DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 32

Chapter 32
Summary:	(Note: Because of the way this chapter is written - with the majority of the verses being song lyrics - I'm going to change up my approach to summarizing this chapter by leaving the verses in their original King James translation, and then commenting every so often between them, with my comments written in italics.) Moses recites the lyrics to God's song:  1Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth, the words of my mouth.  2My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass:  3Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. These first three verses basically see Moses setting up metaphors implying that these lyrics will hit the listener like rain and dew hits the grass, and that they are intended to explain how "great" God is.  4He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Moses is claiming here that both God and all of his works are "perfect", that he is a god of truth, and that he is without "sin".  5They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.  6Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? is not he thy father that hath bought thee? hath he not made thee, and established thee? Moses is implying here that the Israelites have corrupted themselves and are no longer "God's children", but instead have corrupted themselves. Moses calls them foolish and unwise for doing so, considering that God brought them here from out of their Egyptian slavery and made them into the mighty nation that they became.  7Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations: ask thy father, and he will shew thee; thy elders, and they will tell thee.  8When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel. Moses tells people to "remember" the stories of the "days of old", by asking their elders to recount the stories to them. Moses claims that when God (the Most High) divided up the people of the world (the sons of Adam) into their separate nations (presumably after the Tower of Babel incident) that he set the borders of these nation in accordance to the population of the people of Israel. This seems suspect considering that the entire population of "Israel" at the time of their migration to Egypt - an already well established nation - was 70.  9For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.  10He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. It is important that a distinction should be made between Jacob/Israel the person and Jacob/Israel the people. While Jacob/Israel himself found favor with God, God wanted to destroy the people of Israel not just once, not just twice, not just three times, but distinctly four times so far in our story so far alone - which Moses had to talk God out of each time. Although perhaps Jacob himself, along with Moses, may have been, the people of Israel were hardly the "apple of [God's] eye".  11As an eagle stirreth up her nest, fluttereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings:  12So the LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with him. Although it may be arguable that outside of the various mass killings, plagues, and violent anger towards the Israelites that God did take care of them somewhat, it would be impossible for the Israelites to be certain that God alone - without the aid of other "strange gods" - lead them, aside from taking Moses' word for it. According to the story found in Exodus: Chapter 20, the Israelites begged Moses to not have God speak to them directly, fearing that the voice of God would kill them.  13He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;  14Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.  15But Jeshurun* waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. These three verses are prophetic, where Moses tells how God will provide the Israelites with all a wealth of good food, meats, and wines, but that the Israelites (referred to by an unusual poetic variant, "Jeshurun") would simply become gluttonous and forsake God's generosity and their own "salvation". It's unclear whether this might be a case of self-fulfilling prophecy; whether God is simply stating predestination, which is not alterable, and thereby negating what many believers claim as people having free-will; or whether God might be manipulating the Israelites into behaving this way.  16They provoked him to jealousy with strange gods, with abominations provoked they him to anger.  17They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not. Moses again places heavy emphasis on the "sin" of worshiping other gods being a justification out of jealousy for the extremities of God's violence against the Israelites. Curiously this also marks the second occurrence of the term "devil", this time in reference to the "other gods" the Israelites have turned to. Moses also adds that these will be gods that the Israelites have never encountered before, and ones that have been newly invented.  18Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful, and hast forgotten God that formed thee.  19And when the LORD saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons, and of his daughters. Moses states here that the Israelites (by worshiping other gods) will become ungrateful to the god that supposedly "created them", and that they in turn will provoke God into detesting them.  20And he said, I will hide my face from them, I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith.  21They have moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. Moses states that God's punishment to the Israelites for making him jealous of their new gods will be to take away his blessings to the Israelites, and will make the Israelites themselves jealous by giving those blessings to other nations who are not "God's people", which will provoke their own anger. When we examine what's being said in these verses a lot closer, we realize that what is most likely really going on here is psychological manipulation to further vilify the religions of other cultures. Broken down, we see that in order for the Israelites to receive God's blessings they have to jump through all sorts of hoops: they have to meticulously follow and obey numerous and complex commandments, rules, animal sacrifices, and laws to appease God or else they will be killed or excommunicated. Whereas the only thing that the enemies of the Israelites have to do to receive these same blessings are to get the Israelites to worship "idols" - whether they are their own or they encourage the Israelites to create their own. The enemy nations don't have to follow any of God's complex rules and regulations to benefit from God's blessings, all they have to do is lead the Israelites to worship other gods - ANY gods. Imagine you were given a mansion to live in rent free, but in order to live there you had to do all sorts of complex tasks, follow strict rules, and follow your landlord's religion. If you fail at these tasks your landlord will give your mansion away to your neighbors, who can live there without having to follow all of the strict rules that you have to abide by. When your neighbor stops by with his copy of the "Book of Mormon" - even if he might have no idea about your landlord's rules - you're apt to act out even more defensively, angrily, and perhaps violently, out of fear of your neighbor's motives. Clearly you're being psychologically manipulated regardless of whether whether your landlord's or your neighbor's intentions are meant in good will or not.  22For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.  23I will heap mischiefs upon them; I will spend mine arrows upon them.  24They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.  25The sword without, and terror within, shall destroy both the young man and the virgin, the suckling also with the man of gray hairs. Now God also dishes out the nasty stuff. Not only will he give his blessings to your enemies, but his anger will be so intense, that he will consume the "promised land" with fire, shoot the people with arrows, starve them, burn them, have wild animals tear them apart, and have poisonous snakes bite them. He will not spare any children (neither male nor young virgin girls), babies who are still nursing, or the elderly; despite the fact they're probably not able to properly convince the able adults not to worship other gods, leaving them helpless to their own destruction - not to mention that babies have no protection against their own destruction at God's hands. Also interesting of note is that this is the first mention of "hell" in the bible.  26I said, I would scatter them into corners, I would make the remembrance of them to cease from among men:  27Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say, Our hand is high, and the LORD hath not done all this. God now appears to have second thoughts about scattering the Israelites all over to distant lands, thinking that the enemy nations might believe that they destroyed Israel by their own might, and denying that God had anything to do with it. 28For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.  29O that they were wise, that they understood this, that they would consider their latter end!  30How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had shut them up?  31For their rock is not as our Rock, even our enemies themselves being judges.  32For their vine is of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: their grapes are grapes of gall, their clusters are bitter:  33Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps. God "reasons" that the enemies of Israel are "unwise" for thinking that they themselves could drive out an army of 1,000 Israelites with a single one of their soldiers, or that an army of 10,000 Israelites with two of their soldiers, without realizing that God was punishing the Israelites; positing that even they know that their gods aren't genuine like Yahweh, the god of the Israelites. God reasons that this should be evident because their vineyards are the "vine of Sodom" and that their "fields of Gomorrah" produce sour and poisonous grapes, their wine is the "poison of dragons" and the "venom of [snakes]". Therefore, apparently if you can't harvest edible grapes, it serves to reason that your gods are false. 34Is not this laid up in store with me, and sealed up among my treasures?  35To me belongeth vengeance and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste. God now states that the people of Israel will always be "among [his] treasures", and that he will have vengeance and retribution against the enemies of Israel, and that their good fortune will run out in due time. 36For the LORD shall judge his people, and repent himself for his servants, when he seeth that their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left. Once God sees that the Israelites have been "beaten up" enough, he'll repent himself. 37And he shall say, Where are their gods, their rock in whom they trusted,  38Which did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink offerings? let them rise up and help you, and be your protection. In these two verses God taunts the enemies of Israel by asking them "where are your gods now?" 39See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.  40For I lift up my hand to heaven, and say, I live for ever.  41If I whet my glittering sword, and mine hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will reward them that hate me.  42I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh; and that with the blood of the slain and of the captives, from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy.  43Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people. God claims that he is the only "real god", that he is the arbiter of life and death, and the one who wounds and heals, and that none can do what he can do. God continues, saying that he is eternal, and lifts his "sword" in judgment, delivering vengeance to his enemies and repaying those who oppose him. God says that his arrows with be bloodthirsty, his sword will devour flesh, fueled by the blood of the slain and captive Israelites becoming the beginning of God's revenge upon their enemies. God finishes out by stating that he will avenge the Israelites and have revenge on their enemies - showing mercy to the "promised land" and the Israelites. Moses and "Hoshea"*, the son of Nun, recited these lyrics to the people of Israel. Moses finished speaking to the people of Israel telling them: "Take these words that I testify to you today to heart, and teach them to your children, for them to obey all the words of these laws. It is not vain for you to do this, because it will prolong your days in the land when you cross the Jordan River to possess it." God spoke to Moses that same day telling him: Go up into the mountain of Abarim, Mount Nebo, which is in the land of Moab across from Jericho; and gaze upon the land of Canaan which I gave to the people of Israel as a possession. You will die up in the mountain and will be join your ancestors, just as Aaron your brother died in Mount Hor. Because you trespassed against me in front of the people of Israel, at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the wilderness of Zin. Because you didn't sanctify me in the midst of the people of Israel, you will be allowed to see the land spread out before you, but you will not enter the land which I give to the people of Israel."
Notes:	1.) "Jeshurun" is an alternate poetic equivalent for "Israel". It can mean the people of Israel (as it is used here), the land of Israel, or as an alternate name for Jacob/Israel. 2.) "Hoshea" is yet another spelling of "Joshua", similar to "Oshea" as seen in Numbers: Chapter 13 prior to Moses renaming him "Jehoshua", or Joshua. It's unclear why this form of Joshua's name is used here, but it might possibly be further evidence for the documentary hypothesis.
Thoughts:	After Moses (and Joshua, or is it Hoshea?) recite the song lyrics to God's #1 hit single to the Israelites, he tells the people to take the lyrics to heart, and to ensure that they teach them to their children - adding that it's not "vain" for them to do so, since it will prolong their lives in the "promised land" Next God tells Moses to climb Mount Nebo and to take a good look at the land of Canaan - the "promised land" - since he won't be allowed to enter it. He tells Moses that he will die upon the mountain, in a similar fashion to his brother Aaron, due to both of them messing up that whole striking a rock instead of speaking to it that somehow didn't "sanctify" God in the presence of the people of Israel.

DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 10

Chapter 10
Summary:	Moses' speech continues: "At that time, the Lord said to me, 'Cut two tablets of stone like the first pair, and come back up the mountain. Also you are to make an ark of wood. I will write upon the tablets the words that were written on the first tablets which you broke, and you shall put them into the ark.' "So I made an ark from shittim wood, and cut two tablets of stone like the first, and went up into the mountain carrying the two tablets. He wrote on the tablets, the same as he had written before, the ten commandments - which the Lord dictated to you in the mountain out of the midst of fire - and gave them to me. I came down the mountain and put the tablets into the ark which I had made; and there they are, as the Lord commanded me. "The people of Israel took their journey from Beeroth (of the children of Jaakan) to Mosera, and there Aaron died. After he was buried, his son Eleazar ministered as the head priest in his place. "From there, the people journeyed to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbath, a land with many rivers. It was at this time that the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant, to stand before the Lord, to minister to him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. While the Levites do not receive an inheritance like their brethren tribes do, the Lord is their inheritance - as the Lord your God promised them. "I stayed up in the mountain, like the first time, for forty days and forty nights. The Lord listened to me up there, and would not destroy you all. The Lord then said to me, 'Take your journey before the people, that they may go in and possess the land which I had sworn unto their forefathers, to give to them.' "And now, people of Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all of his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul, to keep his commandments and statutes, which I command you this day for your own good? Behold, the sky and the heavens above is the Lord's, as is the earth and therein. The Lord loved your forefathers and chose their descendants above all people, as he continues to this day. Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and don't act stubborn. "The Lord your God is God above all gods, the Lord of lords, a great God, mighty and terrible, which has no regard for any person, nor can he be bribed. He executes judgment of orphans and widows, and loves foreigners, giving them food and clothing. Therefore, you too are to love foreigners, as you were foreigners yourselves in the land of Egypt. "You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him, cling to him, and swear by his name. He is your praise, and he is your God, that has done for you all these great and terrible things, which you have seen with your own eyes. When your forefathers arrived in Egypt there were only seventy of them in number, now the Lord has made your population as numerous as the stars in the sky."
Thoughts:	Moses's speech continues, and he recounts the tale of receiving the second set of stone tablets containing the "ten commandments". as originally told in Exodus: Chapter 34. Although Moses' speech claims that God also asked Moses to build the "ark of the covenant" at the same time, this contradicts the book of Exodus which has this event occurring in Exodus: Chapter 25 prior to the writing of the first set of tablets containing the "ten commandments". Moses (again, self described as the "meekest man on earth") also contradicts the book of Exodus by taking credit for having built the ark of the covenant, when Exodus: Chapter 37 clearly credits Bezaleel for this task. He then restates that God wrote the "ten commandments" upon the new stone tablets and that Moses placed them into the "ark of the covenant". Moses next states that the Israelites then traveled from Beeroth to Mosera, where Aaron died (it's unclear whether Mosera is an alternate name for Mount Hor or an encampment nearby) and his son Eleazar took over as the head priest. Moses then states that the Israelites journeyed from Mosera to Gudgodah, and from there to Jotbath, where he states that God appointed the Levites to 'minister' under him. Moses then returns back to his story of staying up in the mountains for forty days and forty nights, and once again tells the people of Israel that he managed to talk God out of killing them all, as well as God's command for the Israelites to go take the "promised land". He then tells the Israelites that the only things they are required to do, is to fear God, to "walk in all of his ways", to love him, to serve him with all your heart and soul, and to obey all of his laws and commands. Moses states that God owns the heavens and the earth, and because he "loved" Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Israelites should stop being such a stubborn group of people - in which he makes a rather humorous analogy to circumcising the foreskin off of one's heart in order to remove their stubbornness. Moses continues, stating that God is the god above all gods; the ruler of all rulers; and is great, mighty, and terrible. He adds that God also cannot be reasoned with nor bribed, and favors the underdogs (orphans, widows, and foreigners) whom he loves - except for these foreigners. Moses states that they are to be loving towards foreigners, stating that the Israelites themselves were foreigners in the land of Egypt. Moses concludes that the Israelites are to obey God and to swear by his name, because of all the great and terrible things he has done. He adds that when their forefathers arrived in Egypt, that there were only seventy of them, but now they are as numerous as the stars in the sky.

DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 9

Chapter 9
Summary:	Moses' speech continues: "Hear, O [people of] Israel, you are to cross the Jordan River today, to go in and conquer nations greater and mightier than yourselves; to possess great cities that are highly fortified; against great tall people, the children of the Anakims - whom you know, and have heard it said 'Who can stand up against the children of Anak!' "Understand that the Lord your God will be with you today, and that he will go before you [in battle], and as a consuming fire he shall destroy [the children of Anak]. He shall bring them before you, so you can drive them out, and destroy them quickly, as the Lord has said unto you. "After the Lord you God has cast them out before you, do not say in your heart that the Lord has brought you in to possess this land because of your righteousness, because it is due to the wickedness of these [heathen] nations that the Lord drove them out before you. You are not possessing this land because of your righteousness, but [again] the Lord is driving out these nations for their wickedness, and so that he may fulfill his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Understand that the Lord your God is not giving you this good land for being righteous, for you are actually stubborn and unruly people. "Remember, and do not forget, how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness. From the day that you departed from Egypt, until you arrived at this spot today, you have been rebellious against the Lord. In [Mount] Horeb, you provoked the Lord to wrath - so much so, that the Lord was angry enough to have destroyed you all. "When I had went up into the mountain to receive the tablets of stone containing the covenant which the Lord had made with you, I had stayed in the mountain for forty days and forty nights - during which time I neither ate bread nor drank water. The Lord had delivered to me two stone tablets - written by the finger of God - on which was written, all the words that the Lord had spoken to you in the mountain out of the midst of the fire. On the fortieth day, when the Lord gave me the two stone tablets containing the covenant, he said to me, 'Get back down the mountain quickly, for the people you brought out of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They quickly turned aside from the ways which I commanded them and have made themselves a molten image.' "Furthermore, the Lord said to me, 'I have seen these people, and they are a stubborn group of people. Leave me, so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven, and instead I will make you into a nation mightier and greater than they are.' "So I came back down from the mountain, and the mountain burned with fire as I held the two tablets of the covenant in my hands. I looked, and behold, you had sinned against the Lord your God, and had made yourselves a molten calf. You had turned away quickly from the way in which the Lord had commanded you. I took the two tablets and threw them from my hands, breaking them before your eyes. "I again fell down before the Lord, and as I had done before, spent another forty days and forty nights where I did not eat any bread, nor drink any water, because of your sins and in doing wickedness in the sight of the Lord, provoking him to anger. I was afraid of the anger and hot displeasure that the Lord had kindled with wrath against you, for he had wanted to destroy you - however, the Lord listened to my prayers. The Lord was very angry with Aaron and wanted to destroy him as well, so I prayed for him as well. "I took your sin - the calf you had made - and burned it with fire. I stamped it and ground it into a fine powder, and cast the dust into the brook that descended from the mountain. "Again, at Taberah, and then again at Massah, and then even again at Kibrothhattaavah, you provoked the Lord to wrath. Likewise, when the Lord sent you from Kadeshbarnea, saying, 'Go up and possess the land which I have given you,' you still rebelled against the commandment of the Lord your God, and didn't believe him or heed his words. You have rebelled against the Lord from the day that I met you. "Thus I fell down before the Lord for forty days and forty nights, as I had done the first time, because the Lord had said that he would destroy you. So I therefore prayed to the Lord, and said, 'O Lord God, do not destroy your people and their inheritance, whom you had redeemed with your greatness and brought out of Egypt with your mighty hand. Instead, remember your servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; focus not upon the stubbornness, wickedness, and sin of these people, or the land from which you brought us out from will claim, "Because the Lord was unable to bring them into the land which he promised them, he hated them and slayed them out in the wilderness." They are your people, and your inheritance, which you brought out with your mighty power and your outstretched arm.'"
Thoughts:	Moses's speech continues, and he prepares the Israelites for their task of crossing the Jordan River and conquering the "promised land" and the giants - the sons of Anak - dwelling in their fortified cities. He tells the Israelites that God will destroy the giants, but that they are not to confuse the reason why God is allowing them to take their land. Moses insists that God's reasoning for driving the giants out the land is solely because of the "wickedness" of the giants, and not because the Israelites are righteous in any way. In fact, Moses tells the Israelites that they are actually stubborn and unruly people. He recounts to the Israelites the story of Exodus: Chapter 24 when God instructed him to ascend Mount Sinai, wait around for 40 days and 40 nights without eating and drinking, in order to receive the "ten commandments" carved onto two stone tablets, by the "finger of God". When Moses did this of course, fearing that Moses had gone missing, Moses' brother Aaron forged the Israelites a "golden calf" for them to worship. God's response naturally, is to get angry and decide to commit genocide upon the Israelites. Moses recounts how God had told him to get down there and put a stop to all this "golden calf" worshiping, and how he himself became so angry that he broke the two tablets containing the "ten commandments". Moses states that he became afraid of God's threats to kill off all of the Israelites and prayed for them; in turn he also prayed for Aaron who God also was angry with and wanted to destroy as well. Moses tells how he destroyed the "golden calf", ground it up into fine powder, and tossed it into the stream. (Although Moses stops his story short of where he forced the Israelites to drink from the water, and ordering the Levites to slaughter the Israelites who wouldn't with their swords, regardless of their family relations.) Moses then brings up more instances, such as the people whining about eating "manna" from Numbers: Chapter 11; the people whining about not having any water to drink from Exodus: Chapter 17; as well as the people gluttonously dining on the quails God gave them, also from Numbers: Chapter 11 - the bottom line being, God hates complainers. Moses then caps it off with the Israelites fear of the facing giants living in the "promised land" from Numbers: Chapter 14. Moses then basically says that the Israelites have always been a whiny ungrateful bunch of sods for as long as he can remember. Moses closes out the chapter by telling the people that he had to talk God out of committing mass genocide against the Israelites, and God's desire of making Moses' descendants become the "chosen people", by convincing him that this would look bad to the Egyptians, and that if he killed everyone off, he would be breaking his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

NUMBERS: A Recap

The book of Numbers can easily be summed up as to what God does to you when you complain a lot. I started this book in late July and have only now finished it in early November. Some of that is attributed to events in my personal life, but a good portion of the delay was also brought upon by how insane the book of Numbers can be to read as well.

The book begins true to it's name with Moses conducting several censuses of the various tribes of Israel and where they are to camp as the Israelites wander through the desert. God also comes up with a convoluted scheme to "own" the tribe of Levi by arguing that the tribe will actually be a substitution for all the "firstborn males" that God feels he's entitled to, but also manages to scam out some money for the church by using bad math against the rest of the tribes of Israel.

God appoints the Levites to transport the tabernacle around the desert, but under the threat that if they mishandle the tabernacle in anyway that they will be killed, and that anyone else aside from the Levites performing their jobs is to be killed as well.

After having Moses and Aaron purge the camp of lepers, God establishes his "law of jealousies" enabling jealous husbands to put their wife through a humiliating test to "prove" their fidelity, and punishable by horrible disfigurement if they're deemed to have been unfaithful, and "blessed" with becoming pregnant if they pass the test. Regardless of how the test turns out, the husband is never guilty of "sin", as it's apparently his wife's fault for causing his jealousy in the first place - even if she's been faithful to him.

Next up in God's law books is his requirements for a person who wishes to become a Nazarite, which is a temporary vow to God where the person is to avoid cutting their hair, drinking alcohol, or going near a dead body (even if a person happens to die in your presence). At the end of the vow the person is to shave their head, set the hair on fire at the tabernacle, and sacrifice some animals and grains.

Chapter 7 deals with all of the leaders of each tribe of Israel donating collectively to the tabernacle: 36 pounds of silver, 3 pounds of gold, and sacrifice 256 animals over a twelve day period.

After instructing Moses in how to conduct a ceremony to consecrate the Levites - after shaving off all of their body hair and sacrificing a couple of bulls, he spells out some laws concerning what to do is someone defiles themselves or is on vacation during "Passover", and has the people of Israel build some silver trumpets for sounding alarms.

After a chapter where we either get yet another name for Moses' father-in-law, or we are introduced to Moses' brother-in-law, the Israelites finally leave their camp site at the base of Mount Sinai. Unfortunately, the Israelites started to whine shortly afterward so God got angry and set them on fire until Moses prayed for God to stop immolating people.

The people started complaining again (right after having been set on fire) about their diet of "manna", desiring to eat meat again, and God sends them an over-abundance of quails (enough quails, as God says, that the Israelites will vomit meat "out of their nostrils" (Numbers 11:20) and grew tired of eating quails. Once the people began eating the quails though, God gets mad at them for doing so and smites them with a plague.

Meanwhile Moses' siblings Aaron and Miriam complain about Moses' Ethiopian wife, so God infects Miriam with leprosy (while Aaron gets out of punishment freely since he is the head priest) and argues that Moses is the "meekest man on earth". When Moses and Aaron beg God to reverse Miriam's leprosy, he agrees but under the stipulation that he'll only cure her after she remains exiled for seven days.

God has Moses sends out some spies to check out the "promised land", but becomes enraged when the spies discourage the people from invading the land because the land is inhabited by giants (the spies also bring home giant clusters of grapes). Except for the two dissenting spies, Caleb and Joshua, God kills off the rest of the spies with a plague for "slandering" the "promised land". When the people began complaining again, God wants to kill them all until Moses talks him out of it. God decides instead that none of them except for Caleb and Joshua will live to enter the "promised land" and decides to make the people of Israel wander around in the desert for forty years until the current generation dies off. The next day the Israelites decide to attempt to invade Canaan instead of God's insistence that they simply wander around in the desert, but because God doesn't help them in battle, they are chased off by the Canaanites and Amalekites.

After laying out some more laws on sacrificing animals, the Israelites see a man gathering sticks on the sabbath and God commands that they stone him to death. Afterward God also tells the Israelites to make fringes upon their garments attached with blue ribbons.

