DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 1

Chapter 1
Summary:	These are the words that Moses spoke to the people of Israel, east of the Jordan River, in the wilderness, in the plain over against the Red Sea - between Paran, Tophel, Laban, Hazeroth, and Dizahab. (It was an eleven day journey from Horeb, by the way of Mount Seir, to Kadeshbarnea.) Moses spoke to the people of Israel on the first day of the eleventh month* (since leaving Egypt) concerning everything that God had commanded since King Sihon (king of the Amorites, of whom dwelt in Heshbon) and King Og (king of Bashan, which resided in Astaroth in Edrei) had been defeated. "The Lord our God spoke to us in [Mount] Horeb, saying: 'Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount. Turn around and journey towards the mount of the Amorites; to the plains, the hills, and the valley to the south; by the sea side to Canaan; and on to Lebanon - unto the great Euphrates River. Behold the land I have set before you, and go possess this land that the Lord had sworn unto your forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give to them and all their descendants.' "And I spoke to you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear [this burden] myself alone. The Lord your God has multiplied you, and behold, today you are as numerous as the stars in the sky - may the lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more as you are, and bless you as he has promised! However, how could myself alone bear your problems, burden, and strife? Take your men that are wise, understanding, and experienced among your tribes and I shall make them rulers over you. "And you answered me and said, 'The thing which you have spoken is a good thing for us to do.' So I took the chiefs of your tribes - the wisemen and the experienced - and made them leaders over you. [They became] captains over thousands, captains over hundreds, captains over fifties, captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. I appointed and instructed your judges at the time, saying, 'Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him. You shall not respect persons in judgment - you shall judge the poor the same as the rich; you shall not fear the reactions to your verdicts as the judgment is God's; and if a case is too difficult for you, bring it to me, and I will hear it.' And I commanded you at that time all the things which you should do. "When we departed from [Mount] Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wilderness, which you saw among the mountains of the Amorites, as God had commanded us, and we arrived in Kadeshbarnea. I said to you there, 'You have arrived unto the mountains of the Amorites, which the Lord our God has given to us. Behold, the Lord has set the land before us - go forth and possess this land, as the Lord has commanded. Don't be afraid or discouraged.' "And you came to me, every one of you, and said, 'We will send some men before us, and they shall scout out the land, and bring us back word by what way we should approach, and which cities should we invade.' "This idea pleased me, and I selected twelve men from each tribe to scout the land. They ascended the mountain, arrived at the valley of Eschol, and searched it out. They brought back a sample of the fruit of the land and said, 'It is a good land which God has given us.' "Notwithstanding, you all refused to go up the mountain, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord - your God. You murmured and complained in your tents and said, 'Because God hates us, he has brought us out of Egypt to deliver us to the hand of the Amorites, to destroy us. Why should we go?' "Your brethren, the spies, had discouraged your heart saying, 'The people in the land are greater and taller than we, their cities are great and walled up to the heavens, and moreover, we have seen giants - the sons of the Anakim - there.' "I then said to you, 'Fear not, nor be afraid of them. The Lord your God who goes before you, will fight for you, just as he had done for you in Egypt before your eyes. In the wilderness, where you have seen how the Lord thy God has protected you - as a father protects his child - in every place you have went, up until you came into this land.' "Yet in this matter, you did not believe the Lord your God, who had traveled before you, searched out places for you to pitch your tents in, guiding you by [a pillar of] fire by night and a cloud by day, to show you which direction to travel. "The Lord heard your voices and was wroth, and swore, saying, 'Surely there shall not be a single man of this evil generation to live to see this good land, which I had sworn unto their forefathers.' Except for Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, who because he had wholly followed the Lord, shall be given as an inheritance, the land that he had trodden upon. "The Lord was also angry with me due to your sakes, saying, 'You also shall not enter [the "promised land"]. But Joshua, the son of Nun, shall stand before you and lead the people in to the land. Encourage him, for he shall cause [the people of] Israel to inherit it. Moreover, the little ones whom the people said would die in the wilderness, and the children who had no knowledge between good and evil, they shall be allowed to inherit the land - and unto them I will give it, and they shall possess it. But as for the rest of you, turn and take your journey back into the wilderness toward the Red Sea.' "Then you all answered and said unto me, 'We have sinned against the Lord. We will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God has commanded us.' When you had armed every man with weapons, you were ready to go up into the mountains. "And the Lord said to me, 'Say unto them, "Don't go up there, and don't fight, for I will not be amongst you", for they will be struck down before their enemies.' "So I spoke to all of you, yet you would not listen, but instead rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, going presumptuously up the mountains. The Amorites who lived in the mountains came out against you and chased you - as bees do - and destroyed you in Seir, all the way to Hormah. "You returned and wept before the the Lord, but he would not harken to your voice, or listen to your words. So you abode in Kadesh for many days, according unto the days that you abode there."
