The Wonderful Truth

The Heroes of Jabesh

2009-05-05T19:29:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 31:11-13 - When the people of Jabesh Gilead heard of what the Philistines had done to Saul, all their valiant men journeyed through the night to Beth Shan. They took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth Shan and went to Jabesh, where they burned them. Then they took their bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days.

I wonder if it was difficult to find the bodies at night. Or was it really obvious even in the dark?

I wonder if the fasting was a total abstinence from eating for the entire week. I doubt that they didn't drink any water for the entire 7 days.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

David Saves the Day -- and Everything Else

2009-05-05T19:26:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 30:18-19 - David recovered everything the Amalekites had taken, including his two wives. Nothing was missing: young or old, boy or girl, plunder or anything else they had taken. David brought everything back.

I wonder why the Amalekites didn't kill even one person (or animal?) when they raided Ziklag. They were known for their ruthlessness. They even left one of their own slaves behind, but not the new-found foreigners.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Whose side is David on?

2009-05-05T19:23:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 29:2-3 - As the Philistine rulers marched with their units of hundreds and thousands, David and his men were marching at the rear with Achish. The commanders of the Philistines asked, "What about these Hebrews?"
Achish replied, "Is this not David, who was an officer of Saul king of Israel? He has already been with me for over a year, and from the day he left Saul until now, I have found no fault in him."

I can understand the Philistine commanders' misgivings, but why didn't someone say something earlier before they all left home?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Samuel the Spirit

2009-05-05T19:20:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 28:12 - When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!"

How did seeing the spirit of Samuel tell the woman that her visitor was really Saul?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

David in Gath

2009-04-25T18:06:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 27:1-4 - But David thought to himself, "One of these days I will be destroyed by the hand of Saul. The best thing I can do is to escape to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me anywhere in Israel, and I will slip out of his hand."

So David and the six hundred men with him left and went over to Achish son of Maoch king of Gath. David and his men settled in Gath with Achish. Each man had his family with him, and David had his two wives: Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail of Carmel, the widow of Nabal. When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.

I wonder why Achish didn't have a problem with accepting David and 600 (mostly) Israelite men into his territory. Was it really enough just to be Saul's enemy? That is, anyone who's an enemy of Saul is a friend of mine? Doesn't seem like a particularly smart move on Achish's part.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

David calls out Abner

2009-04-25T18:03:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 26:13-14 - Then David crossed over to the other side and stood on top of the hill some distance away; there was a wide space between them. He called out to the army and to Abner son of Ner, "Aren't you going to answer me, Abner?"
Abner replied, "Who are you who calls to the king?"

I wonder if other soldiers woke when David shouted. They all should have felt as ashamed as Abner. Didn't they have anyone on guard duty?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Nabal and Abigail

2009-04-25T18:00:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 25:3 - His name was Nabal and his wife's name was Abigail. She was an intelligent and beautiful woman, but her husband, a Calebite, was surly and mean in his dealings.

I know marriages were often (always?) arranged by parents in those days, but I still wonder why these two were married. It seems Abigail would have had enough sense not to marry Nabal of her own accord -- unless it was for his wealth. Or maybe Nabal hadn't been so foolisj when they first met.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Cutting Corners

2009-04-18T23:48:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 24:4 - The men said, "This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, 'I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.' " Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul's robe.

I wonder if Saul was wearing the robe at the time. Maybe he had tossed it aside -- perhaps even farther back into the cave -- where David could get at it more easily. If not, Saul must have been half asleep to not notice David or feel his presence. Or else David was vewy, vewy quiet.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Tattle Tales

2009-04-18T23:44:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 23 (bits of various verses)

1: When David was told
7: Saul was told
9: When David learned
13: When Saul was told
15: [David] learned
25: when David was told
25: When Saul heard

Who is doing all the telling? Are there spies on each side who can move faster than either group and not be captured? Were there other groups of informants like the Ziphites?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Refusing the King's Orders

2009-04-18T23:41:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 22:17 - Then the king ordered the guards at his side: "Turn and kill the priests of the LORD, because they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing, yet they did not tell me."
But the king's officials were not willing to raise a hand to strike the priests of the LORD.

I wonder what, if anything, happened to those guards who refused to kill the priests. They did the right thing -- obeying God rather than men -- by not killing innocent people, but Saul may have had punishments doled out to them anyway.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Goliath's Sword

2009-04-11T14:11:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 21:8-9 - David asked Ahimelech, "Don't you have a spear or a sword here? I haven't brought my sword or any other weapon, because the king's business was urgent."

The priest replied, "The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, is here; it is wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want it, take it; there is no sword here but that one."
David said, "There is none like it; give it to me."

I wonder how Goliath's sword came to have a home with the priests of Nob. Why hadn't David or Saul kept it after David had used it on Goliath?

I wonder how heavy the sword was. David had used it once before but not really in hand to hand combat. Was he strong enough to wield it effectively now?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Ahimelech

2009-04-11T14:08:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 21:1 - David went to Nob, to Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he met him, and asked, "Why are you alone? Why is no one with you?"

Why was Ahimelech trembling? Was it out of fear? Worry? Awe? Excitement?

Why was he so curious about David being alone? What did he suspect as David's reason for being alone? Running away? Chasing someone? Abandonment? A secret mission (as David purported to be on)?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Marksmanship

2009-04-11T14:05:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 20-32-33 - "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.

Was Saul not that good at throwing a spear? More than once he missed his (moving) target at close range. I suppose his anger may have thrown his accuracy off a bit.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Ezel

2009-04-11T14:01:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 20:19 - The day after tomorrow, toward evening, go to the place where you hid when this trouble began, and wait by the stone Ezel.

I wonder how big the stone was. Why was it named? I think it was probably so big that no one wanted to try to move it, so they left it where it was and named it for use as a landmark.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

How Not to Watch a House

2009-04-11T13:58:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 19:11-12 - Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed." So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.

Did Saul's men only watch the front door and not the windows? Were there only 2 men, and they couldn't cover all the exits?

And how did Michal know Saul was planning to kill David that night? Hmmm??

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Spear in the Wall

2009-04-11T13:55:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 19:9-10 - But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.

I wonder what the wall was made of. Apparently it wasn't stone.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Goliath Loses His Head

2009-03-29T00:10:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 17:51 - David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

Where was Goliath's shield bearer? Perhaps he had no weapon of his own and fled from David when Goliath fell.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Goliath's Shield

2009-03-29T00:07:00.001-05:00

1 Samuel 17:4-7 - A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

If Goliath was over 9 feet tall, I wonder how big his shield was. And how big was his shield bearer who had to carry it to help protect Goliath?

Looking ahead, I wonder just how good of a shield bearer he really was.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I wont' publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Music Soothes the Savage Beast

2009-03-29T00:03:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 16:15-16 - Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 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 why the attendants decided that music would be the cure. Did they consider medicine?

Was it hard to find a good harpist? Was harp music common or rare in those days? If the one attendant hadn't known David, it sounds like they would have had to go searching for someone who could play.

Why did they decide on harp music? Was it the most soothing kind they knew of? Was a flautist considered?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Agag

2009-03-25T19:47:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 15:8 - He took Agag king of the Amalekites alive, and all his people he totally destroyed with the sword.

I wonder why Saul spared Agag. Wouldn't the leader of an enemy nation be one of the first you'd try to get rid of -- especially if you were getting rid of the entire nation anyway? What did Saul intend to do with Agag after bringing him back home?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Using an Ephod

2009-03-25T19:43:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 14:18-19 - Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring the ark of God." (At that time it was with the Israelites.) While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw your hand."

Whether it was the Ark or an ephod that is meant in these verses, I wonder where it was that the priest was supposed to withdraw his hand from. It seems unlikely that he would have touched the Ark. So if it was an ephod that he had his hand in, what did you do with your hand inside an ephod? How was an ephod properly used?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

My Kingdom for a Blacksmith

2009-03-25T19:39:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 13:19-22 - Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, "Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!" So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plowshares, mattocks, axes and sickles sharpened. The price was two thirds of a shekel for sharpening plowshares and mattocks, and a third of a shekel for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Did the Philistines take all of the tools of the blacksmiths too? Was there no one who could learn the trade (well enough) and work in secret? Did the Philistines take all but 2 of the weapons in the land? Did no one else try to hide one from the enemy?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Dagon Down

2009-03-16T18:21:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 5:1-5 - After the Philistines had captured the ark of God, they took it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then they carried the ark into Dagon's temple and set it beside Dagon. When the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! They took Dagon and put him back in his place. But the following morning when they rose, there was Dagon, fallen on his face on the ground before the ark of the LORD! His head and hands had been broken off and were lying on the threshold; only his body remained. That is why to this day neither the priests of Dagon nor any others who enter Dagon's temple at Ashdod step on the threshold.

I wonder what explanation the people of Ashdod came up with for what happened to Dagon. Did they think the God of Israel was responsible? Did they blame vandals? Did they call it an accident and/or coincidence?

If they blamed God, did it bother them that God was more powerful than Dagon?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Samuel Given to Eli

2009-03-14T15:39:00.002-05:00

1 Samuel 1:20-28, 2:11 - So in the course of time Hannah conceived and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, "Because I asked the LORD for him."

When the man Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the LORD and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the LORD, and he will live there always."

"Do what seems best to you," Elkanah her husband told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the LORD make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. When they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "As surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the LORD. For his whole life he will be given over to the LORD." And he worshiped the LORD there.

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the LORD under Eli the priest.

How old was Samuel when Hannah gave him to Eli? He could have been less than a year old, perhaps only a few months old. It sounds like this was the order of events:

Annual sacrifice; Hannah prays for a child
Hannah conceives
Hannah gives birth to Samuel
Annual sacrifice; Elkanah and family attend while Hannah and Samuel stay home
Samuel is weaned
Hannah and Samuel join the family at the sacrifice
Elkanah (and family) return home, but Samuel stays with Eli

If Samuel was only a few months old, I wonder what Eli thought when Hannah presented him with a baby.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

O Little Town of Bethlehem

2009-03-14T15:36:00.002-05:00

Ruth 1:19 - So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, "Can this be Naomi?"