A group of over 250 men led by a man named Korah, wage a rebellion against Aaron and Moses' leadership. Moses dares the 250 men to light some "holy incense", and when they do just that, God sets them all on fire and then causes an earthquake to swallow up the rest of the men in the rebellion - along with their families. The Israelites complained about Moses and Aaron leading these men to their deaths, so God tells Moses and Aaron to move out of the way so that he can kill them all. God sends a plague, Aaron rushes to light some incense to appease God and stop the plague, but not before God has killed 14,700 people with his plague.

Moses and Aaron devise a "test" to prove their divine right to leadership - Moses has eleven of the twelve tribes sign their names on a stick while Aaron signs the twelfth, Moses puts the sticks in the tabernacle overnight - which only he, Aaron, and Aaron's sons are allowed to enter, and tells the Israelites that whomever's stick blooms with buds, flowers, and almonds the following day is the rightful leader of the Israelites. Of course Aaron wins the contest, and Moses puts Aaron's blossomed stick in the tabernacle as a reminder to the people to not question God's choice in leadership again.

After laying out some more rules and regulations regarding the Levites, God sends Moses and Aaron out to procure a red calf, that after being slaughtered and burned, its ashes are to be mixed in with "holy water" to form a "purification water" to purify people who've touched a corpse.

Moses' sister Miriam dies out in the desert, and the Israelites again find themselves without water. Moses and Aaron botch God's instructions for getting water out of a rock - despite the fact that 1) It worked and 2) they used the same technique that they used prior - and that neither Moses or Aaron shall live to set foot in the "promised land". The Israelites try to get the king of Edom (who were descended from Esau) to let them pass through their land, but the king sends his army to chase them away. They wind up at Mount Hor, where God decides to kill Aaron and appoints Eleazar to take over as the high priest.

The Israelites are then attacked by the Canaanites and some are taken prisoner. The people bargain with God, promising to destroy King Arad's cities if God would deliver the captive people back to the congregation - so the Canaanites and their cities were utterly destroyed, and the region was renamed to reflect that. The Israelites however got discouraged again, so God gets angry and retaliates by unleashing "fiery serpents" upon them. When the Israelites turn to Moses pleading for their lives, Moses forges a statue of a "fiery serpent" out of bronze, puts it on a pole, and tells the people that if they get bit by a snake, all they have to do is to look at Moses' statue and they won't die from their snakebites.

The Israelites requested passage through King Sihon's kingdom, and when he refused and attacked them, the Israelites defeated his army and took all of his cities. When the Israelites approached King Og's army, God tells them to do the exact same thing to King Og as they had done to King Sihon - they defeated his army, killed all of his people, leaving no survivors, and took his land.

King Balak, the king of Moab, fearing that his kingdom would be invaded and conquered by the Israelites as well, summoned a prophet named Balaam to come help him and to curse the Israelites. God initially refuses to let Balaam go, but relents and tells Balaam that he can go, so long as he follows God's instructions to a tee. However, when Balaam leaves the next morning, God gets angry with Balaam and sends an angel to hinder his journey. Only his donkey seems to see the angel blocking the way and the donkey tries to navigate around the angel, but gives up and lays down when the angel blocks a narrow path between two walls. After Balaam beats the donkey for disobeying him, the donkey talks to him and ask him what it had done to deserve such a beating. The angel finally reveals himself to Balaam and also asks why he had beaten the donkey. Balaam sees his mistake and the angel lets him pass, but he gets chewed out by King Balak for delaying his visit.

Balaam and King Balak sacrifice a bunch of animals, and Balaam receives a prophesy from God. However, God won't allow Balaam to curse the Israelites, and under God's instruction he blesses them instead much to the dismay of King Balak. King Balak tries again two more times before giving up in anger and disgust.

The Israelites are now seduced by the local Moabite women, and they coax them into worshiping their gods. God tells Moses to kill the leaders of the Israelites tribes and hang their corpses up in public view, as well as to kill everyone who worshiped any of the Moabite gods. An Israelite named Zimri however, snuck in a Midianite woman into the camp and Aaron's grandson Phinehas barged into their tent and impaled them both while they were copulating. Phinehas' handiwork apparently stopped one of God's plagues (which is never described, or is a reason given for it) which had killed 24,000 people. God rewards Phinehas with an "everlasting priesthood" for him and his descendants. He then tells Moses to "vex the Midianites" (despite the fact that his wife Zipporah and her family are Midianites), and blames them for the worshiping of other gods in Moab (even though the chapter specifies that it were Moabite women who led the Israelites astray).

Moses takes another census of all men fit to serve the military, and is told to divide up the "promised land" amongst the tribes, giving bigger pieces of land to the bigger tribes. However, a group of women demand property rights as their father had died and left behind no male heirs. God grants them property rights and allows for a man's daughter to inherit property (although she has to share it with her uncles) in the event of the man having no male heirs.

God then tells Moses that he will die once he has seen the "promised land" since he "rebelled" against God with the "striking the rock" incident. Moses asks God to pick a successor to lead the Israelites after his death, so God picks Joshua, and has Moses give Joshua a public ceremony to signify his leadership to the people.

God lays out even more demands for animal sacrifices, as well as establishing more animal sacrifices for various holidays. He also gives some rules about making vows, and how women's vows can be overruled by her father or her husband.

God now tells Moses to get revenge against the Midianites, and has him send the Israelites out to battle. The Israelites kill all of the men, but take the women and children prisoner, bringing them home along with all the valuables that they looted. Moses was furious that they had left anyone alive and ordered the troops to kill the women and male children, but stated that the soldiers could keep the female virgins for themselves. Moses exiles those soldiers who had come in contact with any dead bodies, or who were responsible for any killing, out of camp for seven days for "purification" and divides up the loot amongst the soldiers, the priests, the Levites, and the common people of Israel.

Upon their travels the tribes of Gad and Reuben convince a reluctant Moses that they'd rather take the nice cattle friendly land of Gilead than their inheritance in the "promised land". The tribes convince Moses to allow them to reside in Gilead providing they follow through on their military commitments to conquering Canaan and driving out the inhabitants currently residing in the "promised land" there. (The tribe of Manasseh also becomes allowed to reside in Gilead after they drive the inhabitants of Gilead out of the city.)

Moses has apparently been keeping a written record of the entire exodus, and is later told by God that every last Canaanite is to be driven out of the land, and that all of their images, statues, and altars are to be torn down and destroyed. Any Canaanite not driven out of the "promised land" will be a "thorn in the side" of the Israelites, and God will also do unto the Israelites what he "had thought to do" to the Canaanites.

God then sets the border lines for the "promised land" and appoints leaders from each tribe to assist in dividing up the land for each family. God also requires that the Levites are to be given a total of 48 cities (and surrounding suburb land) from the other tribes, and that six of these cities are to be "cities of refuge", where people who have accidentally killed someone can flee to safety away from their victim's family seeking revenge - but if the "revenger" finds them outside of the "city of refuge", then it's perfectly okay for them to kill the innocent person.

Finally, the book closes out with the clan of Gilead (from the tribe of Manasseh) complaining about a loophole in the property rights of the daughters from Chapter 27, and God amends his law to stipulate that if a man's daughters inherit land, they will only be allowed to marry within their own tribe - as otherwise the land would go to whichever tribe her husband belonged to.