Notes:	1.) Approximately February 15th by our modern calendar.
Thoughts:	This opening chapter of Deuteronomy sees Moses addressing the people of Israel as they were camped in the wilderness east of the Jordan River. His speech takes place on the 15th of February, forty years after the exodus, and primarily encompasses the events from Numbers: Chapter 13 and Numbers: Chapter 14, but begins with the events of Exodus: Chapter 17 - despite that this chapter claims Moses' speech concerns the events that took place after King Sihon and King Og were defeated, which doesn't take place until Numbers: Chapter 21. Although one would expect some slight differences in Moses' speech versus the events as they appeared in the book of Numbers, there are some jarring discrepancies within the two stories, which is further compounded by the claim that the Torah (the Pentateuch) - the first five books of the bible were written by Moses. The following discrepancies are found within Moses speech: Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:9 "And I spake unto you at that time, saying, I am not able to bear you [the people of Israel] myself alone:" Dt. 1:12 "How can I myself alone bear your cumbrance, and your burden, and your strife?" Ex. 18:17 "And Moses' father in law said unto him, The thing that thou doest is not good. 18:18 Thou wilt surely wear away, both thou, and this people that is with thee: for this thing is too heavy for thee; thou art not able to perform it thyself alone." Discrepancy: Mild Moses makes the claim that he told the people of Israel that he couldn't handle their burden alone, yet this closely mirrors the conversation he had with his father-in-law Jethro, who actually told Moses this same thing. While it might be possible that Moses simply repeated these complaints to the Israelites after his chat with Jethro, it also seems to appear that Moses might be taking credit for Jethro's wisdom. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:15 "So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes." Dt. 1:16 "And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him." Ex. 18:21 "Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: Ex. 18:24 So Moses hearkened to the voice of his father in law, and did all that he had said." Discrepancy: Mild Much like the previous discrepancy, verses 15 and 16 appear as though Moses is taking full credit for his father-in-law's advice - Moses' wording is almost identical to Jethro's wording in Exodus 18:21. Another possibility for Jethro's absence from Moses' speech might be due to the fact that Jethro is a Midianite - and may have been amongst those slain in Numbers: Chapter 31. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:22 "And ye came near unto me every one of you, and said, We will send men before us, and they shall search us out the land, and bring us word again by what way we must go up, and into what cities we shall come." Dt. 1:23 "And the saying pleased me well: and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe:" Num. 13:1 "And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying," 13:2 "Send thou men, that they may search the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel: of every tribe of their fathers shall ye send a man, every one a ruler among them." 13:3 "And Moses by the commandment of the LORD sent them from the wilderness of Paran: all those men were heads of the children of Israel." Discrepancy: Strong A major discrepancy is found in Moses' speech when Moses accredits the idea of sending spies into Canaan to the people of Israel, and not God, who had commanded this in Numbers: Chapter 13. The reason that this is such a strong contradiction is that by changing the origin of who ordered the idea, it shifts the blame placed upon the spies later on (for having discouraged the Israelites to invade Canaan) away from God - who originally ordered the spies - and upon the Israelites themselves. Had the Israelites come up with this plan to send the spies themselves, this bit of information certainly would be highly relevant and would warrant mention in Numbers 13 - leaving this bit of information out, and attributing the decision to God would change the context of the story completely. While the apologist standpoint probably would be to somehow rationalize that somehow both the versions of events in Numbers 13 and Deuteronomy somehow coincide - presumably that the Israelites came up with the idea, and after God approved the idea himself, he commanded it - it still doesn't answer the question of the effect of the dramatic shift in context. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:29 "Then I said unto you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them." Dt. 1:30 "The LORD your God which goeth before you, he shall fight for you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt before your eyes;" Num. 14:6 "And Joshua the son of Nun, and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, which were of them that searched the land, rent their clothes:" Num. 14:7 "And they spake unto all the company of the children of Israel, saying, The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land." Num. 14:9 "Only rebel not ye against the LORD, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defence is departed from them, and the LORD is with us: fear them not." Discrepancy: Mild Like the earlier discrepancies, verse 29 sees Moses again seemingly taking credit for something someone else had said. In this case, it was Joshua and Caleb who in Numbers 14 confronted the Israelites and told them not to be afraid after they had reservations about invading Canaan due to reports of "giants". In verse 29, Moses takes credit for this and claims that it was he who confronted the people and told them not to be afraid. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:34 "And the LORD heard the voice of your words, and was wroth, and sware, saying," Dt. 1:35 "Surely there shall not one of these men of this evil generation see that good land, which I sware to give unto your fathers." Num. 14:11 "And the LORD said unto Moses, How long will this people provoke me? and how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have shewed among them?" Num. 14:12 "I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they." Discrepancy: Mild This discrepancy is merely a case of oversimplification. Upon hearing the Israelites complaining, God initially decides to kill them all and instead have Moses' lineage become the new chosen people. Moses manages to talk God out of the mass killings, to which he instead decides to simply let this current generation of Israelites wander around in the desert for forty years until they all die off. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:37 "Also the LORD was angry with me for your sakes, saying, Thou also shalt not go in thither." Num. 20:12 "And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them." Discrepancy: Strong While this discrepancy might upon first glance simply seem like an oversimplification and is merely skipping ahead in the story, it's actually more problematic when we examine it closer. Moses states that God even got angry with him - which is correct - and has refused to allow him to bring the Israelites into the "promised land" - which is also correct. These events occur later in our story in Numbers: Chapter 20, instead of where Moses' speech seems to be implying - Numbers 14, however, that really isn't the problem. The problem is that in his speech, Moses blames God's anger with him on the behavior of the Israelites, which is completely false. The reason Moses isn't allowed to enter Canaan is because he didn't follow God's instructions correctly about how to get water out of a rock (God said to talk to the rock, but Moses struck the rock with his rod) - the Israelites had no fault with Moses' inability to follow God's directions. Moses' Speech: Biblical Story: Dt. 1:44 "And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah." Num. 14:45 "Then the Amalekites came down, and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and smote them, and discomfited them, even unto Hormah." Discrepancy: Mild This small discrepancy is simply a formality. The Amorites are in fact a particular race of Canaanites, but it appears to change the context slightly.

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 36

Chapter 36
Summary:	The leaders of the clan of Gilead (of the clan of Machir, and of the tribe of Manasseh - son of Joseph) approached Moses and the leaders of Israel with a complaint. They complained that God had allowed the daughters of Zelophehad to inherit their father's land, yet if these girls marry someone from another tribe, then that tribe would gain that land, and the tribe of Manasseh would lose that land and wouldn't redeem it at the "Year of Jubilee". Moses conceded that the men had made a valid point and spoke to the people of Israel concerning God's verdict. Moses tells the people that the daughter of Zelophehad are to marry anyone they like - so long as they marry within their own tribe. Every daughter that inherits land upon the death of her father is only to marry within her own tribe, so that each tribe can keep their inheritance. The daughters of Zelophehad - Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah - did as commanded and only married within their own tribe of Manasseh, so that their inheritance stayed within their tribe. These are the commandments and judgments which God gave to Moses and the Israelites down in the plains of Moab, by the Jordan River, near Jericho.
Thoughts:	This brief and final chapter in the book of Numbers is a clarification of Numbers: Chapter 27, in which the daughters of Zelophehad - Mahlah, Tirzah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Noah - had inherited their father's portion of land due to their father's death without having fathered a son. The clan of Gilead complained to Moses about an oversight, arguing that if the girls married outside of their tribe of Manasseh, then the tribe of Manasseh would lose land - land that wouldn't be redeemed at the 50 year celebration of the "Year of Jubilee" - that would instead belong to their husband's tribe after marriage. Moses decides that the men have a valid point and therefore orders that the daughters of Zelophehad are only allowed to marry within their own tribe. Like Henry Ford's famous quote about the choice of colors for his automobiles ("as long as it's black"), Moses decrees that the girls are allowed to marry whomever they want - so long as they only marry within their own tribe. It's unclear how incestuous such a marriage would be within a tribe of 52,700, but it's still disturbing to contemplate nonetheless. So the daughters of Zelophehad do as Moses commanded, and it becomes a new statute that all daughters who inherit land are to marry from within their own tribe.

