Choosing Spies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

An Aroma Pleasing to the Lord

Leviticus 3:1-5 - " 'If someone's offering is a fellowship offering, and he offers an animal from the herd, whether male or female, he is to present before the LORD an animal without defect. He is to lay his hand on the head of his offering and slaughter it at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. Then Aaron's sons the priests shall sprinkle the blood against the altar on all sides. From the fellowship offering he is to bring a sacrifice made to the LORD by fire: all the fat that covers the inner parts or is connected to them, both kidneys with the fat on them near the loins, and the covering of the liver, which he will remove with the kidneys. Then Aaron's sons are to burn it on the altar on top of the burnt offering that is on the burning wood, as an offering made by fire, an aroma pleasing to the LORD.' "

I wonder what kind of wood was used to keep the fire going on the altar. Maybe it was whatever was available at the time.

The area where the animals were killed may have smelt like a slaughterhouse, but I bet the area near the altar had an aroma not only pleasing to the Lord (spiritually) but also pleasing to the worshippers (physically).

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.

Glory as Guide

Exodus 40:36-38 - In all the travels of the Israelites, whenever the cloud lifted from above the tabernacle, they would set out; but if the cloud did not lift, they did not set out—until the day it lifted. So the cloud of the LORD was over the tabernacle by day, and fire was in the cloud by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel during all their travels.

I wonder if anyone else -- Midianites, Amorites, Egyptians, etc. -- wondered about the cloud and the fire that guided the Israelites' travels. Did anyone else get close enough to notice?

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.

Threads of Gold

Exodus 39:2-3 - They made the ephod of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. They hammered out thin sheets of gold and cut strands to be worked into the blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen—the work of a skilled craftsman.

I wonder if anyone had tried weaving with golden threads before. Was there someone who had done it elsewhere and therefore got chosen to make this ephod? Did they experiment on a "test cloth" first?

I wonder what they used to cut the gold strands. That's pretty delicate work!

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.

Building the Tabernacle

Exodus 36-38 (roughly)

I wonder if there was anything made incorrectly the first time. Or did God see to it that no one messed up...everyone measured twice and cut once?

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.

6-Day Work Week

Exodus 35:1-2 - Moses assembled the whole Israelite community and said to them, "These are the things the LORD has commanded you to do: For six days, work is to be done, but the seventh day shall be your holy day, a Sabbath of rest to the LORD. Whoever does any work on it must be put to death.

I wonder if people worked 7 days per week before this time. If there were people who had been working less than 6 days per week, did they now add a day to their work week?

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.

Tablets - Take 2

Exodus 34:28 - Moses was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights without eating bread or drinking water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant—the Ten Commandments.

So Moses didn't eat or drink this second time. Perhaps he didn't the first time then either. I wonder if Joshua went with his this second time 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.

Sea cows

Exodus 26:14 - Make for the tent a covering of ram skins dyed red, and over that a covering of hides of sea cows.

Where did they get the sea cow hides from? Midianite traders? Had they brought some/enough along from Egypt?

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 Mount Sinai

Exodus 24:13-18 - Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. He said to the elders, "Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them."

When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud. To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

I wonder if Moses ate or slept while on the mountain. God certainly could have sustained him without food and sleep.

I wonder if Joshua ate during that same period. It sounds like he didn't leave the mountain for 40 days either. He could have taken some food with him, or there may have been something edible up there, but would it have been enough for 40 days? Again, God could have miraculously solved this problem 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.

Tablets of Stone

Exodus 24:12 - The LORD said to Moses, "Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone, with the law and commands I have written for their instruction."

I wonder what shape the tablets were. Modern artists' renditions (that I've seen) of them usually consist of vertical rectangles with rounded tops. But who's to say they weren't square, triangular, circular, or some other regular shape? Triangular tablets would have carried some built-in symbolism related to the Trinity. Other shapes could have been symbolic as well.

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.

Dinner with God

Exodus 24:9-11 - Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of sapphire, clear as the sky itself. But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

I wonder what form God took when he showed himself to Moses and the elders. Most likely a human likeness as he is known to have taken on other occasions.

