Joshua 3:15-17 - Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground.
I wonder if the priests who carried the ark got tired while standing in the middle of the riverbed. Sure, the people hurried across, but that's still 2.5 million people to wait for.
I wonder what the people living near the town of Adam thought about the Jordan piling up there.
I wonder why it seems that this river-crossing miracle doesn't get as much "press" as the Red Sea crossing. Maybe...been there, done that?
I wonder how long the 12 stones that were set up as a memorial to this miracle stayed in place. I wonder if anyone really did ask about them later.
Some miracles, though very special and unusual, are easy to picture. Not so with the piling up of the Jordan (or the Red Sea, for that matter). Water is liquid. How does it just suddenly "pile up"?
6/30/2006
6/29/2006
Spies in Jericho
Joshua 2 - Then Joshua son of Nun secretly sent two spies from Shittim. "Go, look over the land," he said, "especially Jericho." So they went and entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there.
I wonder if, while hiding in the hills, the spies could see their pursuers along the road. Even though Rahab had suggested 3 days, how else would they have known when it was safe to come down and head back to camp?
Rahab tied the scarlet rope in the window (which was set in the city wall) through which she had helped the spies escape. I wonder what happened to all of that when the walls of Jericho came a-tumblin' down not many days hence.
The king of Jericho was told, "Look! Some of the Israelites have come here tonight to spy out the land." So the king of Jericho sent this message to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you and entered your house, because they have come to spy out the whole land."
But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. She said, "Yes, the men came to me, but I did not know where they had come from. At dusk, when it was time to close the city gate, the men left. I don't know which way they went. Go after them quickly. You may catch up with them." (But she had taken them up to the roof and hidden them under the stalks of flax she had laid out on the roof.) So the men set out in pursuit of the spies on the road that leads to the fords of the Jordan, and as soon as the pursuers had gone out, the gate was shut.
Before the spies lay down for the night, she went up on the roof and said to them, "I know that the LORD has given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. We have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone's courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below. Now then, please swear to me by the LORD that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you. Give me a sure sign that you will spare the lives of my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all who belong to them, and that you will save us from death."
"Our lives for your lives!" the men assured her. "If you don't tell what we are doing, we will treat you kindly and faithfully when the LORD gives us the land."
So she let them down by a rope through the window, for the house she lived in was part of the city wall. Now she had said to them, "Go to the hills so the pursuers will not find you. Hide yourselves there three days until they return, and then go on your way."
The men said to her, "This oath you made us swear will not be binding on us unless, when we enter the land, you have tied this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down, and unless you have brought your father and mother, your brothers and all your family into your house. If anyone goes outside your house into the street, his blood will be on his own head; we will not be responsible. As for anyone who is in the house with you, his blood will be on our head if a hand is laid on him. But if you tell what we are doing, we will be released from the oath you made us swear."
"Agreed," she replied. "Let it be as you say." So she sent them away and they departed. And she tied the scarlet cord in the window.
When they left, they went into the hills and stayed there three days, until the pursuers had searched all along the road and returned without finding them. Then the two men started back. They went down out of the hills, forded the river and came to Joshua son of Nun and told him everything that had happened to them. They said to Joshua, "The LORD has surely given the whole land into our hands; all the people are melting in fear because of us."
Apparently these two guys weren't very good spies -- at least not of the type we think of today. Spies are supposed to do things in secret; their actions, locations, names, and so on are not supposed to be general knowledge. Yet soon after they enter Jericho, someone figures out who they are, where they're staying, and what their mission is.
But that's about all the credit I can give the Jerichoans. What happens after the king (much like the mayor and police chief rolled into one) is told about the plot is a puzzlement. Were these people just that stupid? I wonder why the king only sent a message to Rahab. Why didn't he send armed guards to search her house from top to bottom until the spies were found? Why did he believe the word of a prostitute and send his men off into the countryside on a wild goose chase? Someone had seen the men enter Rahab's house. Did no one notice that they hadn't come out again? Why didn't the king have men search everywhere -- in the country and in the city? Even if Rahab was really an innkeeper (as a footnote in most Bibles suggests is a possibility), was she so respected and trustworthy that no one thought to verify her story?
For 3 days they searched along the roads. Did they really think they would find the spies out in the open? I wonder if they really wanted to find them. I wonder how Rahab knew the spies should hide in the hills for 3 days.I wonder if, while hiding in the hills, the spies could see their pursuers along the road. Even though Rahab had suggested 3 days, how else would they have known when it was safe to come down and head back to camp?
Rahab tied the scarlet rope in the window (which was set in the city wall) through which she had helped the spies escape. I wonder what happened to all of that when the walls of Jericho came a-tumblin' down not many days hence.
6/28/2006
Be strong and courageous
Joshua 1:6-9 - "Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their fathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
I wonder what Joshua was most afraid of. He obviously needed a lot of encouragement from God himself right at the start of his "rule." Three times in one short conversation God tells him to be strong and courageous -- very courageous, even. On top of that...don't be terrified or discouraged!
Was Joshua afraid of fighting a battle? I doubt that was his biggest fear. He probably wouldn't even have to arm himself if he didn't want to. He could play the role of the 5-star general back at HQ barking out the orders to his lieutenants and other subordinates.
I think he might have been more afraid of having to lead the Israelites in the ways of the LORD, teaching them by word and example all that was in the Book of the Law that Moses had recently finished writing -- Genesis through Deuteronomy. That was a daunting task! Sure, he had the assistance of the elders, priests, and Levites, but he also knew what a pain these people could be at times.
Failure in battle versus failure in believing, keeping, and teaching God's word. Bewteen a rock and a hard place if you had to choose? Not really. Failure related to believing God's word has far more devastating results than losing a physical battle or war.
Some of Joshua's leaders echoed God's words: "Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous." It seems they too knew what a huge task Joshua had been given. I wonder if they realized how fitting their first comments would have been had they been spoken to God himself.
I wonder what Joshua was most afraid of. He obviously needed a lot of encouragement from God himself right at the start of his "rule." Three times in one short conversation God tells him to be strong and courageous -- very courageous, even. On top of that...don't be terrified or discouraged!
Was Joshua afraid of fighting a battle? I doubt that was his biggest fear. He probably wouldn't even have to arm himself if he didn't want to. He could play the role of the 5-star general back at HQ barking out the orders to his lieutenants and other subordinates.
I think he might have been more afraid of having to lead the Israelites in the ways of the LORD, teaching them by word and example all that was in the Book of the Law that Moses had recently finished writing -- Genesis through Deuteronomy. That was a daunting task! Sure, he had the assistance of the elders, priests, and Levites, but he also knew what a pain these people could be at times.
Failure in battle versus failure in believing, keeping, and teaching God's word. Bewteen a rock and a hard place if you had to choose? Not really. Failure related to believing God's word has far more devastating results than losing a physical battle or war.
Some of Joshua's leaders echoed God's words: "Whoever rebels against your word and does not obey your words, whatever you may command them, will be put to death. Only be strong and courageous." It seems they too knew what a huge task Joshua had been given. I wonder if they realized how fitting their first comments would have been had they been spoken to God himself.
6/27/2006
The death of Moses
Deuteronomy 34:5-6 - And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said. He buried him in Moab, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, but to this day no one knows where his grave is.
Obviously someone other than Moses wrote the last few sentences of Deuteronomy. I wonder if it was Joshua or Caleb or one of Moses' sons. These words must have been added onto Moses' writings quite some time later, otherwise the phrase "to this day" would make no sense. You wouldn't say such a thing the day after Moses died.
