7/31/2006

Jonathan gets a clue

1 Samuel 20:9,30-42 - "Never!" Jonathan said. "If I had the least inkling that my father was determined to harm you, wouldn't I tell you?"

Saul's anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, "You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don't I know that you have sided with the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you? As long as the son of Jesse lives on this earth, neither you nor your kingdom will be established. Now send and bring him to me, for he must die!"

"Why should he be put to death? What has he done?" Jonathan asked his father. But Saul hurled his spear at him to kill him. Then Jonathan knew that his father intended to kill David.

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the month he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father's shameful treatment of David.

In the morning Jonathan went out to the field for his meeting with David. He had a small boy with him, and he said to the boy, "Run and find the arrows I shoot." As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. When the boy came to the place where Jonathan's arrow had fallen, Jonathan called out after him, "Isn't the arrow beyond you?" Then he shouted, "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" The boy picked up the arrow and returned to his master. (The boy knew nothing of all this; only Jonathan and David knew.) Then Jonathan gave his weapons to the boy and said, "Go, carry them back to town."

After the boy had gone, David got up from the south side of the stone and bowed down before Jonathan three times, with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together—but David wept the most.

Jonathan said to David, "Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the LORD, saying, 'The LORD is witness between you and me, and between your descendants and my descendants forever.' " Then David left, and Jonathan went back to the town.

I wonder if Jonathan was really that clueless and naive. He thought his father, King Saul, told him everything. Get real, son! For one thing, he probably didn't even have time to tell Jonathan everything -- even if he wanted to. As it turns out, Saul considered Jonathan something of an enemy and tried to spear him just as he had tried to kill David (more than once) earlier.

I wonder if Jonathan hadn't heard about the earlier attempts on David's life. Or if he had, did he dismiss them as exaggerations or some sort of anomaly in order to rationalize his thought that Saul was not really out to kill David?

I wonder why David and Jonathan cooked up the big arrow-shooting facade only to meet face to face immediately afterward. If shouting "Hurry! Go quickly! Don't stop!" were phrases meant to have double meanings -- one for the small boy who seems to have already found the arrow, and one for David, so that no one else in the area would get suspicious -- didn't their meeting undo all that play acting? I wonder if there was anyone else out in the field who could have seen or heard what was going on. Certainly the young boy (I'm imagining about a 6-year-old.) had no idea what was going on behind the scene. If there was no one else, why the charade? If there was someone there, why meet face to face?

7/29/2006

The power of prophesying

1 Samuel 19:19-24 - Word came to Saul: "David is in Naioth at Ramah"; so he sent men to capture him. But when they saw a group of prophets prophesying, with Samuel standing there as their leader, the Spirit of God came upon Saul's men and they also prophesied. Saul was told about it, and he sent more men, and they prophesied too. Saul sent men a third time, and they also prophesied. Finally, he himself left for Ramah and went to the great cistern at Secu. And he asked, "Where are Samuel and David?"

"Over in Naioth at Ramah," they said.

So Saul went to Naioth at Ramah. But the Spirit of God came even upon him, and he walked along prophesying until he came to Naioth. He stripped off his robes and also prophesied in Samuel's presence. He lay that way all that day and night. This is why people say, "Is Saul also among the prophets?"

To prophesy means to explain God's word. Sometimes that involves what is going to happen in the future, but that is more like the exception than the rule.

I wonder if there is more involved in some of the prophesying mentioned in Old Testament times. Often, but not always, music seems to be involved. Sometimes, as in the case(s) described here, it is an activity that is almost forced upon the prophets; that is, it's something they can't stop themselves from doing, and they can't seem to do anything (for a time) but prophesy. If they (Saul, in particular) could have done something else, then David would have been captured (and perhaps killed) as Saul had intended.

I wonder if Saul prophesied continuously all that day and night. Did he take or need time for other routine activities such as eating and sleeping?

I wonder if all who were prophesying stopped doing so at the same time. I wonder what type of things they prophesied about. I wonder if there was a congregation of listeners there to hear them. I think it must have been quite a sight to see and discussion to hear.