NUMBERS: Chapter 33

Chapter 33
Summary:	The journey of the Israelites had been written down and recorded by Moses under commandment from God. These are the events that Moses had recorded: The people of Israel departed the city of Rameses on the fifteenth day of the first month (roughly the first of April by our modern calendar), the day after "passover". The Egyptians had buried all their firstborn, which had been killed by God. Also, upon the Egyptian gods, God also executed judgments. The people of Israel left Rameses and camped in Succoth. After leaving Succoth they camped in Etham, which is on the edge of the wilderness. After leaving Etham, they turned towards Pihahiroth (near Baalzephon) and camped at the foot of Mount Migdol. They left Pihahiroth, passed through the middle of the Red Sea, spending three days in the wilderness of Etham before camping at Marah. After leaving Marah, they camped in Elim. In Elim there were twelve fountains of water and seventy palm trees. After leaving Elim, they camped by the Red Sea. After leaving the Red Sea, they camped in the wilderness of Sihn (humorously spelled "Sin" in the KJV). After leaving the wilderness of Sihn, they camped in Dophkah. After leaving Dophkah they camped in Alush. After leaving Alush, they camped in Rephidim - where there was no water for the people to drink. After leaving Rephidim, they camped in the wilderness of Sinai. After leaving the desert of Sinai, they camped at Kibrothhattaavah. After leaving Kibrothhattaavah, they camped at Hazeroth. After leaving Hazeroth, they camped in Rithmah. After leaving Rithmah, they camped in Rimmonparez. After leaving Rimmonparez, they camped in Libnah. After leaving Libnah, they camped in Rissah. After leaving Rissah, they camped in Kehelathah. After leaving Kehelathah, they camped at Mount Shapher. After leaving Mount Shapher, they camped in Haradah. After leaving Haradah, they camped in Makheloth. After leaving Makheloth, they camped at Tahath. After leaving Tehath, they camped at Tarah. After leaving Tarah, they camped in Mithcah. After leaving Mithcah, they camped in Hashmonah. After leaving Hashmonah, they camped at Moseroth. After leaving Moseroth, they camped in Benejaakan. After leaving Benejaakan, they camped at Horhagidgad. After leaving Horhagidgad, they camped in Jotbathah. After leaving Jotbathah, they camped at Ebronah. After leaving Ebronah, they camped at Eziongaber. After leaving Eziongaber, they camped in Kadesh, located in the wilderness of Zin. After leaving Kadesh, they camped in Mount Hor, located on the edge of the land of Edom. Here, Aaron climbed Mount Hor at God's command, and God killed him. This occurred in the fortieth year after the people of Israel left Egypt, and on the first day of the fifth month (approximately July 15th by our current calendar). Aaron was one hundred and twenty three years old when God killed him on Mount Hor. King Arad the Canaanite (who lived to the south of Mount Hor in the land of Canaan) heard at this time of the Israelites approach to his land. After leaving Mount Hor, the Israelites camped in Zalmonah. After leaving Zalmonah, they camped in Punon. After leaving Punon, they camped in Oboth. After leaving Oboth, they camped in Ijeabarim, located on the border of Moab. After leaving Iim*, they camped in Dibongad. After leaving Dibongad, they camped in Almondiblathaim. After leaving Almondiblathaim, they camped in the mountains of Abarim, near Nebo. After leaving the mountains of Abarim, they camped in the plain of Moab by the Jordan River, near the city of Jericho. They camped by the Jordan River, from Bethesimoth all the way to Abelshittim in the plains of Moab. God spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River near Jericho and told him to speak to the Israelites. He tells Moses that when the Israelites cross the Jordan River and enter the land of Canaan, they are to drive out the inhabitants of the land, and are to destroy all their pictures, molten images, and to tear down their altars. The inhabitants are to be driven out, God says, because the land has been "given" to the Israelites to possess it. The land of Canaan is to be "divided by lot" for inheritance among the families of the Israelites. Bigger families are to draw for bigger pieces of land, and smaller families are to draw for smaller pieces of land. God adds however, that if the Israelites don't fully drive out the inhabitants of Canaan, then those Canaanites that remain will be "pricks in your eyes" and "thorns in your sides", and shall vex the people of Israel in the land wherein they dwell. Moreover, it shall come to pass that God will do unto the Israelites what he "thought to do" unto the Canaanites.
Notes:	1.) It is unclear why the name "Ijeabarim" has been changed in the verse that follows to "Iim". It's possible that "Iim" may be another name for "Ijeabarim", or it may be possible that these are two different locales.
Thoughts:	This chapter is mainly an outline describing the locations of the various Israeli campsites over the forty year journey from Egypt to Canaan. Apparently God had commanded Moses to keep a written record of their journey, and it is detailed here in Numbers 33. What is interesting about this list, is that we see that the story of the Israelites takes place in the desert of Sinai beginning in Exodus: Chapter 19, and continues throughout the entire book of Leviticus, and up until Numbers: Chapter 11. Over the next nine chapters in the book of Numbers, the Israelites travel to over 22 different locations before God kills Aaron atop Mount Hor, and another 9 locations up to the end of this chapter. While the Israelites were camped in the plains of Moab, God tells Moses that the Israelites are to drive out every last Canaanite out of the "promised land", and that they are to also destroy every last picture, idol, statue, and altars they may have built in the land. God rationalized this by stating that the land has been "given" (actually it would be more accurate to state that God had simply permitted the Israelites to forcibly steal the land away from its inhabitants) to the Israelites. God repeats his declaration that the land of Canaan is to be divided up and drawn by method of a lottery for the families among the various tribes of Israel. Larger pieces of land are to be drawn up for larger families, and smaller pieces of land are to be drawn up for smaller families. God finishes up his earlier threat by stating that if the Israelites fail to fully drive out every last Canaanite, then those remaining Canaanites will be "pricks in [their] eyes" and "thorns in [their] sides" and will vex the Israelites in the land. Moreover, God threatens that he will do to the Israelites what he has thought of doing to the Canaanites...which it's probably safe to assume that it's nothing too pretty.