Moses was buried in the valley, not on Mount Nebo, where God had miraculously showed him all the land of Canaan. I wonder how the writer knew that Moses was buried there, since no one knows where his exact grave was. Maybe Joshua or a small group or even all of the Israelites last saw him in the valley alive from a distance but then couldn't find him later. Maybe God provided a special sign that isn't recorded here. Or maybe he simply gave the writer this information by special revelation.
I wonder what it would be like to know you were going to heaven today for sure.
Obviously someone other than Moses wrote the last few sentences of Deuteronomy. I wonder if it was Joshua or Caleb or one of Moses' sons. These words must have been added onto Moses' writings quite some time later, otherwise the phrase "to this day" would make no sense. You wouldn't say such a thing the day after Moses died.
Moses was buried in the valley, not on Mount Nebo, where God had miraculously showed him all the land of Canaan. I wonder how the writer knew that Moses was buried there, since no one knows where his exact grave was. Maybe Joshua or a small group or even all of the Israelites last saw him in the valley alive from a distance but then couldn't find him later. Maybe God provided a special sign that isn't recorded here. Or maybe he simply gave the writer this information by special revelation.
I wonder what it would be like to know you were going to heaven today for sure.
6/26/2006
Making copies
Deuteronomy 17:18-20 - When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the priests, who are Levites. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his brothers and turn from the law to the right or to the left. Then he and his descendants will reign a long time over his kingdom in Israel.
I wonder if any king of Israel -- from Saul to David to Solomon on down -- ever made his own personal copy of the law as Moses directed. True, it would be a long time after Moses wrote this before Israel ever had their first king, but the Levites still had copies of the law and some, if not all, of them knew what it said here in Deuteronomy.
If any king did this, you would think it would have been David. However, I wonder if even he did it. If he did, I don't think it's noted anywhere. I can think of several kings who very likely did not make a copy. Some of them were in office so few days that they would barely have had time to start copying the first sentence much less finish the whole thing.
Note that God considers active, physical use of his word a good thing, a great teaching method. Maybe each of us should attempt to make our own handwritten (or possibly typed) copy of the Bible. I wonder how long it would take.
I wonder if any king of Israel -- from Saul to David to Solomon on down -- ever made his own personal copy of the law as Moses directed. True, it would be a long time after Moses wrote this before Israel ever had their first king, but the Levites still had copies of the law and some, if not all, of them knew what it said here in Deuteronomy.
If any king did this, you would think it would have been David. However, I wonder if even he did it. If he did, I don't think it's noted anywhere. I can think of several kings who very likely did not make a copy. Some of them were in office so few days that they would barely have had time to start copying the first sentence much less finish the whole thing.
Note that God considers active, physical use of his word a good thing, a great teaching method. Maybe each of us should attempt to make our own handwritten (or possibly typed) copy of the Bible. I wonder how long it would take.
6/25/2006
All the people
Deuteronomy 17:7 - The hands of the witnesses must be the first in putting him to death, and then the hands of all the people.
The situation here is the stoning to death of a person who has broken one of the laws that God decided was worthy of this severe punishment. If there were 2 or more witnesses to the crime, if the case had been thoroughly investigated, and if the accused had been found guilty, then the witnesses were to cast the first stones. I wonder if the phrase "all the people" was to be taken literally. If so, that would mean about 2.5 million stones would be thrown at the condemned person. But there probably wouldn't be anything left of the criminal after the first few hundred stones. I wonder if this was to be taken more philosophically in that all the people should agree that this was the proper sentence to be carried out. I wonder if only those involved in the case or only those in the general vicinity of the scene of the crime actually threw the stones.
Part of the reason for this capital punishment was to make an example of the convict and deter others from following in his steps. Even if only a few dozen or even a hundred people were involved in carrying out the punishment, I'm sure word quickly spread throughout the entire nation about what had been done.
"So, Shekariah, you actually saw the stoning?"
"Saw it! Yeah, I saw it alright. I had to throw the fifth stone, I think it was, myself. Toughest thing I've ever had to do. It wasn't pretty. Pray I never have to again."
"What was it like? Was there...?"
"Don't ask. I can't talk about it. You don't really wanna know. Trust me. Tell everyone. You just don't wanna know."
The situation here is the stoning to death of a person who has broken one of the laws that God decided was worthy of this severe punishment. If there were 2 or more witnesses to the crime, if the case had been thoroughly investigated, and if the accused had been found guilty, then the witnesses were to cast the first stones. I wonder if the phrase "all the people" was to be taken literally. If so, that would mean about 2.5 million stones would be thrown at the condemned person. But there probably wouldn't be anything left of the criminal after the first few hundred stones. I wonder if this was to be taken more philosophically in that all the people should agree that this was the proper sentence to be carried out. I wonder if only those involved in the case or only those in the general vicinity of the scene of the crime actually threw the stones.
Part of the reason for this capital punishment was to make an example of the convict and deter others from following in his steps. Even if only a few dozen or even a hundred people were involved in carrying out the punishment, I'm sure word quickly spread throughout the entire nation about what had been done.
"So, Shekariah, you actually saw the stoning?"
"Saw it! Yeah, I saw it alright. I had to throw the fifth stone, I think it was, myself. Toughest thing I've ever had to do. It wasn't pretty. Pray I never have to again."
"What was it like? Was there...?"
"Don't ask. I can't talk about it. You don't really wanna know. Trust me. Tell everyone. You just don't wanna know."
Time to celebrate
Deuteronomy 16:9-10 - Count off 7 weeks from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain. Then celebrate the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God by giving a freewill offering in proportion to the blessings the LORD your God has given you.
Deuteronomy 16:13 - Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for 7 days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
It would make sense for all the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles at the same time. So I wonder who decided when to start counting off the 7 weeks and the 7 days. Certainly one farmer might have started harvesting his grain a few days before another. Did they communicate with each other throughout the land to find out who had already started the harvest? Did they have to come to a consensus as to which week to start counting from? Was everyone's crop normally ready to be harvested within a 7-day period or less? Was that always the same week each year or did the festival vary according to harvest time? Did they agree to celebrate it at the same time from one year to the next? That would seem to go against God's command for calculating the festival.
I wonder similar things about the Feast of Tabernacles. Did they all celebrate it at the same time? Did each community start counting off the 7 days from when the first harvest was gathered, from when most had been collected, or from when all of it was in? Again, was this variable from year to year (like Easter today) or did they agree on a date (like Christmas)?
Deuteronomy 16:13 - Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles for 7 days after you have gathered the produce of your threshing floor and your winepress.
It would make sense for all the Israelites to celebrate the Feast of Weeks and the Feast of Tabernacles at the same time. So I wonder who decided when to start counting off the 7 weeks and the 7 days. Certainly one farmer might have started harvesting his grain a few days before another. Did they communicate with each other throughout the land to find out who had already started the harvest? Did they have to come to a consensus as to which week to start counting from? Was everyone's crop normally ready to be harvested within a 7-day period or less? Was that always the same week each year or did the festival vary according to harvest time? Did they agree to celebrate it at the same time from one year to the next? That would seem to go against God's command for calculating the festival.
I wonder similar things about the Feast of Tabernacles. Did they all celebrate it at the same time? Did each community start counting off the 7 days from when the first harvest was gathered, from when most had been collected, or from when all of it was in? Again, was this variable from year to year (like Easter today) or did they agree on a date (like Christmas)?