Wanted: Experienced shield bearer

1 Samuel 17:41, 49, 55-58 - Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David.

Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine in the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?"

Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know."

The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is."

As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head.

"Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him.

David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

I imagine that Goliath's shield bearer was killed in the ensuing battle, but if he wasn't, I wonder what kind of employment he started seeking. He certainly wasn't much good as a shield bearer. Then again, David was maybe just that much more skilled.

Assuming again that the book of 1 Samuel is written in chronological order, I wonder why Saul did not know who David was. By this time he had already been made his harpist and armor-bearer. Perhaps David hadn't served significantly in either of those positions yet. I wonder if it was part of Saul's affliction (the evil, injurious spirit that tormented him) that he had a difficult time remembering names and faces. I recently heard that remembering faces (even those of family members) is a problem for a rather significant number of people these days.

7/27/2006

Goliath's challenge

1 Samuel 17:14-16 - David was the youngest. The 3 oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

For 40 days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

I wonder why this went on and on for 40 days. Goliath came out twice a day (80 times in total) to challenge any Israelite to a duel. I wonder if he got tired of shouting at Israel. I wonder if his commander or his comrades had to coax him into doing it after the first week or two. Did either side expect something to change? Why did they just sit on opposite sides of the valley for over a month?

I wonder if David visited the battlefield more than once. If the book of 1 Samuel is in chronological order, then David was already one of Saul's armor-bearers. Perhaps he was not called into that service for this particular battle.

It's a little difficult to tell if this was his first visit. It says he went back and forth between home and Saul while his 3 oldest brothers stayed with the army. Yet when he decides to take on Goliath (sometime after the 40th day), it seems as though it was the first time he'd heard the challenge. Perhaps his trips to Saul weren't always to the battlefield. Maybe they were to Gibeah or some other base where Saul was tending to other business as his generals took care of the Philistines. Or maybe he had just never arrived when Goliath was taunting Israel.

A harp for Saul

1 Samuel 16:15-16 - Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better."

I wonder what kind of torments Saul went through. What physical signs did he show that others knew he was being tormented? Was he in physical pain? Did he have hallucinations? Was he mentally disturbed? Did he shout or scream in anguish, anger, or pain?

I wonder how his servants knew it was an evil (or injurious) spirit from God. Was there a prophet among them who was told this was the case?

I wonder how they decided upon the harp as a remedy. Had they heard of it working in other similar cases? One servant seemed to have David in mind almost immediately. Had he been thinking of David earlier and thus suggested the harp remedy? Was he a friend of David who was looking to get him a better gig than shepherding?

David also became one of Saul's armor-bearers. I wonder how many armor-bearers Saul had and needed. Were all the armor-bearers referred to here Saul's personal armor-bearers, or did they serve the army in general? I wonder if being an armor-bearer was a difficult job.

7/25/2006

Samuel anoints David

1 Samuel 16:4-13 - Samuel did what the LORD said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?"

Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed stands here before the LORD."

But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The LORD has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the LORD chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The LORD has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"

"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep."

Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives."

So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

I wonder why the elders of Bethlehem thought Samuel might not be coming in peace. Did they have guilty consciences -- either individually or collectively? Was there something they had to hide? Not that they could have kept it from Samuel if God wanted him to know about it.

When Samuel consecrated Jesse and his sons, I wonder what physical process was involved. Consecrating is setting aside or apart for a special purpose. Was there something he physically did to them or for them to show they were consecrated? Did he simply tell them they were consecrated? Was the invitation to the sacrifice also the consecration?

I wonder if David was present at the consecration. It seems from Samuel's later question that either David wasn't there or he wasn't noticed or remembered by Samuel. Otherwise Samuel should have realized that he hadn't seen all of Jesse's boys yet.

I wonder if any of David's brothers were jealous after Samuel anointed him. Nothing is mentioned here so far. I'm reminded of the contrast with Joseph's brothers. Hopefully they all rejoiced with Samuel's choice -- if they even fully realized what the anointing meant.

