After reading chapter 9:
*Now Gideon had a son named Abimelech by a concubine from Shechem. Abimelech went to Shechem and spoke to his uncles and the rest of his mother's clan. He asked them if they were more inclined to have Gideon's 70 other sons rule over them, or him, one man of their own flesh and blood.
When put like that, they were in favor of Abimelech. They gave him silver from the temple of Baal-Berith, and he used it to hire some mercenaries. Abimelech went to Gideon's home in Orphah and murdered his seventy brothers except one who hid, Jotham the youngest.
*Then the citizens of Shechem gathered at their great tree to crown Abimelech King. During the ceremony, Jothan yelled at them from the top of Mount Gerizim. He told them a story in which an olive tree, a fig tree, and a vine, were each asked to be king. They each turned down the honor, stating that they already had good jobs. When a thorn bush (representing Abimelech) was asked to be king, it said the people must take refuge in its shade or fire would come out of it and consume the cedars of Lebanon, presumably meaning "if you make your bed, you must lie in it." Next, Jotham said that if they have acted honorably toward Gideon's family, may Abimilech be their joy. (I think he was being facetious.) If they have not acted honorably, may fire come out of Abimelech and consume them all. In other words, he cursed them. Then Jotham fled to hide from Abimelech.
*A bit of review about Shechem: The great tree there is where Abraham had built an altar, sacrificed to Yahweh, and recieved confirmation of the covenant. (Genesis 12) Shechem is where Joseph's bones were buried after the exodus, on a piece of land that had been previously purchased by Jacob. (Genesis 33- 34) There Jacob had also built an altar and sacrificed to Yahweh. That is also where Jacob's sons, Dinah's brothers, had massacred the inhabitants after demanding their circumcision. In Joshua 20, Shechem was in the territory of Ephraim and designated as one of the cities of refuge. It was given to the Kohathite Levites in Joshua 21. There Joshua renewed Israel's covenant with Yahweh. He took a large stone and set it up under the oak, near the holy place of Yahweh. ( Joshua 24) Now, combine that with the mention that the god Baal-Berith, which means "Lord of the covenant" was worshipped in Shechem. (Judges 8) My study bible calls this ironic and says that the covenant probably referred to a treaty between Canaanite cities. I'm more inclined to think it was an example of religious syncretism. Does anyone else wonder what happened to the Levites?
Showing posts with label cities of refuge. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cities of refuge. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2016
Wednesday, April 13, 2016
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.
*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.
Tuesday, February 2, 2016
Deuteronomy 19
After reading chapter 19:
*Here we read again about cities of refuge for persons who have killed unintentionally. The Israelites are to divide the land they will acquire into three parts. Each part is to have a centrally located city with easy access by roads. These cities are to be the cities of refuge, a place to escape the "avenger of blood", probably a relative of the deceased who is assigned the task of avenging the death. If god enlarges thier territory as he promised, they are to set aside three more cities. This is slightly different than Numbers 35 which tells them to set aside six towns to begin with. Numbers also says these are Levite towns, Deuteronomy does not. Intentional murderers cannot be given refuge, they are to be handed over to the avenger of blood.
*Verse 14 has a command not to move boundary stones, which has nothing to do with the verses before or after and seems totally out of place.
*Next we are again told that a criminal matter can only be established by the testimony of more than one witness. Judges must investigate and make sure witnesses are not malicious. A false witness is to be punished in the way he intended his victim to be punished. Show no pity. Life for life, hand for hand, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Extenuating circumstances don't matter. I guess that keeps things simple.
*Here we read again about cities of refuge for persons who have killed unintentionally. The Israelites are to divide the land they will acquire into three parts. Each part is to have a centrally located city with easy access by roads. These cities are to be the cities of refuge, a place to escape the "avenger of blood", probably a relative of the deceased who is assigned the task of avenging the death. If god enlarges thier territory as he promised, they are to set aside three more cities. This is slightly different than Numbers 35 which tells them to set aside six towns to begin with. Numbers also says these are Levite towns, Deuteronomy does not. Intentional murderers cannot be given refuge, they are to be handed over to the avenger of blood.