NUMBERS: Chapter 35

Chapter 35
Summary:	God speaks to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, near Jericho. He tells Moses to command the people of Israel to give some cities and suburbs to the Levites for their inheritance. The cities are to be for their homes, and the suburbs are for their goods and livestock. The suburbs are to extend one thousand cubits (approximately 1,500 feet) outwards and around from the city walls. The city is to be measured at two thousand cubits on each side (north, south, east, and west), with the city lying in the center. Among the cities that are to be given to the Levites, there are to be six cities for refuge - where a person who has accidentally killed another person may flee to. In addition to these six cities, another forty two are to be given to the Levites as well, for a total of 48 cities along with suburbs for each. These cities are to be given to the Levites by the people of Israel; larger tribes are to give several cities, while smaller tribes are to give fewer. God continues on, telling Moses that when the people arrive in the "promised land" there are to designate cities to become "cities of refuge" for anyone to flee to who has accidentally killed another person. They are to be cities of refuge for the accused against any avengers, so that the accused is not killed until he stands before the congregation in judgment. Three of these "cities of refuge" are to be located outside of the land of Canaan, east of the Jordan River, while three are to remain within the land of Canaan. These six cities are to be a refuge for both the Israelites as well as the foreigners and visitors to the land. If a person has been struck and killed by an instrument made of iron, then the person who struck him is to be automatically considered a murderer and is to be put to death. If a person has been struck and killed by a thrown stone, then the person who struck him is to be automatically considered a murderer and is to be put to death. If a person has been struck and killed by a "hand weapon" made of wood, then the person who struck him is to be automatically considered a murderer and is to be put to death. The victim's next of kin, a "revenger of blood", shall slay the "murderer" when he meets him. If a person attacks another out of hatred, thrusting something at him, ambushing him, or striking him with his hand that he should die, the person that caused the death shall be put to death himself, for he is a murderer. The "revenger of blood" shall slay the murderer when he meets him. But if the person was struck without enmity, without intending to hit anyone, or a stone being thrown where the person was not seen, nor was an enemy, nor was any harm intended, then the congregation shall judge between the slayer and the "revenger of blood". If the slayer is deemed innocent by the congregation, then the slayer is to remain within the city of refuge where he will live until the death of the high priest. However, if the slayer leaves the "city of refuge" at any time and is found and killed by the "revenger of blood" outside of the "city of refuge", then the "revenger of blood" shall not be considered guilty of murder - because the slayer should have remained within the "city of refuge" until the death of the high priest. After the death of the high priest however, the slayer is to return to his homeland. These statutes are to be permanent throughout generations in the land. Whomever kills another person is a murderer and shall be put to death - so long as there are witnesses. No one is to be put to death if there is only one witness to testify against them. No ransom or reward is to be taken to spare the life of a murderer, he is to be put to death. Likewise, no ransom or reward is to be taken to allow a slayer who has fled to a "city of refuge" to be allowed return to his home prior to the death of the high priest. The land is not to be polluted with murder, for murder pollutes the land. The land cannot be "cleansed" of murder except by the execution of the murderer. God says the "promised land" is not to be defiled in this way, because this is the land God dwells in.
