JOSHUA: Chapter 7

Chapter 7
Summary:	The Israelites however disregarded the command against the cursed items, as Achan - son of Camri, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah - of the tribe of Judah, took some cursed objects, which resulted in God's anger toward the Israelites. Joshua sent some men from there camp outside of Jericho to the city of Ai, which is beside Bethaven, on the east of Bethel. He told the men to go up and view the country, and after they had done so they returned to Joshua and said to him, "Don't send the entire army, but instead about two or three thousand men to smite Ai. Let's not put the entire army to work, as there aren't many in Ai." About three thousand men were sent, but retreated after the men of Ai smote thirty six soldiers. The men from Ai chased them from the city gates to Shebarim, and smote them as they descended. The hearts of the Israelites melted and became like water. Joshua tore at his clothes and fell on his face before the ark of the covenant and stayed there until the evening. The elders of Israel also fell on their faces before the ark and put dust on their heads. Joshua said, "Lord, why have you brought our people across the Jordan River, merely to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us? Would you have been content for us to stay on the other side of the Jordan River? Lord, what shall I say when the people of Israel turn their backs before their enemies. For the Canaanites and all the inhabitants of the land shall hear of this, surround us and blot us out from this earth - what will you do for your great name?" God replied to Joshua, "Get up! Why are you lying on the ground on your face? Israel has sinned and has violated my covenant - for they have taken cursed items, and have stolen, deceived, and put them amongst their own belongings. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies, but fled before them, because they were cursed - neither will I be with you anymore unless you destroy the accursed from among you. "Get up, sanctify the people and tell them, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, for the Lord God of Israel has said that there is a cursed thing in your midst, and you cannot stand before your enemies until you remove the cursed thing from among you. In the morning you shall be brought forward according to your tribes: the tribe that the Lord picks shall come forward according to their families; the family which the Lord picks shall come forward by their households; and the household which the Lord picks shall come forth man by man. "'He that has taken the cursed object shall be burnt with fire, himself and everything he has, because he broke the covenant of the Lord and brought folly upon Israel.'" Joshua rose early in the morning and gathered the Israelites by tribe. After the tribe of Judah was selected, the family of the Zarhites were selected, the Zahrites were brought forth man by man until the household of Zabdi was selected, and the household of Zabdi was brought forth man by man until Achan (son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah) was selected. Joshua said to Achan, "My son, give, I pray of you, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and confess to him. Tell me what you have done and don't hide it from me." Achan replied, "Indeed I have sinned against the Lord, and I shall explain what I had done. When I saw among the spoils a beautiful Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a piece of gold worth fifty shekels, I coveted them and took them. I hid them in the ground inside my tent, with the silver underneath it." Joshua sent messengers to investigate, and they found the items hidden in the ground of Achan's tent, with the silver underneath it, and brought them before Joshua, the people of Israel, and God. Joshua, along with the rest of Israel, took Achan, the silver, the garment, the piece of gold, Achan's sons and daughters, his oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and everything he owned and brought them out to the valley of Achor. Joshua said, "Why have you troubled us? The Lord will now trouble you today." The Israelites stoned Achan, his family, and his livestock to death and set their remains on fire along with his belongings. They placed a great heap of stones over the charred remains, and God relented from his anger. The place was then named the Valley of Achor*.
Notes:	1.) "Achor" is a Hebrew word for "trouble".
Thoughts:	The chapter begins with the revelation that a man named Achan, decided not to heed God's command and warning from the previous chapter about not taking any of the "accursed" items, and that all the gold and silver was to be given to God. This of course made God angry with all of the Israelites, not just Achan. Conveniently, the next city that the Israelites happened to have next on their list to massacre was a small one, so it was suggested to Joshua by the men he selected to scope out their intended target that he should only send two or three thousand soldiers. After thirty six soldiers were killed by the enemy soldiers of Ai, the Israelites turned tail and ran. Joshua tore at his clothes and fell on his face, and remained there on the ground in front of the ark of the covenant until evening. The elders of the tribes of Israel joined Joshua, also "falling on their faces" in front of the ark and additionally "poured dust on their heads". (Admittedly, I was a bit unfamiliar with the "pouring of dust on one's head" ritual practiced in Judaism to express grief, and I still fail to see much practical purpose behind such a bizarre ritual.) Joshua then whines to God about the Israelites' loss, complaining that when the Canaanites hear about the defeat at Ai, that they in turn will attack and wipe out the Israelites. God replies to Joshua in an apparently condescending tone, telling him to get up, and explains that the reason the Israelites lost this battle is due to them taking cursed items from the spoils of Jericho and hiding them amongst their own belongings. He explains to Joshua that the Israelites therefore won't have God on their side anymore until and unless they destroy the accursed from amongst them. Instead of informing Joshua who it is among them that must be destroyed, like an omniscient being should be wholly capable of doing, God tells Joshua to stage an elaborate production of assembling the entire population of Israel together and having God one by one pick out the tribe, the family, the household, and finally the guilty party, sifting them out man by man. Again, an omniscient being shouldn't need to orchestrate such an elaborate production, however, it's likely that the intent of this display was to intimidate and serve as a reminder as to what could happen to them if they don't keep in line. God then tells Joshua that whomever has taken the cursed items must be set on fire - along with all of his possessions, which includes the members of his entire household. The way "sins" and "curses" are treated by God in the bible are akin to the childhood game of "cooties", in which the child "infected with cooties" is stigmatized without any real discernible affliction or real symptoms while either simultaneously lacking any sort of "cure", or if there is a "cure", that it is just as ridiculous and rife with nonsense as is the "affliction". While one could make the rationalization that Achan committed an offense against God and perhaps deserves punishment, there simply is no rational justification for also punishing Achan's children and livestock, and setting every single item of his possessions on fire. In a modern context, it's baffling to me how we can recognize the unjust barbarism when a person in the Islamic world is stoned to death for a non-violent offense, yet simultaneously not see the same brutality in a biblical story like this that not only targets the offender, but the innocent lives of his children and livestock as well. Our story continues with Joshua parading out the tribe of Judah, paring them down to the Zahrites, paring them down further to the Zabdi household, until Achan was finally brought out. Joshua then goads Achan to "give glory" to God by confessing, and demanding that Achan not try to hide what he has done. Achan confesses that he stole a Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a piece of gold worth fifty shekels, and also tells Joshua where he hid them in his tent. After Joshua's messengers search Achan's tent and find the items he took, Joshua has the Israelites take Achan, along with his sons and daughters, oxen, sheep, donkeys, his tent, and all of his possessions out to the valley of Achor. Hauntingly, Joshua rhetorically asks Achan why he has he caused so much trouble for Israel, and retorts that now God will "trouble" Achan today. With those words, the Israelites stoned Achan, his children, and his livestock to death, set the remains on fire along with the rest of Achan's possessions, and placed a big heap of stones on top of the charred remains. The death and destruction of Achan and all that he owned, including the innocent lives of his children and his livestock, was sufficient to quell God's anger toward the Israelites.

DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 18

Chapter 18
Summary:	Moses' speech continues: "The priests and the rest of the Levites will receive no inheritance amongst the nation of Israel. They shall eat the sacrifices made by fire to the Lord, therefore they shall have no inheritance amongst their fellow Israelites, for the Lord is their inheritance, as he has said to them. When an ox or a sheep is sacrificed, the shoulder, the maw, and the two cheeks are to be given to the priests. The first of your grain, wine, and olive oil shall also be given to the priests, for the Lord your God has chosen the Levites out of all the tribes of Israel, to stand and minister in the name of the Lord, from generation to generation forever. "If a Levite comes to the sanctuary, no matter where he lives in the land of Israel, then he shall minister in the name of the Lord his God, as all his fellow Levites do, whom stand before the Lord. He shall be given his portion of animal sacrifices and offerings, which are his right. "When you arrive in the land which the Lord your God has given you, you shall not learn to follow after the abominations of the nations living there now. No one is to make his son or daughter pass through fire; nor is anyone to use divination; or become an observer of times, an enchanter, a witch, a charmer, a consulter with familiar spirits, a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do such things are an abomination unto the Lord, and because of these abominations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you. You are to be perfect with the Lord your God. For these nations you are about to possess hearken to observers of time, and to diviners, but as for you, the Lord your God does not permit you to do so. "The Lord your God will bring forth a prophet amongst you, an Israelite like myself, and unto him you shall hearken. According to your wishes to the Lord your God in Mount Horeb, you begged not to directly hear the voice of the Lord your God again, nor see his great fire, lest you die. The Lord said to me that he had heard what you had spoken and said, 'I will bring forth a prophet from amongst their brethren, and he shall speak my words, speaking to them all that I shall command. Whomsoever will not hearken to my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of them. However, a prophet who presumes to speaks in my name, but which I have not commanded him to, or one that speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet must die.' "If you are to ask how you are to know if the prophet is speaking the word of the Lord or not, if his prophecy about fails to happen, it is not what the Lord has spoken. The prophet has spoken presumptuously and you shall not fear him."
Thoughts:	Moses begins the chapter reminding the Israelites because the Levites are God's special tribe and are allowed to eat the animal sacrifices made by everyone else, that they are not to own property themselves. When an ox or a sheep is sacrificed to God, the animal's shoulder, stomach, and cheeks will belong to the priests. The first harvest of grain, wine, and olive oil is also to be given to the priests as well. A Levite regardless of where he lives can enter the sanctuary and dine on these animal sacrifices and offerings whenever he wishes because it's part of his "birthright". Next up, Moses warns the Israelites yet again that when they arrive in the "promised land", they are not to follow the heathen customs of the nations living there - as those customs are "abominations". No one is to sacrifice his son or daughter by fire (apparently it's okay to use a knife to sacrifice your own child if God commands it though), nor is anyone allowed to use "divination" or to become a fortune teller, an enchanter, a witch, a charmer, a spiritual medium, a wizard, or a necromancer. Anyone who does such a thing is an "abomination" to God, and God will "drive them out" - meaning that he will demand that the Israelites stone such a person to death. Moses claims that while the "heathen nations" seek after "diviners" and spiritual mediums, that God will bestow a prophet upon the Israelites - one that is an Israelite themselves - that they are to hearken to. Moses recalls the story from Exodus: Chapter 20 about how the Israelites begged and pleaded not to have to hear the actual voice of God again, fearing that they would die, and claims that God has instead chosen to speak to the people of Israel through prophets. God adds that anyone falsely claiming to be a prophet must die. How are we to determine who is a prophet speaking the word of God or not, you might ask? All one has to do is make a prophecy that comes true. So therefore if I'm a bit smarter than my fellow Israelites concerning meteorology and can tell by the clouds that it's going to rain very heavily, I could make a prophecy about that and subsequently be considered the "real deal". This is a really naive way to "prove" someone's authenticity, and you would think that the all powerful "creator of the universe" could think up a better test than "let's see if what he says will happen, happens".