6/22/2006
40-year-old clothes
Deuteronomy 8:4 - Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these 40 years.
I wonder if the Israelites had noticed this before Moses pointed it out to them. Most of these people had grown up from childhood to adulthood over the past 40 years of wandering, and so they would have needed new clothes as they grew out of them. But the amount of great-looking hand-me-downs was probably enormous. I wonder if they thought, "Hm, these threads wear really well. Mom must have found some really good wool."
I wonder how many people took note that either their own or their relatives', friends', and neighbors' clothes never seemed to change much. How long did it take before someone said, "Hey, Shekariah, how long you had that cloak now...2...5...10 years?" (I know, at least 2 years.)
I wonder how many people today have clothes older than 2...5...10 years. You can argue that much of it isn't made that well, but some of it is. How well were the Israelites' clothes made? Probably some of each there too.
I wonder if the Israelites had noticed this before Moses pointed it out to them. Most of these people had grown up from childhood to adulthood over the past 40 years of wandering, and so they would have needed new clothes as they grew out of them. But the amount of great-looking hand-me-downs was probably enormous. I wonder if they thought, "Hm, these threads wear really well. Mom must have found some really good wool."
I wonder how many people took note that either their own or their relatives', friends', and neighbors' clothes never seemed to change much. How long did it take before someone said, "Hey, Shekariah, how long you had that cloak now...2...5...10 years?" (I know, at least 2 years.)
I wonder how many people today have clothes older than 2...5...10 years. You can argue that much of it isn't made that well, but some of it is. How well were the Israelites' clothes made? Probably some of each there too.
6/21/2006
Details in Deuteronomy
Deuteronomy 1:2 - (It takes 11 days to go from Horeb to Kadesh Barnea by the Mount Seir road.)
I wonder why Moses mentions this geographic/travel fact at the beginning of his final book. Mount Horeb (aka Sinai) was near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Kadesh Barnea was in the northeast corner of the peninsula. Eventually it would become part of the Israelite kingdom at the farthest reaches of their land to the southwest -- farther south than even Beersheba.
I wonder if Moses is hinting, "See, we could have made it from Horeb/Sinai to Canaan in about 2 weeks. It only took us 40 years more than that because your fathers didn't do as they were told. That's why you've had to grow up as nomads wandering from place to place in the desert." Or something like that.
I wonder if it took 11 days for an average caravan to make the trip. I wonder if it took 2.5 million people longer.
It just occurred to me that, with a group this size, there had to be births, circumcisions, weddings, and deaths pretty much every day of their journey. Maybe there were no weddings on the Sabbath though. Even if the entire trip from Egypt to Canaan had only taken a month, there were probably many elderly people who never would have seen the earthly Canaan anyway. They crossed their own Jordan into the heavenly promised land sooner than the earthly one -- a trip which was far better for them anyway.
I wonder why Moses mentions this geographic/travel fact at the beginning of his final book. Mount Horeb (aka Sinai) was near the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Kadesh Barnea was in the northeast corner of the peninsula. Eventually it would become part of the Israelite kingdom at the farthest reaches of their land to the southwest -- farther south than even Beersheba.
I wonder if Moses is hinting, "See, we could have made it from Horeb/Sinai to Canaan in about 2 weeks. It only took us 40 years more than that because your fathers didn't do as they were told. That's why you've had to grow up as nomads wandering from place to place in the desert." Or something like that.
I wonder if it took 11 days for an average caravan to make the trip. I wonder if it took 2.5 million people longer.
It just occurred to me that, with a group this size, there had to be births, circumcisions, weddings, and deaths pretty much every day of their journey. Maybe there were no weddings on the Sabbath though. Even if the entire trip from Egypt to Canaan had only taken a month, there were probably many elderly people who never would have seen the earthly Canaan anyway. They crossed their own Jordan into the heavenly promised land sooner than the earthly one -- a trip which was far better for them anyway.
6/20/2006
Zelophehad's daughters revisited
Numbers 36:11 - Zelophehad's daughters -- Mahlah, Tirzah, Heglah, Milcah, and Noah -- married their cousins on their father's side.
I wondered earlier if Zelophehad's daughters were the only ones with an inheritance problem. It seems from this second reference to them and to an extension of their problem that they really were the only family amongst the 2.5 million Israelites who had no brothers. Either that or other such families just didn't care about not getting and keeping an inheritance of land in Canaan.
I wonder if these women chose their cousin husbands or if the husbands chose them. Or did the parents make the arrangements (as was not uncommon in those days in that society)?
The name Noah was at this time apparently an acceptable name for a girl. The more famous Noah, who built the ark at the time of the Flood, was a boy. I wonder which other names were considered suitable for either gender. Today we have names like Chris, Pat, Kim, and Kelly that can be used either way. I wonder if Mahlah, Tirzah, Heglah, and Milcah could also be names for boys. Or would that have been as unheard of as calling a boy Karen or a girl Matthew?
I wondered earlier if Zelophehad's daughters were the only ones with an inheritance problem. It seems from this second reference to them and to an extension of their problem that they really were the only family amongst the 2.5 million Israelites who had no brothers. Either that or other such families just didn't care about not getting and keeping an inheritance of land in Canaan.
I wonder if these women chose their cousin husbands or if the husbands chose them. Or did the parents make the arrangements (as was not uncommon in those days in that society)?
The name Noah was at this time apparently an acceptable name for a girl. The more famous Noah, who built the ark at the time of the Flood, was a boy. I wonder which other names were considered suitable for either gender. Today we have names like Chris, Pat, Kim, and Kelly that can be used either way. I wonder if Mahlah, Tirzah, Heglah, and Milcah could also be names for boys. Or would that have been as unheard of as calling a boy Karen or a girl Matthew?
Not one is missing
Numbers 31:48 - Then the officers who were over the units of the army -- the commanders of 1000s and commanders of 100s -- went to Moses and said to him, "Your servants have counted the soldiers under our command, and not one is missing."
12,000 men went to war against the Midianites (the people who had taken Joseph to Egypt in the first place), and not one of them died in battle. They killed all the Midianite men but not the women and children. Moses then commanded that all the women who were not virgins should be killed. That still left 32,000 women. Even if those had been the only women in the original group...do the math...how many men must there have been?
This was an amazing battle and victory! I wonder if Moses was surprised by the results. God hadn't promised zero losses. The army commanders sound surprised to me. They even made a special offering of thanks and praise to God that not one was missing.
Even though God didn't specifically tell Moses what he was going to do for Israel in this war, he does time and again promise in general to bless his faithful over and above what they dare to expect. I wonder if I have forgotten to give him special thanks and praise for any pleasant surprises he's sent my way.
12,000 men went to war against the Midianites (the people who had taken Joseph to Egypt in the first place), and not one of them died in battle. They killed all the Midianite men but not the women and children. Moses then commanded that all the women who were not virgins should be killed. That still left 32,000 women. Even if those had been the only women in the original group...do the math...how many men must there have been?
This was an amazing battle and victory! I wonder if Moses was surprised by the results. God hadn't promised zero losses. The army commanders sound surprised to me. They even made a special offering of thanks and praise to God that not one was missing.
Even though God didn't specifically tell Moses what he was going to do for Israel in this war, he does time and again promise in general to bless his faithful over and above what they dare to expect. I wonder if I have forgotten to give him special thanks and praise for any pleasant surprises he's sent my way.