Thoughts:	Since the Levites aren't allowed to "inherit" any land in the "promised land" like the rest of the tribes of Israel, God declares that the other tribes will have to give some of their cities to them - 48 cities to be exact. 42 of these cities, as well as 1,000 cubits of surrounding land are to be used for the Levites homes, goods, and livestock, while the other six are to be used as "cities of refuge". These "cities of refuge" are basically to be used as an asylum for people who are accused of murder to flee from the victim's family seeking revenge. Three of these cities are to be located outside of the city of Canaan, and three are to be located within the city; and they are to be used for both the people of Israel, as well as any foreigner or visitor to the land suspected of murder. God then goes over some broad generalizations about what types of deaths are to be automatically considered "murder" - being struck and killed by an instrument made of either iron or wood, or being hit by a thrown stone. In these cases it's okay to presume the murderer's guilt, and they are to be executed by the "revenger of blood" - the victim's next of kin - upon the two meeting. When we read such ridiculously flawed biblical laws, it becomes blatantly obvious that there is simply no way an all-wise, all-knowing, super deity came up with these very poor laws. Either we have to concede that these laws were made by primitive men, or that God is pretty dumb. The apologist spin is usually that "we have to understand these laws in the context of the times", but even giving concession to the primitive nature of the times, these are still very bad laws. God states that whomever kills another person is a murderer, so long as there is a witness to testify against him. So by this logic, if one of your relatives was killed by an accident, and you or someone else provided false testimony to accuse them of murder, you could basically kill innocent people. A witness could give false testimony unintentionally even with good intentions, as witnesses can be severely flawed in determining what they actually saw versus what they think they saw - just read some of the reports of eye witnesses to the Kennedy assassination, where there are still people who insist they heard gunshots from multiple locations. Worse still, this law continues and says that if the accused leaves his sanctuary at the "city of refuge" and is spotted by his "revenger of blood", then it's okay for the "revenger" to kill him because he's supposed to be hiding in the asylum. God states that someone who has accidentally killed another has to stay in this "city of refuge" until the high priest has died, and then the accused has to return to his home - where presumably, it might be okay for his "revenger" to finally murder him. Again, these have got to be the worst laws regarding "murder" and "manslaughter" I have ever heard - even a class of first graders could come up with better laws than these. God concludes the chapter stating his motivation for favoring capital punishment. God states that the "promised land" is not to be polluted with murder, simply because murder "pollutes the land", and God chooses to live amongst the people and refuses to live in a "polluted land". The only way to "clean" the land of murder is to execute the murderer. However, with laws these terrible, probably a lot of innocent people went to their deaths on flimsy evidence and witnesses, thereby making a lot of "revengers of blood" unpunished murderers in their own respect.

NUMBERS: Chapter 34

Chapter 34
Summary:	God speaks to Moses, telling him to speak with the people of Israel concerning setting borders for the "promised land" in Canaan. The southern border will be the wilderness of Zin, along the coast of Edom, and the southern border will also lie among the outmost coast of the Dead Sea. The southern border will continue to the ascent of Akrabbim, pasing on to Zin, going forth from the south to Kadeshbarnea, on to Hazaraddar, and on to Azmon. From Azmon, it will follow the river of Egypt out to the Mediterranean Sea. The western border will be the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The northern border will begin at the Mediterranean Sea and head eastward to Mount Hor, then to the entrance of Hamath, and through Zedad and Ziphron, to Hazarenan. The eastern border will begin from Hazarenan and follow south to Shepham, continuing to Riblah on the east side of Ain. The border shall then descend and reach unto the side of the sea of Chinnereth, following down to the Jordan River, and ending at the Dead Sea. Moses tells the people of Israel that the land within these borders God has specified is what they shall inherit by lot by the nine and a half tribes (the tribes of Gad and Reuben, along with the "half tribe" of Manasseh were allowed to take up land in Gilead outside of the "promised land"). God now tells Moses that in addition to Eleazar, and Joshua (the son of Nun), that he has appointed one leader from each tribe to assist with dividing up the land: Judah: Caleb the son of Jephunneh Simeon: Shemuel the son of Ammihud Benjamin: Elidad the son of Chislon Dan: Bukki the son of Jogli Manasseh: Hanniel the son of Jephunneh Ephraim: Kemuel the son of Shiphtan Zebulun: Elizaphan the son of Parnach Issachar: Paltiel the son of Azzan Asher: Ahihud the son of Shelomi Naphtali: Pedahel the son of Ammihud
Thoughts:	In this chapter God basically sets the borders for the "promised land" and has Moses tell the people of Israel that this portion of land is to be divided up amongst all of the Israelite families. In addition to Eleazar and Joshua, God appoints a representative from each tribe - making an exception for the tribes of Gad and Reuben, along with the "half tribe" of Manasseh who were allowed to take up land in Gilead outside of the "promised land" in Numbers: Chapter 32. God specifies that without these two and a half tribes, there will be representatives from the other nine and a half tribes, however when we look at the list God comes up with, somehow the "half tribe of Manasseh" is listed amongst them - which appears to be either a mathematical or logical error. If we look at the most basic mathematics, we have 12 tribes of Israel; technically the Levites are one of the twelve tribes, but in their absence due to their tabernacle duties, the "half tribes" of Joseph are split by his sons Ephraim and Manasseh so that the total equals twelve. The tribes of Gad and Reuben wanted the lands of Gilead instead of an inheritance in Canaan, so they're taken away from the total, as well as the "half tribe" of Manasseh who helped conquer the lands of Gilead. The logistical problem is whether to count the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh as either a full number or a half number. When we takes the Levites out of the equation, we have to count the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh as full numbers to equal twelve. However, here in Chapter 34 we're mistakenly assuming that each tribe (Ephraim and Manasseh) should be counted as a half number - and without the Levites, we'd have a total of 11 tribes. Taking away 2 and a half tribes (three individual tribes) away from a total of twelve, would leave 9 and a half tribes (ten individual tribes), but we would need thirteen individual tribes to begin with, meaning we would have had to include the Levites - which wouldn't make sense as the Levites were not allowed to be given an inheritance. If we're excluding the tribes of Gad and Reuben from representing themselves because they aren't inheriting land in the "promised land", then we also must exclude the tribes of Levi and Manasseh for the same reasons. Why the "half tribe" of Manasseh shows up in the list seems to simply be a mathematical and logistical error to simply preserve the illusion of there always needing to be "twelve tribes" of Israel. The reader sees 2 and a half tribes are ineligible, and therefore logically thinks that there must be 9 and a half tribes that are eligible, which simply isn't true unless we include the Levites amongst the numbers.