I wonder how many people lived in Bethlehem. I think there weren't very many since, after 10 years, virtually everyone still knew Naomi and was stirred by her return.

I wonder how many children had been born in those years that would have been new faces to Naomi. I bet she got to know each and every one of them.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

On the Road Again

2009-03-14T15:32:00.002-05:00

Ruth 1:6-10 - When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there. With her two daughters-in-law she left the place where she had been living and set out on the road that would take them back to the land of Judah.

Then Naomi said to her two daughters-in-law, "Go back, each of you, to your mother's home. May the LORD show kindness to you, as you have shown to your dead and to me. May the LORD grant that each of you will find rest in the home of another husband."
Then she kissed them and they wept aloud and said to her, "We will go back with you to your people."

I wonder how much they packed up to carry with them on the trip. It doesn't sound like they had any animals and were probably just going on foot, but they must have at least taken some food with them. Did they sell everything else they had in Moab?

Did Naomi have a sudden change of heart regarding her daughters-in-law? Surely she didn't plan to pack up, start the trip, and only then tell them it was a waste of time. What made her change her mind only while on the road and not sooner before they had decided to make the trip in the first place?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Famine

2009-03-14T15:29:00.001-05:00

Ruth 1:1-6 - In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land, and a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man's name was Elimelech, his wife's name Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.

Now Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband.

When she heard in Moab that the LORD had come to the aid of his people by providing food for them, Naomi and her daughters-in-law prepared to return home from there.

Did the famine last 10 years? Was there no lack of food in Moab, Israel's next-door neighbor? Maybe there was a food shortage but not as severe as that in Israel.

I wonder how many other Israelites moved to Moab.

I wonder how the 3 men died. Diseases? Accidents? Natural causes?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

A Levite from Bethlehem

2009-03-14T15:21:00.002-05:00

Judges 18:1-4 - In those days Israel had no king.
And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. So the Danites sent five warriors from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all their clans. They told them, "Go, explore the land."
The men entered the hill country of Ephraim and came to the house of Micah, where they spent the night. When they were near Micah's house, they recognized the voice of the young Levite; so they turned in there and asked him, "Who brought you here? What are you doing in this place? Why are you here?"

He told them what Micah had done for him, and said, "He has hired me and I am his priest."

I wonder how these men recognized the Levite's voice. Where had they heard him before?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Slow Manoah

2009-03-04T23:37:00.002-06:00

Judges 13:8-23 - Then Manoah prayed to the LORD : "O LORD, I beg you, let the man of God you sent to us come again to teach us how to bring up the boy who is to be born."

God heard Manoah, and the angel of God came again to the woman while she was out in the field; but her husband Manoah was not with her. The woman hurried to tell her husband, "He's here! The man who appeared to me the other day!"

Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he said, "Are you the one who talked to my wife?"
"I am," he said.

So Manoah asked him, "When your words are fulfilled, what is to be the rule for the boy's life and work?"

The angel of the LORD answered, "Your wife must do all that I have told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine, nor drink any wine or other fermented drink nor eat anything unclean. She must do everything I have commanded her."

Manoah said to the angel of the LORD, "We would like you to stay until we prepare a young goat for you."

The angel of the LORD replied, "Even though you detain me, I will not eat any of your food. But if you prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the LORD." (Manoah did not realize that it was the angel of the LORD.)

Then Manoah inquired of the angel of the LORD, "What is your name, so that we may honor you when your word comes true?"

He replied, "Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding." Then Manoah took a young goat, together with the grain offering, and sacrificed it on a rock to the LORD. And the LORD did an amazing thing while Manoah and his wife watched: As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD.

"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!"

But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this."

Apparently Manoah wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Perhaps that's why God patiently listened to his prayer and decided it was best that he make a second visit. Isn't it good that he does the same today when we're a little slow on the uptake?

I wonder what more Manoah expected to hear about how to raise the child. God really only repeated the directives that his wife was to follow and didn't even mention the child specifically. In other words, the directions were simple, and nothing more needed to be added. Aren't most of his commands like that? Nothing complicated. Do this. Don't do that. So why do we make them so hard to follow sometimes?

I wonder why Manoah thought they would die before their time, so to speak. How would they have a child if they died too soon?

I wonder how many people they told about this incident. I wonder if they waited till after Samson was born.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

A Nazirite

2009-03-04T23:33:00.002-06:00

Judges 13:2-5 - A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was sterile and remained childless. The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, "You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean, because you will conceive and give birth to a son. No razor may be used on his head, because the boy is to be a Nazirite, set apart to God from birth, and he will begin the deliverance of Israel from the hands of the Philistines."

I wonder if Manoah's wife knew what a Nazirite was. Did she wonder if a Nazirite was what God was describing to her or if it was something else in addition to the rules her son would need to live by?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Me Too! Me Too!

2009-02-28T21:42:00.002-06:00

Judges 12:1 - The men of Ephraim called out their forces, crossed over to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, "Why did you go to fight the Ammonites without calling us to go with you? We're going to burn down your house over your head."

Why would you want to kill someone who had just saved you from a common enemy? Did the Ephraimites just want to share in the glory of the victory? Did they not even consider what it might have cost them?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Lord Speaks

2009-02-26T23:21:00.002-06:00

Judges 10:10-16 - Then the Israelites cried out to the LORD, "We have sinned against you, forsaking our God and serving the Baals."

The LORD replied, "When the Egyptians, the Amorites, the Ammonites, the Philistines, the Sidonians, the Amalekites and the Maonites oppressed you and you cried to me for help, did I not save you from their hands? But you have forsaken me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you. Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!"

But the Israelites said to the LORD, "We have sinned. Do with us whatever you think best, but please rescue us now." Then they got rid of the foreign gods among them and served the LORD. And he could bear Israel's misery no longer.

I wonder if God spoke to a prophet or priest who in turn relayed the message to the people or if he spoke in the hearing of many people at once. Did he take on human form and speak "man to man," so to speak? Did he speak to a prophet in a dream? How many Israelites actually heard the message firsthand? Who spoke the words of complaint and of begging for help?

Even though God was tough on them because of their wicked disobedience in serving other gods, it's comforting to know that even God could only take so much abuse aimed at his chosen people and eventually came to their aid.

So it was then, so it is now.

When we wander off to serve other "gods" (or no gods at all), when God sees how much trouble we've gotten ourselves into, he still is willing to come to the aid of those who change and put their trust in him, and in his Son, Jesus. You'd be hard put to act as wickedly as some of those Israelites did, but even if you've been worse, God doesn't change and is ever so willing and pleased to have you back in his fold.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Zebah and Zalmunna

2009-02-22T22:09:00.002-06:00

Judges 8:21 - Zebah and Zalmunna said, "Come, do it yourself. 'As is the man, so is his strength.' " So Gideon stepped forward and killed them, and took the ornaments off their camels' necks.

Was that really a dare? Did they think Gideon would back down? Pretty silly of them.

Why is it mentioned that Gideon took the ornaments off the camels' necks? Was there some special significance to that action?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Jether

2009-02-22T22:06:00.001-06:00

Judges 8:18-20 - Then he asked Zebah and Zalmunna, "What kind of men did you kill at Tabor?"
"Men like you," they answered, "each one with the bearing of a prince."

Gideon replied, "Those were my brothers, the sons of my own mother. As surely as the LORD lives, if you had spared their lives, I would not kill you." Turning to Jether, his oldest son, he said, "Kill them!" But Jether did not draw his sword, because he was only a boy and was afraid.

If Jether was only a boy, I wonder why he was there with his father, Gideon, just after a battle. Had he participated in some way in the battle? It doesn't look like he killed anyone in battle or he probably wouldn't have been afraid to do so at this time.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Succoth and Peniel

2009-02-22T22:03:00.001-06:00

Judges 8:4-9 - Gideon and his three hundred men, exhausted yet keeping up the pursuit, came to the Jordan and crossed it. He said to the men of Succoth, "Give my troops some bread; they are worn out, and I am still pursuing Zebah and Zalmunna, the kings of Midian."

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."

I wonder why these cities wouldn't help Gideon. Why were they so selfish? Were they too poor?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Gideon the Barley Loaf

2009-02-22T21:59:00.001-06:00

Judges 7:13-14 - Gideon arrived just as a man was telling a friend his dream. "I had a dream," he was saying. "A round loaf of barley bread came tumbling into the Midianite camp. It struck the tent with such force that the tent overturned and collapsed."

His friend responded, "This can be nothing other than the sword of Gideon son of Joash, the Israelite. God has given the Midianites and the whole camp into his hands."

I wonder what else Gideon had done to make his name known to the Midianites. Somehow word got around that he was the new leader and one to be feared.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Oak in Ophrah

2009-02-17T21:53:00.002-06:00

Judges 6:11 - The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites.

Was there only 1 oak tree in Ophrah? Were oaks rare in those days? Are they rare in Israel today? Was it the largest oak in the area?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Deborah and Barak Sing

2009-02-17T21:50:00.002-06:00

Judges 5:1 - On that day Deborah and Barak son of Abinoam sang this song....

I wonder if someone wrote the song for them. Or did they collaborate on the lyrics and/or music? Did they sing in unison? In parts? Antiphonally? To each other? Was it extemporaneous or planned? Ex corde or written down?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Shamgar

2009-02-17T21:48:00.001-06:00

Judges 3:31 - After Ehud came Shamgar son of Anath, who struck down six hundred Philistines with an oxgoad. He too saved Israel.

Why? How? Where? When? How long? Why bother? Is that all?

Don't sweat the details, I guess.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Keys

2009-02-15T21:15:00.002-06:00

Judges 3:24-25 - After he had gone, the servants came and found the doors of the upper room locked. They said, "He must be relieving himself in the inner room of the house." They waited to the point of embarrassment, but when he did not open the doors of the room, they took a key and unlocked them. There they saw their lord fallen to the floor, dead.