6/18/2006
Zelophehad's daughters
Numbers 27:1-11 - The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milcah and Tirzah. They approached the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly, and said, "Our father died in the desert. He was not among Korah's followers, who banded together against the LORD, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. Why should our father's name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father's relatives."
So Moses brought their case before the LORD and the LORD said to him, "What Zelophehad's daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father's relatives and turn their father's inheritance over to them.
"Say to the Israelites, 'If a man dies and leaves no son, turn his inheritance over to his daughter. If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father's brothers. If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to be a legal requirement for the Israelites, as the LORD commanded Moses.' "
I wonder if Zelophehad's daughters were the only ones in this situation or if they were just the first ones to speak up. I wonder what would have happened if neither they nor anyone else had spoken up about this situation. Certainly God knew about it and had a ready answer when Moses asked him what to do.
I wonder if this was another of God's tests to see if his followers would ask him where he wanted to lead them. Probably. I wonder how often I have forgotten to ask the same thing.
6/16/2006
A star out of Jacob
Numbers 24:17 -
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
This is a reference to the Messiah who was to come, the one first promised in Eden -- Jesus Christ. I wonder if Balaam realized he was talking about Jesus. He does say (just before this) that his eyes were opened. Perhaps that means that he did have at least a partial understanding of the true meaning of these words.
I doubt that Balak or any of the other Moabites had any clue about who this referred to. I wonder what Balak thought Balaam was talking about here. Maybe Balak wasn't even trying to understand everything in detail. Once he heard yet again that Balaam was going to bless and not curse Israel, contrary to Balak's wishes, I wonder if Balak's anger got the best of him and he tuned out the rest of Balaam's message (oracle) from God.
I wonder how often people let their own wants and desires -- major or minor, significant or petty -- get in the way of what God is plainly telling them. Balaam was pretty much hitting Balak over the head with a bat, so to speak, and he still wasn't getting it. Notice that it didn't stop God from proclaiming his message or from having it come to pass. How minor are even our "major" concerns and causes in the big scheme of things!
I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near.
A star will come out of Jacob;
a scepter will rise out of Israel.
This is a reference to the Messiah who was to come, the one first promised in Eden -- Jesus Christ. I wonder if Balaam realized he was talking about Jesus. He does say (just before this) that his eyes were opened. Perhaps that means that he did have at least a partial understanding of the true meaning of these words.
I doubt that Balak or any of the other Moabites had any clue about who this referred to. I wonder what Balak thought Balaam was talking about here. Maybe Balak wasn't even trying to understand everything in detail. Once he heard yet again that Balaam was going to bless and not curse Israel, contrary to Balak's wishes, I wonder if Balak's anger got the best of him and he tuned out the rest of Balaam's message (oracle) from God.
I wonder how often people let their own wants and desires -- major or minor, significant or petty -- get in the way of what God is plainly telling them. Balaam was pretty much hitting Balak over the head with a bat, so to speak, and he still wasn't getting it. Notice that it didn't stop God from proclaiming his message or from having it come to pass. How minor are even our "major" concerns and causes in the big scheme of things!
6/15/2006
The fee for divination
Numbers 22:7 - The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination.
I wonder how much the fee for diviniation was. Did it depend on who the diviner was? Was a diviner exactly the same thing as a prophet? A seer? Did they each set their own rates? Was there a standard fee schedule? Did it depend on how important the task was? Two bulls and a sheep for cursing your enemies? A pair of doves to find out what the weather would be tomorrow?
This fee was going to be paid to Balaam. Apparently Balaam was known as a diviner. I wonder if he had been called upon for anything like this before. Was divining his only source of income? If so, I wonder how often he had to be hired in order to survive. Did he have a reputation as a good and reliable diviner? Were there bad, unreliable ones?
It's interesting that divining or prophesying came to be associated with a fee -- almost as if you could simply buy your future. I wonder if people who pay for baptism -- a payment which is not necessary -- are thinking along those lines. I wonder the same thing about those who charge fees for them.
I wonder how much the fee for diviniation was. Did it depend on who the diviner was? Was a diviner exactly the same thing as a prophet? A seer? Did they each set their own rates? Was there a standard fee schedule? Did it depend on how important the task was? Two bulls and a sheep for cursing your enemies? A pair of doves to find out what the weather would be tomorrow?
This fee was going to be paid to Balaam. Apparently Balaam was known as a diviner. I wonder if he had been called upon for anything like this before. Was divining his only source of income? If so, I wonder how often he had to be hired in order to survive. Did he have a reputation as a good and reliable diviner? Were there bad, unreliable ones?
It's interesting that divining or prophesying came to be associated with a fee -- almost as if you could simply buy your future. I wonder if people who pay for baptism -- a payment which is not necessary -- are thinking along those lines. I wonder the same thing about those who charge fees for them.
6/14/2006
The Book of the Wars of the LORD
Numbers 21:13-15 - They set out from there and camped alongside the Arnon, which is in the desert extending into Amorite territory. The Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab and the Amorites. That is why the Book of the Wars of the LORD says:
"Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab."
I wonder who the author (or authors) of the Book of the Wars of the LORD (BWL) was (or were). I wonder if Moses is quoting it from memory or if he had a copy at his side. Was there more than one copy? Was Moses the author?
I wonder when the BWL was written. How many "Wars of the LORD" did it contain? To this point in Numbers, there hadn't been all that many. Perhaps Moses was writing Numbers years later after there had been more wars that could fill the BWL.
I wonder why Moses quoted the BWL here in Numbers. He mentions the BWL rather matter-of-factly, as if all his readers would have heard of it. I wonder why he felt the need to explain a passage from the BWL here in Numbers. Wasn't it explained well enough in the BWL? I wonder if the BWL refers to or quotes Numbers or any of Moses other books.
"Waheb in Suphah and the ravines,
the Arnon and the slopes of the ravines
that lead to the site of Ar
and lie along the border of Moab."
I wonder who the author (or authors) of the Book of the Wars of the LORD (BWL) was (or were). I wonder if Moses is quoting it from memory or if he had a copy at his side. Was there more than one copy? Was Moses the author?
I wonder when the BWL was written. How many "Wars of the LORD" did it contain? To this point in Numbers, there hadn't been all that many. Perhaps Moses was writing Numbers years later after there had been more wars that could fill the BWL.
I wonder why Moses quoted the BWL here in Numbers. He mentions the BWL rather matter-of-factly, as if all his readers would have heard of it. I wonder why he felt the need to explain a passage from the BWL here in Numbers. Wasn't it explained well enough in the BWL? I wonder if the BWL refers to or quotes Numbers or any of Moses other books.
6/13/2006
Edom bypass
Numbers 20:18, 21:4 - But Edom answered, "You may not pass through here; if you try, we will march out and attack you with the sword."
They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom.
I wonder why the Israelites asked to go through Edom in the first place. Sure, it was a more direct route to Canaan and perhaps easier terrain to navigate, but what was the hurry? They had 40 years to get there. And if Canaan wasn't their immediate destination, why did they still want to go through Edom?
It's hard to blame the Edomites for not wanting 2.5 million people traipsing through the countryside. Even if they stayed on the king's highway, what kind of condition would that road be in several days or weeks later after an entire nation walked or rode it from one end to the other?
I wonder if the Edomites were thinking, "They'll stay on the king's highway? Yeah, right. They stayed on the dry ground walking through the Red Sea and look where that left Pharaoh's army! We can't afford to take the risk. Send them around on the bypass."