NUMBERS: Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Summary:	The people of Israel traveled into the desert of Zin in the first month* and camped in Kadesh. Moses' sister Miriam died there and was buried in Kadesh. There was no water for the people in the desert and they began to complain to Moses and Aaron. The people spoke up against Moses and begged the question if they too should have been killed in Korah's rebellion. The people accused Moses of having brought them and their cattle out in the wilderness to die here. The people asked why they were made to leave Egypt, to be brought out to such an "evil place" where there is no crops, figs, vineyards, pomegranites, or most importantly, any water. Moses and Aaron left the congregation and went to the door of the tabernacle where they "fell upon their faces" and the glory of God appeared to them. God spoke to Moses, telling him to take the "magic rod" from the tabernacle and gather the people of Israel together. He explains that Moses and Aaron are to speak to the rock before the people of Israel, and water shall flow from the rock for the people and their cattle to drink. Moses took the rod from the tabernacle as God had commanded, and then Moses and Aaron gathered the people around the rock. Moses then cried out, "Hear now, ye rebels! Must we fetch you water out of this rock?" Moses lifted his hand and with the rod he struck the rock twice, and water came out in abundance for the people and cattle to drink. God then speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them because they didn't believe him, to sanctify himself in the eyes of the people of Israel, they will therefore not bring this congregation into the "promised land". The problem being is that Moses didn't speak to the rock like God had commanded him, but instead struck the rock with the rod, as he had done before in Exodus 17:6. The area was named Meribah (meaning "rebel waters"), because the people of Israel rebelled against God, and he was "sanctified" in them. Moses then sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom explaining to the king their relation and their plight. (The people of Edom were descended from Esau, who was the elder brother of Jacob - later renamed Israel in Genesis: Chapter 32.) The messengers recounted the plight of the Israelites to the king, that they had lived many years in the land of Egypt and became enslaved there. The messengers explained further that when they cried out to God, God had heard them and sent an angel, bringing them out of Egypt and eventually to where they stood in Kadesh, camped on the border of the city of Edom. The messengers asked the king for permission to pass through the city of Edom, stating that the Israelites will not pass through their fields or vineyards, nor will they drink any water from their wells; the people will remain on the highway and not veer from the path until they've crossed through the border on the other side of the city. The king of Edom however refused to let the people of Israeli into the city, warning them that if they attempt to enter the city they will be attacked by the king's army. The people of Israel again pleaded with the king, restating that they will stay on the highway, and that if their cattle happens to drink any of their water, that the kingdom of Edom will be paid for it. They restated that their intention were only to pass through the city and nothing else. The king of Edom again refused their request and mobilized his army, causing the people of Israel to turn away. The people of Israel journeyed from Kadesh to Mount Hor instead. God spoke to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, by the coast of the land of Edom, and stated that Aaron be gathered unto the people, for he is not to enter the "promised land" due to his "rebellion" against God due to the incident at the rock. God tells Moses to bring Aaron and his son Eleazar up into Mount Hor and strip Aaron of his priest garments, and put them upon Eleazar. Aaron is to be gathered unto his people, and shall die there. Moses did as God commanded and they went up into Mount Hor in view of all of the people of Israel. Moses stripped Aaron of his garments and put them upon Eleazar, and Aaron died there on top of the mountain. Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain, and when the people saw that Aaron was dead, the entire population of Israel mourned for Aaron for thirty days.
Notes:	1.) Approximately in April by our modern calendar.
Thoughts:	The people of Israel travel through the desert of Zin in the first month of the Hebrew calendar (mid April) and camp in the land of Kadesh. (While it's not entirely clear how many years have passed since leaving Egypt, it has been at least three years at this point.) At Kadesh, Miriam dies and is buried there - the book of Numbers offers no further details about her death. In the desert of Kadesh the people of Israel again found themselves without water and complain to Moses and Aaron. They begin accusing Moses (again) of having brought them all out here in the desert to die, and question as to why they have been brought out to such an "evil" place where there are no crops, and more importantly, any water. Moses and Aaron leave the people and head to the tabernacle to speak with God. God tells Moses to go fetch Aaron's "magic rod" from inside the sanctuary and to gather the people around a large rock in the area. He tells Moses the he and Aaron are to speak to the rock to make water flow from it for the people. However, when Moses gathers the people around he strikes the rock with the "magic rod" (like he did in Exodus: Chapter 17). God sees this action as a direct defiance of his orders, and tells Moses and Aaron that they now are not allowed to enter the "promised land" because they didn't perform God's magic trick in the exact method God laid out. There's numerous problems with God's judgment here, the first and foremost being Moses' intentions. However, I'm guessing that the apologist standpoint would be that God's omniscience basically makes him a mind reader, but we could argue against this in light of God resorting to other methods in other stories throughout the bible, where this "mind reading" ability could have been a simpler method of getting his answers. Secondly, it also seems that God may have been proposing a trick test here, by having Moses do something that he has already done before (bringing forth water from a rock - which again he did in Exodus: Chapter 17) but having him use a different method. Having Moses retrieve the "magic rod" from the tabernacle would appear to be a "red herring", considering that the rod doesn't seem to have any necessary use if Moses were to simply "speak to the rock" to get it to produce water. Adding to this, it's reasonable to assume that Moses was probably enduring a great deal of stress at the prospect of another rebellion, since he was stressed out over the previous rebellions. Under these circumstances, it's easy to see how Moses could have "disobeyed" God's command purely by accident Third off, Aaron has arguably made far worse mistakes (creating an idol of a golden calf violating one of the ten commandments, and conspiring with sister Miriam against Moses over his Ethiopian wife) and hasn't been punished. In light of this, it seems rash and extreme of God to make such a rash punishment for an act that certainly has some reason to believe it could have been an honest mistake. Anyways, the land was named Meribah (meaning "rebel waters") due to this conflict. Moses then sends some messengers along to the neighboring kingdom of Edom, who's inhabitants are related to the people of Israel by means of being descendants of Jacob/Israel's elder brother Esau. The messengers ask permission to pass through the kingdom and vow not to touch any of the land's fields, vineyards, or wells, and promising to stay solely on the main highway until they pass. The king however denies them, and after the people of Israel beg him again, he sends down his army to chase them away from the border. This leaves the people of Israel to retreat to Mount Hor instead. God speaks to Moses and Aaron at Mount Hor, and decides that Aaron will have to die for his earlier "sin" at the rock, and that his son Eleazar is to replace him as the head priest. Again, I have numerous problems with God's judgment upon Aaron. First being, what is it exactly that Aaron is being killed for? Perhaps because Aaron simply did nothing when his brother Moses struck the rock? Also, again, Aaron has done far worse (the "golden calf" incident, and conspiring with Miriam against Moses) and walked away unpunished. In the case of his conspiracy with Miriam, God even specifically states that Aaron "got a pass" primarily because of his service in the priesthood, while his sister was stricken with leprosy for doing the same thing. Perhaps God sees this as a "three strike law" and felt that Aaron's passive inactivity towards Moses' action was the final straw combined with his past "sins"? God commands Moses to take both Aaron and Eleazar up to Mount Hor, strip Aaron of his priest costume and place it upon Eleazar, after which Aaron is to die. (This also seems to contradict the ceremonies for consecration as laid out in Leviticus: Chapter 8.) Moses does as he's told, Aaron dies, and when Moses and Eleazar return down the mountain without Aaron, the people go into mourning for the next thirty days.

NUMBERS: Chapter 19

Chapter 19
Summary:	God speaks to Moses and Aaron, telling them to have the people of Israel bring them a red heifer without a spot, blemish, and that has never been yoked. The cow is to be slaughtered outside the camp by someone else as Eleazar watches. Eleazar is then to take some of the cow's blood, and with his finger, sprinkle the blood directly before the tabernacle seven* times. Someone is then to burn the heifer's carcass while Eleazar watches, making sure that the skin, flesh, blood, and dung are consumed by the fire. Eleazar is then to cast some cedar wood, hyssop branches, and a scarlet thread upon the burning carcass. Eleazar is to then wash his clothes, bathe his flesh with water, and then come into the camp - but he will be considered "unclean" until the evening. The man who burned the red heifer must wash his clothes, bathe, and will also be considered "unclean" until the evening. A man who is not considered "unclean" must be selected to gather up the ashes of the heifer, lay them outside of the camp in a "clean" place. These ashes are to be kept for the congregation for a "water of separation" to purify one from "sin". The man that gathered the ashes must now wash his clothes, bathe and be considered "unclean" until the evening. This is a permanent law for the people of Israel and foreigners living amongst them. God repeats his laws concerning anyone that touches a dead body, beginning with restating that they shall be considered "unclean" for seven days. He is to purify himself with the water running through the ashes of the red heifer on the third day. the person shall be considered "clean" on the seventh day only if they have "purified" themselves by this manner on the third day. Whomever touches a dead body and doesn't "purify" themselves in this manner is to be excommunicated from the people of Israel, for the person's "uncleanliness" is upon them. When a person dies in a tent, all that enter the tent and everything contained in the tent will be considered "unclean" for seven days. Any open containers that aren't covered with some sort of lid to cover it is considered "unclean". Anyone who touches someone who was slain with a sword in the open fields, a dead body, human bones, or a grave shall be "unclean" for seven days. Anyone who is deemed "unclean" must take the ashes of the burnt heifer and add it to running water in a vessel (a bowl, kettle, pot, or similar container). A "clean" person is then to dip a hyssop branch into the water and sprinkle it upon the tent, upon all containers, upon the people who were in the tent, and upon anyone who has touched a bone, corpse, or a grave. The "clean" person is to do this on the third day, and upon the seventh day, the "unclean" shall purify themselves by washing their clothes and bathing in water, and they will be considered "clean" when the evening arrives. The person who becomes "unclean" yet doesn't abide by this purification ritual will be excommunicated from their people, as they have "defiled" God's sanctuary. It is a permanent statute that the person who sprinkles the water shall wash their clothes, and that one that touches the "water of separation" be considered "unclean" until the evening. Anything that an "unclean" person touches shall be "unclean" as well, and any person who touches an "unclean" person will be considered "unclean" themselves until the evening.
Notes:	1.) Another appearance of the mystical number seven.
Thoughts:	God speaks to Moses and Aaron and tells them to have the people of Israel find a red cow without blemishes, and one that has never been yoked. Such an animal is an anomaly considering the stringent requirements it must meet. The cow has to be entirely one color (red) and its hair has to be completely straight to ensure that the animal has never been yoked. Even according to Jewish tradition, it is said that only nine red heifers were actually slaughtered between the time of Moses (who's death is claimed to have been in 1271 BC) to the destruction of the "Second Temple" in 70 AD - meaning that only nine such cows were found in an 800 year span, averaging that finding such a cow every 88 years or so. Anyways, after finding such a rare animal, God demands that it is to be killed and enlists Aaron's son Eleazar to supervise this task. Eleazar has to appoint somebody to kill the cow, as he can't do this himself for some reason, and then has to have someone else (it isn't clear if this can or cannot be the same person who killed the cow or not) set the cow's carcass on fire. After the other guy kills the cow on the outskirts of town, Eleazar has to scoop up some of the blood and sprinkle the tabernacle with it "seven times" - yet another example of the bible's mystical significance projected onto the number seven. Once Eleazar is done with that, he has to supervise someone setting the cow's carcass on fire. While the carcass is burning, Eleazar will have to toss some cedar wood, hyssop branches, and a scarlet thread into the fire as well. Once the carcass has burned completely, Eleazar and whomever he selected to burn the cow must wash their clothes, bathe themselves in water, and both will be considered "unclean" until the evening. A third (or possibly fourth, depending on whether the butcher of the cow can be the same guy to set it on fire) person who is ceremonially "clean" then must be selected to retrieve the ashes and lay them outside the camp in a "clean" designated area. (These ashes are to be used in a cleansing ritual that will be explained in further detail later on.) Now the man who gathered the ashes has now "defiled" himself by doing this job, so he too must wash his clothes and take a bath, as he is now considered "unclean" until the evening. This whole "red heifer" business is a permanent law pertaining to the people of Israel as well as foreigners living in the land. God repeats his law that anyone touching a dead body is considered "unclean" for a period of seven days, and now adds that the "red heifer ashes" must be used in their purification process. A person who has "defiled" themselves by touching a corpse must participate in a purification ritual on the third day of their "defilement". Failure to do so leads to the "unclean" person being excommunicated. God adds that when a person dies in a tent, anyone else who enters that tent is "unclean", as are every item contained in the dead person's tent. Any open containers that aren't covered with some sort of lid are "unclean" as well. "Uncleanliness" also applies to those who touch the corpse of a slain person, any dead body, human bones, or even a grave, and the person doing so will be considered "unclean" for seven days. The purification ritual consists of the "unclean" taking the ashes of the burnt heifer and add it to some running water collected in a kettle (or similar container). A "clean" person must dip a hyssop branch into the water and sprinkle the water upon anything deemed "unclean" - a dead man's tent, all open containers, anyone who was in the dead man's tent, and upon anyone who has touched a corpse, bone, or a grave. This ritual has to be done on the third day, and on the seventh day the "unclean" must bathe and wash their clothes, and they will be deemed "clean" upon the evening of the seventh day. Again, God states that anyone who becomes "unclean" and doesn't follow this purification ritual will be excommunicated, on the grounds that they have "defiled" God's sanctuary. Again, this is a permanent law. The "clean" person who participated in the ritual must also wash their clothes, as well as anyone else who touches the "water of separation", as they will be considered "unclean" until the evening. Anything or anyone that an "unclean" person touches will be considered "unclean" as well until the evening. Quite frankly, this is all really ridiculous. I can understand ordering that people should wash themselves under these circumstances for hygienic reasons, but the significance of the red cow ashes is simply superstitious nonsense - worsened by the "necessary" inclusion of hyssop branches, cedar wood, and scarlet thread in the burning of the ashes. I suppose we should be thankful that the punishment for disobeying this silly law is only excommunication, rather than a stoning or immolation.