I wonder who first invented keys and locks. I wonder if these key-lock combinations resemble any of those we have today.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Adoni-Bezek

2009-02-15T21:10:00.002-06:00

Judges 1:7 - Then Adoni-Bezek said, "Seventy kings with their thumbs and big toes cut off have picked up scraps under my table. Now God has paid me back for what I did to them." They brought him to Jerusalem, and he died there.

Assuming Adoni-Bezek wasn't exaggerating, I wonder who the 70 kings were. Were they from the 70 closest city-kingdoms to Bezek? Did they include more than one generation of rulers? Were some of them from far away?

Did Adoni-Bezek have 70 kingdoms under his control all at once? How many people did he rule at the height of his power and influence? Was he famous enough to be mentioned in other histories?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Replicating the Altar

2009-02-10T20:37:00.002-06:00

Joshua 22:9-34 - So the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh left the Israelites at Shiloh in Canaan to return to Gilead, their own land, which they had acquired in accordance with the command of the LORD through Moses.

When they came to Geliloth near the Jordan in the land of Canaan, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh built an imposing altar there by the Jordan. And when the Israelites heard that they had built the altar on the border of Canaan at Geliloth near the Jordan on the Israelite side, the whole assembly of Israel gathered at Shiloh to go to war against them.

So the Israelites sent Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, to the land of Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. With him they sent ten of the chief men, one for each of the tribes of Israel, each the head of a family division among the Israelite clans.

When they went to Gilead—to Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh—they said to them: "The whole assembly of the LORD says: 'How could you break faith with the God of Israel like this? How could you turn away from the LORD and build yourselves an altar in rebellion against him now? Was not the sin of Peor enough for us? Up to this very day we have not cleansed ourselves from that sin, even though a plague fell on the community of the LORD! And are you now turning away from the LORD ?
" 'If you rebel against the LORD today, tomorrow he will be angry with the whole community of Israel. If the land you possess is defiled, come over to the LORD's land, where the LORD's tabernacle stands, and share the land with us. But do not rebel against the LORD or against us by building an altar for yourselves, other than the altar of the LORD our God. When Achan son of Zerah acted unfaithfully regarding the devoted things, did not wrath come upon the whole community of Israel? He was not the only one who died for his sin.' "

Then Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh replied to the heads of the clans of Israel: "The Mighty One, God, the LORD! The Mighty One, God, the LORD! He knows! And let Israel know! If this has been in rebellion or disobedience to the LORD, do not spare us this day. If we have built our own altar to turn away from the LORD and to offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, or to sacrifice fellowship offerings on it, may the LORD himself call us to account.

"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.

"That is why we said, 'Let us get ready and build an altar—but not for burnt offerings or sacrifices.' On the contrary, it is to be a witness between us and you and the generations that follow, that we will worship the LORD at his sanctuary with our burnt offerings, sacrifices and fellowship offerings. Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to ours, 'You have no share in the LORD.'

"And we said, 'If they ever say this to us, or to our descendants, we will answer: Look at the replica of the LORD's altar, which our fathers built, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, but as a witness between us and you.'

"Far be it from us to rebel against the LORD and turn away from him today by building an altar for burnt offerings, grain offerings and sacrifices, other than the altar of the LORD our God that stands before his tabernacle."

When Phinehas the priest and the leaders of the community—the heads of the clans of the Israelites—heard what Reuben, Gad and Manasseh had to say, they were pleased. And Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, said to Reuben, Gad and Manasseh, "Today we know that the LORD is with us, because you have not acted unfaithfully toward the LORD in this matter. Now you have rescued the Israelites from the LORD's hand."

Then Phinehas son of Eleazar, the priest, and the leaders returned to Canaan from their meeting with the Reubenites and Gadites in Gilead and reported to the Israelites. They were glad to hear the report and praised God. And they talked no more about going to war against them to devastate the country where the Reubenites and the Gadites lived.

And the Reubenites and the Gadites gave the altar this name: A Witness Between Us that the LORD is God.

I wonder who told the Israelite leaders about the construction of the altar replica.

It sounds like the altar was built on the west side of the Jordan -- "on the Israelite side." I wonder why the 2.5 tribes didn't built it on their side -- the east side. Wouldn't that have been a better location to point to for the generations to come?

I'm surprised whenever I read this at how the Jordan is considered a major obstacle. It's as if a country or people can't exist on both sides at once and still be considered united. I understand that there were no bridges, but still....

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Half of Manasseh

2009-02-10T20:30:00.002-06:00

Joshua 13:6-7 - Be sure to allocate this land to Israel for an inheritance, as I have instructed you, and divide it as an inheritance among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh.

I wonder how they decided which of the people of Manasseh settled on the east side of the Jordan River with Reuben and Gad and which people crossed the river to settle in their allotted land on the west side.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Stop the Sun

2009-02-02T19:19:00.004-06:00

Joshua 10:12-14 - 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.
The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day. There has never been a day like it before or since, a day when the LORD listened to a man. Surely the LORD was fighting for Israel!

It would seem, based on what science tells us today, that it was the Earth that actually stopped rotating for about a day. That would have given the perceived effect of the sun stopping "in the middle of the sky."

The Moon also would have stopped revolving around the Earth for the same period of time.

I wonder if these were the only 2 heavenly bodies that God put the brakes on. Did he actually stop the whole universe for a day?

I wonder if there are any other accounts of this day in other cultures' histories (besides the Book of Jashar). Halfway around the world it would have been night for the same length of time. As amazing as the extra daylight was in the one hemisphere, I imagine it would have been at least as terrifying in the other.

If only the Earth and Moon were affected, I wonder if God used some "natural" occurrence -- like the passing of another large heavenly body -- to bring about the delay in the motion of the Earth and Moon. It almost seems more likely that he just told everything to "freeze" for a day.

Gibeonite Neighbors

2009-01-26T19:26:00.003-06:00

Joshua 9:3-16 - However, when the people of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they resorted to a ruse: They went as a delegation whose donkeys were loaded with worn-out sacks and old wineskins, cracked and mended. The men put worn and patched sandals on their feet and wore old clothes. All the bread of their food supply was dry and moldy. Then they went to Joshua in the camp at Gilgal and said to him and the men of Israel, "We have come from a distant country; make a treaty with us."

The men of Israel said to the Hivites, "But perhaps you live near us. How then can we make a treaty with you?"

"We are your servants," they said to Joshua.
But Joshua asked, "Who are you and where do you come from?"

They answered: "Your servants have come from a very distant country because of the fame of the LORD your God. For we have heard reports of him: all that he did in Egypt, and all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan—Sihon king of Heshbon, and Og king of Bashan, who reigned in Ashtaroth. And our elders and all those living in our country said to us, 'Take provisions for your journey; go and meet them and say to them, "We are your servants; make a treaty with us." ' This bread of ours was warm when we packed it at home on the day we left to come to you. But now see how dry and moldy it is. And these wineskins that we filled were new, but see how cracked they are. And our clothes and sandals are worn out by the very long journey."

The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the LORD. Then Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live, and the leaders of the assembly ratified it by oath.

Three days after they made the treaty with the Gibeonites, the Israelites heard that they were neighbors, living near them.

I wonder how the Israelites found out that the men were really Gibeonites. Did the Gibeonites purposely leak the information back to the Israelite camp? Had someone seen the men returning to Gibeon instead of heading off toward some far land?

I'm also surprised that Joshua and the elders were satisfied with the story even though they never did attach a name to the place they came from or the tribe or nation they belonged to. They must have been very convincing actors. Maybe that was their profession!

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

A Man with a Sword

2009-01-26T19:21:00.002-06:00

Joshua 5:13 - Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, "Are you for us or for our enemies?"

I wonder if anyone else could see this "man" or if he only appeared to Joshua. He seems to have appeared rather suddenly and was right in front of Joshua, so maybe Joshua was the only one to see him. No one else needed to see him because his message was specifically for Joshua as leader.

I wonder how Joshua could tell that the "man" wasn't an Israelite. We know he couldn't figure out which side he was on, based on the question he asked. Neither did he immediately understand that it was God himself in human form. Was it the way the "man" was dressed? His (facial) features? His skin color?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

No Food?

2009-01-26T19:18:00.001-06:00

Joshua 5:10-12 - On the evening of the fourteenth day of the month, while camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, the Israelites celebrated the Passover. The day after the Passover, that very day, they ate some of the produce of the land: unleavened bread and roasted grain. The manna stopped the day after they ate this food from the land; there was no longer any manna for the Israelites, but that year they ate of the produce of Canaan.

Why had the Israelites complained years earlier that they had no food to eat? They had (large?) flocks and herds of animals with them, didn't they?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Stones from the Jordan

2009-01-26T19:14:00.002-06:00

Joshua 4:8-9 - So the Israelites did as Joshua commanded them. They took twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, as the LORD had told Joshua; and they carried them over with them to their camp, where they put them down. Joshua set up the twelve stones that had been in the middle of the Jordan at the spot where the priests who carried the ark of the covenant had stood. And they are there to this day.

I wonder how big the stones were. They probably weren't pebbles, but they had to be small enough that each of the 12 men could carry his stone from the middle of the riverbed to the opposite shore. I'm guessing they weighed 40-80 pounds each -- depending on how strong each of the men were.

I wonder if they found colorful stones. Stones with some variation in hue would have made a more attractive, eye-catching pile.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Commentary

2009-01-17T22:18:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 34:1-4 - Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the LORD showed him the whole land—from Gilead to Dan, all of Naphtali, the territory of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea, the Negev and the whole region from the Valley of Jericho, the City of Palms, as far as Zoar. Then the LORD said to him, "This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, 'I will give it to your descendants.' I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it."

I wonder if God provided Moses with any commentary about the land other than the few words given here. Or did he just show him all the land like a silent movie?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Birthdays

2009-01-17T22:15:00.003-06:00

Deuteronomy 31:2 - I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you.