They travelled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom.
I wonder why the Israelites asked to go through Edom in the first place. Sure, it was a more direct route to Canaan and perhaps easier terrain to navigate, but what was the hurry? They had 40 years to get there. And if Canaan wasn't their immediate destination, why did they still want to go through Edom?
It's hard to blame the Edomites for not wanting 2.5 million people traipsing through the countryside. Even if they stayed on the king's highway, what kind of condition would that road be in several days or weeks later after an entire nation walked or rode it from one end to the other?
I wonder if the Edomites were thinking, "They'll stay on the king's highway? Yeah, right. They stayed on the dry ground walking through the Red Sea and look where that left Pharaoh's army! We can't afford to take the risk. Send them around on the bypass."
Plague on 14,700
Numbers 16:42-50 - But when the assembly gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron and turned toward the Tent of Meeting, suddenly the cloud covered it and the glory of the LORD appeared. Then Moses and Aaron went to the front of the Tent of Meeting, and the LORD said to Moses, "Get away from this assembly so I can put an end to them at once." And they fell facedown.
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
The plague seems like it started at one end of the camp and was sweeping over it like a wave. I wonder what kind of plague would spread like that. I wonder how it could move so quickly that apparently in a matter of minutes 14,700 people were affected and eventually died.
This sounds a bit morbid, but I wonder if people were literally falling over dead outside their tents. How else would Aaron have known where to go to get between the living and the dead?
There very likely were entire families wiped out by the plague. I wonder what happened to the possessions -- tents, flocks and herds, and other everyday items -- that these people owned.
Then Moses said to Aaron, "Take your censer and put incense in it, along with fire from the altar, and hurry to the assembly to make atonement for them. Wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has started." So Aaron did as Moses said, and ran into the midst of the assembly. The plague had already started among the people, but Aaron offered the incense and made atonement for them. He stood between the living and the dead, and the plague stopped. But 14,700 people died from the plague, in addition to those who had died because of Korah. Then Aaron returned to Moses at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, for the plague had stopped.
The plague seems like it started at one end of the camp and was sweeping over it like a wave. I wonder what kind of plague would spread like that. I wonder how it could move so quickly that apparently in a matter of minutes 14,700 people were affected and eventually died.
This sounds a bit morbid, but I wonder if people were literally falling over dead outside their tents. How else would Aaron have known where to go to get between the living and the dead?
There very likely were entire families wiped out by the plague. I wonder what happened to the possessions -- tents, flocks and herds, and other everyday items -- that these people owned.
6/11/2006
Exploring Canaan
Numbers 13:21-22 - So they went up and explored the land from the Desert of Zin as far as Rehob, toward Lebo Hamath. They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been built 7 years before Zoan in Egypt.)
I wonder what the 12 spies did while exploring Canaan besides gathering information to take back to Moses and the Israelites. They were gone for 40 days. Did they take enough food with them for almost a month and a half? Did they take enough money to buy food and to stay at the nearest Canaan "Holiday Inn"? Did they look for temp jobs? Did they just look around all day or get involved with the locals?
The entire land was not filled with the giant-sized descendants of Anak. I wonder why no one said, "Well, we can probably take the far north and central Canaan, but it gets tougher as you go south towards Hebron where the Anakites live." Not that that would have been an acceptable report either, but it would have been a little more encouraging than the all-or-nothing rendition that 10 spies gave. I wonder what those 10 really thought their alternatives were. I'm sure they had several days to think about it as they headed back to camp. I wonder if Joshua and Caleb tried to sway them to their way of thinking on the way back.
I wonder why Moses considered it worthwhile stating that Zoan was older than Hebron.
I wonder what the 12 spies did while exploring Canaan besides gathering information to take back to Moses and the Israelites. They were gone for 40 days. Did they take enough food with them for almost a month and a half? Did they take enough money to buy food and to stay at the nearest Canaan "Holiday Inn"? Did they look for temp jobs? Did they just look around all day or get involved with the locals?
The entire land was not filled with the giant-sized descendants of Anak. I wonder why no one said, "Well, we can probably take the far north and central Canaan, but it gets tougher as you go south towards Hebron where the Anakites live." Not that that would have been an acceptable report either, but it would have been a little more encouraging than the all-or-nothing rendition that 10 spies gave. I wonder what those 10 really thought their alternatives were. I'm sure they had several days to think about it as they headed back to camp. I wonder if Joshua and Caleb tried to sway them to their way of thinking on the way back.
I wonder why Moses considered it worthwhile stating that Zoan was older than Hebron.
6/10/2006
Riddles
Numbers 12:5-8 - Then the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud; he stood at the entrance to the Tent and summoned Aaron and Miriam. When both of them stepped forward, he said, "Listen to my words:
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
Aaron and Miriam for some reason suddenly became jealous of Moses and let him know about it. These words are God's swift response to what they had said. I wonder if Aaron and Miriam knew they were being called on the carpet, so to speak, when God called the three of them (Moses included) to the Tent. If they had any doubts at first, God quickly dispelled them and put them back in their place.
One point I find extremely interesting in God's rebuke is that he admits to sometimes speaking to us in riddles. Not necessarily undecipherable riddles, but words that are sometimes difficult to understand at first. However, he does graciously let us in on the answers to all the riddles we need solved -- those we need to understand for our salvation. There are still many that remain unanswered which is a good thing for me or I'd have little to wonder about here.
"When a prophet of the LORD is among you,
I reveal myself to him in visions,
I speak to him in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face,
clearly and not in riddles;
he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
to speak against my servant Moses?"
Aaron and Miriam for some reason suddenly became jealous of Moses and let him know about it. These words are God's swift response to what they had said. I wonder if Aaron and Miriam knew they were being called on the carpet, so to speak, when God called the three of them (Moses included) to the Tent. If they had any doubts at first, God quickly dispelled them and put them back in their place.
One point I find extremely interesting in God's rebuke is that he admits to sometimes speaking to us in riddles. Not necessarily undecipherable riddles, but words that are sometimes difficult to understand at first. However, he does graciously let us in on the answers to all the riddles we need solved -- those we need to understand for our salvation. There are still many that remain unanswered which is a good thing for me or I'd have little to wonder about here.
6/09/2006
Seven years
Leviticus 25:3-5, 20-22 - For 6 years sow your fields, and for 6 years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the 7th year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards. Do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the grapes of your untended vines. The land is to have a year of rest.
You may ask, "What will we eat in the 7th year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the 6th year that the land will yield enough for 3 years. While you plant during the 8th year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the 9th year comes in.
I wonder if the Israelites ever actually did this. Did they notice a bumper crop about 3 times larger than usual in the 6th year? This wouldn't have occurred until about 46 years after it was promised. I wonder how many farmers even knew about it then. If anyone did learn about it and tried it, they were probably considered nut cases by their neighbors.
"Hey, did you hear what old Shemariah is planting this year? ... Nothing! Claims he's got enough left over from last year that he can take a sabbatical this year. Did you ever...?"
"No, I never.... Think we should have him checked out by the priest? Sounds like he might be breaking some law to me."
I wonder what it would be like if we could do that today in agribusiness or any other business. Probably no one who tripled their profits one year would think of sitting out a year, planning to dive back in the following year. More likely they'd (re)invest the profits in the stock market or in their business and keep on working for more. And then there'd be the windfall profits taxes to consider.... "Money, money, money. It's a rich man's world."
