Monday, September 10, 2007

Day 14 ~ What's with all the giants?

  • Numbers 30 gives some details about vows - and actually more detail about authority over a woman. It seems like every circumstance in a woman's life (child, single young woman, married, divorced, widowed), but what about a single older woman? 30:16
  • Do you remember Dionne Warwick and her Psychic Friends Network? Do you remember the joke that went around when the Psychic Friends Network went bankrupt - "didn't they see that coming?" That's what I thought of when I read 31:8 that Balaam was also killed. He was able to prophesy about others, but didn't get the full story from his oracle.
  • 31:9 - my first thought - taking these women is going to cause you trouble! You can't handle the temptation, Israel!
  • Only had to wait 9 verses for confirmation. Moses is furious with the soldiers who didn't kill all the enemy. However, the Lord didn't tell Moses to tell the people to kill the women except for the virgins - that seems to be Moses' idea. That's the biggest temptation of all to the soldiers, and Moses gives them 32,000 ways to be tempted (31:35). Just a few verses later, the Lord does tell the people how to split the plunder. I wonder if Moses would have asked God, what God would have instructed about the women.
  • 675,000 head of sheep captured in the plunder (plus what the Israelites had on hand). That seems like a lot of sheep. Made me wonder how many sheep there are in the United States right now for comparison. Don't you love the internet? According to the American Sheep Industry Association, as of January 1, 2007 there were 6.2 million head of sheep in the US. Some quick math: the US is 9.17 million square miles; the country of Jordan is 35,637 sq mi. The state of Indiana is 36,185 sq mi. So, the plunder of the Midianites resulted in 10.8% of the number of sheep in the US right now grazing on about 10% of the land mass of Jordan/Indiana or less. That's about 190 sheep per square mile. Purdue says "30 acres of land can be utilized to supply the forage needs of a 100-ewe flock." 640 acres = 1 square mile, so about 2133 sheep per square mile advised. So the Israelites were using up about 10% of their available grazing land on captured sheep alone. Grazing land was VERY important.
  • Okay, that last paragraph was just way too much. Someone stop me. Please don't ever give me any jelly bellies, and don't ask why.
  • Not one Israelite man was killed. Not even trampled by all this livestock. (31:49)
  • In chapter 32, the tribes that were apparently involved with grazing animals (Reuben, Gad, 1/2 Manasseh) ask for their land now - they like where they are (nw Jordan). Other than being short-sighted because they haven't even seen how good the grazing land was in the promised territory flowing with milk and honey, who wants to roam around with all this sheep!! They get their land on the condition that the go fight until all the other tribes get their land. Reminds me of the prodigal son.
  • A detailed route of the wandering in the wilderness for 40 years is provided. Unfortunately, none of this stuff still exists, we don't even really know where Mt. Sinai is. Even though God gives us an incredible map, we can't use it.
  • 33:38. Aaron died in the 40th year of wandering, in the 1st day of the fifth month. He was 123 years old. A lot happens in the last several months of that fortieth year. What does mark the end of the wandering? Is it Moses death (yet to come, but already predicted). How many months are there in the Hebrew calendar?
  • 33:53 - dispose of the inhabitants or they will be an irritant to you. Seems pretty clear.
  • Another detailed word map of the physical boundaries of the promised land is found in chapter 34. Note that it doesn't include the tribal territory east of the Jordan in Gilead assigned to the 2-1/2 tribes. Also note that Edom is specifically noted as not being part of the territory. Bet they cause problems later.
  • Amidst all these odd names and geneologies, don't miss that God knew all these people by name, and chose whom he wanted to be in leadership.
  • Chapter 34 also covers the establishment of 6 cities of refuge among the 48 cities for the Levites within the territories of the 12 tribes.
  • Who is the avenger of blood?
  • Can you see the basis of our judicial code for murder in here?
  • One witness is insufficient for the death penalty (35:30).
  • Didn't I ask the same question about Manasseh's daughters as is asked in 36:6? They are instructed to marry only within their tribes. Was this only for those specifically in Manasseh, or for the whole nation?

I have completed the book of Numbers! Four down, sixty-two to go.

  • Question answered again - The forty years of wandering appear to end in month 11. (Deuteronomy 1:3)
  • Some timeline clarification in 1:15,16- He broke down the leadership first, then appointed judges (per Jethro's advise, I presume).
  • 1:28 - sons of the Anakim were giants (see Numbers 13:33).
  • Remember how God specifically named Edom (descendants of Esau) as territory that would not be received. He tells us this again in 2:5
  • 2:9 confuses me. It seems like Moab and Midian have been used almost interchangeable in the past couple of books. Guess I'm wrong, because God says the Israelites won't overtake Moab either. Refresher on Midian/Moab: Midian was a son of Abraham by his second wife Keturah. Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt. Moses flees to Midian and marries the daughter of Jethro, an Elder of Midian. The elders of Moab and the elders of Midian go together to get Balaam to curse Israel. The Israelites sinned with the Midianite harlots and some worshiped their false gods, then revenge was taken on them and they get wiped out (see the booty numbered sheep in the obsessive point above). Moab was the son of Lot by one of his daughters (ewww). Gen 19:37 clues us in that they don't get wiped out with the phrase "he is the father of the Moabites to this day".
  • Apparently there are at least two races of Giants in the area - Anakim, Emim, Zamzummim
  • 2:14. I don't remember this recounted story from the battle of Zered "all the generation of the men of war was consumed from the midst of the camp" in year 38, do you? I think it comes from Numbers 11 when they complained and God burned some of them up on the outskirts of the camp, because later in the chapter Zered is mentioned.
  • 2:30 God hardened the heart of the king of Sihon, like with Pharoah
  • 3:8, 9 give some geographical names from different civilizations. This type of info has to be gold to archaeologists.
  • Apparently the giant Og's bed (9 cubits in length) was something people could go look at in some roadside museum. (3:11). Wasn't Goliath 9 cubits tall - he surpasses this giant who was one for the local record books.
  • 3:19 - I know that you have much livestock. So do we, since we did the math.
  • Moses pleads with God to set foot into the promised land, and like a toddler begging for something, God gives him a bit to shut him up - he can see the territory well from Mt. Pisgah, and that will just have to do.
  • The first five books of the old testament are supposedly written by Moses. But only three chapters into Deuteronomy, the style is much more narrative. I don't ever remember Moses referring to himself in the first person as he does in the end of chapter 3. Interesting.

I'm really tired, as I'm sure Moses is at this point. Off to bed for me, and Deuteronomy chapter 4 awaits me tomorrow.

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