I wonder how they kept track of when they were born and/or how many years old they were back then. We refer back to a date, a year, like 1970 or 1959 or 1932. I know they used rulers' reigns as benchmarks for many things. Is that how they kept track of age too?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Writing Down the Law

2009-01-17T22:11:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 29:16-21 - You yourselves know how we lived in Egypt and how we passed through the countries on the way here. You saw among them their detestable images and idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold. Make sure there is no man or woman, clan or tribe among you today whose heart turns away from the LORD our God to go and worship the gods of those nations; make sure there is no root among you that produces such bitter poison.

When such a person hears the words of this oath, he invokes a blessing on himself and therefore thinks, "I will be safe, even though I persist in going my own way." This will bring disaster on the watered land as well as the dry. The LORD will never be willing to forgive him; his wrath and zeal will burn against that man. All the curses written in this book will fall upon him, and the LORD will blot out his name from under heaven. The LORD will single him out from all the tribes of Israel for disaster, according to all the curses of the covenant written in this Book of the Law.

I wonder how much of what we consider Moses' writings (generally, Genesis through Deuteronomy) he had at hand as he spoke to the Israelites here. Was it only the laws themselves or was it the whole body of his writings from Genesis to Numbers, or somewhere in between?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Blessing and Cursing

2009-01-02T01:09:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 27:12 - When you have crossed the Jordan, these tribes shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph and Benjamin.

I wonder what blessings the 6 tribes on Mount Gerizim were to pronounce. There are some blessing mentioned shortly after this, but it's nothing to formally spelled out as the list of curses to be proclaimed from Mount Ebal.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Be Silent

2009-01-02T01:06:00.001-06:00

Deuteronomy 27:9 - Then Moses and the priests, who are Levites, said to all Israel, "Be silent, O Israel, and listen! You have now become the people of the LORD your God.

I wonder if the crowd had become restless and noisy causing the leaders to tell them to quiet down. Or was this just a general admonition to continue to pay attention to what Moses had to tell them?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Family of the Unsandaled

2009-01-02T01:03:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 25:5-10 - If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband's brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her. The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.

However, if a man does not want to marry his brother's wife, she shall go to the elders at the town gate and say, "My husband's brother refuses to carry on his brother's name in Israel. He will not fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to me." Then the elders of his town shall summon him and talk to him. If he persists in saying, "I do not want to marry her," his brother's widow shall go up to him in the presence of the elders, take off one of his sandals, spit in his face and say, "This is what is done to the man who will not build up his brother's family line." That man's line shall be known in Israel as The Family of the Unsandaled.

I wonder how many family lines have received this nickname.

I'm curious. Could you please tell my what brought you to this page by mentioning in it a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Rebellious Sons

2008-12-25T00:32:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 21:18-21 - If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who does not obey his father and mother and will not listen to them when they discipline him, his father and mother shall take hold of him and bring him to the elders at the gate of his town. They shall say to the elders, "This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious. He will not obey us. He is a profligate and a drunkard." Then all the men of his town shall stone him to death. You must purge the evil from among you. All Israel will hear of it and be afraid.

I wonder if any parents ever went this far in carrying out punishments on their children. How old would a son have to be before you'd consider calling him a profligate and a drunkard?

It's interesting to note that, even though such a son is likely a young man able to take care of himself, etc., he is still expected to obey his parents, and they are still expected to discipline him.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Tithes and Firstborn Animals

2008-12-25T00:25:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 14:22-29 and 15:19-20 - Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the LORD your God always. But if that place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name is so far away), then exchange your tithe for silver, and take the silver with you and go to the place the LORD your God will choose. Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.

At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns, so that the Levites (who have no allotment or inheritance of their own) and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied, and so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

Set apart for the LORD your God every firstborn male of your herds and flocks. Do not put the firstborn of your oxen to work, and do not shear the firstborn of your sheep. Each year you and your family are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place he will choose.

Sometimes I think people get the impression that the Israelites had to give up or "lose" their tithes of grain, wine, and oil and their firstborn sheep and cattle. Actually they just had to set them aside and eat them in Jerusalem at the Temple. The one exception to this is that, every third year, the tithes were given to the Levites, aliens, fatherless, and widows.

I wonder how soon it was before someone failed to do this as God required. Did anyone mess up in Year 1 already?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Shaving for the Dead

2008-12-15T17:38:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 14:1-2 - You are the children of the LORD your God. Do not cut yourselves or shave the front of your heads for the dead, for you are a people holy to the LORD your God. Out of all the peoples on the face of the earth, the LORD has chosen you to be his treasured possession.

I'm guessing that some culture, some people from nearby the Israelites (or perhaps the Egyptians), had the practice of shaving the front of the head for the dead. I wonder whose practice it was, who thought of the idea in the first place, and why they thought it was a good thing to do for the dead. What purpose did they think it would serve for the dead? Or was it a sign of mourning -- perhaps with something else added to it that displeased God?

Did a barber think of it first?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Everyone As He Sees Fit

2008-12-15T17:35:00.004-06:00

Deuteronomy 12: 4-9 - You must not worship the LORD your God in their way. But you are to seek the place the LORD your God will choose from among all your tribes to put his Name there for his dwelling. To that place you must go; there bring your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes and special gifts, what you have vowed to give and your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. There, in the presence of the LORD your God, you and your families shall eat and shall rejoice in everything you have put your hand to, because the LORD your God has blessed you.

You are not to do as we do here today, everyone as he sees fit, since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

I wonder how many different ways the Israelites had found to worship God. Were all of them pleasing to God? Did some of them imitate any of the practices of the neighboring peoples -- the practices Moses was warning against?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Two Stone Tablets

2008-12-04T00:35:00.005-06:00

Deuteronomy 4:13 - He declared to you his covenant, the Ten Commandments, which he commanded you to follow and then wrote them on two stone tablets.

Why did God write the Ten Commandments on two stone tablets instead of putting them all on one? We sometimes divide them into 2 groups -- the ones that speak about our relationship to God and the ones that speak about our relationships with other people -- but I don't think the Bible anywhere specifies which commandments were on each tablet.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Og's Bed

2008-12-04T00:30:00.002-06:00

Deuteronomy 3:11 - (Only Og king of Bashan was left of the remnant of the Rephaites. His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet wide. It is still in Rabbah of the Ammonites.)

I wonder if Og was so large that he needed a bed this big (probably) or if he just had one made this size to make people talk about it. If he really needed one 13 feet long, that probably means he was about 12 feet tall. Imagine what the doorways of his house or palace would look like -- or how big a tent he'd need.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Fortifying the Trans-Jordan

2008-11-28T09:56:00.002-06:00

Numbers 32:34-36 - The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks.

I wonder how long it took to fortify those cities to the point where the soldiers felt comfortable with leaving their families behind inside of them. Did the other tribes help at all in order to speed up the process? If not, did they do anything other than the routine tasks needed to stay alive while waiting for the fortifications to be finished?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Balaam's Advice

2008-11-28T09:51:00.002-06:00

Numbers 31:15-16 - "Have you allowed all the women to live?" he asked them. "They were the ones who followed Balaam's advice and were the means of turning the Israelites away from the LORD in what happened at Peor, so that a plague struck the LORD's people.

I wonder why this piece of the Balaam story wasn't mentioned earlier. So it was Balaam who started the problems at Peor, and yet it was also he who ended up blessing the very people he got into trouble. Ironic.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Feast of Tabernacles

2008-11-28T09:46:00.002-06:00

Numbers 29:12-34 - " 'On the fifteenth day of the seventh month, hold a sacred assembly and do no regular work. Celebrate a festival to the LORD for seven days. Present an offering made by fire as an aroma pleasing to the LORD, a burnt offering of thirteen young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With each of the thirteen bulls prepare a grain offering of three-tenths of an ephah of fine flour mixed with oil; with each of the two rams, two-tenths; and with each of the fourteen lambs, one-tenth. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

" 'On the second day prepare twelve young bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering, and their drink offerings.

" 'On the third day prepare eleven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

" 'On the fourth day prepare ten bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

" 'On the fifth day prepare nine bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

" 'On the sixth day prepare eight bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.

" 'On the seventh day prepare seven bulls, two rams and fourteen male lambs a year old, all without defect. With the bulls, rams and lambs, prepare their grain offerings and drink offerings according to the number specified. Include one male goat as a sin offering, in addition to the regular burnt offering with its grain offering and drink offering.' "

I wonder what the significance was, if any, of counting down the number of bulls offered each day of the feast from 13 down to 7.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Baal of Peor

2008-11-23T18:27:00.002-06:00

Numbers 25 - While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate and bowed down before these gods. So Israel joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor. And the LORD's anger burned against them.

The LORD said to Moses, "Take all the leaders of these people, kill them and expose them in broad daylight before the LORD, so that the LORD's fierce anger may turn away from Israel."

So Moses said to Israel's judges, "Each of you must put to death those of your men who have joined in worshiping the Baal of Peor."

Then an Israelite man brought to his family a Midianite woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. When Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear in his hand and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear through both of them—through the Israelite and into the woman's body. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped; but those who died in the plague numbered 24,000.

The LORD said to Moses, "Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites; for he was as zealous as I am for my honor among them, so that in my zeal I did not put an end to them. Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace with him. He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood, because he was zealous for the honor of his God and made atonement for the Israelites."

The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family. And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.

The LORD said to Moses, "Treat the Midianites as enemies and kill them, because they treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the affair of Peor and their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of Peor."

A number of things seem to come "out of left field" in the account of the Israelites' sin concerning the Baal (god) of Peor. I think many of the details are left out because it was disgusting to the God of Israel and to his faithful. Yet I know that it is referred to in many other portions of Scripture, so it is considered a very important "event" even if it's only briefly described here.

The men (soldiers, army) of Moab were afraid to encounter the Israelites, but apparently some of the more daring women weren't. I wonder if some of the men (leaders?) put them up to this seduction.

I wonder how long Baal of Peor had been around; that is, how long had people been worshipping this false god. Is this the same Baal mentioned elsewhere in the Bible? (I seem to recall that the word "Baal" simply means "god".)