You may ask, "What will we eat in the 7th year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the 6th year that the land will yield enough for 3 years. While you plant during the 8th year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the 9th year comes in.
I wonder if the Israelites ever actually did this. Did they notice a bumper crop about 3 times larger than usual in the 6th year? This wouldn't have occurred until about 46 years after it was promised. I wonder how many farmers even knew about it then. If anyone did learn about it and tried it, they were probably considered nut cases by their neighbors.
"Hey, did you hear what old Shemariah is planting this year? ... Nothing! Claims he's got enough left over from last year that he can take a sabbatical this year. Did you ever...?"
"No, I never.... Think we should have him checked out by the priest? Sounds like he might be breaking some law to me."
I wonder what it would be like if we could do that today in agribusiness or any other business. Probably no one who tripled their profits one year would think of sitting out a year, planning to dive back in the following year. More likely they'd (re)invest the profits in the stock market or in their business and keep on working for more. And then there'd be the windfall profits taxes to consider.... "Money, money, money. It's a rich man's world."
6/08/2006
Nadab and Abihu
Leviticus 10:1-2 - Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.
You might wonder what Nadab and Abihu were thinking. I wonder why there was no one around to stop them. Did they have to sneak into a storage area to get their censers and incense? From the context, it seems this was going on at the Tent of Meeting. Was there no one else around at the time? Were they around but occupied with other duties? Were they sleeping? Did Nadab and Abihu have to sneak past any guards, or past Moses and Aaron?
I wonder if the fire that consumed them was lightning. The term lightning is used elsewhere in connection with thunderstorms, so maybe this was something different. Then again, maybe it was lightning, but Moses didn't call it that because it didn't strike as part of a storm. If it was lightning, I wonder if there was the normal accompanying thunderclap.
I wonder how many people saw them die. It's hard to tell if this happened immediately after the events at the end of Leviticus 9 where many, if not all 2.5 million people saw fire from the LORD consume an authorized burnt offering. If it did happen right after, then I wonder even more why no one tried to stop them.
You might wonder what Nadab and Abihu were thinking. I wonder why there was no one around to stop them. Did they have to sneak into a storage area to get their censers and incense? From the context, it seems this was going on at the Tent of Meeting. Was there no one else around at the time? Were they around but occupied with other duties? Were they sleeping? Did Nadab and Abihu have to sneak past any guards, or past Moses and Aaron?
I wonder if the fire that consumed them was lightning. The term lightning is used elsewhere in connection with thunderstorms, so maybe this was something different. Then again, maybe it was lightning, but Moses didn't call it that because it didn't strike as part of a storm. If it was lightning, I wonder if there was the normal accompanying thunderclap.
I wonder how many people saw them die. It's hard to tell if this happened immediately after the events at the end of Leviticus 9 where many, if not all 2.5 million people saw fire from the LORD consume an authorized burnt offering. If it did happen right after, then I wonder even more why no one tried to stop them.
6/07/2006
The tabernacle
Exodus 40:17 - So the tabernacle was set up on the first day of the first month in the second year.
When the Israelites left Egypt, God told them to count that month as the first month of their year from then on. So this "second year" was one whole year since they had left Egypt.
A large portion of that time seems to have been spent at or near Mt. Sinai. Moses spent over 2 months on the mountain himself getting the laws from God. Then, when he returned the second time, he ordered the construction of the tabernacle, a portable temple or church, to begin. I wonder how long it took to build.
Even though it was obviously not designed to be a permanent structure, I wonder if some of the people thought it might turn into one. They still had many miles to go to reach Canaan. Would they ever really get there or would they "set up shop" here by Sinai instead?
The Israelites had the advantage of knowing where they were going, where their earthly journey would end -- even if it did sometimes feel like they'd never get there. I wonder how many times the children asked, "Are we there yet?" The reply: "No, and if you don't cut that out, I'm going to turn this camel around...."
We don't usually have the same advantage of knowing where the next or final stop is on our earthly journey. I'm a member of a small, but growing, congregation that does not yet have a permanent structure of its own in which to worship God. We have a type of tabernacle of our own. On Sunday we set it up and take it down and move on to the next week to do the same thing all over again. I wonder where our "temple" will be and when we'll get to it. I hope we get to it soon.
The Israelites did too.
When the Israelites left Egypt, God told them to count that month as the first month of their year from then on. So this "second year" was one whole year since they had left Egypt.
A large portion of that time seems to have been spent at or near Mt. Sinai. Moses spent over 2 months on the mountain himself getting the laws from God. Then, when he returned the second time, he ordered the construction of the tabernacle, a portable temple or church, to begin. I wonder how long it took to build.
Even though it was obviously not designed to be a permanent structure, I wonder if some of the people thought it might turn into one. They still had many miles to go to reach Canaan. Would they ever really get there or would they "set up shop" here by Sinai instead?
The Israelites had the advantage of knowing where they were going, where their earthly journey would end -- even if it did sometimes feel like they'd never get there. I wonder how many times the children asked, "Are we there yet?" The reply: "No, and if you don't cut that out, I'm going to turn this camel around...."
We don't usually have the same advantage of knowing where the next or final stop is on our earthly journey. I'm a member of a small, but growing, congregation that does not yet have a permanent structure of its own in which to worship God. We have a type of tabernacle of our own. On Sunday we set it up and take it down and move on to the next week to do the same thing all over again. I wonder where our "temple" will be and when we'll get to it. I hope we get to it soon.
The Israelites did too.
6/06/2006
Urim and Thummim
Exodus 28:30 - Also put the Urim and Thummim in the breastpiece, so they may be over Aaron's heart whenever he enters the presence of the LORD. Thus Aaron will always bear the means of making decisions for the Israelites over his heart before the LORD.
This one is almost too obvious to wonder about. Everyone who knows about the Urim and Thummim must wonder about it (actually, about them) because no one knows for certain what Urim and Thummim are.
In Hebrew, the -im suffix makes a noun plural -- much like adding -s in English. So Urim is plural by itself and so is Thummim.
One of the interesting aspects of this is that Moses doesn't explain what Urim and Thummim are. It's as if it's taken for granted that everyone knew. They apparently existed before being included as a feature of the high priest's (Aaron's) garments. They aren't spoken of as if they were something new that God told Moses about on Mt. Sinai. Many other places in the description of the tabernacle and its furnishings God reminded Moses to have them made just as he had been shown on the mountain. Both oral and visual descriptions were given at least partly because these were totally new creations. Not so with the Urim and Thummim. They are mentioned almost matter-of-factly.
I wonder if Urim and Thummim, though widely-known, were perhaps expensive and/or rare. Was there more than one set, but they were all very old, like antiques?
I wonder if they could be used separately; that is, the Urim by themselves or the Thummim by themselves. Did a single Ur(?) ot a single Thum(?) have any use or value? What about just a pair of them -- one Ur together with one Thum?
I wonder if someone would have considered them worth stealing. Did you need special knowledge and/or skill to use them successfully?
This one is almost too obvious to wonder about. Everyone who knows about the Urim and Thummim must wonder about it (actually, about them) because no one knows for certain what Urim and Thummim are.
In Hebrew, the -im suffix makes a noun plural -- much like adding -s in English. So Urim is plural by itself and so is Thummim.