DEUTERONOMY: Chapter 12

Chapter 12
Summary:	Moses now explains to the Israelites the statutes and judgments that they are to observe in the "promised land" for "all the days that [they] live upon the earth". The Israelites are to destroy all the places that the "heathen nations" previously inhabiting the land had worshiped their gods - whether from high upon the mountains, upon the hills, and under every green tree. All of the "heathen nations'" altars are to be overthrown, their pillars are to be broken, and their groves are to be burned with fire. The graven images of their gods are to be destroyed, along with the eradication of even their names from out of the places. The Israelites are not to offer animal sacrifices anywhere they choose like the "heathen nations", but instead they are only to sacrifice in places where God himself has chosen to "put his name" (making the people build a "sanctuary" in God's name). It is at this chosen place where the Israelites are to bring their "burnt offerings", other sacrifices, tithes, "heave offerings", "freewill offerings", and the firstborn of their herds and flocks. Moses continues his speech, adding: "And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all that you have put your hand into, and your households, wherein the Lord your God has blessed you. "You will no longer live your lives your own way, as you do now, when you enter the land of your inheritance, which the Lord your God has given you. When you cross the Jordan River and enter the land which the Lord your God has given you to inherit, and when he gives you rest and safety from your enemies, then there which God will choose a location for you to build him a sanctuary, and there you shall bring him burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, heave offerings, and all of your voluntary vows to the Lord. There you shall rejoice before the Lord your God, along with your sons, daughters, and slaves; also you are to invite the Levites to feast with you, for as they have no land of their own. "Take heed not to sacrifice animals by fire in just any place that you see fit, but only in the sanctuary that the Lord shall choose amongst the territories of one of your tribes. Only there shall you offer burnt offerings, and there that you should do all that I command you. However, you may kill and eat the flesh of animals anywhere within the land according to the blessing of the Lord, regardless of whether you are clean or unclean - as you do now with the roebuck and the hart. However, you may not to consume the animal's blood and must pour it upon the earth as you would water. "None of your offerings are to be eaten at home - not the tithe of your crops, wine, or oil; the firstborn of your herds and flocks; nor any vows, freewill, or heave offerings which you have vowed to give to the Lord your God. You must eat them before him in the sanctuary he has chosen, along with your children, slaves, and the Levites, and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God in all that you do. Remember not to forsake the Levites from these feasts as long as you live upon the earth. "When the Lord your God enlarges your borders, as he has promised, you may eat whatever animal meat you desire. If the sanctuary that God has chosen becomes too far away, then your flock may be butchered on your own land, just as you do now with the roebuck and the hart, and the clean as well as the unclean may eat of the flesh alike. You are to be certain however to never consume the blood; for the blood is the life, and you may not eat the life within the flesh. You are not to consume it, but are to pour it upon the earth like water. You are not to consume it, so that you and your children may be right in the sight of the Lord. "Only the holy things which you give, your vows you shall take, and your burnt offerings need to be taken to the sanctuary which the Lord will choose. You shall offer your burnt offerings - both flesh and blood - upon the altar of the Lord your God. The blood of your animal sacrifices shall be poured upon the altar of the Lord your God, and you shall eat the flesh. "Observe and obey these words which I command you, that you and your children may live well forever when you do what is good and right the eyes of the Lord your God. "When the Lord your God casts out the heathen nations before you, and you go in to succeed them and possess their land, take heed not to be tricked into following after them, after they have been destroyed before you, and that you are not to inquire after their gods. Do not question how those nations served their gods and attempt to do likewise. You are not to do unto the Lord your God those abominations that he hates, that they have done for their gods - for they have even sacrificed their children by fire to their gods. The things that I command you, you are to observe and obey. You are not to add nor subtract from these commandments."
Notes:	1.) A more modern translation of "the roebuck and the hart" would be "the deer and the gazelle".
Thoughts:	Moses begins this chapter by enforcing how strictly the Israelites must be intolerant towards the religions of the heathen nations they are about to invade. He tells them that they are to destroy every last altar that they have built - no matter how remote or out of the way it might be located; they are to break the pillars of these altars; burn down their groves; smash their religious images; and eradicate the names of these gods from out of the land. With the amount of repetition this particular law is given throughout the Old Testament, it makes one question to how easily people - especially the Israelites - were able to be persuaded into abandoning their religions for someone else's despite having witnessed so many purported "miracles". As we've read previously, we did have both that golden calf incident as well as the Moabite/Midianite incident at Mount Peor, but were the Israelites really all that stupid and gullible to fall for any random cult leader strolling by? Even in my brief early childhood years as an indoctrinated Catholic, I never recall having ever had the idea to become Protestant or Jewish like many of my friends at school - even after occasionally accompanying them to their church or temple services. However it must have been some sort of major temptation for the ancient Israelites despite apparently witnessing all these breath taking "miracles" and deadly plagues wiping out vast numbers of them every time they violate God's laws, as evidenced by the vast repetition of warnings to stay away from the gods of other religions. Moses segues into his next topic of conversation by stating that the Israelites are not to just perform animal sacrifices wherever they please like he presumes the "heathen nations" do, but are instead to only sacrifice animals at a sanctuary, which God himself will pick out once they reach the "promised land". However, it would seem that if these "heathens" took the time to construct all of these altars and pillars that the Israelites were told to destroy, they probably weren't just sacrificing animals "just anywhere", and most likely had specific areas and sanctuaries mandated by their religion just like the Israelites. He tells the Israelites that once they arrive in the "promised land" that God will pick out a location for them to build him a "sanctuary", and it is there that they are to perform their animal sacrifices and give their tithes. He adds that when they do so, that they are to eat their spoils there, alongside their children and their slaves, and in addition, they have to invite the Levites to dinner as well, for they aren't allowed to own their own land and therefore can't enjoy the spoils of animal sacrifice themselves. Moses adds that whenever God enlarges their borders and the Israelites find themselves now located too far away from the "sanctuary", that they may be allowed slaughter their flock on their own farms, and the meat may be eaten by both the "clean" and the "unclean" alike - but that they are under no circumstances to ever consume the animals blood. Instead, the blood is to be poured on the ground - likening this to how one would water their crops. Moses reasons that the blood is the "life" of an animal, and that the people are not to consume the "life" within the flesh of an animal. Today, we know that blood is not in any practical sense the "life" of a being anymore than a vital organ may be, and that this was just a common superstition derived from a lack of biological knowledge and understanding. Moses notes that none of the Israelites "offerings" to God (such as the mandatory animal sacrifices of firstborn animals, tithes from the first crops, or any freewill offerings) can be offered at home, but are only to be offered at the location of God's chosen "sanctuary", eaten alongside of their children, slaves, and the Levites. Moses stresses again, that the blood of animals eaten at home is to be poured onto the ground and not consumed, and that when offering "burnt offerings" to God, that the blood is to be poured upon the altar in the sanctuary. If the Israelites can obey these laws, Moses says that they will live well forever in God's eyes. He then warns them yet again not to be tricked into worshiping the gods of the "heathen nations" they're about to invade, nor are they to even question or inquire about these gods. He continues to tell them that they are not to follow these "abominable" customs that God hates, implying that these "heathens" sacrifice their children by fire. Moses ends the chapter by reiterating that these commandments are not to be amended or revised in any way.