What did they eat and drink while in God's presence? I get the idea that it was something God had prepared for them as opposed to a meal they had brought up with them. How long did they stay and how much did they eat? Did this special meal have any unusual or lasting physical effects on 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.

Sprinkling Blood

Exodus 24:8 - Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words."

I wonder how many people actually got hit with some of the blood. Moses certainly didn't touch each person among the hundreds of thousands of them. Perhaps he sprinkled just Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and the 70 elders.

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.

Holding up the prophet's hands

Exodus 17:8-13 - The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, "Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands."

So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses' hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.

I wonder if Joshua and the army could see Moses' hands in the air from the battle field.

How many times did Moses lower his hands before Aaron and Hur decided to help him out? I'm guessing once was enough. Twice tops. Well, maybe a couple more, if it took them a while to put two and two together.

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.

Water Supply

Exodus 15:22 - Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water.

I wonder how much water the people could carry as they traveled. How many days would it last? Apparently at least 3.

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 New Year

Exodus 12:1-2 - The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, "This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.

I wonder which month this had been -- 2nd, 3rd, 4th... -- on their old calendar.

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.

Blackout

Exodus 10:21-23 - Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt." So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

The blackness was more than just the sun being covered by the moon as in an eclipse. It was a substance, that entered almost all of Egypt, because it could be felt. I wonder what the substance was. Was it just extremely dense fog?

If you had been in Goshen where there was light, could you see the line of demarcation between the light and the darkness? Or was there a sort of twilight zone between the two? Could you stand at the edge of the light in Goshen, reach your hand into the blackness (not that anyone would want to), and watch it disappear from view?

Did any of the Egyptians near the edge of the blackness bordering on Goshen dare to venture in that direction to see if the Israelites were spared? After all, they had been exempted from some of the other plagues.

I wonder how much money was lost due to lack of commerce for 3 days. I wonder what foreigners -- traders, businessmen, tourists, etc. (if there were any left in the country) -- thought about the darkness...or any of the other plagues, for that matter. Perhaps they all left after the Nile turned to blood.

I wonder how anyone knew whether it was day or night for those 3 days. Maybe they didn't really care.

The next time the power goes out for a few hours where you live, think twice before complaining too much. It could be a lot worse.

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.

Hail, Hail!

Exodus 9:22-33 - Then the LORD said to Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on men and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt." When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the LORD rained hail on the land of Egypt; hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both men and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. "This time I have sinned," he said to them. "The LORD is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the LORD, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don't have to stay any longer."

Moses replied, "When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the LORD. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the LORD's. But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the LORD God."

(The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the LORD; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land.

I wonder how Moses and Aaron were spared from being hit by the hail. Was it something miraculous that God had a hand in directly? Did they move about under the cover of some protective shield? Probably the latter since those who were sent to fetch them must have survived the trip under some form of protection as well.

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.

Frog Piles

Exodus 8:12-15 - After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the LORD about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. And the LORD did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.

I wonder what became of the piles of frogs. Did the Egyptians burn them? Bury them? Did they eat any 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.

Moses' Own People

Exodus 2:11 - One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people.

Moses was chiefly raised as the grandson of the Pharaoh. I wonder who told him he was a Hebrew. Was it his mother? Did she keep him long enough for him to understand what that meant? Was it Pharaoh's daughter? Why should she? How long before he murdered the Egyptian had Moses known he was a Hebrew?

Defying Pharaoh

Exodus 1:22-2:2 - Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months.

I wonder how many other mothers (and fathers) defied Pharaoh's order and kept their children safe.

How long was Pharaoh's order in effect? It couldn't have gone on for years and years, could it?

Joseph to Canaan

Genesis 50:25 - And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

I wonder if the bones of any of the other brothers were taken back to Canaan for burial.

Mourning for Israel

Genesis 49:33-50:3 - When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Joseph threw himself upon his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

I wonder what the Egyptians did for 70 days to show they were mourning for Israel. Was it something similar to flying the flag at half staff? Was it something they wore, like a black armband?