One of the interesting aspects of this is that Moses doesn't explain what Urim and Thummim are. It's as if it's taken for granted that everyone knew. They apparently existed before being included as a feature of the high priest's (Aaron's) garments. They aren't spoken of as if they were something new that God told Moses about on Mt. Sinai. Many other places in the description of the tabernacle and its furnishings God reminded Moses to have them made just as he had been shown on the mountain. Both oral and visual descriptions were given at least partly because these were totally new creations. Not so with the Urim and Thummim. They are mentioned almost matter-of-factly.
I wonder if Urim and Thummim, though widely-known, were perhaps expensive and/or rare. Was there more than one set, but they were all very old, like antiques?
I wonder if they could be used separately; that is, the Urim by themselves or the Thummim by themselves. Did a single Ur(?) ot a single Thum(?) have any use or value? What about just a pair of them -- one Ur together with one Thum?
I wonder if someone would have considered them worth stealing. Did you need special knowledge and/or skill to use them successfully?
6/05/2006
Mount Sinai
Exodus 24:18 - Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
Forty is a number often used in the Bible at important times. It rained 40 days and nights at Noah's time. Here Moses is on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights. Jesus was tempted by Satan for 40 days.
In the symbolism of numbers in the Bible, 4 is used to refer to earthly things. The number 10 is used for a relatively short but complete amount of time. I wonder if 4 times 10, equalling 40, has significance is these instances. Does it mean a short, complete amount of time for an earthly event? You might ask what that really means, and I couldn't tell you. If there's any meaning there at all, it's a mystery to me.
Apart from any symbolism, I wonder why Moses had to stay on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights. Part of the reason was to test the Israelites who were to wait patiently for him. (They failed.) The giving of the law itself (the 10 commandments and all the other regulations) surely didn't take that long to communicate. In my Bible, those laws only take a few pages. They could easily have been given in a few hours.
I wonder if God and Moses talked about anything else while Moses was in the cloud. Did God show Moses anything special while he was there?
I wonder if the passage of time was different for Moses while on the mountain. Did he sleep 40 times? Did he know 40 days were passing? (Later he obviously did.) Was there a kind of time warp thing going on? It seems that he didn't need to eat. Perhaps God provided food and drink for him anyway. Either that, or God just sustained him miraculously. Perhaps he didn't need to sleep then either.
Update: The second time Moses went up on the mountain he did not eat or drink. My guess is that he didn't the first time then either.
Update #2: According to Deuteronomy 9:9, Moses didn't eat or drink the first time he spent 40 days on the mountain.
I wonder how close to what heaven is like this Mt. Sinai situation was. No need to eat or sleep with God sustaining you. Yet you might eat or sleep if you want to or if God wants you to. No need to be aware of the passage of time, again unless God wants you to know about it for some reason. Did Moses get a little heaven on earth here?
Forty is a number often used in the Bible at important times. It rained 40 days and nights at Noah's time. Here Moses is on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights. Jesus was tempted by Satan for 40 days.
In the symbolism of numbers in the Bible, 4 is used to refer to earthly things. The number 10 is used for a relatively short but complete amount of time. I wonder if 4 times 10, equalling 40, has significance is these instances. Does it mean a short, complete amount of time for an earthly event? You might ask what that really means, and I couldn't tell you. If there's any meaning there at all, it's a mystery to me.
Apart from any symbolism, I wonder why Moses had to stay on Mt. Sinai for 40 days and nights. Part of the reason was to test the Israelites who were to wait patiently for him. (They failed.) The giving of the law itself (the 10 commandments and all the other regulations) surely didn't take that long to communicate. In my Bible, those laws only take a few pages. They could easily have been given in a few hours.
I wonder if God and Moses talked about anything else while Moses was in the cloud. Did God show Moses anything special while he was there?
I wonder if the passage of time was different for Moses while on the mountain. Did he sleep 40 times? Did he know 40 days were passing? (Later he obviously did.) Was there a kind of time warp thing going on? It seems that he didn't need to eat. Perhaps God provided food and drink for him anyway. Either that, or God just sustained him miraculously. Perhaps he didn't need to sleep then either.
Update: The second time Moses went up on the mountain he did not eat or drink. My guess is that he didn't the first time then either.
Update #2: According to Deuteronomy 9:9, Moses didn't eat or drink the first time he spent 40 days on the mountain.
I wonder how close to what heaven is like this Mt. Sinai situation was. No need to eat or sleep with God sustaining you. Yet you might eat or sleep if you want to or if God wants you to. No need to be aware of the passage of time, again unless God wants you to know about it for some reason. Did Moses get a little heaven on earth here?
6/04/2006
Thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens
Exodus 18:24-25 - Moses listened to his father-in-law and did everything he said. He chose capable men from all Israel and made them leaders of the people, officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens.
Assume for now that there were 2,500,000 Israelites in the caravan going from Egypt to Canaan. If the plan implemented by Moses as suggested by his father-in-law Jethro applied to individual people and not to family units, then the number of appointed officials would have been 327,500. It breaks down (roughly) this way:
I wonder how Moses found that many capable leaders to help him settle disputes. Did he start with those who were already known as elders of the tribes and use them (and more, if needed) as the officials over the 1000s? Did they in turn help find officials over the 100s, and so on?
I wonder if there was any lobbying or campaigning for these positions? There probably would have been time for some. This didn't get settled overnight. I wonder how long it did take to get them all appointed to their respective positions.
I wonder how they divided the people into 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s. Some families were larger than 10. I wonder if they split them into multiple groups for judicial purposes.
I wonder how long this setup remained in effect. Did it last Moses' entire lifetime? Did it continue after he was gone? Did it carry over into Canaan?
I wonder how often it had to be reorganized as babies were born and as people died. Those events probably happened daily. If this system continued for any significant length of time, it could have been in an almost constant state of flux.
Assume for now that there were 2,500,000 Israelites in the caravan going from Egypt to Canaan. If the plan implemented by Moses as suggested by his father-in-law Jethro applied to individual people and not to family units, then the number of appointed officials would have been 327,500. It breaks down (roughly) this way:
- Officials over 10s = 250,000
- Officials over 50s = 50,000
- Officials over 100s = 25,000
- Officials over 1000s = 2,500
I wonder how Moses found that many capable leaders to help him settle disputes. Did he start with those who were already known as elders of the tribes and use them (and more, if needed) as the officials over the 1000s? Did they in turn help find officials over the 100s, and so on?
I wonder if there was any lobbying or campaigning for these positions? There probably would have been time for some. This didn't get settled overnight. I wonder how long it did take to get them all appointed to their respective positions.
I wonder how they divided the people into 1000s, 100s, 50s, and 10s. Some families were larger than 10. I wonder if they split them into multiple groups for judicial purposes.
I wonder how long this setup remained in effect. Did it last Moses' entire lifetime? Did it continue after he was gone? Did it carry over into Canaan?
I wonder how often it had to be reorganized as babies were born and as people died. Those events probably happened daily. If this system continued for any significant length of time, it could have been in an almost constant state of flux.
6/03/2006
Amalek
Exodus 17:8 - The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim.
Amalek was a grandson of Esau. So these people were descendants of Abraham and Isaac just as the Israelites were. I wonder how many people on either side, now several generations down the line, realized that they were (very) distant cousins of each other.
I wonder why the Amalekites attacked the Israelites. What it something they said? Was it a surprise attack? I think the Amalekites were known as a warring tribe, but something made the leader(s) decide to fight. Was it fear of attack by the Israelites? Did they undertake a pre-emptive strike? Was it fear of losing their land? (Did they have any land to lose?) Did they simply want more stuff? Did the Israelites look like an easy mark to the Amalekite scouts?