LEVITICUS: Chapter 20

Chapter 20
Summary:	God gives further laws to Moses: Whomever, whether he be an Israeli or a visitor to the land that give any of his offspring (as a human sacrifice) to Molech*, shall be put to death. The people of the land are to stone that person to death. God himself will "set his face against" such man and will cut him off from amongst his people - because giving his offspring to Molech apparently defiles the sanctuary of the tabernacle and profanes God's name. Anyone who will not acknowledge a person sacrificing his offspring to Molech, and refuses to kill him, then God will set his face against them, against their family, and will excommunicate them and all who "go a whoring after him", to commit whoredom with Molech. Anyone who turns to those with "familiar spirits" or wizards, "to go a whoring after them", God will "set his face against" them, and will excommunicate them. The people should instead sanctify themselves and be "holy", because God is their ruler. The people must follow and obey God's laws, and God will "sanctify" them. Anyone who curses their mother or father shall be put to death. Whomever curses their mother or father, deserves their fate - their blood shall be upon them. If a man commits adultery with another man's wife - even he that commits adultery with his neighbor's wife - both the adulterer and the adulteress shall be put to death. A man who sleeps with his father's wife has "uncovered his father's nakedness" and both shall be put to death; their blood shall be upon them. If a man sleeps with his daughter in law, both of them shall be put to death - they have wrought confusion and their blood shall be upon them. If a man sleeps with another man as he would with a woman, both of them have committed an "abomination" and they shall both be put to death - their blood shall be upon them. If a man takes a wife and her mother, it is wickedness and they shall all be burnt with fire - there shall be no wickedness amongst you. If a man has sex with an animal, he shall be put to death and the animal shall be killed. If a woman allows herself to be penetrated by an animal, both the woman and the animal shall be put to death - their blood shall be upon them. If a man takes his sister - whether it's his father's daughter, or his mother's daughter - and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness, it is a wicked thing. They shall be "cut off in sight of their people" - he has uncovered his sister's nakedness, he shall bear his guilt. If a man sleeps with a woman "having her sickness" (her menstrual period) and uncovers her nakedness, he has "discovered her fountain"(!), and she has uncovered the "fountain of her blood", both of them shall be excommunicated. A man shall not uncover the nakedness of his mother's sister (his maternal aunt) nor his father's sister (his paternal aunt) - they shall bear their own guilt. If a man sleeps with his uncle's wife, he has uncovered his uncle's nakedness and they shall bear their sin - they shall die childless. If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an "unclean" thing - he has uncovered his brother's nakedness and they shall die childless. Therefore the people need to keep God's laws and judgments and obey them so that God will not have to throw them out of the "promised land". The people of Israel are not to share the customs and lifestyles of the people that God is casting out of the "promised land" - for they have committed all of these things and therefore God abhors them. God reminds the people of Israel that they will inherit their land, and that he will give it to them to possess - a land he claims "floweth with milk and honey". God claims that because he rules over them, it has separated the people of Israel from other people. Therefore, because of this the people of Israel shall make a difference between "clean" birds and animals and "unclean" birds and animals. The people of Israel shall not make themselves "abominable" by eating the wrong kind of birds or animals. God says that the people of Israel must be "holy" to God, as God himself is "holy", and has made a distinction between them and other people. He continues, that the people of Israel belong to him, God closes out the chapter by stating that either a man or woman that has "a familiar spirit", or that is a wizard must be put to death by stoning - their blood shall be upon them.
Notes:	1.) Although completely unexplained in the book of Leviticus, Molech, as mentioned and introduced in Chapter 18 is the name of a Middle Eastern god common to both the Canaanites and Egyptians, as well as the Hebrews, that followers supposedly presented human sacrifice to by fire.
Thoughts:	After a mostly pleasant chapter with Leviticus: Chapter 19, God switches gears with a vengeance. He starts by revisiting his possible rival, Molech. Molech, who I first went into more detail about in my commentary on Leviticus: Chapter 18 is considered either to be a god who accepts human sacrifice by fire, or is simply the act of "human sacrifice by fire" itself. In the King James translation of the bible, and I believe all (or at least most) English language translations of the bible "Molech" is capitalized and used as a proper noun as if it were a name of a being. There is no archaeological evidence to support the worship of any god named Molech by the Caananites, the Egyptians, or the Hebrews and is more recently thought to be a name for the actual practice of "human sacrifice by fire". Whichever the case may be Molech is (so far) not explained in the bible and is assumed that the reader should be familiar with the name. God commands that anyone sacrificing to Molech is to be stoned to death, and that God will "set his face off" against him, and he shall be excommunicated(?). I'm not exactly sure what the meaning here is, considering it'd be impossible to excommunicate someone after they've already been stoned to death. Perhaps it means that he may not be buried or have a funeral within the Israeli people's land, or perhaps it means that the person's "soul" would be "excommunicated" from Heaven? The thought that it might mean being excommunicated from Heaven seems unlikely to me, as if I recall, I don't think Jews believe in the concept of Heaven and Hell, but I may be wrong about that. I'm honestly stumped here and I may have to ask around to see if I can get an answer from someone - if you have an answer please leave me a comment. If I find an answer in the future, I'll update this section. God continues on saying that human sacrifice to Molech defiles the tabernacle and profanes God's name. Anyone who refuses to take part in the stoning of a person who sacrificed to Molech, God will set his face against him also, along with that person's family, and will excommunicate them and whomever else who goes "a whoring" after Molech. Anyone who turns to those with "familiar spirits" (thought to mean spiritual mediums) or wizards will also result in God turning his face against them and excommunicating them. God states that the people should instead sanctify themselves and be "holy", basically because he is God and he said so. God says that the people must obey his laws and in turn God will "sanctify" them. Anyone who curses their mother or father also gets a death by stoning. God insists that they deserve it, noting that "their blood is on their hands". This is another case of God's excessive brutality, as it is perfectly normal for young children to react to their parent's discipline by cursing their parents. I'm sure every parent has encountered a time where their unruly child resists their punishment from bad behavior and tells their parents that they hate them, or worse. Many of us probably have said the same thing to our parents growing up also. Folks, that is not a "crime" that warrants a child being taken out and stoned to death - it is normal juvenile behavior. For God to insist upon such a brutal punishment for such a petty thing is sadistic, and not in all in line with the description most believers will give of a "benevolent", "compassionate", and "loving" god. God's law on adultery is that both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death. A man who sleeps with his father's wife is also to be put to death, as is a man who sleeps with