NUMBERS: Chapter 18

Chapter 18
Summary:	God speaks to Aaron, telling him that he and his sons will bear full responsibility for any desecration of either the tabernacle or the priesthood. God reminds Aaron that while the Levites are his relatives and are to work for the priesthood, only Aaron and his sons may perform any of the duties in the tabernacle itself. The Levites are work under Aaron's charge, and to work in the service of the tabernacle, but God tells Aaron that they are not to go near any of the items within the sanctuary of the tabernacle, nor the altar, or God will kill both Aaron and the offending Levite. God tells Aaron that the Levites are there to assist him, and that a non-Levite is never to perform these tasks. God further explains to Aaron that it is his duty to care for the sanctuary in the tabernacle and the altar, so that this will somehow prevent God from having to bestow wrath upon the people of Israel. God tells Aaron that he has separated the Levites from amongst the people of Israel, and given them to Aaron as a "gift" to assist him, and that the duties of the priesthood are a "gift" to Aaron and his sons, so therefore anyone else that attempts to perform these duties is to be put to death. God now tells Aaron that because he and his sons in the priesthood have been given the responsibility to give "holy" sacrifices to God on behalf of the people of Israel, only Aaron and his sons are to receive the food items offered - by permanent law. The only exception being sacrifices burnt upon the altar, that the males of Aaron's family are to eat these sacrifices in a "holy" place. All other sacrifices can be enjoyed by Aaron's family - sons and daughters alike, as long as they are ceremonially "clean". God states that the best of the olive oil, wine, wheat, and the first fruits offered by the people to God, are given to Aaron and his sons, and all of the first crops brought before God shall be eaten by all ceremonially "clean" persons in Aaron's household. Everything that is dedicated to God shall also belong to Aaron and his sons, including the firstborn amongst men and animals. The firstborn men, along with all "unclean" animals must be redeemed with a monetary value of five shekels (which is noted to be worth twenty gerahs). They are to be "redeemed" when the child is one month old. The firstborn of cows, sheep, and goats however must never be redeemed with money, as they are deemed "holy" and therefore must be sacrificed upon the altar - sprinkling their blood upon it, and burning their fat upon it, for a "sweet savor" to God. The animals meat shall belong to Aaron, including the breast and right shoulder used in the "wave offering". All of the "heave offerings" which the people of Israel offer to God, are to be given to Aaron and his family by permanent law, as a "covenant of salt" between God and the descendants of Aaron. God tells Aaron that priests are not to own land or benefit any other way from the people of Israel, as God will provide them with all that they need. The Levites will be paid for their work in the tabernacle by instituting a tithe upon the people of Israel. However, no-one aside from the people of the tribe of Levi may enter the tabernacle, lest they bear "sin", and are to be killed. The Levites must do their service, or they too will bear their "sin" (and presumably be killed) - this is a permanent law to be upheld throughout the generations. The tithes of the people of Israel, which they offer as "heave offerings", are to be given to the Levites and therefore they shall not have any other income or inheritance. God then speaks to Moses telling him to speak to the Levites, to tell them that when they receive their tithes from the people of Israel, they in turn will have to pay 10% of that tithe to God as their "heave offering". This 10% of their tithes shall be considered just as valid as if they were offering up the first of their crops like the rest of the people of Israel do. This "tithe of the tithes" must be the choicest part of tithes, which is to given to Aaron the priest. By giving the best portion of the tithes to Aaron and his sons, God reasons that this will absolve their guilt for accepting God's tithes in the first place. The spoils of the tithes may be eaten anywhere the Levites wish as it is their payment for serving in the tabernacle, however, the tithes are not to be forgotten or taken for granted that God considers the tithes "holy", or else he'll kill you.
Thoughts:	God for a change, speaks to Aaron directly instead of through Moses, at the beginning of this chapter and reminds him that he needs to be careful of his treatment of both the tabernacle and the priesthood in general - which basically boils down to God saying "if you follow all of my rules down to a tee, I won't have to kill you". He further expands upon this point saying that he's responsible for any of his Levite helpers breaking a rule too, in which God will kill them both. It boils down like this: We have the common folks (603,550 of them, give or take depending on how many God winds up killing through plagues, stonings, and immolation - after Numbers: Chapter 16 this would drop our number down to around 588,600) who aren't allowed in the tabernacle at all, and will be killed for simply entering or touching it. Next we have the tribe of Levi (about 22,300 of them give or take from plagues, immolations, and stonings) who are allowed to work in the tabernacle (mostly to transport and move the tent around to and from each campsite) but aren't allowed in the "sanctuary" containing the ark of the covenant, nor can they touch any of the "holy" items in the tent. Finally we have the last subdivision of Aaron's lineage (that consists currently in our story with four people: Aaron, his son Eleazar, his son Ithamar, and his brother Moses) that can touch anything and enter the tabernacle, but they have to use everything properly and have to babysit anyone else to prevent them from doing anything improper that God doesn't like, or they'll be put to death. Basically, under 4% of the population have a much higher social status in God's view. Of those 4% only 4 people are allowed the highest security clearance - but they're also to babysit everyone else at the risk of their own lives. God's forcing these people to perform these tasks he's assigned them as he claims that somehow this will prevent his wrath from destroying everyone. He tells Aaron that by forcing the Levites into doing these chores, he has given the Levites to Aaron as a "gift", and that he should also look at his priestly duties as a "gift" as well. It's rather difficult for me to view either as being "gifts" when they come with the risk of fatal punishment for acts of disobedience that could be committed by any one of over 22,000 people with only four people being able to supervise them. God also reminds Aaron that if a non-Levite attempts to perform any tasks in the tabernacle, they're to be put to death. God now reminds Aaron that him and his sons are free to share the spoils of all of the "animal sacrifices", as well as grain and drink sacrifices, with the rest of their households (providing that they're all ceremonially "clean") - except for anything sacrificed by fire. In the case of fire sacrifices, only the men in Aaron's family are allowed to eat these, and must do so in a "holy" place. The fine olive oil, wine, wheat, grains, and first fruits however, are okay to be eaten by all the ceremonially "clean" members of Aaron's household. Everything that is dedicated to God shall belong to Aaron and his sons, which includes the firstborn among man and animals. However, the first born men (along with all "unclean" animals) must be redeemed with a monetary value of five shekels, which has to be paid when the child is one month old. It isn't stated however what happens if this five shekel "firstborn tax" isn't paid to the priests. While I'd like to believe that the priests wouldn't put a one month old child to death for not being "redeemed", I could also say that I'd like to believe that people wouldn't be put to death for gathering up sticks on a Saturday. The firstborn of cows, sheep, and goats however, are never to be redeemed with money as God considers them "holy". Apparently the best thing to do with "holy" animals is to slaughter them and set their carcasses on fire upon the "holy" altar, so that God can enjoy their "sweet savor". The animal meat of course, can be enjoyed by Aaron and his priestly sons. All of these "heave offerings" will belong to Aaron and his family, and is a permanent law to be observed from generation to generation. God continues on and states that the priests are not to own or inherit land, nor are they to earn any other income outside of the priesthood, as God takes care of all of their need. The Levites are to be paid for their work by instituting a tax (a tithe) upon the people of Israel. God again reminds Aaron that no-one aside from the Levites may enter the tabernacle, lest they be killed for this "sin". All Levites appointed for work in the tabernacle must do their job, or they too will bear their "sin" (and presumably be killed as well). Back to the tithes, God states that because of these tithes, the Levites also are not to have any other form of income or own land either. God now addresses Moses, telling him about the tithes. He tells Moses that the Levites will have to pay a 10% tax on the tithes that they receive from everyone else, to pay to the priests. Now let's do some math here, even though the tithes in question weren't necessarily all monetary taxes. For the sake of this example, let's put a monetary value of $5 to symbolize a value on the tithes. Every Israeli aside from the tribe of Levi must pay this $5 tax, and there's at least 588,600 (due to recent plagues and immolation in our story). That is almost $3 million collected - $2,943,000 - of which 90% - $2,648,700 - of that goes into the pockets of the Levites. There are approximately (it's not clear how many of those killed in the rebellion belonged to the Levite tribe) 22,000 Levites. Each Levite would receive roughly $120.40 from the tithes. The remaining 10% from the tithes would amount to $294,300 to be split amongst the priests, which at this point in our story at most is four people (Aaron, Eleazar, Ithamar, and perhaps Moses) who would each collect a cool $73,575(!) Think about this - Aaron and his sons already have a wealth of food from everyone's animal sacrifices, which are all mandatory for everything from minor "sins", to being taxed for your first crops and firstborn children and livestock. Now on top of this, they collect a $73,575 salary while their employees (the Levites) get paid $120 each, and aren't allowed to pursue another form of income, nor do they get the spoils of eating any of the animal meat from all of these mandatory animal sacrifices. This is a really imbalanced system where the elite (the priests) benefit by ridiculous margins above the worker class (the Levites). Anyways, God likens the 10% that the Levites must give up from the tithes that they're paid, as being as valid as if they were paying a tithe themselves. God adds in the stipulation that the 10% tithe that the Levites have to pay to the priests, has to be the choicest part of the tithes. For example, when the Israelites pay their first crop tax by donating the best of their first harvest to the church, the Levites then have to give the priests the best 10% of whatever has been collected. God reasons that by the Levites giving the best 10% to the priests, this will absolve them from the guilt of benefiting from the tithes in the first place. While God will allow the spoils of the tithes to be eaten anywhere the Levites wish, he also notes that the tithes are not to be taken for granted or viewed lightly, as God considers them "holy", and he'll kill you for not revering them properly.