I wonder what it was that made a given ancestor's name "sitck" as your tribal name. The Israelites could just as easily have been called the Abramites, Abrahamites, or Isaacites. They were also called Hebrews, which did date back to Abraham. The Amalekites could have been called Edomites (as others were, after Esau who was also called Edom) or Eliphazites.
Amalek was a grandson of Esau. So these people were descendants of Abraham and Isaac just as the Israelites were. I wonder how many people on either side, now several generations down the line, realized that they were (very) distant cousins of each other.
I wonder why the Amalekites attacked the Israelites. What it something they said? Was it a surprise attack? I think the Amalekites were known as a warring tribe, but something made the leader(s) decide to fight. Was it fear of attack by the Israelites? Did they undertake a pre-emptive strike? Was it fear of losing their land? (Did they have any land to lose?) Did they simply want more stuff? Did the Israelites look like an easy mark to the Amalekite scouts?
I wonder what it was that made a given ancestor's name "sitck" as your tribal name. The Israelites could just as easily have been called the Abramites, Abrahamites, or Isaacites. They were also called Hebrews, which did date back to Abraham. The Amalekites could have been called Edomites (as others were, after Esau who was also called Edom) or Eliphazites.
6/02/2006
Food in the desert
Exodus 16:3 - The Israelites said to them, "If only we had died by the LORD's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into the desert to starve this entire assembly to death."
I wonder why the Israelites didn't use their flocks and herds that they had brought with them from Egypt for food. If they had been using them, surely they wouldn't have all been used up by this time, would they? It's very difficult to do the math, since no numbers are given for the animals. But just one cow can last several people a good long time.
So if there were still animals available, why did they complain that there was no food? Were they saving the animals until they got to their new home in Canaan? Perhaps. At this point in the journey, they probably thought it would only take a few days or weeks to get there. They had no idea that it would end up taking 40 years. This still seems like a weak argument for not eating their animals though.
I wonder who exactly it was that was doing the complaining. It says that the whole community grumbled, but I wonder if some were more vocal than others. Would it have been those who were not shepherds or herdsmen grousing about not having animals of their own to eat? Would it have been the shepherds and herdsmen who didn't want to give up their animals? It seems it must have been some from each camp since everyone was involved.
I wonder why God just didn't give the order to start slaughtering the animals and to dole out portions to everyone as needed. Then again, I don't wonder too much about his decision. His plan to bring quail and manna into the mix
I wonder why the Israelites didn't use their flocks and herds that they had brought with them from Egypt for food. If they had been using them, surely they wouldn't have all been used up by this time, would they? It's very difficult to do the math, since no numbers are given for the animals. But just one cow can last several people a good long time.
So if there were still animals available, why did they complain that there was no food? Were they saving the animals until they got to their new home in Canaan? Perhaps. At this point in the journey, they probably thought it would only take a few days or weeks to get there. They had no idea that it would end up taking 40 years. This still seems like a weak argument for not eating their animals though.
I wonder who exactly it was that was doing the complaining. It says that the whole community grumbled, but I wonder if some were more vocal than others. Would it have been those who were not shepherds or herdsmen grousing about not having animals of their own to eat? Would it have been the shepherds and herdsmen who didn't want to give up their animals? It seems it must have been some from each camp since everyone was involved.
I wonder why God just didn't give the order to start slaughtering the animals and to dole out portions to everyone as needed. Then again, I don't wonder too much about his decision. His plan to bring quail and manna into the mix
- spared the vast majority of their flocks and herds,
- provided a way for the people to show love and obedience, and
- shows several of God's wonderful qualities often exhibited when dealing with people...
6/01/2006
At Elim
Exodus 15:27 - Then they came to Elim, where there were 12 springs and 70 palm trees, and they camped there near the water.
I wonder why the number of springs and palm trees is mentioned. Who counted the palm trees? Maybe this is an estimate, but still.... I get the impression that, since this is generally a desert-like region, this was considered a lot of water and trees. But remember that this is the whole city of Chicago (size-wise) that is setting up camp here. I wonder how many people actually got near the water or the trees. Were there some who didn't even know they were there until they were told about them?
How much space do 2.5 million people occupy? If they are all standing next to each other taking up 1 square foot (for easy calculation) apiece, that's 2.5 million square feet. Over 275,000 square yards. Very roughly half a square mile. But there could easily have been more people. And that doesn't account for the animals and possessions. And they weren't all standing shoulder to shoulder. This group could have easily covered many square miles of sand.
I wonder how many miles this huge caravan stretched when they moved from camp to camp.
I wonder why the number of springs and palm trees is mentioned. Who counted the palm trees? Maybe this is an estimate, but still.... I get the impression that, since this is generally a desert-like region, this was considered a lot of water and trees. But remember that this is the whole city of Chicago (size-wise) that is setting up camp here. I wonder how many people actually got near the water or the trees. Were there some who didn't even know they were there until they were told about them?
How much space do 2.5 million people occupy? If they are all standing next to each other taking up 1 square foot (for easy calculation) apiece, that's 2.5 million square feet. Over 275,000 square yards. Very roughly half a square mile. But there could easily have been more people. And that doesn't account for the animals and possessions. And they weren't all standing shoulder to shoulder. This group could have easily covered many square miles of sand.
I wonder how many miles this huge caravan stretched when they moved from camp to camp.
The Israelite population
Exodus 12:37-38 - The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth. There were about 600,000 men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, as well as large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.
On average, a population has as many men as women, so there were likely 600,000 Israelite women who left Egypt too. Large families were common, but not everyone necessarily had one. Let's use what I consider a conservative estimate of one child for every adult. That makes 1,200,000 children. "Many other people went up with them...." How many non-Israelites? It's impossible to say. What if only 1 in 10 families had a slave or friend who went along? That could be 60,000 more people. Grand total: 2,460,000 people.
That's pretty close to the entire population of Chicago. What if everyone in Chicago just up and walked up to Green Bay one night? Oi!
I wonder how the Israelite leaders let everyone know what to do for the Passover. Directions weren't extremely difficult to follow, but they were very specific, and you had to get them just right for it to count. There was no grading on the curve; it was a pass/fail test. Presumably they had a few days to get the message out and make sure everyone got it right.
I wonder how the Israelites knew which way to go when the hour came to actually pick up and move. Perhaps this, among other things, had been pre-arranged to some extent too.
On average, a population has as many men as women, so there were likely 600,000 Israelite women who left Egypt too. Large families were common, but not everyone necessarily had one. Let's use what I consider a conservative estimate of one child for every adult. That makes 1,200,000 children. "Many other people went up with them...." How many non-Israelites? It's impossible to say. What if only 1 in 10 families had a slave or friend who went along? That could be 60,000 more people. Grand total: 2,460,000 people.
That's pretty close to the entire population of Chicago. What if everyone in Chicago just up and walked up to Green Bay one night? Oi!
I wonder how the Israelite leaders let everyone know what to do for the Passover. Directions weren't extremely difficult to follow, but they were very specific, and you had to get them just right for it to count. There was no grading on the curve; it was a pass/fail test. Presumably they had a few days to get the message out and make sure everyone got it right.
I wonder how the Israelites knew which way to go when the hour came to actually pick up and move. Perhaps this, among other things, had been pre-arranged to some extent too.
- Which general direction to take
- Which roads to use
- What to do with the animals
- How to handle the sick and dying
- How to care for the pregnant and newborns
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