his daughter in law. Again, God flexes his brutality muscles by insisting upon capital punishment for the wrong people having sex together. The bible defines adultery as solely "a married woman having sexual relations with someone who isn't her husband" - which means that a married man having sex with an unmarried woman is not considered adultery, nor is an unmarried woman having sex with any man - regardless of whether he is married or not. A common apologetic view point is that God sets out such a strong punishment to simply serve as a deterrent from people committing these "crimes" to begin with, much like the arguments people use in favor of the death penalty today. However, this doesn't hold up when the punishment simply doesn't fit the crime - it's like demanding the death penalty for jaywalking. Adultery certainly can be a very traumatic thing to the parties involved, but it is never a suitable reason for capital punishment. What if the sex was not consensual and in fact rape, does that still require the death of the victim simply because she had sex with someone who wasn't her husband? What if the person didn't have the knowledge that their partner was married? There's just so many loopholes and problems with defining guilt and intent in regards to adultery that a punishment with so much finality - like death by stoning - just isn't rational. The argument that capital punishment is a deterrent doesn't hold up very well either when the vast amount of people who commit crimes do so because they believe they are smarter than the system and won't get caught, making the severity of the punishment irrelevant to them. Add to that, that "adultery" (much like "murder") is often a crime of passion which also makes the consequences of punishment not at the forefront of the person's mind when they find themselves in a position to commit the crime. Regardless of whether you agree with capital punishment or not, it's troubling why God insists that human beings have to be the ones to administer the punishment in the first place. Killing another human being, whether the reason is justified or not can still be traumatizing. Ask any police officer who's fired his gun in the line of duty, or soldiers in the military who've been in combat how they've felt about taking the life of another human being. No-one should ever have to kill another person unless the lives of themselves or others are in danger, anyone who's been forced to kill will tell you that it takes a very strong person to deal with the mental consequences, and that not everyone can deal with the stress - even if what they did was completely justifiable. However, God insists that everyone has to participate in stoning other people to death, threatening those who refuse to participate with being excommunicated from their people. God is basically blackmailing everyone - including those who may not be mentally fit for the task - into killing their fellow Israelis, regardless of whether they might be a close member of their family or perhaps a friend or a neighbor that they've grown to love over the years. God continues on handing out death sentences, insisting that next on the list is anyone engaging in homosexual sex. He calls the act an "abomination" and that both men must be stoned to death - not making a clarification on if this applies to victims of homosexual rape also. If a man sleeps with a woman and the woman's mother, God has a special death sentence for all three of these "criminals" - this crime apparently warrants being set on fire apparently. Of all the gruesome ways to die, immolation just may be the worst, and God saves this excruciating punishment for these sexual deviants. If a person has sex with an animal, both the person and the animal in question must be put to death. God says they both deserve it - including the animal. Why an animal "deserves" to be stoned to death because some pervert raped it, I don't quite understand. It makes about as much sense as euthanizing your dog because your next door neighbor kicked it. Curiously, God makes an exception to his usual punishments of stonings and setting people on fire to substitute excommunication for the crime of sibling incest. Most likely this exception was made as to not make Abraham and Sarah's incestuous marriage to seem as hypocritical in light of God's new law. However, as we'll get to shortly, God actually doesn't have as stringent punishments for incestuous relationships as he does for homosexuals, practitioners of bestiality, adulterers, and mother/daughter threesomes. Before getting to other forms of incest, God also forbids having sex with a woman during her menstrual period - which he calls here, "her sickness". Both the woman having her period, and the man having sex with her during her period, must be excommunicated. Between this chapter and Leviticus 15:19-30 God makes it clear that menstruating women are filthy and "unclean", and are to be avoided at all costs. Don't have sex with them, don't let them sit on any of your furniture, don't touch any of their chairs or bedding, and don't even touch the women themselves during their period or you'll defile yourself too. Back to the topic of incest, God adds that a man is not to have sex with his aunt (like Aaron and Moses' father Amram did) - regardless of whether it is his maternal or paternal aunt - as they shall "bear their iniquity" if they do so. A thought just occurred to me that according to God's logic in Exodus 20:5 (and repeated in Exodus 34:7) in which God states that a persons' descendants are just as guilty for the sin he committed as he is himself, wouldn't this make Moses and Aaron guilty of their father's sin of marrying his aunt? Shouldn't Moses and Aaron (along with Aaron's sons who inherit the sin through their grandfather) be excommunicated according to this verse? The direct quotes of Exodus 20:5 and Exodus 34:7 are: Exodus 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" Exodus 34:7 "Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children unto the third and to the fourth generation." This would seem to indicate that this is exactly what God should do with Moses and Aaron, however later verses from the books of Deuteronomy, 2 Kings, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel seem to contradict this. Noah also cursed his grandson Canaan into a life of slavery due to his son Ham's viewing Noah drunk and naked in his tent, which God also seemed to have condoned. The problem here is that even if we argue semantics with a biblical apologist to explain how this could possibly fit alongside later chapters stating that "sin" of a father is not to be passed down to his children to be punished for as well, the message is not being made clear here at all, and anyone reading up to this point, without knowing what is later to be said, has to be lead to think there is a contradiction in God's logic. One would think that a book written by, or is the inspired word of a perfect being such as God would be clear and concise - especially when dealing with laws that could result in excommunication, or worse, death by stoning. God furthers his laws about men sleeping with their aunts, by claiming that a man who sleeps with his and/or marries his uncle's wife (his aunt by his uncle's marriage) will curse them both by God assuring that they will die childless. God gives this same punishment to a man who sleeps with or marries his brother's wife also. God interjects that the people will need to follow and obey these laws so that he won't be forced to throw them out of the "promised land" - or worse. He once again stereotypes the people currently living in the land as all practicing these customs of incest, bestiality, homosexuality, and adultery - judging them all as a group rather than individuals - by calling them all "abominable". Because God has took the time to teach the people of Israel which birds and animals are right to eat and which are not, this is a distinction that somehow makes the people of Israel (which he constantly berates for being "unclean" in previous chapters) a better people then all others. Before closing off the chapter, God also tacks on his law about what to do with wizards and people who "have a familiar spirit" (thought to mean "spiritual mediums") - that's a stoning too.