NUMBERS: Chapter 17

Chapter 17
Summary:	God tells Moses to speak to the people of Israel, and tells Moses to have each of the twelve tribes present a wooden rod with the names of their tribe and the names of their tribe's leader written upon the rod - and with the tribe of Levi, Aaron's name is to be written upon the rod. The rods are then to be placed in the tabernacle before the ark of the covenant, and God explains that whomever God has chosen, his rod will blossom, which God reasons will stop the people of Israel from complaining. Moses relayed this to the people of Israel and collected the twelve rods - each inscribed with the names of each of the twelve tribes of Israel and their appointed leaders. He put the twelve rods in the tabernacle in the room containing the ark of the covenant, and in the morning Aaron's rod was budding, blooming, and bearing almonds. Moses brought out all of the rods for the people of Israel to see and returned them to their prospective leaders, with the exception of Aaron's rod, which God tells Moses to place beside the ark of the covenant as a reminder against the rebellion. God states that this "reminder" will convince the people not to question God's choice, lest they be killed for doing so. Moses did as God had commanded him. The people of Israel however said to Moses, "Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish". complaining that whoever comes anywhere near the tabernacle is to be killed, and ask if they should be consumed with death.
Thoughts:	In this short and brief chapter, God comes up with a laughable way to provide "evidence" to the people of Israel that would cause amateur magicians, used car salesmen, and con-men alike to roll their eyes at. God's hilarious idea is to have each leader from each of the twelve tribes inscribe both their names and their clan names upon a wooden rod (with Aaron's name going on the rod for the tribe of Levi). The rods are then to be gathered up by Moses, and then he is to place them inside the tabernacle (that only himself, Aaron, and Aaron's sons are allowed to enter - anyone else is to be killed for entering the tabernacle), and in the morning one of the rods will be bloom and be covered with buds and almonds. Of course, Aaron's rod magically has sprouted almonds the following morning to which God has Moses permanently place inside the tabernacle next to the ark of the covenant as a trophy which he thinks will stop the people from rebelling once and for all, lest he's forced to kill them for not believing this flimsy magic trick. Take a moment to reflect upon this method of providing "evidence". If you were trying to prove to someone that you had magical powers and that your friend was a beneficiary of these powers, who do you think you're going to convince if your evidence consists of a stick with your friends name on it, being locked in a room that only you and your friends have access to, and that the proof is that somehow in this locked room (to which you and your friends can enter and exit freely at any time) the stick has managed to produce flowers upon it? A sensible person would question that Moses, Aaron, or his sons could have: Entered the tabernacle in the middle of the night and switched Aaron's rod for a duplicate that had almonds budding on it. That the "almond rod" might have been crafted ahead of time to look like the "normal rod", and constructed inside the tabernacle out of view from the common folk. That there is no way of determining of when this rod scheme was thought up versus when it was told to the people. Thereby, perhaps Moses and Aaron may have picked out two similar rods ahead of time, crafted them to look as identical as possible over the next few days before announcing this "test" to the people. Which ever it may be, the most damning hole in the plot is that the "winner" of the rod contest had full unrestricted access to the rods at all time and they were stored in a tent which only him and his family were allowed to enter. Somehow this seems about as legitimate as Saddam Hussein's 2002 election victory winning 100% of the vote. Even if we for the sake of argument accept that God is real, that he has in fact chosen Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel to the "promised land", and that he is both omnipotent and omniscient, this can't explain why such a powerful supernatural being would chose such a weak and severely flawed method of providing "evidence". Even if we keep with this same "contest" for divine proof, why couldn't God have had Moses put the twelve rods on the ground in front of all of the people and had Aaron's rod sprout before everyone's eyes? God certainly had no problem having Moses and Aaron turn rods into a snakes in front of witnesses before. The fact is that the conditions and circumstances around this sort of "evidence" simply isn't reliable, one would think that God would be smart enough to see how a skeptic could refute this, and come up with something a bit more convincing. If I were to pull out a magic wand and make flowers sprout from the tip, you would understandably be skeptical if I told you that this wasn't a magic trick but instead a "miracle". Understandably, the people of Israel didn't really buy into this silly trick either pointing out that anybody who comes near the tabernacle is killed, and point out that they shouldn't be subjected to these sort of death threats.