7/24/2006

But I did!

1 Samuel 15:19-21 - "And he sent you on a mission, saying, 'Go and completely destroy those wicked people, the Amalekites; make war on them until you have wiped them out.' Why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you pounce on the plunder and do evil in the eyes of the LORD?"

"But I did obey the LORD, " Saul said. "I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal."

Saul is trying to justify himself to Samuel. I wonder if he really couldn't see the contradiction in his statement about Agag, the Amalekite king. I wonder why he had spared Agag in the first place. The plunder was valuable but not Agag, as far as I can see.

I wonder if Saul's troops heard about Saul trying to use them as a scapegoat. "The soldiers took...." If they did, I wonder if it affected their loyalty to him.

7/23/2006

Food for the troops

1 Samuel 14:24-28, 38-45 - Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, "Cursed be any man who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!" So none of the troops tasted food.

The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground. When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out, yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath. But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened. Then one of the soldiers told him, "Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, 'Cursed be any man who eats food today!' That is why the men are faint."

Saul therefore said, "Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the LORD who rescues Israel lives, even if it lies with my son Jonathan, he must die." But not one of the men said a word.

Saul then said to all the Israelites, "You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here."

"Do what seems best to you," the men replied.

Then Saul prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, "Give me the right answer." And Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared. Saul said, "Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son." And Jonathan was taken.

Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what you have done."

So Jonathan told him, "I merely tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now must I die?"

Saul said, "May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan."

But the men said to Saul, "Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the LORD lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God's help." So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

Saul had made a rash oath -- one that probably shouldn't have been spoken in the first place. However, what was done, was done. Given the oath and Saul's several statements about someone paying with his life -- even if it were Jonathan -- I wonder if the LORD was pleased with the soldiers' decision to protect Jonathan from his father.

7/22/2006

Eli

1 Samuel 4:18 - When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his chair by the side of the gate. His neck was broken and he died, for he was an old man and heavy. He had led Israel 40 years.

I wonder how Eli got to be leader of Israel. Many leaders (judges) were good, strong people, but not so with Eli -- at least not from what we're told. Eli had led Israel from about age 58. I wonder what event(s) led to the need for another judge. Perhaps it was the Philistines who invaded Israel -- the same people who were still causing trouble at the end of Eli's life.

I wonder how Eli's wicked sons got to be in such high positions in the priesthood. I wonder why there wasn't enough opposition to have them removed from office.

I wonder why Eli allowed the ark of God to be taken into battle -- only to be used like a good luck charm. He was obviously worried about what might happen to it, and his fears were confirmed when the messenger told him that the Philistines had captured it, won the battle, and killed his two sons.

Young Samuel

1 Samuel 2:11 - Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy [Samuel] ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

I wonder if Samuel was too young to understand what was going on. I wonder how old children typically were in those days when they were weaned. I can't imagine this scene without tears -- even though none are mentioned here. Samuel had recently been weaned, and now he was left in the care of Eli in Shiloh.

I wonder if other children had been brought to serve in the house of the LORD or if this was unique. I wonder if Eli was surprised that he suddenly had an adopted or foster child to take care of. I wonder what his wife thought of the idea. Eli's own sons probably didn't care one way or the other.

I wonder how soon it was, after his arrival in Shiloh, that Samuel actually got to do any formal ministering. I'm sure Eli found small "chores" for him to do related to worship and sacrifices that visitors performed. I wonder if worshippers wondered who Samuel was and what he was doing there. I wonder how many times Eli had to tell the story of Samuel's mother Hannah.

7/21/2006

Obed

Ruth 4:16-17 - Then Naomi took the child, laid him on her lap and cared for him. The women living there said, "Naomi has a son." And they named him Obed. He was the father of Jesse, the father of David.

I don't really wonder that Naomi took care of little Obed even though they weren't really related. She cared so much for Obed's mother, Ruth, that she wanted to do anything she could to help her. Ruth had been Naomi's daughter-in-law, but since Ruth's husband Mahlon died, that relationship didn't really exist anymore. Obed was the son of Boaz and Ruth. I'm sure Naomi couldn't help thinking of Obed as her grandson though.