*Verse 14 has a command not to move boundary stones, which has nothing to do with the verses before or after and seems totally out of place.
*Next we are again told that a criminal matter can only be established by the testimony of more than one witness. Judges must investigate and make sure witnesses are not malicious. A false witness is to be punished in the way he intended his victim to be punished. Show no pity. Life for life, hand for hand, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. Extenuating circumstances don't matter. I guess that keeps things simple.
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Numbers chapter 35
After reading chapter 35:
*Now, Yahweh tells Moses to tell the Israelites that the Levites must be given their own towns in the promised land. They also get the surrounding land, 3,000 feet on each side of the town, for pasture. The Levites are to be given 48 towns in all. Six of them are to be cities of refuge, three on the east side of the Jordan, three on the west. The cities of refuge are places for Israelites and "foreigners" to hide in when they have accidentally killed someone and are waiting for trial. Otherwise, "the avenger" of the death may not let them live that long.
*At trial, a death is considered murder when it is caused by a blow with an iron object, a stone (except in the case of stoning ordered by God or the priests, of course.) or a lethal piece of wood. If the cause of death is shoving someone with malice a forethought, throwing something at a person with intent to harm, or hitting with fists, that is murder. Those who murder are to be put to death by "the avenger of blood" whenever he meets them.
*Suddenly shoving someone, unintentionally throwing something at someone, accidentally dropping a stone on someone, all done without hostility to a non- enemy are not considered murder. However that person is still in danger from the "avenger of blood", so the community must protect him by sending him back to the city of refuge in which he had been waiting before the trial. He has to stay there until the death of the current high priest. But if he leaves the city of refuge before the proper time, and the avenger finds him, he's toast. The avenger will not be guilty of murder if he kills the person, even if the person had been judged not guilty by the assembly. So, who is this avenger? Probably the nearest male relative. These are basically honor killings.
*In order for the assembly to judge someone a murderer, there must be at least two witnesses to the event. No one is to be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The murderer cannot be bought out of his death sentence. Even the person judged not guilty cannot be bought out of his term spent in the city of refuge before the death of the high priest. We also learn that bloodshed pollutes the land, and the only way to make the land happy again is to kill the person who did the killing, more bloodshed, go figure.
*So, use poison and don't let anyone see you. (You do realize this is a joke, right?)
*Now, Yahweh tells Moses to tell the Israelites that the Levites must be given their own towns in the promised land. They also get the surrounding land, 3,000 feet on each side of the town, for pasture. The Levites are to be given 48 towns in all. Six of them are to be cities of refuge, three on the east side of the Jordan, three on the west. The cities of refuge are places for Israelites and "foreigners" to hide in when they have accidentally killed someone and are waiting for trial. Otherwise, "the avenger" of the death may not let them live that long.
*At trial, a death is considered murder when it is caused by a blow with an iron object, a stone (except in the case of stoning ordered by God or the priests, of course.) or a lethal piece of wood. If the cause of death is shoving someone with malice a forethought, throwing something at a person with intent to harm, or hitting with fists, that is murder. Those who murder are to be put to death by "the avenger of blood" whenever he meets them.
*Suddenly shoving someone, unintentionally throwing something at someone, accidentally dropping a stone on someone, all done without hostility to a non- enemy are not considered murder. However that person is still in danger from the "avenger of blood", so the community must protect him by sending him back to the city of refuge in which he had been waiting before the trial. He has to stay there until the death of the current high priest. But if he leaves the city of refuge before the proper time, and the avenger finds him, he's toast. The avenger will not be guilty of murder if he kills the person, even if the person had been judged not guilty by the assembly. So, who is this avenger? Probably the nearest male relative. These are basically honor killings.
*In order for the assembly to judge someone a murderer, there must be at least two witnesses to the event. No one is to be put to death on the testimony of one witness. The murderer cannot be bought out of his death sentence. Even the person judged not guilty cannot be bought out of his term spent in the city of refuge before the death of the high priest. We also learn that bloodshed pollutes the land, and the only way to make the land happy again is to kill the person who did the killing, more bloodshed, go figure.
*So, use poison and don't let anyone see you. (You do realize this is a joke, right?)
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