LEVITICUS: Chapters 17 & 18

Chapter 17
Summary:	God speaks to Moses, telling him to relay further instructions to Aaron, his sons, and all the people of Israel. Any Israelite who kills an ox, lamb, or goat anywhere except at the tabernacle as a sacrifice to God, will have blood on their hands and will be excommunicated from amongst the nation of Israel. God states that he wants the people not to sacrifice animals in open fields, but rather to be brought to a priest at the door of the tabernacle as "peace offerings" for himself (God). The priest shall sprinkle the blood upon the altar at the door of the tabernacle, and burn the animal fat as a "sweet savor" that God will enjoy. The people shall no longer sacrifice animals to "devils", or evil spirits, that they have whored after. This shall be a permanent law from generation to generation. Anyone whether Israeli, or a foreigner living amongst them, who offers either a "burnt offering" or an animal sacrifice any place other than at the front door of the tabernacle, will be excommunicated. Anyone, whether an Israeli, or a foreigner living amongst them. that eats any manner of blood, will be excommunicated and God will turn his face against them. God explains that the life of the flesh is in the blood and claims that he has provided blood upon the altar of the tabernacle to make atonement for your "soul", because blood apparently is what makes atonement for people's "souls". Therefore, this is God's reasoning behind disallowing the people of Israel, or any foreigner living among them, from eating blood. Anyone, whether Israeli or foreigner living amongst them, that hunts and catches and bird or animal permitted to be eaten, must first drain the animal's blood and then cover it with dust. God states that that the people of Israel must never eat blood of any sort, for the blood is the life of all living things, and whomever does so will be excommunicated. Anyone who eats the dead bodies of animals that have either died naturally, or have been torn apart from wild animals, must wash their clothes and will be considered "unclean" until evening; after the evening comes, they shall be considered "clean". If the person does not wash their clothes, however, then they shall suffer the consequence.
Notes:	1.) The actual Hebrew translation here is "hairy ones".
Thoughts:	God begins chapter 17 by first addressing the utter importance that animal sacrifices are only to be made to him, and to him only, and only at the door of the tabernacle by a priest. God wants to enjoy the "sweet savor" of burnt animal flesh at his tabernacle and threatens anyone sacrificing animals elsewhere with excommunication. Interestingly, this chapter is also technically our first mention of "devils" (in the King James Version), or "evil spirits", although the proper Hebrew translation in Leviticus:17:7 is actually "hairy ones". God forbids his people from sacrificing animals in open fields to the devils/evil spirits/hairy ones that the people have apparently "whored" after. This ban on animal sacrifices anywhere but at the tabernacle is a permanent law and applies to the people of Israel and any foreign visitors that may be living amongst them. Disobeying this law gets you excommunicated. Next up God goes into greater detail about an issue he only vaguely touched upon almost 800 years earlier to Noah in the book of Genesis (Genesis:9:4). God commands that neither the Israelis, or any foreigner living amongst them shall ever consume any manner of blood, and if they do so they will be excommunicated. This section of the chapter has famously been cited by Jehovah's Witnesses to explain their stance on refusing blood transfusions believing that having a transfusion is in fact considered "eating blood". It begs the question of why certain parts of the Old Testament still apply to the beliefs of modern religions (such as many of the traditions in modern Judaism, Christianity's anti-homosexual stances, and of course the Jehovah's Witnesses anti-transfusion stances) while other laws, which seem to be as equally or even far more important to God, such as animal sacrifices, stoning adulterers, endorsing slavery (including how to properly beat your slaves), and the use of scapegoats seemed to have fallen by the wayside to modern day believers of these ancient religions. A major problem I have with this line of thinking is not that I care whether an adult wants to refuse medical treatment based on the grounds of their religious beliefs, but when that adult puts the lives of their children in serious, or even mortal danger on the grounds of their vague interpretations of some several thousand year old collection of stories. To make a similar comparison, my sister has been a vegetarian since she was a teenager (something I also partially share in common with her) and it's a decision she made due to her own ethics in regards to her feelings about animals. Like myself, it is something she feels very passionate about for personal reasons, yet she doesn't impose her own values upon her children, both for the fact that it's better for their nutrition as they are still young and growing, and for the fact that it takes a lot of careful thought and preparation to make the decision for a drastic change to your lifestyle and dietary habits. I also feel that religion is a rather personal decision that children are incapable of grasping or understanding, and when religion stands in the way of lifesaving medical procedures it's not fair to the child to be forced to suffer and perhaps die for the selfishness of their parent or legal guardian's personal superstitious beliefs. Back to our story, God emphasizes that "the blood is the life" and that its only other purpose besides being the life of an animal or human being is to atone for people's "souls". So God's law here is simply that eating blood, whether you're an Israeli or simply just living amongst them, is forbidden and will find you excommunicated. God adds that any animal (one that he is allowing you to eat in the first place) that is hunted and killed for food must first be drained of its blood (with the blood being covered by "dust", or dirt) before it can be eaten. Failure to do this will also find you excommunicated. Anyone deciding to dine on the carcasses of dead animals (again, of those that are permitted to eat in the first place) that have died of natural causes, or have been attacked and killed by wild animals, has to wash their clothes and they will be considered "unclean" until sundown. God finishes up the chapter by issuing a threat to those that don't wash their clothes after dining on animal carcasses, stating that they will suffer the consequences.