I wonder if Zimri and Cozbi were flaunting themselves in front of Moses or if they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. I'd like to give them the benefit of the doubt, but that's difficult to do especially since it was right in font of the Tent of Meeting as well.

"Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped...." Plague? What plague? Why isn't it even mentioned until 24,000 were known dead?

Cozbi was a Midianite. How did the Midianites get involved? I thought it was the Moabites who were causing the problems.

How did the Midianites deceive the Israelites? It sounded earlier like it was the Moabites who were seducing the Israelites, but even with them, no outright deception is mentioned.

Again, due to lack of details, much of this account remains a mystery. I'm sure all the pieces would fit together if we had the full story. Fortunately, we don't need the whole thing to understand that it was a very bad, sad day in the history of Israel.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Balaam Goes Home

2008-11-20T22:37:00.002-06:00

Numbers 24:25 - Then Balaam got up and returned home and Balak went his own way.

I wonder if Moses ever met Balaam in person. That would have been one way that Moses could have learned about what Balaam and Balak did, so he could write the account here in the book of Numbers. There is no suggestion that the two of them ever met though.

Even if they didn't, there are plenty of other ways Moses could have come to know what Balaam did concerning Israel. Others who were there could have told Moses (or some other Israelite). Someone else could have written about it, and Moses could have read it. God could "simply" have told Moses about it in one of their conversations or in a vision.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Balaam's 3rd

2008-11-20T22:32:00.002-06:00

Numbers 24:1 - Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not resort to sorcery as at other times, but turned his face toward the desert.

Did Balaam somehow use sorcery when receiving from God the first two blessings to pronounce upon Israel? If so, why did he think he needed to? Is that what he was up to when he went off by himself the first two times? How did the realization that the LORD was pleased make Balaam change his practices?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The LORD and Balaam

2008-11-17T21:51:00.002-06:00

Numbers 22:7-12 - The elders of Moab and Midian left, taking with them the fee for divination. When they came to Balaam, they told him what Balak had said.

"Spend the night here," Balaam said to them, "and I will bring you back the answer the LORD gives me." So the Moabite princes stayed with him.

God came to Balaam and asked, "Who are these men with you?"

Balaam said to God, "Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent me this message: 'A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.' "

But God said to Balaam, "Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed."

There was a set fee for divination. I wonder how much it was. So this is how Balaam made a living? Was it his main occupation or did he have another vocation too?

I wonder if God appeared to him in human form as he did to Abraham, for example. I wonder if the LORD had spoken to him like this in the past or if this was the first time. He seems to know the LORD, the one and only God, and expects to get an answer for those who hired him. He doesn't seem especially surprised or afraid when God speaks to him.

I wonder how Balaam had come to know about the LORD in the first place.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Balak Calls for Balaam

2008-11-17T21:47:00.002-06:00

Numbers 22:1-5 - Then the Israelites traveled to the plains of Moab and camped along the Jordan across from Jericho.

Now Balak son of Zippor saw all that Israel had done to the Amorites, and Moab was terrified because there were so many people. Indeed, Moab was filled with dread because of the Israelites.

The Moabites said to the elders of Midian, "This horde is going to lick up everything around us, as an ox licks up the grass of the field."

So Balak son of Zippor, who was king of Moab at that time, sent messengers to summon Balaam son of Beor, who was at Pethor, near the River, in his native land.

I wonder how Balak knew about Balaam. How had Balaam become so famous? Who had he blessed and cursed before this? He wasn't one of God's chosen people, the Israelites, yet God used him to bless others. I wonder who Balaam's ancestors were.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Fortified Borders

2008-11-15T15:49:00.002-06:00

Numbers 21:21-24 - Israel sent messengers to say to Sihon king of the Amorites:

"Let us pass through your country. We will not turn aside into any field or vineyard, or drink water from any well. We will travel along the king's highway until we have passed through your territory."

But Sihon would not let Israel pass through his territory. He mustered his entire army and marched out into the desert against Israel. When he reached Jahaz, he fought with Israel. Israel, however, put him to the sword and took over his land from the Arnon to the Jabbok, but only as far as the Ammonites, because their border was fortified.

You don't hear about fortified borders much back in Old Testament times. Fortified, walled cities, yes, but not so much with the borders. I wonder how the borders were fortified. Were there walls there too? Were there towers? Guard stations? Were the borders fortified around the entire region? If so, what happened when you conquered more land?

The fortifications must have been fairly significant to deter the Israelites from attempting an attack. Then again, that's not really the direction they were heading.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Snake on a Pole

2008-11-12T23:55:00.002-06:00

Numbers 21:4-9 - They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!"

Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, "We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us." So Moses prayed for the people.

The LORD said to Moses, "Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live." So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.

I wonder how tall the pole was. Was it also made of bronze? Did people actually have to see the snake to survive or was it enough to look in the right direction? Ultimately it was faith in God's promise that saved them from death.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Arad

2008-11-12T23:51:00.002-06:00

Numbers 21:1-3 - When the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev, heard that Israel was coming along the road to Atharim, he attacked the Israelites and captured some of them. Then Israel made this vow to the LORD : "If you will deliver these people into our hands, we will totally destroy their cities." The LORD listened to Israel's plea and gave the Canaanites over to them. They completely destroyed them and their towns; so the place was named Hormah.

I wonder what the king of Arad's name was.

I wonder how large Arad's army was. Did their king really expect to defeat Israel, or did he only want to make his presence known -- as he did?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Aaron Dies

2008-11-10T23:47:00.002-06:00

Numbers 20:22-29 - The whole Israelite community set out from Kadesh and came to Mount Hor. At Mount Hor, near the border of Edom, the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Aaron will be gathered to his people. He will not enter the land I give the Israelites, because both of you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah. Get Aaron and his son Eleazar and take them up Mount Hor. Remove Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar, for Aaron will be gathered to his people; he will die there."

Moses did as the LORD commanded: They went up Mount Hor in the sight of the whole community. Moses removed Aaron's garments and put them on his son Eleazar. And Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the whole community learned that Aaron had died, the entire house of Israel mourned for him thirty days.

I wonder if Moses and Aaron told Eleazar ahead of time what was going to happen when they climbed Mount Hor. If not, I wonder if Eleazar asked about the unusual journey -- something like Isaac asking Abraham.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Moses and Aaron Denied Passage

2008-11-10T23:40:00.003-06:00

Numbers 20:1-13 - In the first month the whole Israelite community arrived at the Desert of Zin, and they stayed at Kadesh. There Miriam died and was buried.

Now there was no water for the community, and the people gathered in opposition to Moses and Aaron. They quarreled with Moses and said, "If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD! Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates. And there is no water to drink!"

Moses and Aaron went from the assembly to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and fell facedown, and the glory of the LORD appeared to them. The LORD said to Moses, "Take the staff, and you and your brother Aaron gather the assembly together. Speak to that rock before their eyes and it will pour out its water. You will bring water out of the rock for the community so they and their livestock can drink."

So Moses took the staff from the LORD's presence, just as he commanded him. He and Aaron gathered the assembly together in front of the rock and Moses said to them, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?" Then Moses raised his arm and struck the rock twice with his staff. Water gushed out, and the community and their livestock drank.

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "Because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them."

These were the waters of Meribah, where the Israelites quarreled with the LORD and where he showed himself holy among them.

I wonder if Moses and Aaron had assumed, before this time, that they would enter Canaan with the rest of the Israelites. Earlier God had said that those 20 years old or more who had grumbled against him would not enter the land. Moses and Aaron surely wouldn't have fit into that category. (What about Miriam?) But only Joshua and Caleb were specifically mentioned as being exempt. I wonder if that made Moses and Aaron (and Miriam?) nervous.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Gift of Service

2008-11-04T21:45:00.003-06:00

Numbers 18:7 - I am giving you the service of the priesthood as a gift.

In the New Testament, God calls Christians a royal priesthood. I wonder if we can apply this sentence to Christians then. I think it's safe to say we can. So we say that the Lord says, "I am giving you (Christians) the service of the priesthood as a gift."

I wonder how many Christians view their service to God as a gift. Think about it, Christians, it really is a gift. Value it highly.

Priceless.

Aaron's Staff

2008-11-04T21:40:00.002-06:00

Numbers 17:1-8 - The LORD said to Moses, "Speak to the Israelites and get twelve staffs from them, one from the leader of each of their ancestral tribes. Write the name of each man on his staff. On the staff of Levi write Aaron's name, for there must be one staff for the head of each ancestral tribe. Place them in the Tent of Meeting in front of the Testimony, where I meet with you. The staff belonging to the man I choose will sprout, and I will rid myself of this constant grumbling against you by the Israelites."

So Moses spoke to the Israelites, and their leaders gave him twelve staffs, one for the leader of each of their ancestral tribes, and Aaron's staff was among them. Moses placed the staffs before the LORD in the Tent of the Testimony.

The next day Moses entered the Tent of the Testimony and saw that Aaron's staff, which represented the house of Levi, had not only sprouted but had budded, blossomed and produced almonds.

I wonder how they wrote the owner's name on each staff. Was it written with some kind of ink? Was it carved into the wood with a knife?

I wonder how long Aaron had owned his staff. Presumably it had been a dead hunk of wood for quite some time -- as were the staffs of the other men. That would have made the sprouting, budding, blossoming, and fruit-producing of the almond wood even more impressive.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

A Deadly Fast Plague

2008-11-03T23:10:00.003-06:00

Numbers 16:41-50 - The next day the whole Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. "You have killed the LORD's people," they said.

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.

I wonder what kind of plague spread and killed so fast and was so localized that you could tell where to stand between the dead and dying and the living. 14,700 were suddenly and quickly affected within minutes of the Lord's pronouncement. Wow!

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Back to Egypt?

2008-11-03T23:02:00.002-06:00

Numbers 14:1-10 - That night all the people of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, "If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this desert! Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?" And they said to each other, "We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

Then Moses and Aaron fell facedown in front of the whole Israelite assembly gathered there. Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had explored the land, tore their clothes and said to the entire Israelite assembly, "The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the LORD is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will swallow them up. Their protection is gone, but the LORD is with us. Do not be afraid of them."