Ephraim and Manasseh and Israel

Genesis 48:8-11 - When Israel saw the sons of Joseph, he asked, "Who are these?"

"They are the sons God has given me here," Joseph said to his father.
Then Israel said, "Bring them to me so I may bless them."

Now Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see. So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his father kissed them and embraced them.

Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too."

Israel had been in Egypt for about 17 years, yet it sounds like this is the first time he met Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. If so, I wonder why Joseph hadn't introduced them to their grandfather before now. The boys were roughly 20 years old. It's not like they were toddlers who might have been too much for Israel to handle.

Goshen

Genesis 47:5-6 - Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock."

I wonder who had to relocate out of Goshen so that the Israelites could move in. If it was the best place that in the whole land, certainly someone would have been using it.

Egyptians and Shepherds

Genesis 46:31-34 - Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.' When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?' you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

Why were shepherds detestable to Egyptians? I bet they didn't mind the animals they tended -- the stuff made from the wool or the mutton they could eat -- or did they?

The Silver Cup

Genesis 44:11-12 - Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin's sack.

The brothers' payment in silver was supposed to be put into the mouth of each of their sacks per Joseph's instructions. Did the steward just ignore it while looking for the silver cup? Did the brothers see the silver in the mouths of their sacks? Did no one even bother with the money now that the silver cup was involved?

The brothers had noticed that they had been seated at the table in Joseph's house in order of age. Did they notice that this was the search order now too? Did the steward know who was who from memory or did he use crib notes?

Silver in the Sacks - Take Two

Genesis 44:1-9 - Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: "Fill the men's sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man's silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one's sack, along with the silver for his grain." And he did as Joseph said.

As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, "Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn't this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.' "

When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, "Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master's house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord's slaves."

Considering all the strange things that happened the first time around, wouldn't you have checked your sack to be sure only grain was found in it the second time?

How did the Egyptians manage to get the silver into the sacks -- either the first or the second time -- without the brothers' knowledge? The sacks must have been filled out of their field of vision -- in another room, behind a wall or barrier or something similar. Were all customers' orders processed this way or was it special handling for the brothers? If it was special, did the brothers notice something was different compared to other foreigners (or Egyptians, for that matter) who were buying grain?

Joseph's Steward

Genesis 43:15-23 - So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, "Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare dinner; they are to eat with me at noon."

The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph's house. Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, "We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys."

So they went up to Joseph's steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. "Please, sir," they said, "we came down here the first time to buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don't know who put our silver in our sacks."

"It's all right," he said. "Don't be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver." Then he brought Simeon out to them.

I don't think the brothers knew how to speak Egyptian. Did the steward speak Hebrew or did this conversation employ an interpreter too?

No More Grain

Genesis 43:1-2 - Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, "Go back and buy us a little more food."

I wonder how much grain they "bought" the first time they went to Egypt. Was there a limit? It sounds like each of the brothers only had one sack of grain. How big was it? It doesn't sound like anyone else had gone with them, so there would only have been 9 sacks. How long would that last?

And why did they leave their brother in Egypt until all the grain was gone, or nearly gone? Didn't the brothers dare to bring up the topic with Jacob sooner? Didn't Jacob care about the missing son? Did he really care that much more about Benjamin?

And didn't Benjamin have anything to say about all this?

Reuben's Sons

Genesis 42:36-37 - Their father Jacob said to them, "You have deprived me of my children. Joseph is no more and Simeon is no more, and now you want to take Benjamin. Everything is against me!"

Then Reuben said to his father, "You may put both of my sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Entrust him to my care, and I will bring him back."

You might wonder, "What was Reuben thinking!" Nevermind that. Assuming they heard what Dad said, what were Reuben's sons now thinking? Were they near enough to hear the conversation? Did it ever get back to them? Before you doubt it, notice that it got down to Moses who wrote it down here.

Talk like an Egyptian

Genesis 42:21-23 - They said to one another, "Surely we are being punished because of our brother. We saw how distressed he was when he pleaded with us for his life, but we would not listen; that's why this distress has come upon us."

Reuben replied, "Didn't I tell you not to sin against the boy? But you wouldn't listen! Now we must give an accounting for his blood." They did not realize that Joseph could understand them, since he was using an interpreter.