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 32

Chapter 32
Summary:	Both tribes of Reuben and Gad had a vast amount of cattle, and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead they noticed how well suited the place was for their cattle. They approached Moses, Eleazar, and the leaders of the congregation to speak with them about the land. They pointed out that the countries that God had smote along the way to the "promised land" - the lands of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon - were perfect for raising cattle. The servants of the tribes of Reuben and Gad asked for permission - if they were in good graces - to instead of crossing the Jordan with the rest of the Israelites and claim an inheritance in the "promised land", that they instead be able to settle here instead. Moses answered them by inferring that they were simply trying to get out of their military duties, and that if they were to settle outside of the "promised land", it would send off a bad message to the rest of the Israelites and discourage them as what happened when Moses sent forth the spies. Moses furthered that when the spies had scouted out the valley of Eschol, they had discouraged "the heart of the people of Israel", that they were unwilling to go into the "promised land" that God had "given" them. Moses continues the story, explaining that God's anger was kindled by the incident and swore that no man twenty years or older would be allowed to see the land sworn to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob because those people did not wholly follow God - with the exception of Caleb (son of Jephunneh the Kenezite) and Joshua (the son of Nun), because they did wholly follow God. Fueled with anger, God had made the Israelites wander in the wilderness for forty years until that generation had died off - because they had "done evil" in the eyes of God. Moses then told the tribes of Reuben and Gad, that here they were now being "sinful" and doing the same thing that their forefathers had done. He warned them that if they turned away from God, then God will yet again leave them out in the wilderness, which would destroy the people of Israel. The tribes then assured Moses that although they would have to build sheepfold for their cattle and cities for their young in the meantime - to protect them from the nearby inhabitants, that they would be willing to arm themselves and march ahead of the people of Israel until they safely reached the "promised land". They promised Moses that they would not return to their homes here until the people of Israel have occuppied the "promised land". Moses responded that if they armed themselves, went to war, and drive out the enemies of Israel, then they will be guiltless before God and before the people of Israel, and then the land will be theirs. However, if they break their promise then they shall have "sinned" against God and that their "sin" will be upon them. He tells the tribes to go ahead and build their walled cities for their young, and folds for their sheep, and do as they had promised. The tribes of Gad and Reuben assured Moses that they would do as he commanded, stating that their wives, children, flocks, and cattle would stay behind in the cities of Gilead, but that every man able to go to war will battle for God. Moses then said to Eleazar, Joshua, and the leaders of the tribes of Israel that if the people of Gad and Reuben cross the Jordan River armed to do battle, then when the "promised land" is conquered, Gilead must be given to the tribes of Gad and Reuben as a possession. Moses continues, stating that if they refuse to cross the Jordan River to battle, then they will have to accept land amongst the rest of the Israelites in Canaan. Again the tribes of Gad and Reuben agreed saying that they would do as God commands them, fighting in Canaan for God as so that the lands on the other side of the Jordan River would be theirs. Moses gave the kingdom of Sihon (king of the Ammorites) and the kingdom of Og (king of Bashan) - and all the land and cities contained within - to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh. The people of Gad built the following cities: Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth, Shophan, Jaazer, Jogbehah, Bethnimrah, and Bethharan. They were all fortified cities with sheepfolds. The people of Reuben built the following cities: Heshbon, Elealah, Kirjathaim, Nebo (the name being changed), Baalmeon (the name also being changed), and Shibmah. They also gave other names to the cities they rebuilt. The clan of Machir (son of Manasseh) from the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead, took the land, and drove out the Amorites who were residing there. Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir, and they lived there. Another clan of Manasseh, Jair (another son of Manasseh) went and took the small towns surrounding Gilead and renamed the area Havothjair. A man named Nobah went and took Kenath, and the surrounding villages, and named it Nobah, after himself.