But the whole assembly talked about stoning them. Then the glory of the LORD appeared at the Tent of Meeting to all the Israelites.

I wonder if (too many of) the Israelites had come to take "the glory of the Lord" for granted. Here was this miraculous sign -- cloud by day, fire by night -- that led them from Egypt to Canaan, showing them where to go every step of the way, and yet when they arrive at their destination they act as if it's not -- God's not -- around anymore. They talk as if they're all on their own and would rather go back to their familiar surroundings than to where the Lord had led them and wanted them to continue to press toward.

I wonder...Did they not understand what "the glory of the Lord" really was?

I wonder what convinced the people to believe the discouraging report of the majority of the spies rather than the minority report of Joshua and Caleb. Was it the shear numbers, the 10 to 2? Or were there perhaps others lobbying behind the scenes against the correct choice?

I'm sure glad none of these kinds of things go on today.

Ahem.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

40 Days (Again)

2008-11-01T19:34:00.002-05:00

Numbers 13:25 - At the end of forty days they returned from exploring the land.

40 days seems to be the most famous time period mentioned in the Bible. (True, there are other contenders.) It rained 40 days and 40 nights. Moses was on Sinai 40 days and 40 nights. Jesus was tempted by Satan for 40 days. Why 40 days?

What did these spies do for food for 40 days? Did they beg? Steal? Get jobs? Had they brought enough cash with them?

Could they speak the language of the natives? Did they stand out in a crowd? Did they enter the city (Hebron) together as a troupe? Did they stay together the whole time? Was Hebron big enough to get lost in? How long did they stay in Hebron (or any other city in the area)? How much of the land did they actually get to see? Did they split into smaller groups and go different directions to cover more territory?

Who let them carry out that huge bunch of grapes and the other fruits? Did they purchase them?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Eschol

2008-11-01T19:30:00.001-05:00

Numbers 13:23-24 - When they reached the Valley of Eshcol, they cut off a branch bearing a single cluster of grapes. Two of them carried it on a pole between them, along with some pomegranates and figs. That place was called the Valley of Eshcol because of the cluster of grapes the Israelites cut off there.

I wonder what the locals had called the Valley of Eschol before the Israelites renamed it Cluster Valley.

I wonder how heavy the cluster of grapes was. Were the grapes extra large or were there just a huge amount of them in the cluster? Maybe both.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Hebron and Zoan

2008-10-30T23:03:00.002-05:00

Numbers 13:22 - They went up through the Negev and came to Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmai, the descendants of Anak, lived. (Hebron had been built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

I wonder why Moses mentions this fact. Why does he choose to compare these two cities? How did he know when Hebron was built? How had he heard about it? Why had he heard about it? Was it famous because the giant descendants of Anak -- Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai -- lived there? Was that the first thing you thought of when Hebron was mentioned?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Choosing Spies

2008-10-30T22:59:00.002-05:00

Numbers 13:1-16 - The LORD said to Moses, "Send some men to explore the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites. From each ancestral tribe send one of its leaders."

So at the LORD's command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran. All of them were leaders of the Israelites. These are their names:

from the tribe of Reuben, Shammua son of Zaccur;
from the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat son of Hori;
from the tribe of Judah, Caleb son of Jephunneh;
from the tribe of Issachar, Igal son of Joseph;
from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea son of Nun;
from the tribe of Benjamin, Palti son of Raphu;
from the tribe of Zebulun, Gaddiel son of Sodi;
from the tribe of Manasseh (a tribe of Joseph), Gaddi son of Susi;
from the tribe of Dan, Ammiel son of Gemalli;
from the tribe of Asher, Sethur son of Michael;
from the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi son of Vophsi;
from the tribe of Gad, Geuel son of Maki.

These are the names of the men Moses sent to explore the land. (Moses gave Hoshea son of Nun the name Joshua.)

With the exception of Joshua, I wonder how Moses decided which leader to choose from each tribe. Was it done by casting lots? Was it based on history, experience, merit, and/or ability?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Miriam's Leprosy

2008-10-26T20:48:00.003-05:00

Numbers 12:9-15 - The anger of the LORD burned against them, and he left them.

When the cloud lifted from above the Tent, there stood Miriam—leprous, like snow. Aaron turned toward her and saw that she had leprosy; and he said to Moses, "Please, my lord, do not hold against us the sin we have so foolishly committed. Do not let her be like a stillborn infant coming from its mother's womb with its flesh half eaten away."

So Moses cried out to the LORD, "O God, please heal her!"

The LORD replied to Moses, "If her father had spit in her face, would she not have been in disgrace for seven days? Confine her outside the camp for seven days; after that she can be brought back." So Miriam was confined outside the camp for seven days, and the people did not move on till she was brought back.

I wonder why only Miriam was physically punished for their murmuring against Moses. Of course it's God's choice, but I think it might have been because Aaron was high priest, and it wouldn't do to have the first high priest found to be a leper.

That's just my best guess for now though. God may have had a totally different reason. His thoughts are not my thoughts, nor are his ways my ways in matters like this.

Another idea...maybe God used Miriam as a warning to Aaron and an opportunity for him to plead for his sister (to Moses) thus forcing him to recognize Moses' God-given authority.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Humility

2008-10-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

Numbers 12:3 - (Now Moses was a very humble man, more humble than anyone else on the face of the earth.)

We assume that Moses wrote virtually all of the first 5 books of the Bible with the possible exception of the end of Deuteronomy which describes his last hours of life on earth and his death.

I wonder about this verse, too, though. I believe it but wonder who really wrote it. If you really were the most humble person on earth, would you tell everyone about it?

The editors of the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible decided to make this a parenthetical statement. Could it have been inserted by someone like Joshua? Someone who was a close friend and ally who knew Moses very well and could attest to his sincere humility?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Moses' Cushite Wife

2008-10-21T22:47:00.003-05:00

Numbers 12:1-2 - Miriam and Aaron began to talk against Moses because of his Cushite wife, for he had married a Cushite. "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?" they asked. "Hasn't he also spoken through us?" And the LORD heard this.

I wonder why Moses' wife was a problem for Aaron and Miriam. Was it simply because she wasn't an Israelite? Apparently God didn't have a problem with that.

Had she done something to arouse their dislike? Were they just looking for an excuse to say something against Moses? Why would they want to take their brother down? Did they really want the power and authority they thought he had?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Eldad and Medad

2008-10-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

Numbers 11:26-30 - However, two men, whose names were Eldad and Medad, had remained in the camp. They were listed among the elders, but did not go out to the Tent. Yet the Spirit also rested on them, and they prophesied in the camp. A young man ran and told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp."

Joshua son of Nun, who had been Moses' aide since youth, spoke up and said, "Moses, my lord, stop them!"

But Moses replied, "Are you jealous for my sake? I wish that all the LORD's people were prophets and that the LORD would put his Spirit on them!" Then Moses and the elders of Israel returned to the camp.

I wonder why Eldad and Medad hadn't gone out to the Tent of Meeting with the rest of the elders. What was it that kept them from going? I can't imagine that, being elders, they didn't want to go.

I wonder why no one noticed they weren't in the group that did go to the Tent.

I wonder if they were surprised that they started prophesying. I wonder if they were near each other at the time. It seems like that might have been the case, since only one young man reported it to Moses.

I don't understand why Joshua wanted to stop them from prophesying.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Blowing the Trumpets

2008-10-19T22:31:00.001-05:00

Numbers 10:8 - The sons of Aaron, the priests, are to blow the trumpets. This is to be a lasting ordinance for you and the generations to come.

I wonder if Aaron's sons already knew how to get a sound out of the trumpets or if they needed to be taught how to play by an experienced trumpeter.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Shave and a Haircut

2008-10-19T22:22:00.002-05:00

Numbers 8:5-7 - The LORD said to Moses: "Take the Levites from among the other Israelites and make them ceremonially clean. To purify them, do this: Sprinkle the water of cleansing on them; then have them shave their whole bodies and wash their clothes, and so purify themselves.

I wonder if the Levites were supposed to remain clean-shaven (all over) or if this was a one-time ritual.

It certainly would have made them stand out in the crowd. I'm pretty sure that was the intent. They were the Lord's special people from among his special nation.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Work for the Levites

2008-10-16T23:33:00.002-05:00

Numbers 4:46-49 - So Moses, Aaron and the leaders of Israel counted all the Levites by their clans and families. All the men from thirty to fifty years of age who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting numbered 8,580. At the LORD's command through Moses, each was assigned his work and told what to carry.

I wonder how many men it actually took to handle all of the jobs related to the Tent of Meeting. Was there a unique job for each man? Probably not. They probably took turns, having several men assigned to each job. If not, what would happen if a man was sick or injured and couldn't perform his assigned task? And what would happen later when the total number of men changed -- either increased or decreased?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Divisible by 10

2008-10-14T21:45:00.002-05:00

Numbers 1:20-43 - From the descendants of Reuben the firstborn son of Israel:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Reuben was 46,500.

From the descendants of Simeon:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were counted and listed by name, one by one, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Simeon was 59,300.

From the descendants of Gad:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Gad was 45,650.

From the descendants of Judah:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Judah was 74,600.

From the descendants of Issachar:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Issachar was 54,400.

From the descendants of Zebulun:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Zebulun was 57,400.

From the sons of Joseph:
From the descendants of Ephraim:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Ephraim was 40,500.

From the descendants of Manasseh:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Manasseh was 32,200.

From the descendants of Benjamin:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Benjamin was 35,400.

From the descendants of Dan:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Dan was 62,700.

From the descendants of Asher:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Asher was 41,500.

From the descendants of Naphtali:
All the men twenty years old or more who were able to serve in the army were listed by name, according to the records of their clans and families. The number from the tribe of Naphtali was 53,400.

I wonder if anyone thought it unusual that the total from each tribe was divisible by 10.