I wonder how long it had taken Joseph to learn the Egyptian language. Had Potiphar provided someone to teach him, or did he just have to pick it up as he went along?

Food for All

Genesis 41:56-57 - When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe throughout Egypt. And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world.

It's easy in retrospect to see God's hand in all of this. I still wonder though how Egypt had enough food to feed everyone. Which countries were included in "all the countries"? Obviously Canaan was (as we're about to see in Genesis 42).

Food in Egypt

Genesis 41:53-54 - The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end, and the seven years of famine began, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in all the other lands, but in the whole land of Egypt there was food.

Perhaps the reason the Egyptians didn't tell anyone else during the 7 years of plenty why they were storing up so much food was because they wanted to be in a position of power for the following 7 years and even beyond. I wonder though that no one from the other lands noticed what Egypt was doing or was curious as to why they were doing it.

Word must have passed along the grapevine at some point during the 7 years. You can't keep that kind of thing secret forever. Even if Pharaoh and Joseph never really made a public announcement as to why they were making a sudden change in economic policy, someone surely would have leaked the information to "the press" or would simply have correctly guessed what was going on. Joseph's rags to riches story in itself certainly would have made some people wonder what was coming next.

So why didn't anyone else outside of Egypt store up food for the coming years of famine?

Asenath

Genesis 41:45 + 50-52 - Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-Paneah and gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, to be his wife. And Joseph went throughout the land of Egypt.

Before the years of famine came, two sons were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. Joseph named his firstborn Manasseh and said, "It is because God has made me forget all my trouble and all my father's household." The second son he named Ephraim and said, "It is because God has made me fruitful in the land of my suffering."

I wonder if Joseph had any misgivings about marrying the daughter of a priest of a pagan god. He may not have had much choice. If he had misgivings, we aren't told about them. And he did have two children, Manasseh and Ephraim, with her within the first 7 years of their marriage.

Joseph in Charge

Genesis 41:15-40 - Pharaoh said to Joseph, "I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it."

"I cannot do it," Joseph replied to Pharaoh, "but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires."

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "In my dream I was standing on the bank of the Nile, when out of the river there came up seven cows, fat and sleek, and they grazed among the reeds. After them, seven other cows came up—scrawny and very ugly and lean. I had never seen such ugly cows in all the land of Egypt. The lean, ugly cows ate up the seven fat cows that came up first. But even after they ate them, no one could tell that they had done so; they looked just as ugly as before. Then I woke up.

"In my dreams I also saw seven heads of grain, full and good, growing on a single stalk. After them, seven other heads sprouted—withered and thin and scorched by the east wind. The thin heads of grain swallowed up the seven good heads. I told this to the magicians, but none could explain it to me."

Then Joseph said to Pharaoh, "The dreams of Pharaoh are one and the same. God has revealed to Pharaoh what he is about to do. The seven good cows are seven years, and the seven good heads of grain are seven years; it is one and the same dream. The seven lean, ugly cows that came up afterward are seven years, and so are the seven worthless heads of grain scorched by the east wind: They are seven years of famine.

"It is just as I said to Pharaoh: God has shown Pharaoh what he is about to do. Seven years of great abundance are coming throughout the land of Egypt, but seven years of famine will follow them. Then all the abundance in Egypt will be forgotten, and the famine will ravage the land. The abundance in the land will not be remembered, because the famine that follows it will be so severe. The reason the dream was given to Pharaoh in two forms is that the matter has been firmly decided by God, and God will do it soon.

"And now let Pharaoh look for a discerning and wise man and put him in charge of the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh appoint commissioners over the land to take a fifth of the harvest of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. They should collect all the food of these good years that are coming and store up the grain under the authority of Pharaoh, to be kept in the cities for food. This food should be held in reserve for the country, to be used during the seven years of famine that will come upon Egypt, so that the country may not be ruined by the famine."

The plan seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his officials. So Pharaoh asked them, "Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God?"

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you."

I wonder if Joseph paused for effect after saying, "I cannot do it." Would have been a nice (but dangerous) touch.