What I do wonder about is who named Obed. It says "they" -- meaning some of the women in Bethlehem -- named him. I wonder if this was common practice. I wonder if Boaz and Ruth had any say in the matter. If they normally would have had a say, I wonder if they willingly gave it up in this case.

I wonder if Boaz and Ruth had any more children. Obed is mentioned since he was an ancestor of King David.

7/19/2006

Benjamite wives

Judges 21:23 - So that is what the Benjamites did. While the girls were dancing, each man caught one and carried her off to be his wife. Then they returned to their inheritance and rebuilt the towns and settled in them.

Strange passage, eh? That's nothing compared to what led up to it. Briefly...

  • Levite takes to himself a concubine from Bethlehem.
  • She is unfaithful and goes back home to Papa.
  • Four months later, Levite wants her back.
  • On the way back, they stop in Gibeah of Benjamin.
  • Men of Gibeah rape concubine; she dies.
  • Levite cuts concubine into 12 pieces, sends piece to each tribe.
  • Israel musters army; 3-day civil war ensues at Gibeah.
  • Israel loses 40,000 but Benjamin loses 25,000 and war.
  • 600 Benjamites escape as Israel wipes out rest of tribe.
  • Israel vows not to give women as wives to remainder of Benjamin.
  • Since no one from Jabesh Gilead had fought, Israel kills all but 400 virgins, gives them to Benjamin.
  • 200 still without wives lie in wait along road to Shiloh after annual festival there.
  • Then the passage above.
All I really wonder is how picky the guys from Benjamin were when grabbing girls from Shiloh. The rest is just too weird to wonder about.

7/15/2006

Jephthah's vow

Judges 11:30-31 - And Jephthah made a vow to the LORD: "If you give the Ammonites into my hands, whatever comes out of the door of my house to meet me when I return in triumph from the Ammonites will be the LORD's, and I will sacrifice it as a burnt offering."

Hindsight is 20-20, but foresight isn't totally blind. So I wonder what Jephthah expected to come "out of the door of [his] house" if not a member of his family or perhaps a servant, had he owned any. Did he keep animals in the house? Was there anything that could have come through the doorway on its own that could have served as a legitimate sacrifice?

I wonder how many people knew of the vow Jephthah had made. Apparently his daughter hadn't heard it or she would have stayed inside.

I wonder if Jephthah's carrying out of the vow was pleasing to God. Jephthah had put himself between a rock and a hard place. God said that vows must be kept, but keeping this one would result in killing a family member who (as far as we know) hadn't broken any laws that warranted the death penalty. Again, hindsight is 20-20...Jephthah should have gone to a priest and inquired of the LORD what to do in this situation. God probably would have had an alternate solution that didn't involve the rock or the hard place.

7/12/2006

Gideon in Succoth and Peniel

Judges 8:6-9 - But the officials of Succoth said, "Do you already have the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna in your possession? Why should we give bread to your troops?"

Then Gideon replied, "Just for that, when the LORD has given Zebah and Zalmunna into my hand, I will tear your flesh with desert thorns and briers."

From there he went up to Peniel and made the same request of them, but they answered as the men of Succoth had. So he said to the men of Peniel, "When I return in triumph, I will tear down this tower."

Zebah and Zalmunna were Midianite kings, enemies of Israel. I wonder why Succoth an Peniel, where Gadites likely lived, wouldn't help their brothers from across the Jordan. Were they afraid of retribution from Midian if Gideon failed? But Gideon's men were more likely to fail if the Gadites didn't help against their common enemy, so...!

I wonder what made Gideon think of punishing Succoth with desert thorns and briers. Maybe he and his men had recently contended with some nasty plants in their pursuit of Midian.

I wonder why Gideon stopped with wanting to tear down just a tower in Peniel. Was it their most famous landmark? Was there something special about it or was it just the first thing that popped into his head?