I do. Correct, but unusual.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Blessings and Curses

2008-10-11T23:31:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 26:3-39 - " 'If you follow my decrees and are careful to obey my commands, I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

" 'I will grant peace in the land, and you will lie down and no one will make you afraid. I will remove savage beasts from the land, and the sword will not pass through your country. You will pursue your enemies, and they will fall by the sword before you. Five of you will chase a hundred, and a hundred of you will chase ten thousand, and your enemies will fall by the sword before you.

" 'I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. You will still be eating last year's harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new. I will put my dwelling place among you, and I will not abhor you. I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

" 'But if you will not listen to me and carry out all these commands, and if you reject my decrees and abhor my laws and fail to carry out all my commands and so violate my covenant, then I will do this to you: I will bring upon you sudden terror, wasting diseases and fever that will destroy your sight and drain away your life. You will plant seed in vain, because your enemies will eat it. I will set my face against you so that you will be defeated by your enemies; those who hate you will rule over you, and you will flee even when no one is pursuing you.

" 'If after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over. I will break down your stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and the ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain, because your soil will not yield its crops, nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

" 'If you remain hostile toward me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your afflictions seven times over, as your sins deserve. I will send wild animals against you, and they will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle and make you so few in number that your roads will be deserted.

" 'If in spite of these things you do not accept my correction but continue to be hostile toward me, I myself will be hostile toward you and will afflict you for your sins seven times over. And I will bring the sword upon you to avenge the breaking of the covenant. When you withdraw into your cities, I will send a plague among you, and you will be given into enemy hands. When I cut off your supply of bread, ten women will be able to bake your bread in one oven, and they will dole out the bread by weight. You will eat, but you will not be satisfied.

" 'If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over. You will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters. I will destroy your high places, cut down your incense altars and pile your dead bodies on the lifeless forms of your idols, and I will abhor you. I will turn your cities into ruins and lay waste your sanctuaries, and I will take no delight in the pleasing aroma of your offerings. I will lay waste the land, so that your enemies who live there will be appalled. I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it.

" 'As for those of you who are left, I will make their hearts so fearful in the lands of their enemies that the sound of a windblown leaf will put them to flight. They will run as though fleeing from the sword, and they will fall, even though no one is pursuing them. They will stumble over one another as though fleeing from the sword, even though no one is pursuing them. So you will not be able to stand before your enemies. You will perish among the nations; the land of your enemies will devour you. Those of you who are left will waste away in the lands of their enemies because of their sins; also because of their fathers' sins they will waste away.' "

I wonder what the people thought when they heard these blessings and curses promised by God. I wonder how many thought, "Yeah, let's do what he says so we get the blessings."

I wonder how many thought, "Nah, it'll never get that bad. We don't have to worry much about all those potential curses getting to us."

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Sabbath and Jubliee

2008-10-11T23:16:00.003-05:00

Leviticus 25:1-22 - The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh 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. Whatever the land yields during the sabbath year will be food for you—for yourself, your manservant and maidservant, and the hired worker and temporary resident who live among you, as well as for your livestock and the wild animals in your land. Whatever the land produces may be eaten.

" 'Count off seven sabbaths of years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. The fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you; do not sow and do not reap what grows of itself or harvest the untended vines. For it is a jubilee and is to be holy for you; eat only what is taken directly from the fields.

" 'In this Year of Jubilee everyone is to return to his own property.

" 'If you sell land to one of your countrymen or buy any from him, do not take advantage of each other. You are to buy from your countryman on the basis of the number of years since the Jubilee. And he is to sell to you on the basis of the number of years left for harvesting crops. When the years are many, you are to increase the price, and when the years are few, you are to decrease the price, because what he is really selling you is the number of crops. Do not take advantage of each other, but fear your God. I am the LORD your God.

" 'Follow my decrees and be careful to obey my laws, and you will live safely in the land. Then the land will yield its fruit, and you will eat your fill and live there in safety. You may ask, "What will we eat in the seventh year if we do not plant or harvest our crops?" I will send you such a blessing in the sixth year that the land will yield enough for three years. While you plant during the eighth year, you will eat from the old crop and will continue to eat from it until the harvest of the ninth year comes in.

I wonder how many times the Israelites -- all of them -- actually gave the land its sabbath and how many times they actually celebrated the Year of Jubilee. Remember, these are people who couldn't wait 40 days -- much less 7 (or 50) years -- for something important to happen. The leaders would probably have needed a huge, ongoing P.R. campaign just to keep these things in the people's minds. And still I wouldn't be surprised if, when the 7th year rolled around, many simply said, "Yeah, right. We're taking the year off and not planting any seed. None of us! And no one will go hungry. Sure. You try that and let us know how it works. Save your money now so you have something to buy food from us when the harvest comes. We're going out to plow now."

Now faith is being sure of of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Oops!

2008-10-05T22:18:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 22:14 - If anyone eats a sacred offering by mistake, he must make restitution to the priest for the offering and add a fifth of the value to it.

How could someone eat an offering by mistake? The rules were so strict about offerings that you'd think such a mistake would really have been made on purpose. Yet it must have been possible or God wouldn't have covered it in the rules.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Been There, Done That?

2008-10-05T22:11:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 19:26-28 - " 'Do not eat any meat with the blood still in it.
" 'Do not practice divination or sorcery.

" 'Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard.

" 'Do not cut your bodies for the dead or put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD.' "

Some of these laws, like not eating blood, God had told them earlier.

Some of these laws were given in response to practices of other peoples which God didn't want Israel to follow. Cutting their bodies for the dead is likely in that category. Why would God even mention such a thing -- why put the idea into their heads -- if they hadn't already heard about it elsewhere?

But I wonder about a law for cutting hair and trimming beards. Was this also to keep them away from a practice that other peoples had? Did it signify a certain type of person or profession or occupation even that was not God-pleasing? Or was it simply there for Israel to show love and respect through obedience? Did it have some practical purpose that is lost in our culture today?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Goat Idols

2008-10-05T22:05:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 17:7 - They must no longer offer any of their sacrifices to the goat idols to whom they prostitute themselves. This is to be a lasting ordinance for them and for the generations to come.

I wonder how long such sacrifices had been going on. Doesn't it seem strange that this was still going on even after all that had happened to Israel since leaving Egypt, including the building of the tabernacle? How could some people still think it was okay to sacrifice to goat idols (or possibly demons)? Was this an idea promoted by some of the aliens (non-Israelites) who were traveling with the group? No matter who it was, how could they fly in the face of God's laws so blatantly that he even had to make a rule specifically forbidding this practice?

It's not like anyone does that today, is it? Hm.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Birds, Cedar, Yarn, and Hyssop

2008-10-05T22:01:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 14:1-7 - The LORD said to Moses, "These are the regulations for the diseased person at the time of his ceremonial cleansing, when he is brought to the priest: The priest is to go outside the camp and examine him. If the person has been healed of his infectious skin disease, the priest shall order that two live clean birds and some cedar wood, scarlet yarn and hyssop be brought for the one to be cleansed. Then the priest shall order that one of the birds be killed over fresh water in a clay pot. He is then to take the live bird and dip it, together with the cedar wood, the scarlet yarn and the hyssop, into the blood of the bird that was killed over the fresh water. Seven times he shall sprinkle the one to be cleansed of the infectious disease and pronounce him clean. Then he is to release the live bird in the open fields.

I wonder why these 4 items (see heading) were chosen as part of the cleansing ceremony. I'm sure someone has figured out the reasons why or the symbolism, if any, involved, but I'm pretty sure I've never had it explained to me before.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it ina comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Priest as Diagnostician

2008-09-30T21:12:00.003-05:00

Leviticus 13 - The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, "When anyone has a swelling or a rash or a bright spot on his skin that may become an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to Aaron the priest or to one of his sons who is a priest. The priest is to examine the sore on his skin, and if the hair in the sore has turned white and the sore appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious skin disease. When the priest examines him, he shall pronounce him ceremonially unclean. If the spot on his skin is white but does not appear to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has not turned white, the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if he sees that the sore is unchanged and has not spread in the skin, he is to keep him in isolation another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him again, and if the sore has faded and has not spread in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a rash. The man must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. But if the rash does spread in his skin after he has shown himself to the priest to be pronounced clean, he must appear before the priest again. The priest is to examine him, and if the rash has spread in the skin, he shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious disease.

"When anyone has an infectious skin disease, he must be brought to the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if there is a white swelling in the skin that has turned the hair white and if there is raw flesh in the swelling, it is a chronic skin disease and the priest shall pronounce him unclean. He is not to put him in isolation, because he is already unclean.

"If the disease breaks out all over his skin and, so far as the priest can see, it covers all the skin of the infected person from head to foot, the priest is to examine him, and if the disease has covered his whole body, he shall pronounce that person clean. Since it has all turned white, he is clean. But whenever raw flesh appears on him, he will be unclean. When the priest sees the raw flesh, he shall pronounce him unclean. The raw flesh is unclean; he has an infectious disease. Should the raw flesh change and turn white, he must go to the priest. The priest is to examine him, and if the sores have turned white, the priest shall pronounce the infected person clean; then he will be clean.

"When someone has a boil on his skin and it heals, and in the place where the boil was, a white swelling or reddish-white spot appears, he must present himself to the priest. The priest is to examine it, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it has turned white, the priest shall pronounce him unclean. It is an infectious skin disease that has broken out where the boil was. But if, when the priest examines it, there is no white hair in it and it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. If it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is infectious. But if the spot is unchanged and has not spread, it is only a scar from the boil, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

"When someone has a burn on his skin and a reddish-white or white spot appears in the raw flesh of the burn, the priest is to examine the spot, and if the hair in it has turned white, and it appears to be more than skin deep, it is an infectious disease that has broken out in the burn. The priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. But if the priest examines it and there is no white hair in the spot and if it is not more than skin deep and has faded, then the priest is to put him in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine him, and if it is spreading in the skin, the priest shall pronounce him unclean; it is an infectious skin disease. If, however, the spot is unchanged and has not spread in the skin but has faded, it is a swelling from the burn, and the priest shall pronounce him clean; it is only a scar from the burn.