Chapter 18
Summary:	God tells Moses to tell the people of Israel that he, Yahweh, is their god, and that they aren't to follow any of the laws or customs of Egypt where they once lived, or any of the laws or customs of Canaan where they would eventually be brought to. The people of Israel are only to follow God's laws and to live by them as well. None of the people of Israel are to "uncover the nakedness" of anyone that is near kin to them. The nakedness of either your father or mother you shall not uncover, she is your mother and therefore don't undress her. You are also not to uncover the nakedness of your father's wife, as that nakedness belongs to your father. Your sister's nakedness, whether she is the daughter of your father, or the daughter of your mother, born at home or abroad, even her nakedness you are not allowed to uncover. The nakedness of your grandchildren, whether it's your son's daughter or your daughter's daughter is also forbidden for you to uncover - as their nakedness is the equivalent of your own nakedness. The nakedness of the daughter of your father's wife (step sister) is your sister's, and you shall not uncover her nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your father's sister (your paternal aunt) as she is too close of kin to your father. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your mother's sister (your maternal aunt) as she is too close of kin to your mother. You shall not uncover the nakedness of the wife of your father's brother (your paternal uncle) as she is your aunt. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your daughter in law, she is your son's wife. You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife, as that is your brother's nakedness. You shall not uncover the nakedness of both a woman and her daughter, nor the woman's son's daughter (her granddaughter from her son) or her daughter's daughter (her granddaughter from her daughter), for they are the near relatives to the woman and this is wickedness. Neither shall you marry two sisters, for they will be rivals. However if your wife dies, you may then marry her sister. Never approach a menstruating woman to uncover her nakedness during her "uncleanliness". Moreover, you can not have sex with your neighbor's wife, or you will defile yourself with her. You shall never sacrifice by fire any of your offspring to the god Molech*, nor shall you profane the name of your god by doing so. A man shall not lie with another man as he would with a woman (meaning homosexuality) - it is an "abomination". Neither shall a man defile himself by having sex with any animal, nor shall a woman allow herself to be pentetrated by an animal herself - it is confusion. Don't defile yourself by doing any of these things, as these are the things done in the nations which I'm leading you to whom I will cast out of their lands before you. God claims that they have defiled the land itself and therefore they will be punished and "vomitted out" of the land. God demands that these laws are to be kept and obeyed, and that none are to commit any of these "abominations". These rules are to be followed by the people of Israel, as well as foreigners living amongst them. God again claims that these "abominations" have been done continually in the land where they are headed and that the people of Israel are not to let themselves follow any of these "abominable customs", lest they defile themselves and find themselves exiled from their people.
Notes:	1.) Although completely unexplained in the book of Leviticus, Molech, as mentioned in Chapter 18 is the name of a Middle Eastern god common to both the Canaanites and Egyptians, as well as the Hebrews, that followers supposedly presented human sacrifice to by fire.
Thoughts:	God's spends this chapter giving us his revised views on sexuality while implicating that the "heathens" of Egypt, and moreover Canaan are ritualistic practitioners of incest, homosexuality, bestiality, and human sacrifice. I state that God has revised his stances on sexuality, mainly in his new regard towards incest as God has at the very least, tolerated incestuous relationships in the book of Genesis - In chapter 20, God does not condemn either Abraham or Sarah (half siblings) for their incestuous marriage nor Aaron and Moses' father Amram, who married his aunt Jochebed. Sarah was even blessed by God, contradicting his stance on the law he states here in Leviticus. The problem with this angle, is that God obviously accepted incestuous marriage not only in the past with Abraham and Sarah (Israel's parents), but also in the near past (Aaron and Moses' father Amram married his aunt Jochebed). Now, with God enacting this new law now, he condemns the Egyptians (who would have no way of predicting this law, regardless of whether they followed God's laws or not) and the Canaanites (whom he's had it out for anyways since after the Noah's Ark story after Noah cursed the Canaanites) whom would also have no way of knowing this new law either. Calling their behaviors an "abomination" for incestuous marriages when it was obvious practiced by the people of Israel as well is hypocritical due to the timing. God's new laws on incest are spelled out in the beginnings of chapter 18. Although the meaning is thought to imply "marriage" or at the least "sexual relations", the King James Version uses the phrase "to uncover the nakedness of" - which I've left intact, as this can also apply to "peeping" in on the naked body of, similar as to what Ham had done to anger his drunken father Noah. God's new laws concerning incest is that a man may not marry or have sex with: his mother or father, his step mother, his sister, his half sister, his grandchildren, his step sister, his maternal or paternal aunt, his maternal or paternal uncle's wife (which is also his aunt), his daughter in law, your brother's wife (contradicts why God had killed Onan), both a woman and daughter, both a woman and granddaughter, nor may he marry two sisters at the same time (contradicting Jacob's marriage to both Leah and Rachel in which all three were blessed by God), any menstruating woman, or your neighbor's wife. Despite claims by some that God's laws are consistent and unchanging, they do in fact adapt and change over the course of Genesis to Leviticus (and beyond). Next up in God's laws is a curious mention of another god named Molech, who is not explained within the context of his appearance here. Molech allegedly was a god worshiped in the middle east by the Canaanites, Egyptians, Phoenicians, and Hebrews, but is in fact simply a Hebrew name for the god. No evidence of a god fitting his description or bearing his name has ever been found outside of the Torah (the original Jewish version of the Old Testament) and is considered more of a Hebrew legend. The name was letter retconned into describing simply the concept of an infanticide human sacrifice by fire. Whether the translation here is to mean a sacrifice to the god Molech (which was probably believed to be a true god by the Israelis - meaning they thought other cultures worshiped a god named Molech) or whether it's to describe the human sacrifice itself, God forbids it and claims that it profanes his name to sacrifice in this way. God next dishes out a rather famous verse on homosexuality calling the act an "abomination". This verse is still often pointed out today by believers who condemn homosexuality, despite many other Mosaic laws (such as the condoning of slavery itself as well as the condoning of beating the said slaves) being disregarded. It's puzzling as to what parts of the Old Testament are supposed to hold true today and which are to be disregarded - each faction of Abrahamic religions, and each faction of Christianity, pick apart their own version of what to keep and what to ignore. God's next law forbids bestiality - specifically a man having sex with a female animal, or a woman being penetrated by a male animal. God finishes up by claiming and implying that the Canaanites (as well as the Egyptians) practice all these deviant forms of sex (and human sacrifices to Molech) when there is little archaeological evidence to support a claim that either the inhabitants of Canaan (or Egypt) practiced these deviant sexual acts and incestuous marriages any more or less than the ancient Hebrews themselves. Remember that even Aaron and Moses's parents were incestuous according to the rules laid out here in Leviticus 18. The truth behind this chapter is more likely to be an extension of the xenophobia the Hebrew tribes had of their neighbors and an attempt to vilify and justify the wars between the tribes, the conquest of their lands, and the passing tales of myths and legends about their enemies. The archaeological evidence just doesn't seem to fit the assertions made and no literature outside of biblical sources corroborates the claims within the same time frame.