Gideon and Midian

Judges 7:19-22 - Gideon and the 100 men with him reached the edge of the [Midianite] camp at the beginning of the middle watch, just after they had changed the guard. They blew their trumpets and broke the jars that were in their hands. The 3 companies blew the trumpets and smashed the jars. Grasping the torches in their left hands and holding in their right hands the trumpets they were to blow, they shouted, "A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!" While each man held his position around the camp, the Midianites all ran, crying out as they fled.

When the 300 trumpets sounded, the LORD caused the men throughout the camp to turn on each other with their swords.

I've always wondered how 300 men could surround an entire army -- one that was "thick as locusts" and whose "camels could no more be counted than the sand on the seashore." So I did the math.

If each company of 100 put just 10 yards between each man, and if each of the 3 companies put just 100 yards between them, they could make a circle with a circumference of 3300 yards. My math tells me that the area of that circle would be more than a half-mile square. That's about 6 or 7 city blocks square. You could fit a lot of soldiers and camels in that space. If Gideon's men put 15, 20, or more yards between them, the circle would grow significantly bigger and obviously a much larger army would fit inside.

I wonder what waking up in the middle of the night to the sound of 300 (enemy) trumpets is like. Is it like suddenly turning on the sound at a Spinal Tap concert (with all the knobs set to 11)?

7/10/2006

Gideon by night

Judges 6:25-32 - That same night the LORD said to him, "Take the second bull from your father's herd, the one seven years old. Tear down your father's altar to Baal and cut down the Asherah pole beside it. Then build a proper kind of altar to the LORD your God on the top of this height. Using the wood of the Asherah pole that you cut down, offer the second bull as a burnt offering."

So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the LORD told him. But because he was afraid of his family and the men of the town, he did it at night rather than in the daytime.

In the morning when the men of the town got up, there was Baal's altar, demolished, with the Asherah pole beside it cut down and the second bull sacrificed on the newly built altar!

They asked each other, "Who did this?" When they carefully investigated, they were told, "Gideon son of Joash did it."

The men of the town demanded of Joash, "Bring out your son. He must die, because he has broken down Baal's altar and cut down the Asherah pole beside it."

But Joash replied to the hostile crowd around him, "Are you going to plead Baal's cause? Are you trying to save him? Whoever fights for him shall be put to death by morning! If Baal really is a god, he can defend himself when someone breaks down his altar." So that day they called Gideon "Jerub-Baal," saying, "Let Baal contend with him," because he broke down Baal's altar.

I wonder how the worship of Asherah got started. I could wonder that about any of a number of false gods or goddesses, but I'll just pick on the goddess Asherah for now. Did some self-proclaimed priest or priestess one day say, "I'm going to make up a god...no, goddess and call her Asherah. And then I'll write down some rules for worshipping her. They'll be more interesting and enticing than those I've heard about for any other god or goddess around today. Probably should have some sort of symbol or logo for her too. Easier to market that way -- brand name recognition and all...."

Or was that done by committee? If so, it would have taken a lot longer to create.

I wonder how much making money and gaining power played into Asherah's creation.

The altar to Baal and the Asherah pole that Gideon destroyed both belonged to his father Joash. It appears that they may have been used by others in town too. I wonder if these were the only ones in town.

I wonder why Joash didn't stick up for Baal and Asherah any more than he did. Was it just to protect Gideon? I wonder if Joash didn't really put that much stock in the actual worship of Baal and Asherah but allowed others to "rent" their facilities as a source of income. I wonder if anyone rebuilt the altar and the pole.

7/09/2006

Jael kills Sisera

Judges 4:21 - But Jael, Heber's wife, picked up a tent peg and a hammer and went quietly to him [Sisera] while he lay fast asleep, exhausted. She drove the peg through his temple into the ground, and he died.

Barak, a leader from Israel, was chasing the Moabite commander, Sisera, following a battle that the Moabites lost -- even though they had 900 iron chariots (think, tanks). Sisera ran to where Heber and Jael lived. I wonder if Jael was the only person in the area at the time. She's the only one mentioned when both Sisera and later Barak come to the settlement. I wonder if everyone else (How many were there?) had left the area to tend the sheep or cattle or do other duties.