I wonder if Joseph had himself in mind when he suggested that Pharaoh look for a helper. Or was he totally chocked when Pharaoh named him on the spot?

Dreaming

Genesis 40:4-5 - The captain of the guard assigned them to Joseph, and he attended them.

After they had been in custody for some time, each of the two men—the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were being held in prison—had a dream the same night, and each dream had a meaning of its own.

Some (most? all?) who study sleeping and dreams will tell you that you dream every night, even if you don't remember the dream(s) upon waking. Even if they're only half right and we dream half of the times we sleep, that's still a lot of dreaming.

So it doesn't seem likely that the cupbearer and the baker each only had one dream while in prison. Maybe this is the first one they could remember.

Did those men seek out an interpreter every time they woke and remembered a dream? Seems unlikely. If not, when did they seek an interpreter? What made a dream significant enough to warrant interpretation?

What made them so sad about not having an interpreter available? And apparently interpreters were available elsewhere. Hm, maybe they really did go to one after every remembered dream. Did interpreters charge a fee? Did some make a living from dream interpretation? Probably.

Did the two men attach any significance to the fact that they each remembered a dream the same day?

Offending the Pharaoh

Genesis 40:1-3 - Some time later, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt offended their master, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was angry with his two officials, the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and put them in custody in the house of the captain of the guard, in the same prison where Joseph was confined.

Maybe you didn't have to try hard to offend a Pharaoh who had absolute power. But what can a cupbearer and a baker do to get themselves thrown into prison? Unless they were part of a plot to overthrow the Pharaoh, they'd have to screw up pretty badly to warrant such a punishment, wouldn't they?

If I remember correctly, the cupbearer was to taste drinks before the Pharaoh in case they had been poisoned -- a dangerous job, if your boss had crafty enemies. Did this cupbearer refuse to take a sip? Did he spill some on the Pharaoh's best robes? Or on the table? Or anywhere in Pharaoh's presence? Did he make some snide remark in earshot of the Pharaoh? Or in earshot of one of his enemies? Did he do something unseemly elsewhere that got back to the Pharaoh and upset and offended him? With such a prominent job, wouldn't you normally play it safe, especially considering the built-in hazards?

Many of the same things could be asked about the baker. However, he may have had the added hazard of trying to create new taste treats for the Pharaoh. I suppose if one of them flopped or displeased the Pharaoh or one of his mealtime guests, the Pharaoh may have been offended enough to want to try someone new in that position. (Pity the poor replacement.)

The Wise Warden

Genesis 39:20-23 - Joseph's master took him and put him in prison, the place where the king's prisoners were confined.

But while Joseph was there in the prison, the LORD was with him; he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. So the warden put Joseph in charge of all those held in the prison, and he was made responsible for all that was done there. The warden paid no attention to anything under Joseph's care, because the LORD was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did.

I wonder if it was unusual for a prisoner to be given responsibilities such as Joseph had. Did any of the other prisoners get jealous of him? What did Joseph do, if anything, to make the warden look favorably on him?

Potiphar the Wise

Genesis 39:2-4 - The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned.

I wonder how Potiphar could tell that the LORD was with Joseph. What was it in the way Joseph did his duties and conducted himself that made it evident? Were other servants given similar tasks but didn't produce the same good results? What kinds of tasks did Joseph have to perform?

I wonder if Joseph openly spoke about God to his co-workers or to Potiphar. It says that Potiphar saw that the LORD was with Joseph. Unless that only means he could observe the results of Joseph's work, how else could he have known it was the LORD working through Joseph unless Joseph had told him so?

Tamar in Disguise

Genesis 38:13-18 - When Tamar was told, "Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep," she took off her widow's clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, "Come now, let me sleep with you."

"And what will you give me to sleep with you?" she asked.

"I'll send you a young goat from my flock," he said.

"Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?" she asked.

He said, "What pledge should I give you?"

"Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand," she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

I wonder how Tamar disguised her voice. Surely she must have or Judah would have recognized her even though he couldn't see (most of) her face and had no reason to expect her to be in Enaim.