had lived 180 years when he dies and Esau and Jacob bury him. The year would be about 1777 B.C.E. , if we attempt to follow biblical chronology.

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.

Genesis chapter 29:

After reading chapter 29:

*Jacob continues on his journey to Haran, where Rebekah's brother Laban lives. He gets to a well and asks some shepherds if they know Laban. They do. As a matter of fact, here comes his daughter Rachel with Laban's sheep. Jacob helps her water the sheep, then he kisses her and begins to cry, after he tells her who he is. She runs home to tell her father. Laban welcomes him with open arms.

*After Jacob was there for a month, Laban offered to pay him for his work.  Jacob said he would work for Laban seven more years, if he would let him marry Rachel. Laban agreed. The seven years went by quickly because Jacob was so much in love with Rachel. I would have thought it would have seemed like seven years of torture, but I guess people back then had things to do to keep their minds off what they couldn't have.

*At the end of seven years Jacob was so ready to get married. By this time he would have been around 50 years old. So Laban gave a wedding feast. When evening came, Laban slipped Leah, his oldest daughter with weak eyes, into Rachel's place. The marriage was consummated and Jacob didn't figure out who he had slept with til the next morning! The deceiver had been deceived.

*One wonders how Leah and Rachel felt about this whole arrangement, but of course their opinions wouldn't have mattered. Laban tells Jacob that in that land the oldest girl marries first, but Jacob can still have Rachel if he agrees to work another seven years. Jacob agrees. He finishes the bridal week with Leah, then gets to have Rachel. Jacob loved Rachel more than Leah.

*The bible tells us Leah was not loved,  but she apparently got enough attention from Jacob to have four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. God gets all the credit though, for "opening her womb." Whatever that means. Rachel, on the other hand was barren. The barrenness theme tells us to watch out. Any children Rachel manages to have will be special.