Jael had probably met, or at least had seen, Sisera on another occasion. She seems to have recognized him and understood his position and circumstances. I wonder why Heber and Sisera's king were friends. In any case, it didn't help Sisera as he had hoped.

I wonder why Jael used a hammer and tent peg as a weapon. Was there nothing better available? Not that any killing is a nice thing, but this seems a rather nasty way to do it. I hope one hammer blow was enough.

I wonder if Barak was surprised. If he thought about it, he shouldn't have been, since Deborah had told him earlier that the honor for the victory would go not to him but to a woman instead.

7/07/2006

The next generation

Judges 2:10 - After that whole generation had been gathered to their fathers, another generation grew up, who neither knew the LORD nor what he had done for Israel.

Obviously this is a generalization as there were (and always are) a few who know the LORD and what he has done for his people. But I wonder that it happened so quickly that the Israelites went their own way. Sure, there were those Canaanites that they never totally wiped out still living among them. But Israel was a strong majority. I wonder how much influence the Canaanite minority really had. I'm sure their different life styles, practices, and habits were tempting to many Israelites -- especially if sex, money, or power was involved.

I wonder how much of the blame for what happened to the next generation should be put on the previous generation. How many parents gave up, or never started, teaching their children about the LORD, about the books of Moses, about Israeli history. Did they consider that to be the priests' and Levites' job? Did they think such things were reserved for the Sabbath Day and didn't matter much the rest of the week? Did they even observe the laws of the Sabbath? Was there just too much work to do that they couldn't get it all done in 6 days every week and so sometimes had to work on the Sabbath too? I wonder if anyone was punished for working on the Sabbath during this time.

7/06/2006

Boundary waters

Joshua 22:24-25 - "No! We did it for fear that some day your descendants might say to ours, 'What do you have to do with the LORD, the God of Israel? The LORD has made the Jordan a boundary between us and you -- you Reubenites and Gadites! You have no share in the LORD.' So your descendants might cause ours to stop fearing the LORD."

The Israelites on the west side of the Jordan were literally up in arms over a replica altar the Israelites on the east side of the Jordan had just built. The text above is their explanation for building it. While this may have been true, it still sounds like a weak argument. I wonder if that's what all of them were really thinking or if that's the best they could come up with on the spur of the moment when the West Israeli Army showed up.

The Jordan (and other rivers) seemed like rather major hindrances during this era. I wonder if no one ever thought of the concept of a bridge. The technology certainly would have been there, wouldn't it? They could build some pretty nifty things in their cities. Why not down by the riverside too?

Perhaps they purposely didn't build bridges in some cases as protection from enemies, but the Jordan was entirely within their own territory. I wonder what stopped them from building a bridge across it.

[In memory of Joan who crossed her own Jordan this week.]

7/04/2006

No survivors

Joshua 10:40-42 - So Joshua subdued the whole region, including the hill country, the Negev, the western foothills and the mountain slopes, together with all their kings. He left no survivors. He totally destroyed all who breathed, just as the LORD, the God of Israel, had commanded. Joshua subdued them from Kadesh Barnea to Gaza and from the whole region of Goshen to Gibeon. All these kings and their lands Joshua conquered in one campaign, because the LORD, the God of Israel, fought for Israel.

I wonder if Joshua's army ever got tired. They were always fighting fresh enemies. Maybe only certain divisions were deployed for a given battle (as was first tried at Ai).

I wonder how long this campaign took. How long did they rest between battles? How long did it take to get from one city or battlefield to the next?

In this campaign, Joshua and Israel accomplished the following:

  • Defeated Jericho
  • Defeated Ai (on the second attempt)
  • Made peace with Gibeon
  • Defeated the armies of Jerusalem, Hebron, Jarmuth, Lachish, and Eglon who had attacked Gibeon
  • Defeated Makkedah
  • Defeated Libnah
  • Defeated what was left of Lachish, Eglon, and Hebron
  • Defeated Debir
In virtually every battle, they left no survivors. I wonder if Joshua left a detachment of soldiers behind in each of these cities to police it and mark it as belonging to Israel.