Thoughts:	Both the tribes of Reuben and Gad noticed that the ruins of the lands of Jazer and Gilead seemed extremely well suited for raising cattle. So they approached Moses and Eleazar asking if they could forfeit their inheritance in the "promised land" and instead settle in these lands. Moses however, accuses them of trying to skirt out of their military duty, and says that if they were to settle outside of the "promised land", that this would send off a bad message to the rest of the Israelites. He claims that this would discourage the others from wanting to conquer the "promised land" much in the same way as what happened when the spies Moses sent out had discouraged the people with their reports of giants. Moses recounts the whole story over again about how the people's reluctance to conquer the "promised land" angered God so much that he made them all wander around in the desert for forty years until the entire generation died off (with the exception of Joshua and Caleb, and of course Moses and Aaron's priestly sons). Moses accuses the tribes of doing the same thing that the spies had done forty years ago, and tells the tribes of Gad and Reuben that if God got angry with the Israelites again for being reluctant to conquer the "promised land", that it would surely be the end of the Israelites. Basically what Moses is saying is that the people of Israel are highly gullible, easily manipulated, and easily led astray. Honestly, when we look at this rationally, this would make sense in regards to indoctrinating people with religion. Moses then threatens the tribes of Reuben and Gad by telling them if they don't conquer the "promised land" as God had ordered, then that God would simply wipe out the people of Israel. The problem I have with this whole "promised land" concept is that God "promised" this land to Abraham and his descendants hundreds of years prior; since then he has done absolutely nothing to prevent other people from inhabiting this land; and now is encouraging the Israelites to go around violently killing other civilizations and keeping their virgin daughters in order to claim their "promised land". Think of it this way - My family built a house 400 years ago, and they told one of your ancestors that this house will belong to your family someday - not in your ancestor's lifetime, but that his descendants will own this house in due time. Years go by and squatters inhabit the house, and they manage to turn the run down house into a livable home. They paint the house, mow the yard, tend the garden, and maintain this house throughout their generations over the next 400 years. Then the day comes where I finally decide that you can have the house, but I'm going to make you get the squatters out of there yourself. I haven't told the squatters to leave, given them any formal warning, and I'm certainly not going to kick them out myself. So instead, I tell you that not only do you have to kick these people out yourself, but that you are not to leave a single person in the house alive - except for the family's daughter, providing she's a virgin, who you can then "keep for yourself". How anyone can justify this absurd story as moral, just, or ethical is beyond me. Anyways, the tribes of Reuben and Gad assure Moses that they had no intention of shirking their military duties. They tell Moses, that if they can keep this land in Gilead, that as soon as they finish building some folds for their cattle and fortified cities for their wives and children (so that they could defend themselves from invaders), then they would actually arm themselves and lead the charge into the "promised land" themselves. They further promised Moses that they would not return to their homes in Gilead until the Israelites had finally occupied the "promised land". Moses then accepts that if they follow through with their military promise, then they will be "guiltless" before God and the rest of the Israelites, and Moses then gives them permission to build their sheep folds and walled cities. (Moses also points out that if they fail, then they will be branded as "sinners".) The tribes agree to the terms but answer curiously, stating that "they will do as God commands them" - which seems a bit backwards considering that the entire idea was their suggestion, and not God's. Moses then gives the former kingdoms of Og and Sihon to the tribes of Gad and Reueben, as well as to the tribe of Manasseh - presumably because the clan of Machir drove out the Amorites from Gilead, and the clan of Jair conquered the towns surrounding Gilead (both clans hailed from the tribe of Manasseh). The people of Gad built the cities of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, Atroth, Shophan, Jaazer, Jogbehah, Bethnimrah, and Bethharan; while the people of Reuben built the cities of Heshbon, Elealah, Kirjathaim, Nebo , Baalmeon , and Shibmah. They fortified these cities and built sheepfolds in them, and changed the names of some of the cities from their original names. The chapter ends by stating that a man named Nobah conquered the city of Kenath (and the surrounding villages) and named it after himself.