More administration. The spread of Judaism. The death of Joshua.
Chapter 20
The cities of refuge, places where accidental murderers can hide from their victims' avengers, are designated.
Chapter 21
48 cities are given to the Levites, so they can sponge off the other tribes throughout their territory. At the end, we are informed that god's covenants are all fulfilled now. Well, except those ones about kicking all the Canaanites out of Canaan, which we saw in the last few chapters had not been done.
Chapter 22
The Reubenites and Gadites are sent back across the Jordan River with a reminder to behave righteously, so of course you know the first thing they're going to do is sin mightily. It takes the form of an unauthorized altar. Jerry Falwell is shocked! Shocked! At this act, calling it an act of political disunity and apostasy, so you can see how tolerant his theocracy would be of other religions. Saudi Arabia! The desert is lovely this time of year!
Phineas, the lovely chappie who speared an Israelite and his Midianite date through the stomachs, and who should by all rights be dead now, since no one was supposed to survive those 40 years in the desert save for Joshua and Caleb, is sent to confront them about this.
The apostates swear up and down that they built the altar so their children will remember god, and they won't make any sacrifices on it. Fortunately, Phineas believes them and the crisis is averted. The altar is given a name: Ed. Ed the Altar.
Chapter 23
Joshua is old and dying and in the grand tradition of Israelite leaders, he makes a deathbed speech exhorting them to be loyal to god.
Chapter 24
Joshua continues, reminding them how god rescued them from Egypt, then gave them other peoples' stuff after killing them, and reminds them not to worship other gods. Then the supposed author of the book records his own death, along with his burial and the interment of Joseph's (from Genesis) bones. Then Eleazar, Aaron's son, another anachronism since he should have died ages ago, also dies.
Showing posts with label Eleazar. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eleazar. Show all posts
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Numbers, Chapters 32 & 33
Chapter 32
Two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad, see the land of Gilead, and decide it would be a good place for them, because their herders and it looks like fine grazing land, rather than going on to Canaan. Moses asks why their brethren should go to war and not them (because they don't want to?) and accuses them of causing the others to lose heart, just like their fathers did. He reminds them how god cursed them for that, and how no one who was over 20 at the time is going to see the holy land because they've been wandering in the desert for 40 years. He says god will do it again if they leave.
They propose to build houses and sheep pens where they are, fight the battle, and come back. Moses agrees to those terms. The sons of Reuben and Gad set about building their cities and fields.
Chapter 33
This chapter consists of a list of all the places the Israelites have camped over the past 40 years. It's about as interesting as looking at other people's vacation photos: 'Oh look! Here's Elim! Remember, dear, how there were 12 fountains there and 70 palm trees! That was a good camp! Oh, no! Rephidim! That one was awful! No water! No dear, the worst was Edom. Remember how Aaron died there? Oh, yes, dear, you're absolutely right. That was terrible.'
After 50 verses, Moses comes back with some new instructions: conquer the Canaanites, destroy their property, drive them out. Failure to do so will result in prickly eyes and thorns in their sides, in addition to whatever he was planning for the Canaanites.
Two of the tribes, Reuben and Gad, see the land of Gilead, and decide it would be a good place for them, because their herders and it looks like fine grazing land, rather than going on to Canaan. Moses asks why their brethren should go to war and not them (because they don't want to?) and accuses them of causing the others to lose heart, just like their fathers did. He reminds them how god cursed them for that, and how no one who was over 20 at the time is going to see the holy land because they've been wandering in the desert for 40 years. He says god will do it again if they leave.
They propose to build houses and sheep pens where they are, fight the battle, and come back. Moses agrees to those terms. The sons of Reuben and Gad set about building their cities and fields.
Chapter 33
This chapter consists of a list of all the places the Israelites have camped over the past 40 years. It's about as interesting as looking at other people's vacation photos: 'Oh look! Here's Elim! Remember, dear, how there were 12 fountains there and 70 palm trees! That was a good camp! Oh, no! Rephidim! That one was awful! No water! No dear, the worst was Edom. Remember how Aaron died there? Oh, yes, dear, you're absolutely right. That was terrible.'
After 50 verses, Moses comes back with some new instructions: conquer the Canaanites, destroy their property, drive them out. Failure to do so will result in prickly eyes and thorns in their sides, in addition to whatever he was planning for the Canaanites.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Numbers Chapters 26 & 27
Chapter 26
God is just about ready to finally let the Israelites into the holy land. He orders a census so as to decide how to divide the spoils between the tribes. One man, Zelophehad, doesn't have any sons. This will be important later. Somehow, despite the plagues, fires, food poisoning, snakes and earthquakes sent by god, there are still 601 730 men over the age of 20. Odd then that Herodotus doesn't mention them at all. Even odder is that only two of the men who were alive in the last census, Caleb and Joshua, are still around for this one.
Chapter 27
Zelophehad's five daughters come to Moses to petition for property rights, because they have no brother to claim their share of the land. Moses takes the case to god, who says that from now on, if a man dies and has no sons, his daughters can inherit his property. Yay, a little, for the girls. Of course this particular statute very seldom found its way into legal codes for the next several thousand years, and there is still the problem that if you had a brother, he'd get everything. Jerry of course, falls on the side of the patriarchy, pointing out the problems tht would arise in this situation, because the daughters would take the property away under a new name when they got married, destroying the father's estate? Why, exactly? He's dead. Is it better for a nephew or cousin to inherit it so it 'stays in the family?'
Next, god tells Moses to go up Mount Abarim so he can look at Canaan before he dies. Moses asks who will be in charge, and god makes the first crude separation of church and state: Joshua will be the military leader, Eleazar the spiritual. Jerry Falwell's crack team of biblical scholars fails to pick up on this, probably because they're still hoping for a theocracy based on the wonderful, just laws contained in books such as this one. Eleazar will not be able to communicate with god face-to-face, instead he is to use the Urim and Thummim coin, to which he can ask yes-no questions. Nope, not corrupt at all!
God is just about ready to finally let the Israelites into the holy land. He orders a census so as to decide how to divide the spoils between the tribes. One man, Zelophehad, doesn't have any sons. This will be important later. Somehow, despite the plagues, fires, food poisoning, snakes and earthquakes sent by god, there are still 601 730 men over the age of 20. Odd then that Herodotus doesn't mention them at all. Even odder is that only two of the men who were alive in the last census, Caleb and Joshua, are still around for this one.
Chapter 27
Zelophehad's five daughters come to Moses to petition for property rights, because they have no brother to claim their share of the land. Moses takes the case to god, who says that from now on, if a man dies and has no sons, his daughters can inherit his property. Yay, a little, for the girls. Of course this particular statute very seldom found its way into legal codes for the next several thousand years, and there is still the problem that if you had a brother, he'd get everything. Jerry of course, falls on the side of the patriarchy, pointing out the problems tht would arise in this situation, because the daughters would take the property away under a new name when they got married, destroying the father's estate? Why, exactly? He's dead. Is it better for a nephew or cousin to inherit it so it 'stays in the family?'
Next, god tells Moses to go up Mount Abarim so he can look at Canaan before he dies. Moses asks who will be in charge, and god makes the first crude separation of church and state: Joshua will be the military leader, Eleazar the spiritual. Jerry Falwell's crack team of biblical scholars fails to pick up on this, probably because they're still hoping for a theocracy based on the wonderful, just laws contained in books such as this one. Eleazar will not be able to communicate with god face-to-face, instead he is to use the Urim and Thummim coin, to which he can ask yes-no questions. Nope, not corrupt at all!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)