GENESIS: Chapters 22 & 23

Chapter 22
Summary:	God calls down to Abraham with the intention of testing his faith and obedience and commands Abraham to bring his son Isaac out to the land of Moriah and to sacrifice(!) Isaac as a burnt offering to God upon one of the mountains. The next morning Abraham gets up nice and early to chop some wood and saddled his donkey in preparation for his task. He takes Isaac and two of his slaves out to where God told him to go. On the third day of their journey Abraham saw the place off in the distance and told his slaves to stay with the donkey and that him and Isaac would return after they went off to worship. Abraham stacks the timber on Isaac's shoulder while he brings along a knife and a flint for striking a fire. Isaac starts to get suspicious when he realizes that they haven't got an animal to sacrifce, but Abraham reassures him that God will see to that. When they arrived at the spot God picked out for him, Abraham built an altar, spread out the kindling, and tied his son up and placed him over the altar. He then takes his knife and lifts it in preparation to plunge into his son and slay him, when God shouts Abraham's name from heaven. He tells Abraham to set down the knife and not to harm the boy, and explains to him that this was all just a test to see if he feared God enough to place God first in his life - ahead of even the life of his beloved son Isaac. At that moment Abraham sees a ram with its horns stuck in a bush and sacrifices the ram instead of Isaac. Abraham names the area "Yahweh provides" - which allegedly it is still called today. God tells Abraham that he passed this test, and in honor of his willingness to sacrifice his son, he will bless him with incredible blessings and multiply his descendants by countless millions. God goes on to add that these descendants will conquer their enemies and become blessings to all other nations of the earth. Abraham returns to his slaves and his donkey with Isaac and traveled home to Beer-sheba. After they returned, a message arrived to Abraham that Milcha (the wife of Abraham's brother Nahor) had borne Nahor eight sons*: Uz, the oldest, Buz, the second oldest, Kemuel (eventual father of Aram), Chesed Hazo Pildash Jidlaph Bethuel (eventual father of Rebekah). He also had four children with his concubine, Reumah: Tebah Gaham Tahash Maacah
Notes:	1.) Does not specify if these children were born separately or as octuplets.
Thoughts:	Once again we're faced with an awkward depiction of both Abraham's and God's behaviors towards Isaac being used as a pawn in a trivial test. If God is omniscient, why does he need to test Abraham's faith (and fear of God) at all? Shouldn't he know as easily as he could read both Abraham's and Sarah's thoughts previously? Secondly it's hard to justify the terror both God and Abraham put young Isaac through with the threat of being slaughtered at knife point by his own father. Even after the revelation by God that it was "just a joke" to test Abe's faith, wouldn't this kind of behavior both by his own father and by the God he is lead to believe is just sort of erode his trust in these two? I for one, if I were Isaac, surely wouldn't be going on any more excursions with my dad carrying a sharp knife and a bundle of kindling! Perhaps we could even think less critically about God and Abraham's behavior towards Isaac if Isaac were perhaps older and not a young boy as depicted. Additionally, how far and for how long are we to presume that Abraham and Isaac must have walked (through mountainous terrain, no less) to find a place where Isaac's screams of terror wouldn't be heard by Abraham's slaves? In the mountainous area wouldn't Isaac's screams carry through the mountains? Even if Isaac did not scream or loudly protest being tied up and almost gutted, wouldn't the thought have occurred to Abraham that perhaps the possibility that the boy *might* scream would summons his faithful slaves to investigate? Well, at least they were lucky to find that ram stuck in the bushes to satisfy God's blood lust. On a final note, unless they were octuplets, isn't it a bit strange that a message arrives for Abraham about all eight (plus the four kids borne from the concubine) of Nahor's children at once?
Chapter 23
Summary:	Sarah dies at the age of 127 in Hebron in the land of Canaan, and Abraham mourned and wept for her. Standing beside Sarah's body, acknowledging that he is simply a visitor to their land, he asks the men of Heth to sell him a piece of ground to bury his wife in. The men stating that Abraham is an honored prince of God, tell them that it will be their privilege to offer the finest sepulchres to bury Sarah. Abraham bows low before them and tells them that as this is their wish, to then ask Ephron (Zohar's son) to sell him the cave of Mach-pelah at the end of the field. He offers to pay full price for it so as it will become a permanent cemetery plot for Abraham's family. Ephron, who was sitting amongst the men, spoke up and offered Abraham the cave at no charge. Abraham refused to accept the cave as a gift inquiring as to what monetary value the land has. Ephron tells him that the land is worth 400 pieces of silver, but attempt to waive the charges once again. Abraham instead paid Ephron the 400 pieces of silver, effective buying Ephron's field at Mach-pelah (near Mamre), the cave at the end of the field, as well as all the trees in the field, and proceeds to bury Sarah in the cave.
Thoughts:	This short chapter seems to serve to enforce that Abraham does not like to accept charity to avoid being indebted to others, much like his position towards King Bera of Sodom - before God annihilated his whole city.