"If a man or woman has a sore on the head or on the chin, the priest is to examine the sore, and if it appears to be more than skin deep and the hair in it is yellow and thin, the priest shall pronounce that person unclean; it is an itch, an infectious disease of the head or chin. But if, when the priest examines this kind of sore, it does not seem to be more than skin deep and there is no black hair in it, then the priest is to put the infected person in isolation for seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine the sore, and if the itch has not spread and there is no yellow hair in it and it does not appear to be more than skin deep, he must be shaved except for the diseased area, and the priest is to keep him in isolation another seven days. On the seventh day the priest is to examine the itch, and if it has not spread in the skin and appears to be no more than skin deep, the priest shall pronounce him clean. He must wash his clothes, and he will be clean. But if the itch does spread in the skin after he is pronounced clean, the priest is to examine him, and if the itch has spread in the skin, the priest does not need to look for yellow hair; the person is unclean. If, however, in his judgment it is unchanged and black hair has grown in it, the itch is healed. He is clean, and the priest shall pronounce him clean.

"When a man or woman has white spots on the skin, the priest is to examine them, and if the spots are dull white, it is a harmless rash that has broken out on the skin; that person is clean.

"When a man has lost his hair and is bald, he is clean. If he has lost his hair from the front of his scalp and has a bald forehead, he is clean. But if he has a reddish-white sore on his bald head or forehead, it is an infectious disease breaking out on his head or forehead. The priest is to examine him, and if the swollen sore on his head or forehead is reddish-white like an infectious skin disease, the man is diseased and is unclean. The priest shall pronounce him unclean because of the sore on his head.

"The person with such an infectious disease must wear torn clothes, let his hair be unkempt, cover the lower part of his face and cry out, 'Unclean! Unclean!' As long as he has the infection he remains unclean. He must live alone; he must live outside the camp.

"If any clothing is contaminated with mildew—any woolen or linen clothing, any woven or knitted material of linen or wool, any leather or anything made of leather-and if the contamination in the clothing, or leather, or woven or knitted material, or any leather article, is greenish or reddish, it is a spreading mildew and must be shown to the priest. The priest is to examine the mildew and isolate the affected article for seven days. On the seventh day he is to examine it, and if the mildew has spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather, whatever its use, it is a destructive mildew; the article is unclean. He must burn up the clothing, or the woven or knitted material of wool or linen, or any leather article that has the contamination in it, because the mildew is destructive; the article must be burned up.

"But if, when the priest examines it, the mildew has not spread in the clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or the leather article, he shall order that the contaminated article be washed. Then he is to isolate it for another seven days. After the affected article has been washed, the priest is to examine it, and if the mildew has not changed its appearance, even though it has not spread, it is unclean. Burn it with fire, whether the mildew has affected one side or the other. If, when the priest examines it, the mildew has faded after the article has been washed, he is to tear the contaminated part out of the clothing, or the leather, or the woven or knitted material. But if it reappears in the clothing, or in the woven or knitted material, or in the leather article, it is spreading, and whatever has the mildew must be burned with fire. The clothing, or the woven or knitted material, or any leather article that has been washed and is rid of the mildew, must be washed again, and it will be clean."

These are the regulations concerning contamination by mildew in woolen or linen clothing, woven or knitted material, or any leather article, for pronouncing them clean or unclean.

I wonder, in a camp of perhaps 2 million people, how much time it took for the priests to examine everyone who needed a diagnosis of clean or unclean. At least at first it probably took hours, if not days, to examine everyone who needed a decision.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Eating the Offerings

2008-09-23T00:03:00.003-05:00

Leviticus 6:14-7:36 - " 'These are the regulations for the grain offering: Aaron's sons are to bring it before the LORD, in front of the altar. The priest is to take a handful of fine flour and oil, together with all the incense on the grain offering, and burn the memorial portion on the altar as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. Aaron and his sons shall eat the rest of it, but it is to be eaten without yeast in a holy place; they are to eat it in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. It must not be baked with yeast; I have given it as their share of the offerings made to me by fire. Like the sin offering and the guilt offering, it is most holy. Any male descendant of Aaron may eat it. It is his regular share of the offerings made to the LORD by fire for the generations to come. Whatever touches them will become holy.' "

The LORD also said to Moses, "This is the offering Aaron and his sons are to bring to the LORD on the day he is anointed: a tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a regular grain offering, half of it in the morning and half in the evening. Prepare it with oil on a griddle; bring it well-mixed and present the grain offering broken in pieces as an aroma pleasing to the LORD. The son who is to succeed him as anointed priest shall prepare it. It is the LORD's regular share and is to be burned completely. Every grain offering of a priest shall be burned completely; it must not be eaten."

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to Aaron and his sons: 'These are the regulations for the sin offering: The sin offering is to be slaughtered before the LORD in the place the burnt offering is slaughtered; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it is to be eaten in a holy place, in the courtyard of the Tent of Meeting. Whatever touches any of the flesh will become holy, and if any of the blood is spattered on a garment, you must wash it in a holy place. The clay pot the meat is cooked in must be broken; but if it is cooked in a bronze pot, the pot is to be scoured and rinsed with water. Any male in a priest's family may eat it; it is most holy. But any sin offering whose blood is brought into the Tent of Meeting to make atonement in the Holy Place must not be eaten; it must be burned.

" 'These are the regulations for the guilt offering, which is most holy: The guilt offering is to be slaughtered in the place where the burnt offering is slaughtered, and its blood is to be sprinkled against the altar on all sides. All its fat shall be offered: the fat tail and the fat that covers the inner parts, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which is to be removed with the kidneys. The priest shall burn them on the altar as an offering made to the LORD by fire. It is a guilt offering. Any male in a priest's family may eat it, but it must be eaten in a holy place; it is most holy.

" 'The same law applies to both the sin offering and the guilt offering: They belong to the priest who makes atonement with them. The priest who offers a burnt offering for anyone may keep its hide for himself. Every grain offering baked in an oven or cooked in a pan or on a griddle belongs to the priest who offers it, and every grain offering, whether mixed with oil or dry, belongs equally to all the sons of Aaron.

" 'These are the regulations for the fellowship offering a person may present to the LORD :

" 'If he offers it as an expression of thankfulness, then along with this thank offering he is to offer cakes of bread made without yeast and mixed with oil, wafers made without yeast and spread with oil, and cakes of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. Along with his fellowship offering of thanksgiving he is to present an offering with cakes of bread made with yeast. He is to bring one of each kind as an offering, a contribution to the LORD; it belongs to the priest who sprinkles the blood of the fellowship offerings. The meat of his fellowship offering of thanksgiving must be eaten on the day it is offered; he must leave none of it till morning.

" 'If, however, his offering is the result of a vow or is a freewill offering, the sacrifice shall be eaten on the day he offers it, but anything left over may be eaten on the next day. Any meat of the sacrifice left over till the third day must be burned up. If any meat of the fellowship offering is eaten on the third day, it will not be accepted. It will not be credited to the one who offered it, for it is impure; the person who eats any of it will be held responsible.

" 'Meat that touches anything ceremonially unclean must not be eaten; it must be burned up. As for other meat, anyone ceremonially clean may eat it. But if anyone who is unclean eats any meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people. If anyone touches something unclean—whether human uncleanness or an unclean animal or any unclean, detestable thing—and then eats any of the meat of the fellowship offering belonging to the LORD, that person must be cut off from his people.' "

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Do not eat any of the fat of cattle, sheep or goats. The fat of an animal found dead or torn by wild animals may be used for any other purpose, but you must not eat it. Anyone who eats the fat of an animal from which an offering by fire may be made to the LORD must be cut off from his people. And wherever you live, you must not eat the blood of any bird or animal. If anyone eats blood, that person must be cut off from his people.' "

The LORD said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the LORD is to bring part of it as his sacrifice to the LORD. With his own hands he is to bring the offering made to the LORD by fire; he is to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the LORD as a wave offering. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution. The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their regular share from the Israelites.' "

This is the portion of the offerings made to the LORD by fire that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the LORD as priests. On the day they were anointed, the LORD commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their regular share for the generations to come.

If all of these offerings were for the male priests, what did the females in their families eat? Did the priests or their wives have other jobs to bring in income to buy food? I know they did later as the priesthood grew, but what about here at the start? (I might be missing or not remembering part of the picture here.)

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Offerings

2008-09-22T23:59:00.003-05:00

Leviticus 1-5

I wonder who was the first to bring each of these types of offerings, what the occasion was, and how long after God gave the laws through Moses it was first presented.

It's likely that every person should have brought a sin or guilt offering virtually every day. I wonder how many people even realized that possibility.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

The Thoughtless Oath

2008-09-16T23:38:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 5:4 - " 'Or if a person thoughtlessly takes an oath to do anything, whether good or evil—in any matter one might carelessly swear about—even though he is unaware of it, in any case when he learns of it he will be guilty.' "

How can you take an oath and not be aware of it? Apparently there are people who are this unthinking or God wouldn't have needed a rule to cover it. But still how...?

Okay, one possibility just hit me. Drugs and alcohol. Is that the only answer?

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.

Unaware but Guilty

2008-09-16T23:33:00.002-05:00

Leviticus 5:2-3 - " 'Or if a person touches anything ceremonially unclean—whether the carcasses of unclean wild animals or of unclean livestock or of unclean creatures that move along the ground—even though he is unaware of it, he has become unclean and is guilty.

" 'Or if he touches human uncleanness—anything that would make him unclean—even though he is unaware of it, when he learns of it he will be guilty.' "

I wonder how a person who was unaware that he had sinned would be made aware of his sin. What if there was no one else around to see him become unclean? How did God make him aware of the act that made him unclean? I'm not saying it's impossible -- just wondering how it came about.

I'm curious. Could you please tell me what brought you to this page by mentioning it in a comment? I won't publish the comment, if you ask me not to.