7/03/2006

Moon over Aijalon

Joshua 10:12-13 - On the day the LORD gave the Amorites over to Israel, Joshua said to the LORD in the presence of Israel:

"O sun, stand still over Gibeon,
O moon, over the Valley of Aijalon."
So the sun stood still,
and the moon stopped,
till the nation avenged itself on its enemies,

as it is written in the Book of Jashar.

This is one of two events (the other involving Hezekiah) recorded in the Bible where the Earth doesn't behave the way it normally does. In this case, the Earth apparently stopped rotating on its axis, and the moon stopped revolving around the Earth.

Supposedly someone had done some research on this and had proven it scientifically, but recently this was found to be a hoax. As far as I know, no purely scientific explanation has been given.

It's interesting to note that this incident was recorded in at least two books: Joshua and Jashar. I don't think we have any copies of the Book of Jashar however. I wonder how many other people wrote about this day.

I wonder what people in other parts of the world thought about this time -- especially where it was nighttime for about an extra "day." I wonder if the "full day" means 12 hours or 24 hours.

"Honey, wake up."

"Mmm...."

"Minglok, get up!"

"Wha...? What's'matter?"

"Look at the timer. It's morning."

"Huh? Can't be. Still dark."

"I know, but the timer says it's the middle of the morning, and you're late for work."

"That old timer must be broken. Go back to sleep."

A knock at the door.

"Minglok, you in there?"

"Yeah, but what do you want in the middle of the night? Can't it wait till morning?"

"That's just it -- everyone's saying it is morning!"

I wonder how everyone that had a schedule handled the rescheduling.

I wonder if only the Earth and the moon were affected or if everything stood still for a day. I wonder if this can be explained naturally/scientifically or if God went outside the laws of nature to do this.

7/02/2006

Achan was taken

Joshua 7:16-18 - Early the next morning Joshua had Israel come forward by tribes, and Judah was taken. The clans of Judah came forward, and he took the Zerahites. He had the clan of the Zerahites come forward by families, and Zimri was taken. Joshua had his family come forward man by man, and Achan son of Carmi, the son of Zimri, the son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, was taken.

The scene is post Ai Battle #1. Israel lost to a puny little burg where only a few men lived. The reason they lost was that the LORD was not on their side because Achan had stolen some of the treasures he found in the sacking of Jericho -- treasures that God had said should be completely destroyed.

Obviously Achan thought he would get away with it, but I wonder why he didn't confess sooner, especially after God let it be known that someone had stolen goods from Jericho. Did he think that someone else was the real culprit and that what he took didn't really count?

I wonder how each group was "taken." Did they draw straws? throw dice? pull colored stones from a bag? use the Urim and Thummim?

Again, I wonder, as it was being narrowed down to Achan, why he didn't step forward sooner. Did he think to the very end that someone else from his family would be taken instead?

7/01/2006

The literal fall of Jericho

Joshua 6:15, 22-23 - On the 7th day, they got up at daybreak and marched around the city 7 times in the same manner, except that on that day they circled the city 7 times.

Joshua said to the 2 men who had spied out the land, "Go into the prostitute's house and bring her out and all who belong to her, in accordance with your oath to her." So the young men who had done the spying went in and brought out Rahab, her father and mother and brothers and all who belonged to her. They brought out her entire family and put them in a place outside the camp of Israel.

I wonder how big Jericho was. Some have said it was only the equivalent of several modern day city blocks. I wonder if the Israelite army entirely encompassed it as they marched around it. I wonder how spooky it must have felt inside the city. I wonder how long it took to march around Jericho one time (or 7 times).

I wonder why the 2 spies are never named. Almost everyone else who does something significant -- good or bad -- gets credit for it by name. Why not these 2 young men?